Chapter 1106: Retreat
It seemed as if Qinglong hadn't heard Zheng Yingxiong's words at all. He was simply staring blankly into the sky.
Something felt wrong.
A strange fragment of memory had inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
In this memory, he was standing at the "front of the train" with Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan, the three of them panting as they spoke.
The next second, Qiao Jiajin seemed poised to lunge at something. It wasn't him, nor was it Tianlong. It was something else entirely.
But Qinglong couldn't remember what Qiao Jiajin had lunged at. All he remembered was wanting to stop him.
Not far away, Tianlong still lay sleeping, his hand gently propping up his cheek, his expression calm.
Qinglong rapidly searched through the beginning and end of this memory in his mind, but he still couldn't recall why he had ended up at the "front of the train" with those two.
Could this be some kind of illusion...?
Qinglong knew it wasn't strange for someone in the "Land of the End" to be able to control illusions. After all, the train itself had specialized "Illusionists," who constantly shaped the eyeballs into "Paths."
But it was highly unusual for someone to directly implant an illusion into his own mind. That was far too suspicious.
Had someone nearby activated a "Resonance"?
Qinglong turned and scanned the massive room. Apart from the few people before him who were unable to move, there were also two corpses.
One was Zhang Shan. The other was Dilong.
The two lay far apart on the ground, both appearing to be completely dead.
He roughly knew the "Resonances" of everyone present... So then, this illusion...
"`Heart-Seizer` has really disappeared!" Zheng Yingxiong shouted again, seizing the moment Qinglong was distracted.
Only then did Qinglong snap back to reality. A sense of dread flashed through his mind, and he immediately began to re-concentrate his will.
But in that very instant, Xuanwu reached out and clenched his heart.
The moment his heart was seized, Qinglong's willpower wavered violently. In the next second, the `Heart-Seizer` that had bound everyone instantly dissipated.
As soon as he regained control of his body, Qi Xia quickly surveyed the scene. All the "doors" had vanished, leaving only a few "Doors of Escape" leading out of the venue.
A direct confrontation with Qinglong was not an option now. They had to leave him to Xuanwu for the time being.
In Qi Xia's eyes, it didn't matter whether Qinglong or Xuanwu was gravely wounded here. This was only the beginning of the plan.
More attacks targeting the two of them would follow.
Perhaps, for everyone in the "Land of the End," the signal for the plan to begin was the "destruction of the giant bell."
But for Qi Xia himself, the signal was the "death of Dilong."
From the moment Dilong died, everything officially entered a countdown. Now, this giant wheel of rebellion was officially set in motion, crashing towards an iceberg. Either the mountain would be destroyed, or the ship would sink. No one could turn back.
"Prepare to evacuate," Qi Xia said, turning to the others.
Everyone understood. They began moving towards the doors marked for "Escape."
Before Xuanwu could even extract his heart, Qinglong vanished from his spot and instantly reappeared behind her, seemingly aiming to strike at a weakness.
Xuanwu was startled. She immediately vanished and reappeared in the same spot, twisting her body around in a single breath. Facing Qinglong, she raised a hand to block his attack.
Watching the two of them fight like immortals locked in battle, everyone could only suppress their anxiety and keep moving towards the "doors."
But Xuanwu and Qinglong were too fast. Before everyone could get close to the "doors," Xuanwu had already taken a step back. She reached out, and in her empty hand materialized a heart—one that seemed to have been deprived of blood for a long time, now a sickly bluish-black.
"Cough..."
Qinglong immediately spat a large mouthful of blood onto the ground, his head slowly drooping.
Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but stop in their tracks. This development was unexpected.
Had Xuanwu... killed Qinglong?
Was this really not a dream?
It wasn't until Xuanwu crushed the heart in her hand and then dropped it on the ground with a wet *splat* that they realized it was no dream.
Xuanwu had extracted Qinglong's heart.
"Old Qi... did... did you foresee this...?" Chen Junnan asked.
Qi Xia's expression remained grim as he hurriedly urged everyone, "Don't stop! Move!"
"Huh...?"
No sooner had he spoken than Qinglong immediately lifted his head, his face twisted in utter madness. He shot towards Xuanwu like a bullet, unleashing a devastating attack with all his might.
*BOOM.*
Xuanwu used every ounce of strength to block Qinglong's charging body. She was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the massive display screen.
She smashed right through it. The screen shattered instantly, sending countless fragments and the "words" beneath it flying everywhere like fireworks.
The once relatively orderly "Cangjie Chess" venue was instantly reduced to a state of desolate ruin, like a battlefield. Xuanwu continued hurtling towards a wall on the far side, slamming into it with tremendous force, punching a deep crater into the entire surface.
"Fuck..." Chen Junnan muttered, running towards the "door" with lingering fear in his voice. "Just what the hell is that old bastard Qinglong made of...? Can he survive having his heart ripped out?"
Qiao Jiajin kept looking back as well. No one in the world could survive losing a heart. What was wrong with Qinglong?
As he ran, Qiao Jiajin's footing faltered. He seemed to have stepped on something, slipping and nearly falling.
He quickly steadied himself and looked down. He had stepped on a "word."
`Shi` (Scholar/Knight).
Acting on some inexplicable impulse, he bent down and picked up this "word." A strange feeling tugged at his heart.
"Old Qiao! Run!" Chen Junnan called out. "If that old bastard comes to his senses, we're dead."
"Jun Nan... this 'word'..."
"`Shi`?" Chen Junnan paused, looking at the object in Qiao Jiajin's hand. "Isn't that the one Zhang Shan had?"
At that moment, Qiao Jiajin realized what that lingering feeling in his heart was.
It was the promise he made with Zhang Shan—to look upon the heavens and the earth together.
He pocketed the "word" and, without looking back, left the place.
Several people dashed through the "Door" marked for "Escape," only to find a solitary "door" standing not far away.
That door led back to the "Land of the End."
"You go first!" Qi Xia said. "I need to wait a bit longer."
"What..." Chen Junnan was stunned. "What are you waiting for, Old Qi? If you stay here, you're dead!"
"Now is not the time," Qi Xia said. "Find a way to scatter. The entire 'Land of the End' is about to descend into chaos. Until we get back to the 'train,' don't trust a single 'Divine Beast' or 'Zodiac.' We'll rendezvous at the giant bell."
"Don't trust any 'Divine Beasts' or 'Zodiacs'...?" Chen Junnan clearly didn't understand. "Old Qi... what do you mean?"
"Because I told a colossal lie," Qi Xia said. "I've fooled them all."
(The next chapter is being written. Will be posted a bit later.)