“Thud, thud, thud.”
In the living room, Qi Xia slightly moved his lips and whispered, “An, someone’s knocking.”
“I know, Xia. I’ll get it.”
Yu Nian’an snapped back to reality, her eyes now tinged with urgency. She continued softly to Xiao Cheng, “Don’t worry, Xiao Cheng… That crack isn’t just a crack—it’s the ‘fuse’ of everything.”
The sheer volume of information flooding in left Xiao Cheng’s mind momentarily frozen.
“‘Fuse’…?”
“Yes, it’s igniting a grand fireworks display. So I can’t seal it, and neither can you. The only thing you can do is die. Otherwise…”
*Thud, thud, thud.*
“An… someone’s knocking,” Qi Xia repeated.
“Xiao Cheng, ‘he’ is here now. You have to die,” Yu Nian’an said with a sorrowful smile. “If you die, Qi Xia will wake up. This time, I’ve once again guarded his last line of defense.”
“You mean… ‘Tianlong’ is standing right outside the door…?”
Xiao Cheng trembled uncontrollably. He had never imagined being dragged into something so terrifying.
“Not just ‘Tianlong,'” Yu Nian’an replied. “The entire ‘Land of the End’ is outside that door, Xiao Cheng. Are you afraid of death?”
“I…”
In the real world, Xiao Cheng might have feared death, but here in the “Land of the End,” that fear was dulled.
Yet even if he didn’t fear death, he still feared “Tianlong.”
*Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.*
“Listen… he’s growing impatient,” Yu Nian’an murmured. “He’s coming for you.”
“Kill me… Sister Yu… just kill me…”
Xiao Cheng truly was terrified. He had never even faced a Celestial-level Zodiac, let alone “Tianlong.”
With abilities as bizarre as “Tianlong’s,” how could he possibly escape unscathed in this nightmare?
“I will, don’t worry,” Yu Nian’an said softly as she tightened the noose around his neck. “But there’s one thing—don’t mind it. I need you to deliver a message to those outside.”
“What…?”
Before Xiao Cheng could grasp her meaning, a searing pain erupted across his back, as if a sharp blade was carving into his flesh. The agony made him grit his teeth.
“Bear with it,” Yu Nian’an said. “It’s just a few words.”
“Sister Yu…”
*Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.*
“An, someone’s knocking.”
The relentless knocking pushed Xiao Cheng to the brink of madness, yet every time he teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, the excruciating pain on his back dragged him back.
Clenching his jaw, he endured the torment, his entire body numb. It felt as though Yu Nian’an was carving words into his back with her nails—effortlessly, as if scraping foam board.
Since Xiao Cheng was already a dead man walking, his pain hardly mattered.
A chilling coldness spread across his back, mingling with the burning agony. Blood must have drenched his entire back. He wanted to struggle, but the rope around his neck weighed like a thousand pounds, pinning him down. If not for Yu Nian’an’s grip on the rope, he would have been crushed to death already.
Seconds later, muffled voices echoed from the distant sky:
“Damn! What happened to this kid’s back?!”
“Any bandages left? Stop the bleeding first!”
“No way… the wound’s too big. Bandages won’t…”
The voices faded into silence.
Yu Nian’an glanced at the sky and whispered to Xiao Cheng, “Rest easy. Your death has meaning. When Qi Xia wakes this time, everything will be different.”
Without waiting for his reply, she yanked the rope violently, hoisting Xiao Cheng off the ground.
As an outsider, Xiao Cheng couldn’t resist anything in this dream. His feet left the earth like a fluttering scrap of paper. A sharp *crack* sounded from his neck—snapped instantly.
Everything in the dream dissolved into nothingness—the frantic knocking, Xiao Cheng’s life.
He had left this horrifying world for good.
The onlookers, seeing Xiao Cheng’s body stir, initially thought the “dreamwalk” had ended. But before they could speak, his body collapsed to the floor with a heavy *thud!*
His head struck the ground with a sickening impact.
“Ah—!” Tian Tian, who had been wiping the blood from Xiao Cheng’s back, gasped and rushed to check on him.
Beside her, Chen Jun’nan and Qiao Jiajin exchanged uneasy glances. After confirming Xiao Cheng’s state, they turned to Qi Xia—still peacefully asleep, but his complexion had improved.
Had this succeeded… or failed?
Kneeling, Tian Tian shook Xiao Cheng, but there was no response. Blood continued to gush from his back, soaking his clothes.
Qiao Jiajin crouched down and pressed his fingers to Xiao Cheng’s neck. “He’s gone,” he said grimly.
Chen Jun’nan froze, staring in disbelief before slowly bowing his head and clasping his hands together.
“Kid, I’ll remember you. Next time you come back, I’ll make it up to you with my own life.”
A heavy silence settled over the group. Xiao Cheng, a stranger, had died for Qi Xia. None of them knew why or what he had discovered in Qi Xia’s dream.
Was Qi Xia truly trapped in a nightmare? One so horrifying it could kill at will?
Di Hou stepped forward, dipping his fingers into Xiao Cheng’s blood before extinguishing his cigarette with the crimson-stained digits. He shook his head.
“Looks like his dream *was* invaded. But the ‘dreamwalk’ ability…” His voice trailed off, as if grappling with something unbelievable.
Earlier, Qi Xia had claimed his “superior” would stop at nothing to make him lose. Had “Tianlong” truly intervened?
“Qi Xia… just what are you…?” Di Hou frowned, realizing the situation had spiraled beyond his comprehension.
Had Qi Xia’s plan failed?
Had “Tianlong” seen through him?
If Qi Xia had truly been punished by “Tianlong,” then what about…
“Wait—” Qiao Jiajin suddenly noticed something odd about the wounds on Xiao Cheng’s back.
He tore open Xiao Cheng’s shirt, revealing the mangled flesh beneath. After wiping away the blood with a cloth scrap, four stark crimson characters emerged:
**”The Beginning of Subversion!”**
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage