“I can’t say for sure,” Qi Xia replied. “I can keep my teammates alive, so it’s possible I might just see you as an ordinary ‘participant.'”
“But… can you really do that?” Qinglong took a step forward, his terrifying aura flaring up, forcing Qi Xia to retreat half a step. “Your subconscious is afraid of me. You think I’m from the ‘upper echelon,’ that I’m one of the rulers here. How could you possibly reduce me to a mere ‘participant’?”
“Heh…”
“So, the initiative isn’t in your hands, nor is it in mine,” Qinglong said, tapping his temple. “It lies in your ‘subconscious.’ Qi Xia, don’t resist—embrace your fear of me.”
Qi Xia swallowed slightly, realizing an even more horrifying truth.
Qinglong wouldn’t vanish with time.
If Qi Xia were to “reshape” a new Qinglong, two Qinglongs would exist simultaneously in the “Land of the End.”
The first Qinglong wouldn’t die before the second one arrived.
“Seems you understand now,” Qinglong chuckled. “All ‘divine powers’ are double-edged swords—from ‘Endless Rebirth’ to ‘Spiritual Hearing,’ none are exceptions.”
Qi Xia fell silent, standing motionless as he pondered. He had thought “Endless Rebirth” had unlocked his mind, revealing countless new paths, but now he realized he had to control his thoughts—or everything would spiral into chaos.
Just then, a distant bell tolled, its massive sound reverberating through the air.
Though not as deafening as Qi Xia’s earlier resonance, it was at least on par with “Twin Flowers.”
“Does it hurt…?” Qinglong murmured, stepping closer to Qi Xia and whispering into his ear. “If it’s too much, seek ‘Break All Laws.'”
“Qiao Jiajin…?”
“Qi Xia… to free this place, we’ll need Qiao Jiajin,” Qinglong said.
Qi Xia remembered Baihu saying the same thing—back when he had just arrived in the “Land of the End” and understood little.
When Qi Xia didn’t respond, Qinglong continued, “You’re trapped by your current mindset. Look at it from the perspective of ‘Echoes’… If Qiao Jiajin just tells you ‘No cheating,’ all cycles and rebirths will cease. ‘Endless Rebirth’ will halt, and thousands of souls will scatter… How simple is that?”
“You…” Qi Xia stiffened slightly.
Using “Break All Laws” to dismantle “Endless Rebirth”… Was that really the quickest way out?
So when Baihu had said, “To leave this place, we’ll need Qiao Jiajin’s power,” it wasn’t about “hope”—it was a path to total annihilation.
“I’ve even handed you the ‘ace,'” Qinglong said. “Would any other ‘Celestial Zodiacs’ or ‘Divine Beasts’ bare their hearts like this? Qi Xia, this is my sincerity in working with you.”
Nearby, Xu Liunian felt her entire body turn cold.
Every word exchanged between Qi Xia and Qinglong sent shivers down her spine.
Had things spiraled out of control… or had the truth finally surfaced?
“You lunatics…” Qi Xia lowered his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes. “You just never stop…”
“Every path lies before you. How will you choose?” Qinglong threw his head back and laughed. “Hahaha! This is too entertaining! Even ‘Heavenly Dragon’ isn’t entirely useless—at least he’s given me seventy years of amusement.”
Gritting his teeth, Qi Xia looked up—only to find Qinglong had vanished.
Xu Liunian quickly stepped out of the car and moved beside Qi Xia.
“Qi Xia… what do we do now…?”
Qi Xia’s mind felt tangled. Qinglong had revealed so much, yet his thoughts only grew more chaotic.
…
Chen Junan and Qiao Jiajin stumbled along the road, their faces drained of color, their bodies pushed to the limit.
“Lao… Lao Qiao…” Chen Junan gasped for air, his vision darkening.
“What’s up…”
Qiao Jiajin clutched his ribs, his brow furrowed.
The two had been running nonstop for nearly two hours, their legs moving purely by inertia.
“Just… admit defeat already…” Chen Junan wheezed. “I won’t… laugh at you…”
“Huh…?” Qiao Jiajin kept moving, barely pausing. “We agreed… whoever gives up is a loser…”
“Come on… don’t…” Chen Junan bent over, clutching his stomach as he gulped for air. He glanced back at the encroaching black line. “I can’t… die as a loser…”
“Then… keep running…” Qiao Jiajin forced himself to steady his breathing. “Stop… and you won’t start again…”
“Run my ass…”
Staggering forward, the two pushed themselves to their limits. Qiao Jiajin seemed to be holding up slightly better, constantly looking back at Chen Junan.
“Junanzai… you can’t stop… or you’ll die…”
“You think I want to…?” Chen Junan felt like every word drained the last of his breath, suffocating him. “I’m fine, Lao Qiao… don’t worry about me…”
Despite his insistence, death loomed large in Chen Junan’s mind.
They’d seen too many people fall to the black line during their desperate run. Chen Junan knew his chances were slim—and now, only one option remained.
Before he could act, a deafening sound erupted in the distance.
**”CLANG!!!”**
Already unsteady, the shockwave sent them reeling.
Qiao Jiajin staggered sideways, barely keeping his balance, while Chen Junan crashed to the ground.
“Junanzai! Get up!” Qiao Jiajin shouted once he steadied himself. “Why’d you fall for no reason?!”
Chen Junan winced in pain—he must’ve hit something hard. Qiao Jiajin, meanwhile, stared toward the source of the bell’s toll, the sound oddly familiar.
“I heard this during the ‘Paradise Outpost Siege’…”
“Screw it… I’m done!” Chen Junan rolled onto his back, panting heavily. “Thought things might be different after all this time… but nope…”
Qiao Jiajin caught his breath and, before the black line reached them, grabbed Chen Junan’s arm. “No lying down! Come with me!”
Chen Junan was practically dragged to his feet—he hadn’t expected Qiao Jiajin to still have this much strength.
“Lao Qiao… were you waiting for me?” Chen Junan eyed him suspiciously. “How the hell are you still this strong?!”
“Shut up and move…” Qiao Jiajin shoved him forward. “We live or die together.”
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