As soon as she stepped into the Gate of Love, she saw Chongming dressed in a bright red wedding robe, smiling gently at her with lowered eyebrows. "Why are you so late?"
Immediately afterwards, the scenery around her changed. She was sitting in a red bridal sedan chair, wearing a fiery red wedding dress embroidered with golden phoenixes. The band was playing and blowing, sending her off to get married.
She tore off the red veil and quietly lifted the curtain of the sedan chair. She saw Chongming riding a horse in front.
Although this was just an illusion, her heart still felt incomparable happiness and contentment. Her cheeks couldn't help blushing.
Soon, the bridal sedan chair arrived at the Cangling Hall. Supported by others, she entered the door, bowed to heaven and earth with Chongming, and was about to form the marriage contract.
However, just as the marriage contract was about to be concluded, two voices suddenly rang out from the side. "No!"
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Wu appeared and attacked Chongming.
Qing Que grabbed her hand. "Junior sister, come with me."
Yaohua lifted the red veil, looking quite helpless. "Even in this dream, do you two have to come and cause trouble?"
Qing Que's figure was as straight as a bamboo. There was a tinge of grievance in his gentle eyes. "Junior sister, I really like you."
Zhao Wu was fighting with Chongming. The demonic energy surging around him made his high nose and broad eyes look even more evil. "Yaohua, if you dare to go with these two, I'll lock you up and never let you go for all eternity!"
"What a big talk!" Chongming said coldly.
Then, he looked at Yaohua again. The ice and snow in his eyebrows melted, turning into tenderness. "Wait for me to deal with these two. Then we'll continue our wedding."
The system asked, "Host, who do you plan to choose?"
"Don't be in a hurry." Yaohua said with a smile. "It's quite fun to watch the three of them fight over me. Only in this illusion can such a scene appear, right?"
Qing Que pulled her and walked outside. Seeing this, the other two immediately joined forces and attacked Qing Que, forcing him to join the battle.
In this illusion, the combat power of the three of them was quite equal, so they were evenly matched in the fight.
After hundreds of rounds of entanglement, Qing Que glanced at Yaohua who was watching the fun on the side, and secretly discussed with the other two for a while.
Yaohua got up curiously and wanted to go and listen to what they were doing. She heard Qing Que say, "Junior sister, we've made a decision."
"Decided what?" Yaohua asked doubtfully, completely unaware that things were about to go wrong.
The three of them said in unison, "Today, the four of us will get married together."
"What?" Yaohua was stunned. "What do you mean by the four of us getting married together?"
There was sadness hidden in Chongming's gentle voice. "It can only be like this now. In the first ten days of each month, it'll be me. In the middle ten days, it'll be Zhao Wu. And in the last ten days, it'll be Qing Que."
Zhao Wu proudly raised his head. "Don't worry. Now I have no choice but to share you with them. But when I break through to a higher realm in the future, I'll immediately beat the two of them away."
Qing Que took her hand and said affectionately, "Junior sister, I'll surely practice hard and stay with you forever."
Yaohua put her hand on her forehead. "I'm not an object. How can I be shared by you at will?"
The three of them asked in unison, full of expectation, "Then choose one of us?"
"I choose Chongming." Yaohua didn't hesitate.
Qing Que's eyes instantly turned red. He drew his sword and was about to slash his own neck. "What's the meaning of my living then?"
Zhao Wu did the same and threatened, "If you don't choose me, I'll die in front of you."
Yaohua ignored them and let them commit suicide and disappear.
Now only Chongming was left in the field. He gently covered her with the red veil and smiled. "Yaohua, I'm very happy that you can reject them and choose me today."
"I'm glad you're happy." Yaohua said. There was a flash of reluctance on her face under the red veil, but finally she firmly drew her sword and pierced his body.
Chongming's face was full of astonishment. "Why—"
Yaohua said calmly, "If it were before, I wouldn't mind playing with you in this illusion. But now, the real Chongming is waiting for me. So I'm sorry."
After passing the Gate of Love, she returned to the boundless white mist again.
In mid - air, the weak and almost transparent figure of the Phoenix Ancestor appeared. It was a wisp of her remaining soul.
The Phoenix Ancestor said slowly, "You're here?"
It was very difficult for her even to make a sound.
Yaohua quickly knelt down and bowed, performing the disciple's salute. "Junior Yaohua pays respects to the Phoenix Ancestor!"
The Phoenix Ancestor looked her over and smiled with satisfaction. "No need for such formalities. Since you've passed the test, it's the predestined good fortune in the dark. You're the destined successor."
After saying that, her remaining soul turned into a wisp of spiritual light and got into Yaohua's brow.
Yaohua only felt that the wisp of spiritual light swam through her limbs. It seemed that something in her body was about to burst out. She couldn't help roaring. The True Fire of the Phoenix condensed into a fiery phoenix and appeared behind her. Now this fiery phoenix was more magnificent and majestic than before. Each tail feather was radiant.
The wisp of spiritual light came out again and turned into the appearance of the Phoenix Ancestor. "I've tempered your True Fire of the Phoenix once to make it more powerful. Since you've accepted the inheritance, you must fulfill your responsibility as a phoenix. While revitalizing the Phoenix Clan, defend the Three Realms from the invasion of the Heavenly Demons!"
Yaohua quickly replied, "Disciple remembers!"
The Phoenix Ancestor took out a brocade bag. "Inside this is an important item to restrain the Heavenly Demons - the Demon - Slaying Pearl. This item must not be lost. You must keep it well."
Yaohua carefully took the brocade bag.
The Phoenix Ancestor said seriously again, "This item can only exert its greatest power in the decisive battle against the Heavenly Demons. Before that, never let the Heavenly Demons find out, or they'll take precautions. You must swear not to tell anyone about it."
Yaohua hesitated for a moment. "Not even my father and the others?"
The Phoenix Ancestor said firmly, "No."
Yaohua carefully agreed and hid the brocade bag close to her body.
After doing all this, the remaining soul of the Phoenix Ancestor gradually disappeared, and she returned to reality.
The tomb was empty, just as it was before. Everything she had just experienced seemed like a dream. Only the Demon - Slaying Pearl close to her body reminded her that it wasn't a dream.
She came to the side of the statue, picked up all the fragments, carefully pieced them together, repaired them with magic, put them back in their original position, and then walked out of the tomb.
Chongming was still sitting cross - legged outside practicing. Hearing her footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes.
"Master, what kind of test did you go through after we got separated?" Yaohua took a few steps and came to his side, sitting close to him.
Chongming frowned slightly. "Test?"
Yaohua was surprised. "We just went through different tests in the dreamland of the Phoenix Ancestor. Have you forgotten?"
Chongming shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The system reminded, "Host, he doesn't have the Phoenix bloodline, so he may not have passed the Ancestor's test. The Ancestor may have erased all his memories."