Chapter 1326: The Trump Card
As Chu Tianqiu entered, the three people inside the arena were locked in a fierce battle.
Qinglong's expression grew increasingly manic. He knew he had clearly killed that woman, yet the conviction of his "Heart-Snatcher" remained unstable.
Before him were two top-tier fighters as well; a single moment of carelessness would leave him wounded again.
The devastating impact that woman had caused didn't seem to have dissipated with her death. Could it really be, as she said before she died... that even as a ghost, she would continue this terrifying curse?
After multiple experiments teetering on the brink of life and death, Qinglong discovered that his "Heart-Snatcher" now seemed only useful for self-preservation.
Whenever he used "Heart-Snatcher" at a critical moment, it could block an opponent's attack. But when he tried to use it to kill the other two, it became sluggish and stumbling.
Perhaps only in the instant of his own near-death could he break through the shackles that woman had left behind, reaching the peak of "conviction." But what good would that do?
In this bizarre state, the battle dragged on for a full minute or two without a decisive outcome.
Then, in that tense moment, all three heard the door inside the room make a clicking sound.
They turned to look and found Chu Tianqiu walking in through the wall that had already become a doorframe.
Seeming to know he couldn't approach Tianlong unnoticed, he stopped pretending and simply stood there openly.
Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin didn't understand why Chu Tianqiu had come through a door with no passage, but they knew he wasn't an enemy, so they could only continue trying to stall Qinglong.
"You..." Qinglong furrowed his brow. Too many unexpected things had happened today, and his premonition of doom had reached its peak.
"Relax." Chu Tianqiu stared at Qinglong. "You're not my target."
Qinglong's eyes widened slowly at these words. "Not you...?"
"You two keep fighting. I'm going to find Tianlong." Chu Tianqiu dropped the words casually, then walked toward the stairs.
"Wait...!" Qinglong shouted with hesitation in his voice. "You can't attack Tianlong now... I need some time to prepare..."
Zhang Shan flashed in front of Qinglong. "But you don't have time to prepare."
Watching the fist hurtling toward him like a missile, Qinglong activated "Heart-Snatcher" again, freezing Zhang Shan in place for an instant. Then he shot forward, ignoring Zhang Shan, and aimed a flying kick at Chu Tianqiu instead.
Chu Tianqiu's brows knitted tightly. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and was knocked back several steps with a loud crash. Somehow, he managed to block Qinglong's full-force attack.
Only then did Qinglong realize that all three people in this room were practitioners of "Tianxingjian."
Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin naturally had no intention of giving Qinglong a moment to breathe. Seeing him distracted by Chu Tianqiu, they both charged at him from behind.
"What kind of... joke is this..." Qinglong slowly lowered his head. "The spearhead was never aimed at Tianlong from the start, but at me..."
Chu Tianqiu also sensed that Qinglong seemed to be entering a state of crumbling "conviction." Although he wasn't skilled in combat, he gritted his teeth and punched Qinglong in the chest.
The three of them attacked from three different directions, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Qinglong.
But just as their blows were about to land on him, "Heart-Snatcher" activated again.
All three of their limbs stopped moving, frozen stiff in place.
"What an... absurd and reckless decision..." Qinglong gritted his teeth, his expression mad and frenzied. "I'll make all of you regret opposing me. If both Tianlong and I are going to be gravely wounded anyway... then I'll drag every single one of you down with me. After all, as long as Tianlong still has a single breath left... I won't die..."
Massive dark clouds began to gather on the ceiling. Qinglong no longer seemed to care about Tianlong's safety—he wanted to blow up the entire room.
Perhaps the "Thunderstrike" was consuming too much of his conviction. For a moment, even "Heart-Snatcher" began to waver, and the three gradually regained control over their bodies.
Chu Tianqiu struggled to lift his head and looked at the "Thunderstrike" in the sky. The situation now seemed completely out of control. His control over his own body came and went. Could he still reach Tianlong in this moment?
Qiao Jiajin also noticed the intermittent effects of "Heart-Snatcher" on himself. Sometimes his body felt like his own; other times, like a puppet.
If they didn't make a decision soon, Qinglong would kill everyone in the room. He didn't care whether he or Tianlong got hurt—he just wanted to end this rebellion.
He seemed to have gone completely mad.
Massive bolts of lightning began flashing across the ceiling, casting pale light onto the faces of everyone in the room.
Chu Tianqiu realized the gravity of the situation and quickly turned toward the door. Whether or not he could escape, he had to at least inform Qi Xia of what was happening.
But before he could even find a way to open the door, a tiny bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the doorframe with perfect accuracy.
*Crack.*
A crisp sound rang out. The doorframe fractured, and the entire room became a completely sealed space.
"Damn it..." Chu Tianqiu's expression darkened. He didn't know whether the so-called "plan" Qi Xia had devised would be disrupted by this crack.
After all, Tianlong, still in this room, and Qi Xia, now separated by two different spaces—could the "Dream Entry" connection still be established?
"Tianqiu bro." Qiao Jiajin stepped forward.
Chu Tianqiu snapped back to reality and turned to look at him.
"You go do what you gotta do. I'll handle this." Qiao Jiajin said. "I'm not smart. I won't change the plan halfway. We still have our own things to do... right?"
Chu Tianqiu stared with wide eyes, his expression complicated as he thought for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "Right."
"Leave it to me." Qiao Jiajin said. "I still have a trump card."
He moved his body with difficulty, then took a few deep breaths.
The "two-word mantra" that Qi Xia had once taught him surfaced in his mind. This might be the only way to break the current deadlock. But could he still trust Qi Xia at this moment...?
Qiao Jiajin hesitated.
Perhaps this was the first time he had ever shown hesitation in the face of one of Qi Xia's strategies.
Those two words weren't hard to understand, but in this moment, they felt eerily strange.
Qi Xia had said that if he ever found himself in a tough battle, he should try to "Cut the Tree."
"Cut the Tree." Such a straightforward plan?
Qiao Jiajin turned to look at the fruit tree in the center of the room. Even if he didn't cut it down, it would soon be reduced to dust by Qinglong's lightning, wouldn't it?
"In that case... I'll give it a try." Qiao Jiajin said with a light chuckle. "It's not like it takes much effort."
"Damn it, you finally ready to use that crappy trump card of yours?" Zhang Shan called out from not far away. "I thought you were gonna take it to the grave."
"Big guy, buy me ten seconds."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qiao Jiajin blasted toward the tree.
Qinglong sensed something was wrong and immediately turned around, only to realize that the man's target wasn't him at all.
It was... the *tree*?