Chapter 1194: The Scheme

A few minutes earlier.

Song Qi and Ma Twelve were about to reach the site when an old man suddenly materialized in front of them.

The two nearly crashed into him, barely managing to stop in time.

“Eh?” Ma Twelve stared in shock at the white-robed elder in front of him. “White Tiger… Dang it…”

Song Qi frowned, his expression cautious. “What do you want…?”

“I…” White Tiger clasped his hands behind his back, as if struggling to put his thoughts into words.

“Sorry,” Song Qi said after a few seconds. “We’re in a hurry. If you’re here to avenge Black Tortoise, I can come back for you later.”

White Tiger chuckled at Song Qi’s remark. “I don’t quite follow… come back for me later?”

“Yes.” Song Qi nodded. “Right now, there’s a place I must go and people I must save. If I survive, I’ll come back and let you kill me. If I don’t make it, then consider it an indirect favor—your wish fulfilled. Fair enough?”

White Tiger studied Song Qi with interest before asking, “Why should I trust you?”

“Because my name is Song Qi.” He replied firmly. “In the ‘Land of Finality,’ this name guarantees an absolutely fair deal.”

“Good lad.” White Tiger smiled and nodded. “Seems I came at the right time. No wonder you share the same ‘Explosive Burn’ as me.”

Seeing that White Tiger neither moved aside nor attacked, Song Qi and Ma Twelve exchanged glances, their anxiety mounting but their restraint holding.

“White Tiger…” Song Qi took a step forward, his expression deadly serious. “If you won’t let us pass, then give us a quick death. Otherwise, we won’t make it to our teammates alive.”

“No need to worry.” White Tiger shook his head. “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“Oh…?”

“Before Xuanzi died, she kept pointing in the direction you left.” White Tiger sighed softly. “I feared it might be her last wish, so I wanted to follow and see. Otherwise, I might regret it one day.”

“So… you’re here to help us kill Vermilion Bird?” Song Qi cut to the chase.

“Of course not.” White Tiger replied. “Vermilion Bird and I were colleagues, after all. I won’t intervene directly, but I can offer some… indirect assistance.”

“You already told us about his eye’s location,” Song Qi said. “We’re grateful for that. If you could just step aside, we’d be even more thankful.”

“Knowing where his eye is—does that guarantee your victory?” White Tiger turned his head slightly.

“That may be true, but standing here won’t win us anything either.” Song Qi countered. “Anything else you want to say?”

White Tiger paused in thought before speaking. “Song Qi, with three eyeballs… how do you control four abilities?”

“Huh…?” Song Qi was momentarily stunned, then furrowed his brow. “‘Soul Snatch,’ ‘Leap,’ and ‘Hover’… What’s the fourth?”

“I see… Good thing I came.” White Tiger turned away, hands still behind his back. “I was going to reveal Vermilion Bird’s final secret, but even with it, your task remains difficult. Whether you can kill him… depends on your wits.”

Song Qi sensed that White Tiger wasn’t stalling—he genuinely held crucial information.

“We’ve got ‘wits’ prepared.” Song Qi said. “Killing a ‘Divine Beast’ was never about brute force—only strategy.”

White Tiger nodded, then stepped closer, whispering something into their ears. The revelation left both men utterly shocked.

The truth White Tiger shared was so abstract that even knowing it didn’t clarify how to use it.

“Three eyes in his mouth represent three ‘Echoes’…” Song Qi muttered. “And his own two eyes… the fourth ability…?”

“Exactly.”

Ma Twelve scratched his head. “What the hell… Vermilion Bird doesn’t have ‘Hover,’ but he’s got ‘Puppet’ and ‘Soul Shift’… This…”

“‘Soul Shift’ is rare.” Song Qi said. “What does it do?”

Before White Tiger could answer, a dark figure at the street corner caught their attention.

It was a hollow, four-limbed woman’s suit, crawling through the ‘Land of Finality,’ covered in dust and bloodstains.

It resembled a monster, a ghost, an insect—certainly not clothing.

White Tiger chuckled, crouching down and extending a hand toward the black suit. The garment seemed to notice, using its lapels to push off the ground before leaping to his side, sniffing his palm with its collar.

“What a marvelous creature…” White Tiger mused. “This is ‘Soul Shift.’”

“This… is ‘Soul Shift’?” Song Qi was more confused than ever.

“What the hell is this thing…?” Ma Twelve shuddered, his skin crawling. “You ‘Divine Beasts’ keep some weird-ass pets…”

“I’ve said all I can.” White Tiger declared. “If this information helps you kill Vermilion Bird, then it’s his fate to die.”

Song Qi racked his brain for a strategy, but the scant details made it impossible to immediately devise a way to kill Vermilion Bird.

‘Soul Shift’—literally transferring one’s soul to another object. Did Vermilion Bird possess this ability too?

Would he transfer his soul… into…?

“Song Qi.” White Tiger interrupted his thoughts. “What do you think… is your only advantage right now?”

“Our only advantage…” Song Qi hesitated. “I know Vermilion Bird’s weakness.”

“No…” White Tiger stepped forward, cracked lips curling into a smile. “Your only advantage is that Vermilion Bird doesn’t know you know.”

Song Qi froze. “That’s… true.”

“My part is done. Survive if you can.” White Tiger stepped back, vanishing into the distance, leaving only the writhing black suit behind.

“That damn old fox…” Ma Twelve muttered to Song Qi. “Did he say anything useful? Now we’re even more clueless… I…”

Song Qi stared at the bizarre suit, his expression grim as he replayed White Tiger’s words. A bold idea suddenly formed in his mind.

“Twelve…” He asked quietly. “Are you afraid to die?”

“…?” Ma Twelve blinked. “Brother Qi, what kind of question is that…? After all these years fighting together, you’re asking me if I’m afraid to die?”