Chapter 434: 434
His scarlet eyes flickered like flames as his scarlet hair danced like fire .
Half of Li Qingshan’s body had been swallowed by the magma . Suddenly, he let out an earth-shattering roar and kicked up a great wave in the lake of magma . The various colours of magma, dark red, scarlet red, bright red, golden red, seemed to be blended together, hissing with white smoke that filled the entire cavern .
Rolling flames surged over, colliding against the dim barrier in front of the Spider Queen before shattering . It made her face flicker . Who knew what she was thinking .
Li Qingshan recovered his humanoid form and spread out his arms, laying back on the lake of magma and bobbing up and down . His burn marks rapidly recovered, and the vicious fire poison settled down . Something that imitated the phoenix’s embryo had finally been condensed in his body .
When he raised his hand, the fire gathered in his hand automatically, abiding to his will .
Was this the first layer of the phoenix?
Li Qingshan shook his head . No, something was still missing . This was just a temporary work around against the problem . As long as he was unable to merge fire and water, he would not be able to properly practise the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa . However, this was already quite a large step forward . He had basically gained a grasp over the fundamentals .
Just when he was about to prop himself up, a soul sense pierced the magma and his body, reaching his sea of consciousness . Li Qingshan “saw” the turbulent magma and the violent explosions of the earth bubbles . Among all of that was a golden, glistening infant sleeping soundly .
Don’t tell me this is the Spider Queen’s son?! A thought crossed Li Qingshan’s head, and it was so absurd that it was funny . Even the Spider Queen herself could not reside safely in the depths of the mantle .
The infant suddenly snapped open its eyes . In that instant, Li Qingshan felt like he had been seen through . Before he could even closely tell what was going on, a strand of spider silk flew over, wrapped around him, and directly dragged Li Qingshan out of the lake .
“What did you see?” asked the Spider Queen as her face pressed in .
“I didn’t see any… thing… An infant . Who is he? Or should I ask, what is it?” Li Qingshan changed his mind halfway . If it were a blessing, then it was a blessing, but if it were a curse, it would be unavoidable . Instead of making the Spider Queen doubt him, he would be better off trying to get to the bottom of this .
If they fell out, then he could toss out the phoenix’s embryo he had just condensed and blast her into disarray, giving him the opportunity to slip away .
Li Qingshan appeared a hundred steps away in a flash . “I didn’t see him . He was looking at me . ”
“Then did he say anything to you?” A hint of nervousness appeared on the Spider Queen’s face . She placed her hand on Li Qingshan’s shoulder and tightened her grip .
Li Qingshan’s heart shivered . Daemon Commanders really were something else . “He only looked . He said nothing at all . ”The Spider Queen’s expression varied, sometimes vicious and sometimes peaceful . Li Qingshan was already prepared with the phoenix’s embryo, poised for anything .
In the end, the Spider Queen’s murderousness faded away . From Li Qingshan’s demonstration earlier, she could tell that Li Qingshan had indeed come for cultivation . He had intruded upon this place accidentally . As long as he had not been sent here under someone’s command and was not scheming something, she was reluctant to kill this powerful daemon at a time like this .
“Don’t mention this to anyone . If even part of it leaks out, I’ll…” The Spider Queen turned her head and kissed Li Qingshan’s cheek gently . Her bright-red tongue brushed past Li Qingshan’s face .
A strangely stimulating sensation filled his mind . However, Li Qingshan understood that this was not a display of love, but a threat . Or perhaps, it was all the same to her . Binding them like S&M, raping them, and then killing them was her natural body .
“I almost can’t help myself . I’ll go leak this piece of news right now . ” Li Qingshan wrapped his arm around the Spider Queen’s waist with a smile . He felt like he was playing with fire .
The Spider Queen laughed aloud . Her laughter was sharp, like a trembling spider’s web . Yet, it was strangely pleasant at the same time .
Li Qingshan dismissed his suspicions . He was afraid to open the sumeru ring here now . As he left, Li Qingshan glanced back at the lake of magma again . However, just what was that?
Deep within the mantle, the infant closed his eyes again . In that instant, it seemed to see the phoenix, but that was just an illusion . That undying bird had already flown away from this world .
It’s been another millenium . Ink dragon, I can feel it . Your age is coming to an end .
Returning to the depth of Cobweb city, Li Qingshan took his leave with the Spider Queen . Although he never obtained an opportunity to open the sumeru ring, he had gained a grasp over the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa, so at least it had not been a waste .
However, as he ventured further away from the mantle, the spirit turtle’s daemon core immediately unleashed its power completely again . He could not help but withdraw the power of the phoenix embryo, but even then, it still felt foreign . This was not something he could rush, so Li Qingshan set the matter aside, focusing his attention on his clone instead .
A special meeting hall had already been erected in his territory . In the centre was a beautifully-sculpted long table . There were six seats to the left and right . The six matriarchs were all present, seated on both sides . The dangling light illuminated the varying expressions on their faces .
There was a new face among them . This was a replacement that occurred very naturally within the clans of night roamers, and there would never be a need to ask about the fate of the previous matriarch .
“Please be seated . ” Li Qingshan yawned and leaned against one hand . “Since I’ve already emerged, it’s time to move around a little, just in case the Spider Queen feels like I’ve been neglecting my duties . What suggestions do you have?”
“Bring the map . ” Ye Mingzhu clapped her hands, and a guard brought over a mental map . She unfurled it on the stone table . “This is a map we’ve obtained from the humans . ” Afterwards, she pointed at a speck on the map . “This is a human city . Sir, you can start there and gift it to the Spider Queen . ”
Bang! Li Qingshan slammed the table and stood up . “Do you think the Spider Queen will be satisfied with a mere city of regular people?”
“Yes . ” Ye Mingzhu stroked the map and several dozen specks of light lit up . “This is the location of human sects we’re aware of . However, they’re all protected by formations, and they have mechanical turrets from the school of Mohism . All of them are difficult bones to chew . And, once they’re under attack, they will receive reinforcements from other sects very quickly . ”
Li Qingshan smiled . “That’s good news!” He casually pointed at a speck nearby . “We’ll go with here . I require you all to partake in this battle . ”
“Sir, we still have to manage our clans…” “That won’t do . ” “We can send clansmen to assist sir . ” Apart from Ye Mingzhu, the matriarchs immediately objected . Who was willing to leave their dens and venture above ground? They were not afraid of the power that human cultivators possessed . They were just afraid the elders of their clans would use this opportunity to usurp them .