Xuanwu was struck squarely by a bolt of lightning that descended from the sky.
She slowly lifted her head, standing motionless like a withered tree, her eyes rolled back, only the whites visible, and her lips trembling faintly.
Moments later, thick smoke billowed from her body, followed by a dense black mist spewing from her mouth.
Her originally ashen-gray skin had turned pitch black, as if severely burned, only to be suppressed by the tyrannical power of “Immortality.”
But Qi Xia knew that even “Immortality” had its limits.
A lightning strike to the head would send a massive surge of current through the body in an instant, severely burning every nerve, muscle, and organ in its path.
When the current reached the heart, it would induce atrial fibrillation, causing a tremendous impact on consciousness.
This wasn’t something the mere concept of “Immortality” could overcome.
Qinglong let out a maniacal laugh, his eyes even tinged with red, before raising his finger to point at Xuanwu once more.
He showed no intention of stopping—instead, he was ready to press his advantage.
Xuanwu seemed to have completely lost consciousness. In the next second, all her hair rose slowly, wreathed in smoke, while crackling sparks flickered across her body.
Qi Xia held his breath, hiding by the doorway, not daring to make a sound.
He knew that for Xuanwu to kill Qinglong would be as difficult as scaling the heavens—but the reverse was equally true.
For Qinglong to utterly destroy an “Immortal,” he naturally required unshakable conviction.
Qi Xia understood that Xuanwu was likely the strongest among all the “Divine Beasts,” second only to Qinglong, as she had been entrusted with most of the missions to kill Earth-level “Zodiacs.”
Yet now, this pinnacle of strength was locked in a desperate struggle with Qinglong—a piece of incredibly good news for all the “Participants.”
But what about Xuanwu herself…?
All of Xuanwu’s long hair stood on end, as if charged with static electricity, locking onto the next round of attack.
“You can crawl here, charred black from head to toe,” Qinglong sneered.
The moment his words fell, another colossal bolt of light descended, shaking the very ground beneath them.
**BOOM!!**
Before she could regain consciousness, Xuanwu suffered another devastating blow.
Just as Qinglong had said, Xuanwu now stood there, her entire body pitch black.
Her burned skin triggered the effects of “Immortality.” Though her body remained intact, every inch of her skin had turned an inky black, speckled with glimmering starlight.
It was as if what stood there was no longer Xuanwu, but the cosmos itself.
Seeing that Xuanwu had completely lost consciousness, Qinglong unleashed a powerful gust of wind with a sweep of his hand, knocking her to the ground. Then, his eyes blazing red, he activated “Leap” and vanished on the spot.
Qi Xia waited another dozen seconds, confirming that Qinglong had truly left, before rushing forward to check on Xuanwu.
His emotions were complex as he faced her.
She was no different from all the others wandering the “Land of Finality”—just another tragic soul bound by the rules.
She should never have been a “Divine Beast,” yet she had lived as one, reduced to this state.
But she was also fundamentally different from the others in the “Land of Finality”—she had always wanted to die.
Perhaps killing other “Divine Beasts” was a means to escape, but killing “Xuanwu” would simply fulfill her wish.
Xuanwu’s hair lay sprawled across the ground, nearly covering the entire “Cangjie Chess” arena, revealing her body.
Yet, as Qi Xia had seen earlier, her entire form resembled a human-shaped cosmos—only darkness dotted with starlight, with no trace of flesh visible.
Qi Xia remembered once carving countless wounds into Xuanwu’s body with a knife. Every wound had revealed the same abyssal darkness, just like the vast universe before him now.
“Xuanwu…” Qi Xia called softly.
**”Kill me.”**
A faint, ethereal voice emanated from within Xuanwu, as if the stars themselves were speaking, or the Milky Way singing.
She no longer had a mouth, yet she could still produce sound.
Hearing these words, Qi Xia looked her up and down before shaking his head. “I can’t kill you.”
How could someone who could still speak after enduring Qinglong’s full assault be killed barehanded?
**”You can.”**
Xuanwu’s voice drifted again, like a distant song echoing in Qi Xia’s ears.
**”Please… kill me.”**
“I’m truly sorry…” Qi Xia’s gaze dimmed. “I can think of ways to let you *live*, but not to let you *die*.”
**”Why…?”** Xuanwu’s sorrowful voice came from all directions. **”I remember… I remember you killing me.”**
“Maybe you misremembered,” Qi Xia said.
**”What?”**
“It wasn’t me who killed you—it was someone else.” Qi Xia stared at Xuanwu’s cosmic visage. “They’re still looking for a chance to kill you. Do you want to see them?”
**”Kill me… Yes, kill me.”**
“But… would you surrender?” Qi Xia cut straight to the heart of the matter. “If you’ve always wanted to die, why not willingly lay down your arms…?”
**”I…”**
“As long as you resist, those who try to kill you will keep dying,” Qi Xia pressed. “You could’ve revealed your weakness yourself.”
**”I want to die… but Participants cannot defy Divine Beasts.”** Xuanwu’s voice was fraught with conflict. **”So if they come to kill me, I have no choice but to kill them.”**
Qi Xia sighed softly. The deeply ingrained “Rules” had taken root in Xuanwu’s mind—even she couldn’t defy them.
**”But I gave every one of them a chance…!!”** Xuanwu cried. **”I let them try countless times… but I just won’t die… Why won’t I die…?”**
“Maybe try a different approach,” Qi Xia suggested. “Not just ‘giving them a chance,’ but ‘telling them your weakness.'”
**”My weakness…”** Xuanwu paused. **”Divine Beasts cannot reveal their weaknesses.”**
“Does that still hold now?” Qi Xia asked.
Xuanwu shuddered, then slowly sat up from the ground.
Her hair, spread across the floor, was dragged along, once again covering her back.
She raised her remaining left hand to the back of her head and slowly parted the strands of hair.
**”My weakness… is here.”** Xuanwu said. **”Qinglong always told me to protect my back.”**
Qi Xia’s expression darkened as he stared at Xuanwu’s back.
What a bizarre sight it was.
There wasn’t a single eye to be seen—only an expanse of stars.
If only he had convinced Xuanwu earlier, before the effects of “Immortality” took hold, to blind the eyes on her back, things wouldn’t have come to this.
But without this battle, how could Xuanwu have willingly exposed her weakness?
Deep down, she had always clung to one belief—that her inability to die meant she might one day use her power to kill Qinglong.
Now, she had seized that chance—only to lose it forever.
She knew she could never kill Qinglong now, so her only choice was to die herself.
It was the worst choice—and yet, the best one left to her.
Qi Xia felt the depth of her despair.
“Xuanwu, if you had to choose… would you leave this place, or die here?” he asked solemnly.
**”I… will absolutely die here.”**
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