It seemed like Chu Yue had been prepared for today's scene all along, yet facing the crowd's displeased stares and hushed condemnations, cold sweat still kept beading on her forehead, her delicate frame trembling ever so slightly.
Even so, she spoke with firm resolve: "Sister Ruoshi, everyone has their own choices."
"Brother Chu Feng has never treated me poorly—I, Chu Yue, will remember his kindness for the rest of my life. But today, I would rather partner with Chu Haoyan."
"And that is the choice I, Chu Yue, have made today."
"She's serious? She actually defected to the enemy?"
Chu Yue's words sent the crowd into an uproar once more.
For Chu Yue, if Chu Feng was a benefactor, then Chu Haoyan was an absolute enemy. When the qualifications for the Nine Moon Divine Domain were being selected back then, Chu Haoyan's attempt to make things difficult for Chu Yue was something many people knew full well.
Now Chu Yue was being ungrateful—forget about abandoning Chu Feng, she was actually defecting to Chu Haoyan, the very person who had made her life miserable back then. People truly could not fathom what was going through Chu Yue's mind.
Sure, Chu Haoyan was one of the most powerful geniuses in the Chu Heavenly Clan, and his grandfather was even a Supreme Elder of the Chu Heavenly Clan. But Chu Feng's talent had already shown itself—he was a man of limitless potential.
Moreover, Chu Feng had been nothing short of perfect in his treatment of Chu Yue.
To abandon Chu Feng for Chu Haoyan—many people saw that as anything but a wise decision.
"All of you, shut your mouths! Is there something wrong with Chu Yue's choice? Or do you think I, Chu Haoyan, am inferior to Chu Feng?"
As the crowd buzzed with discussion, Chu Haoyan let out an angry shout. That roar of his rang like a command, silencing every last one of the whispering voices.
Though many people now believed Chu Haoyan was indeed inferior to Chu Feng, no one dared say it out loud—at least not within Chu Haoyan's earshot. After all, his grandfather's backing and his influence within the Chu Heavenly Clan were still forces to be reckoned with.
"Chu Yue, come with me into the Nine Moon Divine Domain," Chu Haoyan said to her.
The moment he spoke, Chu Yue walked over to Chu Haoyan's side without the slightest hesitation.
At this, Chu Haoyan wore a look of smug satisfaction as he turned to Chu Feng and said, "Chu Feng, I really have no idea what you did to Chu Yue behind the scenes, but somehow you made her too afraid to enter the Nine Moon Divine Domain with you."
"Heh…" Chu Feng merely offered a faint smile in response to Chu Haoyan's taunting. "What I did? Everyone here knows exactly what happened. It was I, Chu Feng, who secured Chu Yue's qualification to enter the Nine Moon Divine Domain from right under your nose. That… is what I did for Chu Yue."
"In other words, if it weren't for me, Chu Feng, you wouldn't be able to partner with Chu Yue right now either," Chu Feng added.
The moment those words left Chu Feng's mouth, Chu Yue didn't even dare raise her head. She too seemed to feel she had lost all face.
In response, Chu Haoyan's eyes blazed with fury—Chu Feng's words were nothing short of the greatest humiliation he could suffer. But the rage in his eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared. He didn't erupt. Instead, he spoke in a frigid tone: "Chu Feng, I think playing word games at this point is pointless. You'd be better off finding yourself a partner first, or you won't even qualify to enter the Nine Moon Divine Domain."
"But I'm confident that anyone with half a brain will choose not to partner with you." Chu Haoyan placed tremendous emphasis on this final remark.
As those words landed, many of the women present felt their hearts stir.
In that same instant, each of them received a covert voice transmission from Chu Haoyan—a threat, warning them not to partner with Chu Feng.
Under those circumstances, even those who had been on the verge of abandoning their current partners to join Chu Feng had no choice but to abandon that notion entirely. Though Chu Feng's potential was limitless, with his grandfather's backing, Chu Haoyan's current power was far greater. No one was willing to cross him at a time like this—because Chu Haoyan was perfectly capable of having anyone who supported Chu Feng killed before Chu Feng ever had the chance to rise.
"So that was your plan—to prevent me from entering the Nine Moon Divine Domain, wasn't it?"
"And for that, you—"