Chapter 1235: Anticipating a Masterpiece

Qinglong paused for a moment, his expression still unreadable, as he slowly lowered his hand from midair.

“Qi Xia is leading a rebellion…” Qinglong repeated, then asked, “And what role do you play in this?”

“I… I’m…” Xiao Ran widened her eyes, placing her hands on her chest. “I told you, I’m a ‘Zodiac.’ Otherwise, why would I take such a huge risk coming here and nearly anger you?”

Xiao Ran felt there was something off about the man in front of her. She had laid out the entire rebellion plot, yet he showed no reaction.

No—come to think of it, she wasn’t even sure if the person before her was male or female. Their features were too delicate, and their voice was ambiguously androgynous.

“This is truly a rare situation,” Qinglong mused, resting his chin on his hand again. “Qi Xia leads a rebellion, yet he didn’t account for someone like you in his ranks?”

“That’s a long story!” Xiao Ran gritted her teeth. “Qi Xia and I have a blood feud. He definitely doesn’t know I’m here because, in his eyes, I should already be dead. I’ve suffered so much—all because of him!”

She began embellishing her grievances against Qi Xia, detailing how he had caused her to lose her initial ‘Path,’ sent her into deadly games, and ultimately humiliated her to the point where she could no longer even function as a ‘Zodiac.’

Whether or not Qi Xia was truly responsible for all of it, Xiao Ran piled every ounce of blame onto him. Though she also despised that wretched woman Yun Yao, it seemed all the higher-ups here were only interested in Qi Xia, so she conveniently redirected her hatred toward him.

However, when she mentioned “Qi Xia pinning me down and slapping me,” Qinglong’s expression clearly showed disbelief.

After Xiao Ran finished her rambling tale, Qinglong had a rough grasp of the situation—yet somehow felt even more confused.

This woman seemed to understand neither ‘Zodiacs’ nor ‘Echoes.’ It was a miracle she had managed to swagger her way here unscathed.

It was like jumping into the final level of a game she had never played, then posturing aggressively at the final boss.

That summed up the impression Xiao Ran gave Qinglong.

“So, you’re saying you became a ‘Native,’ which is why Qi Xia still thinks you’re dead,” Qinglong murmured.

“‘Native’…? Y-yes, that’s right,” Xiao Ran nodded. “You have no idea how much I suffered to become one. If not for my desire to kill Qi Xia, I wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

Qinglong gave a slight nod but didn’t engage further.

Xiao Ran felt she hadn’t made her point clear enough and pressed on, “Qinglong… Qi Xia is rebelling. Right now, he’s leading a large group here… Aren’t you going to do something about it?”

Qinglong let out a soft chuckle.

Qi Xia, rebelling?

It was only a matter of time.

He had always intended to use Qi Xia’s hand to eliminate Tianlong, so this rebellion had his tacit approval—if not outright encouragement.

Those pitiful ‘Zodiacs’ still didn’t understand why Qinglong’s purpose was ‘to protect Tianlong.’

Because if Tianlong died, so would he. Of course, he had to guard Tianlong with his life.

Tianlong had always been his greatest weakness in ‘Taoyuan.’ Fortunately, Qinglong had found a temporary way to sever the ‘Twin Flower’ bond. If this opportunity played out right… he could finally break free from the shackles of their linked fate and become the sole ruler of this place.

Then, he would never have to return to the ‘Train,’ sitting in this room like a dog guarding a door. Instead, he could go wherever he pleased in ‘Taoyuan.’

No longer would he need to constantly worry about suspicious figures infiltrating the ‘Engine,’ nor would he have to rush back in a panic to check on things.

But this rebellion was… delicate. Because he had no choice but to order resistance.

No matter how much he wished for Tianlong to die in this chaos, he still had to maintain appearances.

He had to make sure all the ‘Zodiacs’ saw that he had done everything in his power—only for Tianlong to perish tragically in some unforeseeable accident at the hands of the rebels.

Everyone, including himself, would have to mourn.

Only then would the remaining ‘Zodiacs’ willingly continue serving him.

The promotion rules would remain unchanged. The only difference for them would be one fewer ruler: Tianlong.

Qi Xia’s goal in this game was ‘to slay the Twin Dragons,’ while his own scheme was ‘to slay Tianlong.’ As for Tianlong… he was surely playing his own game, but it didn’t matter what he had planned.

After all, Qinglong had already severed his connection to everyone. Tonight was his moment. If Tianlong was lucky enough to survive until dawn… then he would have to admit defeat.

Now, on this long night, it all came down to whose scheme would prevail among the three.

As for the woman before him…

Qinglong shifted his gaze back to Xiao Ran. Since her hatred for Qi Xia burned so fiercely, she was worth exploiting.

“Turn left outside, second room,” Qinglong said. “Go find Tianshe.”

“She…?” Xiao Ran’s face twisted slightly in disgust.

Memories of being dragged into that filthy old snake’s basement flashed through her mind—the nauseating stench, the grime—just the mention of ‘snake’ made her stomach churn.

“What’s wrong?” Qinglong chuckled. “Aren’t you allies? Don’t you trust each other?”

“Are we… really allies now?” Xiao Ran’s expression eased slightly.

“Yes—” Qinglong began to respond but suddenly felt his mind grow foggy again.

A strange sensation crawled over him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t ‘hear’ any ‘immortal arts’—his ‘Spiritual Hearing’ hadn’t yet recovered, leaving him blind and stumbling like a rider on a sightless horse.

To ensure his plan proceeded smoothly, it was time to mobilize all available ‘Celestials.’

“Tell Tianshe to gather all active ‘Celestials’ and organize the ‘Terrestrials’ in the corridor to suppress the rebellion,” Qinglong continued. “As for you… once it’s done, stay in Tianshe’s room and relay a message for me.”

“A message…?” Xiao Ran nodded. “Fine. Since we’re allies now, I’ll do my best.”

For some reason, every time Xiao Ran said the word ‘allies,’ Qinglong felt a dull throb in his temples. He shook his head slightly and murmured,

“Tell Tianshe—‘Qinglong awaits a masterpiece.’”

“That’s it?” Xiao Ran asked.

Qinglong didn’t respond. He simply leaned back in his chair again, as though she had already vanished from existence.

Even so, Xiao Ran felt honored. After all, from now on, every word she spoke would carry the weight of ‘Qinglong’s command.’