Chapter 470: Fighting for Life

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. A ball that could have easily killed them all was instead slammed violently into the ground by her.

Had the Earth Mare grown tired too?

“What a shame…” the Earth Mare muttered. “Originally, all the mechanisms and I were supposed to throw this ball together, drastically reducing your chances of survival… But now…”

Qiao Jiajin picked up his bat, eyeing the black liquid coating its tip with unease.

When he had shattered one of the balls earlier, a large amount of that black liquid had splattered onto both his bat and clothes.

It seemed to be some kind of oil.

Glancing around, he noticed that everyone on the field—including himself—was now smeared with traces of the strange, dark substance.

Those two small black balls had somehow contained an unsettling amount of the liquid.

The Earth Mare reached into her bamboo tube once more, only to find a single ball left inside.

“Now it’s just me throwing…” she gritted her teeth. “I have to admit, your bizarre moves have significantly lowered your death rate and forced me to change tactics. These two balls were meant to finish you off, but I’ve thought of something more… entertaining.”

Qiao Jiajin wiped his bat with his hand, only to find the black oil disgustingly sticky. Whether he used his left or right hand, the substance clung stubbornly, impossible to remove.

He quickly snapped his attention back to the Earth Mare—she still had one last attack left.

Under the tense gazes of the crowd, the Earth Mare slowly pulled out a rough iron ball.

This would be her final strike—and undoubtedly her most devastating one.

Even Qiao Jiajin, who wasn’t the sharpest thinker, immediately sensed the danger when he saw the iron ball.

His years of street brawls had taught him one thing: if he dared to block this with his metal bat, the consequences would be catastrophic. Forget the sheer force wrecking his body—the entire field was now slick with oil. A single spark from the metal-on-metal impact could be fatal.

So—should he block it or not?

Qi Xia instantly grasped Qiao Jiajin’s dilemma and called out from a distance, “Fists, you already know how to win. Don’t hesitate.”

Qiao Jiajin glanced at Qi Xia, thought for a brief moment, then turned to the others pushing the cart. “Listen up! The second the Horse Lady throws, shove that cart straight to the finish line with everything you’ve got.”

“Will that work, Brother Qiao?”

“I’m not sure,” Qiao Jiajin admitted. “After this throw, we either all live—or we all die.”

Though his words offered no real reassurance, the team still felt a flicker of confidence.

Qi Xia gave a slow nod. From his perspective, Qiao Jiajin had already unlocked his “Echo.” Even if he died here, it wouldn’t be a total loss in this Earth Mare game.

And somehow, “Breaking All Laws” had inadvertently destroyed every game prop on the field. So… did the Earth Mare even have a way out now?

Whether they blocked the iron ball or not, victory was already sealed.

If the Earth Mare took a moment to think it through, would she still believe the “Beasts” wouldn’t care?

Forgiving a rule-breaker would weaken the “Beasts’” authority. The delicate balance between the “Zodiacs” and the participants in the “Land of the End” was already fragile—any crack would lead to uncontrollable chaos.

The Earth Mare had to die.

No one would willingly accept such an abrupt end after over twenty years as a “Zodiac.”

Inside the straight track, the team gripped the cart tightly, turning their attention to the Earth Mare’s movements alongside Qiao Jiajin.

If they could just slightly alter the iron ball’s trajectory, they’d win this deceit-filled game.

Qiao Jiajin slowly raised his dented metal bat to his ear. From the Earth Mare’s perspective, her previous attacks had failed to end the game—this time, she’d surely aim for the cart riders to secure victory.

“Just a game of baseball,” Qiao Jiajin muttered. “Hit it and win. Miss it and die.”

He tightened his grip on the battered bat, took deep breaths to steady himself, and locked onto the Earth Mare’s shoulders and arms.

“Everyone…” Qi Xia turned to the others. “Prepare to put out fires.”

The team swiftly stripped off their leather jackets, clutching them tightly as they watched the field. Meanwhile, Qi Xia walked to the wall and picked up a discarded ball.

Under the collective gaze, the Earth Mare took a step back, calculated her angle, and hurled the iron ball with full force.

At the same moment, Qiao Jiajin swung his bat with all his might.

Both unleashed their strongest blows, arms whipping toward each other.

A sharp whistle cut through the air as a black streak shot forward—Qiao Jiajin swung hard.

**CLANG!**

A crisp metallic ring echoed, followed by the sickening crack of bones in Qiao Jiajin’s arms. Then—the bat snapped.

A burst of sparks exploded like a cosmic event, scattering through the air.

Simultaneously, the cart-pushing team mustered every ounce of strength and shoved the “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse” forward.

The iron ball, slightly deflected by Qiao Jiajin’s bat, flew toward Chou Ershi on the cart—but missed him by mere inches. The violent gust of its passage sent it hurtling into the distance.

Then—fire erupted everywhere.

First, Qiao Jiajin’s bat ignited. Then his arms, his body. The ice on the track, the leather jackets—everything burst into flames.

Before they could even escape the track, the inferno engulfed them.

The rest of the “Cat” team, drenched in sweat, sprang into action the moment Chou Ershi and the cart crossed the finish line. They rushed forward, smothering the flames with their jackets, quickly suppressing the fire.

Qiao Jiajin dropped his bat, rolling desperately on the ground. But the sticky black oil-fueled flames refused to die. Just as despair set in, Qi Xia ran over with a mud ball from earlier—now harmless—and smeared it over the burning areas.

Though screams filled the air, the entire ordeal lasted barely ten seconds.

Thanks to the “Cat” team’s impeccable coordination, the Earth Mare’s self-orchestrated “fire attack” was contained before it could spread.

Now, the smoke-filled field echoed only with heavy, ragged breaths.

Even Qi Xia was stunned by the sheer difficulty of this game.

If the previous games had been harder because of his interference, whose influence had made this one so brutal?

Could the Earth Mare before him alone have designed something this extreme?

Surviving this game required not just physical strength, combat skills, and intelligence—but also knowledge of the “Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse” legend, familiarity with the “Big Dipper,” and the ability to face an “Earth-level” head-on in the final round.

“The mastermind behind this game is no ordinary foe…” Qi Xia knew the Earth Mare couldn’t possibly be the designer. But he also knew his memories of the “Zodiacs” were gone.

All he could hope was that the mastermind was no longer among them. Otherwise, against such a strategist, even he wasn’t guaranteed victory.