Chapter 569: Azure Dragon Game

"I'm not so sure about that," Qi Xia replied. "I can keep my teammates alive, so it's possible I might just see you as an ordinary 'participant'."

"But can you... really do that?" Qing Long stepped forward, unleashing a terrifying aura that made Qi Xia instinctively step back half a step. "Your subconscious is afraid of me. You think I come from the 'upper level,' that I'm one of the rulers here. How could you possibly reshape me into a 'participant'?"

"Hah..."

"So, the initiative isn't in your hands, nor is it in mine." Qing Long tapped his temple with a finger. "It's in the hands of your 'subconscious.' Qi Xia, don't try to control it. Just let yourself fear my existence."

Qi Xia swallowed hard, suddenly realizing an even more terrifying problem.

Qing Long wouldn't fade away with time.

If Qi Xia tried to "reshape" a new Qing Long, then the Zhong Yan Zhi Di would end up with two Qing Longs at once.

The first Qing Long hadn't even died yet, and the second one would arrive right after.

"It seems you've figured it out..." Qing Long laughed. "All Shen Li are double-edged swords. From Sheng Sheng Bu Xi at the top to Ling Wen at the bottom, none are exceptions."

Qi Xia had nothing to say. He just stood there, head lowered in thought. He had felt that fully developing Sheng Sheng Bu Xi had unlocked his brain, allowing him to think of countless new paths. But now, it seemed he had to control his thoughts, or everything would spiral out of control.

Just then, a bell rang loudly in the distance, accompanied by a massive sound wave.

Though not as enormous as Qi Xia's own sounds, it was at least on the level of Shuang Sheng Hua.

"Suffer...?" Qing Long said upon hearing the sound, slowly walking over to Qi Xia and whispering in his ear, "If it's too painful, go find Po Wan Fa."

"Qiao Jia Jin...?"

"Qi Xia... to free this place, we'll need Qiao Jia Jin," Qing Long said.

Qi Xia remembered that Bai Hu had said something similar once, though back then, he had just arrived in the Zhong Yan Zhi Di and didn't understand anything yet.

Seeing that Qi Xia wasn't responding, Qing Long continued: "You're trapped by your current way of thinking. Look at it from the perspective of Hui Xiang... As long as Qiao Jia Jin can say just one thing to you—'don't cheat'—then all the cycles and rebirths will stop. Sheng Sheng Bu Xi will halt, and tens of thousands of souls will scatter. How simple is that?"

"You..." Qi Xia was slightly stunned.

Using Po Wan Fa to break Sheng Sheng Bu Xi... Was that the quickest way out of here?

So, when Bai Hu had mentioned "to leave here, you'll still need the power of Qiao Jia Jin," it wasn't some hope at all. It was a path of total destruction and despair for everyone.

"I've even given you the 'bottom card'," Qing Long said. "Will the other Tian Ji Sheng Xiao or even the Shen Shou be as open and honest as I am? Qi Xia, that's the sincerity of our cooperation."

Xu Liunian, standing nearby, felt a chill run through her entire body.

Every word between Qi Xia and Qing Long made her tremble uncontrollably.

Had things spun out of control... or finally come to light?

"You bunch of lunatics..." Qi Xia lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes. "It's never-ending..."

"Every path is right in front of you. How will you choose?" Qing Long threw his head back and laughed. "Ha ha ha ha! This is hilarious! Tian Long isn't completely useless after all! At least it's given me seventy years of laughs."

Qi Xia gritted his teeth and looked up, only to find that Qing Long had vanished.

Xu Liunian quickly opened the car door and got out, standing beside Qi Xia.

"Qi Xia... what should we do now...?"

Qi Xia felt his mind in chaos. Qing Long had explained so much, but why was his thinking even more muddled?

...

Chen Jun Nan and Qiao Jia Jin stumbled along the road, their faces pale and on the verge of collapse.

"Old... Old Qiao..." Chen Jun Nan gasped for air, his vision going dark.

"What's up...?"

Qiao Jia Jin clutched his ribs, his brows furrowed tightly.

The two had been running nonstop for nearly two hours, their legs moving purely on momentum.

"You kid... just give up now..." Chen Jun Nan said. "I won't make fun of you..."

"What...?" Qiao Jia Jin kept moving, still walking and talking. "We agreed... whoever stops first is the sausage..."

"You... don't do that..." Chen Jun Nan ran a few steps, then clutched his stomach and bent over, taking big breaths. He glanced back at the approaching black line. "I, the young master... can't die as a sausage..."

"Then... keep running..." Qiao Jia Jin struggled to regulate his breathing. "Don't stop... if you stop, you won't be able to go on..."

"I'm screwed... I can't run anymore..."

The two staggered down the street, using their last bit of energy. Qiao Jia Jin seemed to be in slightly better shape than Chen Jun Nan and kept glancing back at him.

"Jun Nan... you really can't stop... you'll die..."

"Do you think I want to stop...?" Chen Jun Nan felt that every word he spoke drained more air from his lungs, like he was on the brink of suffocation. "It's fine, Old Qiao. I'm okay... don't worry about me..."

Though Chen Jun Nan kept saying "I'm fine," his mind was flooded with thoughts of death.

During their frantic run, they'd seen too many people die behind that black line. Chen Jun Nan knew his chances of survival were slim, and now he only had one last option.

Before he could act, a huge sound suddenly erupted in the distance.

"Dong!"!!!!!

Their already unsteady bodies were thrown off balance by the massive sound wave.

Qiao Jia Jin staggered to one side and nearly fell, while Chen Jun Nan collapsed straight to the ground.

"Jun Nan! Get up quick!" Qiao Jia Jin steadied himself and shouted. "Why are you just lying there?!"

Chen Jun Nan seemed to have hit something, his expression one of extreme pain. Qiao Jia Jin looked toward the direction of the bell, feeling that the sound was familiar.

"I heard this sound once during the Tian Tang Kou Zhen Di Zhan..."

"Screw it... I'm not running anymore!!" Chen Jun Nan flipped over on the ground, gasping heavily. "I thought after all this time, things might change... Ha... but it's the same as ever..."

Qiao Jia Jin caught his breath, and with the black line still not upon them, he hurried over and grabbed Chen Jun Nan's arm: "Don't lie there! Come with me!"

Chen Jun Nan was practically dragged to his feet by Qiao Jia Jin, who somehow still had that much strength.

"Old Qiao... you're not waiting for me, are you?" Chen Jun Nan felt something was off. "Why are you so strong? Why were you running so slow?!"

"Don't talk so much..." Qiao Jia Jin pulled Chen Jun Nan and shoved him forward. "If we live, we live together. If we die, we die together."