Chapter 952: Mortals

"Oh...?" Tianlong was stunned for a moment, then tilted his head slightly.

"Where did I say something wrong?"

"To leave with me..." Qixia lifted his head, his eyes turning cold once more, "that statement is utterly ridiculous..."

"How so?"

"You're trying to undermine my psychological defenses by pointing out all the evils I've committed, and that's fine." Qixia said, "But you don't know my true motivations, and you don't understand why I resorted to every inhumane method to drive myself to the brink of destruction... Tianlong, I admit I want to push myself into despair and eliminate you, but I absolutely refuse to board the Liezhe with you to fly to the Xin Shijie."

"What's wrong with going to the Xin Shijie?" Tianlong laughed, "Baiyang, as I said, we can now rise above the 'mortals.' Only you and I are qualified to board the 'Liezhe.'"

"No, everyone struggling here must board the Liezhe." Qixia said, "But you 'gods' are the exception. So our motivations conflict, which is why I have to eliminate you."

"Ha..." Tianlong's flat face began to twist, "But Baiyang, oh Baiyang... Why is that? Are those sinners really that important? They're just a bunch of souls that deserve to go to hell. Does it matter if they're dead or alive?"

"I care." Qixia replied firmly, "Tianlong, that's the fundamental difference between us, and why I can never agree with you. You're concerned with whether you can remain a 'god' forever, while my reason for becoming a 'god' from the start was to completely destroy this place and let everyone escape. Even though my actions now lean toward what you call an 'evil god,' I've always known what I'm doing. My goal has been clear and unchanged from the beginning."

"So you're still you after all..." Tianlong's voice grew increasingly distorted, "I couldn't even deceive you about this, ha... haha..."

"You once gave despairing people 'hope,' and now I'm doing the same for them. Just as you experienced in your recent dreams." Qixia continued, "The difference is, the 'hope' you offered was disguised despair, while mine is genuine light. I've been planning this for decades... How could I give it all up at the last moment and board the 'Liezhe' with you?"

Qixia stepped forward slowly, and the entire room began to fill once again with red flesh and blood, this time overtaking the whole space.

"Tianlong, you could have taken everyone away." Qixia said, "You could have let every person here board the 'Liezhe,' but all you think about is yourself. You see 'mortals' as worthless weeds, meant to drift aimlessly. You'll never understand what people here have done just to survive."

"What does that have to do with me...?" Tianlong asked again, "Baiyang, even if all the mortals knew this, they could never shake me."

"Have you ever felt that intense desire to live?" Qixia asked as he advanced, "Even when the quagmire has risen to your chin, you still struggle to survive. They want to escape this prison, return to the real world, and reclaim their lives. This place is filled with overwhelming regret and despair, yet you turn a blind eye to it."

"I told you, it's none of my business." Tianlong said again, "Baiyang, the reason they're trapped in endless cycles here is because of your 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi.' Don't try to pin this on me."

"How absurd..." Qixia said, "I used 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi' to preserve their lives, so these pitiful people could one day truly escape this place instead of suffering horribly and dying. Tianlong, without you, we would have succeeded long ago. So tell me... Between us, who is the real 'obstacle'?"

As they spoke, the two were now face-to-face, with Tianlong flexing his neck repeatedly, exuding a murderous aura.

"Baiyang... I'm still curious, how did you see through all of this?" Tianlong said, "I never showed any contempt for 'mortals' before. How could you have started planning this so long ago?"

"Ha..." Qixia couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Because I discovered something interesting."

"What?"

"Tianlong... You've always called me 'Baiyang,' never once using my actual name." Qixia said with a mad laugh, "I really want to ask you... What is my name?"

"You..."

"Even though I'm no longer 'Baiyang,' even though I'm standing here in the form of a 'participant,' you still call me 'Baiyang.'" Qixia stared at Tianlong's flat face and said, "Because in your heart, the names of 'mortals' are utterly insignificant... You look down on everyone struggling here, don't you?"

"I admit it." Tianlong nodded, seemingly smiling himself, "Who cares what you're actually called? Remembering 'Baiyang' is already a huge favor from me."

"So it's no surprise I saw through you long ago." Qixia said, "This conversation ends here. We still can't cooperate."

"Oh...?"

"Watch out for Qinglong." Qixia added, "He really wants your life."

Tianlong pondered for a moment before responding in a contemptuous tone, "Baiyang, since you haven't fully regained your memories, I'll tell you one more thing."

"Go ahead."

"Qinglong would never act against me." Tianlong laughed loudly, "So in the end, the one left in the dark is still you. Qinglong and I are like yin and yang, joined by 'Jiajie' and then forcibly separated by 'Shuangsheng Hua.' Each of us has half of the other inside us—half yin, half yang. If one dies, the other dies too, so I advise you to think carefully about Qinglong's motives and not run around like a headless fly."

"That sounds no different from a curse." Qixia smirked, "I don't know what method Qinglong used to break free from this curse, but it doesn't matter to me. If one of you dies, the other will too—that's great news for me. This conversation is over, Tianlong. Please leave."

"Baiyang, you're really biting the hand that feeds you..." Tianlong's voice grew colder as he whispered, "Now that we've said all this... Do you think I'll let you wake up alive?"