Chapter 755: She Arrives

While speaking, Yun Yao’s eyes kept darting to her lower left—a clear sign she was lying.

But Qi Xia tactfully chose not to expose her and instead asked softly, “Do you think Chu Tianqiu and I aren’t enough here? You really want to bring Wen Qiaoyun into this?”

Chu Tianqiu, meanwhile, stood silently to the side, his expression dark and his emotions tangled.

He had realized that many people in this place were setting up their own schemes—he and Qi Xia were merely two players among them.

Of course, players were ranked. And in Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu’s eyes, the elaborate lies Yun Yao had spun marked her as the lowest-tier player.

“Qi Xia, I’m not saying you and Chu Tianqiu aren’t capable…” Yun Yao trailed off, casting a complicated glance at Chu Tianqiu. “Maybe both of you are strong, but here, the more powerful allies we have, the better, right? Our enemies are the ‘Zodiacs’ or the ‘Divine Beasts,’ so no matter what, we’re on the same side…”

“That reasoning is flawed,” Qi Xia countered. “On the surface, our enemies are the ‘Zodiacs’ and ‘Divine Beasts,’ but if you think about it, the number of participants who’ve killed each other here far outnumbers those killed by our so-called enemies. So why would I want to recruit another strong participant?”

“Ah—” Yun Yao hesitated briefly before replying, “Even if many participants kill each other in the games, it’s ultimately following the rules set by those ‘Zodiacs.’ Without them, theoretically, the participants wouldn’t…”

She stopped mid-sentence, realizing she was saying something naive.

Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. “Yun Yao, do you really believe that without the ‘Zodiacs,’ participants wouldn’t kill?”

Beside them, Zheng Yingxiong’s lips curled into a bitter smile at the notion.

If people truly wanted to kill, what did it have to do with the ‘Zodiacs’?

“Qi Xia… this is my last hope,” Yun Yao said. “In this place… I have nothing else left to strive for… All I want is to kill every last ‘Zodiac.’”

“And what happens when that day comes?” Qi Xia pressed.

“When that day…”

“When everyone here bearing the title of ‘Zodiac’ is dead, what will you do then?”

“The ‘Zodiacs’ can’t all die… because there’s still ‘Heaven’…”

Qi Xia sighed. “And if even ‘Heaven’ is killed?”

“What…?”

“If someone powerful enough to kill ‘Heaven’ appears, what then?” Qi Xia asked with a complicated expression. “Would that finally let us leave?”

His barrage of questions left Yun Yao speechless.

People were often like this—knowing the truth yet refusing to face it.

“Qi Xia… I…” Yun Yao kept her head lowered, her expression suggesting she had no words left.

“Now that I’ve laid it all out, do you still want to ‘recruit’ her?”

Yun Yao remained silent for a long moment, as if finally understanding something.

The man standing before her wasn’t some ordinary participant—it was Qi Xia.

And here she was, trying to deceive him with a scheme she’d cooked up in a single day.

“Qi Xia…” She bit her lip. “If she ‘joins,’ will it… complicate things for you?”

“Hm?” Qi Xia’s gaze turned cold.

“I mean… would it disrupt your plans with Chu Tianqiu?”

“No,” Qi Xia said.

“Then…”

“Fine.”

Just as Qi Xia was about to speak, Chu Tianqiu placed a hand on his shoulder from behind.

“Qi Xia,” Chu Tianqiu called in a low voice.

“What is it?”

“What if I gouge out both my eyes?” Chu Tianqiu said emotionlessly. “Would that make you give up on Wen Qiaoyun?”

Qi Xia frowned slightly before turning to face him.

“Your eyes?” Qi Xia asked. “What use are your eyes to me?”

Chu Tianqiu narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Then add my right hand. Or name any other condition—I’ll agree.”

“Chu Tianqiu, I’m disappointed. This is the first time in my memory I’ve seen you like this.” Qi Xia furrowed his brow. “You killed her yourself, yet now you’re afraid of her return?”

Chu Tianqiu pressed his lips together, offering no answer.

“You didn’t kill Wen Qiaoyun to free her—you did it to escape the responsibility you should’ve faced,” Qi Xia said.

“Yes, I ran away,” Chu Tianqiu admitted. “You know I ran, so why insist on bringing her back?”

“I have to bring her back.” Qi Xia shook his head. “My memories need her to be fully restored. This is the last step. Chu Tianqiu, face reality. Soon, a brand-new ‘Wen Qiaoyun’ will stand before you.”

“Give her a chance,” Chu Tianqiu said, his voice deep with despair. “I already mustered the resolve to kill her once. If she returns here, alive and well… I don’t know what I’ll become.”

“Don’t worry—you’ll just grow crazier.” Qi Xia smirked. “Nothing but benefits for you.”

Chu Tianqiu stared at him for a long moment before a deranged smile crept onto his lips. “Qi Xia… the Earth Dragon, right?”

“Hm?”

“‘He’ wants us to participate in the ‘Earth Dragon’ game, with only one survivor, correct?”

Qi Xia nodded with a faint smile. “That’s the gist. What, are you really planning to go all out against me in that game?”

Chu Tianqiu said, “If Wen Qiaoyun returns, will she help me kill you?”

“She might help you, but she can’t kill me,” Qi Xia replied casually.

“You’ve already planned how to handle both of us?” Chu Tianqiu pressed.

“How laughable, Chu Tianqiu. Just moments ago, you stood on the rooftop swearing we wouldn’t turn on each other. But now, because Wen Qiaoyun might ‘join,’ you’re ready to fight to the death in the Earth Dragon game?”

Chu Tianqiu nodded. “I just feel that with Qiaoyun, I won’t need you anymore. She and I can reach the peak together—one man, one woman. That’s enough to meet all the requirements.”

“Best of luck with that.” Qi Xia nodded. “If Wen Qiaoyun’s ‘recruitment’ leads to another showdown between us, I might just become even stronger than I am now.”

“Fine.” Knowing he couldn’t stop Qi Xia, Chu Tianqiu dropped his resistance. “Let me see her.”

“But not now.”

Qi Xia turned back to Yun Yao. “Yun Yao, I once met someone who resembled the Wen Qiaoyun you described.”

“Huh?” Yun Yao blinked in confusion.

“But she’s not here now. She left earlier with Yan Zhi Chun. Can you call them both back?”