Chapter 737: Breaking Through
"What...?"
Zhang Shan hesitated, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information coming at him all at once, unable to formulate a response.
"If only I had figured this out sooner." Chu Tianqiu smiled faintly. "I could gather all the strong ones together... even if there aren't many of them, it doesn't matter. If I could think of this... how could Qi Xia not have thought of it?"
"Mr. Chu... do you mean Zhang Shan isn't our teammate?" Little Glasses looked at the man before him, who seemed to have lost his mind, with confusion. "Are you saying he came from somewhere else?"
"Or else?" Chu Tianqiu countered. "If he weren't an unexpected obstacle that appeared halfway through, why would small fries like you and Lü Fengxian still be alive?"
"This..." Little Glasses didn't want to admit it, but what Chu Tianqiu said was indeed the truth.
"Just the two of you? 'Hardening' and 'Purity'—those 'Echoes' that are as common as dirt on the streets." Chu Tianqiu slowly took off his coat. "Sorry, even if you gave me your eyeballs, I wouldn't really want them."
"You..."
"Zhang Shan." Chu Tianqiu slowly extended his hand toward Zhang Shan. "Give me your eyeballs. I promise not to harm the lives of the three of you."
"Are you kidding me...?" Zhang Shan furrowed his brow at Chu Tianqiu. "Considering you've shown me some kindness, if you were asking for something else, I might consider it... But reaching out and asking someone for their eyeballs—what's that supposed to mean?"
Chu Tianqiu's expression turned cold upon hearing this, and he slowly lowered his hand.
"Zhang Shan, why won't you wake up?" Chu Tianqiu slowly closed his eyes. "Here, there's no need to mention a single eye—even a hand, a leg, or a life can be discarded at will. Countless people have already shattered themselves to pieces for the sake of finally escaping this place, but I only ask you for one eye, and you won't give it?"
"Absurd." Zhang Shan said. "I can also shatter myself to pieces for everyone to escape, but there's no way I'll gouge out my own eye and hand it to you. I think you've lost your mind, Chu Tianqiu. Instead of waiting for you to 'Echo,' why don't I send you off this time?"
"I... haven't 'Echoed'?" Chu Tianqiu let out a light laugh. "Zhang Shan, don't be naive. Even if you kill me here, I will still remember everything."
"What?" Zhang Shan was stunned. "You..."
Before he could finish, the black sword in the sky had already found its target. It let out a faint hum, then whipped up the sound of wind as it flew straight toward Little Glasses on the field.
Old Lü reacted faster than Zhang Shan, immediately pulling Little Glasses behind him and thrusting out his belly. But just as the black sword reached Old Lü's eyes, it seemed to sense something and swerved, grazing his skin.
Before Old Lü could understand what was happening, the black sword was already inches away from Little Glasses, the tip less than twenty centimeters from him.
Without turning his head, Zhang Shan suddenly reached behind him and grabbed the hilt of the "Seven Black Sword" with perfect accuracy.
The jet-black sword instantly trembled all over like a hawk whose claw had been seized, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch.
"Chu Tianqiu, you've fed me and helped me understand this place these past days. I don't want to fight you." Zhang Shan's tone gradually turned cold. "But do you really want our lives?"
"I told you, 'life' isn't important at all. I only want the eyeballs." Chu Tianqiu said. "What exactly do I have to do to make you believe me?"
Zhang Shan gripped the massive sword, a faint killing intent emanating from his body. "Show me."
"Oh? What do you want to see?"
"You said that my previous leader sent me here to find a glimmer of hope, and that you are that 'hope.'" Zhang Shan said solemnly. "How can I believe that you are that person?"
"Simple." Chu Tianqiu nodded. "All of us have heard the 'Zodiacs' in the interview rooms say that they gathered everyone here just to create a 'god,' and I will become that 'god.' When I possess all the divine power, the entire 'Land of End' will lose its meaning."
"So how are you going to become that 'god'?" Zhang Shan stood motionless, speaking in a low voice. "I naturally know that relying on my own efforts, whether it's becoming a 'god' or collecting three thousand six hundred 'Daos,' is a pipe dream. So if you have strength that convinces me, I'll hand everything over to you right here—never mind one eye, I'll even rip out my heart for you."
"Zhang Shan... you..." Little Glasses and Old Lü both looked at him, feeling that he was making a very dangerous deal.
Chu Tianqiu nodded after hearing this. "Hearing you say that... I don't know whether to be happy or sad. It seems the relationship between us has... changed?"
"Yes." Zhang Shan replied. "Before today, I thought I could be friends with you, so everything I did was from the perspective of a friend. After all, I wouldn't even tell my parents my secrets—I'd only tell a brother I trust with my life. But after seeing your performance today, I'm considering whether I should transform from a 'friend' into your 'subordinate,' from now on fighting for you across the world. But how can I tell whether you are a 'god' or just another 'lunatic' wandering the streets?"
"Not hard." Chu Tianqiu said. "If showing my ability can regain your trust, then I'm happy to do so."
Under the watchful eyes of the few people before him, Chu Tianqiu flipped his coat inside out, and a strong smell of blood assaulted their nostrils.
Only then did they notice that the inside of the coat was strung with threads, and countless eyeballs hung on those threads like skewers of candied hawthorns.
These "candied hawthorns" dripped blood, their lifeless pupils scanning the crowd.
"This is my 'battle robe.'" Chu Tianqiu chuckled, then began searching through it. "Which one should it be..."
He spread the flipped coat in his hands and carefully selected, as if ordering from a menu.
Zhang Shan remained grim-faced, gripping the "Seven Black Sword" tightly. His thoughts were simple: if Chu Tianqiu couldn't produce convincing evidence here, this sword would cut straight into his head without hesitation.
After all, Chu Tianqiu looked so insane—could he really become a "god"?
"Ah! Got it!" Chu Tianqiu laughed. "This one's good. This one has the most."
Under everyone's gaze, he tore off the chosen eyeball, tossed it lightly into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed.
"You..." Zhang Shan slowly widened his eyes. "Chu Tianqiu... do you know what you're doing?"
"Zhang Shan, I want you to fully understand my strength."
Chu Tianqiu slowly closed his eyes. A moment later, a deep bell tolled in the distance.
"Dong!!"
Zhang Shan was slightly taken aback, then muttered to himself: "Chu Tianqiu... so you've been 'Echoing' all along. You're a seasoned 'Echo' user. But what is your ability?"
Chu Tianqiu didn't answer. Instead, he slowly extended his hand. "Zhang Shan, don't use any 'Immortal Arts.'"
The moment he spoke, Zhang Shan felt a dazzling radiance burst from his body, like a vast sea of stars.