The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 1709 - 1706: Strange Occurrences

Chapter 1709: Chapter 1706: Strange Occurrences freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

At the edge of Qingqiu City, a flash of green light streaked across the void, and the figures of Shen Luo and his two companions emerged, their complexions somewhat pale.

"What was that blood-colored beast that surged out from the black fog just now? Absolutely terrifying. Judging by its aura, it doesn’t seem to be a divine power of the Qingqiu lineage," Hu Bugui said, clutching his chest, still shaken.

"The black fog carries traces of demonic Qi, so it should be a power of the Demon Clan," Shen Luo said slowly.

"Demonic Qi? Could the Qingqiu Fox Clan really be colluding with the Demon Clan? Or perhaps members of the Demon Clan abducted the entire Fox Clan from Qingqiu City?" Nie Caizhu remarked in a grave tone.

"Relying solely on one prohibition to make any conclusions is premature. Whether the Qingqiu Fox Clan deliberately hid themselves or were abducted, the situation is far from ordinary. With just the three of us, reckless investigation is not the wisest choice," Shen Luo replied.

"You’re right—we should head back and inform the others first. Investigating together would be better," Nie Caizhu agreed.

However, Hu Bugui gazed in the direction of the royal palace in silence.

"Fox Friend, Qingqiu City is no longer safe ground. You should leave with us as well. If you stay inside my Free and Easy Mirror, the cultivators of various sects won’t detect you," Shen Luo suggested.

"You are both correct, but if we all leave, the enemy will act even more brazenly. How about this? You return outside to inform the other cultivators of the situation here, and I’ll stay and continue the investigation. Perhaps I might uncover some clues," Hu Bugui said after a moment of hesitation, looking up.

"Brother Fox, forgive my bluntness, but despite your strong abilities, staying here alone will do little good. If you encounter the culprits who abducted the entire Qingqiu Fox Clan, you’ll only be sending yourself to your death," Shen Luo advised.

Hu Bugui said nothing, his expression resolute, clearly showing no intention of changing his mind.

"Since Fox Friend has made up his mind, I won’t press further. Here, take this specially crafted Communication Paper Kite with you," Shen Luo said, producing a silver-white paper kite and handing it over.

This Communication Paper Kite was refined by Fire Spirit Child using leftover materials from a Small Teleportation Charm. It is far superior to ordinary ones and can bypass most prohibitions.

Hu Bugui accepted the paper kite, offered Shen Luo and Nie Caizhu a slight nod in thanks, then turned around and flew back toward the royal palace.

Shen Luo didn’t dare linger for long. He grabbed Nie Caizhu, activated the Shrinking Earth Ruler, and transformed into a streak of green light, shooting into the Ten Thousand Miles of Azure Cloud Array.

Their movements had already been exposed, so there was no need to worry about being detected by the array.

The green light hesitated briefly before passing through the curtain of light and disappearing into the void without a trace.

...

At the allied forces’ station, in a spacious room, Lu Huaming, Bai Xiaotian, Seven Kills, Master Yan, and other sect leaders gathered in silence.

Nie Caizhu had disappeared, and the representative from Mount Putuo was a round-faced young girl in the late Mahayana stage.

"We’ve scoured the area within a hundred li and found no suspicious clues. It seems the thief has fled far away," Jiang Shentian said as he entered from outside.

"Any leads on our Sect Master’s daughter?" the round-faced girl asked as she stood up.

"None," Jiang Shentian replied with a glance at her, shaking his head.

A trace of anxiety appeared on the young girl’s face as she furrowed her brows deeply.

"Friend Nie’s strength is considerable; Brother Lin, you don’t need to worry," Jiang Shentian reassured.

The round-faced girl said nothing, but the worry in her expression didn’t diminish in the slightest.

"By the way, where is Brother Shen? With such a major incident and Friend Nie missing, why isn’t he here?" Bai Xiaotian suddenly remarked.

