Chapter 778: Divine Grace

Qinglong's voice echoed leisurely through the room, yet Tianlong remained in deep slumber.

He breathed steadily, his face calm, as if he were experiencing a most beautiful dream.

Qinglong waited for a moment, and seeing no reaction from the person on the throne, he quietly turned back and waved a hand toward the thick tree behind him.

A light rain fell from above the thick tree, moistening the dry soil on the ground.

"You wouldn't... want to have Tianshe take action, would you?"

Qinglong murmured to the tree, "What on earth is making us so urgent?"

Behind him, Tianlong's breathing continued steadily, his expression unchanged.

Qinglong looked up at the thick tree before him, its lush leaves all full and oval-shaped, with smooth, shiny surfaces and serrated edges.

He stared at the dense foliage for a while, his brows furrowing slightly as he sensed something unusual.

He gently waved his hand, and the sturdy branches began to part to the sides, with countless leaves scattering like clouds parting to reveal the sun.

Deep within the canopy of this dense tree, an unusual sight appeared.

Qinglong's eyes widened slowly as he stepped forward, one step at a time.

Nestled among the twisted and intertwined branches, hidden in the shadows of the thick leaves, hung a small fruit that had just formed.

The fruit was entirely green, wrapped in leaves, shaped like a water drop, and slowly developing.

Qinglong gazed at the tiny fruit for a long time, his eyes shifting through various emotions, until he finally smiled bitterly through his tears.

"It's happened... We've done it..." Qinglong said tremulously, "Even in this utterly desolate place... as long as the heart is sincere... we can still grow fruit..."

He turned back with a strange expression on his face and looked at Tianlong: "Tian... have you seen this? Something that can be cultivated here... We're truly going to have a world of our own! They all say this is a hopeless human purgatory... but we're far greater than 'purgatory'; we're going to have a world!"

Tianlong still did not open his eyes, his breathing steady.

"Ha... haha..." Qinglong's expression gradually turned to despair, "A fruit tree planted for seventy years... only now bearing its first real fruit... Why didn't it come sooner?"

Seeing no response from anyone, Qinglong turned back again, reaching out carefully to feel around the fruit without touching it.

He seemed afraid of damaging the fruit, so he only cupped it gently in the air.

"This isn't formed by Xianfa... It's completely different from last time! There's no 'mad growth,' no 'soul transfer,' no 'original object,' 'plant,' or 'qiaowu'... It's a natural product of the heavens and earth, sown from a seed and nurtured!" Qinglong croaked, "This is a gift from the heavenly way... Something distinct from this place!"

Qinglong looked around wildly and frantically, as if searching for someone to share his joy, but the vast room was empty except for the sleeping Tianlong.

"You don't understand... How could you possibly comprehend..." Qinglong turned back, as if in a trance, gazing at the small fruit, "For the first time in seventy years in this place, a new life has emerged... It's unrelated to any Xianfa, but nurtured by the natural great way of heaven and earth... It carries no scent of Taoyuan, and it won't vanish if it leaves here... How wondrous..."

Qinglong's hands drew closer to the fruit but never dared to touch it.

"How wondrous... If we can grow one fruit, we can have millions of trees..." Qinglong said with tears and a bitter laugh, "Why didn't you appear sooner...?"

Qinglong slowly withdrew his hands, then lowered his head, his expression filled with profound disappointment.

"Now that we're about to give up, you finally appear..."

He stood there for a long time before regaining his composure, then tidied his emotions and slowly turned around, heading toward the iron door.

Tianshe was not in his seat; if Tianshe Shike had truly been activated, it meant full-scale war had begun, and there would be no turning back.

If he could intercept him, perhaps they could still discuss things further.

Qinglong opened the iron door from the inside and was startled to find a woman standing there. She had a dark, handsome face, a tall and sturdy build, and was nearly as tall as Qinglong.

Seeing her outside the door, Qinglong instantly furrowed his brow, his face full of doubt.

"I'm sorry." The woman quickly bowed her head, "I heard what sounded like someone talking in the room just now... so I came to check out of concern..."

"Concern...?" Qinglong's gaze grew colder, "You're outside this room, concerned that Tianlong and I might be in danger...?"

"Y-yes." The woman replied, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Qinglong's eyes were still filled with doubt—unfortunately, the appearance of that fruit had disrupted his mind earlier, or he would have noticed someone at the door.

"But shouldn't you be asleep?" Qinglong found the situation intriguing, "You already knew I came in?"

"How could that be..." The woman stepped back, "You're overthinking it... I just woke up..."

"No darkness and no cycle of reincarnation, and yet you woke up." Qinglong said, "Has he made your dream any less beautiful?"

Only then did the woman realize Qinglong was quite angry, and she hurriedly lowered her head deeply.

Qinglong pursed his lips and stepped outside, locking the iron door behind him, then asked gravely, "When did he give you the message?"

"N-no... nothing like that..." The woman shook her head, "You're really overthinking it..."

"Tianniu... I advise you not to provoke me further." Qinglong said, "What exactly are his plans?"

"I... I..."

"Did he send you to spy on me?"

Qinglong advanced step by step, while Tianniu retreated repeatedly.

Seeing Tianniu remain silent, Qinglong asked again, "Tianshe—where is he? Have all of you seen Tianlong in your dreams?"

"Yes..." Tianniu answered, "In a few minutes, Tianshe Shike will be activated..."

"What's the purpose?" Qinglong continued, "If it's just ordinary killing, why use a Tianji Shike?"

"I don't know..." Tianniu replied, "I don't even know if our goal is really to kill. In any case, we have to activate the Tianji Shike in rotation according to his knowledge..."

Qinglong narrowed his eyes and glanced at her, feeling that this didn't seem like a "great reshuffle," but more like a trial.

"Are you aiding Qi Xia...?" Qinglong's eyes widened suddenly, "Have you given up even more completely than I have...?"

"Qinglong..." Tianniu said, "We don't know what happened between you two... But now that we've reached this point, we can only hope that everything that happens won't drag us down..."

Qinglong pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.