Chapter 440 – A Righteous Strike (2/2)

Li Qingshan swung the blood-red blade with a violent roar. He did not retreat, advancing instead to fight with his life on the line. However, the sword swing ended up being deflected, brushing past him and landing on Bronze Cauldron mountain, cutting through the layers of rock and soil. Bronze Cauldron mountain was split in half as the two sides collapsed loudly.

Wen Zhengming lowered his head, and all he spotted was an invisible strand of spider silk wrapped around his sword. He gazed behind Li Qingshan and snorted coldly. “Spider daemon!”

Li Qingshan looked back. Before he knew it, Spider Queen Lolth was already standing behind him. She smiled. “You really haven’t disappointed me.”

“Save me, senior Wen!” The bronze cauldron flew out from the rock and soil behind Wen Zhengming. A call for help rang out.

The Spider Queen did not even glance at it. With a flick of her finger, the bronze cauldron suddenly fell down out of the sky, falling silent.

This time, Li Qingshan had to hold his breath and stare hard to tell what had happened. The bronze cauldron that had remained undamaged after countless attacks from him had been pierced by a crystalline thread even thinner than a hair. When it returned to the Spider Queen’s hand, it had already become a bright-red thread. A Foundation Establishment cultivator had been easily slain by the Spider Queen like she was swatting a fly.

Wen Zhangming was quite far away, so he was unable to react to it. He was filled with anger. “Wretched daemon!”

“Come!” The Spider Queen spread her slender arms. Her scarlet red evening dress exposed her cleavage. She seemed extremely alluring. She seemed like she wanted to hug Wen Zhengming’s sword. The smile on her face was gorgeous and venomous, truly quite a sight.

Li Qingshan came to a realisation. Once this battle began, the Clear River prefecture would no longer be a chessboard. With a flash, Ye Liusu had already used the explosion earlier to retreat into the distance with Ye Liubo. Only then did she ease up slightly. Ye Liubo was unconscious, but at least she was still alive.

Wen Zhengming’s robes surged as his righteous aura gushed out. They were on the verge of a great battle.

The Spider Queen’s smile suddenly stiffened. A voice that Li Qingshan found extremely familiar rang out in the sky. “A’Luo, long time no see again.”

In the blink of an eye, a figure landed between the Spider Queen and Wen Zhengming. Her white clothes were even paler than snow, and she seemed to hover there like an immortal. She held a jade fan in her hand; her smile was as graceful as the wind. It was Gu Yanying. The spectators behind the scenes finally could not help themselves but to leap on stage one by one.

Gu Yanying purposefully glanced past Li Qingshan mysteriously. She had wanted to teach this disobedient kid a lesson three years ago, but she became distracted by something else. By the time she remembered it again, he had already begun his secluded cultivation, and that lasted three years. He made a mess the moment he emerged, as if he was trying to make back all the time he had lost.

Gu Yanying moved away from the two powerful human and daemon cultivators. She said to Li Qingshan with a delightful smile, “You actually made head scholar Wen use the Triple Wealth style. That’s impressive of you.”

“You flatter me.” Li Qingshan’s thoughts were intricate now, which made him even more confident that Gu Yanying should have noticed his secret. Did she find out now? Or three years ago, when he joined the Academy of the Hundred Schools? Or perhaps she knew right from the beginning.

She had countless opportunities to deal with him, so why didn’t she? Was it because they were both human-daemon hybrids? Or perhaps she was afraid that brother ox who had slain the Soaring Dragon Elder had been watching over him carefully?

“Gu Yanying, get out of the way!” The Spider Queen gritted her teeth.

“Commader Gu, these daemons have been so arrogant. I uphold the righteous path, so I can’t just turn a blind eye to it. If you’re willing to assist me in purging daemons, then please do so. If you aren’t, then please move aside and don’t get in my way.”

Both of their auras gathered on Gu Yanying, trying to force her to leave.

Gu Yanying gently tapped her forehead with her fan in frustration. She sighed. “It really is difficult for me to satisfy the two of you.” Her eyes swiveled, and the corner of her lips curled up. “Looks like all I can do is listen to my heart.”

Li Qingshan had a feeling she was talking to him, and that she was slightly melancholic. Regardless of which side they chose, whether it be the humans or the daemons, they would never be able to obtain true peace. All they could do was walk their own path, but it would be a path of solitude that no one understood. Both sides would treat them as despicable traitors.

Li Qingshan thought of something. Looking at her graceful demeanor, independent and aloof from the word, her beauty unmatched in the world, his heart flittered slightly. He could not help but ask himself if his feelings of the past had changed at all.

“I have said that I’d continue taking responsibility over this war as long as no one interferes with it. However, I don’t think the two of you can be convinced with mere words.” Gu Yanying’s smile vanished. With a swish, she unfurled her fan. “If any of you are dissatisfied with me presiding over this matter, then come attack me!”

The Spider Queen snorted gently and curled her finger back, ready to flick it at any time.

Li Qingshan took a step forward and said softly, “Ma’am Spider Queen, we’ve already gained an upper hand in the war.”

The Spider Queen looked back. “You mean?”

“We shouldn’t get too greedy.” Li Qingshan shrugged. If they flipped the chessboard now, he would immediately be faced with an endless pursuit from Wen Zhengming. Instead of that, he would be better off benefitting sufficiently from this chessboard. There would be a day when he could leap out of the chessboard and cut down all of these people who dared to toy with him.

The Spider Queen considered it for a while. She also found it to be quite a waste to destroy the fantastic situation Li Qingshan had created. The great war would happen sooner or later, so there was no need for her to be so eager. She withdrew her daemon qi, turned around, and left.