Chapter 2769 Snow-Covered Fox Species!
At that moment, a clear voice echoed from outside the hall. "What Fan Lou is doing is akin to a bird nesting in the finest tree. You only provided Fan Lou with resources so you could earn profits for yourself. So there's no need for you to be this outraged!"
Kong Huan was not very familiar with this voice. But after thinking for a moment, she recognized the owner of the voice.
Kong Huan narrowed her beautiful eyes.
Feng Qing had poached from her and stolen one of her subordinates. Now, he had come to strut around and reproach her!
Whether Fan Lou could be considered a talented individual was one matter. But what did Feng Qing mean by choosing the finest tree? Did he mean that he was one, but she wasn't? Or was he trying to brandish the power of the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves to suppress the Alluring Foxes?
Now that she was facing an expert who possessed comparable power to her, Kong Huan repressed her flaring fury.
She had guessed Feng Qing's reason for coming to see her. It was likely he was there to save Fan Lou.
Before Kong Huan's venture into the Class 2 world, she was under constant scrutiny, unable to act freely. However, Fan Lou would lose his significance in her plans upon her return, and no one would dare intervene or oppose her to defend someone as insignificant as him.
Kong Huan could see no reason for Feng Qing to come to see her for the sake of such an insignificant character.
This made Kong Huan feel that Feng Qing was slighting her!
"Feng Qing, there has never been any hostility between us. We even worked together in a few operations in the past. I never expected you to rob me of one of my subordinates! I was the one protecting the Sixth Boundary Patrol Team all these years. You should be aware of this!"
Kong Huan had deployed the Sixth Boundary Patrol Team in the presence of Feng Qing in a previous operation. Back then, Fan Lou had presented himself as Kong Huan's servant.
Despite knowing that Fan Lou was her servant, Feng Qing had poached him from her and allowed Fan Lou to join the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves.
To Kong Huan, this was an insult to the highest degree.
By now, Feng Qing had entered the hall.
When Feng Qing saw Kong Huan's enraged face, his lips curled slightly.
"So what if I'm aware? So what if I'm unaware? I spent a large sum of resources to poach Fan Lou. He made his choice of his own free will. It has nothing to do with me trying to poach from you!
"With all those profits within reach, even you would reach out to try to grab them! You have poached more people than I have over the years! What? You can poach from other leaders, but I can't? That doesn't make any sense!"
It was already a fact that Feng Qing had successfully poached Fan Lou and that the latter was now part of the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves. After Fan Lou made his announcement, the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves had issued proof of that. There was no way that Kong Huan would be able to get Fan Lou back.
Kong Huan wanted Feng Qing to compromise with her so it would be easier for her to collect resources from the Class 2 world. At the very least, Feng Qing would accept that he was in the wrong and offer her some sort of compensation.
Yet, not only did he refuse to meet her halfway, but he also chose to bite back stubbornly.
This caused Kong Huan's repressed rage to erupt.
"Feng Qing, you must give me some sort of an answer for this matter! Otherwise, I will make you pay, even if it means I won't be able to collect resources from the Class 2 world! You won't make it there if I can't go!"
Since Kong Huan failed to strike a deal, she threatened him.
With how strongly Feng Qing was standing up for Fan Lou, it was clear he had found out that faeries had been born in that Class 2 world.
Feng Qing wouldn't give up on his plan to harvest resources from that Class 2 world.
If Feng Qing did not provide her with satisfactory compensation, Kong Huan would rather give up her profits than let him get off scot-free.
She could always tell the other members of Honor Absent Palace about the Class 2 world's faeries. Once the powerful individuals learned of this, they would definitely become interested.
At that point, Feng Qing would no longer have the right to stir up turmoil!
Feng Qing's expression did not change when he heard what Kong Huan said. It was as though he did not feel threatened by her words at all.
Feng Qing kept his gaze on Kong Huan's enraged face as he said calmly, "I have already informed the Bloodians of this matter. They will be sending people to participate in this operation!
"If you ruin the Bloodians' plan, the Alluring Foxes will experience a repeat of what happened to the mermaids. If that happens, you can't blame me for not warning you!
"Given your love for the Alluring Foxes, I believe that you won't reveal this secret! If you are willing to work with me when harvesting the resources, I will share some of the pie with you! I don't do things in the same overbearing manner as the Bloodians. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here to see you!"
