Chapter 228 Dead Mound
The ten individuals slowly descended to the ground.
Just as Mortal Snake opened his mouth to speak, Qi Xia, with Yu Nian'An in tow, pushed open the wooden door and stepped outside.
"Huh?" Mortal Snake was momentarily stunned. "Qi Xia, I haven’t said my parting words to you yet."
Qi Xia didn’t look back. His gaze remained fixed ahead as he strode forward, the endless corridor stretching before him eerily reminiscent of the one from his dreams.
The rest of the group trailed behind.
"Hey, Swindler lad, what's the hurry?" Qiao Jiajin shouted from behind.
But Qi Xia paid no heed—not to Qiao Jiajin, nor to anyone else. His attention was singular, his steps unwavering as he pressed forward with Yu Nian'An by his side.
As they approached Mortal Dragon, who opened his mouth to speak, Qi Xia cut him off before a single word could escape.
He brushed past Mortal Dragon and stepped through the doorway. Fortunately, someone was already there, waiting.
A man who bore Chu Tianqiu's face.
Beside him stood Kim Wonhun, who had been absent for quite some time. He was vigilantly observing their surroundings.
When Chu Tianqiu noticed Qi Xia and the unfamiliar woman descending, he hesitated briefly, but quickly regained his composure. With a warm smile, he stepped forward. "Qi Xia."
"It's been a while," Qi Xia replied, his voice icy as he pulled Yu Nian'An closer to his side. "Which Chu Tianqiu are you? And what scheme are you plotting this time?"
"I am me," Chu Tianqiu paused briefly, then added, "I came to find you to offer my congratulations."
"Congratulations?" Qi Xia's voice was cold and detached. "For what?"
"You are the {strongest individual} I’ve ever encountered," Chu Tianqiu continued, his tone almost reverent. "A few days ago, the entire {End Point} trembled at your presence."
"Is that so?" Qi Xia scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. "So you single-handedly orchestrated a massacre all on your own?"
"Exactly!" Chu Tianqiu replied, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "Qi Xia, you know as well as I do that in this cursed place, even though we’ve reached a cooperation, we can still kill each other at any moment for our own purposes. It wouldn’t change our relationship in the slightest."
"You're right," Qi Xia nodded. "Thanks to you, I've also discovered something extraordinary."
"Oh?" Chu Tianqiu's eyes shifted toward Yu Nian'An, curiosity flickering in his gaze. "I’ve heard from Auntie Tong about your situation... so—"
Just as Chu Tianqiu was about to continue, his thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
This woman... could she be Qi Xia's {missing wife}?
Did he actually find her...? Or is she... a creation of {Endowing Life Without End}?
But this time, Qi Xia hadn’t triggered his {Reverberation}. How did this woman come to be?
He took a deep breath, stealing another glance at Qi Xia, only to notice that Qi Xia’s eyes seemed distant, almost vacant—it was as if he didn’t want to dwell on the question at all.
"Seems like you're truly losing your grip, aren't you?" Chu Tianqiu remarked with a bitter chuckle. "Lucky for me, I uncovered the answer before you completely unraveled."
"Now that the congratulations are out of the way... what’s next?" Qi Xia inquired, his voice devoid of emotion. "Are you here to extend us an invitation to {Passage to Heaven}?"
"Absolutely!" Chu Tianqiu laughed heartily, stepping forward to firmly grasp Qi Xia’s hand. "You remain my most valuable ally in {End Point}!"
As Qi Xia's teammates gradually made their way down, Officer Li approached, clutching four {Dào} in his hand. The group’s attention immediately shifted to Chu Tianqiu.
"Ah, the whole crew’s here?" Chu Tianqiu greeted with a warm smile, though his eyes swiftly scanned the nine individuals. While most faces were familiar, his gaze settled on the pale, unfamiliar young man—an enigmatic presence among the group.
“Oh?” Chu Tianqiu’s eyes glinted with understanding as he nodded. “You all managed to escape—impressive, truly.”
The pale-faced man met his gaze, slowly withdrawing his smile, his eyes flickering with a faint trace of contempt.
