“Master!” Ye Liubo called out happily.
Ye Liusu was similarly relieved. Joy and ease that left even her rather surprised flooded heart, as if as long as he was here, anything, no matter how great, could be dealt with.
He actually managed to return alive. Though, the Spider Queen never changes her habits. He must have used some kind of trick and escaped alive. He definitely won’t be able to remain underground anymore, let alone continue to rule over us.
Ye Laixiang’s expression changed suddenly as she thought like that. Then, she said with composure, “So what if I’m talking about you? Northmoon, do you think you can still strut around like before? You’ve betrayed ma’am Spider Queen. You’re the enemy of all night roamers now.”
“Let’s work together and capture him. When ma’am Spider Queen returns, she’ll definitely reward us. Anyone who still dares to associate with him will truly be traitors. Once ma’am Spider Queen arrives, you’ll all die a horrible death!”
Ye Laixiang knew she had already offended Li Qingshan through and through. Afraid that he would kill her on the spot out of anger, she decided to strike first and draw all the night roamers to her side. No matter how powerful Li Qingshan was, it was impossible for him to openly take on several dozen night roamers who had undergone the first heavenly tribulation.
She changed the topic. “Ye Liusu, what do you have to say? Will you swear fealty to the Spider Queen, or will you swear fealty to this traitor?”
Ye Liusu’s eyebrows scrunched up as she became even more distressed. Earlier, it was possible to say that she had only submitted to him because of the Spider Queen’s orders. But with his reappearance, this excuse no longer worked anymore.
She had to make a choice!
Everyone’s gazes gathered on Ye Liusu again.
It had already been a while since Li Qingshan arrived. He noticed their dispute from afar, so he secretly eavesdropped on them. He wanted to see who was bold enough to speak ill of him behind his back. He had only appeared when the situation was worsening to pacify it.
Originally, he planned on killing Ye Laixiang right off the bat and making an example out of her, but with the current situation, there was instead no need for him to be so hasty. He was also very curious about what choice Ye Liusu would make.
Actually, he also understood that the best way to guarantee loyalty among subordinates was giving them no opportunity to betray him, but Ye Liusu was not merely a subordinate to him.
If she chose to betray him, Li Qingshan could understand her choice. After all, she had her dreams and ideals, so making a choice like that would not be strange. Of course, once he dealt with the situation, he would definitely give her some “punishment”. He could understand her decision, but that did not mean he could accept it.
Of course, he did not have to go as far as killing her. As a matter of fact, he could even let her keep her current position after he punished her, but she would become only a convenient tool.
The idea of the gift would obviously be thrown out the window too. Since she only treated him as a tool to achieve her objectives, then what did her ideals have to do with him? It was exactly because he had given her much more than that that he was looking forward to seeing what she would choose.
Ye Liusu’s delicate face was conflicted. She was unable to make a choice over this matter. If she continued to stand by his side, then she would no longer be able to remain in this territory anymore. She could only go into exile with him. Everything she had built up over the years would be wasted, and even her life might be in danger.
If she were a regular night roamer, perhaps this would have been a very easy choice to make. Basing a decision off the costs and benefits was commonplace. However, she could not, not to mention the figure with scarlet hair and scarlet eyes meant much more than that to her.
“Sister, we can’t betray master. Without master, would we even be standing here today?” Ye Liubo grabbed Ye Liusu’s hand and said anxiously.
“You bitch, shut your mouth! He’s no master! He’s a traitor!” Ye Liuxing said coldly.
Ye Liusu looked towards Ye Mingzhu with uncertainty, hoping to receive her mother’s wisdom as assistance.
Ye Mingzhu only said, “Liusu, I believe you will make the correct choice.”
Her words were highly ambiguous, as if she was persuading Ye Liusu to immediately betray Li Qingshan, yet also like she was objecting to that. That was because even she was rather uncertain too, not because she was actually loyal to Li Qingshan, but because she sensed how unusually relaxed Li Qingshan was.
Northmoon should be thinking about fleeing as far as he can right now, so why is he watching on in such a relaxed manner? Has the situation changed, and the Spider Queen decided to spare him? But that’s completely impossible. Even Ye Mingzhu was rather unsure about what was going on. She could only let Ye Liusu make her own decision.
Why aren’t you fleeing? Are you waiting for me? Ye Liusu looked at Li Qingshan from afar. His gaze seemed to be filled with anticipation. Ye Liusu touched her lips gently. The remaining warmth of that kiss reached the bottom of her heart.
Saying that love was blind and it made people irrational was not wrong at all! She let out a gentle sigh and said resolutely, “Looks like I’m just not suited to be a leader. I can’t carry the heavy burden of a matriarch, nor am I suited to lead my sisters. From now onwards, Ye Liusu is only Ye Liusu.”
As if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, she was unable to describe whether she was feeling relief or disappointment. She held Ye Liubo’s hand and walked towards Li Qingshan, confronting his scarlet eyes calmly as she murmured to herself inside, Everything I gained because of you has been once again lost because of you. This is nothing to feel pity over!
Li Qingshan smiled back at her as he felt at great ease. He murmured, “You won’t regret your choice today.”
