At this moment, the chief of the Ibis Clan, who had been watching them warily all along, suddenly spoke up. "Humph, how ignorant! Things that counter each other also collide most violently. If a special method is used to connect the demonic qi with the Phoenix Feather, the Phoenix Feather can be transformed into a powerful weapon against demons for a short time."
However, this method had been lost for a long time. Only the ancient records of the Ibis Clan contained any mention of it.
He glared at Yaohua. "You even know such a vicious method. It's obvious that you've long colluded with the Heavenly Demons and harbored ill intentions towards Xilan."
Yaohua's face turned pale. "Please trust me, Chief. I really didn't kill her."
But Chongming detected something amiss from the chief's words and sharply retorted. "Chief, have you already detected the aura of the Heavenly Demons here?"
The chief of the Ibis Clan snorted coldly and extracted a wisp of demonic qi from Xilan's body.
Yaohua's pupils shrank slightly. "I understand. It must be Zhao Yue who's up to something!"
In the Green Salt Secret Realm, Zhao Yue raised her hand, and the demonic qi in front of her transformed into the shape of a water mirror, reflecting the scene in the Immortal Realm.
Jing He said worriedly. "Chief, it seems they've already discovered that wisp of demonic qi. It looks like Yaohua won't be punished."
"I originally wanted to stir up Yaohua's hatred through punishment and let those emotions become the nourishment for the Heavenly Demon Seed. But unexpectedly, she's so sharp." There was more admiration than surprise in Zhao Yue's eyes. "She could detect such a hidden demonic qi. It's evident that she's truly fated to be related to the Demon Clan."
Before her words faded, the entire Heavenly Demon Mansion suddenly shook violently.
Zhao Yue flew out, her face filled with shock.
There, with a cold expression, Chongming was charging towards her with his long sword raised.
Yaohua said hatefully. "Zhao Yue, it was you who used the demonic qi to deliberately frame me!"
Zhao Yue easily dodged the sword light and calmly replied. "You sowed discord between me and Zhao Wu, so I sowed discord between you and the Immortal Realm. This is called reciprocation."
She noticed the violent aura within Yaohua and deliberately taunted her. "You suffered a lot under Xilan's hand and almost got disfigured. I made her die. You should thank me."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and summoned the demonic qi, charging towards Yaohua.
Yaohua was accidentally affected by the demonic qi. All of Xilan's evil deeds flooded into her mind, and her emotions were in turmoil. She struggled to suppress her emotions, and big drops of cold sweat rolled down her forehead.
Fortunately, due to this distraction, Chongming had gained the upper hand and pressed his sword against Zhao Yue's neck.
"How... when did you steal my Phoenix Feather?" Yaohua couldn't help asking.
But Zhao Yue showed a strange smile and directly rammed into the sword to commit suicide.
Her body fell to the ground and instantly turned into a wooden dummy.
"This is just a wooden clone of hers. Her real body must have already returned to the northern part of the Heavenly River." Chongming said regretfully.
He turned around and saw Yaohua squatting on the ground. His face changed drastically. "What's wrong with you?"
He wanted to transfer spiritual qi to Yaohua, but Yaohua was afraid that when they touched, he would discover the Heavenly Demon Seed in her body, so she could only dodge and say. "Master, don't worry. I just suffered some superficial injuries. I'll recover soon."
Chongming noticed the blood on her hand and subconsciously lifted her sleeve. Only then did he see the hideous whip marks.
His gaze suddenly turned cold. "Did Xilan do this?"
Yaohua tried to pull her hand back and struggled to say. "It's... it's okay."
Seeing her like this, Chongming felt extremely heart - broken. "Don't be afraid, Master will just transfer some spiritual power to you. Later, when we find evidence, we'll seek justice for you."
When transferring spiritual power, he would surely notice Yaohua's chaotic pulse caused by the commotion of the Heavenly Demon Seed.
She struggled desperately but couldn't stop Chongming's kindness.
At the critical moment, the chief of the Ibis Clan suddenly appeared in front of them.
He said expressionlessly. "What time is it, and you two still dare to flirt here?"
"Please watch your words!" Chongming's attention was diverted.
Taking the opportunity, Yaohua pulled her hand back and gritted her teeth. "Chief, have you gained anything while guarding the secret realm?"
The chief of the Ibis Clan's eyes flickered. Reluctantly, he grabbed a Heavenly Demon from his mustard - seed space. "Just now when you were fighting, this Heavenly Demon was sneaking away. I caught it."
The Heavenly Demon was wearing gorgeous clothes and the jade pendants on her body were jingling. Who else could it be but Jing He?
A fierce look flashed across Yaohua's eyes. "It was you who stole the Phoenix Feather and then plotted to let the demonic qi fall on me, killing Xilan!"
"Hey, don't make unfounded accusations!" Jing He was greatly shocked. "I'm just an insignificant person. Why do you pin the blame on me?"
Yaohua sneered. "Zhao Yue sent a clone here. She was afraid I'd notice something amiss and didn't dare to fight me head - on. Only you could steal the Phoenix Feather while wrestling with me. Am I right?"
Jing He didn't expect her to figure out the truth so quickly, and she never thought she'd be caught. For a moment, she was so blank - minded under the interrogation that she couldn't say a word.
The chief of the Ibis Clan gritted his teeth. "Was it you who killed my daughter?"
Facing the terrifying gaze of the chief of the Ibis Clan, Jing He shivered all over. "No, that's wrong!"
She swallowed hard and cried out. "I'm wronged! It was clearly Yaohua who contacted me and wanted to murder Xilan. Now she's turning her back on me and sending people to arrest me. She's so vicious."
Yaohua just thought she was talking nonsense. "Confess quickly, and I'll let you keep a whole body."
"Don't waste your effort. I've seen your true, heartless face clearly. I'll never help you deceive others again." Jing He pretended to be righteous.
At this time, the chief of the Ibis Clan squinted his eyes. "Little Phoenix, stop talking first. Let's hear what this Heavenly Demon has to say."
Chongming frowned. "Chief Xi, what do you mean? Do you not believe Yaohua but instead believe this lying Heavenly Demon?"
The chief of the Ibis Clan smiled enigmatically. "Sometimes, those with a sanctimonious appearance are more terrifying than the Heavenly Demons."
It was obvious that he didn't trust their master - disciple pair and insisted on interrogating on his own.
This gave Jing He an opportunity.
She immediately looked at the chief of the Ibis Clan, wiping away her tears. "I have a way to prove that every word I say is true."
The chief of the Ibis Clan raised his eyebrows slightly. "Oh?"
Jing He said firmly. "Actually, that Phoenix Feather doesn't belong to Yaohua. It belongs to her elder brother!"
Yaohua let out a sigh of relief and said coldly. "That's pure nonsense. Tu Yang has already verified that it's my Phoenix Feather. Besides, if I wanted to kill someone, why would I use my elder brother's Phoenix Feather?"
"Because your elder brother also deeply hates Xilan. After learning about this, he secretly replaced the feather and managed to pass Tu Yang's inspection."
Jing He answered without hesitation. "He also made a deal with us. After something happened, we had to pin all the blame on you. But now that I've been caught, I don't want to cover up for you anymore."
She sneered mockingly. "Surprised? Your elder brother is also using you~"
Yaohua almost lost control of her emotions. "How dare you slander my elder brother? I'll kill you!"
But the chief of the Ibis Clan looked solemn. "You all hate my daughter so much? What on earth did Xilan do to offend you?"