The Azure Dragon stepped out slowly from the front of the train, his piercing eyes sweeping over the few remaining “Celestial-ranked” individuals in the room.
His murderous glare forced everyone to lower their heads, too intimidated to meet his gaze. They could sense that although his body appeared unharmed, his spirit was severely damaged—likely from overusing his “immortal arts.”
But who in the world could have pushed the Azure Dragon to such a state?
He walked deliberately toward the Celestial Rat, grabbed the chair beside him, and dragged it out with a loud screech before slamming himself down onto it.
“Where is the Celestial Ox?” he demanded.
“She—” The Celestial Snake started to speak but wisely bit his tongue, lowering his head and sneaking a glance at the Celestial Rat instead.
The Celestial Rat’s earlier arrogance had been utterly shattered by the Azure Dragon’s slap. He no longer dared to act haughty.
Now, at this critical moment, if he were to tell the Azure Dragon, *The Bell was destroyed, the Celestial Ox went to handle it, and everything turned into a mess*—who knew what kind of disaster might follow?
Just as the Celestial Rat was about to feign ignorance, a strange realization struck him.
The Azure Dragon possessed the power of “Spiritual Hearing”—so why hadn’t he heard anything?
Even if the killing of the Black Tortoise had been a small-scale incident, perhaps concealed by some method, the destruction of the Great Bell and the display screen—such a massive event—had even prompted the Celestial Ox to use “Amplification.” So why hadn’t the Azure Dragon heard any of it?
The Celestial Rat cautiously turned his head and asked in a hushed tone, “Azure Dragon… where did you just come from?”
The Azure Dragon didn’t answer. Instead, he fixed his bloodshot eyes on him.
“Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?” the Azure Dragon asked.
“N-no, of course not—” the Celestial Rat hastily shook his head.
Though the Azure Dragon hadn’t answered, his earlier movements must have taken him somewhere far from both the “Peach Blossom Spring” and the train—somewhere that could isolate all sound.
The others kept their heads down, none daring to speak.
“Did someone come here earlier?” the Azure Dragon asked again, frowning.
He had sensed that someone had cast an “illusion” near the train’s front—otherwise, his memories wouldn’t be in such disarray.
“No one,” the Celestial Snake replied slowly. “It’s just been the few of us here the whole time…”
“Strange. If no one came, why do you all look like this?” The Azure Dragon’s voice sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
As soon as he finished speaking, a clamor reached his ears. Tilting his head to listen, he realized the entire “Peach Blossom Spring” had descended into chaos.
“What’s happening down there…?” He turned his gaze toward the Celestial Dog.
“Well…” The Celestial Dog, unable to remain silent under the Azure Dragon’s stare, reluctantly answered, “Since you were outside earlier, I assumed you knew… The Great Bell and the display screen were destroyed, and the Black Tortoise was killed…”
He laid out the current situation in one breath, and the Azure Dragon’s eyes widened in shock.
“You’re saying… the Great Bell and the display screen were destroyed?”
“Yes… and the Black Tortoise was killed.”
“Who destroyed them?” the Azure Dragon pressed.
The Celestial Dog hesitated before replying, “The Great Bell… It seems an organization called ‘Extreme Path’ was responsible… But as for the Black Tortoise…”
“‘Extreme Path’…?” The Azure Dragon narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. “That wasn’t in the Apple’s mind yesterday. How could this happen? Would ‘Extreme Path’ really act on a whim like this?”
“The Apple…?”
The Azure Dragon slowly stood, pondering the strange turn of events. The Great Bell and the display screen had been erected by the “Participants” anyway—if they were destroyed, it wasn’t the end of the world. They could always find others with similar abilities to rebuild them.
But why had they done this?
Was it just a sudden uprising?
“So the Celestial Ox went to deal with this?” the Azure Dragon asked again.
“Yes…” The Celestial Dog nodded.
“She won’t be able to handle it,” the Azure Dragon said. “But her initiative is commendable. If all ‘Celestial-ranked’ members were like her, I wouldn’t mind a few rebellious words now and then.”
Hearing this, the Celestial Rat kept his head down, silent.
“Celestial Dog, keep an eye on their movements. I suspect this isn’t over.” The Azure Dragon then turned to the Celestial Snake. “Celestial Snake, see if you have any usable ‘natives’ on hand and calculate how long it’ll take to rebuild the Great Bell and the display screen. I want an exact replica in the original location—as soon as possible.”
The Celestial Snake lowered his head, a hint of confusion in his voice. “With all due respect… is it necessary to rebuild in the same spot? We could just install them directly on the train—”
Before he could finish, the Azure Dragon seized him by the collar, nearly lifting him off the ground.
“Celestial Snake, what did you just say?” the Azure Dragon asked.
“I—”
“Making them just for *us* to see won’t do.” The Azure Dragon’s crimson eyes bore into him. “What’s the most important thing here?”
“The most important thing…”
“The most important thing is giving them *hope*.” Despite the veins bulging on his forehead, the Azure Dragon forced a serene smile. “Without the ‘Great Bell,’ they lose their ‘hope.’ As the ruler of this place, how could I bear to see them live aimless, despairing lives? This boundless love for the world… you understand, don’t you?”
“I—I understand…” The Celestial Snake nodded frantically. “I understand completely… I’ll go tally suitable candidates right away—”
“Make it *exactly* the same.”
The Azure Dragon’s grip tightened, his fingers pressing against the Celestial Snake’s glasses. With a slight squeeze, cracks spiderwebbed across the lenses.
“If there’s even the slightest mistake, I’ll grind these glasses into your eyes. Understood?”
“Y-yes…” The Celestial Snake squeezed his eyes shut, too terrified to nod, only stammering, “Understood.”
Suddenly, the Azure Dragon seemed to remember something and turned back to the Celestial Dog. “Who did you say died?”
“Ah… I said… the Black Tortoise is dead…”
“Oh.” The Azure Dragon nodded expressionlessly before facing the Celestial Snake again. “The Black Tortoise was useful. Make me another one. This time, I want all of his reason stripped away—so he can never defy me for eternity.”
The Celestial Snake trembled, eyes still shut. “But without reason… he’d be extremely dangerous…”
“If he’s dangerous, you’ll stay there and die with him.” The Azure Dragon’s voice was icy. “The White Tiger didn’t kill you. The Black Tortoise didn’t kill you. That means your craftsmanship may be lacking, but your luck is decent, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes…” the Celestial Snake whispered.
“Then keep riding that luck as you navigate the ‘Divine Beasts.’ Now get out.”
The Azure Dragon released him, and the Celestial Snake staggered out of the room, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste.
Watching him flee, the Azure Dragon turned back to the remaining “Celestial-ranked” members. “The rest of you had better keep your eyes wide open. Be on guard for anything that might happen. If this unrest leads to any mishaps, I’ll bury every last one of you with it.”
A stunned silence followed his words. Then, without hesitation, everyone rose from the round table, bowed to the Azure Dragon, and scattered to their tasks.
Left alone, the Azure Dragon stood rigidly, his face dark with barely restrained fury as he struggled to regain his composure. But instead of clarity, fragmented, bizarre memories began flooding his mind.
His sanity didn’t recover—it only grew more chaotic.
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