A spirit awakening made Ma Hongjun realize a different side of himself. Gazing at the dancing figure before him, Ma Hongjun roared, "A phoenix can be holy, it can be dark, but it cannot, and should not, be vile." Years later, during the War of the Gods, Ma Hongjun, standing on a phoenix, a sea of fire shrouding him, said to the people before him, "Tang San, Bibi Dong, for the sake of our past friendship, I will only say this once: surrender or die."