Chapter 1140: Halt!

Su Shan was taken aback and turned to look at Song Qi.

She felt the other party might have misunderstood her intention—sending someone who could self-ignite into Xuanwu’s body sounded like dropping a devastating bomb into that unknown space.

“I just wanted to explore… maybe…” Su Shan tried to explain further, but Song Qi shook his head.

“We don’t have time for exploration,” Song Qi said. “Entering Xuanwu’s body—this absurd act might only give us one chance. If we wait for you to investigate and return, assuming you even can, we won’t be able to go in again.”

“But…” Su Shan still felt uneasy about the situation.

“Our goal is to kill Xuanwu,” Song Qi reiterated. “Even if that space holds countless treasures, we can’t afford any mistakes.”

“Alright…” Su Shan nodded. “Where’s this person who can self-ignite? Can I give her a few instructions before she enters Xuanwu’s body?”

“Sure.” Song Qi nodded, curled his index finger into his mouth, and whistled sharply.

On the ground, “Scarlet Flame” Qiu Shiliu turned her head upon hearing the signal, giving Song Qi a *command received* glance before shifting her gaze to Su Shan.

After identifying the target, Su Shan grabbed a nearby rope, swiftly descended, and pulled Qiu Shiliu aside by the arm. The two began whispering.

The fighters engaged in close combat with Xuanwu immediately understood—Song Qi had assigned Qiu Shiliu a special mission. Their only task now was to buy time until she was ready for the next surprise attack.

Unfortunately, their efforts barely qualified as *buying time*. Xuanwu barely reacted, merely allowing their attacks to land harmlessly.

**”You…”** Xuanwu spoke amidst the chaotic strikes, **”have resorted to such tactics now?”**

“Heh.” Luo Shiyi wiped sweat from his face and forced a grin. “Just giving you a little intermission, that’s all.”

**”I’ve endured far worse than this.”** Xuanwu took a step forward, forcing the group to retreat. **”I expected more from you. Have you truly run out of ideas?”**

No one dared answer that loaded question. Admitting their inability to harm Xuanwu would mean it was her turn to strike, as per the pre-battle rules.

“We *are* preparing another strategy,” Luo Shiyi said honestly. “We just didn’t want you to get bored, so we pretended to fight you. Why take it so seriously?”

**”I warned you not to stall.”** Xuanwu advanced again. **”If you can’t produce something more effective to kill me, then it’s my turn.”**

Jiang Shi, crouching nearby, sensed trouble brewing.

Though he was present in this melee, his role was solely to absorb damage for others. With Xuanwu not attacking, he was rendered useless—the biggest deadweight on the field.

As the “most durable in the Land of Finality,” he now seemed completely redundant.

*If anyone can buy more time now… wouldn’t it have to be me?*

Jiang Shi slowly rose to his feet, clapping his hands together like a judge’s gavel.

*”The heavenly unicorn is of noble birth,*

*Can ants in their burrows escape death?*

*When peace returns to the land,*

*I’ll remove my armor with my own breath.”*

Xuanwu turned her head, her eyeless gaze settling on the scrawny boy.

“Xuanwu, let’s make a bet,” Jiang Shi declared. “You pluck out my heart, and I won’t die.”

Wang Ba, startled, turned to him. “Little Jiang Shi… you spoke too soon! It’s not time yet!”

“Brother Ten!” Luo Shiyi added. “Fifth Brother isn’t here yet—”

“Ah… it’s fine.” Jiang Shi waved them off. “This is my duty. All of you, step back. I’ll hold the line alone.”

Luo Shiyi and Wang Ba exchanged uneasy glances before looking up at Song Qi.

“Don’t bother Brother Seven,” Jiang Shi said. “I’ll hold for five minutes. After that, he can take over for another five. Isn’t ten minutes enough?”

“Has it really come to this…?” Luo Shiyi frowned, knowing there was no better option.

Their only hope now was Qiu Shiliu’s surprise attack. Otherwise, they’d exhaust themselves before killing Xuanwu, let alone the imminent battle with Zhuque.

Xuanwu, intrigued, tilted her head.

**”Remove your heart, and you won’t die?”** she confirmed.

“Exactly!” Jiang Shi affirmed. “You moonlit demon, don’t get cocky! Witness my—”

Before he could finish, Xuanwu’s left hand shot out—in a blink, she held a tiny, beating heart in her palm.

**”Strange… today I’ve met two whose hearts can be removed without dying.”** She examined the organ. **”Have I lost the ability to kill…?”**

Jiang Shi froze for a second before spewing a mouthful of blood.

The nearby fighters lunged to support him, but he waved them off.

“Cough…” He hacked, regaining his bearings. “Seriously? I didn’t even finish my cool line… You really don’t respect me…”

**”Strange,”** Xuanwu mused. **”You truly live. How?”**

“Ha! Cough—” Jiang Shi yelled between coughs. “You demon’s arrogance knows no bounds! Now you see my power! Even without my heart—”

Xuanwu crushed the heart in her hand without a word.

Jiang Shi shrieked, collapsing into a writhing heap, his bravado vanishing instantly. His childlike wails echoed across the silent square.

“Brother Eleven…” “Shuttle” Cui Shisi whispered, “shouldn’t you use *Forget Sorrow* to help him…?”

“No!!” Jiang Shi rolled three times before weakly raising a hand. “This… was my choice… Don’t waste others’ faith!”

Gritting his teeth, he staggered upright, clutching his chest, eyes brimming with tears.

“B-Brother Ten…” Luo Shiyi forced a laugh. “You okay? You look like you’re about to cry…”

“Nonsense! Why would I cry?” Jiang Shi sniffled defiantly. “I just… yawned!”