Those points of light looked incredibly beautiful as they encircled Tong Yun, merely grazing her clothes lightly, yet leaving small cuts all over her body.
“Ah!” Tong Yun let out a scream, but Yun Qingxue showed no mercy.
With a flick of her palm, she grasped a whip—emerald green and covered in barbs.
Her wrist moved deftly, and the whip lashed out like a serpent, striking Tong Yun.
Given the absolute disparity in strength, Tong Yun had no chance to resist.
“This lash is for Qian Dai!”
The whip landed on Tong Yun, leaving a long, bloody gash.
“This one is for Elder Ning Zi!”
“And this one is for all those you’ve killed!”
After three lashes, Tong Yun collapsed to the ground.
Yun Qingxue watched her coldly as the sounds of battle outside gradually faded.
The wind blew, swaying the phoenix flower trees outside the Golden Phoenix Palace. Despite their sturdy trunks, they exuded an air of lifelessness.
Yun Qingxue turned and walked out of the palace.
The royal city of the Flora Clan remained unchanged, but the people were long gone…
“The Phoenix Flower Clan, guilty of rebellion and treason, shall have their spiritual consciousness stripped…
Elder Tong Yun and her key accomplices shall be executed outside the Ten Thousand Colors Palace, their souls dispersed!
The remaining rebels shall all have their spiritual consciousness erased and begin anew!” Yun Qingxue commanded, her voice icy.
“Yes! Long live the Flower King!” the crowd responded immediately.
Night deepened…
That night, the Flora Clan was filled with cries of agony.
Tong Yun, Mi Fenyao, Ye Xiang, and others were taken to the very spot where Qian Dai had been killed and executed.
The rest of Tong Yun’s followers had their spiritual consciousness erased.
All beings in the world begin their cultivation by awakening their consciousness—their thoughts.
With consciousness, they can absorb the essence of heaven and earth, storing it within themselves, forming spiritual awareness. Through continuous cultivation, this awareness develops into magical power.
By stripping Tong Yun’s kin and accomplices of their spiritual consciousness, Yun Qingxue effectively erased centuries of their cultivation and thoughts, leaving only their physical forms.
Perhaps, in hundreds or thousands of years, new consciousness might emerge within these forms, but it would be entirely new—equivalent to giving these flora spirits new souls.
This way, there would be no fear of lingering treachery or further attempts at rebellion.
As for Tong Yun, Mi Fenyao, and the others, Yun Qingxue destroyed both their physical forms and their consciousness, ensuring they would never exist again in this world.
She could have simply erased their consciousness, but…
She had no desire to show them mercy.
On that pitch-black night, she had witnessed Qian Dai—the first person to show her warmth and care in this world—reduced to ashes by their hands.
Now, after enduring so much, she had reclaimed her divine power and her throne. The annihilation of these traitors was her tribute to Qian Dai.
By the time the sun rose the next day, the Ten Thousand Colors Palace still carried an air of desolation and tension.
Clad in a long, starry-blue peony-embroidered gown, Yun Qingxue walked step by step under the gaze of her subjects toward her throne.
“Long live the Flower King! May her divine spirit endure for eternity!”
At the foot of the high royal steps, the people of the Flora Clan knelt in reverence.
Yun Qingxue turned, looking back at the past as if it were all a dream…
One decree after another was issued from the Ten Thousand Colors Palace, spreading throughout the Flora Clan. With the monarch restored, the entire clan entered a period of recovery.
Meanwhile, Yun Qingxue ordered Mo Su to closely monitor the movements of the divine and demonic clans.
Xiao Xiao accompanied Ming Di in searching for escaped underworld spirits.
Months passed in a flash, and the Flora Clan returned to normalcy.
During this time, both the Avian and Beast Clans sent envoys.
Yun Qingxue delegated the task of receiving them to the new elder, the leader of the Red Plum Clan, and did not appear in person.
As for the Aquatic Clan…
Even after she reclaimed her throne, they sent no envoys.
Through Mo Changxing, she learned that Jin Lin had nearly restored his dragon aura with the help of a serendipitously obtained Aquatic Clan treasure.
In the third month of spring, when grass grew tall and orioles sang…
The Aquatic Clan’s envoy finally arrived, months after Yun Qingxue had reclaimed her throne.
But they were not there to congratulate her—they came bearing an invitation.
“Flower King, on the night of the full moon next month, our Dragon King will wed the princess of the Mermaid Tribe. We humbly request your presence at the ceremony,” the envoy announced cheerfully.
Yun Qingxue was surprised. After a century apart, Jin Lin had found love…
“Please convey my congratulations to the Dragon King. I shall prepare a grand gift and attend in person,” she replied from her lofty throne, a faint smile gracing her exquisite features.
After arranging accommodations for the envoy, she retired to her chambers.
Months of recovery and purging the rebels had stabilized the Flora Clan.
Jin Lin had helped her so much in the past. Now that he had found happiness and was to be wed, she would naturally present him with a lavish gift.
At this moment, she truly felt no gift could fully express her gratitude for his past kindness.
The next day, the Aquatic envoy departed in haste.
Yun Qingxue personally led a search through the Flora Clan’s treasury for a suitable wedding gift.
After a morning of deliberation, she finally selected two rare treasures: Flower Jade Dew and a White Jade Ruyi Scepter embedded with gems.
The Flower Jade Dew, painstakingly refined over three centuries by the Flora Clan’s master alchemist, was highly effective in enhancing magical power and healing wounds.
The gem-embedded Ruyi Scepter could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, aiding the user’s cultivation.
In addition to these, she ordered several other precious items to be prepared as gifts for Jin Lin.
Night fell quietly.
The Flora Clan’s palace was brightly lit as graceful maids escorted the black-clad Mo Changxing into the inner hall.
Yun Qingxue greeted him with a smile. Since leaving Luoyun Mountain, she had rarely seen Mo Changxing, who seemed perpetually busy.
“Senior Brother,” she called warmly, motioning for a seat to be prepared.
“Qingxue,” Mo Changxing replied, his starry eyes gazing at her with a hint of complexity.
“Qingxue, you’ve received the Aquatic Clan’s invitation, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” she nodded faintly, sighing. “A century apart, and Jin Lin has found his happiness.”
“Qingxue, do you love Jin Lin?” Mo Changxing suddenly asked.
Yun Qingxue smiled faintly. “Jin Lin is a lifelong friend. My feelings for him are purely platonic…
Why do you ask, Senior Brother?”
“Nothing,” he replied with a light smile. “With matters in the Demon Clan quiet lately, I thought I might stay here for a few days—if you don’t mind?”
“Of course, Senior Brother is always welcome in the Flora Clan!” she said, immediately instructing Daise to arrange accommodations for him.
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