Chapter 887: The Opposite Path

“What do you want to say?” I asked.

“Zhichun, you work for him, help him… Will there come a day when he treats you as just another pawn? No… or perhaps you already are… I’m afraid one day he’ll replace you… because he’ll always find someone stronger. I suggest you distance yourself from him as soon as possible. He’s not like us. Your situation is dangerous.”

Jiang Ruoxue’s words plunged me into deep thought.

What a peculiar feeling this was.

The more I recognized Bai Yang’s strength, the more fascinated I became by him.

That dangerous, exhilarating sensation…

The despair of “not being strong enough means being discarded”…

The tension of striving to keep up with his pace…

The anticipation of either dying at any moment or becoming stronger…

The chilling fear that coursed through me whenever I met his gaze…

All these feelings enthralled me.

I knew my judgment was right—just by associating with Bai Yang, I would inevitably grow stronger.

Bai Yang was a colossal, unstoppable, heaven-splitting double-edged sword.

He was the “master” I had chosen.

“Zhichun… are you even listening to me?” Ruoxue asked beside me. “Stop following Bai Yang.”

“No…” I shook my head. “Ruoxue, this is the one thing I can’t agree to.”

“What?” Jiang Ruoxue’s eyes flickered slightly.

“I can’t promise you. I’ll keep helping Bai Yang,” I said. “Until there’s a result.”

“You—!” Ruoxue looked both anxious and weak, her pallor turning even paler. “Zhichun… what’s wrong with you? Didn’t you understand what I just said? Bai Yang and Tianlong are the same kind of person… It’s too dangerous for you to follow him!”

“I know it’s dangerous… but this is the path I’ve chosen,” I replied. “Ruoxue… just let me be.”

“You… you…” Ruoxue trembled with anger, bracing herself against the wooden plank as she shakily stood up. “Do you think I *want* to meddle in your affairs…?”

Seeing her like this broke my heart… Jiang Ruoxue had done so much for me.

Logically, I should agree to any request she made—even if she asked me to take my own life, I wouldn’t hesitate.

But I couldn’t leave Bai Yang.

Not just me—even the entire “Extreme Path” couldn’t break away from him.

I wasn’t as free-spirited as Ruoxue. I couldn’t just do whatever I wanted. I only knew I had to strive for what I desired.

The “Land of Finality” couldn’t go on like this… It was drowning in resentment, its roads stained with blood, and everyone here was slowly rotting away.

They were decaying, body and soul… Someone *had* to change this place.

If I abandoned Bai Yang now, all I’d gain was a slightly happier existence—nothing more.

The land would still reek of bitterness. Countless people would still be trapped in endless cycles. Everyone would still rot.

I couldn’t just think about the present. I had to look further.

I wanted to free everyone.

“I’m so angry… You’re really infuriating me…”

Jiang Ruoxue coughed violently, and I instinctively reached out to steady her—only for her to shove me away.

“Don’t touch me,” she said, her voice icy.

“Ruoxue… don’t be like this…”

“Choose.” After steadying her breathing, she spoke again. “Yan Zhichun, if I stop caring about you, you’ll *die*! Who do you pick—me or Bai Yang? If you’re determined to keep helping him, I won’t waste another word. I’ll leave right now.”

I had never seen such a look in Jiang Ruoxue’s eyes before… She was truly disappointed in me.

“Ruoxue…” I swallowed hard. “Can you not say things like that…? You’re not just the most important person to me in the ‘Land of Finality,’ my best friend… You’re the only one in my entire life I’ve ever been able to truly open up to… You mean everything to me…”

“Do you still remember that…?” Jiang Ruoxue frowned. “Do you still remember I’m someone you can confide in?”

She took slow steps forward, tears welling in her eyes.

“Yan Zhichun… We’ve known each other for so many years… Have I ever asked you for *anything*?”

For some reason, the only thing I could recall was the first time we met—when she told me she already treated me like a close friend because she knew we’d become inseparable.

She kept her word. And yet, I let her down.

“I don’t want *anything*! I’ll do whatever you want to do! I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you…!”

“I know. I know all of that. But Ruoxue… Only Bai Yang has the power to free everyone!” I said. “No one else has the means to do it… Don’t you resent being trapped in this cycle…?”

“I don’t care about any of that!” Ruoxue snapped. “What ‘freeing this place,’ what ‘game within a game,’ what ‘brilliant schemes’… What does any of that have to do with *me*?!”

“Ruoxue…”

“I just want you to *live*! I want you to remember me! I want you to remember everything that happened in the ‘Land of Finality’! I don’t want to see you one day, cold and closed off again! And I don’t want to stumble upon your lifeless body or find out you’ve become one of the natives!”

“I’m sorry…” My head hung low, my heart in agony. “I’m sorry…”

All I could say was “I’m sorry.”

Why wasn’t there a single book that taught how to handle situations like this…?

I was never good at communicating with people… How was I supposed to deal with this…?

What kind of effect or principle could possibly work here? Who could help me?

I was truly miserable… I wanted to change this place with Bai Yang. I wanted to free everyone. And I wanted Jiang Ruoxue to be happy again.

“That Bai Yang manipulates everyone like puppets… How could he possibly be a good person?” Ruoxue pressed. “Why are you so blind? He’s schemed against the ‘Zodiacs,’ the ‘Participants,’ and even you and me! What kind of good person does that?!”

“Ruoxue… I’m sorry… Can you please calm down?” My voice trembled. “Bai Yang has used many tactics… but his goal isn’t to deceive others… Ruoxue, you…”

As soon as the words left my mouth, tears spilled from my eyes.

Even as I spoke to Jiang Ruoxue, I knew I was losing her.

I dug my thumbnail hard into the tattoo on my finger—perhaps the last thing keeping me grounded.

“Yan Zhichun, you’re really going to keep helping Bai Yang, aren’t you?” Ruoxue asked.

I didn’t know what to do. All I could do was reach out and grab her wrist… Her skin was as cold as mine.

“Fine… Fine…” She nodded absently, wiping the corner of her eye. “I told you… This is just how I am… If we get along, we stay together… If we don’t, I walk away… Yan Zhichun, let’s end it here…”

That day, I said more than I ever had in my life.

And yet, I still couldn’t hold on to Jiang Ruoxue.