Chapter 822: The People Around Him
Qi Xia slowly stood up in the face of the terrifying back, then walked forward and stared closely at those misshapen eyes.
"Why did you do this?" Qi Xia asked.
"Why did I do this...?" Earth Snake paused. "Are you asking me?"
Qi Xia let out a helpless sigh after hearing that.
Earth Snake let out a cold laugh and continued, "I want to know too... why did I do this? Just because I couldn’t provide anything... I had to endure this 'Baptism of God.' But as you can see, no matter what, I was never going to become a 'god' in the end. I can’t even become a 'demigod,' because all 'demigods' are mad..."
He slowly turned his head and looked at Qi Xia from the corner of his eye. "Even you can become what you are now, but I never will."
"We’re all the same," Qi Xia said. "True freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want—it’s about being able to refuse whatever you want. You’re still far from it."
"Damn it all..." Earth Snake said with a bitter smile. "Of course I know that. But this 'freedom' is the only thing I can still do."
"You..."
"Qi Xia," Earth Snake said. "I’ve always been curious about one thing."
"What is it?"
"Even if I could return to the real world one day... what kind of posture would those of us with beast heads and beast hides... those of us with eyes implanted in our bodies—what kind of posture would we use to go back?"
"That... is not something you need to worry about," Qi Xia replied expressionlessly.
"No... you definitely know..." Earth Snake slowly turned his head, a trace of resentment in his voice. "You never included us in your plan from the very beginning, did you? You knew that even if we really could return to the real world... we’d be a bunch of monsters that everyone would want to beat down. We can’t even walk down the street. So this plan never included the eight of us from the start. You lied to us... You, from the very beginning..."
Qi Xia reached out and placed his hand on Earth Snake’s shoulder, cutting him off.
"Earth Snake," he called softly.
The moment Earth Snake turned his face to meet Qi Xia’s gaze, he suddenly saw a pair of eyes full of murderous intent. Before he could say anything, Qi Xia’s cold words squeezed out from his throat:
"Did you eat something dirty? What gives you the confidence to presume my plan?"
Earth Snake felt an extremely unusual aura surging within Qi Xia. It seemed he had changed into more than just something simple.
He seemed to have completely transformed into a different kind of creature.
"You..." Earth Snake swallowed and said, "Wait... I feel like I’ve heard that way of asking somewhere before..."
Some old memories suddenly flashed through Earth Snake’s mind, leaving him stunned for a moment.
Years ago, a spotlessly clean White Sheep had coldly stared at him and asked, "Earth Snake, did you eat something dirty? How dare you talk to my people like that?"
At that time, Earth Snake had argued back, shouting, "I’ll say whatever I want! Besides, you got a lot of your books from me—why can’t I make requests?"
The two had nearly come to blows, and for a long time afterward, they looked at each other with disdain.
"What’s going on...?" Earth Snake turned around and looked at Qi Xia in disbelief. "Could you be White..."
Qi Xia didn’t bother with Earth Snake. He simply took a step back and said, "Connect everything in your head, then speculate on my actions."
"This is too absurd..." Earth Snake lowered his head in disbelief, as if contemplating something extremely terrifying. "You didn’t disappear... You’ve been with us all along?! Why? Do all of them know about this?!"
"Only a few people know," Qi Xia said. "They figured out my identity from subtle clues, but I couldn’t admit it. For a 'Zodiac' to reveal their identity is no different from suicide."
"But why?!" Earth Snake’s voice trembled. "What’s your reason for doing this? Why didn’t you tell us your plan at all? You’ve been with us all along, yet you let us live in anxiety and worry?"
Qi Xia didn’t answer. He only said flatly, "Just know... there’s a way to save you."
Earth Snake looked Qi Xia up and down again. If he had once been White Sheep and was now a "participant," it meant he had truly found a way to turn from a monster back into a human.
At that thought, Earth Snake could no longer pretend to be calm.
"Qi Xia... hurry!" He stepped forward and pressed hard on Qi Xia’s shoulder. "How did you do it?! Tell me! Save me! Turn me back into a 'participant'! I don’t want to be a Zo—"
Qi Xia frowned and immediately reached out to pinch Earth Snake’s long, thin mouth. The air fell silent at that moment.
His movement startled everyone around him.
"Earth Snake," Qi Xia said coldly. "You’re losing your composure... Think carefully. 'A Zodiac never flees.'"
Earth Snake stared at Qi Xia for a long time, his eyes gradually calming down. Qi Xia released his grip on Earth Snake’s mouth.
"Yes... 'A Zodiac never flees'..." Earth Snake said with a bitter smile. "Even after something like this, I have to stand firm in this position..."
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and turned his head to look at Qi Xia again. "You don’t know 'A Zodiac never echoes,' but you remember 'A Zodiac never flees'... What’s wrong with your memory?"
"My memory is like sunlight passing through a louvered window," Qi Xia said. "Countless beams of light squeeze through the gaps between the slats, but they can’t form a complete surface."
"What a strange phenomenon..." Earth Snake shook his head, but soon let out a light laugh. "No... it seems nothing surprising ever happens with you."
"So can you tell me now?" Qi Xia slowly walked behind Earth Snake again and looked at the horrifying sight. "Why did he implant eyes on you?"
"This is a long story... This is the second method for a 'Zodiac' to obtain an 'Echo.'" Earth Snake said sorrowfully, then looked up at the sky outside the window. "What a damn twist of fate—I can even talk about this now."
Earth Snake regained his composure and said softly to the four of them, "You must have noticed by now that to activate the so-called 'divine power' of an 'Echo,' you need two things. First is 'imagination,' and second is 'conviction.'"
"Yes," Qi Xia nodded.
"As long as those two conditions are met... in theory, you can 'realize whatever you wish,'" Earth Snake said. "Sounds like a coveted ability, doesn’t it?"
"But both have drawbacks," Qi Xia said.
"Exactly," Earth Snake agreed. "The first drawback is the 'side effect.' After all, it’s using mortal power to drive 'divine arts.' No one’s body can withstand it. The deeper the conviction, the madder the person. Those who don’t go mad will die in an instant under the brutal force of the 'divine arts'—like the ones who can burn, freeze, or strengthen themselves. Everyone has to pay a huge price to 'realize whatever they wish' in a fleeting moment."