Chapter 1272

Which One of Them died!?

Who died?

It can't be the Defilement!?

This was Cheng Shi's first reaction—he felt a chill explode from his scalp, a subtle tremor surging through his limbs and marrow, his pupils contracting as he locked eyes with the Poisoner, his gaze as sharp as a falcon's, seeking answers in the other's eyes.

Where is the Defilement? Even the gods don't know. He doesn't attend the Divine Covenant Assemblies. Would He summon His believers in person and annihilate Himself before their eyes?

Cheng Shi couldn't imagine it.

He also couldn't comprehend why the Defilement, who embodied the desires of the cosmos, would perish.

All things in this world—humans, gods—have desires. Though this is the Age of Void, it is also the golden age of the Defilement. His will is scattered across the cosmos, needing no deliberate spread. He should be the one who reaps benefits in every era, no—across every age. What reason could He have to self-annihilate?

It's no wonder Cheng Shi fixated on the Defilement as the self-annihilated god—remember his discovery in the true universe?

In that field of dead gods, corpses tumbled like rain, yet the Defilement and Fate were missing!

Fate might have remained in every slice universe due to his obsession with destiny—then why wasn't a single Defilement found dead in the true universe?

Could the information the Poisoner possessed be the very answer he'd been seeking?

Did each of Them die in their own world?

Cheng Shi's heart tightened; he asked again: "What exactly happened?"

The Poisoner gazed up at his face, her expression shifting several times before she asked, pale-faced: "You... guided me—was it all just so that on this day, you could extract from me the truth about Him?"

"?"

It really is the Defilement!?

But what did the Poisoner mean by that? Was she wary of him?

No—if she truly distrusted him, she wouldn't have summoned him through Long Jing. It seemed she wanted to trust him, yet still harbored doubts.

And those doubts seemed tied to the identity of Foolplay!

Cheng Shi sensed a crisis of trust in her—his divine status had carved a chasm before her, making her afraid to draw closer.

Why?

Before hearing the Assassin Young Lady's story, he couldn't judge his own stance—but regaining someone's trust was no challenge for a conman.

So Cheng Shi paused, took out a false mask, and pressed it firmly to the ground:

"I am indeed Foolplay—but I am also always Cheng Shi.

I am not the god you imagine. At least in this game, I have always stood against the gods.

Whether I stand with you depends on your stance, not mine.

Standing against the gods is no trivial matter—I cannot explain it in a few words, nor can I reveal the truth before I understand your position.

But I can tell you plainly: I am trying to make this world keep 'alive.'

If the identity of Foolplay frightens you, then today, let us forget Foolplay. Here, there is only Poisoner and Cheng Shi—a thief burdened with secrets, and a conman stripped of his mask.

Assassin Young Lady, can you trust me now?"

Perhaps the familiar phrasing rekindled the Poisoner's trust; she bit her lip, lowering her gaze:

"I... went to the Sea of Desire again.

While you were off chasing laughter and mockery, I took the path back to the edge of the Sea of Desire."

"!!!"

Hearing "Sea of Desire," Cheng Shi knew this was no ordinary matter.

And the word "again" made his brow furrow tightly.

That cursed place—any sane person who went once would never return. Yet this wicked sinner, blessed as a believer of the Defilement, went again. What did she do there both times?

The Poisoner spoke slowly, softly:

"I went to confirm one thing.

Whether His self-annihilation was real or not.

The trial came too fast—I couldn't see everything clearly. Now I am certain: He is dead. He died at the edge of the Sea of Desire, and before he died, he took something from me..."

"..."

Sister, stop playing riddles now—I'm about to explode.

Cheng Shi suppressed his curiosity, dared not press, and listened patiently.

"Do you know my Lord has three 'children'?" the Poisoner lifted her head.

"Of course: the Sin of Desirelessness, Drahilko; the Lord of Compassion, Triya; and the Gate of Joyful Desire, Afloros."

Triya's grave was already sprouting grass; Afloros was rotting in prison; only Drahilko remained—and he'd fallen into the hands of the Joke God.

The Defilement's "children" had all suffered terrible fates.

Cheng Shi was now half a "Defilement expert"—except he'd never seen the Defilement himself, he knew every scandal among His emissaries inside and out.

So when the Poisoner mentioned the three, sharp Cheng Shi instantly realized something—he stared, eyes wide in shock.

I was wrong!

The one who self-annihilated wasn't the Defilement—it was... Drahilko!?

"The Sin of Desirelessness is dead?"

The Poisoner's expression turned extremely complex; she stared blankly at the ground and nodded.

"Yes.

I had never seen my Lord, so I risked going to the Sea of Desire—that was my first time near its edge.

I had no expectations, yet there I unexpectedly met Drahilko returning from having seen the Lord in the Sea of Desire.

He saw me, stopped me, and said:

'He is not worth seeing. There is no Defilement in this world.'"

"I thought I was myself, but I was never myself......"

Then He drew out a dagger and thrust it straight into His own heart, falling to His knees before me.

I was frozen in terror, standing rooted to the spot, not daring to move. He spat fresh blood and, smiling, beckoned to me.

I knew He was not calling me; He...... had called away my desires.

When He personally snuffed out that light of desire, He said with a smile: "Why must evil commit evil? This is the first good deed I have done. Go, child, leave this place."

He died, and my desires vanished along with Him.

Delahierke stripped away my desires.

Little priest...... I no longer have any desires.

At that moment I was like an empty husk; I was merely 'playing' myself. The real me...... had long since 'died' beside the Sea of Desire."

"!!!!!"

Cheng Shi was dumbfounded. He didn't dare believe it, saying:

"You mean, the Sin of No Desire, before dying, personally created a person without desire!?"

Poison smiled bitterly, "Yes, it's me. Is it laughable?

That's why I ask you — what is faith, after all?

And why do the gods exist?

If the purpose of the game They brought was to spread faith, then why did They have to strip away all my desires right beside the Sea of Desire, closest to my Lord?

Why, how dare They...... and what are They doing?

Fool's Play my lord, can you give me an answer?"

"......"

Cheng Shi could give no answer.

He could not imagine what a blasphemy Delahierke's final act was to the 【Fallen】, nor could he imagine what exactly the other had discovered in the Sea of Desire to make such a choice.

He still remembered that at the end of the Gods' Covenant Assembly, Delahierke had said to him, "May we meet again." But now, a meeting was impossible — he had even learned of the death from Poison's own mouth.

And what did that last line of His mean — "He is not worth an audience, and there is no 【Fallen】 in this world"?

The sentence itself is problematic. It is impossible that there is no 【Fallen】 in this world; He is a true god formally acknowledged by the 【Origin】, and whether He exists is not for Him to decide.

Secondly, even if there truly were no 【Fallen】 in this world, how could the first half of Delahierke's words be "He is not worth an audience"?

If there is no such one, where does the "He" come from?

Cheng Shi was lost as well. All of this far exceeded his expectations, and made the already unclear truth even more bewildering.

His experiences in the real universe made Cheng Shi realize that the 【Fallen】 must hold the key to deciphering the universe's truth — but the question was, who could tell him where He was?

Or rather...... does He exist?

No one knew the answer.

Just as in the dead silence of the present, even the wind had stilled.