Chapter 1197: The Death Knell

Song Qi’s gaze slowly dimmed at this moment, standing motionless like a statue.

A few seconds later, he slowly raised his head, a maniacal smile spreading across his face.

“What the hell…” Song Qi chuckled, “I thought you had some real skill… but this is all you’ve got?”

Forced **Soul Migration** could almost instantly kill the original owner of the body. Zhu Que lowered his head and glanced at his own palms.

From this moment on, he was Song Qi.

It was a shame this body was now on a countdown—otherwise, he would have made the most of this trustworthy vessel to hunt down and slaughter the few remaining rats.

Zhu Que knew his **Soul Migration** into Song Qi’s body was only to ensure the man’s true death.

Whether he had cast **Explosive Combustion** on his own body or Song Qi’s, there was no way Zhu Que would let Song Qi survive.

Those who dared provoke him had to be erased—down to the last fragment.

“Once your body shatters, I’ll pick a corpse to infiltrate the **Train**,” Zhu Que said, his deranged grin returning. “I’ll make sure you all learn… that some things in this world can’t be achieved through mere **unity**. If **Explosive Combustion** couldn’t kill me the first time… it means it’ll never kill me.”

Zhu Que realized that lingering traces of Song Qi’s memories still drifted in his mind.

He sifted through them with amusement, surprised to find that this young man had actually devised quite a few schemes.

Like provoking him relentlessly, baiting him into using **Mind Plunder** to strip away his sanity, then detonating the largest possible **Explosive Combustion** in his delirium.

In all those memories, Song Qi had truly left no backup plan.

His scheme ended the moment he ignited himself.

What a pitiful, self-righteous plan.

So all that earlier taunting had just been bluster—even Song Qi himself had doubted whether he could unleash a massive **Explosive Combustion**.

The more Zhu Que thought about it, the funnier it seemed. These insignificant mortals actually believed they could slay a **Divine Beast**.

“Too bad… too bad your plan was clever, but your enemy doesn’t play by your rules.”

Smiling, Zhu Que lifted his head, quietly awaiting the fireworks.

The next second, he suddenly felt a hand tap his shoulder.

He whipped around—but there was nothing behind him.

A flicker of unease passed through him.

Then, another tap. Zhu Que’s scalp prickled.

He spun around again, only to find emptiness before him. But on a rooftop in the distance stood an aged figure.

The two locked eyes across the gap, expressions unreadable.

“One **Explosive Combustion** isn’t enough…” Bai Hu rasped. “But these youngsters bought themselves a second one.”

“You…” Zhu Que’s voice trembled with disbelief. “Old bastard… you’re here to kill me too?!”

“No,” Bai Hu shook his head. “Don’t slander me. The one casting **Explosive Combustion** is that boy Song Qi. I’m just here to amplify it. I bear you no ill will.”

“Bai Hu… have you lost your damn mind?” Zhu Que spat. “Do you even want to return to the **Train**…?”

“Lost my mind?” Bai Hu sighed. “Zhu Que… it’s you who’s lost. I’m here to wake you up. This life you’re living—it’s not the one you were meant to have.”

Zhu Que took a step forward, intending to strike, but his limbs stiffened. His true form, coiled in Song Qi’s throat, grew sluggish.

“Wake me up…?” He laughed bitterly. “Don’t you dare lecture me from some moral high ground… Our hands are both drenched in blood. What right do you have to preach?”

“I don’t deny the lives I’ve taken,” Bai Hu said. “**Peach Spring** awakened the **evil** within us. The three of us wield power beyond nearly everyone here—it’s made us lose ourselves in slaughter. Even if you think you’re lucid… you’ve long gone mad.”

“How noble of you…” Zhu Que advanced another step. “So this sudden departure from the **Train**… was to ‘find yourself’?”

“Yes. We’re all mad. To stop killing, we had to escape the **Rules**—so I left.” Bai Hu exhaled deeply. “Zhu Que… of the three of us, maybe Xuan Zi, the one who seemed craziest, was the only one still sane.”

“Don’t joke around…” Zhu Que sneered. “Xuan Wu lost her mind earlier than any of us. She’s just a killing machine. I’m a thousand times stronger than her. Did your brain rot along with your body when you aged overnight?”

At that, Bai Hu lowered his head, a look of weary resignation crossing his face.

“True… You all noticed I aged suddenly, but none of you grasped the gravity of it.” He gave a bitter smile. “Because in **Peach Spring**, the unexplainable is just another Tuesday, right?”

“And?” Zhu Que glared. “Should I have offered condolences?”

“Fair enough. Maybe this is fate—what’s meant to happen will happen, what’s meant to return will return.” Bai Hu met his gaze. “Zhu Que, you’re free now.”

“Stop with the sanctimonious crap…” Zhu Que shuddered as his body swelled unnaturally. “I don’t want **freedom**! This place is my paradise! Who the hell are you to—”

“That’s why you need to wake up,” Bai Hu interrupted. “Return to who you once were.”

“You’re dead… Bai Hu… you’re dea—”

Song Qi’s body had bloated grotesquely, his throat completely sealed. Zhu Que’s voice died, his threats trapped inside.

He never imagined Bai Hu’s **Explosive Combustion** would paralyze him, leaving him helpless, coiled in Song Qi’s throat.

“Give me… one reason…” Zhu Que forced out. “Why…?”

“Because Xuan Zi pointed at you.”

Bai Hu turned away, vanishing before the explosion.

To any observer, Song Qi alone had killed Zhu Que. Bai Hu might as well have never been there.

This was Song Qi’s rightful glory—and the **Cat**’s honor.

**BOOM—**

The blast erupted, consuming everything.

Nearby corpses, Earth Pig’s game arena, the surrounding buildings—all shattered into fragments, swept away by the wind.

The entire **Land of Finality** trembled from the force.

This detonation was a **Explosive Combustion** layered atop another—a funeral bell tolling for Zhu Que.