Qinglong left just as he had arrived, on his own terms.
The fragile connection between us, as thin as a cicada’s wing, mirrored our cooperation—he came and went as he pleased.
All I could do was exhaust every effort to keep up with the rest of them, never daring to slack for even a moment.
Qinglong’s words forced me to re-examine Qixia’s abilities with fresh eyes—
The horror of “Endless Life” far surpassed anything I had imagined.
When Qixia was in “Echo,” his thoughts became the “Creator God.” This relationship was no longer as simple as “he believes I am still alive.”
Given our nature of dying every ten days, Qixia could even “create” new identities for us.
If he believed I was a “participant,” then in the next rebirth, I would inevitably be a “participant.”
If he believed I was a “Zodiac,” then the next time, I would appear as a “Zodiac.”
Just as Qinglong had said, if Qixia “echoed” enough times, this place would one day become orderly under the weight of his thoughts.
If he believed “Tianlong” was the “Supreme One” here, then Tianlong, as the “Supreme One,” would manifest.
The more Qixia feared Tianlong, the stronger Tianlong would become.
What a terrifying coincidence… that “Endless Life” should collide with “Endless Cycle.”
From the moment these two traits met, one plus one equaled infinity, and each of us gained endless possibilities.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine a solution for Qixia—how could a human possibly control their own subconscious?
After a few minutes of contemplation, I realized I was overthinking it.
My intelligence and mental capacity weren’t enough to process so many things at once…
Since the goal was to exploit Qixia either way, was there a chance I could approach it from two angles simultaneously?
First, I would follow Qinglong’s suggestion and do everything in my power to plant the idea of a “Wen Qiaoyun” in Qixia’s subconscious.
Thanks to Qixia’s “Echo” trait, this would be an abstract process.
What Qinglong wanted wasn’t truly a “Wen Qiaoyun.” Frankly, as long as Qixia could create someone stronger than himself—regardless of gender, appearance, or background—that person would be “Wen Qiaoyun.”
To Qinglong, “Wen Qiaoyun” was just a codename, not a real person.
If this plan succeeded, Qixia’s ability would become a bone-scraping blade for Qinglong. Qixia himself was no god, but he could create a “god.” That was the essence of “Endless Life.”
On the other hand, I would pave my own path.
I *had* to find a way to tell Qixia, “I come from hell.”
I needed his subconscious to send “me” out.
I couldn’t spend eternity trapped here as a reincarnating “participant.” I had to live outside as Xu Liunian, the one “from hell.”
Was there even the slightest chance… that one of my “copies,” influenced by Qixia, would escape to the outside world—retaining all my memories of the “Ending Land”—and then do everything in her power to seek help from higher authorities, ultimately freeing this place?
Would the real “gods” ever intervene in this mess?
No, there was an even thornier issue to address…
How would *she* prove that *I* hadn’t escaped?
My mind short-circuited, and I rubbed my temples. The “Ending Land” had always been like this—built upon countless paradoxes. Without extraordinary thinking, it was impossible to navigate with mere intellect.
Was this cold, overworked sensation in my head what Qixia and Chu Tianqiu experienced every day?
They maneuvered through this place with their wits, paving one path after another.
I steadied myself and carefully considered the feasibility of my plan.
Suppose a version of “me” really did resurrect in the real world after ten days—how would she prove that everything before wasn’t just a dream? How would she prove another “me” was still trapped in this cycle?
This was far more difficult than I’d imagined.
*I* knew I was here, but *she* would believe she was outside.
Theoretically, due to the information gap, we would never intersect, never achieve tactical unity.
She couldn’t come in. I couldn’t get out. Neither of us could prove the other’s existence.
In other words, even if one “me” escaped in the next cycle, another “me” would still remain here, suffering the cycle.
Wait a minute…
As this realization struck, my eyes widened, and a chilling dread crawled over my skin.
My thoughts erupted like a volcano, but instead of spewing molten lava, it unleashed an icy terror.
There was an even more horrifying possibility!
What if the scenario I just described had *already* happened?
What if it had already happened to *everyone*?
We came from different “timelines,” but “timelines” were infinite.
Could it be that…
Every ten days, one version of “us” escaped, returning to a normal “timeline,” living a normal life—believing they had truly broken free, never looking back?
They thought this nightmare was over, that no further surprises awaited.
But they didn’t know… no matter how many times they escaped, a twisted copy would remain here, inheriting the memories of “not escaping,” doomed to cycle endlessly.
We were the orphans abandoned by the universe, the most tragic of all copies.
I cursed myself for not understanding “Endless Life” sooner—I might have unraveled this sooner.
In this world, some “live,” while others “never cease.”
“How do I prove *I* haven’t escaped…?”
My entire body trembled uncontrollably. How absurd… yet it explained everything.
No wonder no one came to save me…
No wonder Qinglong said, “The real you disappeared long ago.”
I had no way to prove whether “I” had truly escaped, and the “me” who escaped had no way to prove another version was still trapped here.
We were like two parallel lines in three-dimensional space, shooting off in different directions every ten days.
With this hypothesis, I felt myself on the verge of collapse.
For seventy years, I had struggled, fought to survive here—I thought I was the luckiest one.
After all, I hadn’t vanished into dust. I was still active in the “Ending Land.” How could that be misfortune?
Yet unbeknownst to me, for seventy years, I might have been the one left behind *every single time*—not lucky, but the most tragic of all.
God… I’m really about to break…
Is there *any* way to stop this?
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