At this moment, the octopus used its tentacles to cover Li Tianming's eyes as well, blocking the exchange of glances between the two. Then, it glanced at Qin Siyang with displeasure.
Qin Siyang gave an awkward smile and then lowered his head, pondering Li Tianming's gaze.
'What is Li Tianming confused about?'
'He was probably also shocked by the Doom Fate Octopus's winning streak.'
'Too unusual.'
'Then, what was Old Li warning me about?'
'Was he telling me to be wary of this octopus?'
'That isn't necessary. Li Tianming had already said that before the death gamble began.'
'Li Tianming must have been trying to convey some information to me.'
Something he knew but Qin Siyang didn't.
'Was it about these three piles of stones?'
Qin Siyang took off his mask, scratched his chin, and observed again from a closer distance.
Still, he found nothing unusual.
Qin Siyang lowered his head, deep in thought.
Li Tianming was more than ten meters away from these three piles of stones. There was no way he could see more clearly than Qin Siyang, let alone know more about them.
'Then what was Li Tianming trying to say?'
Qin Siyang scratched his head, his expression bitter.
'Who would have thought that coming out to kill a god would turn into a brain-teaser?'
'Where can I even complain about this?'
He took a deep breath and had no choice but to keep thinking about Li Tianming's hint.
Since Li Tianming couldn't have learned more about the stone piles, then it had to be something he had known before but Qin Siyang didn't.
'What can it be?'
'Does he know this Doom Fate Octopus? Impossible. If Li Tianming has seen it before, he'd already be reincarnated by now.'
'Has he seen a similar challenge before? That doesn't seem likely either. If he has, he should have recognized it the moment he saw the three stone piles, instead of waiting so calmly to have his mouth sealed shut.'
'Does he know where the heart is?'
'That seems like the only possibility.'
Qin Siyang felt like he had grasped the first thread of a spider's web and continued following the clues.
'How did Li Tianming know where the heart is?'
'He is restrained by the Doom Fate Octopus and can't clearly see the three stone piles…'
'Restrained by the Doom Fate Octopus?'
Qin Siyang's eyes suddenly widened.
Then, he turned and scrutinized the Doom Fate Octopus.
"Is your heart really inside these three stone piles?"
"Or… is it still inside your body?"
Upon hearing this, the Doom Fate Octopus's massive eyes showed a flicker of panic.
It glanced at the bound Li Tianming, seeming a little irritated.
'So it is true.'
Qin Siyang had deciphered the meaning of Li Tianming's warning.
Li Tianming's sequence level was extremely high, and his perception was exceptionally sharp.
When the tentacles wrapped around him, he must have felt the pulse of blood surging inside the Doom Fate Octopus.
If the heart wasn't inside the body, then how could there be a pulse?
That was Li Tianming's hint.
As for why the previous dozen or so challengers had lost…
Qin Siyang speculated that they either faced the Doom Fate Octopus alone, with no one to give them a hint.
Or the person restrained by the Doom Fate Octopus had a lower sequence level or was too nervous to sense the pulse within and give the crucial tip.
'In a life-and-death gamble like this, to still remain calm enough to give a hint… As expected of Li Tianming.'
Qin Siyang looked at the Doom Fate Octopus with a scornful expression, "You giant-headed freaks who drag people into death gambles. Are you all this bad at losing? If you don't want to die, then don't gamble in the first place. Just kill us both. Not like we can beat you anyway."
The Doom Fate Octopus did not kill Qin Siyang in response.
Instead, it raised two tentacles and plunged them into its massive head, tearing open a huge hole.
A large amount of sticky fluid gushed out, soaking the surroundings.
As the fluid drained, Qin Siyang saw, through the hole in the octopus's head, a massive, pulsating blue heart.
That heart was about the size of a room.
Qin Siyang swallowed hard.
'If I can eat that heart, my strength will skyrocket.'
Then, two more tentacles reached inside, coiling around the heart.
When the tentacles withdrew, they had each formed a ball, and the heart inside the head had disappeared.
The Doom Fate Octopus then lifted a tentacle and pointed at the two tightly coiled tentacle spheres.
No doubt, the heart was inside one of them.
"What, so now that I exposed your scheme, you're making it a fifty-fifty choice instead?"
The Doom Fate Octopus's head dipped slightly in acknowledgment.
More sticky fluid gushed from the wound on its forehead, filling the area with even more slime.
Even Qin Siyang's feet were now drenched in it.
Li Tianming was even worse off, the slime had piled up to his calves.
The entire cave was now filled with an unbearable stench of decay.
Qin Siyang pinched his nose and asked, "Can I still get close and observe your two tentacles this time?"
The octopus's head started to nod, but Qin Siyang quickly waved his hand to stop it. "Okay, okay, I get it. I can."
The slime here was already overwhelming. Any more, and he'd pass out from the stench.
He trudged through the slime with a series of squelching sounds, making his way to the two tentacle-wrapped spheres.
Carefully examining them, he found that both tentacles were tightly wound, with no visible gaps to see inside.
Even pressing his ear against them, he heard nothing.
Both tentacles were unnervingly silent, as if they were just lifeless lumps.
Qin Siyang thought for a moment and said, "Can I climb inside your head to check if the heart is still there? I don't want to deal with any more of your tricks."
The Doom Fate Octopus lowered its head.
Splat—
A fresh wave of slime poured down on Qin Siyang's head. The massive hole in its head was now right in front of him.
He stepped forward, standing at the edge of the gaping wound, peering inside.
To his surprise, the interior of the Doom Fate Octopus's head was lined with the same faintly glowing blue specks as the cave walls.
Qin Siyang walked around inside, confirming that the heart was indeed gone and that even the blood flow had stopped.
"All right, I'm done checking."
Hearing this, the Doom Fate Octopus raised its head again and extended a tentacle, pointing at the two tentacle-wrapped spheres, urging Qin Siyang to choose.
Qin Siyang sighed, "A fifty-fifty chance is still way better than before. I'll just guess. I choose this one."
Saying that, he pointed to one of the spheres.
The Doom Fate Octopus pointed at the chosen sphere, as if asking for confirmation.
"I'm sure. This one. Hurry up and open it. It's just a guess anyway. Life or death. I'll accept it either way."
The Doom Fate Octopus's eyes trembled slightly.
Qin Siyang noticed and grew impatient, "Hurry up! What, you pull tricks to cheat, but now that the gamble's over, you won't show the result? Are you a Doom Fate Octopus or a Cheater Octopus?"
The fear in the Doom Fate Octopus's massive eyes grew, and it still refused to open its tentacles.
Then, suddenly, the Doom Fate Octopus froze as if its soul had been sucked away, its gaze turning blank.
And its coiled tentacle gradually loosened—
Revealing the heart inside.
Seeing this, Qin Siyang smirked and let out a breath of relief.
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