Chapter 1343: Despair Void

Even someone as strong as Qi Xia had lost all means of escape in this space. He couldn't see any light in any direction, and he didn't even know which way he was facing. He stretched out his hand but couldn't see his own fingers, and when he shouted, there was no echo.

A profound sense of loneliness and despair began to well up simultaneously in the hearts of Qi Xia and the observer, Tian Long.

With no idea how long he would drift in this eerie space, Qi Xia's only option was to maintain his sanity. After realizing that moving in any direction only led to more darkness, he started to repeatedly recall the tragic events of his life in his mind to keep himself alert.

Yet, no matter how many times he revisited it, his life was filled with nothing but despair and failure.

Tian Long gradually found himself influenced by the despair in Qi Xia's heart, but he could only experience it from Qi Xia's perspective without any way to intervene.

In this pitch-black void, Qi Xia hadn't gone mad yet, but Tian Long felt like he was on the verge.

It was a madness born of utter emptiness.

Perhaps for anyone else, time was passing second by second, but for Qi Xia in this space...

Only his thoughts were ebbing away.

Aside from his active thoughts, everything else seemed frozen in place.

The endless darkness and the unseen path ahead were enough to break even the strongest-willed person.

Whether it was Qi Xia or Tian Long.

"Hey..."

Tian Long was starting to lose patience.

"Bai Yang, what on earth is going on? How long do you plan to make me watch this?"

To Tian Long's surprise, no one in the entire space responded to him.

"Bai Yang...?"

Tian Long tried calling out again, but the whole space remained eerily quiet.

Tian Long sensed something was terribly wrong. If this "Yongheng" continued indefinitely, regardless of whether Qi Xia would go mad, he himself would surely lose his mind.

But what was this "dream" all about?

Had he died without realizing it?

The thought made Tian Long's mind race in confusion, as he struggled to distinguish between the tangled threads of dreams and reality.

Which experiences were real...?

Desperately, he tried every way to sever the "Ru Meng," only to discover that his "Xin Nian" was as insignificant as an ant before the vastness of this world.

This world possessed a "Xin Nian" as immense as the universe, binding him tightly and offering no escape.

"Bai Yang... are you toying with me...? How am I supposed to uncover the way to become a 'Shen' by enduring 'Yongheng' in this empty void?"

No matter how much Tian Long shouted and cursed, he received not a single sound in response.

In the boundless nothingness, only Qi Xia's intermittent thoughts were transmitted to him, making Tian Long feel as if he had lived through an entire lifetime himself.

After recounting his life over and over, Qi Xia began to recall his experiences in "Zhongyan Zhidi" to keep from going insane.

He tried his best to keep his mind active, but after enduring the prolonged void, his eyes grew increasingly vacant, and his expression became more and more numb.

Using his finite thoughts to break through the infinite stillness of time...?

Qi Xia knew that to stay sane, he had to find something to occupy himself.

After what felt like many days, even the observing Tian Long's consciousness started to scatter.

That damned Bai Yang still ignored him, forcing him to wander through this "Yongheng" alongside the dream's protagonist.

He regretted entering this story through "Ru Meng."

This time, it was completely different from any previous experience. He was like a lingering soul standing beside the dreamer, sharing every moment as time ticked by slowly, without even the option to fast-forward.

As Tian Long was lost in thought, Qi Xia suddenly seemed to remember something and widened his eyes.

His gaze regained some light, and expressions returned to his face.

From his experiences in "Zhongyan Zhidi," he pulled out a specific detail.

He recalled a phrase:

"The Lieche is ready."

The Lieche had three stops, but aside from "Taoyuan," the other two were nothing but void.

From that moment, his thoughts exploded into a frenzy, with countless ideas flashing through his mind—and these flashes were also transmitted to Tian Long.

Tian Long was stunned speechless by the sight. Nothing had actually happened, yet the speed of Qi Xia's racing thoughts was impossible for him to follow.

Before he could grasp one idea, the next one surged in.

"Wait..."

Now it was Tian Long's turn to be shocked.

"Is this the 'next stop'?"

He floated beside Qi Xia, staring at the endless void. Could this be the "Xin Shijie" he had been yearning for?

After the Lieche was destroyed, as the only survivor, had Qi Xia fallen into this "Xin Shijie"?

"A void... that's right... a complete void... I get it... I've got it..."

With so many thoughts swirling, even Tian Long couldn't tell what Qi Xia was planning.

Qi Xia reached out his hand, as if trying to touch something, but his hand grasped at nothing.

"'Xin Nian' isn't enough..." Qi Xia murmured. "Nothing works here... I need more time..."

Tian Long never imagined that Qi Xia would say "I need time" so casually.

Because after that, Qi Xia emptied his mind completely, letting go of all control over his rationality, and began drifting aimlessly in the space.

Time passed, but with nothing to reference, even Tian Long had no idea how long it had been.

Perhaps months, or maybe a year or two.

Qi Xia didn't utter another word, and the space remained silent except for Bai Yang's absence, leaving Tian Long alone to shout into the emptiness.

His physical body wasn't in this "Yongheng," which made his mind acutely clear. He couldn't even nap or sleep; he was fully aware, experiencing every torturously slow second of the endless passage of time.

It was a form of slow torment he had never imagined.

Only then did he truly feel how insignificant so-called "Shen" were in the face of eternal time.

Even just a year or two was enough to drive someone who called themselves a "Shen" to despair and scream in madness.

Finally, at some unexpected moment, Qi Xia moved again, just as he had before.

He suddenly raised his hand, and his fingers twitched slightly, as if performing some action.

Tian Long was overjoyed at the sight. Though he didn't know how long he had waited, it seemed Qi Xia was finally ready to act.

If not for that hand movement, Tian Long would have thought he was looking at a corpse.

But a few seconds later, Qi Xia's fingers stopped, and nothing happened in the space.

Qi Xia sighed, slowly lowered his hand, bowed his head, and fell back into silence.

"Don't..."

Tian Long said in despair.

"Don't stop... What are you trying to do? Try again!"

No matter how much Tian Long shouted, Qi Xia just stayed quietly with his head down, eyes slightly open and staring ahead, as if he were dead.

The endless despair and darkness enveloped Tian Long once more—this was the most unbearable situation.

If Qi Xia had never moved at all, Tian Long could have endured the darkness, but he had to go and make that gesture.

When would the next one come? What was he even attempting?

And so, in this maddening wait, Qi Xia would suddenly raise his hand every year or two, move it briefly in the air, and then lower it again.

At first, Tian Long watched with eager anticipation, but each time ended the same way, leaving him feeling tricked all over again.