The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 1691 - 1687: Making Amends Through Disbandment

"The Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom speaks lightly. Are the people of Chang’an and the disciples of Tianji City not living beings? Who will compensate for their lives?" Lu Huaming asked coldly.

"Since I am the Lord of Qingqiu Kingdom, I shall atone with my death," the Lord of Qingqiu said calmly, her expression devoid of any emotion, as if discussing someone else’s life and death.

Hearing this response, everyone was stunned.

"Your Majesty, some matters cannot be resolved simply by death. Moreover, this concerns the destiny of the entire Qingqiu Fox Clan. Why has the Great Elder, Chief Strategist You Su, not shown herself?" Shen Luo’s expression tightened, his tone carrying a hint of reluctance.

His voice, amplified by the power of his divine soul, echoed throughout Qingqiu City.

The fox clan members who had been silently accusing and cursing the Lord of Qingqiu from behind now found themselves harboring the same question—why had the Great Elder, Chief Strategist You Su, been so reluctant to appear?

"The Lord is willing to atone with death; perhaps there were truly unspeakable difficulties that prevented her from appearing earlier?" someone hesitated and said.

"The Great Elder has always denied that our Qingqiu Fox Clan was involved in the Chang’an Fox Chaos, claiming that other races coveted the treasures of our Qingqiu Fox Clan and used it as an excuse to incite conflict, urging us to defend our homeland. The Lord, on the other hand, has constantly sought to resolve disputes through dialogue. Now that we’re fighting desperately, why hasn’t the Great Elder appeared?" a clan elder spoke up.

"That’s right. Please, bring the Great Elder out to preside over the situation," another elder shouted loudly upon hearing this.

The surrounding elders exchanged glances, then also joined their voices. "Call for the Great Elder to take charge."

"Call for the Great Elder to take charge..."

At this, the gathered people of the Qingqiu Fox Clan within the City Gate began voicing their demands, their cries echoing again and again within Qingqiu City.

Yet there was no response, no appearance.

Those outside the city waited for a long time. Those inside the city waited for a long time. In the end, all were disappointed.

The Great Elder, Chief Strategist You Su, clearly had no intention of showing up.

The Lord of Qingqiu seemed to have anticipated this, a trace of a bitter smile appearing on her face as she looked toward Shen Luo.

"Friend Shen, I can only blame myself for failing to uncover the truth earlier. Now that things have escalated to this point, there is no way to turn back. The Great Elder has deliberately placed me in this inferno; she will not appear. I only ask that after my death, you prevent the various factions from slaughtering Qingqiu City. Could you?"

The sound of the Lord of Qingqiu’s voice echoed in Shen Luo’s sea of knowledge, stirring turmoil in his heart.

"Your Majesty, perhaps I could try persuading them to allow you to bear an apology in chains as you journey to Chang’an City, temporarily delaying the conflict. What do you think?" Shen Luo responded through divine transmission.

"It’s no use. If I take a single step toward Chang’an, the Great Elder will immediately plan more attacks to fan the flames even higher. Only with my death can the rage of the various factions be quelled, and only then will she truly seize full power. When the Qingqiu Kingdom falls into her hands, she will no longer wager the lives of Qingqiu Fox Clan members as chips in a gamble." The Lord of Qingqiu continued her transmission.

"What does she truly want? Just to force you to your death and seize power?" Shen Luo questioned further.

"In terms of scheming, I am far inferior to her. I cannot discern her greater objectives, but at this point, the only thing I can do for the Qingqiu Fox Clan is to face death with calm acceptance." The Lord of Qingqiu finished speaking, a trace of sorrow appearing on her face.

At this moment, the sound of softly shuffling footsteps arose behind her. It was the Qingqiu Fox Clan members approaching her direction.

The allied cultivators from various sects became instantly alert, raising their weapons and readying for defense.

"Stay where you are," the Lord of Qingqiu commanded in a low voice.

The footsteps of all the Qingqiu Fox Clan members halted immediately.

"Your Majesty..." they called softly and hesitantly.

The Lord of Qingqiu did not turn to look at them, not even once. Instead, with a wave of her hand, she erected a barrier, keeping them all confined within the city.

"Today, I, as the Lord of Qingqiu, shall willingly disintegrate my body and end my life here. I hope all grudges between you and my Qingqiu Fox Clan can be resolved, and that you will withdraw from the Morning Sound Valley," the Lord of Qingqiu declared as her figure ascended into midair.

The allied cultivators exchanged uncertain glances, none knowing what to say.

A dignified ruler of a nation and leader of a clan, now dissolving her own body and life to atone. How could they still have any justification to continue attacking Qingqiu Kingdom?

Moreover, both Lu Huaming and Bai Xiaotian had no intention of exterminating an entire clan, so they silently acquiesced to the act.

"Elder..." Shen Luo, still filled with reluctance, called out aloud.

But the Lord of Qingqiu smiled serenely at him, shaking her head gently.

"Chief Strategist You Su, from this moment forward, the Qingqiu Fox Clan is in your hands. If you cause the nation to collapse and the extinction of the race, even after my soul fades into the afterlife, I will return to settle scores with you, unending."

After these words, three white flames ignited atop her head. Though her physical body remained unharmed, her divine soul had already self-immolated, gradually dissipating into the void.

"No! Mother, no!" At this moment, a hoarse cry of mourning rang out from beyond the valley.

A snow-white figure darted through the valley’s perimeter, racing toward the Lord of Qingqiu suspended midair.

The allied cultivators from various sects were startled and immediately readied to intercept.

"Tu Xue... Do not act," Shen Luo shouted quickly, recognizing the woman, and stopped the others.

Upon his command, everyone refrained from acting.

Tu Xue sped toward them, her figure swift as lightning, catching the now soulless body of the Lord of Qingqiu midair. One hand pressed against her forehead, channeling mana from her palm in an attempt to extinguish the three burning soul-flames.

But as soon as her hand touched the flames, a searing pain tore through her. Her jade-like hand was immediately scorched by the flames, revealing exposed muscle and bone.

Even so, she did not relent, continuously channeling her mana to try and suppress the burning flames.

However, how could the self-immolation flames of a Taiyi Realm cultivator be subdued by a True Immortal Cultivator? Tears streamed down her face as she watched helplessly while the flames atop the Lord of Qingqiu’s head glimmered weaker and weaker.

"Mother..." she cried in a voice that tore at the soul.

Yet, in her arms, her mother looked upon her with a hint of contentment. Using her final strength, she tried to lift her hand to wipe away the tears on her daughter’s face but could only weakly drop it halfway.

The Lord of Qingqiu, self-dissolved, passed on.

...

Within the secret chamber of the great hall in Qingqiu City.

"Great Elder, this..."

The clan elders stood before a light curtain in the void, watching the events outside the city unfold.

"Even Tu Shanxue has returned..." Chief Strategist You Su muttered to herself, ignoring them.

"Haven’t we gone too far?" one elder asked, guilt written on their face. freewebnøvel.com

"To accomplish great things, sacrifices are inevitable. This is but another log added to the flame to light the dark night. The blood and Qi lost by the tribe’s earlier casualties was insufficient to summon the fox spirits of past generations. The Lord’s death has served a purpose as well." Chief Strategist You Su finally spoke.

Her heartless words left the great hall in silence.

"Prepare yourselves. It’s our time to step forward," Chief Strategist You Su ordered, unbothered by the reactions of the others, and spoke slowly.