“Even if he becomes a ‘god,’ he still can’t leave…?” Yun Yao confirmed.
The White Tiger nodded. “On the day Qi Xia becomes a ‘god,’ the Four Divine Beasts will lead all the ‘Zodiacs’ and every ‘participant’ here to embrace destruction. This is the fate we were always meant to have.”
“Isn’t that just selfish of you…?” Zhang Chenze said. “We’re all struggling here, and you summon us at will, then decide we should be destroyed… Is that fair to Qi Xia either? He desperately wants to return to the real world, yet you force him into becoming a ‘god’ against his will?”
“We summon you…? We’re selfish…?” The White Tiger sneered. “Aren’t I kindly reminding you to forget all this willingly? Mere mortals like you… how could you understand our feelings? How could Qi Xia’s personal obsession ever compare to ours?”
Zhang Chenze found the statement absurd. Everyone had their own obsessions, yet these higher beings only cared about their own feelings.
“You think we’ll just give up like this?” Yun Yao frowned. “You and the ‘Zodiacs’ are on the same side. Everything you say is from their perspective. The more we forget, the more times the ‘Zodiacs’ can kill us. So I can’t trust you.”
The White Tiger nodded. “You make a fair point.”
“So we’ll keep going,” Yun Yao said. “I’ll keep killing every ‘Zodiac’ until this damned place collapses. When you can’t even create a ‘god,’ will this place still mean anything to you?”
The White Tiger sighed deeply. “It’s been a while since I’ve spoken to ‘participants’… I didn’t expect you to be this radical now… Your attitude reminds me of that woman from back then…”
“What?”
“What was her name again…?” The White Tiger stroked his chin. “A long time ago, she caused chaos here and eventually faced due punishment. What was it…?”
After a long pause, the White Tiger slowly uttered the name.
“I think it was… Qiao Yun.” He then tapped his forehead. “Ah… it’s been so long. How many years has it been…? You can go see for yourselves.”
“Go see…?”
The White Tiger raised a finger, pointing to a street not far away. “There’s a convenience store over there. Push the door open, and you’ll see the once-glorious ‘Leader.’ Now, she lives a fate worse than death, surrounded by rotting food and her own filth, like a walking corpse.”
“What…?” Lin Qin stiffened slightly.
“What a perfect example,” the White Tiger said. “You’re all just mortals, yet you dare challenge the divine with your frail bodies… Wouldn’t it be better to live quietly here? That woman, Qiao Yun, is your predecessor. She killed ‘Zodiacs,’ became one, and ended up like this… proving that all paths lead to ruin.”
The group silently stared at the White Tiger, speechless, their minds in turmoil.
“I feel Qi Xia is walking the same path Qiao Yun once did…” the White Tiger mused. “In every generation, one ‘Leader’ awakens. Qi Xia disappeared for a few years—he must have already passed the second stage… Now, he’s about to meet his own ending…”
He then turned to the others. “So… all you can do is wait. If you keep risking it, every walking corpse here will be your role model.”
With that, the White Tiger slowly floated into the air before vanishing abruptly.
Such was the nature of the “Land of Finality.”
These people came and went as they pleased. They killed or saved lives on a whim.
Qin Dingdong had been crushed to death by the Celestial Serpent for some absurd reason. No matter what unfinished business she had, she’d have to wait for the next revival.
Zhang Chenze also felt something was off. Despite losing two teammates in a row, the thought of their revival made her strangely unbothered—a clearly twisted mindset.
If they ever returned to the real world with this mentality, they’d instinctively believe “death solves everything.”
But humans weren’t computers waiting to reboot. Death solved nothing.
“What do we do now…?” Li Xiangling whispered from behind.
“Xiangling…” Yun Yao turned to her. “Take Lin Qin to get treated, and bring Tian Tian and Lawyer Zhang with you. I want to check on that shopkeeper.”
“No… I want to see her too,” Lin Qin said. “Take me there… These wounds don’t need treatment. I won’t last long anyway.”
Yun Yao hesitated but eventually nodded, leading the group toward the convenience store.
The giant clock wasn’t far from the store. Despite Lin Qin’s limp, they reached the door in minutes.
Before entering, the stench of rot and decay wafted out, making them grimace at the first whiff.
Lin Qin was reminded of the first day she teamed up with Qi Xia, when they’d stumbled into this store and seen that woman cooking her own child.
“I should’ve realized it sooner…” Lin Qin muttered. “Back then, she dragged Qi Xia inside, and three grown men couldn’t stop her… Her body was enhanced…”
“Did your team encounter her?” Yun Yao asked, glancing at Zhang Chenze and Tian Tian.
“I don’t remember,” Tian Tian shook her head.
“Me neither…” Zhang Chenze sighed.
Yun Yao didn’t press further. She pushed the door open, and the four women cautiously peered inside.
No one was there, but the stench was overwhelming.
A dried, blackened corpse lay on the floor, crawling with maggots.
“Anyone here…?” Yun Yao called out bravely.
Soon, rustling sounds came from inside. Moments later, an emaciated woman emerged from the back room.
She was severely malnourished—her cheeks hollow, her skin wrinkled like aged bark.
“Hmm…?” She stared blankly at them before forcing a grin, revealing yellowed, blackened teeth. “Welcome… Feel free to browse…”
Yun Yao scanned the room, blinking helplessly, then walked straight to the shopkeeper.
“Qiao Yun…?” Yun Yao called.
The shopkeeper showed no reaction to the name, only staring vacantly. “Please select your items.”
“We’re not shopping. We’re looking for Qiao Yun. Are you Qiao Yun?” Yun Yao pressed.
She’d dealt with natives before—many remembered their names. But this woman seemed too far gone, showing no recognition at all.
Or… had the White Tiger lied?
“We don’t have anything called Qiao Yun here…” The shopkeeper opened her mouth weakly. “All items are on the shelves. If you can’t find what you need, try another store…”
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