A trace of sorrow flashed in Ling Luochen's eyes as Yan Shaozhe held her. She had thought that becoming a Five-Ring Soul King meant she was a decent powerhouse.
But in front of Yan Shaozhe, an unreasonable Super Douluo, she didn't even have the right to refuse, only to be at his mercy.
Within a few breaths, Yan Shaozhe brought Ling Luochen to the room where Ma Xiaotao was.
Inside the room, it wasn't just Ma Xiaotao, who was losing her mind to the Evil Fire. Besides the heads of the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department, the elders of the Seagod Pavilion were also gathered there.
They were currently surrounding Ma Xiaotao, whose Evil Fire was temporarily suppressed by Zhuang Lao using the power of the Tree of Life, their faces filled with anxiety.
Seeing Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen finally understood why Yan Shaozhe would act against his usual style, not even wanting to say a few words, and so forcefully bring her over.
It was because the severity of Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire backlash this time far exceeded any previous one!
Ling Luochen could be sure that if there wasn't a Soul Master with ice attribute to help Ma Xiaotao suppress the Evil Fire, it wouldn't take long before Ma Xiaotao completely lost herself, forever falling into the burning of the Evil Fire, becoming a Dark Soul Master that no one could turn back!
After noticing Yan Shaozhe and Ling Luochen's arrival, the Shrek Academy's high-level members present all breathed a sigh of relief. Now that Ling Luochen had come, it meant Ma Xiaotao could finally be saved!
However, upon noticing that Ling Luochen was forcibly brought over by Yan Shaozhe, Xian Liner, the head of the Soul Tool Department, glared at Yan Shaozhe fiercely and angrily rebuked him.
"Yan Shaozhe! What are you doing? We agreed that you would ask Luochen to help Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire, how could you do this? Even if Xiaotao's situation is dangerous, you can't treat Luochen like this!"
After seeing Xian Liner's signal, Yan Shaozhe understood everything. Calming down, he realized how foolish he had been. He immediately released Ling Luochen's arm, stepped back, and bowed deeply to Ling Luochen again, his tone filled with sincere pleading.
"I'm sorry, Luochen, I was too impulsive just now! Xiaotao's situation is truly critical, it's a matter of urgency! Without your help, Xiaotao, I'm afraid she will truly lose her self-awareness!"
"I beg you, as an elder, please have mercy on Xiaotao and help her!"
At the end, Yan Shaozhe's voice choked with emotion, portraying the image of a teacher filled with regret and helplessness for his disciple's safety.
Faced with his heartfelt plea, Ling Luochen only lowered her head and remained silent, no one knowing what she was thinking.
Seeing this, the Shrek Academy's high-ranking members present exchanged glances, knowing the history between Ling Luochen and Ma Xiaotao.
Ling Luochen already harbored resentment towards Ma Xiaotao. Now that Yan Shaozhe had treated her this way, it would be a miracle if she were still willing to help Ma Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire!
Xian Liner glared at Yan Shaozhe, then went to Ling Luochen's side to comfort and persuade her.
"Luochen, you know how important you students are to us. It's just that Ma Xiaotao's situation is too critical. Yan Shaozhe really had no other choice but to resort to this. But don't worry, after you help Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire, I will definitely help you get justice!"
Xian Liner's words silenced many people present.
For example, Qian Duoduo, her husband, Yan Shaozhe's wife, Cai Meier, and even Xian Liner's mother, Old Man Song, all felt that their daughter's actions were unwise!
These words should have been said by Cai Meier. Why was a former girlfriend of Yan Shaozhe getting involved?
While the Shrek Academy's high-level officials were all thinking different thoughts, and Qian Duoduo was also comforting himself that Xian Liner was doing this for Ma Xiaotao's sake, definitely not because of Yan Shaozhe.
Ling Luochen raised her head and looked at Xian Liner expressionlessly, her tone extremely calm.
"Dean Xian, you should know that my ice element strength is simply not comparable to Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire. Helping her suppress the Evil Fire will damage my body, right?"
Hearing this, Xian Liner's face stiffened, not knowing what to say.
She knew about this, of course. In fact, everyone present knew!
However, compared to Ma Xiaotao, a monster who was close to the ultimate fire, Ling Luochen was still a genius, but there was also an undeniable gap between the two of them.
Furthermore, the damage was just that: damage. It wouldn't affect her core, it would just slow down Ling Luochen's cultivation speed, and she would need some time to recover.
But if they let Ma Xiaotao go, she would be in mortal danger! In such a situation, the Shrek Academy's higher-ups knew how to make the right choice. But now, Ling Luochen refused to help Ma Xiaotao suppress the Evil Fire, which put them in a difficult position. For a moment, the atmosphere in the room fell into a stalemate.
Xuan Lao rolled his eyes after looking around, then took a big bite of a chicken leg, and said unclearly.
"What's the point of refusing? You're all classmates, you should help each other. Now that Xiaotao is in such a dangerous situation, are you going to watch her die?"
As Xuan Lao's words fell, Zhuang Lao, who was using the Tree of Life Martial Soul to help Ma Xiaotao control the Evil Fire, suddenly spoke.
"I can't hold on any longer! If this goes on, Xiaotao's soul will be completely burned by the Evil Fire!"
Yan Shaozhe looked up at Ma Xiaotao with concern, then looked at Ling Luochen with tears in his eyes and pleaded.
"Luochen! Please, for our sake, help Xiaotao one last time! Do I have to beg you on my knees?"
The atmosphere in the room shifted in that instant.
Ling Luochen was the one who had been forced to come here, who had even risked harming her own body to help Ma Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire, only to be betrayed.
Yet, at this moment, it was as if she was the one harming Ma Xiaotao, being cornered and criticized from a moral high ground by a group of the Douluo Continent's top experts. It was as if she would become a heinous criminal if she didn't help Ma Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire!
Under their gaze, Ling Luochen unconsciously took a step back, her face turning even paler, her heart filled with humiliation and pain.
"Alright, I'll help her."
Ling Luochen didn't say another word, silently releasing her ice element to help Ma Xiaotao suppress the Evil Fire raging within her.
It was unknown how long it took, but Ma Xiaotao's condition gradually stabilized, while Ling Luochen's face became deathly pale, devoid of any color.
Ling Luochen's body went weak, and she almost fell. Before Xian Liner could help her, she forced herself to stand up, refusing Zhuang Lao's offer to heal her. She then staggered towards her room.
Watching Ling Luochen's back, Xian Liner shook her head.
"Yan Shaozhe, you really went too far this time!"
Yan Shaozhe forced a smile, looking utterly helpless.
"I had no other choice. I could only let Ling Luochen save Xiaotao first. We'll talk about everything else later. But rest assured, after Xiaotao wakes up, I'll make sure she thanks Ling Luochen immediately. That kind of thing won't happen again!"
Ling Luochen didn't know the conversation of the higher-ups, but even if she did, she wouldn't have cared. She only had one thought now: she had already repaid all the kindness she received from Shrek Academy.
She didn't owe Shrek anything anymore and didn't want to stay here any longer.
Surprisingly, after making this decision, Ling Luochen found that she wasn't the least bit disappointed. Instead, she felt it was a good thing that she had recognized what Shrek was like so early on.
Ling Luochen looked towards the direction of the Extreme North, and spoke to herself in her heart.
"Yeah, Huo Yuhao wrote it in his diary a long time ago, this is Shrek. I'm leaving too!"
(End of this chapter)