Chapter 833: The Best Time

Qi Xia walked forward without looking back. By now, he had largely confirmed the stances of all the “Zodiacs” on the map.

Apart from “Dragon,” the remaining seven could be stabilized—after all, he and Earth Tiger were working in tandem to win them over.

This cycle was about to end. Previously, the “Zodiacs” might not have cared about the concept of a ten-day cycle, but now it was different. They must have realized that they couldn’t achieve their goal alone—they needed the help of the “Participants.”

But once the “Participants” experienced “Annihilation,” many of their memories could be erased, drastically reducing the success rate of their “rebellion.”

If they wanted to act, they had to seize this opportunity.

Qi Xia knew he had already done his best to understand the hearts of these eleven “Zodiacs.” Most of the “Earth-level” ones were people he had once trusted. Now was the time to cash in on that trust.

As for the few who had no past connection with him, his recent interactions and Earth Tiger’s subtle hints had given them enough reason to stand on his side.

For an ordinary “Participant” to incite over a dozen “Zodiacs” to rebel together would have been nothing short of a fantasy.

Yet through Qi Xia’s maneuvering, the arrow was already nocked on the bowstring.

Now, only two things remained to be done.

First, determine who could stand on the side of the “Participants.” For this, he needed to meet Chu Tianqiu in “Earth Dragon’s” game.

Even if Chu Tianqiu’s abilities fell short of expectations and his faction lacked capable individuals, the “Participants’” representative would have to be chosen from the remaining two factions.

Qi Xia turned his head and looked into the distance—the direction of the “Cats.” The “needle” he had planted through Chen Junnan was finally about to serve its true purpose.

They were never mere “mercenaries.” Their goal from the beginning had always been to “slay the Divine Beasts.”

*”It’s just a shame about Qian Wu…”* Qi Xia muttered to himself. *”No, I’m overthinking it. Qian Wu isn’t dead. He should be in prison with Zhou Liu right now, using Zhou Liu’s ‘Sound Transmission’ to gather his teammates, since they’re all scattered across the city.”*

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Xia felt a brief wave of dizziness wash over his mind before vanishing just as quickly.

Shaking it off, he refocused and clarified the second task he needed to accomplish—meeting Yan Zhichun.

She was another “needle,” separate from the “Cats” and the “Zodiacs.”

The “Extremists.”

But this “needle” was far too peculiar. They knew the truth of the entire “Land of Endings,” yet willingly stood on the opposite side of the “Participants,” embracing solitude. Thus, they remained hidden, undetectable.

In this city, the strong had only a few paths once they made their presence known.

Either join “Paradise,” the “Cats,” or the “Extremists.”

Qi Xia had given them a maximum of seven years to gather the strong.

Even if there were stragglers who hadn’t joined any of these factions, Qi Xia would find a way to make them his allies.

Whether it was people like Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin, who had been placed in his room, or drifters like Su Shan and Qin Dingdong.

The timing now seemed perfect. Both the “Participants” and the “Zodiacs” were likely in the most rebellious state they had ever been.

Speaking of Su Shan, Qi Xia suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Qin Dingdong.

*”What’s up, Qi?”*

Qi Xia was about to speak when he realized someone was missing behind him. *”Where’s Chen Junnan?”*

They turned and saw that, after all this time, Chen Junnan had only just belatedly run out of Earth Snake’s game site.

*”Yo! Chatting without me?!”* Chen Junnan grinned as he jogged over. *”Just picked up some new wisdom back there. That old bastard’s game was sneaky as hell.”*

*”Doesn’t matter,”* Qi Xia said. *”We probably won’t be playing his game.”*

Qin Dingdong hesitated, then asked, *”Qi, what were you going to ask me earlier?”*

Qi Xia thought for a moment. *”Did you know Su Shan before?”*

*”Yeah, Xiao Shan and I were… good friends,”* Qin Dingdong replied with an awkward smile. *”Even though I killed her once, she wasn’t a bad person.”*

*”Did she ‘Echo’?”* Qi Xia asked.

*”Yeah,”* Qin Dingdong nodded. *”If you wanted to know about her ‘Echo,’ you could’ve just asked me. I already knew what it was. Too bad she’s dead now—”*

*”She’s not dead,”* Qi Xia interrupted.

The moment he said it, he felt something strange—a faint wave of dizziness in his mind, but it faded just as quickly.

*”Not… dead?”* Qin Dingdong froze. Beside her, Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan exchanged uneasy glances.

*”Yeah. She should be…”* Qi Xia paused, then continued, *”standing right where you thought she died. She’ll probably reunite with you soon.”*

*”Lao Qi…”* Chen Junnan finally spoke up. *”I think you should stop saying stuff like that… It feels kinda off…”*

Qi Xia rubbed his forehead. *”But it’s necessary…”*

Even as he said it, unease lingered in his heart. He had made similar statements before without issue, but this time, the slight dizziness had appeared.

*Was it because the “Cats” suffered heavy losses during the “Pegasus Hour,” requiring too many resurrections?*

*”Seems like I’ll have to discard all reason…”* Qi Xia muttered to himself. *”There’s still room for me to grow.”*

*”Lao Qi…?”* Chen Junnan called out cautiously. *”What’re you mumbling about?”*

*”Nothing,”* Qi Xia shook his head. *”Qin Dingdong, what was Su Shan’s ‘Echo’?”*

Though he had witnessed the moment Su Shan “Echoed,” he still didn’t know what ability she had awakened.

*”It’s ‘Spiritual Vision,’”* Qin Dingdong answered. *”No one told you? Her eyes could not only see through ‘Echoes,’ but also perceive ‘essence.’”*

*”So she was ‘Spiritual Vision,’”* Qi Xia nodded. *”The person I needed was right beside me. Fitting.”*

Just as Qi Xia was about to lead the group forward, his mind faltered again.

*”Wait…”* He lowered his head, stroking his chin thoughtfully. *”Qin Dingdong… can ‘Spiritual Vision’ see through things?”*

*”What kind of ‘see through’?”* Qin Dingdong asked. *”Reading minds? Probably not.”*

*”Not minds. Just things like playing cards.”*

*”Oh, definitely,”* Qin Dingdong nodded. *”If that’s what you mean, then yeah, ‘Spiritual Vision’ includes a form of ‘X-ray vision.’”*

Hearing this, both Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan immediately grasped Qi Xia’s implication.

*”So that means…”* Qi Xia looked at them. *”‘Heavenly Snake’ was wrong all along. The ‘magic’ of this place was never ‘Parasitic Birds.’”*