Chapter 1312: Change of Heart
Xiao Ran stared at the bare wall, her mind gradually going blank.
This "door" she had been pounding on... was just a useless decoration?
Then why had those women been gathered around it just moments ago, staring at it?
That meant Azure Dragon was never in this room. He had already left?
Countless questions swirled in Xiao Ran's mind, but at this moment, no one could give her any answers.
She was trapped deep within the room by her own enormous mass of flesh and bone, unable to move. Yet she had no time to contemplate her own predicament—her thoughts were consumed with searching for Azure Dragon.
After only a few seconds of thought, an inexplicable sense of loss began spreading through her heart. It felt like being abandoned by someone, and at the same time, like the failure of an unrequited love.
When it came down to it, what had caused her to end up like this?
Wasn't it all for that Azure Dragon?
Because of his words, she had turned into something like a monster. And because of his words, she had crossed through that strange space to return and see him.
But that meeting felt like a reunion in a television drama—always blocked by countless obstacles.
Xiao Ran's sense of loss peaked at this moment, but she realized she had no way back.
If she couldn't rely on Azure Dragon now, her only fate was death.
With no other options, the loss in her heart gradually transformed into a wisp of stubborn obsession that refused to dissipate.
Just wanting to meet him... how could it be this difficult?
Once Azure Dragon saw her, he would know how much effort she had put in to help him.
Then she would gain Azure Dragon's complete trust and become the second most important figure in the entire "Land of the End."
Xiao Ran kept murmuring Azure Dragon's name as her "giant" hand continued to press down on the "ants" within the room.
The "ants" had no idea what was in front of them. They only sensed that the "eyeball" was nearby, but blocked by some strange, enormous force.
"Azure Dragon... don't worry..." Xiao Ran said with a bitter smile, "I'll definitely find a way... wait for me... I'll help you... You'll need me."
That said, Xiao Ran could no longer move as quickly as before. She was stuck, sinking deeper into her own flesh and bone.
Two of the "ants," relying on their powerful physical bodies, charged recklessly and slipped through the gaps between Xiao Ran's fingers. They stopped at the doorway, reached out, and touched the blurry barrier in front of them.
It was warm and pulsing, like massive flesh and blood. The two of them sensed each other's presence and began tapping secret signals on one another, communicating about the situation.
They felt this bizarre thing might be a rare "Celestial-level" entity, so it couldn't be killed alone. They needed to mobilize more "ants."
...
Azure Dragon, Qiao Jiajin, and Zhang Shan stood in the center of the room at the very front of the "engine."
A sea of blood had nearly covered the pure white room. The walls and floor were all painted red.
Even the apple tree in the center of the room had blood dripping from every leaf. The room was silent, save for the rhythmic drip-drop of blood hitting the floor.
The sheer amount of blood loss could have killed dozens of people, yet the three of them appeared completely unharmed.
They were merely pale-faced, looking somewhat exhausted.
Zhang Shan turned his head to look at Qiao Jiajin, feeling that Jiajin's habit of taking off his shirt before a fight really did have some merit. Right now, his own tattered clothes hung off him, soaked in blood, sticky and heavy—completely unsuitable for battle.
But stopping mid-fight to take off his shirt now would just be awkward.
Azure Dragon's sensations were even stranger. Under normal circumstances, fighting these two shouldn't have caused him such severe damage. But fragments of strange memories kept flying into his mind at random, and at other moments, his thoughts would become hazy and chaotic. These two states were like two ethereal swords, piercing into his brain from opposite directions.
And standing before him were two other, very real swords.
The ethereal swords attacked his spirit, while the real ones eroded his flesh.
It seemed that traps of death had been laid in all four directions—front, back, left, and right. One careless mistake, and he could be damned for eternity.
Zhang Shan shook the blood off his skin: "No wonder you've never been afraid of death. So you're also a 'Tian Xing Jian.'"
"So what's the situation now..." Azure Dragon let out a light snort. "The three of us, who can't die... are we going to fight here until the universe is destroyed?"
"Doesn't have to take that long, Little Greenie," Qiao Jiajin shook his head. "If you're really tired, you can surrender first. I'm OK with that."
"Damn," Zhang Shan laughed too. "I don't think it'll take that long either. After a while longer, our blood will fill this room. Then it'll just be a matter of who can hold their breath the longest."
"That actually makes some sense," Qiao Jiajin nodded. "In the end, it'll be about who drowns first. Little Greenie, how's your swimming?"
"Passable," Azure Dragon replied. "But I don't think we'll drag things out to that point. After all, I haven't used any 'Celestial Arts' yet. I've been fighting on like this just to test my own abilities."
"What a coincidence," Qiao Jiajin nodded. "The Swindler taught me a two-character mantra that I haven't used yet. Perfect for countering you."
Azure Dragon's expression darkened. He turned his head again toward the direction of the "door."
Just moments ago, he could still hear faint rustling sounds from outside the "door." But after one short, sharp knock, all sounds from outside had vanished completely. Even his "Spiritual Hearing" couldn't pick up anything.
He only hoped that no foolhardy thing would dare to touch that "door." Otherwise, things would get troublesome.
So who had knocked on the door just now?
That one, short knock had sent a wave of chaos crashing through his mind. It felt like even the most basic "Celestial Arts" were becoming a struggle.
"Seems like some stubborn, lingering ghost has latched onto me..." Azure Dragon looked coldly at the two of them. "I'll ask you one last time: Are you really not prepared to kill Tianlong right now?"
As his words fell, the ceiling began to slowly turn a dark gray, as if some ominous storm clouds were gathering.
"Even a 'Tian Xing Jian' might not withstand the attack I'm about to unleash." Azure Dragon's face was expressionless as he slowly raised his hand into the air. "If you choose to kill Tianlong now, I'll let bygones be bygones."
Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin both looked up at the cloud-covered, lightning-streaked ceiling.
Was this really something a body of flesh and blood could withstand?
Even if they wanted to dodge, where could they hide?
"Tattooed kid... what do you say?" Zhang Shan asked, gazing at the thunder in the sky.
"Big guy, if one of us gets struck, the other will take fatal damage too," Qiao Jiajin replied in a low voice. "So no matter who gets hurt, your 'Tian Xing Jian' could indirectly fail."
"Damn, so what are you suggesting?"
"Big guy, let's go kill Tianlong together."
"Huh?"
"What else can we do?" Qiao Jiajin said seriously. "Are we really just going to stand here and let that heavenly lightning come crashing down? I can't take that. Come on, let's go kill Tianlong."