The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 1705 - 1701: Secret Talk

"Brother Nie just performed the Shadow Escape Technique to leave, possibly chasing after that green light," Bai Xiaotian said.

He was the last to arrive among the group. Seeing no opportunity to act, he didn’t keep his focus entirely on the fight ahead, and his eyes happened to catch Nie Caizhu’s figure escaping.

"That gray shadow’s strength is not to be underestimated, and the one who saved him is even more extraordinary. Isn’t it too dangerous for Brother Nie to chase after them alone?" Jiang Shentian said grimly.

The others were also somewhat worried, but Nie Caizhu was nowhere to be seen. The Shadow Escape Technique was extremely mysterious and completely untraceable, leaving them helpless.

"Regardless, we can’t just stand here idly. Immediately send people to search around for Brother Nie and those two," Jiang Shentian said after a moment of silence.

Cultivators from various sects swarmed out, searching around the stationed area.

...

Deep within the stationed area, in Shen Luo’s room, a green light flashed, and Shen Luo and the gray figure appeared out of thin air.

"Thank you, Brother Shen, for saving me. Otherwise, I fear I’d have truly died at the hands of the cultivators from various sects. What is this place?" the gray figure said with lingering fear, the gray light dissipating from his body, revealing himself as Hu Bugui.

"My residence within the Alliance Army," Shen Luo said calmly.

"Why did you bring me here? If I get discovered, I’ll be doomed!" Hu Bugui gasped in cold air and nervously looked around.

"At the moment, the cultivators from all sects are probably searching for us nearby. This place seems dangerous, but they won’t find it for a while. You risked so much coming to find me—you must have something important to say. I want to know quickly, so keep it brief," Shen Luo waved his hand and asked.

"That’s true. In fact, I’ve been covertly investigating in the Kingdom of Qingqiu these past days and uncovered something very significant..." Hu Bugui nodded and began speaking.

Just at that moment, a surge of black light erupted within the room.

Hu Bugui’s expression changed drastically. He subconsciously spat out a silver light, striking the black light with lightning speed.

The black light thickened and transformed with a "buzz" into a black domain several feet wide. The overwhelming silver light stopped inside, revealing its true form—a crescent-moon-like silver fine sword.

Hu Bugui pinched a technique to recall the flying sword, but it was like a tiny insect caught in a spider’s web, tightly ensnared by the black domain. Its connection to him was rapidly weakening, as though the black domain was trying to devour it.

In a surge of anger, Hu Bugui’s five fingers shimmered with gray light, and he reached for the black domain again.

Shen Luo’s figure appeared suddenly before the black domain, dispersing the five streaks of gray claw light with a flick of his sleeve. He urgently said, "We’re all on the same side, Brother Hu, Cai Zhu, don’t fight!"

"Brother Hu? Is this the Hu Bugui you mentioned?" Nie Caizhu’s figure slowly emerged within the black domain.

"Yes, although Brother Hu is also of the Fox Clan, he is not aligned with the Kingdom of Qingqiu. He came to Qingqiu Mountain with me that day. After I headed to Tianji City, Brother Hu stayed here to gather intelligence—he’s not an enemy," Shen Luo affirmed with a nod.

Hu Bugui scrutinized Nie Caizhu briefly, then lowered his hand.

"Even so, this person is still a fox demon. To bring him to your residence is far too risky. During daylight, you spoke up for the Qingqiu Fox Clan, and many in the alliance already believe you’re partial to the Demon Race. There’s been plenty of murmurs behind your back. It’s only because of your significant contributions in the great battle that no one has said anything openly. If it’s discovered that you’ve been associating with someone from the Fox Clan, others will likely seize the opportunity to make trouble," Nie Caizhu transmitted her thoughts.

"I appreciate your concern. I’ll be more careful in the future," Shen Luo replied softly after a moment of silence.

Nie Caizhu, knowing Shen Luo always kept his word, felt somewhat at ease. With a bowed gesture toward Hu Bugui, she said, "So it’s Fox Friend. My cousin has mentioned you before. My earlier actions were reckless; please do not take offense."

