Chongming remained silent, merely brandishing his long sword to indicate his stance.
Sensing the danger, the crowd immediately fled.
The duel between the God - Lord and Chongming was beyond their participation.
The figures of the two sides shifted unpredictably, moving so fast that afterimages appeared.
The earth trembled and cracked. Even the demons on the opposite bank were terrified, their faces turning ashen. Wherever the aftershocks passed, not a single blade of grass remained.
The Tianhe River raged. The spiritual power swept the river water, breaking through the embankment.
"It's a flood!"
The immortals and demons on both sides of the river paled in horror.
At the same time, two streams of spiritual power collided in the air and exploded with a thunderous roar.
Chongming landed gracefully in front of Yaohua. He took out a large number of spiritual stones.
Yaohua stood in the midst of the spiritual stones piled like a small mountain. A protective shield he had set up surrounded her. The surging floodwater passed by without touching her at all.
The God - Lord clenched his fists. Although he appeared calm on the surface, he had already suffered internal injuries in the previous battle.
If the fight continued, how could he suppress the Four Seas?
He asked reluctantly, "Chongming, you've always abided by the laws of the Celestial Realm, enjoyed a good reputation across the Four Seas, and received the worship of thousands. Now, are you really going to fall out with the Celestial Realm for just one person?"
Chongming lowered his eyes and said indifferently, "Then, let there be a rift!"
"And what about Yaohua?" The God - Lord's expression changed slightly. He forced himself to remain calm. "Does the Phoenix Clan also want to oppose the Celestial Realm?"
Yaohua turned her head and spat out a mouthful of black blood. The system had finished digesting and started absorbing demonic energy again, which gave her a chance to catch her breath.
She wiped the corner of her mouth and showed no good will towards this heartless God - Lord. "Before you threaten me with the Phoenix Clan, why don't you think about your own weaknesses?"
The God - Lord blurted out, "What weaknesses could I possibly have?"
His self - righteous look made Yaohua feel extremely ridiculous. "If the world knew that you deliberately raised the Tianmo of the Zhuying Clan, which led to the Tianmo seed being planted in Xilan's corpse, and this seed even caused the Phoenix Clan Chief to be infected, how would they view you?"
Raising Tianmo, allowing the Tianmo seed to spread, and harming the Phoenix Clan.
Each of these was a major event that could severely damage the God - Lord's prestige!
The God - Lord's expression changed several times, but he hesitated to say anything harsh.
At this moment, he only regretted why he had let Yaohua participate in the grand plan, which had allowed her to hold his weaknesses.
Yaohua sneered contemptuously. "I knew you couldn't bear to have your face damaged, let alone bear this blame! With these charges, your downfall is not far away."
She could be reborn after death, but could the God - Lord bear it if he fell from power, given his proud and conceited character?
"You dare to threaten me!" The aura around the God - Lord surged, trying to suppress her. "The Tianmo seed in your body was not planted by Xilan at all. It was planted by the Tianmo before."
Chongming quietly blocked this pressure back.
Yaohua stood up and smiled charmingly. "Yes, I'm threatening you. What can you do to me? As for the Tianmo seed..."
She spread her hands innocently. "People are ignorant and love gossip. Seeing that the Zhuying Clan has demons, they naturally want to hear that Xilan, out of love for Lord Chongming and jealousy of me, planted the Tianmo seed in me even after her death."
The God - Lord's face became increasingly ugly, but she clapped her hands and laughed. "The triangular, heart - wrenching love triangle among the Phoenix Clan Chief, the Zhuying Princess, and the dream god of the Three Realms, Chongming. If it were turned into a storybook, it would surely be a hit across the Four Seas and become a classic for all time."
And the God - Lord, as the villain, would surely be reviled for ages.
Although this plan sounded absurd and unscrupulous, it was actually very effective.
The faith in the gods came from the word - of - mouth of ordinary people. However, what spread most widely in the world was often not the truth, but rumors filled with all kinds of passionate and heart - wrenching love stories.
For example, it was not rare for an emperor to lose his kingdom, but if it was because of a favorite concubine, people could talk about it for thousands of years.
The God - Lord naturally understood this. His face turned green and then white. He angrily flicked his sleeves and left. "If I hear any rumors, I will surely hold you accountable!"
Yaohua watched his back. Her face was pale but showed determination. "I will prove that I won't change my mind because of the Tianmo seed."
Chongming's fingertips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
She noticed his mood change and turned to look. A cloak was gently draped over her shoulders.
Chongming lowered his head and looked at her. Suddenly, he called out, "Yaohua."
"Hmm?" For some reason, her heart skipped a beat.
No matter how hard she tried to be rational, she couldn't maintain the distance between a master and a disciple after he had protected and saved her in such a stunning and solitary way.
She just wanted to hug him tightly and throw away all the ethics between master and disciple.
Just like he had given up his position as a god and fallen out with the Celestial Realm for her.
Chongming's eyes trembled, but he couldn't look away. He just whispered, "No matter where we go, I will never let you get hurt again."
The two stood on the surging waves. Their eyes met for just a brief moment, but their hearts trembled, and they quickly averted their gazes.
Yaohua smiled bitterly in her heart. Her master really didn't know how attractive his appearance was to others.
Even if she had no romantic feelings for him and was just an ordinary girl, after experiencing such a life - saving act and being treated tenderly by such a usually cold god, she couldn't help but be moved.
At this time, the gods of the Celestial Realm sensed the flood here and rushed over. After much debate, they split into two factions.
One faction followed the God - Lord away, while the other proposed to escort them to the Phoenix Clan for treatment.
Yaohua urgently needed rest. She was also very grateful to these kind gods who didn't take advantage of their misfortune, so she naturally agreed.
After everyone left, the seal of the Tianmo under the Tianhe River suddenly emitted a faint glow.
Not long after, Chongming returned. His expression was solemn.
He had originally planned to accompany Yaohua to recuperate, but he felt that the seal here seemed to be loose.
He dived to the bottom of the river to investigate carefully. He saw that the barrier sealing the Tianmo was as usual, but Xilan, who had originally sunk to the bottom of the river, was nowhere to be found. His heart sank slightly.
On the other side, after Yaohua returned to the Phoenix Clan, she immediately summoned the high - level members of the clan and told them the whole story. "… This is what happened. I didn't mean to drag the Phoenix Clan into this. If you all mind, I can resign from the position of the clan chief and leave the clan to avoid dragging you down."
Qingcang clenched his fists. Naturally, he wanted to protect his daughter, but he couldn't ignore everyone's opinions. He also didn't want the whole clan to be involved.
However, the elders of the clan exchanged glances and then laughed. "Hey! I thought it was something serious!"
"Isn't it just falling out with the Celestial Realm? Our relationship was never good anyway."
"That God - Lord is just a pervert. I've been unhappy with him for a long time!"
Yaohua was very touched. "But after the other clans know about this, they may target our clan..."
The elders either stroked their beards, squinted their eyes, or laughed heartily. "The world has just suffered a disaster. People can't even fill their stomachs, and now they have to deal with the Tianmo. Where do they have the time for internal strife?"
"Besides, we are an ancient and powerful divine beast clan. Are we afraid of them?"
"Only when our Phoenix Clan prospers can we be invincible! Chief Yaohua, you are the pride of our Phoenix Clan. You should hold your head high!"