Chapter 951: The Evil God
"I don't understand." Tianlong also lifted his head, staring at the sky with eyes that didn't truly exist. "What have I done?"
"Yu Nian'an." Qi Xia pointed at the sun hanging in the sky. "Even in my dream, you tried to grant me the most intense despair. You hung Yu Nian'an up there—what else do you have to say?"
Tianlong paused slightly upon hearing this, then turned his head to look at Qi Xia. After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "Aries... how strange."
"What?"
"Haven't you recovered all your memories?" Tianlong mused. "You're trying to bluff me?"
Qi Xia frowned slightly, feeling as though something barely perceptible had flashed through his mind.
"Aries, I am the 'Artifact,' the 'Crafted Object,' as well as the 'Dream Weaver.'" Tianlong said. "And you are 'Endless Vitality.' Tell me—between the two of us, who is more likely to have created this grotesque spectacle made of flesh and blood?"
"What—"
Seeing Qi Xia's expression, Tianlong seemed to confirm some suspicion in his own mind. He sighed and said in a low voice, "Aries, do you think she is afraid of me?"
"Otherwise...?"
"If she fears me... why is she unwilling to turn her gaze toward you?" Tianlong asked again. "And last time, when she looked at you, her eyes were full of panic—what was the reason for that?"
Qi Xia's eyes slowly widened, feeling as though the situation was slipping out of control.
Tianlong let out a sigh. "Aries, what you're about to see and what I'm about to say might completely overturn your current understanding. I advise you to prepare yourself mentally."
With that, he glanced back at the room, then moved his mind slightly and waved his hand.
*Dong!*
A strange sound of bones colliding rang out.
Qi Xia looked down at the skeletal giant bell in the square outside the window. Its body swayed violently, as if it was about to shatter itself. Meanwhile, the "screen" beneath the bell trembled, and countless dark blue-black blood vessels began to writhe, finally spelling out four barely distinguishable characters on the screen—
"Artifact," "Crafted Object."
Tianlong, standing beside the fleshy chair Qi Xia had created, used his "Crafted Object" ability to construct a new chair. A piece of scrap wood materialized out of thin air, and under invisible carving, it gradually took the shape of an old-fashioned armchair.
Seeing Qi Xia's silence, Tianlong waved his hand toward the window. Something suddenly rose from the blood-red street.
Qi Xia looked down. In the middle of the road, a lush green tree had sprouted.
This verdant tree, full of leaves, stood out strikingly against the pulsating, fleshy street.
"You should have realized this last time," Tianlong said. "What material do the things I create with my ability—are they made of flesh and blood?"
Without waiting for Qi Xia's answer, Tianlong walked to the window and stood beside him. "Aries, this city of flesh and blood in your heart... did I build it? Which of the bizarre things in this city came from me?"
"You—"
"Aries." Tianlong continued. "I granted you a real dream. It was you who shaped your own world into this. You didn't just need me to help you build this dream—you also needed me to help you destroy it with my own hands. Only then could you rebuild it with flesh and blood without hindrance. Am I right?"
Qi Xia slowly lifted his head. Fragments of forgotten memories began to flood into his mind.
"To make yourself sink into the deepest despair and gain the strongest power, you subconsciously turned me into a demon," Tianlong said. "Just like I've been asking you all along—what is the point of our mutual slaughter? We could have coexisted peacefully. We could have left together. But instead, you've always treated me as your greatest enemy. You deliberately planted fear and hatred of me in your heart, and even sought to eliminate me from this place. Am I right?"
"I—"
"In this way, all the suffering you endured in 'Peach Blossom Land' could be blamed on me. I am the most formidable imaginary enemy you yourself created. Coincidentally, Azure Dragon had long seen through this idea of yours, so he began to fan the flames along with your thoughts, gradually molding me in your mind into an unforgivable and tyrannical evil god. Right?"
"Impossible..." Qi Xia's face was full of hesitation. "You know best what you've done."
"Aries, you're still deceiving yourself," Tianlong said. "If it weren't to avoid seeing me, why would you abandon sleep? This is your strongest mental defense. And there's even Yu Nian'an, this 'Dream Guardian,' who makes it impossible for me to do anything to you. Yet you still avoid sleep. Because deep down, you know better than anyone—once you see me a few times, all the truth will come to light. Right?"
Qi Xia gradually felt dizzy, and the entire room trembled slightly.
"You think we took your wife away. But where did that 'wife' come from? You think I turned her into the sun in your heart. But where did that 'sun' come from? You think the rules here oppress everyone. But where did those 'rules' come from? You think this broken, scarred place is full of deadly games—Aries, tell me again. Those most deadly games... where did they come from?"
Tianlong's consecutive questions left Qi Xia momentarily stunned. At that moment, the flesh and blood in the room began to recede, returning to its original form.
"You will only grow more afraid of me, more hateful toward me, until your despair fills your heart and your strength becomes great enough to kill me. Then you will transform into the 'ruler' of this place," Tianlong continued. "Every assumption I've just stated—am I right?"
"Stop talking..." Qi Xia slowly lowered his head, his expression unreadable.
The entire room at this moment gradually shed its fleshy appearance and returned to normal.
"Between the two of us, who is the true 'evil god' here?" Tianlong turned around, his featureless face seemingly full of sorrow. "Even standing here right now, your heart is still filled with murderous intent. But all I've ever wanted is for you to let go of all this and leave this place with me."
As Tianlong spoke, he looked at the walls around them. The entire room had recovered, no longer stained by flesh and blood. The last sanctuary in Qi Xia's heart had returned to its original state.
Tianlong had just let out a sigh of relief when, in the next second, the floor of the room began to flip over once more. Countless flesh and blood surged and spread out wildly.
"Close one..." Qi Xia said slowly, head still lowered. "That was really close..."
"You—"
"Tianlong, if it weren't for that last sentence of yours, I almost believed your lies."