Chapter 1320: Expelling the Calamity
"Agreed?" Qi Xia asked again. "It's just eight 'participants.' Your thinking time is far too long."
"I know exactly what kind of person you are, so I can't afford to let my guard down on any decision." Qing Long chuckled lightly. "After all, this is a huge deal. I need to handle it seriously."
Qi Xia tapped the table. "Qing Long, if even I can't manage 'making Tian Long die unexpectedly,' then you have no one else to use."
"Arrogant ants like you show up here every now and then. I'm not worried about having no one to use."
"Do you believe that?" Qi Xia said. "How many more years do you think you'll have to wait before you see a second me appear here?"
Qing Long was silent for several seconds. Finally, he pointed at the paper on the table and said, "How much of this business about these eight strangers can I trust?"
"Questioning me about that is useless." Qi Xia shook his head. "If you see me as a partner in your heart, then you can trust every word I say. But if you see me as a liar, then you can only believe half of what I say about these people."
Qing Long listened, then slowly stood up, took the paper from the table, and said quietly, "Qi Xia, in my heart, you are certainly a liar."
"Then choose for yourself which half to believe." Qi Xia said. "Maybe it's just the 'name' half."
Qing Long gave a light snort, turned around, and raised the paper. "Alright, I'll handle this for you. But if we want to do it without anyone knowing, it'll take at least a year to gradually make all of these people's current teammates disappear. That way, no one in the entire 'Peach Blossom Spring' will remember them."
"Good." Qi Xia nodded. "Qing Long, there's one more thing I need to tell you."
Qing Long walked to the door and paused. He seemed dissatisfied with Qi Xia's tone, but he had no better choice at the moment.
"No matter how close my actions appear to be to failure, you are not to interfere with me." Qi Xia said. "I need you to completely trust my actions and always offer your help. That way, I can guarantee Tian Long's disappearance."
Qing Long turned half his face back and said coldly, "That statement is far too absolute, isn't it? How am I supposed to determine when you've truly failed?"
"Qing Long, remember this." Qi Xia said. "No matter when or where, the moment you choose to interfere with me is when I will truly begin to fail."
...
Qing Long slowly opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Ran before him.
"Qing... Long... what's wrong?" Xiao Ran forced a smile and asked. "I can barely breathe... can you put me down first..."
Listening to her words, Qing Long carefully figured out which of Qi Xia's teammates she was.
Among these women, she didn't know what her 'Immortal Art' was, which meant she couldn't possibly be carrying 'exquisite clever objects' on her. She was so foolish; she couldn't possibly have the courage to make a mutually beneficial deal with Qi Xia.
So she was the 'filler' Qi Xia had mentioned.
A person so insignificant that even Qi Xia had to lie to her separately to keep her in the dark... How could she possibly be an ordinary character?
Qing Long felt that the situation was slipping out of his control. Had Qi Xia really turned his spearhead toward Tian Long amidst this chaos?
Not one of the two generals he sent, equipped with 'Tian Xing Jian,' had landed a single fist on Tian Long. He dared to guarantee that when he returned to the room, Tian Long would still be sitting there safely.
"I can only kill him myself..." Qing Long looked at Xiao Ran again and decided to give her one last chance. "Hey, say this: 'Qing Long, wait for me.'"
"Ah...?"
"Say it."
Taking the chance, Qing Long released his 'Soul Stealer' and took control of the woman before him.
Not knowing what it meant, Xiao Ran repeated the phrase shakily: "Qing... Long... wait for me."
As expected, when those words left her mouth, Qing Long's 'Soul Stealer' vanished without a trace, completely losing its grip on the woman before him.
Where in this world was there truly a loyal person?
She was clearly a final weapon of immeasurable destructive power.
Though he didn't know how Qi Xia had achieved such a bizarre effect, the result spoke for itself. As long as this woman existed, his 'Soul Stealer' would never be able to function.
"Qing Long... why don't you understand yet..." Xiao Ran said with a bitter smile. "Whatever you command me to do, I will always..."
Before she could finish, Xiao Ran felt Qing Long's hand tighten.
"A damned persistent ghost." Qing Long chuckled scornfully. "With your skills, you think you can drag me into the abyss?"
Before Xiao Ran could understand what was happening, she felt her tongue being squeezed out. Not a single breath of air could reach her lungs, and her eyes bulged grotesquely.
"Qing... Long..." Xiao Ran said with effort. "I... am... here... to... help... you..."
She reached up and touched Qing Long's injured forehead. "You're... hurt... I came... to... help..."
"Then help me by dying." Qing Long smiled. "Dying by my hand, you can consider it a natural death."
*Plop.*
A strange sound rang out. Blood spurted from all seven orifices of Xiao Ran's face. Organs and brain matter spewed out from the openings, splattering onto the wall and Qing Long's face.
Her arm slid slowly down from Qing Long's forehead. She didn't resist, even in death.
Her neck was squeezed into a thin thread in Qing Long's hand. Her crushed facial expression was horrifying.
As if still unsatisfied, even after Xiao Ran had fallen silent, Qing Long reached out with both hands and, in front of the many 'ants,' tore Xiao Ran's body apart. Her corpse collapsed like building blocks onto the floor, revealing the two characters that had been cut in half across her chest.
Qing Long raised his foot and stamped down on those four characters, crushing Xiao Ran's chest into a bloody pulp.
"Your scheme has been thwarted... Qi Xia, what other tricks do you have? Bring them on." Qing Long snorted coldly and walked out the door, casually beating back a few 'ants' in his path.
He was about to use 'Leap' to leave this place and return to the battlefield that belonged solely to 'Tian Xing Jian,' but he was suddenly caught by the sight before him.
In the corridor as far as his eyes could see stood many 'participants' and 'zodiacs.' Some leaned against the walls, others bowed their heads, all frozen in place like hundreds of statues stretching into the distance.
"What...?" Qing Long frowned slightly, puzzled at the situation. Why were so many people fixed here?
He had monitored Qi Xia's actions for a long time, yet he had never heard him mention anything like this.
He knew there was no time to waste. Compared to the condition of these 'participants' and 'zodiacs,' he cared more about whether Tian Long was alive or dead.
This battle must end Tian Long's life, or all his efforts would have been in vain.
He shifted his form and vanished before the many 'ants,' disappearing without a trace. But he never noticed that, farther and farther away, more and more 'participants' and 'zodiacs' were stopping in their tracks, slowly bowing their heads.