Chapter 1306: Is he Cheng Shi!?

He is Cheng Shi!?

"Whoosh—"

This was no longer resistance, but naked provocation.

Even if the gods were slow to react, through 【Fate】's past actions and today's events, they could see that the Outer God 【Fate】 wanted nothing more than a predetermined outcome without faith.

And the act of 【War】 undoubtedly dug up the path ahead of this predetermined outcome, polluting it with his own faith so that it could no longer become an offering untainted by faith.

The position of a True God might require the recognition of the 【Covenant】, but the status of an Envoy has always been self-promoted by the True God, requiring no proof. When a life holds a vessel of faith, gains the recognition of a True God, and acts on behalf of the True God's authority, they naturally ascend to the status of an Envoy.

And as luck would have it, Cheng Shi possessed both the 【War】 vessel and the 【War】 authority!

He was a natural candidate for an Envoy, only one promise from a True God away from being a real one.

Today, that promise arrived.

And so, 【Fate】 was enraged.

The darkness that had been dispersed by the flames instantly surged back. The thick, pitch-black void was bottomless, yet it overflowed with terrifying, iridescent colors. Every touch of the darkness's pressure felt like a physical weight, mercilessly eroding the flames burning around 【War】.

The flames diminished inch by inch, and the blood increased drop by drop.

Even though 【War】 was the god most skilled in war within the universe, he had no strength left to resist under this wisp of 【Origin】 power.

At this very moment, just like that moment in the past, this scene reminded both Cheng Shi and Hong Lin of the countless times 【War】 had surged against the current in the real universe, only to be wiped away with a single stroke.

The two were so similar, though the speed at which 【War】 was perishing now was far slower than before.

This was the Outer God's fury, and also the torture of Qin Xin.

Just as the Outer God said, no one could stop the predetermined outcome from being taken away. The reason He was still here circling with the gods was simply because the spacetime storm He was waiting for had not yet arrived.

Cheng Shi's expression changed. Before he could even stop it, he saw the flames instantly collapse into the pitch-black void, and the flowing blood merged into the void, turning into the hollow background beneath the starry sky, never to be seen again.

【War】 had just disappeared like that!

No, He hadn't disappeared.

It was Qin Xin who had disappeared.

The moment Qin Xin disappeared, a pair of brand-new 【War】 pupils—left fire, right blood—opened before the gods' eyes. Within those pupils, a 【Void】 spiral spun undisguisedly. He looked at Cheng Shi, who had turned his head in shock, and said eerily:

"Someone stole My identity, struggling in their death throes, intending to pollute the predetermined outcome, only to be seen through by 【Fate】.

They lent a hand to save it, and My true self was able to emerge; for this, I am deeply grateful.

Everything before was promised by a false body and does not count.

The predetermined outcome... never resisted, never resonated with My will, and thus should not deserve the name of My Envoy..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

He wasn't even acting anymore.

The Outer God no longer cared about the gods' opinions, nor did He care about whether the universe was real or fake. In any case, even without acting out this segment, He could still reset time, pull it back to the past, kill Qin Xin first, and then discuss the rest.

Yet He didn't do that, instead pretentiously performing this scene before the gods. This was not just a form of disregard; it was telling the universe that the predetermined outcome could never be defied.

"Ha."

Cheng Shi laughed. He looked at those 【War】 eyes, laughing like a madman.

"【Fate】, oh 【Fate】, I think you are the biggest clown on this stage.

Your performance is just too funny, ha, hahahahaha!"

The universe was silent, with only Cheng Shi's laughter echoing everywhere.

The spiral in those cold, starry eyes gradually stopped. He looked at the believer before Him, remained silent for a long time, and finally drove the power of 【Fate】 to wrap around him, disappearing from the gods' sight along with the predetermined outcome.

The dust had settled.

The Outer God left, the power of 【Origin】 was withdrawn, the pressure on the scene suddenly eased, and the starry sky, previously obscured by pitch-black, regained its color.

But immediately after, a roar came from the starry sky. Hong Lin, who was still falling, instantly transformed into a spotted leopard and chased toward the depths of the void again.

She didn't know where the Outer God had taken Cheng Shi, but she knew that place must be where she would be buried.

I will never abandon any friend, never!

【Prosperity】 chased after them in tears. The scene was filled with sighs, and the gods looked at each other before dispersing.

The farce seemed to have ended. Perhaps the moment the predetermined outcome was sacrificed to 【Origin】, the world... should be able to survive, right?

No one dared to be certain, not even the gods.

The giant skull on the bone throne looked at the place where the Outer God had disappeared and sighed. Then, the green flames in its eyes flickered, and the Fish Bone Hall dismantled into a torrent of white bones, carrying its believers away from this devastated starry sky.

When the hall found a quiet void and reformed, a pure power of 【Death】 quietly overflowed from the giant skull, returning a small skull beneath the bone throne to human form, and waking the believer who had been lying before the bone throne.

An Mingyu stumbled and fell onto the steps before the bone throne. She "looked" at Zhang Jizu, who was waking up in the distance, stunned. She looked around blankly, her heart tightening as she said:

"Where is Cheng Shi? He..."

Zhang Jizu shuddered all over. He looked at his own hands, seemingly understanding something, and suddenly hammered the ground, roaring hoarsely, choked with sobs, and in despair:

"No!!!"

And when the giant skull and An Mingyu heard this "No."

"Boom—"

The consciousness of this one human and one god exploded.

Countless torrents of white bones surged into the sky from both sides of the steps. The entire void began to be permeated with the aura of 【Death】. That boiling power of 【Death】 surged disorderly, just like the shock in the giant skull's heart. The green flames in its eyes surged to the sky as it looked at the believer before the bone throne, unable to understand no matter what.

Clearly, his body was full of Zhang Jizu's aura, but why was the voice...

An Mingyu was overjoyed. She thought her plea had finally been answered. She lifted her skirt and ran to Zhang Jizu's side, pulled up the other's hand, and cried with joy:

"Cheng Shi... you're still alive!"

That's right!

The voice coming from beneath Zhang Jizu's skin was actually Cheng Shi's!

He wasn't Zhang Jizu; he was Cheng Shi!

The essence of the substitute magic lay in deception, in diverting attention. As long as one could deceive everyone's eyes and ears, the substitute would naturally be accepted as the genuine article.

Zhang Jizu had used this method to deceive the gods and the Outer God present, making himself the "predetermined outcome" that had to be sacrificed!

But the 【Deception】 of this world had long since died, and even the authority was being acted on behalf of by the Outer God 【Fate】. Then how did Zhang Jizu play the role of Cheng Shi and deceive the Outer God 【Fate】, who could see through the reality of the universe?

Because...

The Zhang Jizu who was taken away wasn't Zhang Jizu at all; he was Cheng Shi himself!

Just a Cheng Shi from another world!

Do you remember the attempt to seek the Dao outside before Cheng Shi stepped into the laughter and mockery? At that time, Cheng Shi saw the squinting old Zhang who had succeeded to the 【Death】 authority in another world, and it was at that same moment that Zhang Jizu saw the Cheng Shi who had succeeded to the 【Deception】 authority in another world!

After that Cheng Shi, whose eyes were paved with spirals, saw the suspicious and confused Zhang Jizu, his first sentence was:

"Very good, it seems my chance for atonement has arrived."

He reached out his hand toward Zhang Jizu, smiling exceptionally happily.