Chapter 1282: The Battle-Hardened Dragon
"Secure one, fight for two..." Zhang Shan furrowed his brow and said, "Take Tianlong's life, then find a way to take yours?"
"That's right!" Qinglong nodded. "You can't lose no matter what in this deal, right? I guarantee Tianlong won't wake up anytime soon. You can just charge right up and beat him to death."
"Beat him to death... and then what?" Zhang Shan asked again.
"Isn't it simple..." Qinglong said. "You kill Tianlong. In theory, I have to avenge him, so I fight you and eventually wipe you out. The outcome is that I suppress the rebellion, but unfortunately Tianlong dies in battle. 'Peach Blossom Spring' will mourn him from top to bottom. For better management of 'Peach Blossom Spring,' I'll select a new batch of 'Heaven-Grade' warriors to lead everyone in building a better world."
Zhang Shan let out a helpless laugh after hearing this: "And what if you don't manage to kill us?"
Qinglong nodded: "Since you're being straightforward, I won't hide anything either. If I fail to kill you, consider my suppression a failure. Tianlong and I will both die in battle, leaving everyone here wandering in this place forever."
Zhang Shan frowned, clearly hesitating. Just from Qinglong's tone, he didn't seem afraid of failure at all.
"I just want Tianlong dead," Qinglong said again. "My ending can be decided later, but I need to settle Tianlong's fate right now. What do you two think?"
After speaking, he clasped his hands behind his back, standing in the center of the venue, watching the two of them with a smile on his face, seemingly giving them enough time to think.
Zhang Shan lowered his head, pondering Qinglong's proposal. He felt that Qinglong was the most rebellious person among all of them—he might have even been involved in this rebellion. So why wasn't he afraid of failure?
His goal was to have Tianlong killed. Perhaps now was the time to go along with the plan, take Tianlong's life first, and then attack Qinglong.
As Qinglong had said, no matter the final outcome, they would at least have killed one of the rulers of the "Land of Finality."
"Hey... Tattoo Guy... what do you say?" Zhang Shan turned around to discuss the situation with Qiao Jiajin.
But he saw Qiao Jiajin walking to the door of the room and reaching out to close it.
This move darkened Qinglong's expression slightly.
"I don't really understand..." Qiao Jiajin said while closing the door. "The Trickster told me to come here and kill Qinglong, but he didn't mention Tianlong much. My brain's not that sharp, so I can't change the plan on the fly. I'll just follow his instructions."
"Ha..." Zhang Shan chuckled. "This kid’s got a clear head."
"Don't misunderstand, Big Guy," Qiao Jiajin said, turning back with a smile. "That's just my personal plan. You don't have to follow it. So from now on, I'll fight Qinglong, and you take Tianlong. We'll split the work."
"Damn, hahahaha!" Zhang Shan burst out laughing at Qiao Jiajin's words. "That's a great idea. Why didn't I think of that?"
After saying this, he turned back to look at Qinglong. "Then let's do it that way. I'll go kill Tianlong myself, and you can spar with the Tattoo Guy. Deal?"
Qinglong's expression darkened again upon hearing this, and then he said, "No... that's not the rule. Either you choose to kill Tianlong now, or you leave this room, and I'll send you off outside."
"No, no, no, Little Green," Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "This isn't up to you."
"What...?"
"We're already enemies," Qiao Jiajin stretched and loosened his muscles. "So anything the enemy wants is something I must prevent. Either we each take one now, or we fight you right here. Little Green, those are your two choices."
"My choice...?" Qinglong's eyes turned icy cold. "Two ants that accidentally took human form are now picky about the sugar humans throw away. You want to crawl into the honey AND carry the sugar back to your anthill? When did things ever get so cheap?"
"'Ants,' huh?" Zhang Shan snorted. "Qinglong, I remember Chu Tianqiu once said that if Tianlong dies, you die too, right?"
"Theoretically, yes."
"So you found some way to avoid dying when he dies," Zhang Shan said thoughtfully. "But this method takes up your focus, preventing you from fighting without distraction."
"Damn..." Qiao Jiajin's eyes widened slowly. "Big Guy’s got a big brain."
"What kind of brain is that?" Zhang Shan laughed. "How could a soldier not analyze the enemy's weaknesses?"
Qinglong shook his head at this. "You're asking for death yourselves."
Hearing this, both men began to loosen up. Qiao Jiajin stripped off his shirt and tossed it far away.
He felt like fighting someone this strong might even warrant taking off his pants, but the thought of how ridiculous that would look made him give up.
"What, do you always have a habit of taking off your clothes when you fight?"
"Yeah, Big Guy, that body of yours just makes my clothes not fit right," Qiao Jiajin said while stretching his arms.
"Got any tactics?" Zhang Shan asked again.
"Yeah," Qiao Jiajin nodded. "The tactic is that we figure out a way to beat him to death."
"Alright. What way?"
"Haven't figured it out yet."
Zhang Shan paused. "Alright. Pretty much the same as my tactic."
Qiao Jiajin then added, "But... Big Guy, this Little Green keeps wanting Little Red dead... so the one thing we absolutely can't do is let him die. Going against the enemy is how we gain an advantage."
"Oh, you've got quite a few ideas yourself."
"Of course," Qiao Jiajin grinned. "When you're fighting and can't call in more backup, you find a way to shake the enemy's support."
"Makes sense," Zhang Shan nodded. "Then I won't hold back. I'll throw the first punch."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhang Shan's figure exploded forward, his steps cracking the white floor beneath him.
Qinglong looked at him coldly, then raised both hands to block. The fierce clash between them produced a thunderous sound, sending both staggering back several steps.
Qinglong was stunned by the terrifying destructive power of his opponent, while Zhang Shan, after landing, rubbed his elbow and immediately noticed something unusual.
Qinglong had precisely blocked the point where his elbow generated force. This defensive technique wasn't something an ordinary person with enhanced physique could pull off.
"I see..." Zhang Shan nodded. "You're different from the others... you're a veteran who's fought on the front lines all along..."
"Yes," Qinglong dusted off his sleeves and said softly, "I've been fighting people here for decades, dealing with countless unruly 'Zodiacs.' Even someone who had no skill in combat has now become an elite veteran of a hundred battles."
"A hundred battles?" Qiao Jiajin perked up at these words. "Little Green, what's the most 'Zodiacs' you've ever fought at once?"
"What?"
"Since you've been through a hundred battles, I'll have to test your abilities."
Qiao Jiajin's figure swiftly passed Zhang Shan and charged straight toward Qinglong.