At this moment, Heavenly-Dragon moved his illusory form and sat opposite Qi Xia.

“Baiyang, I’ve truly come to admire you,” Heavenly-Dragon said with a complex expression. “This time, I’m completely convinced.”

The Qi Xia before him didn’t speak, yet from the void came Qi Xia’s voice:

*”So, have you comprehended the method to become a god?”*

“I have,” Heavenly-Dragon said. “You truly didn’t deceive me, but I can’t do it.”

*”Why?”*

“Compared to you, I’m neither mad enough nor normal enough,” Heavenly-Dragon answered bleakly. “Whichever state it is, you’ve already taken it to the extreme. To control your subconscious, you could even sit here motionless in meditation for decades.”

*”Heavenly-Dragon, you know you can do it, you just don’t want to,”* Qi Xia said. *”Your immortal techniques are more numerous and more powerful than mine. If I can create a world, there’s no reason you can’t.”*

“Aren’t you afraid of failure?” Heavenly-Dragon asked. “Baiyang, what if you spend several hundred years unable to create a world? What if the world you create can’t see the ‘doors’? What if your ‘door’ can’t return to ‘Peach Blossom Spring’?”

*”Then I’ll change methods and start everything over from the beginning,”* Qi Xia said. *”Heavenly-Dragon, I’ve always known I’m not an absolutely brilliant person, but when I think of something, I’ll do it. When I fail, I’ll set out again. If I harbored the same timid mindset as you, I’d still be in that void contemplating escape routes.”*

“But no one is willing to endure that loneliness…” Heavenly-Dragon said with a sorrowful expression. “I once thought several decades would be enough for me to become a ‘god,’ but compared to you, my efforts are merely a drop in the ocean.”

*”Your so-called ‘efforts’ are filled with calculations and shortcuts. If sleeping and dreaming every day could make one a god, it would be unfair to all the gods in this world.”*

Heavenly-Dragon lowered his head. His eyes had become incomparably aged at this moment—those eyes had passed through a thousand years of time, second by second.

*”Heavenly-Dragon, I not only want to overthrow your so-called ‘god’s’ rule, I’ve even written an absurd ending for each of your so-called ‘gods.'”*

“An absurd ending for each ‘god’…?”

*”Qinglong of the Wood element was defeated by a tree, and even Baihu of the Metal element—the bronze bell he guarded behind him has already vanished into smoke.”*

“What…?” Heavenly-Dragon trembled all over after hearing this. He only knew he had lost, but hadn’t expected even this failure could be called art.

*”Qinglong of the Wood element was defeated by a tree, and even Baihu of the Metal element—the bronze bell he guarded behind him has already vanished into smoke.”*

After hearing this, Heavenly-Dragon remained silent for a long time, finally revealing a bitter smile. “What exquisite craftsmanship. Baiyang, I not only comprehended the method to become a ‘god,’ but also comprehended my own ending.”

*”Oh?”*

“This ‘eternity’ itself is your punishment for me, correct?”

*”Is that so?”* Qi Xia said softly. *”Then tell me… what will be your fate?”*

“I’m currently sitting in the place in this entire world of flesh and blood that bears the most concentrated killing intent toward me, having a daydream. After I wake from ‘eternity,’ you’ll have the entire ‘world’ swallow me instantly. Before crushing my body, you crushed my heart. Between killing me and not killing me, you chose to completely pulverize me.”

*”Yes,”* Qi Xia’s voice came from the void. *”Heavenly-Dragon, I said before—this entire world was established with the premise of ‘killing you.’ It carries my obsession from ‘eternity.’ As long as you and I appear in this world together, you cannot possibly leave. I not only want to give you failure, but also bring you deep fear of ‘eternity,’ so you can never rise again from the void.”*

“Ha…” Heavenly-Dragon lowered his head in despair, his expression bitter with laughter. “Saying things like ‘try to coexist peacefully’… saying things like ‘don’t want to kill me’… you clearly wanted me to witness this ‘eternity’ from the very beginning.”

*”But did I deceive you?”* Qi Xia countered. *”Since you wanted to become a god, I showed you the mental journey of a creator god. Since you wanted to take me to a new world to create new heavens and earth, I showed you the hardships of creating heaven and earth. Since you wanted to know how to escape, I told you the method of escape. Unfortunately, the first tribulation on your path to godhood is the ferocious beast of flesh and blood as vast as the world itself, which I personally created for you.”*

“Haha…” Heavenly-Dragon’s eyes lost focus, only continuously revealing smiles.

Such a distant experience made him feel as if he had lived countless lives anew. Before “eternity,” the eighty-plus years of “Peach Blossom Spring” were merely a small interlude.

*”Heavenly-Dragon, to let you enjoy ‘eternity,’ I even experienced all of this once more together with you,”* Qi Xia said. *”I clearly proved to you that if I truly wanted to create a brand new world, this process could do without you.”*

Qi Xia had thoroughly crushed Heavenly-Dragon. Although he sat at the round table, his gaze had already died halfway.

“But what meaning does all of this have?” Heavenly-Dragon said with lowered head. “Just for those people who might not even remember you… for those selfish, insignificant people, you pushed yourself to this extent?”

Qi Xia remained silent, offering no response.

“Do you think they’ll be grateful for everything you’ve done?” Heavenly-Dragon asked again. “Do you think they’ll feel fortunate that someone crossed ‘eternity’ for them?”

*”What does that… have to do with me?”*

“What?”

*”Even if they don’t remember me, even if they spurn me or eternally curse me, it has nothing to do with me,”* Qi Xia said. *”I said I would lead everyone to escape. After I achieve this goal, my karmic connection with everyone ends. I don’t need to receive feedback from anyone.”*

Heavenly-Dragon frowned and sighed. “But do you think those people you created using ‘Endless Life’ can truly count as real people?”

*”Why wouldn’t they count?”*

“You not only create them, you also use a world to house them. You’re both their ‘origin’ and their ‘destination.’ In this ‘Peach Blossom Spring,’ bluntly speaking, only you count as ‘alive.’ The remaining people all don’t know their origin and don’t know their destination.”

*”But the disappearance of the flesh doesn’t count as death. Only when thought stops is it eternal farewell,”* Qi Xia denied. *”Their past memories will all converge onto the same body. This brand new body carries all their life experiences—how can this not count as being alive?”*

“But don’t you think this is deceiving yourself…? No matter how many people are in the room, those are actually just empty rooms… Everything you’ve done will be forgotten in the world’s most hidden corner, impossible for anyone to mention. Are you truly willing to accept this?”

*”Someone will remember,”* Qi Xia said.

“You…”

Qi Xia chuckled softly. *”If someone is to record my story, starting with ‘an empty room’—what do you think?”*

“You… madman…” Heavenly-Dragon smiled bitterly and lowered his head, his expression already looking dead. “How many more people do you want to deceive…”

Heavenly-Dragon looked around this empty, desolate room.

An old tungsten filament bulb hung in the center of the room on a black wire, flickering with dim light.

The tranquil atmosphere was like ink dropping into clear water, spreading and diffusing throughout the room.

In the very center of the room sat a large round table, looking mottled and worn.

In the center of the table stood a small clock with extremely intricate patterns, currently ticking away.

The story seemed to have ended, yet also seemed to have begun.

*”Heavenly-Dragon, I’m ready. Are you?”*

“Ready for what?”

*”Ready to receive the failure I’m bestowing upon you.”*

Heavenly-Dragon smiled bitterly. “I’m ready.”