Chapter 951: 邪神

"I don't understand."

Tianlong also lifted his head, gazing at the sky with eyes that didn't exist. "What have I done?"

"Yu Nian'an." Qi Xia pointed at the sun in the sky. "Even in my dreams, you're trying to inflict the strongest despair on me. You've hung Yu Nian'an up there—what more is there to say?"

After hearing this, Tianlong paused slightly, turned to look at Qi Xia, and after a long silence, he slowly began, "Bai Yang... how strange."

"How so?"

"Haven't you recovered all your memories?" Tianlong pondered. "Are you trying to trick me?"

Qi Xia furrowed his brow, feeling something faint flash through his mind.

"Bai Yang, I am 'Yuan Wu', 'Qiao Wu', and also 'Ru Meng'." Tianlong said. "And you are 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi'. Why don't you think carefully—who between us is more likely to create something like this spectacle made of flesh and blood?"

"Wha—"

Seeing Qi Xia's reaction, Tianlong seemed to confirm some suspicions in his mind. He sighed softly and whispered, "Bai Yang, do you think she's afraid of me?"

"Otherwise... what?"

"If she's afraid of me... why wouldn't she turn her pupils toward you?" Tianlong asked again. "The last time she looked at you, her pupils were full of panic—what was that about?"

Qi Xia slowly widened his eyes, sensing that the situation was starting to spiral out of control.

Tianlong sighed. "Bai Yang, what you're about to see and what I'm about to say might completely overturn your current understanding. I advise you to prepare yourself mentally."

With that, he glanced back at the room, then focused his thoughts and waved his hand slightly.

"Thud!"

A strange sound of bones colliding echoed.

Qi Xia looked down at the massive skeletal clock on the plaza outside the window, which was swaying wildly, on the verge of shattering itself.

Below the clock, the "screen" trembled, and countless dark blue veins began to writhe, eventually forming four barely recognizable characters on it—

"Qiao Wu", "Yuan Wu".

Tianlong, standing beside the flesh-and-blood chair Qi Xia had created, used "Qiao Wu" to craft a new chair. A piece of scrap wood appeared out of nowhere, and under invisible carving, it gradually transformed into a grand taishi chair.

Seeing Qi Xia remain silent, Tianlong waved toward the window. Suddenly, something erupted from the blood-red street.

Qi Xia looked down to see a lush, vibrant tree rising in the middle of the road.

This flourishing, green tree stood amid the pulsating flesh of the street, looking strikingly out of place.

"You should have noticed it last time," Tianlong said. "What material do the things I create with my abilities turn out to be? Flesh and blood...?"

Getting no response from Qi Xia, Tianlong walked to the window and stood beside him, speaking softly, "Bai Yang, is this city of flesh and blood in your heart something I built? Is any of the strange things in this city from me?"

"You..."

"Bai Yang," Tianlong continued, "I gave you a real dream, but you turned your world into this. Not only do you need me to help build this dream, but you also want me to destroy it with my own hands, so you can rebuild it with flesh and blood. Am I right?"

Qi Xia slowly raised his head as fragments of memories surged wildly into his mind.

"To plunge yourself into the deepest despair and gain the ultimate strength, you've subconsciously turned me into a demon in your mind," Tianlong said. "Just as I've always asked you... why are we locked in this mutual killing? We could coexist peacefully, walk together, but you've always seen me as your greatest enemy. You've deliberately planted fear and hatred of me in your heart, even trying to eliminate me from here. Am I right?"

"I..."

"That way, all the hardships you've suffered in 'Tao Yuan' can be blamed on me. I'm the most powerful imaginary enemy you've created yourself. Coincidentally... Qing Long saw through your thoughts early on, so he kept fueling it, gradually shaping me in your heart into a tyrannical, utterly evil god. Am I right?"

"Impossible..." Qi Xia said hesitantly. "You know best what you've done."

"Bai Yang, you're still deceiving yourself," Tianlong said. "If it weren't to avoid seeing me, why would you give up sleep? That's your strongest inner defense, even with Yu Nian'an as a 'dream guardian,' making it impossible for me to harm you, yet you still avoid sleep. Because deep down, you know that if you see me a few times, the whole truth will come out. Am I right?"

Qi Xia gradually felt dizzy, and the entire room began to tremble slightly.

"You think we took your wife, but how did the 'wife' come about? You think I've turned her into the sun in your heart, but how did the 'sun' come about? You feel the rules here oppress everyone, but how did the 'rules' come about? You see this riddled, hellish place full of deadly games... Bai Yang, tell me, how did those most lethal games come about?"

Tianlong's rapid questions left Qi Xia momentarily stunned. At that moment, the flesh in the room began to recede, reverting to its original state.

"You'll only fear me more, hate me more, until your despair fills your heart and your strength is great enough to kill me. Then you'll transform into the 'master' here," Tianlong said. "Is every assumption I've made correct?"

"Stop..." Qi Xia slowly lowered his head, his expression unreadable.

The entire room gradually shed its flesh-like appearance, returning to normal.

"Between us two, who is the real 'evil god' here?" Tianlong turned back, his flat face seeming filled with sorrow. "Even standing here, your heart is still full of killing intent, while I've always wanted you to let go of it all and leave this place with me completely."

As Tianlong spoke, he looked around at the walls. The whole house had returned to normal, free of any fleshly corruption, and Qi Xia's last sanctuary in his heart was restored.

Tianlong had just breathed a sigh of relief when, the next second, the floor of the room began to flip again, with countless tendrils of flesh rampaging and spreading out.

"That was close..." Qi Xia said slowly, head bowed. "Really close..."

"You..."

"Tianlong, if not for that last line of yours, I almost believed your lies."