Chapter 1325: Good Night

If Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan can’t defeat Qinglong, then how on earth can we safely reach Tianlong under Qinglong’s watchful eyes and touch him?

“You’re hesitating,” Qi Xia said. “Aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m not confident,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “Even Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin couldn’t gain any advantage against Qinglong. What do you think the odds are that the two of us can make it unscathed to Tianlong?”

“The two of us…?” Qi Xia shook his head. “Chu Tianqiu, it’s just you.”

“Just me…?”

“I only need to fall asleep to meet Tianlong, so I don’t need to enter this door,” Qi Xia said. “Find a way to survive and touch Tianlong. I’ll be waiting for you in the dream.”

Chu Tianqiu narrowed his eyes at Qi Xia, sensing that he was hiding something. At this critical moment… suddenly announcing he wouldn’t enter the door was suspicious no matter how he thought about it.

“Chu Tianqiu… this is our only chance,” Qi Xia said softly. “Everyone has risked their lives to get to this moment—just so you can infiltrate Tianlong’s dream. The ‘Celestials’ were cleared for you, the ‘ants’ were freed for you, the ‘door’ was forged for you…”

“Wait, you sound delirious… Qi Xia… what kind of nonsense is this?” Chu Tianqiu said with a hint of anger. “At this crucial moment, you’re telling me everyone’s efforts were for *me*?”

“Yes.”

“This was *your* plan all along. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do inside Tianlong’s dream. Are you trying to absolve yourself at the last second?” For the first time, Chu Tianqiu expressed complete distrust in Qi Xia’s actions.

Qi Xia’s condition seemed abnormal. If he truly made the wrong final decision in this state of confusion, all their efforts would be in vain.

“I’ve told you,” Qi Xia shook his head. “We need to crack open a fissure in Tianlong’s dream… that’s the plan…”

“You call *this* a ‘plan’?” Chu Tianqiu stepped forward, standing face-to-face with Qi Xia. “We don’t know what’s in that dream or who’s in it. How exactly are we supposed to crack open a fissure?”

“It’s fine, I’ll… I’ll figure it out…” Qi Xia replied dully.

“You—”

“I’ll find a way… I’ll think of something…” Qi Xia repeated. “Chu Tianqiu, there *will* be a way…”

Chu Tianqiu glanced at Qi Xia’s body—covered in fresh and old wounds, barely resembling a human anymore—and fell silent.

Would Qi Xia truly find a way to crack open a fissure in Tianlong’s dream…?

“Chu Tianqiu, enter the door when you’re ready,” Qi Xia continued. “Everything is in your hands now. Remember, even if you die, you *must* touch Tianlong…”

Chu Tianqiu had never felt so hesitant in his life.

Because Qi Xia didn’t seem confident at all—instead, he seemed erratic. He kept repeating, “Even if you die, touch Tianlong,” but that was the entirety of his so-called plan.

“Dawn is coming…” Qi Xia slowly grinned, revealing a strange smile. “Chu Tianqiu… we’re almost out of time… maybe in minutes, maybe the next second?”

Chu Tianqiu stared at the door before him, his expression indescribably complex.

“Won’t you try…?” Qi Xia spoke again. “Right now, the only thing standing between us and success… is a wooden door.”

Chu Tianqiu turned to Qi Xia, thought for a few seconds, then asked, “Qi Xia, where are you going to sleep?”

Qi Xia raised a finger and pointed at the floor beneath his feet. “Right here.”

“Outside Tianlong’s room… separated by a door… entering the dream from here…?”

“Yes,” Qi Xia confirmed. “The rest… is up to you.”

With that, Qi Xia took a step back, leaving the door to Chu Tianqiu.

Nearby, Tian Tian watched the two with uncertainty, unsure what to make of their tense exchange.

Chu Tianqiu knew he had no choice. If he gave up now, he wouldn’t be able to justify it to all those who had died for “Paradise,” nor to Wen Qiaoyun.

Those people hadn’t even earned the right to board the train—they had entrusted their last sliver of hope to him.

Every death was for survival; every despair was to preserve that final glimmer of hope. But now?

To stand here, people had already lost too much.

Whether he would lose his life here… no longer mattered.

“Qi Xia…” Chu Tianqiu lowered his head and slowly approached the door. “If I step through this door… then everything I’ve done in this ‘Land of the End’… I can face it all with a clear conscience.”

“Really?”

“And what about *you*?”

With an expression of deep sorrow, Chu Tianqiu stared into Qi Xia’s pale gray eyes and repeated, “Qi Xia… do *you* have a clear conscience?”

Qi Xia remained expressionless. He didn’t answer Chu Tianqiu’s question. After a long silence, he simply said:

“Chu Tianqiu, good night.”

Hearing this indifferent response, Chu Tianqiu’s expression shifted from sorrow to calm, then finally settled on a bitter smile. “Qi Xia… you liar…”

He plucked several eyeballs from his coat, clenched them in his hand, then swallowed them one by one.

Whatever abilities they held, he needed them to push himself further into madness—only then could he unleash the full potential of “Dreamwalking.”

Chu Tianqiu’s pupils darkened to a deep crimson, his hair slowly lifting as an eerie, chaotic aura enveloped him, making him seem—for a fleeting moment—no longer human.

“I’ll scout this path,” Chu Tianqiu rasped. “At this point, I’ll carry everyone’s hopes. Even if I die… it doesn’t matter.”

Then, mimicking Qi Xia’s earlier action, he used a wooden splinter to turn the handle and stepped through the door without looking back.

The room, now devoid of retreat, held only Qi Xia and Tian Tian.

“Qi Xia…” Tian Tian, feeling slightly better, spoke up. “Didn’t you say you needed my help with something…?”

“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “I need a small knife for self-defense. Can you make one?”

Tian Tian paused. “Probably… any specific requirements?”

“The sharper, the better. Ideally, it should kill so cleanly the victim doesn’t feel pain.”

“Oh…” Tian Tian agreed. “I’ll try my best.”

She searched the area but found no suitable materials, so she picked up a piece of broken wood. Focusing her will, she compressed the wood, increasing its density, then sharpened the edge until a rigid wooden blade took shape in her hands.

Without thinking, she handed the sharpened blade to Qi Xia—but immediately sensed something was off.

According to Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu, they were entering a *dream*. But why would he need a knife for self-defense… in a *dream*?

Qi Xia accepted the knife expressionlessly and said:

“Zhang Lijuan, good night.”