Chapter 957: A Life of Intimidation

Sand and stones kept falling from above the two of them, and it seemed many faceless people had already died from exhaustion.

But within the city, new faceless figures continuously flew up to fill the empty spaces.

Tian Long slowly sneered:

"Bai Yang, as long as I awaken, the entire 'Tao Yuan' will tremble because of me. I will see countless faces filled with fear, and you, on the other hand, need someone outside to receive you... That's what mortals are like, how tragic?"

Qi Xia replied:

"If I heard you correctly... Every time you wake up, what you see are pairs of eyes that don't want you to awaken. And I am the opposite—there is someone waiting for me to wake up, and they will be happy. I don't understand which of us is more tragic."

Upon hearing this, Tian Long fell silent for a few seconds, as if something painful had been touched.

In the vast 'Tao Yuan', how many people were actually waiting for him to awaken?

Qi Xia sharply caught this moment of hesitation and quietly noted it in his mind.

A few seconds later, the mouth on Tian Long's face slowly formed a cold smile.

"Why should I care about them...?" he said. "If these people don't want me to wake up, then they should just kill me and make me sleep forever. But on the entire 'Lie Che', who could actually do that?"

Tian Long drifted forward a step through the air.

"Bai Yang, Qing Long can't touch me, so he has to hand over the task of assassinating me to someone else," Tian Long continued. "Unfortunately, none of the 'Sheng Xiao' in 'Tian Di Ren' dare to take on this mission, because Qing Long is unpredictable—they can't tell if he's testing them or genuinely wants me dead."

"So this job has to be done by an outsider," Qi Xia said. "Even if some 'Sheng Xiao' dared to accept it, they would become enemies of the other 'Sheng Xiao'. After all, most of them don't know the truth—they are still hoping you will awaken, Tian Long, so they can advance. That is why they won't let you die."

"It seems you understand the principles here even better than I do," Tian Long said with a grin. "So even if none of them want me to open my eyes, I will still awaken on the tenth day. Who can stop me?"

Qi Xia said:

"Look at the world you manage. Not only is 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di' full of lies, but even the 'Sheng Xiao' on the 'Lie Che' don't know who to trust. Tian Long, your management is a complete failure, and you have spun a web of enormous lies."

Tian Long paused for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.

"What kind of 'enormous lies' is that? Bai Yang, all mortals spend their lives under threats and intimidation, whether in 'Tao Yuan' or the real world. I've simply done something ordinary—what is so deceptive about that?"

Qi Xia frowned.

"Lives full of threats and intimidation? What a joke..."

Tian Long laughed.

"Am I wrong about mortals? From childhood, they are threatened... If you don't eat properly, you are ruined; if you don't study hard, you are ruined; if you don't get into a good university, find a good job, buy a car and house by a certain age, or get promoted within a few years... Someone will tell you your life is over. I have just extended those threats to the 'Lie Che', telling them not to mess with me, or their lives will still be ruined. Where did I lie?"

Qi Xia fell silent, simply watching Tian Long and trying to understand his perspective from the viewpoint of a madman.

Tian Long continued:

"If all mortals faced this kind of threat and intimidation for the first time, how could they accept it so calmly now? No matter if they see this place as a 'workplace', a 'school', or a 'family', they will find that the rules I have set match real life surprisingly well, so they end up accepting it all."

Qi Xia answered:

"Your twisted logic sounds convincing, but there is a flaw. The people who say those threats to mortals don't actually want them dead—but you do. Your motive in making those threats is to give everyone a justified reason to die."

"Oh?"

"Don't try to convince me with your theories anymore," Qi Xia said. "I won't believe a word of it. What makes 'people' human is that they can live, but you have done everything to erase their existence. You have deliberately turned people into monsters, stripped away their reason, and taken their lives. That is your great evil."

Tian Long smirked.

"I thought you were about to go mad... but you still seem perfectly sane."

"Is that so?" Qi Xia rolled his neck. "Tian Long, you couldn't subdue me with 'force', so now you are trying a 'mental' attack. But if I were that easy to defeat, how could I be standing here facing you?"

After thinking for a few seconds, Tian Long nodded.

"You are right."

"So give up," Qi Xia said. "This time, just leave on your own—don't make it end in mutual destruction."

Tian Long lowered his head, looking at Qi Xia's arm, and noticed it was trembling slightly.

Even with such a massive display of "unceasing life," created from faceless beings, he couldn't be completely unaffected.

"Bai Yang, the next time I awaken, that will be the moment everything falls apart," Tian Long said. "Are you ready to see me in the real world?"

Qi Xia replied:

"Maybe you won't wake up. Tomorrow night, I might lead a group to beat you to death."

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Tian Long laughed, pointing at Qi Xia's trembling arm. "With that?"

He drifted forward a few more meters, almost standing in front of Qi Xia, and whispered:

"Bai Yang, in the real world, even if everyone from 'Tao Yuan' unleashes their immortal arts... do you think anyone could beat me to death?"

Qi Xia said:

"In that case... I have a question for you."

The flesh-and-bone steps under Qi Xia's feet rose again, bringing him closer to Tian Long.

"Oh?" Tian Long nodded. "What is it?"

"Tian Long... tell me the truth," Qi Xia asked gravely. "The 'Lie Che'... can you really get out of it?"

"Um...?" Tian Long hesitated.

"Where is your so-called 'next stop'?" Qi Xia pressed. "Have you been there?"

After a long silence, Tian Long said:

"Bai Yang, I could lie to you... but I don't mind telling you the truth. Whether it is the 'next stop' or the 'previous stop', there is nothing there. Not even 'darkness'—it is pure nothingness."

"Is that so..."

"So give up that idea," Tian Long said. "If you still want to feel alive, your only choice is to stay in 'Tao Yuan'."