"I just sent someone to check, but Brother Shen isn’t in his room, and we don’t know where he went," Jiang Shentian stated.

Bai Xiaotian’s brows furrowed slightly. Shen Luo was always vigilant, so it was unlikely he hadn’t noticed the prior conflict. His current disappearance—it couldn’t be that he and Nie Caizhu went to pursue Fox Clan spies together?

"Additionally, my scouts detected something strange within Qingqiu City. There’s no sign of activity—what exactly is the Fox Clan up to?" Jiang Shentian continued.

The faces of those in the room all shifted upon hearing this.

"Should we send some people to infiltrate Qingqiu City and investigate?" Lu Huaming suggested.

"The entire Qingqiu City is now enveloped by a formidable prohibition, seemingly the Qingqiu Fox Clan’s Ten Thousand Miles of Azure Cloud Array. Breaking through will not be easy, and even if successful, it will alert the Qingqiu Fox Clan. Unless we can find a method of breaking the prohibition without drawing their attention, sneaking in will likely end in failure," Jiang Shentian replied, shaking his head.

"Good, you’re all here," said a voice as a shadow emerged from the ground and rapidly spread apart, revealing Shen Luo and Nie Caizhu.

The people in the room were initially startled, but upon recognizing Shen Luo and Nie Caizhu, they relaxed.

"Sect Master’s daughter, you’re finally back," said Mount Putuo’s round-faced girl with a sigh of relief, quickly walking over and grabbing Nie Caizhu’s sleeve.

"I’m fine, see? I came back safely," Nie Caizhu said, patting the young girl’s head.

"Brother Shen, Friend Nie, where have you two been? You worried us greatly," Bai Xiaotian chastised.

"Someone infiltrated this area just now. Cai Zhu and I secretly pursued them and didn’t have time to notify you all. Please forgive us," Shen Luo explained, clasping his hands as a gesture of apology.

"No matter. Brother Shen, did you discover anything during the chase?" Jiang Shentian immediately asked.

"Cai Zhu and I pursued the culprits all the way into Qingqiu City and uncovered significant findings," Shen Luo replied.

"You entered Qingqiu City? What did you discover?" Everyone’s eyes turned to them.

Shen Luo recounted what he had witnessed in Qingqiu City but deliberately omitted any mention of Hu Bugui.

Upon hearing about the sudden disappearance of the entire Qingqiu Fox Clan, everyone furrowed their brows deeply.

"The strength of the Qingqiu Fox Clan is immense. Even the most formidable experts couldn’t possibly abduct all of them silently and without a trace. So, I believe the Qingqiu Fox Clan must have hidden themselves voluntarily," Bai Xiaotian suggested first.

"If they hid themselves, then how do you explain the Fox Clan corpses near the city and the Blood Shadow Demon Array in front of the royal palace? The Fox Clan wouldn’t slaughter half their own people, would they?" Lu Huaming countered.

Bai Xiaotian couldn’t find an explanation and fell silent.

Others began debating heatedly—some leaned toward internal Fox Clan issues, while others suspected external factors.

"Whether it’s voluntary concealment or forced abduction, Qingqiu Mountain is now defensively vulnerable. This is the perfect chance for us to advance and investigate the underlying cause directly," Seven Kills suddenly proposed.

"What Daoist Seven Kills said makes sense. Instead of guessing the Qingqiu Fox Clan’s situation, we should head there ourselves. According to my earlier probing, while all the people have vanished, everything else in the city remains," Shen Luo agreed immediately.

Hearing that, the others began to feel tempted.

Qingqiu Fox Clan’s heritage had spanned countless ages, and their accumulated resources rivaled those of any major sect. With their sudden disappearance, it would be the ideal time to seize their wealth.

Seeing the mood shift among the group, Shen Luo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had already expended tremendous effort convincing them to take the initiative to enter the city. Hopefully, Hu Bugui was still safe at this moment.