Chapter 1310: The Path of Exile
"What's happening outside the door?" Qi Xia asked.
"It seems like something..." Chu Tianqiu recalled, saying, "There's an invisible thing spreading through the corridor. Everything it touches stops moving..."
Before the two could finish describing the situation outside, they looked up and saw the massive hole in the wall.
Chu Tianqiu and Tiantian fell silent before the gaping rift filled with stars.
"What... is this?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
Qi Xia's face darkened as he looked at the opening, then replied, "You could call it a door meant for 'exile.'"
"Exile..." Chu Tianqiu slowly walked to the edge of the hole and looked up at the vast starry sky. "So here... there's still a path of exile..."
"Never choose that path under any circumstances," Qi Xia murmured. "Is your side finished?"
"Yes." Chu Tianqiu nodded, then turned to look at Tiantian.
Although Tiantian was also shocked by the sight before her, her expression remained very serious. At this moment, it felt like saying anything would shatter the 'door' in her memory.
"I can replicate that 'door' immediately..." Tiantian said. "Where should I replicate it?"
Qi Xia pointed to the door of this room, then gestured toward the crack behind him. "Use the door of this room as raw material and replicate the new 'door' over the crack."
Tiantian nodded, walked up to the crack, and began to close her eyes in contemplation.
To remember that intricately patterned, complexly crafted door covered in countless textures, Tiantian had broken down its cracks and patterns into multiple sets of numbers stored in her mind. As long as she could recall all those numbers now, she could surely forge a completely identical door.
"Wait..." Chu Tianqiu suddenly thought of something and looked at Qi Xia, lowering his voice. "Using this room's 'door' as raw material to forge a new 'door'...?"
"What about it?" Qi Xia looked at him.
"Doesn't that mean we can't get out?" Chu Tianqiu turned to look at the 'door' behind him, feeling that something was off. "Then this room will only lead to Celestial Dragon's room, which sounds extraordinarily dangerous."
"No." Qi Xia said. "It only sounds dangerous, but this will become the safest room for a short time."
"The safest room for a short time..." Chu Tianqiu paused. "You mean those invisible things outside can't get in?"
"Right." Qi Xia nodded. "So this is both our method of escape and our means of attack."
"Alright..." Tiantian nodded. "In that case... I'll start forging."
As her words fell, the door of the room began to disappear piece by piece, revealing the wall behind it.
"Qi Xia..." Chu Tianqiu thought of something else. "Yun Yao and Zhang Chenze are on their way here... If there's no door..."
"It doesn't matter," Qi Xia said. "They have 'Mighty Fortune' to protect them; they'll find a way to survive. You need to worry about us. Once Tiantian finishes forging the 'door,' we have to find a way to invade Celestial Dragon's dream."
Hearing this, although Chu Tianqiu felt it was a bit strange, he could only nod. He took the only 'Dreamwalk' eyeball from his clothing and held it in his hand.
"Qi Xia..." Chu Tianqiu frowned. "You keep saying 'together.' I can use 'Dreamwalk,' but how exactly are you going to get into Celestial Dragon's dream?"
Qi Xia turned around, fixed his gaze on Chu Tianqiu, and replied, "Celestial Dragon has been looking for me all along. As long as I can fall asleep, he will surely enter my dream. Then you invade his dream, and the three of us will find a way to meet in the same dream."
"This..." Chu Tianqiu felt the situation growing increasingly absurd. "You're going to fall asleep here of all places..."
"Exactly." Qi Xia said. "You're not a specialized 'Dreamwalk,' so to ensure success, before Celestial Dragon wakes up, you must touch him first, making him continue to sleep in the dream, buying time for me to be invaded."
Chu Tianqiu was silent for a long time, then finally nodded. "Alright..."
"Remember, you must touch Celestial Dragon at all costs," Qi Xia said. "Even if you die, you must touch him. Otherwise, we won't have a follow-up."
...
"Sun."
Yan Zhichun, Jiang Ruoxue, and Lin Qin lay sprawled on the ground as if all their strength had been drained. They were completely unresponsive, their lives uncertain.
Zheng Yingxiong anxiously checked on their conditions beside them.
Celestial Dog realized that at some point, he could no longer hear Qi Xia's voice. The room Qi Xia was in seemed to have closed its door.
But before the door closed, Celestial Dog had clearly caught the so-called "Divine Deception," "The End is Near," and "No Survivors." Even Celestial Dog began to hesitate after hearing such ominous words.
No one survives?
Then what about himself?
He had clearly heard Qi Xia guarantee that as long as he could help bring about this "Madness Moment," Qi Xia would not lay a hand on him, and he would also ensure that Celestial Dragon and Azure Dragon wouldn't touch him either...
As a "Heaven Grade," with so many high-level figures refraining from attacking him, what reason did he have for not surviving?
Although the "Participants" before him had been severely victimized, even if they wanted to resent someone, it would be Qi Xia, Azure Dragon, or Celestial Dragon—after all, even that child had proven that he wasn't lying.
Wait—did Qi Xia not know that these words would also reach his ears?
He turned to look at the distant ground of "Sun." The air was already distorting, and countless transparent strands were pouring into the "Train." The "Madness Moment" had begun. Now, even if he knew he had been deceived, there was no way to stop the moment.
That meant Qi Xia might have lied...? He never intended to guarantee his survival...
"No... I should still trust him..." Celestial Dog hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth tightly. "I have no other choice..."
He knew that if he didn't act, he would die. Acting might still give him a chance to live. In this situation, there was simply no better option.
"Is that enough?" Earth Dog suddenly spoke up expressionlessly, startling Celestial Dog.
"Huh...?" Celestial Dog snapped back to reality. "Yes... the 'Madness Moment' has been activated... everything he asked me to do is basically..."
"Then the rest of the plan can be executed accurately, right?" Earth Dog continued. "Your role is completely spent."
Hearing Earth Dog's words, Celestial Dog felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around extremely slowly to face him. "What do you mean...?"
"Oh." Earth Dog replied nonchalantly. "I just wanted to confirm—if you die now, it won't affect what others have to do, especially Qi Xia's plan."
"What are you going to do?" Celestial Dog took a step back.
Not far away, Zheng Yingxiong seemed to sense something wrong and also retreated a little.
"Revenge." Earth Dog answered without concealment. "You once used your 'Spiritual Hearing' to expose an Earth Dog, and she was my teacher."