The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 1708 - 1704: At All Costs

"Brother Nie, what you said reminds me of something. Just now, I did feel a force invading my body, coming from Qingqiu Mountain." Hu Bugui said after recalling.

"Qingqiu Mountain? Could there have been some unexpected event?" Shen Luo, hearing this, looked in the direction of Qingqiu Country, lost in thought.

"Cousin, do you want to investigate?" Nie Caizhu, understanding Shen Luo’s temperament, asked.

"A bloodline reversion is no trivial matter; it would not happen for no reason. Something major must have occurred within the Qingqiu Fox Clan. If I don’t investigate, I won’t have peace of mind. But don’t worry, Cai Zhu, I’ll proceed carefully." Shen Luo replied.

"I’ll go with you. Having the Kunlun Mirror will make dealing with many things much easier." Nie Caizhu shook her head and said.

Shen Luo did not object. He knew Nie Caizhu’s outward gentleness masked her inward firmness. Once she made a decision, it wouldn’t change. If he refused to let her accompany him, she might secretly follow him anyway.

"This matter began because of me, so I’ll go with you as well." Hu Bugui said.

"Very well. We’re unfamiliar with Qingqiu Country, so Brother Hu can guide us along the way. But Brother Fox, what was the matter you needed my assistance with, as you mentioned earlier?" Shen Luo nodded, then asked.

"We’ll talk about it later. Let’s head to Qingqiu Mountain first." Hu Bugui shook his head, a sense of urgency in his expression.

Shen Luo took note of this but did not press further. He raised his hand to grasp the shoulders of the other two.

A dazzling green light bloomed from his body, enveloping all three of them.

When the green light dissipated, they were already outside Qingqiu City.

The entire perimeter of Qingqiu City was covered by a massive blue prohibition. Countless azure cloud-like patterns could vaguely be seen above, shifting like swimming fish—profound and mysterious in appearance.

Crossing this barrier with the Shrinking Earth Ruler wasn’t difficult, but Shen Luo worried that the prohibition might sense the infiltration and alert its protectors, so he halted his movement.

"This is the Ten Thousand Miles of Azure Cloud Array, the national protective formation of Qingqiu Country. Not only is its defensive capability astonishing, it also has strong sensory abilities. Forcibly breaking through will undoubtedly alert the Qingqiu Fox Clan. Follow me." Hu Bugui led Shen Luo and Nie Caizhu to a secluded, uninhabited corner near Qingqiu City, turned his hand, and produced a green talisman, then began casting a spell to activate it.

A cluster of green light enveloped the three of them. Ethereal and buoyant, it resembled a patch of azure cloud.

Leading the way, Hu Bugui stepped forward. When they touched the blue light curtain, they silently melded into it. The Ten Thousand Miles of Azure Cloud Array showed no signs of an alarm or anomaly.

Hu Bugui let out a sigh of relief, seeming not entirely confident about the green talisman.

The three of them continued forward, quickly crossing the Ten Thousand Miles of Azure Cloud Array and entering the city.

"What kind of talisman is this? It broke through the prohibition so easily?" Nie Caizhu asked in amazement.

"This is the Azure Yuan Breaking Boundary Talisman. I stole it from Qingqiu Country’s secret treasury. My time here hasn’t been wasted." Hu Bugui said smugly.

Shen Luo glanced at Hu Bugui without commenting, his gaze sweeping over the city. Soon, his brows furrowed as he leaped to land in front of a house’s door.

Flames flickered inside the house, and food was laid out on the dining table, as though a meal had just been in progress. However, there wasn’t a single person inside.

He touched the food on the table with his hand. It still retained some warmth, indicating that the residents had just left not long ago.

Shen Luo released his Divine Sense. His expression changed drastically, and he appeared in another nearby house in an instant.

Inside lay two corpses of Qingqiu Fox Clan members, their bodies entirely shriveled and grayish in color. The corpses appeared so fragile, they looked like they’d crumble into ash with a touch.

Shen Luo crouched down to examine them. The corpses had been completely drained of their vitality, resembling the results of the Ten Directions Devil Prison Path’s energy-draining techniques.

Nie Caizhu and Hu Bugui also darted over. Upon seeing the corpses on the ground, their expressions shifted drastically, especially Hu Bugui. His face turned unusually grim, and hints of an ironish tinge appeared in his complexion.

"There are no signs of a struggle. It looks like they were killed in one strike." Nie Caizhu glanced around and said.

"It seems something is indeed wrong in Qingqiu Country. Let’s go further in to take a look." Shen Luo suggested.

Hu Bugui immediately darted deeper into the city, with Shen Luo and Nie Caizhu following closely behind, utilizing their Divine Sense to scan their surroundings.

The houses throughout the city were all devoid of inhabitants. Every home had one or two Qingqiu Fox Clan members’ corpses, all shriveled and corpse-like.

Shen Luo, having visited Qingqiu City before, had a rough idea of the Qingqiu Fox Clan’s population. With a quick mental estimation, he found that these corpses accounted for roughly half of the clan’s numbers.

"How could this happen? Could the Qingqiu Fox Clan have been exterminated? Impossible! With the Qingqiu Fox Clan’s strength, even if cultivators from all Three Realms gathered, it wouldn’t be wiped out silently like this!" Hu Bugui said, a deep pain evident in his gaze.

"Brother Fox, the situation here remains murky. It’s unwise to make hasty conclusions. Let’s head to the Royal Palace. There might be clues there." Shen Luo looked at Hu Bugui and suggested.

"You’re right, Brother Shen. I acted impulsively." Hu Bugui took a deep breath, steadying his emotions, and responded.

The three of them soared skyward, heading for the Royal Palace.

...

"Someone has infiltrated Qingqiu City!" A voice echoed in a dark space underground, distinctly female.

"Who is it?" Another voice, older and more hoarse, asked.

Brilliant crystalline light emerged in the darkness, condensing into a translucent mirror that illuminated the surroundings, revealing three silhouettes.

One was the tall grey-clothed man seen earlier with Chief Strategist You Su, while the other two were smaller figures also clad in grey, their faces obscured.

One of the shorter grey-clothed figures formed a hand seal and pointed at the mirror, causing an image of Shen Luo, Nie Caizhu, and Hu Bugui to appear within.

"It’s him! I thought we’d need to use the Fox Clan’s power to crush those cultivators outside to capture him. Who’d have thought he’d deliver himself to us! Excellent, this saves us the effort!" The tall grey-clothed man stared intently at Shen Luo, clearly excited.

"What now?" The grey-clothed figure controlling the mirror asked, her voice that of the woman.

"At all costs, capture Shen Luo!" The old voice commanded decisively.

"But we promised the Qingqiu Fox Clan to help awaken the Fox Ancestor. If we engage Shen Luo here, it might affect the Ancestor’s resurrection." The female grey-clothed figure said cautiously, her tone tinged with concern.

"Our cooperation with the Fox Clan is purely for mutual benefit. We are using their power to capture Shen Luo. Now that he’s appeared before us, once he’s captured, our so-called agreement will become meaningless!" The old voice let out a cold laugh.

"Even so, but..." The female grey-clothed figure started to say but stopped.

"What’s this? Are you hesitating because of the past? Don’t forget your current identity!" The tall grey-clothed figure abruptly turned his head, his cold and sharp gaze cutting through her black veil like a knife.

"Understood..." The female grey-clothed figure trembled and lowered her head.

"Prepare to act." The old voice ordered as the three figures blurred and disappeared.

...