Qinglong seemed not to hear Zheng Yingxiong’s words, only staring blankly at the sky as if lost in thought.
Something felt off.
For some reason, a bizarre memory had surfaced in his mind.
In that memory, he stood at the “locomotive” with Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan, the three of them panting heavily as they spoke.
The next moment, Qiao Jiajin seemed to lunge at something—something that wasn’t Qinglong or Tianlong, but something else entirely.
But Qinglong couldn’t remember what Qiao Jiajin had lunged at, only that he had tried to stop him.
Not far away, Tianlong remained asleep, resting his cheek lightly on his hand, his expression calm.
Qinglong quickly reviewed the memory in his mind but found he couldn’t recall why he had been with those two at the “locomotive” in the first place.
Was this some kind of illusion…?
Qinglong knew it wasn’t unusual for someone in the “Land of End” to manipulate illusions—after all, the train had its own “Illusionists” who could warp perception into “Tao.”
But it was rare for an illusion to be forcibly implanted into someone’s mind. That was far too suspicious.
Had someone nearby triggered an “Echo”?
Qinglong turned and scanned the massive room. Aside from the few immobilized figures before him, there were two corpses—Zhang Shan and Dilong.
The two lay far apart on the ground, clearly lifeless.
He knew the “Echoes” of those present… so where had this illusion come from…?
“‘Soul Snatch’ is really gone!” Zheng Yingxiong seized the moment of Qinglong’s distraction and shouted again.
Only then did Qinglong snap back to reality, inwardly cursing as he swiftly reforged his conviction.
But in that split second, Xuanwu reached out and clenched her hand around Qinglong’s heart.
His conviction faltered violently the moment his heart was seized, and in the next instant, the “Soul Snatch” binding everyone dissipated.
Once Qi Xia regained control of his body, he quickly assessed the battlefield. All the “doors” had vanished, leaving only a few “Escape Doors” leading out of the arena.
Engaging Qinglong head-on now was out of the question—they’d have to leave him to Xuanwu for the time being.
From Qi Xia’s perspective, it didn’t matter whether Qinglong or Xuanwu suffered heavy losses here. This was only the beginning of the plan.
More assaults against both of them would follow.
For most in the “Land of End,” the signal for the plan’s commencement had been the “destruction of the Great Bell.”
But for Qi Xia himself, the true signal had been “Dilong’s death.”
From the moment Dilong died, the countdown had begun. The massive ship of rebellion had set sail toward the iceberg—either the mountain would crumble, or the ship would sink. There was no turning back for anyone now.
“Prepare to retreat,” Qi Xia said, turning to the others.
Understanding his intent, the group began moving toward the “Escape Door.”
Meanwhile, before Xuanwu could fully extract his heart, Qinglong vanished on the spot, reappearing behind her in an instant—as if aiming for some vital weakness.
Xuanwu, startled, disappeared and reappeared in the same spot within a breath, pivoting to face Qinglong and blocking his attack.
Watching the two engage in what seemed like a battle of gods, the others suppressed their unease and pressed toward the door.
But Xuanwu and Qinglong moved too fast. Before they could reach the door, Xuanwu took a step back and clenched her fist midair, summoning a heart that looked ashen and withered, as if deprived of blood for too long.
“Cough—!”
Qinglong spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, his body slowly slumping forward.
The group froze, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.
Had Qinglong… really been killed by Xuanwu?
Was this not a dream?
Only when Xuanwu crushed the heart in her hand and dropped it with a wet splat did they realize—this was no illusion.
Qinglong’s heart had been torn out.
“Old Qi… did you… foresee this?” Chen Junnan asked, voice strained.
Qi Xia’s expression remained grave. “Don’t stop! Move!” he urged.
“Huh—?”
The moment he spoke, Qinglong snapped his head up, his face twisted into a maniacal grin, before launching himself at Xuanwu like a bullet, striking with a force that seemed capable of shattering the world.
**BOOM.**
Xuanwu mustered every ounce of strength to block Qinglong’s charge, but the impact sent her flying like a broken kite, crashing through the massive display screen.
She tore through the wall, the screen exploding into fragments as the characters beneath it scattered like fireworks.
