Ao Ding kept muttering, though whether to calm himself or shirk responsibility, no one could say.
The Dragon Lady's face was just as pale, but she said, "Perhaps we were punished precisely because we did nothing!"
Ao Ding froze, his expression torn. After a long while, he said, "Even the Water Lord, who held Divine Authority, suffered defeat on his own turf. What chance did we have? We did our best. I even lost the Dragon Pearl bound to my Nature and Life. If I can't recover it, I'll lose at least fifty years of Dao Attainment!"
The Dragon Lady thought of her own flying sword, and her expression darkened too.
Just then, a voice came from deep within the black mist—
"You two have attained Longevity, yet you're cowering like this. It truly makes me wonder what manner of being that Venerable is. Care to tell me?"
The black mist in the water gradually dispersed, revealing Chen Cuo.
"Master Soaring!"
"Chen Fangqing!"
Ao Ding and the Dragon Lady peered closer. Once they saw Chen Cuo clearly, both went pale with shock!
"Could it be... No, surely not?"
"Even the descent of the Venerable's will couldn't do anything to him?"
The two immediately grew wary, but their shifting gazes made it clear they were thinking of leaving.
When Chen Cuo approached, the Dragon Lady spoke first. "Young Master Chen, today was nothing more than a misunderstanding."
Ao Ding had wanted to offer a few defiant words, but Chen Cuo had plainly seized the Divine Authority. With this entire river under his control, how could Ao Ding provoke him? After some thought, he lowered his stance as well. "We came at the Great River Water Lord's request. He dragged us here to help him fight! We have no grudge against you!"