Qi Xia’s repeated threats to Qinglong in a short span of time visibly darkened his expression.
Qinglong exhaled heavily, his voice low and serious. “You dare speak to me like this now? If your ‘assassination attempt’ fails, I’ll make sure you regret it deeply.”
“There’s no need for you to intervene,” Qi Xia replied. “If ‘assassinating Tianlong’ fails, I’ll have no hope left. ‘Regret’ won’t even matter—I’ll just admit defeat.”
“Then I wish you success,” Qinglong said.
Qi Xia nodded. “On one condition: I need the remaining ‘Celestial Moments’ to be halted. That’s your job.”
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee all the ‘Celestials’ will obey my orders,” Qinglong admitted. “If we can’t stop them all, you’ll have to handle the rest yourself.”
Qi Xia fell silent, his gaze fixed on Qinglong with a hint of disappointment.
Qinglong seemed to sense it and chuckled. “Qi Xia, don’t you find these back-to-back ‘Celestial Moments’ intriguing?”
“How so?”
“Every ‘Celestial’ acts precisely at their designated time—like a trial, or a grand revelry,” Qinglong mused. “If Tianlong truly knows nothing, then who is this trial for? Whose revelry is he offering?”
“If that’s the case,” Qi Xia said dryly, “I suggest you wake Tianlong and ask him yourself. I know nothing.”
“Qi Xia, you’d better keep your eyes open,” Qinglong’s expression turned grave. “Tianlong has gone utterly mad. Whatever he promised you, don’t agree to it lightly. He’ll drag you straight into hell.”
“Ha…” Qi Xia laughed at the warning. “Are you trying to persuade me? How amusing. Qinglong, you don’t trust me, yet you’re desperate to convince me?”
Qinglong hesitated, realizing he might have said too much. “I just don’t want you to be used by him and turned into a weapon. If you’re not collaborating with Tianlong, all the better. Here, I’m the only one you can trust.”
“What a treasure I’ve found,” Qi Xia remarked sarcastically. “This is a game between you and Tianlong, yet he can’t speak a word. The truth rests solely on your lips, and somehow, I’m forced to believe you.”
“Oh?” Qinglong’s eyes widened. “No, no, Qi Xia—how could the truth depend on me alone? Ask anyone in the ‘Land of Finality,’ whether they’re ‘Participants’ or ‘Zodiacs’—who doesn’t despise Tianlong? This is the will of the people, the inevitable outcome he deserves. It’s not my doing.”
“Fine,” Qi Xia nodded. “Rest assured, I’ve always trusted you. Otherwise, when faced with trouble, I would’ve just slept and summoned Tianlong instead of waiting for you on this rooftop.”
“That’s right… that’s right.” Qinglong slowly smiled. “I knew you were my staunchest ally. Our bond is far deeper than yours with Tianlong, isn’t it?”
“Of course.”
Qinglong grinned, then asked, “Qi Xia, you’ll let me witness your showdown with Chu Tianqiu, won’t you?”
“You mean the ‘Earth Dragon’s’ game?” Qi Xia asked.
“Exactly. Though I can’t guarantee all ‘Celestials,’ ‘Earth Dragon’ is ready. At dawn, he’ll be waiting at the marked location. Don’t disappoint me.”
“I don’t understand your motive,” Qi Xia said. “The ‘Earth Dragon’s’ game will surely end in death, won’t it? What’s in it for you if either Chu Tianqiu or I die?”
“Benefit?” Qinglong froze, then narrowed his eyes. “I designed the ‘Earth Dragon’s’ game, yet for so long, no worthy participants emerged. Now that two strong contenders exist, you expect me to pass up this chance?”
“You…” Qi Xia hadn’t expected such a simplistic reason.
“Do I need a ‘benefit’ to want someone dead?” Qinglong sneered. “When you trap ants in a circle of mothballs, do you ponder the ‘benefit’?”
He paused, then added, “Qi Xia… when facing someone like Chu Tianqiu, wouldn’t you want to defeat him fairly in an impossible game?”
“I did consider that at first,” Qi Xia admitted. “But my opinion of him has shifted. Chu Tianqiu shouldn’t die here—at least not by killing each other.”
“But he wants to become a ‘god’!” Qinglong’s voice rose. “To him, you’re the biggest obstacle! He will try to kill you! This place can’t sustain two ‘Yang’ at such heights—you’ll ruin everything!”
“You’re mistaken,” Qi Xia countered. “Chu Tianqiu never intended to kill me. Everything he’s done was to ‘make me resonate.'”
“So what?” Qinglong scoffed. “Just because he didn’t want to kill you before doesn’t mean he won’t at the end. That man—who wears eyeballs around his neck and on his clothes—is he trustworthy?”
“Hard to say,” Qi Xia smirked. “I don’t judge by appearances.”
“It doesn’t matter!” Qinglong snapped. “What matters is that I want you two to fight, and so does Chu Tianqiu. Isn’t that enough?”
Qi Xia slowly placed a hand on Qinglong’s shoulder, his tone mocking. “Relax. I was always going. I just wondered why you’re so worked up.”
Realizing he’d been played again, Qinglong’s expression turned icy. “Regardless, ‘Earth Dragon’ will be waiting in peak condition. The greatest spectacle in history—I won’t miss it.”
“Don’t worry,” Qi Xia said. “As you said, two ‘Yang’ can’t coexist at this height. The balance would collapse, right?”
“Glad you understand.”
As Qinglong turned to leave, he suddenly froze, struck by an unsettling realization.
An unprecedented sensation overwhelmed him, rooting him in place.
He spun back, scrutinizing Qi Xia from head to toe, then whispered in disbelief, “I’ve made a fatal mistake… Qi Xia… you’ve been playing me?”
“What?” A flicker of unease crossed Qi Xia’s face as his brows furrowed.
“You’re not standing here alone… There are two of you. You are ‘Yin and Yang’… Qi Xia… You neither wish to leave nor become a god…”
Qinglong’s eyes widened in horror.
“You want to become a ‘Dragon’…?”
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