Chapter 952: Mortals
"Oh...?" Tianlong was taken aback for a moment, then tilted his head slightly. "What did I say that was wrong?"
"You said I should leave with you..." Qi Xia lifted his head, his eyes turning cold once more. "That statement is simply too absurd..."
"How so?"
"You picked out all the evil deeds I've committed to shake my psychological defenses. That's not a problem in itself." Qi Xia said. "But you don't know my true starting point, nor do you know why I used every inhumane means to push myself to the brink of destruction... Tianlong, I did indeed intend to drive myself into despair, and I did indeed intend to eliminate you. But I will never accept boarding a train with you to fly to the 'New World.'"
"What's wrong with going to the 'New World'?" Tianlong laughed. "White Sheep, like I said, we have already transcended the 'mortals.' Only you and I are worthy of boarding the 'train.'"
"No. Every single person struggling here must board the train." Qi Xia said. "Only you 'gods' are not allowed to. So your starting point and my starting point are in conflict, which forces me to eliminate you."
"Ha..." Tianlong's smooth face began to contort continuously. "But White Sheep, oh White Sheep... why is that? Are those sinners really that important? They're just a bunch of lost souls who deserve to go to hell. Who cares whether they live or die?"
"I care." Qi Xia answered decisively. "Tianlong, this is the fundamental disagreement between you and me, and the reason I can never agree with you. What you care about is whether you can remain a 'god' forever. But from the very beginning, my reason for becoming a 'god' was to completely destroy this place and let everyone out. Even though my current methods are gradually approaching what you call a 'dark god,' I have always known what I'm doing. My goal is very clear, and it has never changed from start to finish."
"Indeed, you are still you..." Tianlong's voice gradually twisted. "I can't even deceive you about this. Ha... haha..."
"Once, you gave 'hope' to the despairing. And now, I am giving them 'hope' too." Qi Xia continued. "Just like the situation you felt when you recently entered their dreams. Except the 'hope' you gave was despair in disguise, while the 'hope' I give is genuine light. I have been planning this for decades... How could I abandon everything at the last moment and board the 'train' with you?"
Qi Xia walked forward step by step. The entire room began to be covered once more with red flesh and blood, and this time, the flesh filled the entire room.
"Tianlong, you could have taken everyone away." Qi Xia said. "You could have let every single person here board the 'train.' But your mind only has yourself. You believe that 'mortals' are as insignificant as weeds, meant to drift aimlessly. You will never understand what the people here have done just to survive."
"What does that have to do with me?" Tianlong asked again. "White Sheep, even if all mortals understood this point, they could never shake me."
"Have you ever experienced an intense desire to survive?" Qi Xia asked as he walked forward. "Even when the mire has already risen past your chin, you still struggle desperately to live. They want to escape this cage, to return to the real world and reclaim their lives. There is overwhelming regret and despair here, yet you turn a blind eye."
"I told you, it has nothing to do with me." Tianlong said again. "White Sheep, the reason they are trapped in endless cycles here is precisely because of your 'Endless Cycle.' Don't try to pin all of this on me."
"Ridiculous..." Qi Xia said. "The reason I use 'Endless Cycle' is precisely to preserve their lives, to let these pitiful and lamentable people one day truly escape from here, rather than suffering so much only to die tragically. Tianlong, if it weren't for you, we would have succeeded long ago. So tell me... which of us is the real 'obstacle'?"
As they spoke, they were now face to face. Tianlong kept cracking his neck, his aura brimming with killing intent.
"White Sheep... I'm still curious. How exactly did you see through all of this?" Tianlong said. "I never showed any contempt for 'mortals' before. How could you have started planning this scheme so long ago?"
"Ha..." Qi Xia couldn't help but laugh as well. "Because I discovered a very interesting thing."
"What?"
"Tianlong... you have always called me 'White Sheep,' never once using my name." Qi Xia said with a manic grin. "I really want to ask you... what is my name?"
"You..."
"Even though I am no longer 'White Sheep,' even though I stand here in the form of a 'participant,' you still call me 'White Sheep.'" Qi Xia stared at Tianlong's smooth face. "Because in your heart, the names of 'mortals' are utterly worthless... You look down on everyone struggling and fighting here, don't you?"
"I admit it." Tianlong nodded, seemingly smiling as well. "Who cares what your name is? For me, remembering the word 'White Sheep' is already a great favor to you."
"So it's really unfortunate. I saw through you a long time ago." Qi Xia said. "This conversation ends here. We still cannot cooperate."
"Oh...?"
"Watch out for Azure Dragon." Qi Xia added. "He really wants your life."
After hearing this, Tianlong pondered for a moment, then spoke in a contemptuous tone: "White Sheep, since you haven't fully recovered your memories, let me tell you one more thing."
"Go ahead."
"Azure Dragon would absolutely never lay a hand on me." Tianlong laughed loudly. "So in the end, you're still the one kept in the dark. Azure Dragon and I were originally one being of yin and yang, split using 'Grafting' and then forcibly separated by 'Twin Flowers.' Each of our bodies contains half of the other; each of us is half yin and half yang. If one dies, the other dies too. So I advise you to carefully consider Azure Dragon's motives, and not act like a headless fly."
"That sounds no different from a curse." Qi Xia curled his lips. "I don't know what method Azure Dragon used to break this curse, but either way, it makes no difference to me. No matter which of you dies, the other will die too. That's excellent news for me. This conversation is over, Tianlong. Please go."
"White Sheep, I think you're really being ungrateful now..." Tianlong's voice gradually turned cold, and he asked softly, "Do you think that after saying all this, I'll let you wake up alive?"