The once-orderly “Cangjie Chess” arena instantly turned into a warzone. Xuanwu slammed into a distant wall, the force carving a deep crater into it.
“Damn it…” Chen Junnan muttered, sprinting toward the door. “What the hell is Qinglong made of? How is he still alive without a heart?”
Qiao Jiajin kept glancing back. No one could survive losing their heart—so what was Qinglong?
Mid-sprint, Qiao Jiajin’s foot caught on something, nearly sending him tumbling.
Regaining his balance, he looked down—he’d stepped on a “character.”
Qinglong seemed not to have heard Zheng Yingxiong’s words, instead staring blankly at the sky.
Something felt off.
For some reason, an extremely eerie memory surfaced in his mind.
In that memory, he stood at the “front of the train” alongside Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan, the three of them panting heavily as they spoke.
The next moment, Qiao Jiajin seemed to lunge toward something—something that was neither Qinglong himself nor Tianlong, but something else entirely.
But Qinglong couldn’t remember what exactly Qiao Jiajin had lunged at. He only recalled trying to stop him.
Not far away, Tianlong remained asleep, gently resting his cheek on his hand, his expression calm as ever.
Qinglong quickly replayed the memory in his mind, yet he couldn’t recall why he had ended up at the “front of the train” with those two.
Was this some kind of illusion…?
Qinglong knew it wasn’t strange for someone in the “Land of the End” to manipulate illusions—after all, the train had specialized “Vision Weavers” who constantly transformed eyeballs into “Paths.”
But it was rare for an illusion to be forcibly implanted directly into one’s mind. This was undeniably suspicious.
Was there someone nearby who had activated an “Echo”?
Qinglong turned and scanned the enormous room. Aside from the motionless individuals before him, there were also two corpses.
One was Zhang Shan, the other was Dilong.
The two lay far apart on the ground, both seemingly long dead.
He was roughly familiar with the “Echoes” of everyone present… so where had this illusion come from…?
“‘Soul Snatcher’ has really vanished!” Zheng Yingxiong seized the moment of Qinglong’s distraction to shout again.
Only then did Qinglong snap back to reality, inwardly cursing his carelessness before mustering his will once more.
But in that very instant, Xuanwu reached out and seized Qinglong’s heart.
The moment his heart was gripped, Qinglong’s will wavered violently, and the “Soul Snatcher” affecting everyone instantly dissipated.
Once Qi Xia regained control of his body, he quickly assessed the situation. All the “doors” had disappeared, leaving only a few “Escape Doors” leading out of the area.
Engaging Qinglong head-on now was not an option; he would have to leave him to Xuanwu for the time being.
In Qi Xia’s view, it didn’t matter whether Qinglong or Xuanwu suffered heavy losses here—this was only the beginning of the plan.
More attacks targeting both of them would follow.
Perhaps for everyone in the “Land of the End,” the signal for the plan’s commencement was the “destruction of the giant bell.”
But for Qi Xia himself, the signal was the “death of Dilong.”
From the moment Dilong died, the countdown officially began. The colossal ship of rebellion had now set sail toward the iceberg—either the mountain would crumble, or the ship would sink. There was no turning back for anyone.
“Prepare to retreat,” Qi Xia said to the group, turning back to face them.
Everyone understood implicitly and began moving toward the “Escape Doors.”
Before Xuanwu could fully extract his heart, Qinglong vanished on the spot, reappearing instantly behind Xuanwu as if aiming to strike a weak point.
Xuanwu, startled, disappeared and reappeared in the same spot in the blink of an eye, turning to face Qinglong and blocking his attack with an outstretched hand.
Watching the two battle like deities, the others could only suppress their unease and continue moving toward the “door.”
But Xuanwu and Qinglong moved too quickly. Before anyone could reach the door, Xuanwu took a step back, clenched her hand in mid-air, and a heart—pale and bluish-black as if drained of blood for too long—appeared in her grasp.
“Cough…”
Qinglong immediately vomited a mouthful of blood onto the ground, his entire body slowly slumping forward.
At this sight, everyone halted in their tracks, sensing that the situation had taken an unexpected turn.
Had Qinglong really been… killed by Xuanwu?
Was this really not a dream?
