Chapter 164: Chapter 164: An Old Antique Riddler Who Won’t Even Reveal His Name Is Bluffing

"You’re actually thinking of going to Celestial Pillar Mountain?" Dragon Roar Daoist sat in the passenger seat, incessantly examining the vehicle’s construction.

For an old antique like him, a moving metal box was a true curiosity.

He’d seen cars on the road before but never imagined this was how they were used.

Now, watching Tang Qing drive, he was intensely curious.

"That’s right. I previously obtained my master’s manuscript for the creation of the Taiyin Refining Technique. It states that he developed it after observing the Red Dragon Corpse on Celestial Pillar Mountain."

"So I’m thinking, if I go see the Red Dragon Corpse myself, I might be able to achieve a breakthrough." Tang Qing didn’t mention the Red Dragon Pearl or the sixth layer.

He was gambling that Dragon Roar Daoist hadn’t read the manuscript.

Of course, it wouldn’t matter if he was wrong. It wasn’t like the man could really stop him from going wherever he wanted.

"I’m surprised Taiyin told you even that much," Dragon Roar Daoist said, his expression a bit strange. "Speaking of connections, I have my own history with that Red Dragon Corpse."

"Taiyin observed it and created the Taiyin Refining Technique."

"I, however, was not his equal. I only managed to create the Cyan Dragon Refining Technique. Though it’s just a hair’s breadth from his Taiyin Refining Technique..."

"...that tiny difference is like an insurmountable chasm, one that ensures I’ll never catch up to him in this lifetime," Dragon Roar Daoist said with a bitter smile.

"So, how long will it take to reach Celestial Pillar Mountain by piloting this thing?"

"We’ve been out for three days now, haven’t we?"

Dragon Roar Daoist seemed to have recalled some old memories he didn’t wish to speak of, so he changed the subject.

Tang Qing keenly sensed this. Though curious, he didn’t press the issue.

He hadn’t known Dragon Roar Daoist for long and they weren’t exactly close. Asking now would be too abrupt.

However, he had a hunch that the very subject the Daoist had avoided was likely connected to his own lingering questions.

He couldn’t speculate any further.

"If we drive, it’ll take about another month," Tang Qing estimated briefly. "But we won’t be driving the whole way."

"Pushing it for a whole month... the vehicle won’t hold up in the low temperatures, and we can’t guarantee we’ll find fuel."

"We’ll switch to a plane," Tang Qing admitted openly.

"A ’plane’? You mean... some kind of flying beast? Why not take a flying carriage or a sky-boat?" Dragon Roar Daoist’s curiosity only grew upon hearing Tang Qing’s words.

This new era had its Doomsday Game and survivors, as well as all sorts of miraculous items known as ’technology’.

Were it not for the freezing temperatures, it would be far more exciting than any of the eras he had lived through.

"You can think of it as a flying carriage or sky-boat. The name refers to a flying machine, not a living creature," Tang Qing explained simply.

’Honestly, if I weren’t in such a rush to get stronger, I’d have to give Dragon Roar Daoist a proper crash course on the modern world.’

Compared to Tiger Roar Daoist, Dragon Roar Daoist was far more approachable and eager to learn.

At least, back when he and Tiger Roar Daoist were searching for the Taiyin Celestial Monarch, the man had shown none of Dragon Roar Daoist’s affability.

Instead, there was a feeling of a needle hidden in cotton—he was outwardly gentle, but more like a tiger with a smile.

"I see. My thinking was too narrow," Dragon Roar Daoist said, finding the explanation much more reasonable.

"By the way, Elder Dragon Roar, I’ve met Elder Tiger Roar before. Your titles, Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Roar, are quite similar. Are you two brothers, by any chance?" Tang Qing probed.

Dragon Roar Daoist beamed at the question. "You’re not the first to ask that, and I doubt you’ll be the last."

"Tiger Roar and I aren’t brothers, but we’re as close as any brothers could be. We’ve been through thick and thin, life and death, together."

"The Qi Cultivation Method we acquired back then was known as ’Dragon and Tiger.’ While the two parts were distinct, they complemented each other perfectly. Later, certain events led to us being known as Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Roar."

"We didn’t choose those names ourselves; they were flattering titles bestowed upon us by others."

"After a while, I started calling myself Dragon Roar Daoist, and Tiger Roar just went along with it."

"It’s just like with Taiyin. His real name isn’t Taiyin Celestial Monarch; it’s just that people said it so often the title stuck," Dragon Roar Daoist explained.

The explanation was rather vague, though. Tang Qing only really understood why they used titles instead of their given names.

"You elders are certainly a spontaneous bunch." Tang Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’So that’s the real reason. And here I thought you all just had a terminal case of eighth-grade syndrome.’

’Then again,’ he thought, ’when you live that long, it’s probably normal to start getting a little weird for fun.’

"But speaking of which, I’ve been my master’s disciple for some time now, yet I still don’t know his real name."

"As his disciple, I wouldn’t dare ask."

"I was wondering if you, Elder Dragon Roar, might know?" Tang Qing asked.

Hearing this, Dragon Roar Daoist refused with a placid smile. "If Taiyin hasn’t told you, then it’s not my place to say."

