Chapter 1105: If You Don't Believe, It Doesn't Exist

Qinglong knew the situation was a bit out of control, but how could he fix it now?

A smile slowly spread across Qixia’s face. "One 'mu' and one 'cun'... Qinglong... this is a mistake only you would make. No matter which 'participant', they wouldn't lose their life over such simple rules. Only you would, because you always despise the most fundamental rules. So, no matter what word I form, it doesn't matter; I've won this round."

At that moment, Chen Junnan seemed to realize something, his eyes widening slowly. "Damn... as soon as you mention 'the most fundamental rules', I get it—this third word of Xiao Shen's doesn't even include 'bing' at all."

"I see." Qiao Ji Jin nodded. "You're right! 稻草女, go get him—he broke the rules!"

"Two components..." Xuanwu had also figured it out. "The two components aren't right; there's no 'bing' in them at all."

Qinglong stood motionless, his face expressionless, as everyone wondered what he was thinking.

At that instant, Zheng Yingxiong suddenly sensed a vague idea in Qixia's mind. He furrowed his brow and turned to look at Qixia, who nodded slightly in response.

After a long pause, Qinglong slowly smirked. "So-called games... they really are a hassle."

Qixia frowned and stared at Qinglong without emotion. He knew that defeating Qinglong would take more than just one victory in a game; this was only a decent start.

"Qixia, I could easily reach out and smash you into pulp, yet here I am, lowering myself to outsmart you." Qinglong said, "This is truly a hassle..."

"It seems you've placed your bet too." Qixia replied. "If you win, you'll say you beat me through strategy. If you lose, you'll claim you lowered yourself. That's a clever way to wriggle out of it."

"Still being stubborn." Qinglong said, "Perhaps you don't realize how dangerous your situation is right now."

A thick wave of killing intent radiated from Qinglong, and Zheng Yingxiong, standing nearby, was choked by the scent of that "killing intent," making it hard to breathe. Before anyone could react, a cool voice rang out.

"Qinglong, you broke the rules..." Xuanwu said, "Accept the punishment."

Qinglong turned his head and glared coldly at Xuanwu, then burst into an angry laugh as he swung a fierce palm at her.

Xuanwu hastily raised her hands to block, but she was sent flying straight through the air, her long hair trailing like silken threads.

After landing, Xuanwu quickly steadied herself and lunged back at him.

Her hair whipped wildly around her, like a mass of inky flames.

She clawed with both hands—one aimed at Qinglong's throat, the other at his chest.

Qinglong blocked her strikes with his hand, then unleashed another sharp gust of wind that knocked her back over ten meters.

Xuanwu hit the ground hard, coughed lightly a few times, and stood up again, her face blank.

She took a deep breath and slowly extended her hand in the air, as if reaching to rip out Qinglong's heart. "Qinglong... accept the punishment..."

But before she could move, she froze in place like a statue.

"What the hell... what's wrong with 稻草女...?" Qiao Ji Jin muttered, but as he tried to step forward, he found his own body immobilized.

Murmurs of confusion spread among the group as they realized they were all held in place by some powerful force.

It wasn't that Xuanwu had given up—it was that she couldn't move at all.

"It's 'Duo Xin Po'." Qixia said.

Qiao Ji Jin caught on immediately. "Qinglong, you can't cheat!"

As soon as he spoke, a faint burst of starlight erupted from Qinglong and dissipated into the dark space.

But moments later, Qiao Ji Jin realized something was off—he still couldn't move.

The others soon noticed the same issue. Even though whatever "echo" Qinglong had seemed to vanish, they remained trapped by "Duo Xin Po," as if encased in solid cement.

"What's going on?" Qiao Ji Jin was stunned. "Qinglong, are you still cheating? Stop it!"

His words fell, but no starlight burst from Qinglong this time.

"Too bad..." Qinglong grinned maniacally, " 'Duo Xin Po' isn't mine."

"What...?" Chen Junnan's eyes widened. "You old guy, you..."

"This is quite the intriguing puzzle." Qinglong said, "I carry 'Duo Xin Po' with me, but who was its original owner? What's his name? And how will you figure out whose spell to break?"

Only then did Chen Junnan and the others realize that Qinglong's "Duo Xin Po" came from one of the "eyes" on his body.

Just as Bai She had said, he must have grafted various powerful abilities onto himself through "eyeball transplantation." The current "Po Wan Fa" could only dispel Qinglong's own "echo," but it couldn't touch the "echo" of "Duo Xin Po"'s original owner.

"To be honest with you." Qinglong laughed again, "I've even forgotten the name of that eye's owner."

Zheng Yingxiong swallowed hard, feeling the urgency of the situation. He was about to speak when he sensed another idea from Qixia.

That idea was—"Wait a little longer."

Zheng Yingxiong's heart pounded; he didn't understand why, at this critical moment, Qixia was putting all their bets on himself.

"Qixia." Qinglong said, "It's hard to believe you didn't foresee this outcome. From the moment you agreed to gamble your life with me, you should have known you were doomed to lose."

"Is that so?" Qixia replied impassively.

"The referee is my choice, the game is my design, and even the rules of the entire 'Tao Yuan' are set by me—how could you possibly win?" Qinglong continued laughing. "This is probably the worst decision you've ever made."

"Maybe there's still a way out." Qixia said.

"A way out?" Qinglong stepped forward, and everyone, including Xuanwu, involuntarily stepped forward as well. "Qixia, tell me, where is this way out?"

No sooner had he spoken than Qinglong furrowed his brow slightly and looked up at the dark sky.

He blinked hesitantly, sensing something was amiss.

It felt like something had burrowed into his mind.

That seemed to be... a memory?

But how could a memory be forcibly implanted in his mind...?

Once again, Zheng Yingxiong sensed Qixia's idea, which said—"Now's the time."

Seizing the moment while Qinglong's thoughts were disrupted, Zheng Yingxiong quickly said:

"The scent of 'Duo Xin Po'... it's gone."