“What…?”
Zhang Shan hesitated slightly. He felt overwhelmed by the flood of information and couldn’t formulate a response right away.
“If only I had realized this sooner,” Chu Tianqiu said with a faint smile. “Gathering all the strong ones together… Even if the numbers are small, it doesn’t matter. If I could think of it… how could Qi Xia not have considered it?”
“Mr. Chu… Are you saying Zhang Shan isn’t our teammate?” Little Glasses looked bewildered at the man before him, whose demeanor bordered on madness. “You’re saying he’s from somewhere else?”
“Obviously,” Chu Tianqiu countered. “If he weren’t an unexpected disruptor, why would low-tier players like you and Lü Fengxian have survived this long?”
“T-This…” Little Glasses didn’t want to admit it, but Chu Tianqiu’s words rang true.
“Just the two of you? With abilities like ‘Hardening’ and ‘Purity’—utterly common ‘Echoes’ you can find anywhere.” Chu Tianqiu slowly removed his coat. “Sorry, but even if you offered me your eyeballs, I wouldn’t be interested.”
“You—”
“Zhang Shan.” Chu Tianqiu extended his hand toward him. “Give me your eyeball. I promise to spare all three of your lives.”
“Are you joking…?” Zhang Shan frowned. “Given that I owe you some gratitude, I might’ve handed over anything else you asked for… But demanding someone’s eyeball? What kind of insanity is that?”
Chu Tianqiu’s expression darkened as he slowly lowered his hand.
“Zhang Shan, why haven’t you awakened yet?” Chu Tianqiu closed his eyes. “Here, even a hand, a leg, or a life can be discarded without hesitation. Countless have already shattered themselves to escape this place. And yet, you won’t even give me one eye?”
“Ridiculous,” Zhang Shan retorted. “I’d willingly break myself to help others escape too. But gouging out my own eye for you? No. You’ve lost your mind, Chu Tianqiu. Before you ‘Echo,’ let me send you off myself this time.”
“Me… not ‘Echoed’?” Chu Tianqiu chuckled. “Zhang Shan, don’t be naive. Even if you kill me here, I’ll still remember everything.”
“What?” Zhang Shan stiffened. “You—”
Before he could finish, the black sword in the sky locked onto its target. With a faint hum, it sliced through the air, hurtling straight toward Little Glasses.
Lü Fengxian reacted faster than Zhang Shan, yanking Little Glasses behind him and bracing his stomach. But as the black sword neared Lü, it suddenly veered, skimming his skin before redirecting—
—straight toward Little Glasses, now mere inches from his face.
Without even turning, Zhang Shan reached behind him, seizing the hilt of the ‘Seven Black Sword’ in midair.
The obsidian blade trembled violently, like an eagle with its talons caught, but it couldn’t advance another inch.
“Chu Tianqiu, these past days, you’ve fed me, taught me about this place. I don’t want to fight you.” Zhang Shan’s tone grew colder. “But do you really intend to kill us?”
“I said, ‘lives’ mean nothing. I only want eyeballs.” Chu Tianqiu sighed. “How can I make you believe me?”
Zhang Shan tightened his grip on the greatsword, a faint killing intent radiating from him. “Show me.”
“Oh? What do you want to see?”
“You claim my former leader sent me here to find a sliver of hope—and that you’re that ‘hope.'” Zhang Shan’s voice was grave. “How do I know you’re truly the one?”
“Simple.” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “We’ve all heard the ‘Zodiacs’ in the interview rooms say it: They gathered everyone here to create a ‘God.’ And I will become that ‘God.’ Once I attain divine power, the entire ‘Land of the End’ will lose all meaning.”
“So how do you become that ‘God’?” Zhang Shan stood unmoving, his voice steady. “I know full well that, on my own, becoming ‘God’ or collecting 3,600 ‘Paths’ is impossible. If you can prove your strength, I’ll surrender everything to you—not just an eye, but my heart if you demand it.”
“Zhang Shan, you—” Little Glasses and Lü Fengxian stared at him, sensing the danger in this bargain.
Chu Tianqiu smiled faintly. “Hearing you say that… I don’t know whether to be happy or sad. Our relationship seems… changed?”
“Yes,” Zhang Shan confirmed. “Before today, I thought we could be friends. Everything I did was from that perspective—I wouldn’t even share my secrets with my parents, only with a sworn brother. But after seeing you today, I’m considering whether to shift from being your ‘friend’ to your ‘subordinate,’ fighting for you henceforth. But how do I tell if you’re truly a ‘God’ or just another madman wandering these streets?”
“Easy.” Chu Tianqiu’s smile widened. “If demonstrating my power can regain your trust, I’d be glad to oblige.”
Under the group’s watchful eyes, Chu Tianqiu flipped his coat inside out. A thick, metallic scent of blood instantly filled the air.
Only then did they realize—the coat’s lining was strung with threads, from which countless eyeballs dangled like candied hawthorns.
The ‘candied’ orbs dripped blood, their lifeless pupils scanning the group.
“This is my ‘battle attire.'” Chu Tianqiu chuckled softly, fingers skimming over the grotesque collection. “Now, which one…?”
He spread the inverted coat across his palms, scrutinizing it like a menu.
Zhang Shan’s expression remained stony, his grip on the ‘Seven Black Sword’ unyielding. His stance was clear—if Chu Tianqiu failed to present convincing proof, the blade would cleave through his skull without hesitation.
After all, with how deranged he seemed… Could Chu Tianqiu really become a ‘God’?
“Ah! This one!” Chu Tianqiu brightened. “This one’s the best—most potent.”
Under their horrified gazes, he plucked the chosen eyeball from its thread, tossed it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
“You—” Zhang Shan’s eyes widened. “Chu Tianqiu… Do you even know what you’re doing?”
“Zhang Shan, I’ll make you understand my power completely.”
Chu Tianqiu closed his eyes. Moments later, a deep, resonant bell toll echoed from afar.
**DONG——!**
Zhang Shan stiffened, murmuring, “Chu Tianqiu… You’ve been ‘Echoing’ all along. You’re a seasoned ‘Echo’ user. But what *is* your ability?”
Chu Tianqiu didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly raised a hand.
“Zhang Shan… Don’t use ‘Immortal Arts.'”
The moment he spoke, a dazzling radiance burst from Zhang Shan’s body—like the birth of a galaxy.
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