Chapter 946

Conflict is about to erupt—face Lin Xi directly!

If even a longtime “hunter” who hunts Lin Xi can survive the plague trap, there’s no reason I, who wields the Power of Vitality, cannot.

Thus, Cheng Shi relaxed—he only needed to carefully guard against the power of [Annihilation].

Their speed increased further; both knew the beast-tamer who came to warn them had likely retreated in this accidental clash, meaning even if he lied, it was only half-truth, so Lin Xi had no time to set up so many traps—this was their best chance to resolve the trial’s danger.

Du Qiyu, seeing the two no longer acknowledged him, angrily flapped his wings and halted.

He hadn’t lied—the trap ahead was Lin Xi’s; his intent was to spare these two from wasting mental energy resisting pointless obstacles, so they could face Lin Xi in better condition.

But since kind words can’t save a damned ghost, let them go—may you both die alongside Lin Xi in this dense forest!

As this contact ended, Xiao Qi immediately reported their location to Lin Xi; thanks to the Du family’s training, he was adept at pleasing both sides.

“They’re almost here, Lin Xi. That long-haired man isn’t afraid of your traps—simple [Decay] traps won’t slow them; only [Annihilation] can delay them.”

“But this only delays them—what are you waiting for? Waiting until they escape the traps and rush straight to you?!”

Lin Xi remained unmoved by Du Qiyu’s warning, still seated motionless beneath the rotting log, only slightly lifting his eyelids to glance at the birds above, then sneering:

“Since you’re so eager, why not go test them for me first?”

“?”

The bird froze, then spread its wings and flew far away, shrieking: “I’ll be your eyes—only your eyes!”

Lin Xi snorted and closed his eyes again.

“Trees only realize they’re not pillars when they’re about to die—this applies to people too.”

“Until life hangs by a thread, who can truly see themselves?”

These words struck harder than Cheng Shi’s feigned ignorance—Du Qiyu, hidden in his refuge, furiously pounded the ground, eyes bloodshot, veins webbed with red, desperate to kill every one of these mocking fools in the next second.

Just as the two spoke, a thunderous collapse echoed from ahead of the valley—this meant the players’ war had erupted prematurely, before the historical battle even began.

Chun was an assassin, yet her charge through this journey resembled that of a warrior.

Her thorned hair ignited every [Decay] trap along the path; the plague’s stench thickened in the mountains, yet for now, it could not touch the two players protected by [Prosperity].

Cheng Shi followed cautiously behind Chun, deliberately lagging behind to ensure that if they encountered an unseen [Annihilation] trap, he wouldn’t be dragged in alongside her.

Yet Chun’s efficiency far exceeded Cheng Shi’s expectations—this Crown of Thorns knew her “ex-husband” too well; sometimes she didn’t even need to draw the [Annihilation] banner, relying purely on instinct and experience to pierce his traps, so skilled it seemed as if she’d laid them herself.

To Cheng Shi, this abstract scene brought no surprise—only sorrow.

The deeper the understanding, the greater the pain—not all hatred was ever called love; how much hatred Chun bore now meant...

Forget it—focus on the present.

Cheng Shi cast aside his distractions and began acting.

Though Chun and Lin Xi were the protagonists of this battlefield, Cheng Shi would never entrust his safety or the outcome to a teammate blinded by hatred.

He had to ask why a [Decay] believer would choose this valley’s dense forest as the battlefield—here, [Prosperity] believers thrived, while Lin Xi gained nothing.

The only explanation was that this region held more vegetation than other valleys, and [Annihilation]’s greater “presence” was clearly another form of offering—only this offering wasn’t to [Decay], but to [Annihilation]!

So Cheng Shi’s instinct told him Lin Xi dared confront them directly only because [Annihilation] backed him—but he couldn’t guess how strong that backing truly was.

What if He truly had no honor...

For caution’s sake, Cheng Shi scattered dice along the path and began rotting his own arm with the plague’s approach, decaying every plant they passed into dust.