Speaking of which, she performed a technique to disperse the area of darkness, returning the silver fine sword to Hu Bugui.

Although Hu Bugui didn’t hear the content of Shen Luo and Nie Caizhu’s transmissions, he could guess most of it.

Now that the Qingqiu Fox Clan was at loggerheads with the major sects, his visit to Shen Luo indeed posed trouble for him.

Yet apart from Shen Luo, he had no one else to turn to for help.

"Not at all. It was I who acted inappropriately earlier—Brother Nie, I ask for your forgiveness," Hu Bugui quickly returned a bow.

"Time is pressing; let’s forgo formalities. Brother Hu, quickly tell us what important clues you’ve uncovered during your investigation in the Kingdom of Qingqiu," Shen Luo said with a shake of his sleeves, enshrouding the entire room in golden light.

Nie Caizhu activated the Kunlun Mirror, unleashing a surge of black light that enveloped the entire room, isolating it from external probing.

"You talk; I’ll go outside and keep watch for you," she said briefly, vanishing into the black light.

"After you left, the situation in the Kingdom of Qingqiu became highly turbulent. The faction supporting the Lord of Qingqiu was completely suppressed, and the Lord’s power was long since hollowed out. The person effectively in charge now is Chief Strategist You Su. The Lord’s forced suicide earlier was simply inevitable," Hu Bugui explained.

"I see. No wonder the Qingqiu Fox Clan’s attitude toward cultivators from various sects has abruptly turned so hostile," Shen Luo mused, narrowing his eyes.

"Chief Strategist You Su is deep and calculating. I’ve been covertly investigating the attack on Chang’an and her involvement over the past few days, and I made major progress. But just as I was about to probe further, the trail suddenly went cold," Hu Bugui added. freewёbnoνel.com

Shen Luo furrowed his brows. Based on this, the suspicion around Chief Strategist You Su was growing stronger.

"There’s something else, and you definitely wouldn’t have expected this: the previous Fox Clan attacks on outside cultivators weren’t ordered by the Lord of Qingqiu—someone else was behind it!" Hu Bugui revealed another major piece of news.

"Chief Strategist You Su?" Shen Luo asked.

"I haven’t confirmed this yet, but her suspicion is the strongest," Hu Bugui said after pausing.

"The situation is already clear; further investigation isn’t necessary. The Kingdom of Qingqiu is essentially under Chief Strategist You Su’s control now. Apart from her, who else could command the Qingqiu Fox Clan?" Shen Luo said, shaking his head.

Hu Bugui privately agreed with this assessment, letting out a soft sigh and nodding.

Shen Luo fell silent, pondering deeply. For Chief Strategist You Su to launch such extensive attacks at this critical moment, could it be that she had already learned about the absence of reinforcements from the various sects?

"From your observations, does the Qingqiu Fox Clan intend to continue its war against the allied forces?" he asked immediately.

"Very likely. The Lord’s suicide has ignited the Qingqiu Fox Clan’s fury. If Chief Strategist You Su secretly fuels the flames, war could very well break out again," Hu Bugui said.

Shen Luo silently sighed. Everything was developing in a worsening direction. He alone could hardly stem the tide. Yuan Tiangang tasked him with properly handling the Qingqiu Mountain matter, but now it seemed that hope was faint.

"When the Lord of Qingqiu committed suicide, Tu Shanxue also returned to Qingqiu Mountain. Her strength is remarkable—what is she doing now?" Shen Luo suddenly asked, recalling something.

"Tu Shanxue? That I’m not sure of—perhaps standing vigil for the Lord?" Hu Bugui said after a brief hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Shen Luo frowned silently.

He had interacted with Tu Shanxue once in Chang’an City, and based on his understanding, the girl was shrewd and resolute. Witnessing her mother being forced to die by the cultivators of various sects, she likely wouldn’t remain indifferent.

He could only hope she truly was merely mourning the Lord. Chief Strategist You Su was troubling enough on her own—if Tu Shanxue got involved as well, the situation would be even more tangled.

"Brother Shen, you’ve met Tu Shanxue before?" Hu Bugui asked, his eyes glinting slightly.