The ground snake froze for a long moment after listening, then leaned back slightly, picked up the suit from the ground, and draped it over himself.
“Heh… hehe…” He let out a hoarse laugh. “You think I’m stupid?”
“What?”
“The position of the ‘Eyes’ is like their life gate,” the ground snake said. “Even if I don’t understand the rules, I know better than to reveal that. Even if you stop them, the ‘Thunderclap’ will still strike.”
“Oh?” Qi Xia tilted his head and glanced at the sky. “What if it doesn’t?”
“Don’t joke around.” The ground snake shook his head. “Even the master of ‘Thunderclap’ has extra ‘Eyes’ on him. The teacher’s research made them stronger, closer to all-powerful ‘gods.’ Why would they let anyone know where their weak point is?”
“Fair point.” Qi Xia nodded. “But let me ask you this—do you really not realize how dangerous your situation is? Even if you didn’t reveal the location of the ‘Eyes,’ you still admitted their existence. I doubt they’ll let you off.”
“What…?” The ground snake paused, then forced a nervous smile. “But I just tested it—the ‘Thunderclap’ didn’t strike.”
“If those two could be trusted, the world would already be at peace.” Qi Xia smirked. “They won’t spare you.”
The ground snake’s eyes slowly widened as realization dawned—he had been tricked. “Wasn’t this your idea?! You said you’d stop the ‘Thunderclap’ for me! You’re setting me up?!”
“No, no, no.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Not at all. I just discovered a very interesting secret about ‘Azure Dragon,’ and I plan to use it to save you.”
“Use… ‘Azure Dragon’s’ secret to save me?” The ground snake blinked.
“Exactly.” Qi Xia sneered. “Ground Snake, did you know? As long as you genuinely want to kill ‘Celestial Dragon,’ ‘Azure Dragon’ will spare you.”
“You damn bastard—” The ground snake’s eyes bulged as if he had heard something horrifying. “Do you even know what you’re saying?!”
“If I dared say it, I don’t fear him listening.” Qi Xia’s expression remained firm. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll say it again. Wait thirty seconds and see if the ‘Thunderclap’ strikes.”
The ground snake knew ‘Azure Dragon’ could hear every sound in the ‘Land of the End.’ If he wanted to unleash the devastating ‘Thunderclap,’ thirty seconds wouldn’t be necessary.
“You… you’re actually serious?” The ground snake waited, stunned. “‘Azure Dragon’ and ‘Heavenly Hound’… they’re ignoring this?!”
“Times have changed.” Qi Xia shrugged. “You and your teacher hold the most advanced ‘technology’ in the ‘Land of the End,’ but you lack the most crucial ‘intelligence.’ He activated the ‘Celestial Serpent Moment,’ yet with his intellect, he still can’t figure out why.”
The ground snake lowered his head, rapidly piecing together the events.
“With all these wounds covering your body, do you still plan to thank your teacher?” Qi Xia leaned in close, his voice low. “The ‘knowledge’ you have—wasn’t it all fed to you by him?”
“Of course…” The ground snake nodded. “I’m just an ‘experiment,’ an ‘assistant.’ I never got to see the final ‘research results’…”
“But he lied.” Qi Xia whispered.
“What…?”
“After listening to you, two things still don’t add up. Care to explain?” Qi Xia pressed.
“Go… go ahead.”
“First, according to you, all ‘Celestials,’ including your teacher, entered this place as ‘blank slates,’ allowing them to hold multiple ‘Echoes,’ right?”
The ground snake nodded seriously. “That’s correct.”
“Then there’s a major inconsistency.” Qi Xia said. “If that’s the case, these people were ‘Celestials’ from the moment they arrived. The other ‘Zodiacs’ would have little chance to ascend—unless they waited for a ‘Celestial’ to die, right?”
“Though I hate to admit it, that’s the truth.” The ground snake sighed. “They’ve been ‘Celestials’ since ancient times. There’s only one ‘Celestial,’ so those below can only wait for an opportunity.”
“Then tell me this…” Qi Xia’s voice turned sharp. “Why were they ‘Celestials’ from the start?”
“…Huh?”
“These ‘Celestials’ came in as ‘blank slates’—yet they became ‘Celestials’ immediately? What made them better than you?” Qi Xia patted the ground snake’s shoulder. “Meanwhile, because you carried ‘Lament,’ you got stuffed full of ‘Eyes.’ Doesn’t that strike you as suspicious?”
“Maybe… maybe they were once—”
“You’re just making up excuses to fool yourself.” Qi Xia cut him off. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
His words stabbed straight into the ground snake’s heart.
He was right—whatever reason he came up with now would just be self-deception.
Why were the ‘Celestials’ ‘Celestials’ from the beginning?! What gave them that right?!
Were they ‘Celestials’ before they even had any ‘divine abilities’?!
Could mere mortals become ‘Celestials’?!
“All these years… have you ever seen a ‘Celestial’ die and a ‘Terrestrial’ take their place?” Qi Xia pressed further.
“No…”
“Then let me ask you this.” Qi Xia continued. “Even if your ‘Eyes’ didn’t ‘survive,’ why were most of the ones on your back deliberately blinded?”
The ground snake blinked, his voice hoarse. “Because… because the teacher said… those ‘Eyes’ looked defective… they wouldn’t live. So he… stabbed them out for me…”
“Did you see them yourself?” Qi Xia’s relentless pressure forced the ground snake to press back into his chair. “Did you actually see those ‘Eyes’ and confirm they couldn’t survive?!”
“I… I couldn’t see them… they were on my back… how could I?”
“Then you were deceived.” Qi Xia said coldly. “Whether you have an ‘Echo’ or not doesn’t affect implanting ‘Eyes.'”
The ground snake felt his world collapsing.
“Qi Xia… what are you saying…?” His voice trembled. “If all my ‘Eyes’ could have survived… why would the teacher leave me with so many wounds…?”
“I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t want you to despair. But now, I need you to turn that despair into motivation.” Qi Xia’s gaze hardened. “Ground Snake, listen carefully. You’re not just an ‘experiment’—you’re a ‘living toy.’ ‘Celestial Serpent’ projected his twisted desires onto you. That single ‘surviving’ eye on your back might just be a normal eye. The only reason your abilities grew stronger is because ‘Celestial Serpent’ drove you insane. That’s all.”
The ground snake shuddered violently, his balance failing. Then, with a crash, he toppled backward—chair and all—onto the floor.
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