"Join forces?!" Sage's expression was visibly strained. "Do you know what you're saying?"
"Yes," Weaver Girl said. "Besides 'killing Du Yu,' you have a second way out: 'helping Du Yu' get through that crisis."
Sage paused, then frowned in thought. "No... that's not right. Every Sage across the entire timeline died at Du Yu's hands. How could he possibly not want to kill me?!"
Listening to Sage in front of the screen, Dong Qianqiu sensed something odd and immediately sent Du Yu a telepathic message.
Meanwhile, Du Yu and the others had just landed on a small island and were slowly making their way forward.
"Really, Sister Qianqiu? That's what Sage said?" Du Yu smiled faintly as he walked. "That's more or less what I thought. Since I'll become Sage in the future, then return to the past to kill Du Yu, in theory, the current Sage must have been targeted by other Sages before, too. It's one enormous closed loop, almost like a curse."
"You knew all that?" Dong Qianqiu asked. "So you're planning to step out of this closed loop of your own accord?"
"Yes." Du Yu nodded. "Although every Du Yu is targeted by Sage, and Du Yu kills Sage in retaliation, I suspect that each Du Yu uses different assassination methods and counterattacks. That's also why Sage can't take precautions against me in advance."
"What does that mean?" Dong Qianqiu asked again.
"It means not a single Du Yu ever thought of leaving this closed loop." Du Yu frowned. "With my personality, it would be hard for me to do something so ruthless. That means someone led them all astray, someone stirring up the waves from the sidelines to ensure every part of the plan went smoothly."
"Who?"
"That guy who calls himself 'Time,'" Du Yu