Chapter 546: The Return
To be honest, I didn't quite understand what Qinglong meant.
He had opened up a strange force field, making our conversation a secret. In other words, what he was about to say couldn't be known by anyone else.
But why would he want to drive a wedge between Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu?
Neither of them were bad people. If they joined forces, they would undoubtedly be unstoppable—not only could they stand before Tianlong again, but they might even be able to completely destroy this place.
"I don't quite understand," I said. "Qinglong... you want to destroy this place too, don't you?"
"Of course," Qinglong nodded. "But due to my identity, there are limits to what I can do. I can help others destroy this place, but I cannot do it myself."
Seeing my hesitation, he took a few steps and stood before me.
"Xu Liunian, you're already immortal, aren't you?" He reached up and smoothed his long hair. "So you're going to spend eternity reincarnating in a place like this? Don't you want to free yourself?"
"Qinglong, half of my immortality is thanks to you... But aren't you the same?"
"The same? But what difference is there between me and 'Tianlong'? We can't kill any 'participants'; we can only wait for them to one day come before us." Qinglong's face gradually revealed a despairing smile. "Rather than be overthrown by a bunch of mortals, it's better for us to take the initiative and destroy this place ourselves."
"But that's not what Tianlong thinks at all." I interrupted him. "'Tianlong' has always believed himself to be the 'god' of this place! How could he possibly agree to let you destroy it?"
"That's why I opened 'Silence'." Qinglong wore that expression again, the one I could never quite figure out. "Xu Liunian, do you remember the first time we met? Back then, you told me you weren't someone who had been escorted here, but rather a staff member responsible for the escort, and you were crying and begging me to send you out..."
Yes, I remember. I was very undignified back then, but I truly had no other choice.
This place was too terrifying. At first glance, it seemed like a paradise, but a second look revealed an abyss.
I had been responsible for escorting tens of thousands of people here, but after the mission was completed, I discovered there was no way out.
The sky here had turned blood-red over the decades, and every breath carried the powder of rotting flesh, making me feel like my internal organs were all clogged up.
Why did this happen?
I had arrived here following the train, so why was there no road back?
My superior couldn't have betrayed me, but what happened in the real world that cut off all our retreats?
To those outside, time in "Paradise" was frozen. Let alone being trapped here for decades, even if I were trapped for a thousand or ten thousand years... they would only think I had vanished for an instant.
How could they possibly come to save me?
Let alone enduring a thousand or ten thousand years here—I couldn't even last a hundred years.
Originally, my life should have ended at death, but it turned out to be a new beginning.
For the first time in my ordinary life, someone had placed their trust in me, and I had failed them. Now, to end all of this, I had to find a way to destroy this place.
Even if everyone here perished along with it, it didn't matter.
The "Plan" had already failed long ago.
"Tianlong" had lied. He had told a monumental lie.
"The Nuwa Game" had been abandoned by him. His ultimate goal was never to create a "Nuwa."
He didn't want to help my superior, his master, select a "god."
Instead, he wanted to become the "god" himself.
He had set up countless lies here, causing everyone who had been escorted here to choose the wrong goal. Everyone was rushing about, collecting all sorts of different things, and the "divine power" they obtained was only fleeting.
How could anyone escape a place like this?
What kind of powerful, all-powerful "god" would it take to break free from this shattered space established within a rift in time and space?!
Even someone as strong as Qinglong couldn't escape, especially since even the "Train" had stopped.
Our best possible ending was to die here.
If we could strive toward that goal, wouldn't everyone's death be somewhat heroic?
That way, my life wouldn't end up being too ordinary. It would count as doing what little I could for my superior.
I had personally escorted the people here, so if something went wrong, I should take responsibility.
"Qinglong," I called out in a low voice.
"What?"
"In all your time observing... do you think that among Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia, there will be someone who can ultimately destroy this place?"
"Funny you should mention it." Qinglong let out a light laugh. "The paths these two have chosen are completely different, but they both threaten Tianlong's position. 'Tianlong' and I cannot fight each other, so I can only use the hands of the participants to achieve my own goals."
"And have you thought it through...?" I took a deep breath. "If 'Tianlong' dies... what will happen to you?"
"I will vanish along with him." Qinglong said expressionlessly. "I'm tired. It's time to disperse."
I could truly see the desire for death in his eyes.
After thinking for a few seconds, I agreed to his request.
"In that case..." I steadied my breath and said, "I need something. And I'm afraid that in this 'Paradise,' only you can get it."
"Oh?" Qinglong glanced at me with an indifferent air. "Let me put it this way—aside from the heads of 'Tianlong' and the 'Divine Beasts,' there's nothing I can't get."
"That's perfect then... I need a few 'Earth-level' heads."
"'Earth-level' heads?" Qinglong thought for a few seconds after hearing this. "That's not difficult. I have quite a few 'Earth-level' heads from those who died for breaking the rules, but they're about to rot."
"That's fine." I shook my head. "I'll wait for you here. Put them in my cart when you bring them."
After parting ways with Qinglong, I rushed back to "Heaven's Mouth" without stopping, but it was already abandoned.
After asking around with a few participants who still had their memories, I learned that "Heaven's Mouth" had moved away from its original location, pushing eastward through the city, and had now set up its base in a school.
It seemed that Chu Tianqiu was still stubbornly sticking to his beliefs on the surface. He wanted to completely kill all the "Zodiacs" in this city.
"But I'm back now..." I murmured to myself. "Tianqiu, the path of the 'Natives' is a dead end..."
After walking for most of an afternoon, I finally arrived at the new "Heaven's Mouth."
It not only had a vast playground but also a teaching building four or five stories high.
Now, the glow of campfires was starting to appear in many of the classrooms, and the number of people still seemed considerable.
I wondered if Yun Yao was doing well?
I wondered if Zhang Shan and the others were okay?
I hadn't taken more than a few steps when I saw a young man I'd never met before standing at the school gate. He must have come to "Heaven's Mouth" after I did.
"Hello." The young man looked fair and clean, not like a bad person. "Do you need help?"
"Are you an 'Echoer'?" I asked.