Chapter 841: The Real Purpose?
Qi Xia had threatened Qinglong twice in quick succession, making displeasure evident on his face.
Qinglong let out a breath and said in a low voice, "You dare talk to me like this now. If your 'assassination mission' fails, I'll make sure you regret it deeply."
"There's no need for you to do anything," Qi Xia said. "Once the assassination of the Heavenly Dragon fails, I'll have no hope left anyway. 'Regret' is nothing to fear. I'll just admit defeat directly."
"Then I wish you success," Qinglong said.
Qi Xia nodded. "On the condition that I can stop the remaining 'Heavenly-Level Moments.' You find a way to handle that."
"I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee that all the 'Heavenly-Level' beings will obey my orders," Qinglong said. "If they can't all be stopped, you'll have to rely on yourself from there."
Qi Xia was silent for a moment, staring at Qinglong with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
As if sensing something, Qinglong smiled at Qi Xia. "Qi Xia, don't you think this unceasing series of 'Heavenly-Level Moments' is a bit interesting?"
"What's interesting about it?"
"All the 'Heavenly-Level' beings activate precisely according to their designated hours, like a trial, or like a carnival," Qinglong said. "If the Heavenly Dragon knows nothing about this, then for whom is he holding this trial? For whom is this carnival offered?"
"If that's the case... then I suggest you wake up the Heavenly Dragon and ask him yourself, since I know nothing at all," Qi Xia replied.
"Qi Xia, you need to keep your eyes wide open," Qinglong said, his expression growing increasingly serious. "The Heavenly Dragon has gone mad—far too mad. No matter what he promises you, don't accept it lightly. He will drag you straight into hell."
"Ha..." Qi Xia was amused by Qinglong's words. "Are you trying to convince me? This situation is indeed a bit interesting. Qinglong, you clearly don't believe me, so why are you trying so hard to persuade me?"
Qinglong felt he might have misspoken and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm just worried that he'll use you and turn you into a weapon for killing. If you haven't allied with the Heavenly Dragon, then that's best. The only person you can trust here is me."
"Then I've really struck gold," Qi Xia said. "Clearly, this is a game between you and the Heavenly Dragon, yet he can't say a single word. Right and wrong all come from your mouth alone, and I have no choice but to trust you."
"Oh?" Qinglong slowly widened his eyes. "No, no, no, Qi Xia. How could right and wrong come only from my mouth? Ask anyone active in the 'Land of the End'—whether 'participant' or 'Zodiac'—how many of them don't hate the Heavenly Dragon? This is public sentiment, the will of the people. It's the fate he deserves, the best ending for him. I'm not the one pulling strings behind the scenes."
"Fine," Qi Xia nodded. "Don't worry, I've always believed in you. Otherwise, when I ran into trouble, I would have chosen to sleep and summoned the Heavenly Dragon to meet me, rather than standing on this rooftop waiting for you to come find me."
"That's right... that's right." Qinglong slowly broke into a smile. "I knew you were my most steadfast comrade. Our bond runs far deeper than yours with the Heavenly Dragon, doesn't it?"
"Of course."
Qinglong smiled and nodded, then said, "Qi Xia, this showdown between you and Chu Tianqiu... will I get to see it?"
"You mean the 'Earth Dragon' game?" Qi Xia asked.
"Yes... I may not be able to fully control the 'Heavenly-Level' beings, but the 'Earth Dragon' is ready. Tomorrow morning, he'll be waiting for you at the location marked on the map," Qinglong said. "Don't let me down, you two."
"I don't quite understand your motive," Qi Xia said. "The 'Earth Dragon' game sounds like it's bound to kill someone, isn't it? If either I or Chu Tianqiu dies, what benefit is that to you?"
"Benefit...?" Qinglong was taken aback, then widened his eyes. "I designed the 'Earth Dragon' game, but for so long I couldn't find any participants. Now that two strong enough people have finally appeared, you want me to miss this opportunity?"
"You..." Qi Xia hadn't expected Qinglong's reason to be so simple.
"Do I need to consider 'benefit' when I want someone dead?" Qinglong turned his head to Qi Xia and said, "When you draw a circle with a camphor ball to trap ants, do you need to consider the 'benefit' of doing so?"
After saying that, he paused again and spoke to Qi Xia: "Qi Xia... when you encounter someone like Chu Tianqiu, don't you want to defeat him fair and square in an extremely difficult game?"
"I thought about it at first," Qi Xia said. "But now I've changed my view of him. Chu Tianqiu shouldn't die miserably here—at least not in a mutual slaughter."
"But he wants to become a 'god'!" Qinglong's voice gradually rose. "To him, you're the biggest obstacle! He definitely wants to kill you! This place can't have two 'Yang' standing so high. You two can't make it work!"
"But you guessed wrong," Qi Xia said. "From beginning to end, Chu Tianqiu never intended to kill me. Everything he's done has had only one purpose: 'to make me Echo.'"
"So what?" Qinglong said. "Just because he didn't want to kill you before doesn't mean he won't at the final moment... That man Chu Tianqiu—the one who wears eyeballs around his neck and on his clothes—is he more trustworthy than me?"
"That's hard to say," Qi Xia sneered. "I never judge a person by their appearance."
"It doesn't matter..." Qinglong said. "It really doesn't matter. What matters is that I want you two to fight, and Chu Tianqiu wants to fight you too... Isn't that enough?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia slowly reached out and placed his hand on Qinglong's shoulder, then said with a hint of mockery, "Don't get worked up. I was going to go anyway. I was just asking casually. Why are you so anxious?"
Hearing Qi Xia's words, Qinglong felt he had been tricked again. His expression gradually turned cold, and he said, "In any case, I've already told the 'Earth Dragon' to await you both in his best spirits. This is the greatest spectacle in history—I must see it."
"Don't worry," Qi Xia said. "You also said that two 'Yang' shouldn't stand at such a height at the same time. This place would become unbalanced because of it, right?"
"You know what I mean."
Qinglong slowly turned around. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something and froze on the spot.
An unprecedented sensation enveloped his entire body, stunning him for an instant.
He turned back in disbelief, looked Qi Xia up and down, and then asked incredulously, "I think I've made some fatal mistake... Qi Xia... are you messing with me?"
"What?" A sense of foreboding rose in Qi Xia's heart, and he furrowed his brow tightly.
"You're not standing alone here... You have two people... You are 'Yin and Yang'... Qi Xia... You neither want to leave nor want to become a god..."
Qinglong slowly widened his eyes:
"You want to become a 'Dragon'...?"