# 1696
Chapter 1689: Assassination
As for the current situation, Lin Qiye more or less understood it.
After the iridescent smoke descended, the Queen Mother of the West realized that another batch of identical replicas had appeared in the Jade Pool. After testing, she found that there was absolutely no way to distinguish these fakes from the real ones, and they were completely mixed among the deities in the Jade Pool.
To prevent the fake deities from escaping the Jade Pool and infiltrating the Heavenly Court, causing greater trouble, and also to protect the Elixir of Immortality, the Queen Mother of the West simply decided to cleanse the entire Jade Pool by blood, killing all the deities covered by the smoke, regardless of whether they were real or fake... This way, she could completely nip the source of trouble in the Jade Pool.
Therefore, she sent Jialan and Jiang Zhu out, agreeing on a ten-day deadline... Because in her calculations, it would take at most ten days to exterminate the entire Jade Pool.
However, during this process, she inevitably encountered her own doppelganger.
Since the fake possessed the same personality and way of thinking as the Queen Mother of the West, both wanting to protect the Heavenly Court and the Elixir of Immortality, the fake would certainly agree to first clear the Jade Pool. This was why the two had teamed up to kill Gou Mang and Zhu Rong just now.
She's ruthless... Lin Qiye, watching the two Queen Mothers of the West in the sky, couldn't help but think.
Her own domain, her own guards, her own invited guests—to massacre them without hesitation, not even leaving a single celestial crane... Truly befitting a woman who could become the Mother of all Gods.
"A human who intrudes upon the Jade Pool is indeed a rare sight." The Queen Mother of the West on the left spoke slowly. "This palace observed that they seemed to want to break into the Dan Hall earlier. Were they here to steal the elixir?"
"If that's the case, we should simply kill them both." The Queen Mother on the right nodded.
"Wait!!"
Before the two Queens could make their move, the doors of the Dharma Hall burst open. Jialan rushed out, quickly bowing to the two Queens:
"Your Majesty! They are not villains! They came specifically to assist Your Majesty."
"Jialan? Didn't this palace instruct you to return in four days?" Upon seeing Jialan suddenly appear, both Queens frowned simultaneously.
Jialan spoke苦涩ly, "Your Majesty, had it not been for their aid, Jialan would have been killed by pursuers yesterday..."
"Pursuers? Who wished to kill you?"
"Some disgusting monsters... Lin Qiye said they were believers of a certain Cthulhu deity, of the same origin as the creature that recently attacked the Jade Pool."
The Queen Mother of the West's gaze fell upon Lin Qiye again, examining him carefully, as if contemplating something.
Seeing that the Queen Mother of the West had放下了杀心, Lin Qiye knew his chance had come. He took a deep breath and spoke seriously:
"Your Majesty, I can distinguish between your real and fake versions."
Upon hearing these words, both Queen Mothers of the West narrowed their eyes: "Is that true?"
"It is."
"Your Majesty, he is very capable. Please trust him!" Jialan vigorously supported Lin Qiye.
The two Queen Mothers of the West stared at Lin Qiye, half-believing and half-doubtful as they asked, "Tell us, how do you intend to make the distinction?"
"Please have both Your Majesties step forward so I can take a closer look."
At Lin Qiye's request, the two Queen Mothers of the West exchanged a glance. After brief hesitation, they simultaneously floated down from the sky and stood before Lin Qiye.
Both Queen Mothers of the West shared the same thoughts. They both believed themselves to be real, yet they also knew that their own perceptions could have been altered... In short, whether they were real or fake, even they were no longer certain.
If Lin Qiye could provide an answer with reasoning, they might consider it... But it would only be for reference. They would never bet their lives on a mere mortal they had just met.
"Your Majesty, come closer."
The Queen Mother of the West frowned but still stepped forward two paces.
Lin Qiye rubbed his chin thoughtfully, first walking to the Queen Mother of the West on the left and examining her carefully. Then, frowning, he circled around to stand behind the Queen Mother on the right, observing her from all angles...
"What exactly is your method for distinguishing?" The Queen Mother of the West frowned, seeming somewhat displeased.
"Your Majesty, I have something here. Please look..."
Lin Qiye opened his tightly clenched right hand, placing it between the two Queen Mothers of the West. Just as they both turned their heads simultaneously, his palm slowly unfurled...
Whoosh—!!!
In that instant, a blade of light shot from Lin Qiye's other hand, piercing through the chest of the Queen Mother of the West on the right!
At such close range, even the Queen Mother of the West couldn't react in time. Moreover, they hadn't expected this mere mortal to dare draw his sword against them.
"She's the fake!" Lin Qiye roared.
The Queen Mother of the West on the left immediately reacted. One hand pressed down from midair, suppressing the massive mirror in the sky, because both the real and fake Queen Mothers of the West possessed the power to control the Kunlun Mirror. If he allowed the other to seize the opportunity to control the Kunlun Mirror, things would become troublesome again.
Subsequently, her other fair palm followed behind Lin Qiye's Ame-no-Murakumo and directly pierced into the chest of the other Queen Mother of the West. The terrifying azure light surged forth like a tide, instantly tearing apart half of the latter's body.
The fake Queen Mother of the West widened her eyes. She looked down at the wound, as if sensing something. Her expression carried a hint of resignation and acceptance.
"I apologize, Your Majesty." Lin Qiye bowed deeply. "I feared you might not believe me, and I also feared that after I identified you, Kuthulu might modify your cognition, causing unnecessary trouble. Thus, I acted rashly..."
The fake Queen Mother of the West looked at him, saying nothing. She slowly closed her eyes as the life force within her rapidly dissipated. Finally, she disappeared completely, transforming into a willow branch bearing two eyeballs.
The Kunlun Mirror suspended in the sky eventually shrank to the size of a palm and returned to the sleeve of the true Queen Mother of the West.
A gentle breeze mingled with a pungent scent of blood swept by. The entire Jade Pool fell into deathly silence.
"You... are called Lin Qiye?" After a long while, the Queen Mother of the West finally spoke.
"Yes."
"By what means did you distinguish the真假?"
"By causality." Lin Qiye said, "However, these threads of causality can only be seen by me..."
"No wonder..."
The Queen Mother of the West nodded. Her gaze swept across this silent, blood-soaked Jade Pool, and she sighed heavily. "Had you arrived six days earlier, this palace would not have had to resort to such extreme measures."
"Your Majesty acted out of necessity. I understand." Lin Qiye paused for a moment before speaking up. "Your Majesty, I eliminated the fake for you. Does that count as merit?"
"Of course it does."
"Since there is merit, I wish to ask Your Majesty for something."
The Queen Mother of the West's gaze fell upon Lin Qiye, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowing. "So this was your purpose in coming to find this palace?"
"Yes... but not entirely."
"Speak. What reward do you seek?"
Lin Qiye said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I wish to ask for my friend... one Jade Pool Peach."