Yaohua forced a smile in front of her elder brothers. When alone, however, she couldn't help feeling a bit desolate and uneasy.
She stared blankly at the flowers outside and let out a long sigh.
"Host, are you still worried about Chongming?" the system asked.
Yaohua nodded. "Why on earth did he send me away? Doesn't he trust me?"
"Maybe he just doesn't trust himself," the system replied. "It's precisely because he's afraid of hurting you that he sent you away."
Yaohua, of course, understood such a straightforward truth, but she didn't believe it. "But I've already said that I'll live and die with him. We're the closest people in the world. Yet he doesn't trust me. When danger comes, he only wants to bear it alone. Do you think this is right?"
This question was too complicated, and the system was speechless. "Anyway, I think Chongming had his reasons. Host, don't think too much."
Yaohua forced a bitter smile. "I also hope I'm overthinking! But I always feel that there's a barrier between us. He always wants to shelter me under his wings. If he can't, he'll resolutely push me away. What I want is not such a relationship. I want to truly stand side by side with him, unrepentant in life and death!"
The system was silent for a while and finally said, "You're a girl. Why are you so stubborn? Chongming did all this for your own good—"
"Forget it," Yaohua interrupted it. "You won't understand."
The system then angrily cursed the Nine - Heavens Demon. "It's all that Nine - Heavens Demon's fault. If Chongming hadn't suddenly been infected with the power of the demon, you could have slowly cultivated your feelings. Right?"
Yaohua didn't respond. She couldn't figure out its purpose.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, the system thought she had acquiesced. "Only by stripping the power of the Nine - Heavens Demon from Chongming's body can he regain his senses. Host, you mustn't be depressed now!"
On the other side, Zhao Wu followed the Wood - Hua Boy into a secret chamber.
The Wood - Hua Boy took out several spiritual bamboo slips. "These are all methods to enhance the demonic energy in your body."
But Zhao Wu didn't take them. He just smiled bitterly and dejectedly. "What's the use of being powerful? I've seen clearly now. Her heart belongs to someone else. No matter how strong, how good, or how much I give, she won't even look at me."
The woman he loved always chased after someone else. This was such a great pain for him.
This feeling was beyond the Wood - Hua Boy's comprehension. "As long as you become stronger, you can snatch her away!"
"Even if you can snatch the person, can you snatch the heart?" Zhao Wu shook his head and knocked the spiritual bamboo slips to the ground. "If you don't have a way to make her change her mind, there's no need to discuss this with me anymore."
"So what are you going to do now?" The Wood - Hua Boy was speechless. He really didn't understand why Zhao Wu refused the way to become stronger and instead thought about how to please a woman.
Zhao Wu sighed. "I still want to go find Yaohua and ask her clearly in person."
The Wood - Hua Boy was angry at his lack of ambition and rolled his eyes. "Then get out of here quickly."
After Zhao Wu left, the Wood - Hua Boy went to where Qingque was.
Qingque and Xilan now shared the same body. When he arrived, the two were arguing.
He rolled his eyes, stepped forward with a smile, and asked, "Do you need the method of soul - snatching?"
By the Tianhe River.
Zhao Wu sat alone by the river, gulping down wine. The wine jars were thrown into the river, making a dull sound.
Chongming landed beside him. "Why are you drinking alone here?"
Zhao Wu smiled bitterly. "Isn't it all thanks to you? I really don't understand what she sees in you."
Chongming then asked, "How is Yaohua now?"
Zhao Wu drained his wine. "It's also thanks to you. Now, because she lost the Phoenix's spiritual light and colluded with the demons, the reputation of the Phoenix Clan has plummeted. She's often targeted by other remaining clans in the Divine Land."
"Is that so?" Chongming couldn't help feeling a bit regretful. "If I had known this, I should have stopped her from coming to see me."
Zhao Wu sneered. "It's good that you know. Things have come to this. I advise you to be a good Demon Lord. Love will affect your career and Yaohua too. Now, not only is there the insurmountable gap of the master - disciple relationship between you, but also the chasm between the immortals and the demons. Don't have any delusions."
Hearing this, Chongming felt as if his heart was being cut with a knife, but he had to admit that Zhao Wu's words made sense.
After finishing his depressing wine, Zhao Wu came to the Phoenix Clan again.
Yaohua forced herself to cheer up and asked, "Why are you here?"
Zhao Wu said sarcastically, "You can go to the Demon Realm to find Chongming. Can't I come to find you?"
Yaohua felt a bit guilty towards him, so she didn't argue with him. Instead, she changed the topic and asked, "There have been some strange movements in the Demon Realm recently. Do you know what's going on?"
"Strange movements?" Zhao Wu thought for a while. "Maybe it's related to the Wood - Hua Boy."
He told Yaohua everything that had happened between him and the Wood - Hua Boy. Yaohua couldn't help falling into deep thought. "So, the Wood - Hua Boy is trying to support the forces in the Demon Realm? What's in it for him if he defeats Chongming?"
Now, she only vaguely knew that the ancient gods wanted to be reborn through Chongming's body, but she didn't know the specific method.
After much thought, she finally decided to investigate it herself. After reporting this matter to the envoy Tu Yang, she went to the Demon Realm alone.
Who would have thought that not long after she arrived in the Demon Realm, the figure of the Wood - Hua Boy appeared in front of her.
The Wood - Hua Boy looked at her, with a barely detectable killing intent hidden under his smile.
Yaohua nodded warily to greet him, and the two passed by each other.
The Wood - Hua Boy turned into a stream of light and flew away. Then, in a place where she couldn't see, he crushed the firework in his hand.
Whoosh!
The firework exploded. At the same time, countless heavenly demons rushed out from all directions and surrounded Yaohua tightly.
Yaohua's strength was damaged because she had lost the Phoenix's spiritual light. The power of the Fire Phoenix was far less than before.
The heavenly demons around seemed endless. Each of them showed greedy and fierce looks, wishing they could skin her and eat her flesh.
Bang!
Yaohua was hit by a demonic energy bullet from a heavenly demon. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood in pain. Her face was as pale as gold paper, and her body was covered with bloodstains.
At this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her. It was Chongming!
Chongming waved his big hand, and the surrounding heavenly demons scattered like birds and beasts. They didn't dare to offend anymore.
Yaohua didn't feel much during the fight, but when she saw his figure appear, her nose suddenly felt sour, and she threw herself into his arms. "Husband!"
This cry of "husband" stirred up a thousand tender feelings in Chongming's heart.
He let out a soft sigh and treated her injuries. The estrangement between them dissipated because of this heroic rescue.