Chapter 545: Divide

"I am sorry to tell you this, but Zhuque is not under my control." Qinglong looked at me with an expressionless face. "I have returned your sanity to you, so let's part ways here."

I naturally knew that I couldn't leave right now.

Qinglong rarely appeared, yet here he was at this very moment, on the edge of the city, standing beside Qi Xia's corpse.

What was he planning to do?

Seeing that I had no intention of leaving, Qinglong said no more. He turned back to look at Qi Xia again, and soon his expression changed. He reached out to touch Qi Xia's neck.

"He is not dead yet...?" he murmured softly.

"Qinglong... why did you come here?" I couldn't hold back and asked the question weighing on my mind. After all, Qinglong was easier to approach than Tianlong—this was a rare opportunity.

"I..."

Qinglong's androgynous voice caught in his throat, and he fell silent for a few seconds. Then, he casually waved his fingers, and I felt us enveloped in a strange force field, cutting off all surrounding sounds.

"Xu Liunian, do me a favor."

"What...?"

He stood up and reached out to touch my forehead. Instantly, an image of a strange woman appeared in my mind.

"Use your 'Huixiang' to transform into this woman's appearance." Qinglong said it in a way that brooked no refusal. "This person is not dead yet, so go show yourself to him."

In my mind, I recalled the woman's features. Her facial features were flawlessly perfect, and she had a sweetly charming smile. She was wearing a pure white dress.

Qinglong seemed to have implanted a lot of memories in me, making the transformation highly likely to succeed.

"But Qinglong... are you ordering me?"

"No." Qinglong looked at me with eyes full of sorrow. "Things have been too peaceful these past years. I want to stir up some waves. If you help me, it will naturally benefit you too."

I knew Qinglong had always been an outlier here. In some ways, he was similar to Qi Xia.

I could never figure out their motivations for anything.

"Time is pressing." Qinglong added, "If you do not hurry, he is going to die."

After weighing it carefully, I decided to transform into the woman's appearance first—it was like returning a favor to Qinglong.

Since he had restored my sanity, I could help him with this.

I quietly closed my eyes and recalled the girl's image in my mind. Qinglong had implanted so many memories that I felt like I really knew her.

She lived in my memories, like a true friend.

A few seconds later, I opened my eyes and felt even my height had changed.

This girl was really beautiful. How wonderful it would be if I were naturally like this?

"Come, Xu Liunian." Qinglong walked over to Qi Xia and beckoned. "Come here."

I lowered my head and slowly walked to Qinglong's side. I looked at the white dress I was wearing.

Yes, I always loved wearing white dresses.

Now, I was Yu Nian An.

I squatted down beside Qi Xia, and Qinglong casually waved his hand. At that moment, Qi Xia's eyes opened.

But his eyes were completely lifeless, no different from death.

I squatted next to him and stared. I saw his dull pupils move slightly, slowly shifting from my left eye to my right eye.

Even in those dying eyes, there was an overwhelming sadness.

"What kind of dream are you having?" I asked with a smile. "Am I in it?"

A tear formed at the corner of Qi Xia's eye, but it didn't fall.

So, was his dream sweet or bitter?

"Don't say more." Qinglong interrupted me. "I can almost hear it."

"Hear what?" I asked.

"I am about to hear his 'Huixiang'." Qinglong replied. "This person's voice frequency is extremely strange—seems like I have only heard it once in decades."

We stayed quietly in place. I was still Yu Nian An.

Unfortunately, the bell we were both waiting for never came. Qi Xia closed his eyes.

He was dead.

I had witnessed death too many times here, so I just shook my head and said:

"I can only hope he has a good dream, then discards all these memories and returns to this desolate place with full enthusiasm."

"No..." Qinglong slowly smirked, his throat producing a mix of male and female laughter. "He is 'Tongpin' now. I have already heard the sound."

"'Tongpin'?" I asked Qinglong curiously. "What does that mean?"

"Before he died, the sounds around him started getting strange, meaning he must have gained divine power. It is just... I wonder if the 'Zhong' he built himself can capture such a high-frequency sound? After all, it is beyond what humans can hear."

He paused, then continued: "Of course, there is another possibility... that this brief sound couldn't reach the giant Zhong at all, and only I could hear it right here."

After hearing that, I silently closed my eyes, transformed back to my original appearance, and said: "So, you are making Qi Xia 'Huixiang'? But isn't he an 'unfortunate one'?"

"Oh...? 'Unfortunate one'...?" Qinglong chuckled lightly. "Where are the real 'unfortunate ones' in this place? You will see—our 'Taoyuan', or what they call the 'Zhongyan Zhidi', is about to change."

"What exactly is your purpose...?"

"I want to know who is stronger between Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu." Qinglong said. "Is there a way to make them fight?"

Hearing Qinglong's words, I fell silent for a moment.

If possible, I probably wouldn't go back to Chu Tianqiu—after all, he is too soft-hearted. He is kind to all the 'participants', and someone that gentle isn't the best choice for destroying this place in my mind.

"Is that necessary?" I countered. "Chu Tianqiu is like a 'rescue station' set up here. He helps newcomers get familiar with the place and provides them with supplies... Does someone like that need to compete with Qi Xia on strength? Qi Xia is the one who once stood before you and Tianlong!"

Qinglong smiled in response: "So what? Do you think Chu Tianqiu will stop there? The gears of fate are starting to turn irrationally, and the paths laid by everyone will unfold from now on. Our 'Taoyuan' will turn into a grave, burying us all here."

Hearing Qinglong's words, I swallowed slowly. This man was saying things as incomprehensible as ever.

He paused, then added: "But... I am not sure if this time will end like before, with a bunch of strong ones falling. The sky here has been stained red with blood and flesh—how many more such changes can it withstand?"

"So... what do you want me to do?" I tried asking.

"Whatever." Qinglong shook his head. "As long as you can create a rift between them and get them to fight, even briefly, it will be a great show for me."

After saying that, he looked at me: "For example... use your 'Huixiang' to impersonate Chu Tianqiu and drive a wedge between them."