Chapter 1093: What Was Gained
He naturally had no idea what had happened, only seeing that the "life-or-death gamble" seemed to have started, and then seemingly ended.
Earth Dragon was already dead, lying on the ground, yet Wen Qiaoyun stood there perfectly fine.
Qi Xia moved aside, revealing the path to "Rout" for the people in the arena.
Then he turned to Azure Dragon and said, "Let me confirm with you again, they can leave now, right?"
"Fine." Azure Dragon nodded.
"It's not a foul, correct?" Qi Xia asked again.
"It is not." Azure Dragon said, "From now on, this game has nothing to do with them. It's only about you and me."
"Good." After hearing this, Qi Xia looked at Chu Tianqiu again, sending another message through his eyes.
Seeing this scene, Chu Tianqiu was naturally filled with doubt. Azure Dragon and Xuanwu were both standing here, yet willingly letting the entire team go...
That could only mean one thing — his team had won the "life-or-death gamble."
But only two or three minutes had passed. How could this Earth Dragon game's "life-or-death gamble" go from start to finish so quickly?
And how did Earth Dragon end up bleeding profusely and dying so miserably in such a short time?
With so many questions overwhelming his mind, Chu Tianqiu temporarily abandoned his thoughts, instead calculating the next steps.
"Cangjie Chess," what a ridiculous "Cangjie Chess"?
What had he actually gained from this "Cangjie Chess"?
In the middle of the game, Yan Zhichun had made a deal with him — exchanging "Heaven's Gate's" assistance to "Jidao" for the right to use two "words."
Now, at the end of the game, he was forced to make another deal with Qi Xia.
Staking the entire team's survival on the wager of "infiltrating Celestial Dragon's dream."
From the process, he had always been trying his best to make choices, but looking at the results, it seemed he had gained nothing, instead falling into two deeper pits.
Was this path of gaining nothing truly the right one?
"Wait..."
Chu Tianqiu's brow suddenly furrowed, feeling Qi Xia's words echoing in his mind for a moment.
Why did he always feel he had gained nothing...?
Looking at the many teammates from "Cangjie Chess," a thought flashed through his mind —
Weren't the teammates all still alive?
Wen Qiaoyun, Dr. Zhao, Jin Yuanxun, Xu Liunian, and even Yan Zhichun, whom he had met a few times.
Except for Zhang Shan... weren't they all alive?
This was the first time such a wonderfully contradictory feeling appeared in Chu Tianqiu's mind.
Why did he never consider his teammates' survival as a "gain," and never consider their deaths as a "loss"?
Thinking this, he let out a deep sigh, looked up at Qi Xia, and said, "Qi Xia, if I'm not mistaken, this gamble was about the 'entire team' surviving."
He naturally didn't spell it out, since they were too close to Azure Dragon, but Qi Xia still understood his meaning.
Qi Xia nodded and said, "When I say 'entire team,' I mean 'entire team.' Not a single one will be missing."
"You..."
Chu Tianqiu's expression darkened, knowing that for Qi Xia, this was indeed not a difficult task. He could only helplessly nod, then turned and plunged into the darkness.
Everyone in his team also stepped forward at that moment, entering the "door" representing "Rout" before Azure Dragon could change his mind.
No one had expected the game to end like this — did they win or lose?
A "door" that had never appeared before now materialized in front of the group.
Chu Tianqiu stepped forward and pushed it open, finding outside was none other than "Zhongyan Land."
He knew the situation was somewhat ridiculous now.
Having already entered the "Train," they now had to voluntarily leave it.
After struggling at the edge of death, they would once again enter the "Train Head" with Qi Xia.
But if he didn't board this ship, was there a better opportunity for him?
"Tianqiu..." Wen Qiaoyun said from the side, "Have you decided on your next steps?"
Hearing her familiar voice beside him, Chu Tianqiu felt a rare chill down his spine.
He seemed to understand something at that moment.
In this game, Qi Xia's ultimate goal was not to make him personally bury Wen Qiaoyun's life, but to make him understand Wen Qiaoyun's importance through this game.
After all, when Wen Qiaoyun proposed the "life-or-death gamble" with Earth Dragon, no matter how the situation developed, Qi Xia would step in to save her.
"You think that 'gods' are ultimately just ordinary people in form..." Chu Tianqiu said with a bitter smile. "You think that only those burdened with 'attachments' can reach heights others cannot."
Chu Tianqiu realized Qi Xia wanted to use this opportunity to prove to him which path was correct, but he used a method that others wouldn't even dare to imagine.
"Qiaoyun, let's go." Chu Tianqiu said.
"Go where...?" Wen Qiaoyun asked.
Chu Tianqiu pointed at the "Zhongyan Land" outside the door and replied, "If possible, let's go see the outside world together."
"The outside world...?" Wen Qiaoyun followed his gaze.
What "outside world" was there?
Just a blood-red "end."
Chu Tianqiu didn't answer further, stepping out of the "door" and disappearing from the "Cangjie Chess" arena.
The remaining few no longer hesitated, following him out.
At this moment, Azure Dragon stood in the game arena, surveying the high walls around him. A slight smile curled at the corner of his mouth, then he leaped onto the high platform.
No one knew what he did on the platform, but a few seconds later, except for the outermost wall, all the central walls and "doors" began to slowly descend, as if retracting into the ground.
The "River Channel" and the "Preparation Areas" of both sides became a single large area, with Zhang Shan's corpse and a pile of silent "words" left awkwardly in the center.
The few who had been in the Red side's "Preparation Area" finally had their view unobstructed, seeing Qi Xia on the far side.
They were just startled by the earth-shattering changes, then saw Qi Xia and Azure Dragon standing in a standoff in the distance.
"Crap." Chen Junnan said decisively. "That Old Qi guy seems to be going head-to-head with Azure Dragon."
"Oh my god!" Qiao Jiajin limped forward a step. "Handsome Boy, should we all go beat him up together?"
Chen Junnan was about to speak but felt a sharp pain in his ribs. He helplessly said, "Old Qiao, we might die just walking over there. How about we don't show off this time?"
"What about Liar then?" Qiao Jiajin asked. "Can he handle that guy?"
"Well..."
The group watched from afar with concern, but suddenly felt another change in the arena.
A white wall in the center of the arena began to slowly rise, with a large screen hanging on it.