After the two left, Yaohua was left alone. She idly surveyed her surroundings when she suddenly noticed an unusual glimmer in the nearby grass.
Moreover, this light seemed to resonate with the Heavenly Demon Seed within her. Suspicion welled up in her heart, and she slowly walked over. But as soon as she touched the light, she was sucked into a suddenly appearing whirlpool.
After a dizzying spin, she looked at the scene in front of her, her eyes wide with astonishment.
Amid the lingering mists, a huge black stele stood prominently. The words on it were too dazzling to look at directly and glowed with a holy light.
Faint voices came from within the stele: "The Qi of the Nine - Heavens Mysterious Demon has emerged again. The time for our rebirth is not far off."
"Yes. Over the years, the Heavenly Demon has been trying to find the sealed place by means of the demonic qi left by the Mysterious Demon."
Yaohua didn't dare to make a sound and quietly watched everything in front of her.
Several light clusters inside the stele were in discussion: "To prevent the Nine - Heavens Mysterious Demon from being found, many of our ancient gods have fallen into reincarnation. We're just waiting for a suitable opportunity to return to the Heavenly Realm. God - Lord, is this opportunity coming soon?"
The largest light cluster let out a soft laugh: "This suitable opportunity lies with Chongming, and he's coming soon."
Yaohua shivered. Just then, she heard a call: "Yaohua, where are you?"
It was Chongming's voice!
In a hurry, she tried to find an exit.
The moment this thought flashed through her mind, her vision blurred, and she found herself back on the ground.
Looking down, the whirlpool had disappeared.
"Where did you go just now?" Chongming quickly came up to her and carefully examined her.
"I... I seem to have seen the former God - Lord and several ancient gods," Yaohua said slowly.
Chongming was slightly surprised, then said worriedly, "I'm afraid it was just a hallucination due to your weak body."
"What kind of person was the former God - Lord?" Yaohua asked uneasily.
Chongming's expression tightened slightly, and a look of recollection flashed in his eyes. "The former God - Lord was the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, the most just being in the world. All living beings in the Three Realms respected him greatly. It was rumored that he had been reincarnated, but no one knew where. Everyone hoped for his return."
Yaohua bit her lip. "I've heard that the fall of the former God - Lord seems rather strange, and the other ancient gods also fell without reason. Could there be some conspiracy behind it?"
"You mean someone murdered the former God - Lord?" Chongming said seriously. "I also had such suspicions back then, but unfortunately, I searched in vain. If he were still here, the Three Realms would surely be peaceful."
"What if your life had to be sacrificed to bring about his rebirth?" Yaohua couldn't help but ask.
Chongming's eyes grew solemn. He had great trust in the former God - Lord's character. So, if it really came to a critical moment...
He said seriously, "I would do my best."
Yaohua's heart sank. She knew her master wasn't joking.
Chongming noticed that she seemed a bit strange. After asking several times without getting an answer, he had to let it go for the time being. "You're still ill. Don't think too much. But I have something to tell you. Yaoyao found that someone was trying to force their way in from the outside."
Soon, Yaoyao brought two fairy maidens over.
"Exalted God, we've finally found you!" The two fairy maidens were covered in wounds, but there was an undeniable smile on their faces.
"Who are you?" Chongming asked thoughtfully.
"We are the fairy attendants who guard the Jade Lake every day!" The tall fairy's eyes were filled with tears. "I'm Handan. I've come here specifically to follow the Exalted God."
"I'm Sulian." The petite and cute fairy was also very excited.
Yaohua frowned. "If I remember correctly, the two of you should have been locked in the God - Lord's Hall. How did you end up here?"
When the two fairy maidens saw her, their expressions were rather complicated. Handan showed a hint of disdain, while Sulian had a look of respect and pity. "You don't know, Your Highness. We were specially sent by the God - Lord to assist the Exalted God."
"Sent by the God - Lord?" Yaohua was even more confused. "Isn't he locked in the hall now?"
Sulian bowed gracefully. "Thanks to your and the Exalted God's mediation, the God - Lord has now recovered his strength, broken through the Heavenly Demon's blockade, and led us out of the Heavenly Realm. We've joined up with the other immortals in Henan Prefecture."
"Just him?" Yaohua didn't believe it.
Seeing that she dared to question the God - Lord's strength, Handan disliked her even more. "Watch your words! Even if you're the leader of the Phoenix Clan and the beloved disciple of the Exalted God, you can't talk about the God - Lord in such a tone!"
Yaohua looked at Chongming. "Master, I think these two might be of suspicious identity. Maybe they were sent by the Heavenly Demon to confuse us. After all, if the God - Lord really had the strength to turn the tables, he would have done so long ago."
Handan immediately said, "Exalted God, please judge. The Heavenly Demon is nothing in the hands of the God - Lord. In the past, the God - Lord didn't fight back; he was just biding his time. I really don't know what Princess Yaohua is suspecting. Does she think everyone should be like her, fawning on the Heavenly Demon and smiling for him?"
As soon as the last sentence was spoken, everyone's expressions changed greatly, except for the emotionless Yaoyao.
But Handan didn't feel that she had said anything wrong. She proudly raised her head. "Princess Yaohua, the God - Lord is kind, so he doesn't bother with you. He even sent us to take care of your safety, saying that you made contributions in the previous battles. But I think whether one is a human or a demon, one should have some dignity. If I were you, I would have committed suicide to atone for my sins long ago."
She thought Yaohua would be extremely ashamed.
But Yaohua just looked at her coldly. "If you just came here to say these things, then get out."
Handan was about to speak when Sulian quickly covered her mouth.
Sulian looked nervously at Chongming, whose face was as cold as frost. "Please don't blame us, Exalted God. My elder sister never thinks before she speaks! The God - Lord sent us in this time to convey a message to you - if you forgive him, you can go back at any time."
"I don't think it's necessary," Chongming lowered his eyes, his voice calm.
These two sisters were the messengers sent by the God - Lord, indirectly representing the attitude of the immortals towards Yaohua.
Obviously, most people thought Yaohua was an ungrateful wretch. Even though she was a spy and had made contributions to defeating the Heavenly Demon, they still thought her previous actions had tarnished the reputation of the Heavenly Realm. So, they wished she would mutilate herself to atone for her sins.
Rather than that, he would rather protect Yaohua and never leave this place for the rest of his life.
Seeing his dejected look, Sulian quickly said, "Please trust the God - Lord, Exalted God! What he did in the Heavenly Realm was not his true intention. He was just trying to deceive the Heavenly Demon. He also knows that he hurt your feelings before, so he severely punished those immortals who were disrespectful to you. Now, your praises can be heard everywhere!"
Handan also quickly said, "Yes, Exalted God. Without you, how could we resist the Demon Clan?"