It wasn’t until Xuanwu crushed the heart in her hand and tossed it to the ground with a sickening squelch that everyone realized this was no dream.
Qinglong’s heart had been extracted.
“Old Qi… did you… anticipate this?” Chen Junnan asked.
Qi Xia’s expression remained stern as he urgently urged the group, “Don’t stop! Hurry and go!”
“Huh…?”
No sooner had he spoken than Qinglong abruptly raised his head, his face twisted into a maniacal expression. He shot toward Xuanwu like a bullet, unleashing a devastating blow with all his strength.
**BOOM.**
Xuanwu mustered every ounce of her strength to block Qinglong’s assault, but his power sent her flying like a kite with its string cut. She crashed into a massive display screen.
Xuanwu shattered through the wall, and the screen exploded instantly. Shards of debris and the “characters” beneath the screen scattered like fireworks in all directions.
The once-orderly “Cangjie Chess” arena instantly turned into a warzone of chaos. Xuanwu hurtled toward a wall at the edge of the room before crashing into it with tremendous force, leaving a deep crater in its surface.
“Damn it…” Chen Junnan muttered as he sprinted toward the “door,” his voice trembling with fear. “What the hell is that old bastard Qinglong made of? How is he still alive after having his heart ripped out?”
Qiao Jiajin kept glancing back as he ran. It was impossible for anyone to survive without a heart—what was going on with Qinglong?
Amid his sprint, Qiao Jiajin lost his footing, seemingly stepping on something. He slipped, nearly tumbling to the ground.
Regaining his balance, he looked down and realized he had stepped on a “character.”
**”士” (Shì – Scholar/Warrior).**
Almost instinctively, he bent down and picked up the character, feeling something stir in his heart.
“Old Qiao! Run!” Chen Junnan yelled. “If that old bastard catches up, we’re dead!”
“Junnán… this ‘character’…”
“‘士’?” Chen Junnan paused, glancing at what Qiao Jiajin held. “Is that the one from Zhang Shan?”
In that moment, Qiao Jiajin understood what had stirred within him.
It was the promise he had made with Zhang Shan to see the heavens and the earth together.
He tucked the character into his pocket and left without looking back.
The group rushed through the “Escape Door” and found another lone door standing not far away.
It led to the “Land of the End.”
“You go first!” Qi Xia said. “I need to wait here a little longer.”
“Wha…?” Chen Junnan was stunned. “What are you waiting for, Old Qi? Staying here is suicide!”
“Now is not the time,” Qi Xia replied. “Scatter and hide. The entire ‘Land of the End’ is about to descend into chaos. Until we reunite on the ‘train,’ do not trust any ‘Divine Beast’ or ‘Zodiac.’ We’ll meet at the giant bell.”
“Don’t trust any ‘Divine Beast’ or ‘Zodiac’…?” Chen Junnan clearly didn’t understand. “Old Qi… what do you mean?”
“Because I’ve told an enormous lie,” Qi Xia said. “I’ve deceived every single one of them.”
————
Almost involuntarily, he picked it up, a strange sensation stirring in his chest.
“Old Qiao! Run!” Chen Junnan yelled. “If that bastard snaps out of it, we’re dead!”
“Junnan… this character…”
“‘Warrior’?” Chen Junnan paused, eyeing the character in Qiao Jiajin’s hand. “Wasn’t that Zhang Shan’s?”
Suddenly, Qiao Jiajin understood the feeling in his chest.
It was the promise he’d made with Zhang Shan—to see the sky and earth together.
He pocketed the character and ran without another glance back.
The group rushed through the “Escape Door,” finding another solitary door standing not far beyond—one that led back to the “Land of End.”
“You go first,” Qi Xia said. “I need to wait a little longer.”
“Wait for what?!” Chen Junnan gaped. “Staying here is suicide!”
“Not yet,” Qi Xia replied. “Scatter across the Land of End—chaos is coming. Until we regroup at the train, trust no ‘Divine Beast’ or ‘Zodiac.’ We’ll meet at the Great Bell.”
“‘Trust no Divine Beast or Zodiac’…?” Chen Junnan was baffled. “Old Qi… what do you mean?”
“Because I’ve woven a colossal lie,” Qi Xia said. “They’ve all been deceived.”
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