After mentioning the Bloodians, every word Feng Qing uttered sounded as though he only wanted what was best for Kong Huan. But in actuality, he was threatening her.
This became especially evident with his mention of the mermaids' tragedy.
The war between the mermaids and Bloodians had resulted in the mermaids being kicked out of the East Universe's Species Ranking. The mermaids had yet to regain their prosperity.
The Alluring Foxes' strength in the East Universe could not be compared to the mermaids, much less the Bloodians!
If this was only a spat between the Alluring Foxes and Chaos Wind Demon Wolves, Kong Huan could take Feng Qing on without being overly worried. But since the Bloodians had been roped in, Kong Huan had no choice but to consider the Alluring Foxes' safety!
The Bloodians consumed blood, so all species with vitality in their bodies could become their source of food.
If the Bloodians found a legitimate reason, they would be more than willing to conquer the lifeforms with vitality.
To the Bloodians, this was considered hunting.
Honor Absent Palace successfully maintained control over the Bloodians, ensuring they refrained from harming species they had acknowledged.
Honor Absent Palace was the dominant faction in the East Universe of the Sky Beyond the Clouds. Regardless of how strong the Bloodians were, they had no choice but to listen to Honor Absent Palace's orders.
But if any grudges were formed, or there were any fights over profits, the Bloodians would have a reason to make their move.
The Chaos Wind Demon Wolves had betrayed the Moon-Worshiping Wolves, severing their allegiance. Despite harboring resentment, the Moon-Worshiping Wolves refrained from retaliation, as the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves had allied with the Bloodians and secured their protection.
Contemplating the altered situation, Kong Huan opted to control her anger. To ensure the safety of the Alluring Foxes, she reluctantly portrayed a vulnerable facade in the presence of Feng Qing.
Typically, considering her personality, Kong Huan would cease interactions with Feng Qing after feigning vulnerability. However, if the Class 2 realm proved to be rich in resources or harbored valuable treasures, the Alluring Foxes could gain a share of the profits. Any amount would be preferable to leaving with nothing at all!
"Feng Qing, I won't cause any more trouble for Fan Lou. During this operation, my people will listen to your orders. But I hope that you will keep your promise and provide me with all the resources I deserve!"
Feng Qing was very happy with Kong Huan's reply.
When Feng Qing saw the indignant but helpless expression on Kong Huan's face, he was extremely satisfied.
This was not the first time that Feng Qing was mentioning the Bloodians in front of a member of the Honor Absent Parliament. This was a very effective card!
Feng Qing had always been skilled at using his connections to achieve his objectives.
With the looming terror of the Bloodians, there were many species ranked below the top 1,000 of the Species Ranking who needed to take the safety of their species into consideration.
Feng Qing would ask the Bloodians for fighters but would not report the exact production volume of resources of that Class 2 world to them.
The people Feng Qing sent would work with Fan Lou to store away the most precious of the resources. Even if he had to pay the Bloodians under the table, he would still be able to earn astronomical profits!
After Feng Qing left Kong Huan's palace, she punched another stone pillar in a fit of fury.
The instant her fist collided with the stone pillar, the alluring image of a beautiful fox appeared behind her. Cracks even appeared on the foundation of the stone pillar.
Bright red blood with flecks of pink appeared on Kong Huan's fist.
Kong Mu was so frightened that she hurriedly went up to Kong Huan.
"Lordess, no matter how angry you are, you can't hurt yourself! Feng Qing is outright bullying us. Do you think we need to have a discussion with the Elders about this?
"Don't forget that the Snow-Covered Fox species has been trying to form ties with us in the hopes that we will relocate the Alluring Foxes to the North Universe.
"They promise that the Alluring Foxes will gain a seat in Glow Evoking Palace's parliament within the next 400 years! That will give the Alluring Foxes a similar status in the North Universe to what we currently hold in the East Universe!"
Kong Mu was Kong Huan's aide and knew a lot of information.
Normally, Kong Mu would not say this much. But this time, there was no avenue for Kong Huan to vent her overwhelming anger. If she did not demonstrate her value, it was highly possible that Kong Huan would vent her anger on her!
Kong Huan's eyes flashed when she heard what Kong Mu said, and she began thinking deeply.
