“Do you agree?” Qi Xia asked again. “They’re merely eight ‘Participants.’ Your thinking time is far too long.”

“I know what kind of character you are, so I can’t take any decision lightly.” Qinglong smiled lightly. “After all, this is such a big deal. I need to respond seriously.”

Qi Xia tapped the table: “Qinglong, if even I can’t accomplish the matter of ‘making Heavenly Dragon die accidentally,’ then you’ll have no one left to use.”

“Every so often, self-righteous ants appear in this place. I’m not worried about having no one to use.”

“Do you believe that?” Qi Xia said. “How many more years do you expect to wait before you see a second me appear here?”

Qinglong remained silent. After several seconds, he pointed at the paper on the table and said: “Regarding these eight strangers, how much of it can I believe?”

“Asking me this question is useless.” Qi Xia shook his head. “If I’m a partner in your mind, then you can believe every word I say. But if in your heart I’m a liar, then you can only believe half of what I say about these people.”

After hearing this, Qinglong slowly stood up, took the paper from the table, then said softly: “Qi Xia, in my mind you are of course a liar.”

“Then choose which half you want to believe.” Qi Xia said. “Perhaps only the ‘names’ half.”

Qinglong snorted lightly and turned around, holding up the paper: “Hey, I’ll handle this for you, but if you want it done without anyone knowing, it will take at least a year to make all these people’s current teammates gradually disappear. That way, no one in all of ‘Taoyuan’ will remember them.”

“Good.” Qi Xia nodded. “Qinglong, I have one more thing to make clear.”

Qinglong walked to the door, his figure slowly stopping. He seemed dissatisfied with Qi Xia’s tone, but there was no better method now.

“No matter how close my actions look to failure, you cannot interfere with me.” Qi Xia said. “I want you to completely and totally trust my actions and consistently provide help. This way I can guarantee Heavenly Dragon’s disappearance.”

Qinglong turned half his face back and said coldly: “That statement is too absolute, isn’t it? Then how can I determine when you’ve truly failed?”

“Qinglong, remember this well.” Qi Xia said. “No matter when or where, only if you choose to interfere with me will I truly begin to fail.”

Qinglong slowly opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Ran before him.

“Qinglong… what’s wrong with you?” Xiao Ran squeezed out a smile and asked. “I can barely breathe… can you put me down first…”

Qinglong listened to her words and carefully distinguished which of Qi Xia’s teammates she was.

Among these women, she didn’t know what her “Celestial Art” was, which meant she couldn’t possibly carry “exquisite Crafted Objects” on her body. She was so foolish that she couldn’t possibly have the courage to make a mutually beneficial deal with Qi Xia.

So she was the one Qi Xia called “making up the numbers.”

A character that even Qi Xia had to lie about individually and hide… how could she possibly be an ordinary figure?

Qinglong felt the situation beginning to slip from his control. Was Qi Xia really aiming his spearhead at Heavenly Dragon in this chaos?

Those two generals carrying “Heavenly Vigor” that he sent—not one of them had landed their fists on Heavenly Dragon. He dared guarantee that when he returned to the room, Heavenly Dragon would still be sitting there safe and sound.

“I can only rely on myself to kill him…” Qinglong looked at Xiao Ran once again and decided to give her one last chance. “Hey, say ‘Qinglong, wait for me’ once.”

“Ah…?”

“Say it.”

Qinglong took the opportunity to release his “Soul Seizing” and controlled the woman before him.

Xiao Ran didn’t know what he meant and could only repeat the words tremblingly: “Qinglong… wait for me.”

Just as Qinglong expected, when these words were spoken, his “Soul Seizing” indeed disappeared without a trace, completely losing control over the woman before him.

Where in this world were there truly loyal people?

She was clearly a final weapon with immeasurable destructive power.

Although he didn’t know how Qi Xia achieved such a bizarre effect, the result explained everything. As long as this woman existed, his “Soul Seizing” would never be able to be deployed.

“Qinglong… why don’t you understand even now…” Xiao Ran said with a bitter smile. “As long as it’s something you order me to do, I’ll do it…”

As soon as her words fell, Xiao Ran felt Qinglong’s hand increase its force.

“Lingering ghost.” Qinglong laughed madly. “With your abilities, you also want to doom me eternally?”

Before Xiao Ran understood what was happening, she felt her tongue being squeezed out. Not a trace of air could flow to her lungs, and her eyes became extraordinarily prominent at this moment.

“Qing… long…” Xiao Ran said with effort. “I… came… to… help… you…”

She reached out and touched Qinglong’s injured forehead: “You’re… hurt… I’ll… help…”

“Then help me by dying.” Qinglong smiled. “Dying by my hand, you can be considered to have died of natural causes.”

*Pop.*

A strange sound rang out. Blood spurted from all seven orifices of Xiao Ran’s face. Many organs and brain matter sprayed out from the holes, splashing onto the wall and Qinglong’s face.

Her arms slowly slid down from Qinglong’s forehead. She didn’t resist until her death.

Her neck was squeezed into a thin line in Qinglong’s hand. Her facial expression, compressed to death, looked especially terrifying.

Qinglong seemed to feel it wasn’t enough. Even after Xiao Ran stopped moving, he still reached out both hands and dismembered Xiao Ran into eight pieces before many “Ants.” Her corpse collapsed on the ground like building blocks, and the characters on her chest that had been cut in two segments were also exposed.

Qinglong lifted his foot and stepped on those four characters, grinding Xiao Ran’s chest into meat paste.

“Your scheme has been broken by me… Qi Xia, if you have any other abilities, bring them on.” Qinglong snorted coldly, walked out the door, and casually knocked back several “Ants” before him.

He was just about to use “Transition” to leave this place and return to the battlefield that belonged only to “Heavenly Vigor,” but was suddenly attracted by the scene before him.

As far as his eyes could see, many “Participants” and “Zodiac” stood in the corridor. Some leaned against the wall, some lowered their heads. All of them were motionless at this moment, like hundreds of statues extending into the distance.

“What…?” Qinglong frowned slightly, not understanding what the situation was now. Why were so many people frozen here?

He had monitored Qi Xia’s actions for a long time but had never heard him mention anything similar.

He knew there was no time to lose now. Compared to the situation of these “Participants” and “Zodiac,” he cared more about whether Heavenly Dragon was alive or dead.

This battle must end Heavenly Dragon’s life. Otherwise, all the hard work would be wasted.

He flashed his form and disappeared without a trace before the many “Ants.” But he didn’t notice at all that more and more “Participants” and “Zodiac” in the distance were stopping in place, slowly lowering their heads.