“Oh…?” Tianlong paused for a moment, then tilted his head slightly. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Leaving with me…” Qi Xia raised his head, his eyes turning cold once again. “That’s utterly absurd…”
“How so?”
“You picked out all the evil deeds I’ve committed to shake my resolve, and that’s fine,” Qi Xia said. “But you don’t know my true motives. You don’t understand why I’ve resorted to every inhuman means to push myself to the brink… Tianlong, it’s true—I wanted to drive myself to despair, and I do want to eliminate you. But I will never board that train with you to the so-called ‘New World.’”
“What’s wrong with going to the ‘New World’?” Tianlong laughed. “Bai Yang, as I’ve said, we’ve already transcended the ‘mortals.’ Only you and I are worthy of boarding that ‘train.’”
“No. Everyone struggling here deserves to board that train,” Qi Xia countered. “Except you ‘gods.’ That’s where our motives clash, and that’s why I have to eliminate you.”
“Hah…” Tianlong’s flat face twisted grotesquely. “But Bai Yang… why? Are those sinners truly so important? They’re just damned souls meant for hell. Who cares whether they live or die?”
“I do,” Qi Xia answered without hesitation. “Tianlong, this is the fundamental difference between us—the reason I can never agree with you. You care only about maintaining your status as a ‘god,’ while I became a ‘god’ from the very beginning to destroy this place and free everyone. Even if my methods now resemble what you call an ‘evil god,’ I’ve always known what I’m doing. My goal has never changed.”
“You really haven’t changed at all…” Tianlong’s voice distorted further. “I couldn’t even deceive you on this… Hah… haha…”
“You once gave the desperate ‘hope,’ and now I’m doing the same. Just like what you’ve sensed in your recent dreams,” Qi Xia continued. “But the ‘hope’ you offered was just despair in disguise, while mine is real light. I’ve been planning this for decades… How could I abandon everything at the last moment and board that ‘train’ with you?”
Step by step, Qi Xia advanced. The room was once again engulfed in crimson flesh—this time, completely.
“Tianlong, you could have taken everyone with you,” Qi Xia said. “You could have let every single person here board that ‘train,’ but your mind is consumed by selfishness. You see ‘mortals’ as disposable, worthless. You’ll never understand the lengths they’ve gone to just to survive.”
“And what does that… have to do with me?” Tianlong asked again. “Bai Yang, even if every mortal knew this… they still couldn’t shake me.”
“Have you ever felt the desperate will to live?” Qi Xia pressed forward. “Even when the mud has risen past their chins, they still struggle. They want to escape this prison, to reclaim their lives in the real world. This place is drowning in regret and despair, yet you turn a blind eye.”
“I told you, it’s none of my concern,” Tianlong replied. “Bai Yang, the reason they’re trapped in endless cycles is because of your ‘Endless Rebirth.’ Don’t pin this on me.”
“Ridiculous,” Qi Xia scoffed. “I used ‘Endless Rebirth’ precisely to keep them alive—to give these pitiful souls a chance to escape one day, not to suffer and die in vain. Tianlong, without you, we would’ve succeeded long ago. So tell me… who’s the real ‘obstacle’ here?”
By now, they stood mere steps apart. Tianlong flexed his neck, radiating murderous intent.
“Bai Yang… I’m still curious. How did you see through all this?” Tianlong asked. “I never openly despised the ‘mortals’ before. How could you have planned this from the start?”
“Hah…” Qi Xia couldn’t help but laugh. “Because I noticed something amusing.”
“What?”
“Tianlong… you’ve always called me ‘Bai Yang,’ never my real name,” Qi Xia said with a deranged grin. “I’ve been dying to ask… what is my name?”
“You…”
“Even when I’m no longer ‘Bai Yang,’ even when I stand here as a ‘participant,’ you still call me ‘Bai Yang,’” Qi Xia stared at Tianlong’s featureless face. “Because to you, a ‘mortal’s’ name isn’t worth remembering… You despise everyone fighting here, don’t you?”
“I admit it,” Tianlong nodded, seemingly amused. “Why should I care what your name is? Remembering ‘Bai Yang’ is already a generous favor.”
“Then it’s truly unfortunate—I saw right through you long ago,” Qi Xia said. “This conversation is over. We still can’t work together.”
“Oh…?”
“Watch out for Qinglong,” Qi Xia added. “He really wants you dead.”
Tianlong fell silent for a moment before replying with disdain, “Bai Yang, since your memories aren’t fully restored, let me tell you one more thing.”
“Go on.”
“Qinglong would never dare kill me,” Tianlong laughed. “So in the end, you’re the one in the dark. Qinglong and I are yin and yang—bound by ‘Grafting,’ then forcibly split by ‘Twin Blossoms.’ Each of us carries half of the other. If one dies, so does the other. So think carefully about Qinglong’s motives. Don’t act like a headless fly.”
“Sounds like a curse to me,” Qi Xia smirked. “I don’t know how Qinglong plans to break it, but it makes no difference to me. If either of you dies, the other follows. That’s fantastic news. This conversation is over, Tianlong. Leave.”
“Bai Yang, you’re truly ungrateful…” Tianlong’s voice grew icy. “Did you really think I’d let you wake up alive after all this?”
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