The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 1690 - 1686: Confrontation

"It’s all right."

Shen Luo comforted Nie Caizhu while taking out an elixir, swallowing it, and sitting back down, closing his eyes to regulate his qi.

On the other side, Master Yan had already defeated Elder Hei Li, who not only failed to rescue Elder You Li but also ended up sacrificing himself.

Jiang Shentian and Seven Kills led their troops, charging into Qingqiu City.

Lu Huaming and Bai Xiaotian glanced in their direction from afar before also joining the vanguard of the battle.

Moments later, a sudden sound of a roaring gale echoed through the air.

Shen Luo hastily opened his eyes to see a massive windstorm raging from within Qingqiu City. It whipped up clouds of dust and rubble, raging outward toward the city outskirts.

Amidst the chaotic winds were shrieks caused by allied cultivators being thrown out of the city by the turbulent forces of the gale.

With a series of crashing noises, figures rained down from the high altitude as though dumplings in a pot, landing chaotically in various postures across the ground.

Soon after, Bai Xiaotian and others were also forced out of the city by the fierce winds.

Upon closer inspection, Shen Luo was surprised to find that, though these people had sustained minor injuries, none of them were gravely wounded or killed.

He quickly stood up from the ground and gazed toward the direction of the city.

There he saw a white-clad figure suddenly darting out of Qingqiu City. Her snow-white long hair cascaded freely, adorned with a uniquely crafted crystal crown on her head. Her beauty was elegant without excess allure, her demeanor regal—she was none other than the Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom.

Shen Luo stared intently at her. Her brows were tightly knit, and her eyes were filled entirely with astonishment and sorrow.

After a brief period of confusion among the allied cultivators, they finally climbed to their feet, regained their footing, reformed their formation, and glared angrily at the Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom.

The Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom slowly descended from high altitude, standing alone outside the city gate, facing the allied forces.

Behind her lay innumerable corpses of Qingqiu Fox Clan members, blood flowing freely like rivers.

The remaining Fox Clan cultivators, seeing their lord finally emerge, cowered behind the collapsed city gate, none daring to step forward.

One Fox Clan elder made a move to approach but was stopped by someone beside him.

"Hmph, where was she earlier? A dignified Taiyi Realm cultivator scared into hiding by mere juniors—if she’d shown up sooner, we wouldn’t have lost so many of our disciples and followers!" the elder gritted his teeth.

"The Lord... she..."

The other person tried to defend her but was at a loss for words.

Even he couldn’t comprehend why the Lord had not emerged earlier to lead the battle. If she had cooperated with Elder Su Xiao, perhaps the losses among their kin would not have been so devastating.

Looking at the countless corpses on the ground, he hesitated to take another step.

Such thoughts were not uncommon among the Fox Clan. When they looked at their lord now, their eyes no longer carried reverence but were instead filled with suspicion or even hatred.

The Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom did not turn back; she knew there was no one behind her, and she knew she had come too late.

But there was nothing she could do. Since the early morning of the previous day, she had been deceived by the Great Elder, Chief Strategist You Su, to enter a secret chamber under the guise of an assembly. There, she had been trapped by a specially crafted array.

Just now, when the formidable array unexpectedly weakened, she was finally able to escape.

But by the time she’d arrived, she was met with the current disastrous situation.

"Everyone, may I request that we pause our weapons and allow me to say a few words?" the Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom began to speak.

Her tone was calm, without panic and devoid of the oppressive presence typical of Taiyi cultivators. Instead, it carried a certain earnestness.

"Lord, what more is there to say at this point?" Lu Huaming sighed deeply, responding.

Lu Huaming understood that the blood feud between the allied factions and Qingqiu Kingdom had escalated to such an extent that mere words of defense would be futile in resolving it.

"Stop wasting words with them! They’re full of lies—charge into Qingqiu and annihilate the Fox Clan!" someone shouted from the ranks.

"Kill, kill, kill..."

...

The allied cultivators shouted with enthusiasm, yet given the opponent’s status as a Taiyi cultivator—likely one at the middle stage—and considering the abilities she had displayed earlier, no one dared to charge forward recklessly.

"Friend Shen, would you be willing to help convince everyone to hear me out?" the Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom turned her gaze to Shen Luo and asked.

After a brief hesitation, Shen Luo finally spoke:

"Everyone, I’ve always hoped to converse with the Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom and uncover the reasons behind this Chang’an Fox Chaos. Now that the lord has revealed herself, whether to attack or not does not need to be decided in this moment. Why not listen to her first?"

Among the crowd, some wished to voice their objections, but recalling Shen Luo’s earlier feat of slicing through Su Xiao and collapsing half a city wall, they swallowed their retorts.

Seeing no opposition, Shen Luo turned to nod at Lu Huaming.

"In that case, Lord, please proceed," Lu Huaming said to the Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom.

"Regarding the recent Chang’an Fox Chaos—while there is yet no definitive evidence—it seems likely to have truly been orchestrated by members of the Qingqiu Fox Clan," the Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom began, her first words shocking both the allied cultivators and the remaining Fox Clan members.

They had expected their lord to defend the Fox Clan, yet she had instead admitted to the chaos outright.

"In that case, annihilating your Qingqiu Kingdom is hardly unjustified, wouldn’t you say?" Lu Huaming frowned and said.

"Though members of the Qingqiu Fox Clan have indeed committed crimes, the fault does not lie with the entire population. The blame rests on a few malicious conspirators. Yet regardless, they are still citizens of Qingqiu, my kin. As the ruler of Qingqiu Kingdom, I cannot evade responsibility," the Lord’s expression dimmed as she spoke.

"May I ask, Qingqiu’s Lord, why your Fox Clan sent envoys thousands of miles away to Tianji City to ally with traitors and conspire to murder Tianji City elders and disciples?" At this moment, a stern voice interjected.

As he spoke, Master Yan stepped forward, throwing the severely injured Elder You Li and immobilized Elder Hei Li to the ground.

The Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom’s gaze shifted at his words, falling upon the two figures at her feet. A flash of astonishment again crossed her face as she turned to glimpse toward Qingqiu City’s interior, seemingly intending to look through its structures toward the Great Elder, Chief Strategist You Su.

Moments later, she returned her gaze, her expression calm once more. Whether she knew or was ignorant of the covert actions of the Qingqiu Fox Clan hardly mattered anymore.

"Everyone, the Qingqiu Fox Clan has indeed committed grave errors. Your desire for vengeance is understandable. However, I implore you to recall the contributions of the Qingqiu Fox Clan in resisting the Demonic God Chiyou. We stood by your side in battle as allies to defend the world. Please, spare Qingqiu’s Fox Clan from complete destruction," she pleaded.

Her voice echoed with sorrow throughout the valley, reaching the white clouds above. It seemed addressed not only to the allied forces present but also to the sect masters and elders behind their disciples.

As an early-stage Taiyi cultivator nearing perfection, unyielding resistance from her alone might thwart the allied forces within Morning Sound Valley, perhaps even resulting in casualties too great for the intruders to bear.

But what would follow? Certainly, this battle would push Qingqiu’s Fox Clan into opposition against the forces of the entire world. It would provoke retaliation from the allied elders even fiercer than today, ultimately spelling annihilation for the entire Fox Clan of Qingqiu.