Chapter 1324: The Perfect Door

Qinglong stood in the empty room, taking nearly a minute to regain his conviction before glancing at Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin.

He knew he had already won this battle. Two men who had completely lost their minds no longer posed any threat of resistance.

He slowly walked up to Qiao Jiajin, stared into his eyes, and with a swift motion of his hand, a horrifying gash appeared on Qiao Jiajin’s throat. Blood sprayed violently, yet Qiao Jiajin remained expressionless.

“Ha…” Qinglong laughed as if facing a toy. “Mortals… truly nothing more than playthings.”

Whether Qinglong was venting or genuinely feeling a hint of frustration, he raised both hands and slashed wildly, covering Qiao Jiajin’s body with terrifying wounds.

Flesh and blood flew in all directions, organs spilled out, and Qiao Jiajin’s face rapidly drained of color.

“How laughable…” Qinglong continued. “I am the ‘Soul Reaper.’ How could you possibly fight me while carrying the ‘Heavenly Vigor’? Even if you deafened yourselves to escape my power, the ‘Heavenly Vigor’ would restore your hearing. Unless there exists a deaf man bearing the ‘Heavenly Vigor’… no matter how many times you challenge me, you will lose.”

“There will be…” Qiao Jiajin murmured.

“…?”

Those three short words sent a jolt through Qinglong’s body.

He stared at Qiao Jiajin in disbelief, his expression filled with confusion.

Had this man accidentally stumbled upon the answer… or was he…?

“Qinglong…” Qiao Jiajin slowly raised his head, his once-lifeless eyes now burning with hatred. “There will be…”

Qinglong froze as he watched the wounds on Qiao Jiajin’s body begin to slowly heal. Though the recovery was sluggish, the regeneration was unmistakable.

“You…?”

Qinglong’s mind spiraled into chaos. He had stripped this man of his sanity—what was happening now?

“Feels like Lord Guan is watching over me. Whenever I’m about to lose myself, new memories surface to pull me back.” Qiao Jiajin let out a bitter chuckle as the wound on his neck fully closed. “Those memories not only wake me up but also strengthen my resolve to fight you to the death.”

Though Qinglong didn’t fully understand what was happening to Qiao Jiajin, it was clear that ‘Soul Reaper’ no longer affected him.

“But you still can’t win,” Qinglong said. “Even if you regain your senses, fighting to the end of the world won’t change that.”

With that, he slowly raised his hand, and Qiao Jiajin’s arm involuntarily lifted in response.

“See? With ‘Soul Reaper,’ you won’t even be able to touch me from here on out.” Qinglong shook his head. “Better to give up now and let me end this cleanly.”

“Yeah… it’s tough. Even if Big Guy and I teamed up, it’d still be hard.” Qiao Jiajin smiled. “But it doesn’t matter… I promised someone I’d take your life. So even if this fight lasts till the world ends, I won’t back down.”

Qinglong frowned. “Even if you die… even if there’s no next cycle, you still won’t leave?”

“I won’t.” Qiao Jiajin shook his head, his expression serene. “I’ve remembered too much from the past. I don’t even know how to face my old friends anymore. When I think about it… dying here might be the best ending I can hope for.”

At that moment, Zhang Shan stirred, blinking weakly. “Damn it… what’s going on? I already remembered those memories… why am I reliving them? This place really doesn’t treat people like humans…”

Qinglong turned his darkening gaze toward Zhang Shan. To his dismay, the second nuisance had also revived.

Though their wounds were slowly healing, both men looked utterly exhausted.

Yet even now, they refused to surrender.

Qinglong’s body trembled slightly as he rasped, “You two have caused me endless trouble… All my years of planning, ruined because of you…”

Despite his fury, he couldn’t instantly tear them apart. His frustration reached its peak.

“Maybe that’s why we’re here,” Qiao Jiajin said, clenching his fist. “Whether we win or lose, we won’t let you have your way.”

Qinglong felt as though he’d been stuck with some disgusting, unshakable curse all day. No matter what he tried, someone always stood in his way.

“Enough…” Qinglong’s voice dripped with despair. “You can’t escape ‘Thunderclap’ now. Let me end this quickly. I’ll just consider these past years spent eliminating obstacles… and hope for victory next time.”

With that, he darted between them at inhuman speed. “When Tianlong awakens, I’ll tell him I personally put down this rebellion.”

……

“Done…!”

Tian Tian exhaled deeply, her face pale as she opened her eyes. Before her stood an almost perfect wooden door, intricately carved with elaborate patterns.

She tried to stand but suddenly felt dizzy, nearly collapsing. Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu each caught an arm to steady her.

“Don’t push yourself,” Qi Xia said. “Your ‘conviction’ is overdrawn. Rest for now—I might need one last small favor from you later.”

“Okay…” Tian Tian nodded weakly. Even she didn’t understand why her body felt so drained. Carving a door shouldn’t have taken this much out of her in just minutes.

Qi Xia turned to Chu Tianqiu. “How’s the door?”

Chu Tianqiu examined it carefully. “No flaws. It’s convincing. Should we go in now?”

“Not yet. We need to ‘test’ it first.” Qi Xia picked up a wooden splinter from the ground.

“There are so many fragments here… Did you fight someone?” Chu Tianqiu asked, eyeing Qi Xia’s injuries.

“To be precise, I fought myself,” Qi Xia replied. “But it doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about me.”

With that, he gently flicked the door handle with the splinter.

A dull creak echoed as two previously disconnected rooms now formed an eerie link. Through the narrow gap, the trio glimpsed the scene inside.

Qinglong, Qiao Jiajin, and Zhang Shan.

The three were moving at impossible speeds within that space.

And on the distant steps lay their ultimate target—Tianlong.

Tian Tian had truly managed to replicate such a crucial door.

Qi Xia paused, seemingly unfazed by the ongoing battle with Qinglong. Before anyone inside noticed the open door, he shut it again and turned to the others.

“The mission is almost complete. The final step is infiltrating Tianlong’s dream.”

“Mission… complete?” Chu Tianqiu frowned. “Qi Xia, didn’t you see? Qinglong is still alive.”

“He was never meant to die.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Someone holding him off is already the best outcome. Are you ready?”

Chu Tianqiu estimated that from this door, reaching Tianlong would only take a few dozen steps—a short sprint at full speed.

Unfortunately, standing in their way was a seemingly fully unhinged Qinglong.