“Stop them!” Ye Laixiang ordered sternly. She had no confidence in being able to kill Northmoon, but she was extremely confident about killing them. Now that the situation was certain, she would possess the greatest merit once the Spider Queen returned.
Just when she was feeling complacent, she felt her throat tighten. Her eyes widened in disbelief as fright filled her face.
No one had managed to see what had happened, but Li Qingshan was already standing in front of Ye Laixiang, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her up gently.
Only then did the other night roamers return to their senses before all becoming stunned. Like Ye Laixiang, they became filled with disbelief.
Underground, everyone knew about Ye Laixiang’s strength. Even among the six matriarchs, she ranked towards the top, or as humans divided the cultivation realms, she was at late Foundation Establishment. This was also what gave her the confidence to challenge Li Qingshan.
But now, Li Qingshan had subdued Ye Laixiang without any room for resistance. No one had grasped his movements. A heavy, cold feeling filled all of their hearts. If his target had been them, or anyone else present, no one would have been able to escape! If he wanted to carry out a massacre, who could stop him?
In this region, probably only the Spider Queen can move with the same speed. She’s probably done for! Ye Mingzhu thought to herself.
“Mighty be master!” Ye Liubo cheered and threw herself into Li Qingshan’s arms before crying out, “Be careful, master!”
A curved shadow swept past, slicing towards Li Qingshan’s throat. It was the dagger that was curved like a snake in Ye Laixiang’s hand. The weapon glistened with a dark sheen, clearly coated in poison. Her strike was well-hidden and vicious, truly an assassin’s attack. At the same time, her figure gradually faded away as if she had turned into a shadow. She escaped from Li Qingshan’s hand.
However, the struggle was destined to be futile. The dagger fell powerlessly half way along its trajectory, while Ye Laixiang returned to normal, her face filled with shock. The power of tremors filled her surroundings, resulting in a series of bone-shattering crick-cracks. Li Qingshan tossed her onto the ground, and she immediately crumbled and became completely incapacitated.
“Master, we better go!” Ye Liusu arrived beside Li Qingshan and advised softly. She was already prepared to flee with him. Perhaps this fate was not so bad.
“Go? Go where?” Li Qingshan wrapped his hand around Ye Liusu’s waist. The tenderness in his gaze made her somewhat glad about her choice for some reason. She also seemed to understand something, casting a questioning gaze back at him.
Li Qingshan announced loudly, “I’ve already defeated the Spider Queen. From today onwards, I am the only ruler of the night roamers!”
This announcement was even more shocking than the great strength he had demonstrated prior. It echoed through the cavern, silencing the surroundings.
“That’s impossible! How could the likes of you defeat ma’am Spider Queen?” Ye Laixiang shrieked.
She had spoken the minds of all the night roamers. To them, the Spider Queen was like a god—undefeatable and undefiable. Even Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo became stunned, staring at Li Qingshan like they no longer knew who he was.
Li Qingshan turned his head and listened carefully before smiling. “Seems like no one is refuting that!” Then he became serious. “Looks like I’m not the traitor, but you are!”
Before Ye Laixiang could say anything, he whistled with his fingers, and a stream of air turned and twisted, piercing her head and leaving behind a clear hole. Afterwards, he conveniently stowed her corpse away in his hundred treasures pouch.
Everyone gasped. A matriarch had been crushed like an insect.
Li Qingshan only had a foot planted in the Daemon Commander realm, but killing an opponent like that had already become extremely easy. The difference between major realms of cultivation had always been greater than the difference between people and insects. People might not necessarily be able to catch insects, but as long as an opponent like Ye Laixiang was within Li Qingshan’s range of vision, they were basically dead already.
At this moment, daemon qi appeared from underground, reaching the top of Cobweb city. Everyone was familiar with this daemon qi. The Spider Queen had returned!
But aside from that, she did not do anything else. She completely ignored what was going on in front of the city as if she was indirectly confirming Li Qingshan’s words.
“Do you still have any objections?”
“Our Spider Shadow clan is willing to serve sir Northmoon as our master. We are your servants. We will follow wherever you go, and your wish is our command.” Ye Mingzhu finally responded, stepping forward and bowing solemnly.
He had even managed to defeat ma’am Spider Queen. What kind of strength was that? Had he become a Daemon Commander already?
Although she had obeyed Li Qingshan in the past, she had never accepted that she was his servant. At most, she was a subordinate and he was her superior. But now, she led the entire clan to swear fealty to him, becoming his servants willingly.
The four other matriarchs followed close behind. None of them had even the slightest shred of discontent anymore, yielding to absolute power. The other night roamers were thrown into an uproar too, performing the most solemn bow to him. Even the Bat Shadow clan that had just lost their matriarch was no different.
However, Li Qingshan said, “You’re wrong.”
Ye Mingzhu asked, “Please enlighten me, sir. Where have I gone wrong?”
Li Qingshan said, “From today onwards, clans no longer exist among the night roamers. I am your only master. Ye Liusu, listen up!”
Although he spoke seriously, he had no intentions of letting Ye Liusu go. All she could do was reply in his arms, “Yes.”
“From today onwards, you will be responsible for reorganising them! If anyone has any issues, tell her to come find me. I’ll settle them!” Li Qingshan said with a smile. Obviously, what he would be settling would not be some issues.
