Chapter 963

Unexpected events keep arising

Nine days remain, but the trial has not ended.

Cheng Shi and Sun Miao had long since determined that the trial’s target was Kiernaul, that is, the War Monarch Delvo, so the remaining time was spent waiting for him to fulfill his lifelong ambition, clear the battlefield, and proclaim the founding of the War Kingdom upon this scorched earth and pile of corpses.

But war does not end easily; fortunately, Delvo’s preparations were exceptionally thorough, and even without the players’ aid, he would still succeed, so these two had no intention of interfering further.

Now, the only thought in their minds was waiting for Little Seven, who had “learned his lessons,” to come hunt them down.

After failing to encounter him immediately, Cheng Shi had already left the front lines with Sun Miao, wandering the battlefield’s periphery for a long time.

Sun Miao always believed that after eliminating desires and emotions, the beast tamer would surely hide himself and wait until the trial ended, but Cheng Shi firmly believed that Xiao Qi would definitely come looking for him, so once again yielding, Sun Miao could only find something to do for himself, since the Fate Weaver beside him had already begun to drift into empty-minded idleness.

“Don’t you prepare anything for the hunter’s arrival?

Underestimating the enemy has never been a good strategy.”

Every time the Sage offered a reminder, Cheng Shi would nod mechanically, yet still do nothing.

Seeing the Weaver’s laziness, Sun Miao frowned, forced to assume the man had already devised a flawless plan—but what puzzled him was that even if Cheng Shi had 100% confidence in defeating Du Qiyu, how could he guarantee the other wouldn’t leave behind any resurrection safeguards?

Sun Miao asked his question again, and Cheng Shi’s reply was deeply enigmatic.

“Sage, isn’t this what you told me? When a person loses the will to live, he naturally won’t go on living.

So, it won’t be me who kills Little Seven—it will be himself.”

“?”

This Weaver actually wanted a person with such intense desires and emotions to kill himself?

How could that be possible?

Especially after the other had seized the Fear Core and lost desire and fear—how could the sharp-minded one now make such an unwise move?

Even the 【Foolish】 devotees couldn’t analyze it now; he gazed at Cheng Shi with thoughtful eyes, convinced this Weaver concealed the most captivating secret in the entire cosmos.

But he couldn’t unearth these secrets in an instant, so he settled for less: first, extract whatever secrets he could from the trial—like... that sudden 【Decay】 breath appearing on the eastern edge of the Bolo Highlands’ Dense Forest District.

When Sun Miao said he wanted to investigate that thick 【Decay】 breath, Cheng Shi actually wanted to refuse—his instinct warned him danger lurked there.

But he still needed the Sage as a backup against Little Seven, so after careful consideration, he agreed to go—but insisted on staying far away, never walking beside him.

Sun Miao had no objection to this arrangement; soon, they changed course and headed toward the rear of the battlefield.

They weren’t worried Little Seven couldn’t catch up—after all, tracking was a hunter’s specialty. Cheng Shi’s only concern was that Little Seven’s arrival must not coincide with the Sage’s exploration; otherwise, facing unknown risks, he truly didn’t know if his planned strategy would still proceed smoothly.

Fortunately, fate favored Cheng Shi again: when they arrived at the location guided by the “Corpse-Eating Vines,” there was no danger, and Little Seven hadn’t shown up.

They merely discovered traces of lingering 【Time】 energy and vast stretches of withered trees—clear signs something had passed through, yet aside from a sea of decay, it left no other trace.

Sun Miao found this deeply intriguing; he wandered alone through the river valley’s dense forest, studying and probing, while Cheng Shi stood atop a distant hill, keeping watch.

This time, Cheng Shi didn’t slack off—his own safety was at stake, so he remained sharply alert.

Yet despite his vigilance, despite seeing all six directions and hearing all eight, someone still stood behind him without his noticing.

Cheng Shi didn’t even realize the presence at first—until he glanced automatically at his shadow and saw that the shadow, which should have mirrored him exactly, had inexplicably grown fatter.

Instantly, cold sweat broke out on Cheng Shi’s skin, but he didn’t panic; he whipped his hand back and unleashed lightning, while his other hand crushed a smoke pellet.

“Boom—”

The sudden noise startled Sun Miao, who was investigating clues in the dense forest. Seeing a cloud of smoke erupt where Cheng Shi stood, his heart lurched—he turned to rush to his aid—but as he prepared to use shadow transit to reach him, the previously lifeless 【Decay】 trees suddenly stirred to life: each rotting trunk exploded, filling the air with a storm of decayed dust that formed a prison, trapping Sun Miao in place.

“No good!” Sun Miao immediately pulled out a device to hold his breath and began analyzing the prison’s weaknesses.

But as he analyzed, he realized the prison did have flaws—but the 【Decay】 energy within was far beyond anything a player could withstand.

That meant the person who trapped him and ambushed Cheng Shi possessed strength far exceeding Lin Xi’s—so far beyond that they weren’t even on the same level.

Remember, Lin Xi was ranked #1 on the 【Decay】 list—so the only one who could surpass him might be...

“Envoy!?”

Sun Miao’s pupils shrank in horror as he cried out.

Yet the prison of decayed dust not only trapped his body—it silenced his voice. His cry revealing the enemy’s identity never reached Cheng Shi, who had temporarily escaped into the smoke, hearing only another hoarse voice from within the dust:

“Don’t attack. I mean no harm.”

As soon as the words ended, Cheng Shi clearly saw the face of the ambush hidden in the mist.

He was certain he’d never met this man before, yet strangely, the face felt familiar—he couldn’t place where, but at least it meant the man’s status couldn’t be too high, for Cheng Shi would never forget what a True God or Envoy looked like.

But... could he really not forget?

Before this thought could solidify for even a second, he contradicted himself—he suddenly remembered where he’d seen this face: in...

A portrait on the wall of a vacant chamber in the Luo Sina Imperial Palace, depicting the Luo Sina Emperor who had abandoned his entire city, fleeing with nobles and ministers in panic.

Of course, Cheng Shi later learned this man’s name from Afulos.

Yuge, a master of escape elevated to Envoy by 【Decay】 in the previous age.

Realizing this, Cheng Shi was stunned.

“!!!”

He is Yuge!?