Chapter 1109: The Universe

Xuanwu was struck squarely all over her body by the lightning descending from the sky.

She slowly lifted her head, standing like a withered tree, with only the whites of her eyes visible, her lips trembling slightly.

A moment later, thick smoke billowed from her body, and after she opened her mouth, a dense black mist spewed out.

Her originally grayish-white skin had now turned pitch black, as if her entire body had been severely burned and then suppressed by the overpowering Bumie.

But Qi Xia knew that even Bumie had its limits.

Being hit by a bolt of lightning on the head would send a massive current surging through the entire body in an instant, severely burning the nerves, muscles, and organs along the way.

When the current passed through the heart, it could cause atrial fibrillation and greatly affect consciousness.

This wasn't something that could simply be brushed off with the word Bumie.

Qinglong let out a frenzied laugh, his eyes turning slightly red, and then he raised his finger again, pointing it at Xuanwu.

He had no intention of stopping; instead, he was pressing his advantage.

Xuanwu appeared to have completely lost consciousness. In the next second, all her hair rose slowly with smoke, and sparks of lightning flickered continuously over her body.

Qi Xia held his breath and stayed hidden by the door, not daring to make a sound.

He knew that for Xuanwu to kill Qinglong was as difficult as climbing to the heavens, but the reverse was equally true.

To completely destroy a Bumie, Qinglong would naturally need an extremely strong resolve.

Qi Xia understood that Xuanwu was the pinnacle of combat power among all the Shen Shou, aside from Qinglong himself. After all, the majority of missions to eliminate Earth-level Sheng Xiao had been assigned to her.

Yet now, this pinnacle of power was locked in a fierce battle with Qinglong, which was undoubtedly great news for all the Canyu Zhe.

But what about Xuanwu herself?

All of Xuanwu's long hair pointed toward the sky, as if dominated by static electricity, locking onto the next attack.

"You can just crawl around here all blackened."

Qinglong laughed.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a massive shadow descended again, making the entire ground shake.

"Boom!!"

Xuanwu didn't even have time to regain consciousness before she was hit again.

Just as Qinglong had said, Xuanwu now stood in place, her entire body blackened.

The burned skin triggered the effect of Bumie, making her body appear intact, but all her skin had turned pitch black, dotted with specks of starlight.

It was as if what stood there wasn't Xuanwu at all, but the entire universe.

Seeing that Xuanwu had completely lost consciousness, Qinglong summoned a massive gust of wind with his palm, flipping her over onto the ground. Then, with his eyes blood red, he activated Yueqian and vanished from the spot.

Qi Xia waited for over ten seconds to confirm that Qinglong had truly left before hurriedly approaching to check on Xuanwu's condition.

His feelings toward Xuanwu were incredibly complex.

She was no different from all the others wandering in the Zhongyan Zhidi—just a pitiable person constrained by the rules.

She wasn't meant to be a Shen Shou, yet she had lived on with that identity.

But she was also very different from the people in the Zhongyan Zhidi—she had always wanted to die.

Perhaps killing the other Shen Shou was for the sake of escaping, but killing Xuanwu would simply fulfill one wish.

Xuanwu's hair spread out across the ground, nearly covering the entire Cangjie Qi arena and revealing her body.

Just as Qi Xia had seen earlier, her entire form resembled a human-shaped, brilliant universe—only the specks of starlight in the blackness were visible, with no trace of flesh or skin.

Qi Xia remembered how he had once used a knife to leave countless wounds on Xuanwu's body; each one had shown the same black color, just like this vast universe now.

"Xuanwu..."

Qi Xia called out softly.

"Kill me."

A ethereal voice emerged from within Xuanwu's body, like the sound of countless stars speaking or the echo of a galaxy.

She no longer had a mouth, yet she could still produce sound.

Hearing those three words, Qi Xia looked her over from head to toe and then shook his head.

"I can't kill you."

Someone who could still speak after being attacked full force by Qinglong—how could he kill her bare-handed?

"You can."

Xuanwu's ethereal voice came again, like a distant song echoing in Qi Xia's ears.

"Please, kill me."

"I'm truly sorry..."

Qi Xia's eyes dimmed slightly.

"I can find a way to let you 'live,' but I have no way to let you 'die.'"

"Why..."

Xuanwu's sorrowful voice echoed from all directions.

"I remember it so clearly... I remember you killed me."

"Maybe you have it wrong."

Qi Xia said.

"What?"

"The one who killed you wasn't me—it was someone else."

Qi Xia gazed at Xuanwu's face, which stretched out like an infinite universe.

"They’re still looking for a chance to kill you. Do you want to go see them?"

"Kill me... Kill me, that would be great... Come kill me."

"But... will you give up?"

Qi Xia asked pointedly.

"Since you've always wanted to die, why not surrender willingly?"

"I..."

"As long as you keep resisting, those trying to kill you will suffer heavy casualties."

Qi Xia continued.

"You could actively reveal your weaknesses."

"I want to die... but Canyu Zhe can't defy Shen Shou."

Xuanwu's voice was full of conflict.

"So if they try to kill me, I have to kill them."

Qi Xia sighed softly. The deeply ingrained "rules" had already taken root in Xuanwu's mind, and even she couldn't fight against them.

"But I've given everyone who wants to kill me a chance...!!"

Xuanwu said.

"I've let them try countless times... but I won't die... Why won't I die..."

"Maybe try a different approach."

Qi Xia said.

"Not 'giving them chances,' but 'telling them your weaknesses.'"

"My weaknesses..."

Xuanwu paused.

"Shen Shou can't expose their weaknesses."

"What about now?"

Qi Xia asked.

Xuanwu's entire body trembled, and she slowly sat up from the ground.

The hair on the ground was pulled along, spreading once more across her back.

She reached back with her remaining left hand and slowly parted the hair on her back.

"My weakness... is here."

Xuanwu said.

"Qinglong always told me to protect my back."

Qi Xia stared gravely at Xuanwu's back.

What a bizarre situation this was?

Not a single eye was visible on that back—only the vast starry expanse.

If he had convinced Xuanwu earlier, before the Bumie effect activated, and blinded the eye on her back, things wouldn't have come to this point.

But how could Xuanwu willingly expose her weakness without going through this battle?

Deep down, she had always held onto one idea—that her inability to die meant she could one day use her full power to kill Qinglong.

Now, she had waited for that chance and lost it forever.

She knew she could never kill Qinglong again, so her only choice was to die herself.

This was her worst option and, at the same time, her best one now.

Qi Xia felt a profound sense of despair from Xuanwu.

"Xuanwu, if you could choose for yourself, would you want to leave... or die right here?"

He asked solemnly.

"I absolutely want to die right here."