The Earth Ox picked up the rope and tied it around her waist, then stood by the edge of the pit.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she stepped inside, lay on her side, and hugged her knees.
She looked as if she were lying on an extremely comfortable sofa, her expression calm and indifferent.
“Are you ready?” the Earth Ox asked from inside the pit.
The two men holding the other end of the rope quickly tightened their grip. The fat man, standing at the very end, tied a dead knot around his waist, while Brother Wang, in front of him, wrapped the rope around his waist several times.
Qi Xia glanced coldly at the two of them, thinking the Earth Ox was still being too merciful.
When she had thrown out those two corpses earlier, it was their last chance to back out. But the enormous stakes of “960 dao” had clearly clouded their judgment. They had considered every possibility—except escape.
“Dead men walking,” Qi Xia muttered.
“We’re ready!” the two men shouted into the pit, oblivious to Qi Xia’s words, gripping the rope tightly.
“Then… the game begins,” the Earth Ox declared.
The air seemed to freeze at that moment, the tension radiating from the two men and spreading across the entire scene.
Taking a deep breath, they immediately leaned back, pulling the rope with all their might. Their hands clenched the rope, their feet braced against the ground, their bodies leaning at a 45-degree angle.
But things didn’t go as they hoped. Despite putting their full weight and strength into it, they couldn’t pull the Earth Ox out of the pit.
Their teeth were clenched, their faces flushed red with exertion. Not a single sound of breathing could be heard—only the faint creaking of the taut rope swaying in the air.
The rope seemed specially made—soft yet incredibly sturdy—stretched taut like a steel cable. But the Earth Ox on the other end remained unmoved.
The two men shifted their feet slightly, trying to find better leverage. They strained with every ounce of strength they had, their feet digging deep marks into the ground.
Yet no matter how hard they pulled, it felt as if the other end of the rope was tied to a century-old tree—not budging an inch, not even a fraction.
Qi Xia watched the two men struggle with all their might, then sat back down on the wooden crate behind him. If his guess was right, the Earth Ox wouldn’t end the game immediately, just like before.
These two men would never give up—that was human nature. Even if failure was certain, they’d still try when victory seemed just within reach.
Many people stumble through life, enduring countless failures, all because they refuse to let go even when they see the shadow of defeat looming.
The most harmful phrase in the world? *”Since we’re already here.”*
But just because you’ve *come* doesn’t mean you have to *lose*. You could always walk away and try again later.
These two had severely underestimated the Earth Ox’s strength from the start, though she had indeed given them a chance. Now, in this second round, they had willingly jumped into a bottomless pit—beyond saving.
The stalemate lasted over two minutes. In an ordinary tug-of-war, the match would’ve been decided by now, but since the Earth Ox couldn’t exert force—merely lying in the pit—the two men pulling the rope were trapped in a dilemma.
“Don’t give up…” Brother Wang gritted out through clenched teeth. “Even if she’s strong… she’ll tire eventually…”
“I’m trying…” the fat man panted. “Keep going…”
It was as if they had briefly hypnotized themselves, hoping to break the deadlock. But seconds later, their legs began trembling uncontrollably.
“*The divine strength of the Zodiacs…*” Qi Xia murmured, stroking his chin. “*How does this ‘divine strength’ compare to ‘Tian Xing Jian’…?*”
Qi Xia knew the entire operation of this space was based on *”Echoes”*—or what could be called *”immortal techniques.”*
If the *”Celestial Beings”* and *”Divine Beasts”* wielded *Echoes*, then the *”Earthly Beings”* must also possess *”divine strength”*—which bore a striking resemblance to *”Tian Xing Jian.”*
“But *Tian Xing Jian* grants self-healing,” Qi Xia thought. “*The Zodiacs clearly don’t have that… Is the problem with the Zodiacs themselves, or with Zhang Shan? Or is there another ability here that mimics ‘Tian Xing Jian’ but lacks self-healing…?*”
He sighed and looked back at the Earth Ox in the distance.
She wasn’t lying completely still. As Qi Xia had suspected, she was trembling slightly—though the movement was so minuscule it was almost invisible.
She was resisting the two men’s combined weight entirely with her core strength.
When she had swung those four corpses earlier, using her own body as a slingshot to hurl them far away, she had already demonstrated her terrifying core power.
Too bad they hadn’t understood.
The *”Zodiac Ascension Wager Contract”* had once mentioned that anyone who became an *Earthly Zodiac* would possess physical abilities at least ten times that of an ordinary human.
There were two key points here: *”at least”* and *”ten times.”*
In other words, if someone had undergone rigorous training before receiving *”divine strength,”* their physical abilities would far exceed this baseline. Thus, there were strong and weak *Earthly Zodiacs*.
For example, the obese Earth Monkey would never stand a chance against the muscular Earth Tiger in a fight.
Moreover, simply increasing physical strength tenfold would overwhelm ordinary muscles and bones. So their bodies were also greatly enhanced—leading to increased weight. Their seemingly frail frames housed muscles and bone density far surpassing that of a normal person.
Trying to pull an *Earthly Zodiac* out of a small pit with a rope was like asking these two men to drag a shipping container lodged in a ditch.
“Too bad shipping containers don’t kill people. *Earthly Zodiacs* do,” Qi Xia murmured.
Just as the two men were on the verge of exhaustion, they felt the rope shift slightly.
Their hands were already numb and burning, so they couldn’t tell whether the rope had moved forward or backward.
“I-It moved…” Brother Wang gasped, tilting his head back toward the fat man. “One more push… That bitch can’t hold on much longer…”
“I… I’m… trying…”
They pulled with their last reserves of strength, but Qi Xia noticed their grips slipping—their hands now dripping blood.
Their palms had been torn open from the relentless strain.
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