Chapter Eighteen: Defeating the Divine

Inside a private room of the restaurant, the heightened physical senses of the soul master easily allowed a clear view of scenes hundreds of meters away. They saw the statue of the Sea God being carried out of the temple and soldiers beating the priests, while the common folk cheered and applauded nearby.

“Bang!”

“How dare they treat the ancestors’ deity like this!”

A heterochromatic-eyed youth slammed his palm onto the wooden table, leaving a deep imprint. His forehead faintly bore the mark of the character "King," and from his yellow hair sprouted a pair of tiger ears, burning with fury.

He was none other than Dai Yaoheng, the eldest legitimate son of the current White Tiger Duke.

The Dai family ancestor, Dai Mubai, was sworn brothers with the Sea God and was jointly worshipped in the ancestral temple. Every member of the Dai family revered him as their venerable forebear. Seeing such a disgraceful sight, it was no wonder the usually composed Dai Yaoheng was incensed.

In stark contrast, Ma Xiaotao, long plagued by the demonic fire within her, appeared much calmer—if one overlooked the flickering black-and-red flames slowly burning around her. She was evidently exerting every ounce of strength to suppress the nearly uncontrollable evil fire inside her.

“Ma Xiaotao, calm down. If you lose control here, no one will be able to contain your demonic fire. If the powerful figures of the Douling Empire find out, they would gladly eradicate you outright, and the academy would have no grounds to protest,” said Ling Luocheng, a cold and aloof girl. She summoned her martial soul, and a chilling frost instantly enveloped the room, countering Ma Xiaotao’s evil flames.

However, her martial soul was clearly no match for Ma Xiaotao’s demonic fire phoenix. After a brief struggle, the flames subdued her, forcing Ling Luocheng to grit her teeth and endure the pressure as she tried to reason with Ma Xiaotao.

“Phew—”

Exhaling a scorching breath, Ma Xiaotao’s rationality gradually returned under Ling Luocheng’s words, and she finally suppressed the flames once more. Ling Luocheng heaved a sigh of relief and withdrew her martial soul.

At that moment, a companion who had gone out to gather information returned, fuming with indignation.

“Xiaotao, I found out—it’s all on the orders of the Douling Empire’s national teacher. He replaced the statue of Lord Sea God with some unknown god of fertility and abundance. This isn’t just happening here; the entire Douling City is undergoing the same changes.”

“And soon after the orders are fully communicated, every temple across the Douling Empire must comply.”

Upon hearing this, Dai Yaoheng, who had been struggling to contain his rage, could no longer hold back and roared, “What do they want to do? Desecrate it?! I’ll send a message to my father immediately to confront the Douling Emperor!”

“Enough!” Ma Xiaotao shouted. “You are the eldest son of the White Tiger Duke, the next in line. Don’t you understand the consequences of such actions?”

“I...” Dai Yaoheng clenched his teeth, fully aware of the consequences, yet unable to bear seeing their ancestor insulted this way.

Seeing him finally quiet down, Ma Xiaotao frowned and asked, “National teacher? The position of national teacher in the Douling Empire has been vacant all this time. When did they appoint one?”

Her companion replied, “Not until today. At this morning’s court session, the long-absent Douling Emperor suddenly appeared and personally announced it. He even exiled several protesting ministers. Many officials and nobles are dissatisfied.”

“So the national teacher is just a scapegoat. Perhaps the Douling Emperor himself is the real initiator,” Ma Xiaotao mused, frowning deeply. Though her deduction seemed correct, something about it felt off.

“What about the god of fertility and life? In the Sea God Pavilion’s records, I only saw mention of the Goddess of Life, one of the five supreme divine kings of the divine realm, but she hasn’t appeared for a long time.”

“Um...” Upon hearing Ma Xiaotao’s question, her companion hesitated before responding, “According to the nobles, the god of fertility is the same as the Goddess of Life, just an external facet of her. Theoretically, the two deities are one.”

“Ridiculous!” Ma Xiaotao suddenly stood, crimson feathers sprouting on her delicate cheeks, black-and-red flames blazing across her body.

Her eyes glowed red as she furiously denounced, “I have never heard such a twisted distortion of the truth!”

The evil fire roared beyond suppression, filling the room with scorching heat. Surrounding tables and decorations spontaneously combusted, even without contact with the flames.

Ling Luocheng’s face flushed deeply as she desperately unleashed her soul skill to shield herself and her companions, her beautiful eyes filled with terror as she watched Ma Xiaotao verge on losing control.

Just when it seemed the situation was spiraling out of hand, a rush of water suddenly echoed in the room. In the blink of an eye, an elderly man appeared, clad in blue robes embroidered with intertwining tortoise and serpent patterns. He seemed utterly unaffected by the raging crimson flames, pressing his hand down onto Ma Xiaotao’s head. Instantly, the evil fire was quelled.

The elder sighed while looking at Ma Xiaotao. “Talents arise in every generation. The demonic fire within you is now on par with that of your ancestor. In a few years, even I might be unable to suppress it.”

Awakened, Ma Xiaotao looked at the elder with gratitude. “Thank you, Lord Xuanming, for your timely aid.”

Xuanming Douluo waved his hand dismissively. “No need for thanks. I was merely entrusted by your teacher to keep an eye on you. Hurry and leave. With the commotion you just caused, soldiers will be here soon.”

“...” Ma Xiaotao hesitated briefly, then said, “I’m sorry, Lord Xuanming, but I can’t leave just like that.”

“Because of what’s happening outside?” Xuanming Douluo lifted his eyes, speaking plainly, “Don’t take offense at my bluntness—you’re not qualified. The Douling Empire may be weak, but your teacher is not without rivals.”

“Moreover...” He paused, his gaze inscrutable, then said meaningfully, “Shrek—he is the academy.”

His words were clear: as an educational institution, Shrek Academy must not interfere with imperial policies. Any interference would cause the current situation on Douluo Continent to shift like turbulent winds.

In his view, Ma Xiaotao and her group, who were not even soul emperors yet, stood no chance against the gargantuan Douling Empire.

Ma Xiaotao understood this but still firmly declared, “I insist on staying. I ask for your support, senior.”

Xuanming Douluo stared at her for several seconds, then, faced with her stubbornness, said, “I will contact Yan Shaozhe to come handle your group. Until then, I won’t interfere with anything you do. I will only ensure your lives are not threatened.”

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaotao’s lovely face lit up with a radiant smile. After Xuanming Douluo left, Dai Yaoheng and the others surrounded her.

Clenching his fists, Dai Yaoheng looked at Ma Xiaotao and said, “I have never respected you before, and I won’t in the future. But within the Douling Empire, I’ll temporarily obey your command. So, tell me, what’s your plan?”

“Hmph, then prepare yourself for hard work,” Ma Xiaotao smiled lightly before turning serious. “Remember, from start to finish, we are not here to interfere with the Douling Emperor’s policies—not because we dare not, but because we cannot.”

“How do we restore Lord Sea God’s dignity then?” Ling Luocheng asked doubtfully.

She could not think of any solution other than directly intervening in the policies.

Ma Xiaotao had long considered this and said, “We simply defeat that god of fertility.”

“Defeat...”

“...a deity?!”

Everyone gasped, staring at Ma Xiaotao in disbelief. They never expected her solution to be this.