Chapter 353: Staying Alive is More Important Than Anything
Jin Que was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
His laughter grew louder and louder, only stopping after a long while.
"As expected of a young man, so full of confidence. But with your abilities, saying something like that isn't exactly an exaggeration."
"However… you are destined to die, and very soon!"
Jin Que grinned, a nauseating smile on his face. "Because you'll never be able to collect all nine Golden Sabers."
"Your calamity will arrive soon. Without the nine Golden Sabers, how will you overcome it? Someone like you, with an incomplete fate, has no chance of survival!"
Xiao Ye's heart sank. Only he and his master knew about this. How did Jin Que find out?
The only rumor circulating was that collecting all the Golden Sabers would lead to a hidden treasure.
But no one knew that Xiao Ye was collecting the Golden Sabers to survive a fatal calamity.
Back then, the Lingxiao Daoist had scattered the Golden Sabers not only to stabilize Xiao Ye's fate but also to delay the arrival of the fatal calamity.
Once he descended the mountain to retrieve the Golden Sabers, his fate would be fully restored, the Ziwei Star would reappear, and the fatal calamity could be neutralized.
But if he failed… when the fatal calamity descended, he would surely die!
And the clock started ticking the moment he came down the mountain to collect the sabers.
If he couldn't collect them all within three years, the fatal calamity would arrive!
A year and a half had already passed, leaving him with only half the time.
Seeing Xiao Ye's silence, Jin Que grew even more audacious. "So what if you're the Ziwei Star? So what if you have the fate of a True Dragon?"
"Dead is dead. When the time comes, everything will vanish!"
"The Ziwei Star hasn't appeared in ten thousand years, and this time, it's going to be snuffed out halfway. Tsk, tsk. Xiao Ye, if you were just an ordinary person, you might have actually lived!"
"If you want to blame someone, blame your master for his arrogance. Creating some scheme with nine Golden Sabers for you… did he really think that could save you?"
"Even as the Ziwei Star, you won't survive!"
Xiao Ye stared at him fixedly. "I can now be certain. You're the one who took the Golden Sabers."
"So what if it was me? Don't waste your energy on me, anyway. Not even I know where those Golden Sabers are now."
"The Angel Association. You gave the Golden Sabers to the Angel Association."
Jin Que's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Xiao Ye to have already investigated the Angel Association, or even to know where the Golden Sabers were!
But he quickly composed himself. "So what? The Angel Association is spread across the globe. It's like finding a needle in a haystack!"
Xiao Ye didn't waste any more time on the Golden Sabers. There was something more important right now. "Why did you target the nation's fortune? Did the Angel Association order you to do that as well?"
Jin Que leaned back in his chair. "I don't know."
"By the way, how is Lin Chuxing doing?" he said, changing the subject. "If it weren't for me, Lin Chuxing would have died long ago. You should be thanking me."
"Without me, you never would have found your true fiancée."
Xiao Ye's brow furrowed, his mind racing.
'Jin Que brought up Lin Chuxing so suddenly, and the things he's saying... it's as if he's trying to sow discord, to make me distrust her.'
'But why would he do that?'
'He's the one who sent Lin Chuxing to me. She's a pawn of the Angel Association.'
Jin Que continued, "You'd better treat her well. Otherwise… it won't be good for you."
Xiao Ye had no intention of hearing any truths from him and continued his questioning. "Tell me about the Angel Association, and I might consider sparing your life!"
"Spare my life?" Jin Que's expression changed abruptly. The gentle smile vanished, instantly replaced by a dark, gloomy look.
His eyes were like a viper's. "Xiao Ye, you're just like that detestable master of yours!"
"He said the same thing to me back then. And what happened? Not only did I not die, I ended up living even better!"
"Doesn't he value you the most? Then I'll let him watch with his own eyes as you die!"
With that, he burst into wild laughter.
Suddenly, the laughter cut off. His whole body fell back against the chair, head lolling.
Xiao Ye noticed something was wrong and shot to his feet, but it was too late.
Jin Que was no longer breathing. Not only that, but his body was also rapidly shriveling.
In just a few short seconds, he had turned into a terrifying, desiccated corpse!
General He, who had been watching from outside, rushed in. "What's going on?"
Xiao Ye slowly sat back down. "It's a substitute."
"A substitute? You mean the real Jin Que isn't dead?"
"Something like that. But this was definitely Jin Que—this was his physical body. I suspect… he might have possessed someone else's body."
"But to achieve something like that is extremely difficult!"
Xiao Ye's mind was in turmoil.
But he quickly confirmed one thing. 'Whether it's the Angel Association or Jin Que, they're all coming after me.'
'No, they're coming after the Dragon Country. They want to intercept the Dragon Country's fortune!'
'Tainting the nation's fortune with filth was one part of the plan. The other part is… extinguishing the Ziwei Star!'
And Xiao Ye was that Ziwei Star.
The swapped and stolen Golden Sabers, and even Lin Chuxing—they were all links in a chain forged to deal with him.
And the one behind it all was the Angel Association!
The general direction of the plot was clear now, but he had no idea what other arrangements the Angel Association had made.
"General He, I need you to do me a favor."
"What is it?"
"Investigate Lin Chuxing. The more detailed, the better." Xiao Ye had a feeling the investigation wouldn't turn up much, though.
But if the country itself took action, the results would surely be more thorough than anything he could dig up on his own.
He needed to understand Lin Chuxing's purpose and role in all this before he could respond effectively.
"Alright." General He agreed without hesitation. "Xiao Ye, I know you're the Ziwei Star."
"Actually, regarding this matter… I know a few things. I can't say much, only that while the pressure on you is immense, I believe in your abilities."
"The one who is the Ziwei Star is by no means an ordinary person. This is your responsibility, but it is also your strength."
"Young man, surviving is more important than anything. Don't try to bear everything on your own. If you need help, just ask."
Xiao Ye smiled faintly, having recovered from his earlier turmoil. "In that case, I really will need your help, General He."
"There are too many things for me to investigate. I can't possibly handle it all on my own."
"Right now, the nation's fortune is the priority. I'll leave everything concerning the stolen Golden Sabers, as well as Lin Chuxing, to you."
"Once the matter of the nation's fortune is resolved, I'll investigate the Angel Association myself. When the time comes, I'm going to pay a personal visit to Country A!"
General He agreed at once. "Don't worry."
After seeing Xiao Ye off, General He returned to his office and dialed a number.
"Chief, I've told him everything I was supposed to."
A deep, hoarse voice, sounding like that of an old man, came from the other end of the line. "That boy is the Ziwei Star. He is also the hope for our Dragon Country's future rise."
"Whether our nation's fortune can awaken from its slumber depends entirely on whether the Ziwei Star can truly return to its rightful place!"
"No matter what he decides to do, give him your full support!"