Chapter 1088: God's Dream

Qi Xia frowned when he heard this, and leaned forward, his entire upper body now inside the *Men*. Then he whispered: "If you use *Tian Xing Jian* to kill me here, the only one who will succeed is Qing Long. To be honest, in this game, either you or I can win, but Qing Long cannot win."

At that moment, Chu Tianqiu realized why Qi Xia had "transported" him out here. But could their conversation really evade the ears of "Qing Long" and "Tian Gou"?

He glanced discreetly into the *Men*, and far up in the sky, Qing Long showed no signs of movement.

Chu Tianqiu took a step forward and said, "Qi Xia, are you sure about this? My ultimate goal is different from yours. If I board this ship... it could deal a devastating blow to you."

"'Devastating blow'?" Qi Xia found the phrase amusing. "Even I can't guarantee stopping this advancing ship now. If you want to strike, it would be even harder for you. Instead of striking me, turn that blow toward Tian Long."

Chu Tianqiu had no idea what Qi Xia was really thinking. Was he part of this plan too?

"Qi Xia... right now, I suddenly have an untimely thought," Chu Tianqiu said.

"What?"

"The path I'm on now... has it been influenced by you?"

Qi Xia didn't respond. He just stared coldly at Chu Tianqiu, his gaze seeming to provide the answer he sought.

"To be frank," Qi Xia said, "Chu Tianqiu, I need you to board the *Lie Che* with me."

"You..." Chu Tianqiu quickly grasped the issue. "But we're already on the *Lie Che*, aren't you aware of that?"

"We're on the *Lie Che*, but not at the core," Qi Xia explained. "Let me put it differently, Chu Tianqiu—I want you to go to the *Che Tou* with me."

"What...?" Chu Tianqiu tried to keep his voice down as he said, "Qi Xia... you..."

"Don't you want to become a *Shen*?" Qi Xia asked. "I'm giving you a chance to become a *Shen*."

"Give me a... chance?" Chu Tianqiu asked.

Qi Xia didn't answer right away. Instead, he said, "Has that *Ru Meng* been to *Tian Tang Kou*?"

Chu Tianqiu was still struggling to understand. "*Tian Tang Kou* did have a *Ru Meng* visit. What does that have to do with me becoming a *Shen*?"

"Did you get his eye?" Qi Xia asked. "If you get his eye, we can meet at the *Che Tou*. I'll take you to see the world through the eyes of a *Shen*."

"You... wait a minute." Chu Tianqiu suddenly understood what Qi Xia meant. "Right now, the *Che Tou* only has the sleeping Tian Long... Have you lost your mind...?"

"What about it?" Qi Xia asked. "Don't you want to know what kinds of dreams Tian Long has every day?"

"This isn't about 'what kinds of dreams'..." Chu Tianqiu frowned and said, "You should know that everyone's dreams depend on the strength of their psychological defenses. Ordinary people's dreams are unshakeable."

"So what?"

"With my current body, if I enter Tian Long's dream, even a gust of wind in there could reduce me to dust," Chu Tianqiu said. "If you're really going to do this, I suggest you bring that *Ru Meng* himself. I didn't kill him—I just had someone take his eye from his corpse. As the saying goes, the newborn calf doesn't fear the tiger; he doesn't know how terrifying Tian Long's dreams are, so he's the perfect one to send."

"No." Qi Xia shook his head. "It's precisely because he's too inexperienced that he can't handle this task."

"You..."

Chu Tianqiu stared intently into Qi Xia's eyes, feeling that this task was no different from a death sentence.

"You carry many *Huo Ying* and have exceptional intellect, making you more suited for this than anyone," Qi Xia said. "Don't you want to see the dreams of a *Shen*?"

"The dreams of a *Shen*..."

"You might be just one step away," Qi Xia said. "You want to become someone like him, but you don't want to know what he dreams about every day. Maybe his dreams could shatter the last chains that make you human."

Chu Tianqiu knew that in the past, it was always Tian Long who casually entered others' dreams. But now, for someone to enter Tian Long's dreams—what kind of mad scheme was this?

"What would I do in his dream?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "Is it really just to see what a *Shen* is thinking, as you said?"

"Of course not. I need you to find a way to create a crack in his dream," Qi Xia said. "This is a deal between you and me. If you agree, I'll clear the path for you to the *Che Tou*."

"What kind of 'deal' is this... " Chu Tianqiu stepped forward again and said, "I'd be killed by Tian Long in the dream... Why should I risk my life to check his dreams? And why would you risk your life to clear the path for me? This doesn't make sense..."

"This is your only chance, Chu Tianqiu," Qi Xia said. "You might never see the dreams of a *Shen* again. If you agree, I can enter Tian Long's dream with you."

"Wha..." Chu Tianqiu seemed confused by Qi Xia's logic. "You and I entering Tian Long's dream together...? How could you even get into his dream?"

"I'll find a way," Qi Xia said. "Chu Tianqiu, I won't hide it from you anymore—the path you're on has indeed been subtly influenced by me all along."

"You..."

"From the beginning, you saw my *Huo Ying* called 'Ling Wen'. You thought my existence was the key to everyone escaping this place, so you wrote, 'I absolutely must let Qi Xia gain the *Huo Ying*'." Qi Xia said. "But later, after your own investigations over many years, you uncovered the secret of *Sheng Sheng Bu Xi*, and wrote a second note. You believed that if I no longer *Huo Ying*, everyone could be freed."

Chu Tianqiu's eyes widened slowly as he listened. "What... you..."

"That's the time I truly respected you," Qi Xia said. "You uncovered the whole truth. You spent years figuring out why people vanish into ashes on the tenth day and what this 'reality' we return to really is... You investigated everyone's origins, their approximate abilities, and wrote them down with numbers. But you couldn't explain why we always end up back here."

Chu Tianqiu's gaze flickered, as if some wild idea was flooding into his mind. "... I think... I'm starting to remember..."

"You found that every illogical thing had a perfect explanation, except for this one," Qi Xia said. "You concluded that some powerful force was interfering with the *Zhong Yan Zhi Di*."