Chapter 646: You Won

The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor's face was full of bitterness. At this moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions of indescribable complexity. But he still managed to open his mouth and utter two words he hadn’t expected to say today, or ever.

"You won."

The Peacock Great Demon King smiled, radiant like the midday sun. "It's good that you know, it's good... I won, I won... Ha, ha ha ha..."

His body was starting to stiffen. He slowly turned, his gaze finally landing on the queen consort, and said, slightly panting, "I won, did you hear...? On behalf of our... Peacock Demon clan... I defeated the Crystal Phoenix... What your father couldn't... achieve back then... I did it... I didn't... disgrace you... Your choice... was right... you chose... my... brains... and with my... brains... I did it for our Peacock... Demon clan... I love..."

Ding!

A melodious sound rang from the Peacock Great Demon King's forehead as the broken Peacock Crown suddenly shattered, scattering into countless fragments. His voice abruptly stopped, and the light in his eyes quickly faded.

"NO!!!" the queen consort cried out in pain, grabbing him and tightly holding the hand she had pushed away minutes before. "No, no, no, you can't die, you can't die. I, I love you, please, I love you. Come back, please, please come back!"

A flash of crystalline light, and the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor instantly appeared beside them. The queen consort was about to act but felt a powerful divine consciousness suppress her. Then Lin Ximo's finger touched the Peacock Great Demon King's forehead, sealing a fragment of the Peacock Crown that was about to scatter.

The Peacock Great Demon King's eyes regained a bit of luster, and he looked at the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor with some confusion.

"Finish what you want to say. No matter what, no matter the enmity we have, you saved my wife and daughter." Lin Ximo no longer trembled, but tears rolled in his eyes.

The Peacock Great Demon King's eyes showed a hint of relief, but he didn't look at Lin Ximo again. Instead, he looked at the queen consort, his lips moving slightly, "Pro...mise me, live well... I... won't see... our clan's... glory... any more... See it for me... Support... Little... Mei well... Although... she has no... blood relationship... with me... I... actually... always thought... of her as my... own daughter... Compared to Lin... Ximo... I'm... a good... father..."

After saying this, the great leader of the Peacock Demon clan, the most outstanding Lord of Kali City in history, passed away. In the moment of his passing, the only reluctance in his eyes was for his wife. In this life, he had truly only loved her.

The queen consort trembled as she tightly held his body, feeling his warmth gradually dissipate, sensing his divine consciousness slowly fading. Her throat felt choked, and she was unable to say anything.

Su Qin's face was also covered in tears. No matter what, he had cared for her and her daughter for many years now. And it was true—although he had his own motives and wasn't even Mei Gongzi's actual father to begin with, he had been a good father. He had raised her well, and he had spared no expense or effort for her.

The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor slowly withdrew his hand but did not look at Su Qin. At this moment, he didn't know how to face this woman who had given everything for him.

Did he hate the Peacock Great Demon King for stripping Mei Gongzi of the Crystal Phoenix bloodline and implanting the Peacock Demon bloodline instead? Without a doubt, the Peacock Great Demon King had his own selfish motives and wasn't entirely benevolent at that time. But now, he couldn't muster any hatred. Without the Peacock Great Demon King, Su Qin and Mei Gongzi would have both died, one bleeding and one suffocated. Who would he have hated then?

His loved one was still alive, and he had a daughter, an exceptional one at that. Even though she didn't have the Crystal Phoenix bloodline, she had the potential to become an Emperor. And even though she was not a Crystal Phoenix, she was still blood of his blood!

The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor gathered his courage and turned to look at Su Qin. "Qin’er, I don't dare hope for your forgiveness. I didn't know, and I didn't know you suffered so much because of me. Everything is my fault, and I truly realize my mistakes, but I know it's too late to say anything now. But fortunately, we still have a daughter, and I am now an Emperor. Just watch my actions from now on. Little Mei is my only kin; apart from her, I am alone. But the phoenix race has more than one Emperor. Here and now, I swear that I will live for you and our daughter for the rest of my life."

After saying this, he slowly retreated, bowing to Su Qin in mid-air. Then, he transformed into a beam of crystalline light and flew away to deal with his own extremely complex emotions. A sharp cry echoed through the heavens, "We are leaving!"

At this moment, he had no choice but to leave. He knew that Su Qin would not go with him now, and his daughter was about to inherit the position of the Peacock Demon clan leader. But with that said... Wang Qing had won, but had Lin Ximo truly lost?

He had figured out many things in this brief time and understood the deep meaning behind the Peacock Great Demon King's actions. What difference did it make if Kali City was under his control or in his daughter's hands? What was there to be dissatisfied with? After all, the woman he loved had never betrayed him and had even given birth to his daughter. For Lin Ximo, this was even more gratifying than taking over a main city.

He finally understood why the Peacock Great Demon King had always been so fearless. This guy was truly formidable! Everything was set up here waiting for him. The Peacock Great Demon King had truly dedicated himself to the Peacock Demon clan, finding another path. Undoubtedly, Lin Ximo would have to protect his daughter as she grew until she became an Emperor. By then, with the bond between his daughter and the Peacock Demon clan, Kali City would always belong to the Peacock Demon clan.

This move by the Peacock Great Demon King achieved multiple goals at once. It was almost perfect! The only loss was his decades-long relationship with the queen consort. That was why, today, while revealing everything, he kept apologizing to his wife and expressing his feelings. Who knew how long he’d been suppressing those feelings?

Thus, this confrontation had no winners or losers. The final outcome was one that satisfied both sides, in a twisted way. The Peacock Great Demon King paid with his life and, through his sacrifice, dissolved the enmity between the Crystal Phoenix clan and the Peacock Demon clan.

Who could have imagined that the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor, who had always been hostile to the Peacock Demon clan, would become Mei Gongzi's ally in her future duties at the Ancestral Court? This was the Peacock Great Demon King's biggest trump card, and it was why Tang San couldn't reveal the truth to Mei Gongzi just yet—it would have too great an impact on her state of mind.

Amid the cries of phoenixes, the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor departed. To the nobles of Kali City and the powerful members of the Peacock Demon clan, this was an absurd development. The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor held the upper hand and seemed intent on crushing them completely, yet he’d just... left?

A clash that could well have resulted in a genocide ended just like that.