He intended to offer Lin Xi’s prepared “tools” to [Decay] before Lin Xi could offer them to [Annihilation]—this would not only disrupt his spell but leave him speechless with rage.

If you oppose me, you are impious.

If you are impious, I may punish you in [Decay]’s name!

Thus arose the most absurd scene of the conflict: a [Decay] believer hid in the lush forest of [Prosperity], waiting like a hunter by a tree, while [Prosperity]’s hunters systematically rotted the entire forest.

Seeing Cheng Shi’s corruption of her own curse granted him such power in return, Chun’s confidence surged—she didn’t care whether her ally’s power came from [Prosperity] or [Decay]; after all, she had once been a [Decay] believer herself.

Chun’s speed through the forest increased further; within mere breaths, she located the enemy.

Lin Xi finally appeared—he had never intended to hide.

“Watch out! The stinking rat’s here!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a thunderous “boom”—every plant Cheng Shi had rotted exploded into ash, dust laced with plague swirling into a vast cloud that swallowed the entire valley; in an instant, even the soil of the mountain turned dry, brittle, and lifeless.

They had decayed...

This was the power of a top-ranked [Decay] mage.

“Cheng Shi.”

Lin Xi emerged slowly from the plague-laden dust, watching the two before him utterly unmoved by his “greeting,” and curled his lips into a cold smile.

“To become a sacrifice to [Annihilation] is your supreme honor.

Surrender, and I’ll let your name echo among [Annihilation]’s faithful—then at least you’ll live on in history. What do you say?”

Before he finished, Cheng Shi stepped forward, waving his rotted arm to clear the smoke—he thought Lin Xi’s confidence was excessive.

Buddy, what guts do you have to keep talking like a villain after I’ve marked you?

But fine—when you reach Dol Guldur, Zainjil won’t be lonely anymore; he’ll have a new loquacious cellmate.

Yet Cheng Shi didn’t immediately activate the Redeemer’s Redemption—he wanted to understand these [Annihilation] believers’ logic, and learn what orders [Annihilation] had given them.

So he smiled at the loquacious villain: “You love [Annihilation] so much—why are you still a [Decay] believer?”

Lin Xi’s face instantly turned reverent, his eyes flickering with respect.

“The supreme [Decay] gave me a second life; the great [Annihilation] granted me a second existence.

They are both my benefactors—you dare not blaspheme them here.”

“Pfft—

Even if my history is terrible, I know [Decay]’s fall came from the [Annihilation] sect’s relentless advance—so these two clearly despise each other. Why tie them together?”

“Bold words!”

Lin Xi snorted, sweeping his hand to erase everything before him; as a fused-belief Ashen, his command of [Annihilation] rivaled high-ranked [Annihilation] players.

But Cheng Shi had anticipated this—he snapped his fingers and reappeared at a spot beyond the forest, then re-entered the woods, grinning at Lin Xi, who was now fighting Chun:

“Tsk, flustered.

Interesting—people’s instinctive reactions reveal what they truly care about. You open with [Annihilation]—so where’s your piety toward [Decay]?”

If you’ve lost piety, why not just fully embrace [Annihilation]?

Don’t you agree, Lin Xi?”

After speaking, Cheng Shi smirked and raised his arm, blackened like rotting wood.

Lin Xi didn’t grasp the meaning behind Cheng Shi’s words—he believed no matter how powerful a player was, could he rival a god?

He could.

Even if not equal, at least he acted as a proxy for the god’s authority—in certain situations, proxies could wield divine power.

Like... now.

Cheng Shi merely mimed a strike with his arm and muttered “boom”—the next second, Lin Xi, who always relied on [Decay]’s dust to block attacks, felt a dagger pierce his chest.

A familiar, rusted dagger!

And the hand holding it? Chun’s.

This moment mirrored that moment—then, both lay broken beside the blood lake; now, in this valley’s forest, Lin Xi’s pupils shrank in shock, while Chun’s eyes burned with hatred.