Chapter 559: Endless Cycle

Qinglong heard this question and slowly turned his head to look at me.

The excitement and madness that had been in his eyes before were completely gone, replaced by a coldness laced with killing intent.

“Xu Liunian… you seem smarter than before?”

“It might be because I don’t need to ‘lose my memory,’” I steadied myself and said. “Qinglong, Zhongyan Zhidi isn’t just your domain, is it?”

Qinglong faced me, standing with his hands behind his back.

In no time, he took out a Dao and casually tossed it on the ground.

Neither he nor I said a word; we just stared at each other.

After a few minutes, a rustling sound came from nearby, and a Lvyi crawled up from the wall, pouncing on the Dao at Qinglong’s feet like a hungry tiger.

Once it grasped the Dao, the Lvyi turned and crawled away.

“Xu Liunian, you know this, right? Tianlong sees everyone as Lvyi.”

I didn’t understand what Qinglong meant, so I just nodded. “To him, even I am a Lvyi.”

“Good, since you understand that principle, let me ask you this… What are you to me?”

No sooner had he spoken than Qinglong reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of Dao, and scattered them across the school rooftop.

I felt a chill on my back. Although those humanoid creatures generally didn’t bite, they couldn’t resist the temptation of the Dao.

Soon, rustling noises started coming from all directions. They emerged with eerie forms, each grabbing a Dao before vanishing into the night.

I think I grasped what Qinglong meant.

To him, human lives weren’t exactly Lvyi, but they weren’t important either.

“Xu Liunian, to me, human lives are just pawns,” Qinglong said before I could figure it out. “That’s the biggest difference between me and Tianlong. He thinks he can do everything without ‘people’s’ help, but I’m different.”

He gazed at the Lvyi scurrying away in the shadows and whispered to me, “I want human lives to serve me. I want them to do whatever I tell them to do. Even if they’ve turned into Lvyi, they should appear where I want them and do what I want them to do.”

I took a deep breath at his words and said, “So, you never truly intended to cooperate with anyone? In that case, what’s the difference between you and Tianlong?”

“Xu Liunian, if you want to work with me, know your place. I have my own plans and strategies. No one playing chess likes their pawns to have free will. That free will only disrupts my plans and gets you into trouble.”

Although Qinglong’s tone was remarkably calm, I could tell it was a threat.

If I dared to speculate about his plans again, he could eliminate me as a pawn at any time.

He wouldn’t even need to lift a finger; with just a word, I’d die in the annihilation of the tenth day.

“I understand…” I nodded blankly, but I had no idea what use I was anymore.

After a few seconds of silence between Qinglong and me, he spoke again.

“It seems Yu Cheng is fated to survive. This cycle was supposed to completely wipe out Yu Cheng, but Qi Xia’s appearance saved them. I have a feeling this coincidence will have a crucial impact on the future.”

“So, what should we do now…? I mean, what should I do?”

“We need to make good use of Qi Xia,” Qinglong said. “I want to know the limits of his abilities… Just making someone immortal isn’t a powerful ability for me.”

“But isn’t Shengsheng Buxi exactly that?”

“What we’ve seen is only the ‘unceasing’ part, not the ‘ever-generating’ part.” Qinglong’s expression turned frenzied again, his eyes filling with that terrifying look. “I want Qi Xia to create a completely new person. To bring fresh blood into this strange place.”

“Create a person?”

“Yes, if he subconsciously believes someone is alive, then that person lives… So, if he subconsciously believes someone exists, will that person exist?”

“Who do you want to create?”

“Anyone, as long as they’re a pawn,” Qinglong replied. “Even Wen Qiaoyun would do.”

I found Qinglong’s idea a bit odd. “Wen Qiaoyun is still living as a Dianren in Zhongyan Zhidi, right? You could easily restore her with a snap of your fingers, so why create a new one?”

“You’re mistaken,” Qinglong shook his head. “The reason Wen Qiaoyun lives on as a Dianren is that she’s not strong enough. I need a much stronger version of Wen Qiaoyun, and no one else can do that—only Qi Xia can.”

I had to admit Qinglong’s words made some sense, but thinking about it, it seemed nearly impossible.

This cycle would require Qi Xia to gain Huixiang, then believe that Zhongyan Zhidi has an incredibly powerful person named Wen Qiaoyun, and finally successfully activate Huixiang to create her…

Every step ahead would be hellishly difficult.

“Qinglong… are you messing with me?” My lips trembled slightly as I voiced my thoughts. “The tasks you give me keep getting harder… At this rate, you’ll abandon me one day.”

“No, Xu Liunian, you won’t get another task after this,” Qinglong turned to me with a smile. “You’ll be in frequent contact with Qi Xia, and to him, you’ll just be an ordinary ‘participant’ in Zhongyan Zhidi.”

“What…?”

“As long as that idea lingers in his mind, you’ll forever be a ‘participant.’” Qinglong burst into laughter. “How interesting! I won’t need to make ‘promises’ to you anymore. With just a thought from Qi Xia, you’ll change completely, and one day, this place will become orderly because of his subconscious. Whoever he thinks is the ‘ruler’ will be the ruler, and whoever he thinks is the ‘participant’ will be the participant.”

“You bastard…” I couldn’t help but curse. “Will that ‘me’ still be me? The real me will disappear forever!!”

Qinglong extended a hand and gently placed it on my head, then wore a slightly indulgent yet nauseating expression as he whispered, “Xu Liunian, what dream are you having? The real you disappeared long ago.”