Chapter 1267: A Born Monster
After hearing this, the Sky Serpent paused. A few seconds later, he felt a chill crawl up his spine at the implication of the question.
That's right—if "Calamity Water" really were one of his own people, how could he use her to win a war?
The difficulty of this question was no less than that of creating the "Divine Beast" back in the day. It was riddled with paradoxes.
After all, following normal logic, the moment one considered "Calamity Water" to be on their side, their faction had already lost.
Therefore, "Calamity Water" could never truly be one of his own. She had to remain in other factions, opposing him, so that his own faction could achieve lasting victory.
He could not consider "Calamity Water" as his own, and "Calamity Water" herself must never consider herself as his own. Only by maintaining this delicate balance could her existence prove beneficial to him.
But the Sky Serpent quickly discovered other problems.
"Calamity Water" would cause one faction after another, one organization after another, to fail. Amidst this prolonged tribulation and repeated defeats, how could he ensure she wouldn't die in the process?
If she joined a team, the team would be destroyed. If she joined an organization, the organization would collapse. Even if she pledged allegiance to the "Zodiac," she might bring about a gamble with death.
Under such circumstances, how difficult would it be to protect a "Calamity Water"?
If he chose to save her when she was in danger, she would become "one of his own," and "Calamity Water" would activate, leading to the annihilation of his entire faction.
If he chose not to save her, that would subconsciously mean he considered her "not one of his own," so the result of her "Calamity Water" activation might not benefit him either.
The Ground Serpent's single question triggered a long mental storm within the Sky Serpent, eventually leading him to a conclusion—
That "Calamity Water" could not possibly be part of someone's plan. After all, the actual operational difficulty was far too great.
No matter how one thought about it, it should be clear: even if that person possessed heaven-defying abilities and had managed to protect "Calamity Water" all the way to putting her on the "train," how could he make her willingly join the Azure Dragon faction?
Moreover, upon hearing that someone's "Celestial Art" was "Calamity Water," wouldn't anyone think twice before trying to recruit that person as an ally?
This was a live-wire chess piece. Every time one tried to pick it up, they would lose a layer of skin.
So it was a coincidence—an absurd yet perfectly timed coincidence.
"A person who wants to defect to the Azure Dragon just so happens to be a 'Calamity Water' who has just awoken. Explained this way, everything becomes a little more reasonable," the Sky Serpent rationalized. "In my opinion, no one guided 'Calamity Water' here at all…"
"Hahaha!" The Ground Serpent continued laughing, but his voice grew softer. Blood from his various wounds trickled down his body, falling into the boundless darkness. "What a fine 'coincidence'… hahaha…"
"Ground Serpent… stop laughing! Don't you understand you're really going to die?!" the Sky Serpent said, a hint of panic in his voice. "I'm going to stitch your wounds right now. Maybe there's still hope… I really don't want to wander this place alone…"
The Ground Serpent feebly turned his head, looking at the Sky Serpent with his eyes, and then asked, "My dear teacher, look into my eyes. Do you still want to save me?"
The Sky Serpent carefully examined those eyes. His expression gradually fell, for what he saw reflected in those pupils was still an intense killing intent toward him—one that showed no sign of diminishing even now.
Even if he did save him, he would spare no effort in the time to come to kill him.
Apart from that killing intent, there seemed to be something else buried deep in his heart.
The Sky Serpent frowned, trying for the first time to peek into the subconscious of the Ground Serpent. After a moment, he discovered something—a heart-wrenching regret.
Seeing the Sky Serpent remain silent, the Ground Serpent turned his lifeless eyes back to the starry sky and spoke in a very soft voice: "My dear teacher… I once swore I would cut countless wounds into your back, fill them with eyes, and then pierce each one blind, turning you into a monster just like me… but I failed…"
"Hey… Ground Serpent…" The Sky Serpent gritted his teeth but still fished out a hook needle and thread from the rubble. "Don't talk for now… Let me try to save you first… We'll talk about the rest later. It's just the two of us left here… If you die… then I'll…"
He pulled the Ground Serpent's arm and thrust the hook needle in. But the more he tried to stitch the wounds, the more sorrowful he became. A wave of emotion—the urge to cry—lingered in his mind.
The Ground Serpent slowly lowered his head, his voice even quieter than before: "And also… I made a few good sisters. I wanted to invite them to join my 'Mutual Help Group'… so they could regularly come chat with me… But they haven't agreed yet… Is it because I'm a monster…?"
"Hey!! Don't you die!!" The Sky Serpent didn't know what he was feeling. His eyes were already red.
Was it "grief"? "Sadness"? "Regret"? "Fear of loneliness"? Or something else?
He couldn't sort through these chaotic thoughts. He only knew he was crying. He felt this might be the last time in his life he would hear someone speak.
The Ground Serpent slowly closed his eyes, expression calm: "Teacher, I don't want to be a monster."
"Then don't be!!" the Sky Serpent roared. "Ground Serpent… just open your eyes first…"
"But why have I been a monster my whole life…?" The Ground Serpent kept his eyes closed as a tear slid down. "Since the day I was born, people called me a monster. After I came here, I was still a monster. Teacher… when I met you, I thought someone had finally recognized my talent and would put it to use… But I never expected you would personally transform me into another kind of monster…"
Upon hearing this, the Sky Serpent's expression changed—whether from shame or guilt, he didn't know. His eyes reddened as he pressed his hands over the Ground Serpent's shocking wounds.
"I truly wanted to shed my identity as a monster… Qi Xia told me that in the end, he would find a way to peel off the monster's skin from me… so I could openly embrace the people I loved…"
With his last remaining strength, he opened his eyes and cast his final gaze upon his pale, snake-skinned palms:
"But it's a pity… this skin is still here… To my dying breath… I am… still… a mon…"
Before the Sky Serpent could finish treating his wounds, the Ground Serpent gradually went still.
His expression finally lost its sorrow. He simply stared at his palm with open eyes, quietly falling asleep.
"AAAAHHHH!!" The Sky Serpent screamed in terror, tears streaming down. "Don't do this to me!! Don't do this!!"
No matter how much he shook the Ground Serpent, the latter only stared blankly at his own palm, expressionless.
In the utterly silent space, only the Sky Serpent's agonized wails could be heard, as if echoing through the boundless depths of the universe—where no one could hear them.