Chapter 546: Return

Frankly, I don't entirely understand what Qinglong means by this.

He activated a strange force field that turned our conversation into a secret, making it impossible for anything he said to be shared with anyone else.

But why would he try to drive a wedge between Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu?

Neither of them is a bad person. If they joined forces, they would be unstoppable, potentially facing Tianlong again and even completely destroying this place.

"I don't understand," I said. "Qinglong... aren't you also trying to destroy this place?"

"Of course," Qinglong nodded. "But due to my status, my actions are limited. I can help others destroy it, but I can't do it myself."

Seeing my hesitation, he took a few steps and stood right in front of me.

"Xu Liunian, you're immortal, aren't you?" He reached up to smooth his long hair. "So, do you plan to spend eternity cycling through this place? Don't you want to free yourself?"

"Qinglong, my immortality is partly thanks to you... but aren't you the same?"

"The same? But what's the difference between me and 'Tianlong'? We can't kill any of the 'participants'; we can only wait for them to come for us one day." Qinglong's face gradually showed a look of utter despair. "Better to tear this place down ourselves than be toppled by a mob of mortals."

"But Tianlong doesn't think that way at all," I interjected. "'Tianlong' has always seen himself as the 'god' here! How could he agree to let you destroy it?"

"That's why I activated the 'Jianmo'," Qinglong said, wearing that inscrutable expression again. "Xu Liunian, do you remember when we first met? Back then, you told me you weren't a prisoner being sent here—you were the one in charge of the transport, and you were begging me to get you out..."

Yes, I remember. I was a mess back then, but I truly had no way out.

This place was terrifying. At first glance, it seemed like a paradise, but upon closer inspection, it was an abyss.

I was responsible for transporting tens of thousands of people here. After completing the task, I realized there was no way back.

Over the decades, the sky here turned a bloody red, and every breath felt like inhaling rotten flesh and dust, as if my insides were all clogged up.

Why did it turn out this way?

I arrived here on the train, so why was there no return path?

My superior couldn't have betrayed me, so what exactly happened in the outside world that cut off all our escape routes?

For people outside, time in "Taoyuan" is frozen. Even if I'm trapped here for decades, or even millennia, they would only think I'd vanished for a split second.

How could they possibly come to save me?

I couldn't last even a hundred years, let alone thousands.

My life was supposed to end in death, but instead, it became a new beginning.

For the first time in my ordinary life, I was given an important role, but I failed him. Now, to end it all, I have to find a way to destroy this place.

Even if everyone here is obliterated, it doesn't matter.

The "plan" has already failed.

Tianlong lied; he told a massive lie.

The "Nüwa Game" has been abandoned by him. His true goal isn't to create a "Nüwa" at all.

He doesn't want to help my superior, his master, select a "god."

No, he wants to become the "god" himself.

He's set up countless lies here, leading all the transported people astray. Everyone is rushing around, collecting all sorts of things, and any "divine power" they gain is just fleeting.

How could anyone escape from a place like this?

What kind of incredibly powerful, all-knowing "god" would it take to break free from this shattered space, built in the cracks of time and reality?!

Even someone as strong as Qinglong can't escape, especially since the "train" has stopped.

Our best outcome is to die here.

As long as we strive toward that goal, maybe it will all feel a bit more heroic.

That way, my life won't be so utterly ordinary—it's the least I can do for my superior.

After all, I was the one who transported these people; if something went wrong, I should take responsibility.

"Qinglong," I called out in a low voice.

"What?"

"In all your observations... do you think either Chu Tianqiu or Qi Xia could be the one to ultimately destroy this place?"

"What a coincidence," Qinglong chuckled lightly. "These two have chosen completely different paths, but both threaten 'Tianlong's' position. Since I can't fight Tianlong directly, I have to use the participants to achieve my own goals."

"So, have you thought it through...?" I took a deep breath. "If 'Tianlong' dies... what will happen to you?"

"I'll turn to dust with him," Qinglong said flatly. "I'm tired. It's time to end it."

I could see in his eyes a genuine desire for death.

After thinking for a few seconds, I agreed to his request.

"In that case..." I sighed, "I need some things. These are probably only available in 'Taoyuan' if you get them for me."

"Oh?" Qinglong glanced at me indifferently. "Well, put it this way—aside from the heads of 'Tianlong' and the 'Shen Shou,' there's nothing I can't obtain."

"That works perfectly... I need the heads of a few 'Di Ji.'"

"'Di Ji' heads?" Qinglong pondered for several seconds. "That's not difficult. I have quite a few from 'Di Ji' who died due to violations, though they're starting to rot."

"That's fine." I shook my head. "I'll wait here. Once you have them, just put them in my vehicle."

After saying goodbye to Qinglong, I hurried back to "Tian Tang Kou," but it was already abandoned.

I asked a few participants with memories, and they told me that "Tian Tang Kou" had relocated from its original site and moved eastward toward the city. Now, their base was in a school.

It seems Chu Tianqiu has been sticking to his ideals on the surface—he wants to completely eliminate all the "Zodiac" in this city.

"But now that I'm back..." I muttered to myself, "Tianqiu, the path of the 'original inhabitants' leads nowhere..."

It took me about an afternoon of walking to finally reach the new "Tian Tang Kou."

The place had a vast playground and several four- to five-story teaching buildings.

Many classrooms were now lit with bonfires, and it looked like there were still plenty of people.

I wondered how Yun Yao was doing.

I wondered how Zhang Shan and the others were.

I hadn't gone far when I saw a young man standing at the school gate whom I'd never met before. He must have arrived at "Tian Tang Kou" after me.

"Hello." The young man looked clean-cut and didn't seem like a bad person. "Do you need any help?"

"Are you a 'Hui Xiang Zhe'?" I asked.