“What kind of life is this…?”
The Beetle let out a bitter laugh. “Do you think I don’t know how much I suffered just to survive in the past…? How could my life suddenly become smooth sailing after just one visit to ‘Paradise,’ after becoming the ‘Beetle’ once…?”
Raising a finger toward the sky, the Beetle asked with sorrow in their voice, “Azure Dragon, tell me—does ‘Paradise’ look like some kind of sacred land that grants wishes…? How could anyone not be suspicious of it?”
Under the dim light, the expressions of everyone present grew bleak with despair. Despite being “Celestial Beasts,” they still felt as insignificant as ants.
“But what’s the real difference?” the Azure Dragon asked.
“What…?”
“Living out a lifetime in a dream until you die of old age, or living out your life in the real world until you die—what’s the fundamental difference?”
The Azure Dragon’s words left everyone momentarily stunned. They all seemed to want to say something, but no one could immediately find a counterargument.
Right… What really is the difference between these two lives?
“Anyway… I just don’t get it,” the Azure Dragon continued. “For you, isn’t it just about finding a place to live? A flawless life sounds far more tempting than your tattered reality, doesn’t it? So what’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with the Heavenly Dragon?”
“It’s not the same…” The Beetle’s voice wavered. “A dream is still just a dream… It’s different from reality…”
“But the Heavenly Dragon’s dream is incredibly powerful,” the Azure Dragon countered. “Even in the dream, you can feel pain and joy, all the highs and lows of life. To you, there’s no real difference.”
“But… but our lives… wouldn’t be this smooth…” The Beetle struggled to argue. “It’s precisely because life has its ups and downs that we want to go back and see…”
“Hahahahaha!” The Azure Dragon suddenly burst into laughter.
The booming sound drew the attention of everyone in the room.
“What a ridiculous way of thinking!” The Azure Dragon’s eyes curved with amusement. “Because it’s too smooth, it’s not life? It *has* to be full of ups and downs? Tell me… where did you pick up such a masochistic idea?”
“You—”
“Didn’t you struggle in the real world just so your future could be smooth?” The Azure Dragon’s voice grew louder. “Who told you life was only about suffering?”
He slowly walked over to the Beetle, who now looked completely drained of the will to argue.
“Beetle… If you think your life is too smooth, why not just ask the Heavenly Dragon to give you a miserable one?” The Azure Dragon placed a hand on the Beetle’s shoulder, smiling. “If you suffer enough in the dream… would you mistake it for reality? Would you never wake up again?”
“I… I…”
“Your thoughts aren’t wrong, but maybe the *true* life is the smooth one.” The Azure Dragon leaned close to the Beetle’s ear and whispered, “Maybe all the suffering was the dream.”
The Beetle’s eyes flickered for a moment before they slowly lowered their head.
“Do you want to die?” the Azure Dragon whispered again. “Everything now is a dream. If you die, you’ll be free.”
Seeing the Beetle’s mental defenses crumbling step by step, the newly awakened Boar couldn’t sit still any longer and quickly changed the subject.
“Azure Dragon… when will we be free to move?” they asked.
The sudden question snapped the Beetle out of their daze, while the Azure Dragon’s expression darkened with displeasure.
“Free to move…?”
“We can’t just sit here forever,” the Boar said. “Why not just be honest about your plans? Maybe some of us would even be willing to help you. Those who oppose you die, those who obey you live—how does that sound?”
The Azure Dragon nodded thoughtfully. “That… makes some sense.”
“So, are you going to tell us what you’re really after?” the Boar pressed. “I’ll go first—since you freed me from my dream and brought me back to reality, I owe you. I’ll stand with you.”
The Snake, hearing this, timidly glanced at the Boar. Countless thoughts from the Boar’s mind flooded into their ears.
*How laughable…* The Boar’s inner voice didn’t sound like they were siding with the Azure Dragon at all—more like they wanted to kill both the Azure Dragon and the Heavenly Dragon to claim credit.
“Too bad I’m not stupid…” The Azure Dragon slowly paced the room before stopping behind the Tiger. “The only reason you’re still sitting here, holding onto your titles as ‘Celestial Beasts,’ is because every single one of you is cunning—even this childlike Tiger, running around in nothing but a loincloth…”
He reached out and gently patted the Tiger’s head. The Tiger, wisely, remained silent.
“…is actually a fifty- or sixty-year-old monster, right?” The Azure Dragon chuckled. “With you all, ordinary lies and promises are useless. Only absolute power can keep you in line.”
The Boar flexed their fingers. Their body, having been dormant for so long, still felt stiff and uncoordinated.
But how were they supposed to contact the Heavenly Dragon now?
They’d climbed so high to get here—none of them wanted to die.
Even if neither the Heavenly Dragon nor the Azure Dragon were good people, only the Heavenly Dragon could keep the Azure Dragon in check.
The reason the two had coexisted peacefully for so long was their mutual restraint. If one ruler turned traitor, this place would become even more tyrannical, leaving them with nothing but deeper despair.
“Relax,” the Azure Dragon said again. “My demand is simple—just like I said at the start, sit here quietly, and no one gets hurt. I never wanted your lives to begin with, but don’t go looking for death.”
The Snake found this slightly odd. Just a moment ago, they’d seen unmistakable killing intent in the Azure Dragon’s eyes—yet now he claimed he didn’t want to kill them.
“You *are* ‘Celestial Beasts,’ after all,” the Azure Dragon added. “We’ve worked together for decades. Even in the real world, no ‘colleagues’ stick together this long. So, I suppose I do have a tiny shred of affection for you.”
The Monkey and the Rooster both looked up at the Azure Dragon and asked in unison, “We really won’t be harmed?”
“No,” the Azure Dragon replied. “But in return… you must never speak of tonight’s events in front of the Heavenly Dragon. That’s the price for your lives. Understood?”
The “Celestial Beasts” knew they had no bargaining power left, so they reluctantly agreed.
Yet the Boar still seemed to have something in mind. Their eyes shifted before slowly closing.
At that moment, the Azure Dragon’s ear twitched, and he turned toward them.
“Puppetry…?” He smirked. “Boar… didn’t I warn you not to play games?”
“I—” The Boar quickly shook their head. “It’s a misunderstanding. I just… haven’t used my ‘divine arts’ in so long. I wanted to see if they still worked.”
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