What is this… thing…?
Staring at the hundreds of growth rings, the “faith” within Qinglong nearly collapsed entirely.
Countless questions began to storm through his mind.
Why are “growth rings” called “growth rings”?
Why would a tree barely over seventy years old be crammed with hundreds of growth rings?
The tree was planted by his own hands, and the time had been lived through by his own experience.
What could possibly explain such an abnormality?
If this tree had lived for centuries, why would it still be so slender?
The dense layers of growth rings coiled across the cross-section like rolled parchment, so thick that the color of the trunk itself seemed to darken at a glance.
A thought that had never before crossed Qinglong’s mind now surfaced violently—
Was there something wrong with the time he had experienced?
It was as if someone had deceived him—or perhaps controlled him.
No… or rather… had someone tampered with this tree?
But who in the world possessed the power to meddle with this tree right under his and Tianlong’s noses?
His mind was in chaos. Not only had “Soul Snatcher” vanished without a trace, but even the storm clouds in the sky were gradually dissipating.
A deep, unsettling fear took hold of him—the kind born from total uncertainty about his current predicament.
“This isn’t right…” Qinglong muttered. “The situation is completely out of our control… Tianlong… wake up…”
The three onlookers, baffled by Qinglong’s bizarre behavior, were equally lost. If the situation was beyond Qinglong’s control, it was certainly beyond theirs as well.
So where was this all heading?
Though utterly confused, Chu Tianqiu sensed that Qiao Jiajin’s “trump card” might have actually worked. Seizing the moment, he dashed toward Tianlong once more.
Qinglong, now seemingly deranged, kept shouting, “This isn’t right!” Just as Chu Tianqiu was about to reach the steps, Qinglong raised both hands high and slammed them down onto the ground with terrifying force.
**BOOM!**
The floor of the room cracked violently, fissures spreading beneath the trio’s feet, throwing them off balance. Chu Tianqiu, caught in the cracks, nearly fell.
“Tianlong…” Qinglong’s eyes were wide with panic. “This isn’t right… The situation is spiraling… Tianlong… WAKE UP!!”
As the three stared in shock, Qinglong raised his hands again and smashed them into the ground.
**BOOM!**
The entire room shook violently once more, even causing Tianlong, seated on the steps, to sway slightly.
Amidst the deafening noise, Tianlong’s brow furrowed slightly, as if on the verge of opening his eyes.
Qinglong was at his wit’s end. Not only had he lost all his “divine abilities,” but he could no longer make sense of the decades he had lived through.
This was the first time he had ever felt such overwhelming terror.
He had once believed himself the ruler of this “Peach Blossom Spring,” yet now he realized he knew nothing about it at all.
He knew he had to wake Tianlong—something was about to happen.
“Tianlong… WAKE UP!!”
Just as he prepared to strike the ground again, Qiao Jiajin leaped in front of him, arms outstretched to block the blow.
But Qinglong’s strength at this moment was monstrous.
Despite his unhealed wounds, his fists descended like meteors, smashing through Qiao Jiajin’s resistance and crashing into the ground.
**BOOM!**
Qiao Jiajin was thrown down by the sheer force. At that moment, he realized that cutting down the tree wasn’t a “trump card”—
It was more like a “death sentence.”
Had he known that Qinglong would try to wake Tianlong upon seeing the tree, would he still have gone through with the plan?
How was he supposed to cooperate with Qi Xia from now on?
Every time he trusted Qi Xia, he’d find himself deceived. Every time he thought Qi Xia was a liar, it seemed like he was actually helping.
Amidst this endless cycle of deception and trust, Qiao Jiajin could only hold onto his own principles.
In this life, he had only sought to repay kindness and avenge wrongs—yet he had failed at both.
“Tianlong!! WAKE UP!!”
With no idea how to stop this enraged beast, Qiao Jiajin rolled his body beneath Qinglong’s fists, using himself as a cushion.
He knew he wasn’t the smartest, but if he could just buy a few more seconds… maybe that would be enough for Tianqiu to reach Tianlong?
Qinglong paid no mind to Qiao Jiajin beneath him, simply driving his fists downward.
**BOOM!**
The impact struck Qiao Jiajin’s chest with terrifying force, splattering blood from his mouth and staining his face crimson.
Chu Tianqiu struggled forward in the violently shaking room, his knees torn and bleeding, stumbling up the steps one agonizing step at a time.
“Tianlong!!” Qinglong, now completely unhinged, punched Qiao Jiajin’s chest again. Qiao Jiajin had no strength left to resist.
Zhang Shan rushed in to strike Qinglong, but Qinglong stood like an unshakable pillar—no attack could even faze him now.
His hair wild, his wounds left to bleed, he channeled every last shred of his “faith” into raw, unstoppable power.
**BOOM!**
Chu Tianqiu staggered again under the deafening impact, but he refused to stop.
Perhaps, in all these years, he was the first “participant” to ever make it this far up the steps—
Tianlong was right before him!
He pulled out the “Dreamwalking” eyeballs from his pocket, crushed them between his teeth, and swallowed. His consciousness immediately began to blur.
He had never taken so many at once—time itself seemed to slow for a heartbeat.
With sheer willpower, he fought to stay lucid and reached out toward Tianlong. But the room shook violently again, leaving his outstretched fingers just a palm’s length away.
The final step of this seventy-year journey was proving to be the hardest of all.
“After a lifetime of never doing evil…” Chu Tianqiu gritted his teeth. “Can’t I have just one moment of fortune?”
Tianlong’s brow twitched, his body swaying—his eyes seemed on the verge of opening.
In the chaos of the shaking, that last palm’s length was finally closed.
Chu Tianqiu’s fingertips lightly brushed Tianlong’s.
A surge of elation filled him. Though this step had been the most grueling, he had done it.
How perilous and drawn-out had this single step been?
A mere mortal had touched the supreme “god” of this realm.
Instinctively, Chu Tianqiu looked up. The plan was finally in motion—now, all he needed was to—
Before he could even finish the thought, he met Tianlong’s gaze—
Those eyes, deep as the abyss, were now wide open, staring straight at him.
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