"If you want to know, you can ask Taiyin yourself after you’ve broken through the fifth layer of the Taiyin Refining Technique."

The words were gentle, but Tang Qing understood their meaning perfectly. The Daoist wasn’t going to tell him, no matter how much he asked.

This filled Tang Qing with suspicion. ’It’s just a name,’ he thought, ’what’s the big secret?’

"Then what about your name, Elder Dragon Roar? Or Elder Tiger Roar’s?" Tang Qing tried, settling for the next best thing.

"When you learn Taiyin’s name, it won’t be too late for me to tell you mine," Dragon Roar Daoist refused once more. "After all, I’m just here to offer a bit of protection."

"You don’t even know your own master’s name, yet you’d know mine, someone who’s just lending a hand. Wouldn’t that be absurd?"

Rejected again, Tang Qing only grew more confused.

’What is with these people? What’s so special about a name that it has to be hidden?’

The more this happened, the more he felt that the strange feeling he’d had earlier wasn’t his imagination, but a genuine warning.

"You are right, Elder Dragon Roar. I was being thoughtless." Since he couldn’t pry the information out of him, Tang Qing could only back down for now.

"Elder, we’re at the airport. Now we just need to find a plane, and then..."

They had arrived at the airport during their conversation.

"This thing is certainly massive. But with this wind and snow... can it really fly?" Dragon Roar Daoist asked, glancing from the airplane to the weather outside.

"It can. We’ll take a fighter jet and fly straight above the clouds."

"Besides, with you here, Elder Dragon Roar, briefly holding back the wind and snow shouldn’t be too difficult, right?" Tang Qing had clearly planned for this.

The wind, snow, and freezing temperatures were a constant plague upon the world.

"You little rascal. You were planning on putting me to work all along, weren’t you?" Dragon Roar Daoist chuckled, but he didn’t refuse.

He could fly on his own, of course, but riding in an airplane was a novel experience. There was no reason to say no.

* * *

"This has to be a trap. The second I show up, it just explodes." Qi Suian stared at the blazing encampment.

He was just following his usual routine to collect fuel, but he hadn’t expected the place to blow up the moment he started.

[You are overthinking. The permanent event, "Rulebreaker," simply happened to reveal your location. The nations chose to disregard the survivors in the encampment and remotely detonated the munitions depot.]

[However, that may not be the case next time. The squabbling between the nations has ended. Barring any surprises, they will now begin their joint encirclement of you.]

Qi Suian wasn’t particularly shocked. They’d been bickering for so long; it was about time it ended.

If the squabbling continued, the nations would incur losses they couldn’t afford.

"Such a bunch of hypocrites. They can do it, but I can’t? Damn them!" Qi Suian grumbled.

After the leaders of the nations migrated to the Ice Continent with their elites and combat personnel, they discovered a serious problem.

Namely, there weren’t enough test subjects, and various materials had also become scarce due to the resources they’d poured into the move.

So, in the name of "protecting survivors," they began relocating and resettling all the low and mid-tier survivors.

A good number of survivors who met their "experimental criteria" were moved to the Ice Continent to serve as test subjects.

Those who fell just short of the criteria were herded into so-called "safe zones" and forced to mine, excavate, and manufacture, providing labor and resources for the Ice Continent.

In essence, it was just further exploitation.

Qi Suian had lost count of how many survivors had died since the policy began.

And how did Qi Suian know? The number of survivors in the Doomsday Game had been dropping steadily.

Before, the decline was at least predictable. But in the last few days, the death rate had skyrocketed. It was impossible to claim the two weren’t related.

[Perhaps your Protagonist Halo is assisting you. After all, you did say you wanted the Cold Energy Monsters and the survivors to wear each other down.]

[This also serves to weaken the survivors. The nations, after all, do not represent all survivors. Rather, the vast population of low and mid-tier survivors are the true face of the survivor collective.]

"That makes sense, I suppose... but whatever. This still counts as weakening them."

"They’re killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. They’ll live to regret this," Qi Suian said.

He wiped out survivors because they were his enemies and because it benefited him.

But the leaders of the nations were survivors themselves. If the total survivor population dropped to a certain point, it would be impossible for it not to affect them.

If they didn’t really need them, why bother with the exploitation?

"So, Protagonist Halo, give ’em a little push!" Qi Suian said directly to his halo.

This was a wonderful development for Qi Suian.

Not only should he not stop it, he should fan the flames.

The best-case scenario would be the low and mid-tier survivors being pushed so hard they couldn’t take it anymore, rebelling against the nations and triggering a civil war among the survivors.

Now *that* would be a sight to see.

[I suggest you first prepare for the coming encirclement. If you play this right, the Tai Sui God will be able to complete its next evolution before you need to harvest the Celestial Spirit Venerable.]

"So I need to rake in a ton of fuel without scaring off the survivors who are trying to encircle me. That’s going to take some finesse."

If too many of them die, their morale will collapse, and they’ll just rout.

Once they scatter, the Tai Sui God’s fuel-gathering efficiency will plummet.

The key is to make them always feel like they have the upper hand—like they’re just one step away from killing Qi Suian.

But at the same time, they can’t be allowed to notice their own mounting casualties. That’s the hardest part.

You can act to create the first illusion, but the casualty count is a cold, hard number.