“Not just my ‘Explosive Combustion,'” Song Qi said.

“What else?”

“And the lives of all of us who remain,” Song Qi said.

Many members of the “Cat” team began gathering behind Song Qi. Even the unconscious Luo Shiyi was hoisted onto Wu Twelve’s shoulder.

“Lives will suffice?” Baihu’s hoarse voice slowly emerged, carrying a tone of skepticism.

“This is the final layer of meaning for the ‘Cat’s’ existence,” Song Qi answered. “Dying there together with ‘Zhu Que’ is the endpoint for all of us.”

“What of your conviction?” Baihu asked again. “With your ‘Explosive Combustion,’ what can you detonate?”

“I’m different from you,” Song Qi said. “I’ve heard you can detonate the air before you. That kind of strength leaves me far behind in the dust.”

Seeing that Baihu harbored no malice, Song Qi wrapped the hair tie back around his wrist.

“That’s precisely why I’m asking…” Baihu said again. “With merely your ‘Explosive Combustion’ and the dozen or so lives behind you, you’re prepared to clash head-on with Zhu Que?”

“As I said, I’m different from you,” Song Qi turned around and said. “I have no way to detonate air, but I can detonate myself.”

“Yourself…?” Baihu’s brow furrowed slightly, never having considered such a situation.

A person who cannot detonate the air before them, yet can detonate themselves. Should this be called a powerful conviction, or a twisted one?

“Are ‘Vigorous Wind’ and ‘Lush Wood’ here as well?” Baihu asked again.

Qiu Twenty and Liu Twenty-One stepped forward one after another, standing behind Song Qi, both wearing defiant expressions.

“What the hell does it matter to you what level we can reach?” Qiu Twenty asked with furrowed brows. “Don’t think that respecting the elderly and caring for the young will work here. If you’re going to kill us, then kill us. If not, then get lost.”

“Twenty-ge,” Liu Twenty-One patted Qiu Twenty’s shoulder. “Curse a bit more gently, don’t anger yourself sick. If it doesn’t work out, let me do the cursing.”

“What the hell kind of nonsense is this rambling?” Qiu Twenty said. “My damn ‘Vigorous Wind’ can scrape three layers of skin off you. You want to try?”

“But I have no confidence in killing Zhu Que,” Baihu said softly.

“Hm…?”

The three of them paused slightly upon hearing this statement.

“He doesn’t consider consequences when he acts,” Baihu said. “Although he doesn’t possess abilities as formidable as Xuanwu, he’s far too similar to Qinglong.”

“In other words, a cunning and treacherous person,” Song Qi nodded. “Isn’t that just right?”

“Just right?” Baihu laughed. “To kill you all, he’ll employ every means available. He also won’t be like Xuanwu, giving you any opportunity to kill him.”

“What’s frightening is if he’s like Xuanwu,” Song Qi said. “Killing Xuanwu—not a single person in the entire ‘Cat’ had it easy, whether physically or emotionally.”

Baihu was slightly moved upon hearing this: “Is that so…”

“Though no one wants to admit it, we ultimately broke her down,” Song Qi said coldly. “We ignited a great fire in her heart, burning her from the inside out. If Zhu Que is also someone with a bitter fate, and everything starts over again, then it will be us who are broken down from within.”

“What an interesting group of people…” Baihu laughed foolishly. “I’m grateful to bear your ‘Immortal Arts’ upon my body.”

“I’m also grateful that among the ‘Divine Beasts,’ there’s still a normal person like you,” Song Qi said.

“Normal…?” Baihu shook his head. “No, I was the first to go mad.”

“Going mad is good,” Song Qi nodded. “Die early for early reincarnation, go mad first to awaken first. For you, everything is like a great dream.”

Baihu said no more lies and walked to the side, beginning to bend down and pick up fragments from the ground.

Song Qi initially wanted to ask a few more questions about Zhu Que, but upon careful consideration, for Baihu at this moment, not interfering was already the greatest help.

So he closed his mouth and turned to lead everyone away.

“In the mouth,” Baihu suddenly said while bent over.

“Hm?” Hearing Baihu’s voice, Song Qi slowly turned his head back, narrowing his eyes as he looked at him.

“All three ‘eyeballs’ are in his mouth,” Baihu said. “With ‘Reach into Bag’ present, the battle should probably end quite quickly.”

“About what I imagined,” Song Qi said. “Now our ‘Strongest Shield’ is dead. What comes next is the ‘Strongest Spear’ thrusting toward another ‘spear.’ Victory or defeat will only take a very short time.”

“You’re not thrusting toward an ordinary ‘spear,’ but a ‘Mad Spear,'” Baihu said. “He’s the one all ‘Divine Beasts’ consider the most aberrant. The three ‘eyeballs’ in his mouth aren’t controlled by him, so day after day he gnaws on the three ‘eyeballs’—while painful, it also makes them more obedient to him.”

“Mad enough,” Song Qi nodded. “I was originally worried there wouldn’t be enough time. Now it seems perfectly suited to my intentions.”

“I wish you to live,” Baihu said.

“I wish you an early death,” Song Qi bowed his head.

He bowed slightly to Baihu, expressing his final gratitude. Afterward, the group disappeared into the empty plaza. They divided into many small teams, setting off in different directions.

Meanwhile, Baihu was like a scavenging elder, picking up fragments piece by piece from the ground.

Before long, numerous “Participants” ran past angrily, yet not a single person turned their head to glance at Baihu.

As if following Xuanwu, even Baihu had merged with the “Land of Terminus,” becoming part of the current backdrop.

No one would notice him, nor know where he would go in the future.

The giant bell and display screen where he had always dwelled had shattered. Where else could he stay?

That’s right, when the giant bell and display screen shattered… why did he hear a wail of grief?

Baihu slowly raised his head, looking toward the crimson sky.

When fragments of the numerous giant bells and display screens scattered down, he distinctly heard the wails of two departed souls.

But weren’t there far more than just two lonely departed souls wailing here?

“Little Xuanzi, my name is Hu Yiran. I’m a few years older than you, so just call me brother.”

“All right… Big Brother Hu.”

“What ‘Big Brother Hu’…? Who still addresses people like that in this era…?”

“I’m sorry… I…”

“Qinglong says your name is Wu Xuan, but from now on he’s changing your name to ‘Xuanwu.’ And since my name contains the character ‘Hu,’ I’ll be ‘Baihu.’ He says from now on… we’ll no longer have our own names.”

“No names… huh? But what about Big Brother Yan…”

“Little Yan… though this title has nothing to do with his name, he can only be ‘Zhu Que.’ Little Xuanzi, you must remember not to mention your own name, otherwise it counts as breaking the rules, and you’ll die.”

“Then when they ask who I am, how should I answer?”

“Then you say, ‘I have no name, but here, they all call me Xuanwu.'”

Baihu gathered the fragments in his hands together, brought them to Xuanwu’s side, and gently placed them in her embrace. Then he let out a long breath and sat down.

“I’ve found all the pieces of heart I could find for you. As for those I couldn’t find… let me slowly replenish them for you here,” Baihu smiled bitterly. “Unfortunately, I never asked what unfulfilled wishes you still had… Forgive me. Having stayed in a place like ‘Taoyuan’ for so long, I’ve rarely encountered farewells.”

Just as Baihu was about to close his eyes and rest, he noticed Xuanwu’s severed arm.

The severed arm had a single finger extended the entire time, pointing in the direction Song Qi had departed moments ago.