Chapter 1311: A Thorn in the Eye

"What...?"

"Originally, I just wanted to wait for you to realize something was wrong and remove your eyes yourself, making it easier for me to kill you," Di Gou said again. "But I never expected that at this critical moment, you would accept Qi Xia's task. That left me in a dilemma, because my teacher's dying wish was to ensure that Qi Xia's task reaches its end, so I had no choice but to go along with all your proposals from now on."

Zheng Yingxiong looked at Di Gou and noticed that the scent of "lies" on him had completely vanished, replaced instead by a scent called "Chou Hen."

"Revenge... hold on a second..."

Tian Gou finally realized what was so strange about this situation.

He had already removed all the eyeballs of the "Tian Ji," so even if Qi Xia, Qing Long, or Tian Long didn't attack him, he wouldn't necessarily come out ahead against an ordinary "Di Ji."

Qi Xia had deceived him... but not entirely.

"Tian Gou, before you stepped on the 'Sun'... did you wipe your shoes?" Di Gou asked as he slowly advanced, his killing intent rising.

"Wipe my shoes... what do you mean...?"

"I've been searching for her for so long," Di Gou said with a bitter smile. "A 'Di Ji' who broke the rules—I spent a long time thinking she had become a 'Lou Yi.'"

At those words, Tian Gou's whole body shuddered, and he felt the sun under his feet growing hotter.

Zheng Yingxiong covered his mouth and nose with his hand, sensing not only the thick "Xun Zong" stench but also an endless wave of "Bei Shang" beginning to spread.

The entire eyeball seemed to fill with overwhelming sorrow.

She had thoughts, feelings—she was a living person.

"I pulled a lot of strings to search for her, but every investigation told me she wasn't a 'Lou Yi,' so I thought she was dead." Di Gou's expression shifted from lazy to vicious. "That's why I made a decision back then: to make the informant pay the price."

Tian Gou swallowed hard after hearing this, his plump hands fidgeting back and forth. "No... you can't possibly pin this on me, right? I mean, I did inform on her, but I didn't punish her myself. Just calm down for a second..."

"I've calmed down before," Di Gou replied. "I thought about it—my teacher was already dead, and she really did make a mistake. Becoming a 'Sheng Xiao' while carrying 'Xun Zong' was a major taboo. So, it wasn't any one person who killed her; it was the world itself. Later, I figured... if I get the chance for revenge, I'll take it; if not, so be it."

"Then..."

"But now, I really can't stay calm..." Di Gou slowly crouched down and gently touched the slightly springy, dry ground. "Tian Gou, don't you think it would have been better if she had died?"

Tian Gou saw Di Gou's demeanor and slowly stepped back.

"If she had died... she wouldn't have to suffer like this," Di Gou said. "I could have left my grudge behind and gone back to slacking off. But not only is she alive, she's been hanging up there in the sky, staring straight at me."

"We can talk this out first!" Tian Gou said. "You see how things are now... even if you kill me, it won't change anything! What about Qing Long? He's your biggest enemy, right...?"

"Qing Long? I'm just a totally useless guy," Di Gou said with a laugh. "I know I could never kill Qing Long, so I'll settle for the next best thing—kill you right under my teacher's 'eyes,' so she can rest in peace. After all, she's been watching me the whole time, and you're her Yan Zhong Ding."

Although the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere from Di Gou was spreading, Tian Gou still showed no sign of fighting back.

Under the same physical enhancement conditions, his overweight body might not even match up to the Di Gou in front of him, and besides, he couldn't rely on a single "Ling Wen" to save his life.

"Kid," Di Gou turned to Zheng Yingxiong, "go back inside the door."

"Huh...?"

"Everyone inside the door is about to lose their minds. If there's anyone you want to see, say your goodbyes now," Di Gou said. "Maybe in the next second, they won't recognize you anymore."

Zheng Yingxiong's eyes widened slightly after hearing this, and images of his farewell with Sister Thinking flashed through his mind in an instant.

Not even getting a chance to say a word during that final goodbye—how cruel a punishment was that?

But what worried him even more was Tian Tian.

"It's about to get chaotic here, and you won't be any help if you stay," Di Gou said, gesturing with his thumb toward the door. "Head back."

Zheng Yingxiong nodded, didn't think twice, and dashed toward the door. Though he couldn't see the transparent threads, he could always clearly smell their thick "Duoxin Po" scent.

He dodged a few spots with heavy scents at the doorway and bolted inside.

Tian Gou tried to escape through the door as well, but Di Gou blocked his way.

"Hey..." Di Gou said, "whether Qi Xia is Yang Ge or not, he's bound to make mistakes sometimes. Today, you're not getting out alive."

...

In the "Che Tou," a room crowded with "Lou Yi,"

A massive hand was pressing the "Lou Yi" against the walls.

The hand nearly filled the entire room, and its huge fingers were distorted from the pressure, with panicked screams echoing nonstop from inside.

"Qing Long...!! Qing Long, open the door!!" Xiao Ran's voice hoarsely shouted. "I can't move... please help me...!!"

The enormous hand was pinning the "Lou Yi" in place while trapping Xiao Ran deep inside the room, leaving her completely immobilized. She couldn't even turn around and had to keep pounding on the inner door with her other hand.

"Why did my hand turn like this again... it's so terrifying..." Xiao Ran shouted with tears streaming down her face. "Qing Long, come out and look...! Everything's gone crazy outside...!"

Xiao Ran kept pounding on the door, but it felt odd—the impacts didn't make the usual "thud thud" sounds; it was more like hitting a wall.

"What's going on...?"

Xiao Ran slowly widened her eyes, then pounded harder. Soon, her other hand also began to enlarge, its strength multiplying several times over.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

After a few massive impacts, a crack appeared in the door.

Xiao Ran paused, then said, "Qing Long... since you won't open up... I have no choice... I'm going to break it down... please save me..."

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Xiao Ran reached out and kept pounding at the crack, then used her huge fingers to pry into it and forcefully tear the door apart.

But the sight that followed nearly made Xiao Ran's eyes pop out of their sockets.

Behind the door, there was no room at all.

Once the door shattered, it revealed only a bare wall.