When Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Shan, and Chu Tianqiu arrived at the front of the train, they noticed two corridors branching off on either side of the hallway, both now in complete disarray.
From the right side, behind the doors, came the sounds of numerous scuffles—it seemed like every room was a battleground.
On the left side, a pile of corpses lay strewn about. Chu Tianqiu immediately spotted Old Lü among them.
He stepped forward and saw Auntie Tong cradling Old Lü in her arms, softly singing a Shanghai folk song. But Old Lü’s body was drained of color—there was no way he could hear her now.
Chu Tianqiu hesitated. “Auntie Tong…”
“Shh…” She stopped singing and raised a finger to her lips. “Keep your voice down.”
Seeing her reddened eyes and tear-streaked face, Chu Tianqiu swallowed his words.
Countless questions swirled in his mind. He didn’t understand why Old Lü had been on the “train” in the first place, nor why he had died fighting.
Had he left any last wishes?
Had his vengeance been fulfilled?
“He shouldn’t have died here,” Chu Tianqiu murmured.
Auntie Tong lowered her head again and smiled bitterly. “Chu Tianqiu… my dear boy, your great ‘Karma of Good’ remains intact. The ‘Mother Goddess’ has blessed you.”
“Will the ‘Mother Goddess’… lead us to victory?” he asked.
She shook her head gently. “The ‘Mother Goddess’ will lead us to our destined end.”
Chu Tianqiu nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at the few survivors nearby.
Among the fallen were not only “Participants” but also “Zodiacs.” The handful still standing were all wounded, clearly having endured a brutal battle.
“Auntie Tong, your fight is over,” Chu Tianqiu said. “But ours is about to begin.”
“Go on, dear child…” Auntie Tong replied, still holding Old Lü’s body, her expression serene. “I see the ‘Karma of Good’ glowing—it’s guiding us toward our final path.”
Chu Tianqiu turned to Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin. The two stood at the entrance of Qinglong’s room, eyes closed, as if steeling themselves for an impending storm.
They seemed to sense his gaze and looked back at him.
“Let’s move,” Chu Tianqiu said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Zhang Shan nodded, pushed open the door, and stepped inside, Qiao Jiajin following closely behind.
Chu Tianqiu took a deep breath. At this moment, he didn’t feel nervous—just an unprecedented calm.
“Auntie Tong, have you seen Qi Xia?” he asked.
“Qi Xia…? No.” She shook her head. “Child, you can wait here. The ‘Mother Goddess’ will guide him to us. No—she will guide all who are meant to come.”
—
Qinglong rested his chin on his palm, watching the two who had just entered his room with quiet amusement.
“Oh…?” He frowned slightly—these were the very same two from his earlier vision.
In that damned illusion, he had fought them bitterly, only for his “Faith” to crumble completely.
How absurd was that?
Fate had tilted the scales in his favor countless times before. How could it betray him now, at the final moment?
He twitched his ears slightly and immediately caught the echoes of distant reverberations.
Even his long-lost “Spiritual Hearing” had returned. Everything was realigning.
“‘Heaven’s Path,’ ‘Shatter All Laws,’ and ‘Twin Blossoms’… Hah.” Qinglong chuckled. “To surpass even the ‘Celestial Tier’—that’s not bad at all.”
“Enough with the nonsense,” Zhang Shan cracked his knuckles. “Do we start now, or do you wanna pick a battlefield?”
Qinglong slowly stood up, fixing them with a stare. “And if you lose… what then?”
“Lose?” Zhang Shan raised an eyebrow. “Dang it! If we lose, we die. Simple as that.”
“Eh?” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “Big guy, you always this blunt?”
“What else am I supposed to say?”
Qinglong shook his head. “How about I offer you another path?”
“Another path?” Zhang Shan eyed him skeptically. “You’re already at a dead end—what other options could you possibly have?”
“Hah…”
Ignoring them, Qinglong walked calmly toward another door in the room.
Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan exchanged glances but didn’t act rashly, simply watching him.
Qinglong placed his palm on the door, and with a faint tremor, dust shook loose as it creaked open before them.
Beyond lay an enormous, empty chamber—pristine white, with an unremarkable tree standing in the center of a vast plaza. In the distance, a flight of steps ascended upward.
At the top, seated on a throne, was a man who looked identical to Qinglong. He reclined sideways, cheek resting on his hand, eyes half-lidded in serene indifference.
“See…?” Qinglong grinned, pointing at the figure on the throne. “This is the one I’ve been protecting all along… Tianlong.”
At the name, Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin tensed—this was far beyond what they had anticipated.
“This door hasn’t been opened in decades, as far as I recall,” Qinglong said. “I would never let anyone near Tianlong… After all, he represents the pinnacle of ‘Paradise.’ If anything happens to him, the entire realm will be overturned. That’s why I’ve fought so desperately to shield him…”
Qiao Jiajin frowned. “Yet you opened the door now.”
“Indeed.” Qinglong nodded. “If weaklings had barged in, I wouldn’t have bothered. Tianlong dying at their hands would be too suspicious. But you two? You actually have the power to kill him.”
Neither responded. Every word from Qinglong reeked of a trap.
“So even if Tianlong falls by your hands, the others will accept it as ‘natural.’” Qinglong let out a maddened laugh. “Want to give it a shot…?”
Zhang Shan swallowed hard. Despite Qinglong’s seemingly cooperative tone, the whole situation felt unnervingly bizarre.
“Try… killing Tianlong?” he asked.
“Exactly!” Qinglong took a step forward into the chamber. “Killing me might not work out for you, but killing Tianlong? That’s a guaranteed win. You’ll secure his head effortlessly—hell, I’ll even help you.”
Zhang Shan was convinced Qinglong had lost his mind worse than he’d thought.
“Come on in!” Qinglong urged. “Don’t just stand there—Tianlong’s right there!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Shan stepped inside. No matter what, the open space of the chamber was a better battleground than the cramped room.
Qiao Jiajin followed silently after a brief pause.
“Look, he’s completely defenseless!” Qinglong grinned. “If you’re still worried, you can even kill Qinglong first before challenging me. I’ll wait right here! Secure one, aim for two—sound good?”
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