Chapter 55

The True Mastermind!

These blue 【Memory】 forces tugged at the ascetic’s deepest memories, slicing and rewriting his cognition like scalpels.

In the blink of an eye, he forgot his purpose, forgot who Du Qiyu and Fang Shijue were, and stood there with a vacant, dazed stare.

“Fifteen seconds! Hurry!”

Fang Shijue, hearing Du Qiyu’s shout, snapped back to awareness and immediately reached for 【When Fear Arrives】.

He felt the half-divine artifact’s resistance was mild—not at all like something that could fling a person away—yet despite his doubts, for safety’s sake, he issued another decree:

“This place forbids resistance!”

Theoretically, a player’s 【Order】 power was far too weak, vastly inferior in rank to a half-divine artifact.

Especially as a relic of a dual-divine subordinate deity, 【When Fear Arrives】 should have been utterly unaffected.

Yet, unexpectedly, the half-divine artifact quieted under Fang Shijue’s decree.

The scene was too tense for anyone to notice this anomaly.

Fang Shijue’s heart leapt with joy; he snatched it up and hurled it hard toward Du Qiyu.

He wasn’t denying his own ability—only believing that someone who had personally guided him through the memories would surely have more tricks than he did!

Du Qiyu rolled up and caught the flying half-divine artifact, his tension easing.

Finally!

After all this effort, they’d finally found it—the clue to the trial, perhaps right here...

“Boom!”

Before Du Qiyu could even glance at it, a cataclysmic force of thunder crashed toward him.

“Puff—”

Du Qiyu was struck by the overwhelming lightning, his body charred and flung backward, slamming into the corridor wall.

Yet the dagger remained clenched tightly in his hand.

“Good. You’re the first sinner to survive my Thunder Punishment.”

“Your physique is impressive—even I must admire it.”

“The southern front is strained—we need men now.”

“Surrender your resistance. Hand over ‘it.’ I’ll give you a chance to serve as a ‘War Prisoner!’”

The same words echoed again in everyone’s ears—but now the target had changed.

Fang Shijue stared in shock at the watch on his wrist: Mò Qiūsī had appeared six minutes earlier than in his memory!

Had the ascetic’s forced breach alerted those below and triggered a change?

He looked up and saw that among Mò Qiūsī’s entourage, neither he nor Du Qiyu was present.

Instead, Cheng Shi—who should have been taking the lightning at the door—stood in the very spot they had occupied.

Fang Shijue stared, frozen, realizing this journey was likely doomed.

Yet at that moment, another anomaly erupted!

Du Qiyu, clutching 【When Fear Arrives】, suddenly looked at Fang Shijue with horror, as if struck by a terrible realization.

He seemed about to say something—but before he could speak, the light in his eyes vanished in an instant.

Fang Shijue’s body stiffened violently; then the scene before him shattered like a mirror, peeling away layer by layer, and in a blink, spat him out of the sea of memory.

His vision plunged back into darkness.

When his consciousness returned to his body, Fang Shijue realized he was no longer in the inn.

He opened his eyes, staring at the shackles on his wrists, the chains around his ankles—stunned into silence.

Sitting before him was unmistakably one of the judges who had arrested people at the inn that morning.

“Enough of the boring theatrics. Speak quickly—what have you remembered?”

“It’ll be better for both of us.”

Elsewhere.

Cheng Shi opened his eyes to find himself no longer in the inn.

This was a dim cave, its ceiling thick with stalactites resembling symbols—reminding him of one place:

Underground!

He had once seen such symbol-like stalactites during an underground trial; legend said they were the underground cave spirits’ devotion displayed to the 【Gods】.

How had he ended up here?

Was the true mastermind a 【Corrupt】 believer from underground?

As Cheng Shi cautiously observed his surroundings, an unexpected figure appeared before him, smiling.

Cheng Shi was stunned, mouth agape:

“It’s really you?”

The man nodded with a smile:

“So you’ve suspected me. But I’m curious—my disguise had no flaws. How did you suspect me?”

Cheng Shi sensed no malice from him—indeed, a hint of goodwill. After a moment’s thought, he replied seriously:

“To be honest, my suspicion of you was minimal. Without seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t have reached the right conclusion.”

“As for why I suspected you—it’s similar to why I suspected the bard you controlled.”

“When someone seeks to create murder through fear, merely spreading rumors to incite panic is inefficient.”

“If I were that person, I’d first make everyone believe they were utterly safe—then strike the killing blow in the very place they felt safest.”

“That psychological collapse would shatter ordinary defenses and become my blade.”

“Perhaps that’s why you urged every new guest to see 【Bloom Until Withered】?”

Standing before Cheng Shi was unmistakably the owner of the “Feverish Light of Life” inn.

He laughed heartily, clapping:

“You’re clever. And perfectly suited.”

“Suited?”

“Yes. Since you’ve guessed it’s me, think again—why am I here?”

Cheng Shi frowned, thinking aloud:

“You deliberately delivered the murder dagger to the Grand Tribunal’s hands—your target was likely one of the judges.”

Or perhaps Mò Qiūsī himself!”

“I’m not familiar with the Grand Tribunal’s history, but I know this era well.”

“The 【Truth】 believers of the Tower of Reason discovered too many cosmic laws, making them believe themselves omnipotent, their confidence in uncovering the ultimate mysteries of divinity at an all-time high.”

“But each scholar had his own cognitive system; communication among them meant nothing but promoting their own theories or trying to convert others to their sect—this chaotic, mutually unintelligible situation grew worse as factions multiplied.”

“Now they despised 【Order】’s stagnation and loathed their peers’ relentless pursuit—further stirred by underground faiths. Soon, in their quest for the ‘one true 【Truth】,’ war erupted.”

“Once war began, it could not be stopped—the flames spread gradually to the southern border of the Grand Tribunal.”

“And you—you’ve come deep into the Grand Tribunal’s heartland, and you wish to kill Mò Qiūsī. At this sensitive moment, are you trying to destabilize the Tribunal’s rear, forcing them to turn inward, weakening their front lines?”

“In other words—you want to drag the Tribunal’s judges into the war?”

“Hmm. That way, the underground could exploit the chaos to devour more surface territories and spread their faith freely amid the turmoil—perfectly aligned with your interests.”

“Killing a Level-One Judge—especially one called the 【Child of Order】—would make an excellent beginning.”

“Am I right?”

The inn owner listened silently, then looked stunned, clapping in admiration.

“Incredible! Extremely impressive!”

“You’ve hit nearly half of it.”

“Your thinking is sharp—so sharp I find it hard to believe you’re not one of us.”

“With so little information, deducing so much from just a day or two of observation—truly remarkable.”

“Us?” Cheng Shi noticed again the peculiar word the owner used, surprised:

“You’re not alone?”

“Of course. What kind of power could slip past Mò Qiūsī’s notice without a single flaw?”

“I admit—I couldn’t do it.”

“So you’re right—and wrong.”

“Ados was indeed a puppet—but not mine. His own.”