Chapter 739: I, Cheng Shi, Clown

Whatever terror Lao Deng had felt moments ago — Cheng Shi now felt something eerily similar.

Executing a deity's Chosen before that deity's very eyes was already blasphemy. Worse — the charge the clown had pinned on Lao Deng was blaspheming Deceit!

Think about it: a Time follower, executed for blaspheming the Void, on Existence's own turf!

In the entire history of the Grand Tribunal — no, of the entire Land of Hope — you'd be hard-pressed to find a trial more absurd than this.

Cheng Shi knew his actions constituted "framing." But the other party had run his mouth first. Little Deng had slandered him and the Torchbearers without provocation. So Cheng Shi figured his actions qualified as self-defense at best.

Even if the defense was excessive — you still had to admit it was defense, right?

Besides, fabricating a charge of "blaspheming Deceit" wasn't random — it was calculated.

Given today's faith-fusion dynamics, his Benefactor Deceit had clearly communicated with Time beforehand. Otherwise, He wouldn't have only impersonated Destiny to "guide" Cheng Shi — He might also have impersonated Time to bolster his confidence.

Though Cheng Shi didn't know how the Fun God had won Time over, he knew that in this fusion gambit, Deceit's bargaining power far exceeded Time's. Deceit had to be the one who'd greased every wheel, enabling this cross-factional fusion to proceed.

And furthermore — having offered such prime entertainment, how could the Fun God not protect him?

This was Cheng Shi's reasoning. This was why he'd specifically steered Lao Deng toward blaspheming Deceit.

He'd considered framing Lao Deng for blaspheming Destiny instead, but his current read on Destiny's attitude was a total blank. Judging by Her expression during the fusion, She seemed to be harboring something unspeakable.

So Cheng Shi didn't gamble. He chose steady.

Of course, this "steady" was anything but. From the moment he'd decided to kill Lao Deng, there was nothing steady about any of it.

But no matter. The clown still had his silver tongue.

So the moment he saw Time open His eyes, Cheng Shi bent at the waist, head bowed, immediately donning an expression of sincere repentance. He "confessed":

"Praise the great God of Time — I..."

But before he could get past the preamble, something struck him as wrong.

'Too many coincidences. Everything today has been too convenient.'

'Not just convenient — rushed!'

Deceit disguised as Destiny had summoned him. Told him to fuse with Time. He'd barely arrived at Time's domain before the fusion completed. Even Time Himself appeared for barely a second. Then Lao Deng materialized in Time's temple.

And don't forget — Lao Deng had escaped from the Torchbearers. Sure, the Torchbearers were a grand organization resisting the gods. But their patron was Deceit!

'See the pattern? From beginning to end, the Fun God's shadow runs through everything!'

Now — this was Time's temple. He supposedly still had time to summon followers. So why hadn't He descended during the fusion with an opposing faith? Why hadn't He exposed Cheng Shi impersonating His creation? Why hadn't He appeared when Cheng Shi was cutting off Little Deng's head? Why had He only opened His eyes to "investigate" after the dust settled?

Was that... reasonable?

Obviously not!

Cheng Shi refused to believe that over a span of time even mortals wouldn't consider long, a deity who governed Time just happened to not have time for these few minutes.

A bolt of inspiration struck. A bold hypothesis surged up.

'These eyes... are they really Time?'

After all, if even "Destiny" might not be Destiny — who could vouch that "Time" was truly Time?

So in that blink of an instant, the clown made a decision: he would test a deity!

Cheng Shi's eyes flashed with cunning. Lips curling, he abruptly changed course:

"I can explain everything, my Lord!

Though Deng Sui spoke earnestly, his devotion wasn't true devotion — it was self-interest. He wrapped desire in faith, hoping to deceive You into noticing him. I've seen this trick countless times in Deceit's camp — it's unmistakable.

So, my Lord, I killed Deng Sui not for any personal reason — only because I feared he was drifting toward Deceit!

But I am different!

Though I am also a Deceit follower, I've always believed Destiny is the future and Time is the fixed path!

Especially when opposing faiths set aside their prejudice and became one — I nearly saw the universe's road ahead:

The unification of Void and Existence. The harmony of Destiny and Time.

To prove my words are no lie, my Lord — bestow Your guidance. And I, too, will be faith's blade — shattering every last facade of the Void for You!"

Cheng Shi delivered it with iron resolve, shamelessly borrowing Lao Deng's words without blushing. His posture would have earned a "devout" from anyone watching. The only flaw was that he was saying it as a clown — a Deceit-fused-with-Chaos "deranged clown."

And a deranged clown spouting this kind of chaotic speech wasn't all that strange.

But Cheng Shi didn't really care about the content. The instant he finished, he raised his head to watch those black-hole eyes, waiting for a response.

Sure enough — those eyes, so stern a moment ago, twitched at the corners after hearing the clown's speech. A gust of Void wind rushed onto Time's platform, staggering Cheng Shi!

Simultaneously, a bizarre echo rang through the starry sky:

"I KNEW it was the Fun God!

Damn — I knew it...

Good, good, great. Playing me again, my Lord? You're... wait, AGAIN!?

A true deity using these tricks to toy with Your own follower — is that really fun?

I'm not the same person I used to be. My current devotion is terrifying. All my Lord's getting out of this is hearing how devout my innermost thoughts are. Pointless.

He's... not saying anything?

Oh no — is He actually angry?

But I offered a bunch of lies as tribute — why would He be mad? I've been getting scammed nonstop! I haven't even complained!

... No, no — can't think anymore!"

Cheng Shi panicked. He clutched his head and shook it furiously, mentally counting sheep, trying to weather the "truth serum" phase. But right then — those black-hole eyes blinked twice, shed their dark disguise, and transformed back into gleefully squinting, star-speckled, spiral eyes.

Deceit! This Void facade had once again opened His eyes in Existence's domain, watching the "manic" follower on the platform with a smirk that was and wasn't a smile.

"Well, well — if it isn't the 'Hour Hand' that Time personally shaped! What happened? Headache? Needle-phobia?

I'll grant you this — there are entirely too many clock hands here. They're an eyesore."

With that, He blinked. In mere seconds, the entire starry sky froze solid — then every cycling ring of time shattered. All the clock hands and dials dissolved. Existence receded like a tide. Black, boundless Void returned.

It wasn't until Cheng Shi noticed the ground beneath his feet was no longer the jade platform of stacked time that it hit him: not just "Time" was fake — the very Universal Clock platform he'd been standing on was fake!

This had been a fraud from start to finish. A complete illusion. The entire time, the clown had been singing and dancing on Deceit's stage. His panic, tension, fear, and confusion were nothing but an endless stream of jokes — entertaining who-knew-how-many spectators...

And sitting in the VIP front-row seat of that audience — Deceit Himself!

"Heh. I — Cheng Shi — clown.

A real clown."

Cheng Shi tapped his nose, making the tip glow red.