The Snow-Covered Foxes of the North Universe had extended their first invitation to the Alluring Foxes more than 200 years ago. This matter had been the cause of many debates during the Alluring Foxes' meetings. However, they always decided against the migration.
This was not because the Snow-Covered Foxes' terms were not tempting, but because there were many uncertain factors to moving away from a universe they had settled so well into and lived in for so long.
If the Alluring Foxes moved to the North Universe, they would essentially be betraying Honor Absent Palace and would never be able to return to the East Universe.
However, the Alluring Foxes' roots had always been in the East Universe.
But now, the Alluring Foxes were under threat from the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves.
Given the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves' style, using the Bloodians as a successful threat once would lead to them repeating this method.
Kong Huan could represent the Alluring Foxes as a member of the Honor Absent Palace's parliament because she possessed a special divine kingdom ability—it allowed her to use her energy to block the detection of world wills.
This divine kingdom ability did not have any use during combat, so Kong Huan had yet to utilize it.
However, she could use this divine kingdom ability to head to the Class 2 world first.
In the past, she hesitated to undertake this task because if her actions were exposed, not only would Honor Absent Palace impose punishment, but it would also lead to the implication of all the Alluring Foxes!
But now, she wanted to use her divine kingdom ability to enter the Class 2 world ahead of the others.
This idea had popped into her mind because she now saw the Snow-Covered Foxes as a safety net for the Alluring Foxes.
The Snow-Covered Foxes were almost permanently part of the top 100 of the North Universe's Species Ranking. At their prime, they made it to 19th on the Species Ranking and left snow wherever they went.
The Snow-Covered Foxes had taken in other fox-species from other universes in the past. All of these fox-species had become their dependent species.
This was a similar relationship to the one between the Light Wind Wolves and Chaos Wind Demon Wolves.
Those that became the Snow-Covered Foxes' dependent species were all living in relative comfort.
The Alluring Foxes were more attractive to fox-species lifeforms than other lifeforms.
While the Alluring Foxes were communicating with the Snow-Covered Foxes, it was likely that they would be treated favorably.
"Kong Mu, go and contact the Elders so we can hold a meeting. Also, send people to visit the Snow-Covered Fox envoy. I will personally arrange the personnel that will be heading to the Class 2 world. You don't have to worry about this matter anymore!"
Kong Mu was unaware of Kong Huan's divine kingdom ability.
But now, Kong Huan wanted to hold a meeting with the Elders and contact the Snow-Covered Fox envoy. Was she going to take her up on her suggestion?
This filled Kong Mu with delight. If Kong Huan truly used her suggestion, she would definitely be handsomely rewarded in the future.
It was said that the Snow-Covered Foxes were all tall and charismatic men with hair more luscious than that of other fox-species.
If she managed to marry one of the Snow-Covered Foxes, her future would be a bright one!
Once Kong Huan decided to become one of the Snow-Covered Foxes' dependent species, she stopped fearing the Bloodians.
Although the Bloodians' might was notorious across the four universes, the Bloodians in the East Universe did not have close connections with the dependent species in the other universes.
The Bloodians prioritized bloodline. This did not refer to the bloodline of all the Bloodians but the legacy of a powerful bloodline.
When the Bloodians hunted other species, they worked as a team. Internally, they functioned as a family.
The Bloodians of the East Universe did not want the Bloodians of other universes to leave their bloodlines in the East Universe as it would taint their bloodline.
The infighting within the Bloodians was that of competing bloodlines.
The Bloodians of the North Universe did not possess as much power as the Snow-Covered Foxes.
The Snow-Covered Foxes' Frozen physiques allowed them to summon snow that effectively countered the Bloodians' blood-type enchantments.
Half of the Alluring Foxes' Elders wanted to migrate while the other half wanted to continue developing in the East Universe.
Kong Huan had been supporting the side that wanted to remain in the East Universe.
If she told the Elders about how the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves were threatening them and that the Bloodians were involved, the Elders who wanted to stay would definitely change their minds.
Now, Kong Huan needed to come up with a way to use her own power to capture all the resources from the Class 2 world and bring them with her to the North Universe.
The resources would be able to help the Alluring Foxes with their development and could also be used as gifts to earn the favor of the Snow-Covered Foxes. This would allow the Alluring Foxes to be protected by the Snow-Covered Foxes in the North Universe and improve their standard of living.