Chapter 943: The Heavenly Pig
Before the Heavenly Pig could finish speaking, Azure Dragon had already appeared behind him.
"Az-Azure Dragon... hold on a moment..."
Before the words left his mouth, Azure Dragon's hand clamped down on the back of his head and slammed it viciously against the table.
**BANG!!**
A thunderous noise echoed through the room. Before the Heavenly Pig could even resist, his forehead had already smashed into the wooden tabletop. Though it was made of wood, the surface didn't shatter under the force of Azure Dragon's arm.
Several Heavenly-ranked individuals averted their gazes, but splatters of blood still stained their cheeks.
The Heavenly Pig's head was pinned firmly against the table. His physical constitution was clearly abnormal—though the skin on his forehead had split open and he was in excruciating pain, his skull hadn't cracked.
"Az-Azure Dragon..." the Heavenly Pig groaned. "Let me explain... I have my reasons..."
"Why did you activate the 'Puppet'?" Azure Dragon asked coldly.
"I... this..."
Azure Dragon didn't give him a chance to continue. Grabbing the Heavenly Pig by the hair, he yanked him upright, and before the man could catch his breath, slammed him into the table again.
**BANG!**
Blood splattered once more. Heavenly Horse reached over to cover Heavenly Tiger's eyes, while the rest all lowered their heads.
"AAH!" This hit was no light matter. The Heavenly Pig screamed in pain, then quickly shouted, "Azure Dragon... calm down... I didn't have a choice!"
Azure Dragon listened, then grabbed his hair again, lifting that blood-and-flesh-smeared face up, putting his mouth close to the man's ear and asking, "I asked, 'Why did you activate the Puppet?'"
Before the Heavenly Pig could answer, he was smashed into the table once more.
**BANG!!**
"AAAAH!! Damn it... Azure Dragon... you really don't treat us like people!" the Heavenly Pig's muffled voice came from the tabletop.
Then, mustering all his strength, he broke free from Azure Dragon's grip, springing to his feet with a sharp clatter, looking ready to fight to the death.
Several Heavenly-ranked individuals looked up. The Heavenly Pig's entire face was drenched in blood. A large patch of skin was missing from his forehead, his nose was broken, and he was missing several front teeth.
At this point, he had no choice left. Azure Dragon's murderous intent was clear. If he didn't fight back, he could only sit and wait for death. But if he did resist...
Seeing this, Azure Dragon raised an eyebrow slightly, then took a slow step back.
"Oh..." He slowly grinned. "What's this? Coming to kill me?"
"I... I..." The Heavenly Pig wiped the blood from his face with his hand, then said, "The 'Puppet' was a task assigned to me by Celestial Dragon... I can't defy either of you. What do you want me to do?"
"Well, I apologize then." Azure Dragon wiped the blood off his own hand. "After all, I didn't know what Celestial Dragon told you. Maybe it was a misunderstanding."
"Damn it..." The Heavenly Pig pressed his lips together, the fury in his eyes already uncontainable. "You talk about 'misunderstanding'... You can beat me to this state with just a 'misunderstanding'..."
"So... what do you want to do?" Azure Dragon asked.
"I know I'm doomed," the Heavenly Pig said. "Celestial Dragon did send me a message. He told me to activate the Puppet... In the dream, he'll kill me. In reality, you'll kill me. I had no choice, so I had to fight to the death."
The Heavenly Pig kept glancing at the others in the room out of the corner of his eye. How he wished someone would stand up and support him right now.
But unfortunately, these people weren't under direct threat of death. They could only keep their heads down and pretend nothing was happening.
They had all come here with blood and passion decades ago, only to become real puppets over the years.
"Everyone," the Heavenly Pig said. "If you stand with me now to resist Azure Dragon, even if some die, others are sure to survive. Otherwise, we'll be picked off one by one, and then we'll have no chance at all."
At this moment, only Heavenly Snake knew the Heavenly Pig wasn't lying—because he truly saw murder in Azure Dragon's eyes.
But resisting Azure Dragon—what a laughable plan that was. He had the "Soul Snatcher"!
This man could not only steal one's sanity at will, but also dominate the actions of others. Though they all possessed formidable physical constitutions, how could they use those bodies to fight against the "Soul Snatcher"?
Heavenly Snake now had only one thought—if the others stood up, then he would stand up too.
If death was inevitable, dying sooner was better than dying later.
The young woman, Heavenly Monkey, heard the Heavenly Pig's words and felt he was completely right. But just as she was about to stand, Heavenly Rooster grabbed her.
Heavenly Monkey looked at him, only to see him frowning and shaking his head. It was as if, for the first time in decades, the two of them had a disagreement. Their eyes both held confusion at the other's behavior.
"Everyone... stand up," the Heavenly Pig said. "You know I'm not lying... This really is our last chance. The 'Heavenly-ranked,' whose hierarchy has never changed, are about to start dying. Don't you understand how serious this is?"
His lonely voice drifted through the dim room, but it couldn't wake a group of people who were pretending to be asleep.
Until Azure Dragon burst into laughter. The only ones standing in the room were him and the Heavenly Pig.
"Heavenly Pig, I think you've lost your mind. Actually getting them to choose between you and me." Azure Dragon said. "But this is a good thing. It's been a long time since I've fought anyone."
"You..."
"Come on." Azure Dragon beckoned with his hand. "I won't use the 'Soul Snatcher.' Let's have a real brawl."
Hearing this, the Heavenly Pig slowly swallowed, then took off his shirt, wiped his blood-soaked face, and finally tore the shirt into strips. He tied one strip around his head to staunch the bleeding wound.
"Someone has to take this step," the Heavenly Pig said with a bitter smile. "When you think about it, going back to reality isn't so bad. After all, the me in the dream is already about to die of old age."
He rolled his neck, then shook out his hands and feet, which hadn't moved in decades.
"Seventy years already," the Heavenly Pig said, his gaze gradually hardening. "Even if I could make it back to the real world... would my family still be waiting for me there?"
"Hard to say," Azure Dragon replied.
"They probably died of old age long ago." The Heavenly Pig let out a cold laugh. "Going back now would just be a burden to them."
"How noble of you." Azure Dragon grinned as well. "I love watching noble people like you die before me without being able to put up a fight."
"I will die, but not without a fight."
The Heavenly Pig gritted his teeth and charged forward.
Just as he was about to reach Azure Dragon, a blinding light suddenly erupted from his entire body, forcing everyone to shut their eyes.
Azure Dragon had just heard the "Echo" of "Flashbang" when a sound like a car crash exploded. Their limbs collided with each other.
...
On the playground of "Heaven's Gate," a woman's corpse—long dead—staggered to its feet. Like a puppet on strings, it adjusted its limbs, then eerily began to walk toward the teaching building.