"Ah, why, isn’t this the cruel and unscrupulous Tianqiu lad?" Qiao Jiajin said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Come back to find more people to work as your slaves?"
“Not at all—you're far too kind,” Chu Tianqiu responded, his eyes narrowing with a hint of amusement. “On another note, I must express my gratitude to you and Li Xiangling. Who could have anticipated that you’d manage to hold {Passage to Heaven}? It’s truly beyond my expectations…”
The words struck a painful chord in Qiao Jiajin.
Following Qi Xia's death, he and Li Xiangling had indeed guarded {Passage to Heaven}, yet the circumstances had been so extraordinary that Qiao Jiajin had doubted his own grasp on reality.
"So, has your {Passage to Heaven} been cleaned up?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"Still in the process!" Chu Tianqiu replied with unsettling cheer. "Your company would be appreciated. I’ll provide you some food, and you all can help me with the cleaning."
His patronizing cadence—reminiscent of one addressing a common pet—sent ripples of discomfort through the collective.
Qiao Jiajin didn’t respond immediately but instead turned his gaze to Qi Xia.
After a moment's contemplation, Qi Xia's features softened into an enigmatic smile. "Sure, I’ll join in."
The two shook hands once again.
Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin shared a bewildered glance, both unable to decipher Qi Xia's motives.
The figure before them, Chu Tianqiu, was evidently malevolent. His madness ran far darker than they had anticipated—what conceivable reason could justify an alliance with him?
As they followed Chu Tianqiu and Kim Wonhun toward {Passage to Heaven}, the group took the opportunity to explain the situation to Lawyer Zhang and Tian Tian. Both still wore expressions of disbelief.
Lin Qin turned to the {Tenth Individual} and asked for his name, having noticed his ability to communicate effortlessly with anyone.
The young man, his gaze lost in the dark red sky of {End Point}, seemed to be slowly shedding his smile, as if coming to terms with some bitter truth.
“I’m Chen Junnan (陈俊南),” he replied flatly.
“Chen Junnan?” Lin Qin paused, a frown forming. “Have we met before?”
The young man's lips curved in a subtle smile. “Yes, this is our third encounter.”
“Yes, just three times.”
Lin Qin sensed the futility of pressing further. Considering his multiple deaths in the probation room, the likelihood of his connection to {Judgment’s Domain} seemed negligible—the odds were simply too remote.
Qi Xia shifted his focus to Qiao Jiajin, his curiosity piqued by a specific detail. "Fists, you managed to defend {Passage to Heaven} successfully?"
"Yeah." Qiao Jiajin affirmed with a nod.
The response rang hollow. Even with Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling's considerable combat abilities, how could they have possibly prevailed against a fully equipped contingent of {Reverberatees}?
"Did your {Reverberation} manifest?" Qi Xia pressed directly.
“No,” Qiao Jiajin shook his head. “Swindler lad, you’ll see soon enough. If I haven’t lost my mind then… that whole situation was just too mind-boggling.”
As they drew closer to the school gate, a nauseating stench invaded their nostrils. Fresh death permeated the air with its distinctive reek—a mere preview of the foulness that would linger for the next ten days.
At that moment, Li Xiangling was in the midst of hauling a corpse across the campus. As soon as she spotted the approaching group, she waved eagerly.
"Qiao ge!!" she called out, her voice full of energy, though the body in her hands nearly slipped from her grasp.
"Kung Fu gal!" Qiao Jiajin responded with a grin. "Wait for me, I’ll give you a hand!"
Qi Xia’s eyes swept over the scene, and something about the bodies Li Xiangling was handling struck him as eerily familiar.
In the next instant, his eyes widened in shock.
The entire group came to an abrupt halt.
Li Xiangling was holding a body that was unmistakably—Qiao Jiajin’s.
As Qi Xia’s gaze swept across the rest of the field, his eyes widened in horror. At least seven or eight more bodies of Qiao Jiajin lay neatly arranged on the ground. Some had been blown apart, others slashed or pierced with wooden stakes—each corpse bearing a different, grotesque mark of death.