Chapter 841: The Real Purpose?

Qi Xia had threatened Qing Long twice in quick succession, leaving a displeased expression on his face.

Qing Long let out a sigh and said gravely, "If you dare to speak to me like this now, and if your Cisha Xingdong fails, I'll make you regret it deeply."

"There's no need for you to get involved," Qi Xia replied. "If Cisha Tianlong fails, I'll have no hope left. Houhui is nothing to fear—I'll just admit defeat."

"In that case, I'll wish you success," Qing Long said.

Qi Xia nodded. "But first, I need to terminate the remaining Tianji Shike. You'll have to figure out how."

"I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee that all the Tianji will follow my orders," Qing Long said. "If we can't terminate them all, you'll have to handle the rest yourself."

Qi Xia fell silent, looking at Qing Long with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Qing Long seemed to sense it and smiled at Qi Xia. "Qi Xia, don't you find these endless Tianji Shike a bit intriguing?"

"What's intriguing about them?"

"All the Tianji activate precisely at their designated times," Qing Long said, "like a trial, or like a celebration. If Tianlong knows nothing about it, then who is he holding this trial for, and to whom is he offering this celebration?"

"If that's the case..." Qi Xia replied, "then I suggest you wake Tianlong and ask him yourself. I know nothing about it."

"Qi Xia, you need to keep your eyes wide open," Qing Long said, his expression growing serious. "Tianlong has gone completely mad. Whatever he promises you, don't agree lightly—he'll drag you into hell."

"Ha..." Qi Xia laughed at Qing Long's words. "Are you trying to convince me? The situation is indeed getting interesting. Qing Long, you clearly don't trust me, so why are you trying to persuade me?"

Qing Long realized he might have misspoke and paused for a moment before saying, "I'm just worried you'll be used by him and end up as a murder weapon. If you're not working with Tianlong, that's for the best. Here, the only person you can truly trust is me."

"Then I've hit the jackpot," Qi Xia said. "It's your game with Tianlong, but he can't say a word. Right and wrong are all coming from your mouth, and yet I'm supposed to believe only you."

"Oh?" Qing Long's eyes widened slowly. "No, no, no, Qi Xia, how could right and wrong be only in my mouth? You can ask anyone active in Zhongyan Zhidi—whether Canyu Zhe or Shengxiao—how many don't hate Tianlong? It's the will of the people, the consensus, the fate he deserves, and his best possible end. It's not me stirring things up."

"Alright," Qi Xia nodded. "Don't worry, I've always believed you. Otherwise, when I faced difficulties, I would have chosen to sleep and summon Tianlong to see me, instead of standing on this rooftop waiting for you."

"That's more like it... that's more like it." Qing Long slowly smiled. "I knew you were my most reliable ally. Our bond is far deeper than yours with Tianlong, isn't it?"

"Of course."

Qing Long nodded with a smile, then added, "Qi Xia, this showdown between you and Chu Tian Qiu... will you let me watch?"

"Are you talking about the Dilong game?" Qi Xia asked.

"Yes... although I can't fully handle the Tianji, the Dilong is all set. Early tomorrow morning, he'll be waiting at the location on the map for you. Don't disappoint me, you two."

"I'm not sure I understand your motives," Qi Xia said. "The Dilong game sounds like it will end in death. Whether it's me or Chu Tian Qiu who dies, what's in it for you?"

"Benefits...?" Qing Long hesitated, then widened his eyes and said, "I designed the Dilong game, but for so long, I couldn't find any participants. Now, two strong enough people have finally shown up—do you want me to miss this opportunity?"

"You..." Qi Xia hadn't expected Qing Long's reasoning to be so straightforward.

"If I want people to die... do I need to think about the 'benefits'?" Qing Long turned to Qi Xia and said. "When you draw a circle with mothballs to trap ants, do you consider what 'benefits' that brings?"

After a pause, he added, "Qi Xia... when you encounter someone like Chu Tian Qiu, don't you want to defeat him fair and square in an extremely challenging game?"

"At first, I did think that way," Qi Xia said. "But now, I've changed my view of him. Chu Tian Qiu shouldn't meet a tragic end here, at least not through mutual destruction."

"But he wants to become a Shen!" Qing Long raised his voice. "To him, you're the biggest obstacle! He definitely wants to kill you! This place can't have two Yang standing at such heights—you two can't both succeed!"

"But you're wrong," Qi Xia said. "Chu Tian Qiu has never thought about killing me. Everything he's done has only one purpose: 'to make me resonate'."

"So what?" Qing Long said. "Just because he didn't want to kill you before doesn't mean he won't in the end... Chu Tian Qiu—that person who wears eyeballs around his neck and on his body—is he someone I can trust?"

"That's hard to say." Qi Xia smirked. "I don't judge people by their appearance."

"It doesn't matter..." Qing Long said. "That doesn't matter at all. What matters is that I want you two to fight, and Chu Tian Qiu will want to fight you too... isn't that enough?"

Qi Xia slowly reached out and placed his hand on Qing Long's shoulder, saying with a touch of mockery, "Don't get worked up. I'm going anyway; I was just asking casually. Why are you getting so anxious?"

Hearing Qi Xia's words, Qing Long realized he'd been outmaneuvered again. His expression gradually turned stern as he said, "Anyway, I've got Dilong waiting for you both in the best possible state. The greatest spectacle in history—make sure I get to see it."

"Don't worry," Qi Xia said. "You've said it yourself: two Yang shouldn't stand at such heights at the same time. This place would be thrown off balance, right?"

"You know that well enough."

Qing Long slowly turned to leave, but then something suddenly occurred to him, and he froze in place.

An unprecedented feeling washed over him, leaving him stunned for a moment.

He turned back in disbelief, scanning Qi Xia from head to toe, then asked incredulously, "I think I've made a fatal mistake... Qi Xia... are you playing me?"

"What?" Qi Xia felt a slight sense of unease and furrowed his brow.

"You're not just one person here... you're two... you're Yin Yang... Qi Xia... you don't want to leave, and you don't want to become a Shen..."

Qing Long's eyes widened slowly:

"You want to become a Long...?"