Chapter 739: Useless Echo

Zhang Shan gritted his teeth and tightly gripped the black sword in front of him, his entire body drenched in sweat.

"Xiao Yanjing..." Zhang Shan forced out a few words through clenched teeth, "Run!"

At that moment, Xiao Yanjing finally snapped out of it and stumbled backward several steps.

Even Zhang Shan himself wasn't sure what was happening now. Chu Tianqiu had merely uttered a sentence, completely dispelling his "Tian Xing Jian," leaving him to rely solely on brute force to hold back the massive sword. He felt like his arms were about to be torn off.

The hands he was gripping with were cracking under the sword's immense force, blood spurting out from his fingertips.

"I... damn it..."

He held onto the sword for dear life, his whole body leaning backward, but the sword was extraordinarily heavy, and some mysterious force was driving it forward relentlessly. Even with Zhang Shan's innate strength, without the protection of "Tian Xing Jian," his injuries were severe, and his power had greatly diminished.

His feet were planted on the plastic ground like tree roots, and after a while, they had dragged out a deep groove.

"Chu Tianqiu... enough..." Zhang Shan said through gritted teeth, "Enough... I get it now..."

"Zhang Shan, why push things this far?" Chu Tianqiu smiled faintly from the side, "I only want your eyes, after all."

A look of reluctance crossed Zhang Shan's face: "Make this black sword stop... I've seen what you're capable of..."

Chu Tianqiu turned his head toward Han Yimo and said softly, "Han Yimo, prohibit the use of 'Xian Fa.'"

As soon as the words were spoken, the "Qi Hei Jian" in Zhang Shan's hands turned into a shower of stars in an instant.

Zhang Shan lost his balance and toppled backward uncontrollably. Lao Lü had anticipated this and lunged to the ground, using his hefty body to catch Zhang Shan and prevent him from hitting his head.

Once everything settled, Han Yimo and Zhao Yisheng both looked bewildered, while Zhang Shan lay on top of Lao Lü, gasping for breath.

Xiao Yanjing stepped forward to check on Zhang Shan and saw that not only were his palms completely split open, but the skin on his forearms was also badly torn.

"Zhang Shan... are you okay?" Xiao Yanjing asked.

Zhang Shan lay there panting for a long time before slowly saying, "This is really puzzling... That shower of stars... Isn't that the specialty of that tattooed guy, Qiao Jiajin?"

"Oh?" Chu Tianqiu smiled slightly, "I almost forgot, you've witnessed the Qiao family techniques."

"You..." Zhang Shan lifted his head to look at Chu Tianqiu, "How did you apply the other side's 'Hui Xiang' to yourself?"

"This is all thanks to 'Tian She,'" Chu Tianqiu said. "If it weren't for the note he gave me, I never would have unraveled this secret. Who would have thought that the murkiest, most foul-smelling eyeballs from a dead person would be something I had to consume... It's a pity that in the past, I just dug them out and sold them to 'Sheng Xiao' in exchange for food."

"What...?" Zhang Shan slowly furrowed his brow.

"What a bizarre situation..." Chu Tianqiu slowly curled his lips, still stained with blood, "Did they know about my condition all along... so they used eyeballs as currency? Or is it something else..."

Zhang Shan felt he had recovered enough and slowly stood up, saying, "Chu Tianqiu... Is the food in 'Tian Tang Kou' all exchanged for the eyeballs of our comrades...?"

"What else?" Chu Tianqiu retorted, "Did you think I had you bring back your comrades' bodies every time just for what reason?"

"This..."

"Are you that compassionate, thinking it's inappropriate?" Chu Tianqiu asked gravely.

"There's nothing inappropriate about it," Zhang Shan said. "If I were in your shoes, I might do the same. Using organs from the dead to get food isn't a big deal here—after all, I'm human. But if it meant killing someone and taking their eyeballs, I couldn't do it, because I'm human."

"That's precisely why you're the deputy leader of 'Tian Tang Kou,'" Chu Tianqiu said slowly, extending his hand toward Zhang Shan, "Zhang Shan, give me your eyeballs. I'll make good use of them."

After hearing this, Zhang Shan slowly extended his hand and then asked gravely, "Chu Tianqiu, if I give you my eyeballs, can you promise that Lao Lü and Xiao Yanjing will be safe?"

Chu Tianqiu nodded after listening, "Zhang Shan, if you willingly give me your eyeballs, you'll be my most capable assistant. Not only will I ensure those two are safe, but I'll also lift the 'Po Wan Fa' to heal your injuries."

"Alright, it's a deal."

Zhang Shan extended three fingers and precisely gouged at his own eyeball. With a muffled grunt, a fresh, bloodied eyeball was removed.

A dizzying pain shot from his eye socket, but he didn't hesitate and went for the other eye.

In just a few seconds, Zhang Shan's tough face was left with two bloody hollows, looking utterly horrifying.

"Take them," Zhang Shan handed over what he held, his voice hoarse, "If you keep your word, I'll serve you loyally from now on."

Chu Tianqiu took the red, glistening objects from Zhang Shan's hand and smiled, nodding, "Of course."

After saying that, he gently closed his eyes, and Zhang Shan felt the mysterious force suppressing him vanish. All his wounds began healing rapidly.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yanjing and Lao Lü watched as Zhang Shan's sunken eye sockets swelled up again, a yellowish-white mass forming like a vortex inside, and in just a few seconds, his eyes reopened, leaving only two bloodstains on his cheeks.

"As expected of 'Tian Xing Jian,'" Chu Tianqiu said, "I'll cherish these two opportunities well."

Zhang Shan slowly stood up, glanced at his healing palms, and then asked with a hint of confusion, "So... what exactly is your ability?"

"Like Chen Junan, I'm ashamed to talk about my ability," Chu Tianqiu chuckled lightly, "Zhang Shan, do you believe there's an ability in this world that can only preserve memories and do nothing else?"

Zhang Shan thought carefully about Chu Tianqiu's words, wiped the blood from his face, and said, "I don't believe it."

"At first, I thought my ability was just for preserving memories," Chu Tianqiu said with a bitter smile, "But my position is so awkward. As the leader of one side, I end up with the most useless 'Hui Xiang' in all of 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di.' No matter how you look at it, it's ridiculous. Luckily, I quickly learned how to control 'Hui Xiang' and told everyone that I could only activate it by 'Witnessing the End.'"

"So you've been lying since then..."

"No, I haven't lied," Chu Tianqiu replied seriously, "As long as I can see 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di,' I can activate my 'Hui Xiang.'"