Since she had come for this, there was no way she would just stand by and watch her elder brothers rush into danger.
"Yaoyao, you've gone too far!"
"Now that the clan chief's jade pendant is in my hands, Third Elder Brother, Fourth Elder Brother, you should recognize me as the clan chief." Yaohua put the jade pendant into her bosom, tightened her robe, and looked at the elder brothers gathering around. She was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood their intention.
They were trying to get the jade pendant back.
Without the identification token, it was extremely difficult for non - summoned beings to enter the Celestial Realm. And this jade pendant was the token of the Phoenix clan chief.
"Fine. Since elder brothers don't want me as the clan chief, then I'll fight with you in martial arts and make you all admit defeat whole - heartedly." Yaohua spread her wings and hovered in the air. "Come at me all together."
She had never really fought with her elder brothers before, but she knew their strength. If she could defeat them all at once, perhaps they would feel more at ease.
The radiant light illuminated the entire sky. Amidst the dancing feathers of the phoenixes, Yaohua's phoenix true fire twisted into a thick chain, protecting her all around.
She raised her hand, and the resplendent tail feathers of the Sixth Elder Brother were clearly held between her fingers.
From the corner of her eye, she could see that all the elder brothers were missing some tail feathers to varying degrees.
"You've lost." Yaohua released the tail feathers, letting them turn into a phoenix - shaped flame in the air. "Elder brothers, a bet is a bet. You should admit defeat."
Junxi gritted his teeth and stood up from the ground. He had lost the most tail feathers, yet he was also the strongest among the remaining elder brothers.
"Yaoyao, you've had your fun. Give back the jade pendant quickly!"
Fun? She wasn't having fun.
Even her father, with his cultivation, didn't fare well in the Celestial Realm, let alone the Third Elder Brother.
"The jade pendant belongs to whoever holds it." Yaohua took a deep look in the direction of the coffin, then shifted her gaze away. "You should protect our clan well. When the demons are finally defeated, this jade pendant will naturally return to your hands."
Ignoring their objections, Yaohua turned around and flew towards the Celestial Realm.
The White Crow clan occupied the upper reaches of the Tianhe River. This great calamity wouldn't affect them, and they had long been coveting the Phoenix clan, eager to replace them and become the leader of all the remaining clans in Shenzhou. Now that the demons were causing chaos and the Phoenix clan was struggling to take care of itself, they surely wouldn't miss this opportunity.
The gurgling water splashed against Yaohua's skirt.
"Phoenix? Why aren't you dealing with the crisis in the Celestial Realm? What are you doing in our White Crow clan?"
Yaohua raised her eyes, a curve on her lips. "Our Phoenix clan has suffered from your White Crow clan for too long. With the demons causing chaos, this opportunity is once - in - a - millennium. Today I'll slaughter your clansmen. Who has the time to care about me?"
As she raised her arm, the phoenix true fire surged and rushed towards the White Crow clan members.
Yaohua intended to provoke the White Crow clan into taking action and hold her elder brothers back. So with just one move, those White Crow clan members were lying on the ground, groaning.
Although she attacked fiercely, she was very measured. It seemed serious, but in fact, they would recover completely after a few days of rest.
The White Crow clan had long been waiting for an excuse to start a war. Seeing Yaohua's actions, they immediately drew their weapons.
But Yaohua didn't entangle with them. After wounding several of them, she dusted off her hands in disgust. "You're no match for us. You're not worthy opponents for our clan."
The hateful phoenix had insulted them and then left swaggeringly, clearly not putting them in their eyes. If it were Yaohua, she would never tolerate such an insult.
Moreover, the White Crow clan was well - known for being vengeful.
Elder brothers, this was all she could do for them.
When Yaohua arrived at the Celestial Realm, she found that the guards at the Celestial Gate were stricter than usual. The Celestial Gate, which normally only required a token to pass through, now also needed body searches to verify identities.
"Clan chief, please don't take offense. It's just that those demons are too cunning. They even killed the gods and infiltrated the Celestial Realm by inhabiting their corpses. We caught several of them yesterday."
After hearing the explanation from the guard captain, Yaohua finally understood.
After receiving the pass card from the guard captain, Yaohua was allowed to enter.
Cangling Hall.
Lu Ran was standing guard at the door. When he saw Yaohua coming, a look of surprise flashed across his serious face. "Little princess, why are you here?"
Yaohua waved the jade pendant in front of his eyes. "I'm the Phoenix clan chief now. I'm here to support the Celestial Realm... Where's my master?"
"The god is discussing matters inside." Lu Ran hesitated.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you acting like this?"
"Little princess, you shouldn't have come here."
Just as Lu Ran finished speaking, a voice that made Yaohua's eyes water came from inside.
"Yaohua?"
Yaohua quickly pushed the door open and went in.
"Master, I've come to see you."
Master was sitting in front of the desk. His handsome face was as usual, but different from before, there were a few vertical lines between his eyebrows, perhaps due to his frequent frowning. There was also a bit of weariness on his face.
"What's the matter?"
The step she had taken forward suddenly stopped. Yaohua's expression became a bit stiff. She slowly retracted her steps and stood still, keeping a very distant distance from her master.
"I just want to ask how the situation in the Celestial Realm is now."
"This is a secret of the Celestial Realm." Master rubbed his temples. "It can only be told to the clan chiefs of each clan."
"Master, I'm the Phoenix clan chief."
As soon as she said this, Yaohua noticed that her master's movements slowed down.
"I remember the Phoenix clan chief should be Junxi."
"Master." Yaohua took two steps forward. "I'm more suitable than the Third Elder Brother to come and resist the demons."
Chongming's face darkened. "Yaohua!"
"Master, I've been able to purify the demons' black qi since I was a child, and I still can now." She lowered her head. Her golden pupils reflected her master's figure. "Master, I'm more suitable than the Third Elder Brother."
"The demons are coming in a menacing way. Your cultivation is still shallow. How much help can you be?" The sternness in Chongming's eyebrows grew stronger. "Go back!"
"I won't!" Yaohua's heart skipped a beat. "Master, do you want me to go back because of your own selfishness or because I really can't help?"
Those hidden memories buried deep in her heart resurfaced. Yaohua gradually heard the sound of her own heartbeat.
Thump, thump...
"I'm a god." Chongming said slowly. "For the sake of all living beings and also for you, when you question my selfishness here, do you think... I'm unworthy of this position?"
He clearly could have given a better answer, clearly told her the truth and then made her give up her selfish thoughts. But instead, he had to take this matter to such a high level...
"Master, what are you hiding?" Yaohua propped her arms on the desk and stared intently at her master. She recalled that day. Before she gave him the medicine, master had still protected her. But why had everything changed after that?
Master, why was he avoiding her?
"That day when I gave you the medicine, you knew everything, didn't you?"
Unexpectedly, there was no trace of emotion on Chongming's face. "Yaohua, I don't know what you're talking about. If you're just spouting nonsense because I won't allow you to come to the Celestial Realm as the Phoenix clan chief, then there's no need."
"I'm not spouting nonsense!" Yaohua couldn't help but retort. "Master, if you don't know what I'm talking about, fine. I'll tell you what happened that day."
She stared at her master's lips and pretended to lean in.