Chapter 1328: A Shift into Despair
What... is this... thing...?
Staring at the hundreds of rings, Qing Long felt the "Faith" within him almost completely collapse.
Countless questions began to ravage his mind.
Why is a "ring" called a "growth ring"?
How could a tree only seventy-odd years old be packed with hundreds of rings?
He had planted this tree with his own hands. He had lived through those years himself.
What could have caused this strange phenomenon...?
If this tree were truly hundreds of years old, how could it be this thin?
These numerous rings crowded the cross-section like coiled paper scrolls, and at first glance, even the color of the trunk seemed darker.
A thought that had never once occurred to him now surfaced clearly in his mind—
Could there be something wrong with the time *he* had experienced?
It was as if someone had deceived him. Or perhaps someone had been controlling him.
No... or rather... had someone tampered with this tree?
But who possessed the heaven-defying power to tamper with a tree right under his and Tian Long's noses?
He felt his mind was a chaotic mess. At this moment, not only had the "Soul Snatcher" vanished without a trace, but even the thunderclouds in the sky were gradually receding.
He felt a kind of fear—a fear born from his complete ignorance of the current situation.
"This is wrong..." Qing Long murmured. "The situation is completely out of our control... Tian Long... Wake up quickly..."
The other three watched Qing Long's bizarre behavior, once again falling into confusion. The situation was out of Qing Long's control... but it was also beyond theirs.
So, towards what direction was this developing?
Although Chu Tianqiu was utterly baffled, he felt that Qiao Jiajin's "trump card" seemed to have actually had some effect. Seizing the moment, he once again dashed towards Tian Long.
Qing Long, almost completely mad, kept shouting "Wrong!" Just as Chu Tianqiu was about to reach the steps, Qing Long raised both hands high and slammed them down onto the ground beneath his feet.
「BOOM」!!
Large cracks split the floor, spreading to the feet of the three. They all wobbled unsteadily. Chu Tianqiu, tripped by the crevices, nearly fell flat on his face.
"Tian Long..." Qing Long said, his eyes wide. "This is wrong... The situation is out of control... Tian Long... Wake up!!"
Beneath the stunned gazes of the three, Qing Long raised his hands again and violently pounded the floor.
「BOOM」!!
The room shook violently once more. Even Tian Long, sitting on the steps, swayed from side to side.
Amidst the colossal noise, Tian Long frowned slightly, as if on the verge of opening his eyes at any moment.
The current situation left Qing Long helpless. Not only had he lost all his "Immortal Arts," but he was also completely unable to fathom what his decades of experience truly meant.
This was the first time he had ever felt such panic.
He had once believed himself the ruler governing the entire "Peach Blossom Spring." Now, he felt he knew nothing about it.
He knew he had to wake Tian Long. It truly felt like something bad was about to happen.
"Tian Long... WAKE UP!!"
Seeing him about to pound the ground again, Qiao Jiajin leaped in front of Qing Long, extending his arms to block his hands.
But Qing Long's strength at this moment was astonishing.
Though his body still bore unhealed wounds, his hands descended like falling meteors, carrying the force of Qiao Jiajin's resistance along with them, and slammed into the ground.
「BOOM」!!
Qiao Jiajin was thrown to the ground by the terrifying force. In that instant, he realized that cutting down that tree wasn't a "trump card"—
It was more like a "death warrant."
If he had known Qing Long would try to wake Tian Long after seeing that tree... would he have chosen this plan?
So, what attitude should he take when cooperating with Qi Xia...?
When you trust him, you unwittingly find him deceiving you. When you think he is a liar, he acts as if he's helping you.
Through these countless cycles of deception and trust, Qiao Jiajin could only hold fast to his own heart.
He lived in this world to repay debts of gratitude and avenge wrongs, yet until now, he hadn't accomplished either.
"Tian Long!! WAKE UP!!"
Qiao Jiajin didn't know how to stop this crazed beast now. He could only roll his body, using it to cushion Qing Long's fists.
He knew he had always been slow-witted, but at this moment, if he could just delay a little longer... even for a few seconds, wouldn't that be enough for Tianqiu to reach Tian Long?
Qing Long paid no attention to Qiao Jiajin beneath him. He simply drove his fist down onto Qiao Jiajin's body.
「BOOM」!!
The fist landed on Qiao Jiajin's chest, producing a huge, terrifying sound. Qiao Jiajin spewed a mouthful of blood, staining his own face crimson.
Chu Tianqiu struggled to keep his balance in the violently shaking room. His knees were scraped raw and bloody; he stumbled with every step as he climbed the stairs.
"Tian Long!!" Qing Long, seemingly possessed, struck again at Qiao Jiajin's chest. Qiao Jiajin had no strength left to resist.
Seeing this, Zhang Shan quickly flew over to strike Qing Long, but Qing Long was now like a stone pillar. No matter what attack landed on him, it had no effect.
His hair disheveled, Qing Long stopped trying to heal any injuries, instead channeling all his "Faith" into pure strength.
「BOOM」!!
Chu Tianqiu stumbled again amidst the deafening roar, but he knew he could not stop.
Perhaps, after all these years, he was the only "participant" ever to stand on these steps—
Tian Long was right in front of him!
He pulled out the "Dream Entry" from his pocket and crushed it ruthlessly in his mouth. His own consciousness began to blur and waver.
He had never tried swallowing so many eyeballs at once. For a second, time itself seemed to slow down.
Then, focusing all his remaining willpower to maintain his sanity, he reached out his right hand towards Tian Long. But the room began shaking wildly again. The distance between their hands remained just a single palm-width away. The final step after seventy years was proving harder than any before it.
"For the sake of never having done anything evil in my life..." Chu Tianqiu gritted his teeth. "Couldn't I have things go smoothly for me just this once...?"
Tian Long's brows were tightly knit, his body swaying, as if on the verge of opening his eyes.
Amidst the violent tremors, that gap of one palm-width was finally closed.
Chu Tianqiu lightly touched Tian Long's fingertip.
A look of joy flashed across his face. Though this step was harder than any he had taken, he had done it.
What a perilous and interminable step!
A mere mortal, touching the supreme "God" of this place.
Chu Tianqiu instinctively looked up. The plan was on track. Now, if he could just immediately—
Before he could even finish his thought about the next move, he met Tian Long's gaze—eyes as deep and abyssal as hell itself.
Tian Long's eyes were open, staring directly at him.