Chapter 264: Chapter 263: Just a Pawn Manipulated by the Lighthouse Empire

The secret truth of the past that spilled from Xiao Cangqing’s lips struck Ji Shengyue’s heart like a sledgehammer, delivering a massive blow.

Her very soul and spirit trembled uncontrollably.

Ji Shengyue had always been incredibly proud. Even though she knew deep down that she had been completely in the wrong regarding Chu He, she had never been willing to admit it, instead stubbornly holding her ground.

But now, Xiao Cangqing laid everything out so clearly, and too many key points were already aligning.

Ji Shengyue was on the verge of a breakdown, repeating over and over, "Impossible. Impossible. It’s absolutely impossible."

"If this was truly directed from behind the scenes by the Lighthouse Empire, then why didn’t anyone from their side contact me back then? If they wanted to help me become the Queen, there must have been some benefit for them, some string attached. But in all these years, I’ve never had any contact with the higher-ups in the Lighthouse Empire. You must be lying to me."

As Ji Shengyue said this, her spirits lifted slightly.

’That’s right,’ she thought. ’If someone was secretly helping me, they must have had a motive. No one helps another person for no reason.’

And yet, in all these years, the secret benefactors Xiao Cangqing mentioned had never once revealed themselves.

"See? I told you you were stupid, but you wouldn’t believe me."

Xiao Cangqing let out a short laugh. "Do you know why the Lighthouse Empire, in its bid to meddle in your region and target the Great Xia Empire, passed over so many capable people and chose you, of all people?

"It’s because you’re stupid enough to be easily controlled. You were also the perfect person to throw this entire region into chaos and make things even worse.

"And now, isn’t the Lighthouse Empire’s plan proceeding exactly as they envisioned?

"They never needed to contact you directly. Your foolishness was enough to ruin everything on its own.

"From the looks of it now, the decision made by the Lighthouse Empire’s high command was absolutely perfect.

"The Great Jing Empire is in pieces, and its royal family has lost the people’s trust.

"And don’t even get me started on the White-Red Empire. Just like your Great Jing Empire, you’re both nothing but lapdogs for the Lighthouse Empire now.

"If the Lighthouse Empire points east, you have to attack the east. If the Lighthouse Empire points west, you have to rush off to attack the west without a moment’s delay.

"If they had chosen your first, second, or third brother, things might have become unpredictable. None of them are the type to willingly submit to another.

"So, they used you, often just giving things a little nudge in the direction they were already going.

"Did you ever feel like you were just really lucky, blessed by the heavens themselves?

"The truth is, from start to finish, you were nothing more than a chess piece for the Lighthouse Empire’s manipulators. And you, the piece, were completely oblivious."

"Even the Lighthouse Empire’s high command was surprised when you forced Chu He away after taking power.

"Because their next planned move was to sow discord, creating a rift between you, the new Queen, and the National Guardian War God—ideally, one that would tear you two apart.

"That would have been the way they divided you, forcing the Great Jing Empire to follow in the Lighthouse Empire’s footsteps.

"The Great Jing Empire, with Chu He guarding the Demon Cave, did manage to create a brief miracle.

"It became the only region on the entirety of Blue Star completely untouched by the influence of Evil Spirits.

"But the Great Jing Empire’s history is too short.

"The Great Xia Empire, on the other hand, despite being constantly plagued by Evil Spirits, has thousands of years of history and cultural foundation.

"They have vast lands, abundant resources, and an endless stream of talent.

"If anything, the adversity has forged them into countless heroes and powerful figures."

Xiao Cangqing stopped there.

Seated in her chair, Ji Shengyue was trembling like a leaf in the wind.

Large beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks, dripped from her chin, and fell.

Ji Shengyue was on the verge of a complete breakdown.

Her own reason screamed at her that Xiao Cangqing was probably right.

The ruthless reality that she had been nothing but a pawn from the very beginning was now laid bare, and Ji Shengyue’s head was ringing.

"Just keep being you. Don’t you worry about anything else. Just do as I say,

"and give birth to that child of a human and a dog. I’m quite interested to see how that turns out."

Xiao Cangqing said with a hearty laugh.

"Never! I will absolutely not give birth to this child!"

Ji Shengyue immediately refused.

Though Ji Shengyue had done many foolish things and was now painfully aware of it,

she could never accept giving birth to something that was neither human nor dog.

No matter what the future held, even if it meant being killed,

Ji Shengyue could not allow herself to live on in such disgrace.

Seeing Xiao Cangqing continue to toy with and humiliate her,

Ji Shengyue was no longer afraid of his threats.

Because Ji Shengyue was already prepared to die!

Xiao Cangqing noticed the drastic shift in Ji Shengyue’s demeanor and was slightly taken aback.

He hadn’t expected this useless Queen to have such a fierce side to her.

But it wasn’t so much that she was a fiery woman as it was that she was terrified of her reputation being utterly ruined, of becoming a permanent fixture on history’s pillar of shame.

"That’s not for you to decide."

Xiao Cangqing waved his hand.

Immediately, two members of the Vampire Clan teleported behind Ji Shengyue and seized her.

A tide of panic, the likes of which she had never experienced, instantly overwhelmed Ji Shengyue.

She watched, wide-eyed, as one of the Vampire Clan members produced a needle.

It glinted with an eerie light under the lamps.

As the needle pierced her body, Ji Shengyue immediately felt herself go limp.

It was as if all her strength had been siphoned away in an instant, and she slumped down, powerless.

...

「In the White Elephant Empire.」

Chu He had stayed for about a week.

During this time, he had finally managed to root out and completely eliminate all the hidden instabilities within the White Elephant Empire.

In the meantime, the entire populace of the White Elephant Empire had been plunged into a state of immense panic.

Hordes of common people fled the White Elephant Empire with their families in tow, carrying whatever valuables they could.

Naturally, Chu He had no interest in bothering with them.

In his eyes, it didn’t matter where a group of ordinary people ran.

Besides, with increasingly vicious Evil Spirits now running rampant across Blue Star,

these common folk fleeing the White Elephant Empire might well meet an even more tragic fate elsewhere.

After dealing with the instabilities in the White Elephant Empire,

Chu He returned to Gao Liceng, Nalan Fengshan, and Yumizakura.

When Chu He arrived, Yumizakura was sitting quietly on a nearby tree branch, her graceful form blending seamlessly with the natural surroundings.

Gao Liceng and Nalan Fengshan opened their eyes, which were filled with palpable excitement.

In his absence, they had tirelessly worked to completely absorb the power of the Supreme Divinity he had left for them.

Only after fusing with the power of the Supreme Divinity did Gao Liceng and Nalan Fengshan truly understand how terrifyingly potent it was.

"Mr. Chu, is it time to..."

Nalan Fengshan asked, rubbing his hands together with an eager yet sheepish expression.