“I…” Tianshe’s eyes gradually filled with respect, “I am ‘Tianshe,’ acting under the orders of ‘Tianlong’… If necessary, I can eliminate anyone who stands in the way.”
“What…?!” Baihu’s hoarse voice erupted, “I was waiting in front of the great bell for those two juniors, never expecting to encounter such an absurd joke…”
“So… so…” Tianshe lowered his head, “If I have offended… I apologize to you here… I didn’t know this was your territory…”
“Tianlong… did he really say that?” Baihu slowly advanced toward Tianshe, forcing him to retreat step by step. “He said you can kill freely…? He no longer cares about the Master’s words…?”
At the moment Tianshe’s conviction wavered, the vines beneath the girls’ feet withered rapidly, drying up and breaking within seconds.
They quickly gathered together, standing at a distance to watch the strange pair.
Now, they were stuck—unable to stay but also unable to flee.
“I know nothing about any ‘Master’…” Tianshe replied, “I only follow Tianlong’s orders…”
Baihu slowly raised his head upon hearing this, staring into the empty void above as if searching for someone in the air.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “You can create three thousand six hundred things called ‘Dao’… yet you defy the Master’s command and kill indiscriminately… Aren’t these two things contradictory? Don’t you plan to come down and explain yourself?”
Unfortunately, the sky remained silent, offering no response to Baihu.
Tianshe kept his head bowed respectfully, neither daring to speak nor raise his eyes.
“Tell me…” Baihu lowered his gaze to meet Tianshe’s, “Why did Tianlong issue such an order? Why can the Celestials kill freely without triggering the ‘Game’?”
“I don’t know the specifics…” Tianshe muttered nervously. “One night, Tianlong was awakened by a tremendous bell toll. From that moment on, he couldn’t sleep or eat… He ordered us to find the one who triggered the bell.”
“A tremendous bell toll…?” Baihu frowned, the wrinkles on his face deepening. “I remember… I remember now…”
“You know about it, elder?” Tianshe lifted his head slightly to study Baihu’s expression. “Do you know who that ‘Echoer’ is? Do you know what his ability is?”
Baihu almost spoke but then slowly closed his mouth.
He raised his hand and struck Tianshe hard across the face.
*Slap!*
The sound was piercingly loud, like a firecracker exploding right before them.
Tianshe’s head jerked to the side from the force, but he quickly regained his composure and lowered it once more.
“What kind of creature are you?” Baihu sneered. “If Tianlong has a problem, let him come ask me himself. Sending you here—does he look down on me?”
“Yes… yes… You’re absolutely right, elder…” Tianshe’s eyes turned cold, as if filing away this humiliation for later. “I will inform Tianlong…”
“Get lost,” Baihu said. “Remember, you are a ‘Zodiac.’ Your purpose is not to slaughter the innocent. I’ll be waiting right here for Tianlong. If he wants to come, I’ll welcome him anytime.”
“Of course, of course…” Tianshe bowed respectfully. “I’ll take my leave now… I won’t disturb you further…”
Tianshe turned away, casting a sinister glance at the girls before departing.
But for those still present, the danger was not yet over—there was still Baihu.
What was his stance?
“Aren’t you leaving?” Baihu asked.
“Huh…?” Yun Yao blinked in surprise. “Yes, we’ll be going too. Thank you… truly.”
“No need for thanks,” Baihu waved dismissively. “You are ‘Participants.’ Your only possible endings are to die horribly in the game… or to endlessly reincarnate here. That’s how it should be…”
A chill ran down their spines at his words.
“Elder,” Zhang Chenze summoned her courage and stepped forward. “Tell us, how can we ‘Participants’ escape this place?”
“Escape…?” Baihu’s gaze turned distant. “Perhaps only he… only Qi Xia can accomplish that…”
“Qi Xia…?”
Zhang Chenze and Lin Qin exchanged puzzled glances. Since waking up today, it seemed everyone was searching for Qi Xia.
What had he done?
“Only by becoming a ‘God’…” Baihu coughed, scratching his tangled white hair. “If someone becomes a ‘God’ in this ‘Paradise’… everyone will be liberated…”
“What…?” Zhang Chenze couldn’t believe her ears. “Elder, if we don’t want to become ‘Gods’… can we still escape?”
“Escape…?” The old man looked bewildered. “Where would you escape to?”
“Back to the real world!”
“Ha…” Baihu grinned, revealing a single tooth in his hollow mouth. “Silly child… What real world do you still have? You are destined to be born and die here.”
Lin Qin lowered her head silently, her expression equally sorrowful.
“What do you mean…?” Yun Yao was stunned. “You just said if someone becomes a ‘God,’ we’d be liberated…?”
“Ahaha…” Baihu laughed. “Some have already begun to see the truth here… Because someone told a colossal lie… No one can escape…”
Zhang Chenze’s lips trembled. “Then what do you mean by ‘liberation’?”
“Liberation… Yes, you will be ‘liberated’…” Baihu nodded. “Once someone passes all the trials and becomes a ‘God,’ your suffering in this cycle will end… You can finally die forever, forgetting everything…”
“What are you saying?!” Yun Yao felt her beliefs shatter. “What do you mean the real world is gone? What suffering in the cycle…?”
“No… I didn’t say the ‘real world is gone’…” Baihu shook his head, his eyes vacant. “Only *your* real world is gone. So take heart… Your families are still there. Only you have vanished from the world. Don’t worry, don’t worry.”
“But… but…” Yun Yao wanted to ask more, but the revelation had shattered her. She stood frozen, unable to speak.
“Every time he ‘reshuffles the deck,’ the newcomers are filled with fresh enthusiasm…” Baihu smiled faintly. “You must have already realized this—this is what I call the ‘suffering of the cycle.’ Rather than preserving your memories and enduring endless torment, it’s better to forget everything and live peacefully. Even one less day of suffering is a blessing…”
“That can’t be right…” Zhang Chenze frowned. “Elder, earlier you said… ‘Only Qi Xia can do it.’ What did you mean? Is he the only one who can leave?”
“Him…?” Baihu scratched his head again, his dry hair swaying. “He can’t leave either. The only thing he can do is liberate everyone, bringing an end to all this.”
“You mean…” A realization dawned on the group.
“Exactly…” Baihu nodded. “He is the closest to becoming a ‘God.’ The day he ascends, your existence will lose all meaning. You will perish along with this place.”
At those words, a heavy thud echoed in the hearts of Zhang Chenze and Yun Yao.
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