Chapter 967: The Oath-Breaker, Du Qiyu

The Oath-Breaker, Du Qiyu

“Relax, I’m a man of integrity—I won’t make things difficult for you. You only need to...”

“Then come back to me, and I’ll complete this transaction for you.”

Hearing this absurd demand, Yuge once again felt that Master Yu Xi was truly immersed in his role-playing game. His eyes flickered as he confirmed again:

“Really?”

“True—but I’ll wait only half a day. Once night falls...” Cheng Shi pointed to the sun in the sky, his smile devoid of any warmth, “the deal is off. I’ll leave the vessel here. Come retrieve it later.”

Upon hearing this, Yuge immediately transformed into decaying root systems and vanished underground, disappearing from Cheng Shi’s sight in an instant.

Having witnessed the speed of the escape firsthand, Cheng Shi became even more convinced: there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names—the Emperor of Escape truly knew how to flee.

As for who gave him the nickname “Emperor of Escape”... didn’t matter. As long as it fit.

For a long time after Yuge’s departure, Cheng Shi made no effort to check on Sun Miao, still trapped in the Decaying Land. He hadn’t abandoned his teammate—he’d simply stumbled upon a rare chance to set a trap, and he knew the longer the outsider delayed, the more the trapped sage would fabricate in his mind.

Consider this: with the wisdom of a [Foolish] believer and the Tianfu of the Deconstructive Eye, the other would soon deduce Yuge’s identity. And yet, after facing a Messenger alone for so long, he still managed to “rescue” him—how much speculation, how many gaps filled in by guesswork? Cheng Shi dared not imagine.

This not only helped solidify Yu Xi’s identity going forward, but also temporarily separated the two. So he had no rush to comfort the Sage.

He simply sat calmly atop the hill, waiting for Yuge’s return. And Yuge did not disappoint—after merely two or three hours, he reappeared before Cheng Shi, nodding firmly:

“Master Yu Xi, I’ve fulfilled your request. May we proceed with the transaction?”

As he spoke, he glanced again at Cheng Shi’s left hand.

So fast?

Cheng Shi blinked. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Yuge’s urgency had nothing to do with honoring his Master, and everything to do with escaping some chain.

But brother, once I bleach you, once you lose the protection of [Decay], can you still slip away so smoothly from others’ gazes as you do now?

Cheng Shi grew curious. He decided to honor the deal—and planned to dump the bleached Yuge into Dol Guldur to keep Zainjil company.

After all, Aflous was also a Sub-Deity of [Degradation]. When these two met, wasn’t that a peculiar kind of reunion?

Besides, this wasn’t breaking the deal. The transaction only specified its terms—it didn’t restrict what came after. The Jester God never said how to handle the “parcel” after delivery. Even trash gets recycled. Why not reuse waste?

It was clear: storage and bleaching were just excuses. Yuge only wanted peace. Cheng Shi wouldn’t mistreat him—he’d even found him a place to hide from the world. In this era of backstabbing and scheming, who else was this kind of benefactor?

Come to think of it, he owed Cheng Shi a thank-you.

With these wicked thoughts in mind, Cheng Shi prepared to act. But before he did, he asked one last question:

“Once you’re bleached, can you hold onto that [Decay] prison for a moment?”

Yuge paused. “Master, isn’t that your... uh, friend?”

“Aren’t you going to continue this role-play?”

“No, no, no—I’m immersed in the role, which is precisely why I need a moment apart from that Sage. I never found the chance... until you came. Then I realized [Fate]’s favor had returned to me again.”

“So—can you?”

Yuge had no reason to disappoint Master Yu Xi over such a small matter. After a moment’s thought, he nodded, pulled a seal from his robes, and politely offered it to Cheng Shi.

“This is the imperial seal of Luo Sina. I’ve infused it with control over the [Decay] Prison. Even after my faith fades, you can use this trinket as a controller—modify the prison’s state however you please.”

“It’s a trivial bonus from this transaction. I hope you enjoy it.”

Cheng Shi took the seal, deeply satisfied. He activated his own Bleaching Authority using the [Decay] residue of the seal, bleaching all of Yuge’s [Decay] faith away. The next instant, he smiled and activated the Redeemer of Self-Guilt, preparing to give Aflous another surprise.

But Aflous never got the surprise—Yuge gave Cheng Shi one instead.

Yuge’s face instantly lit up with relief as his [Decay] power vanished. His small eyes narrowed—and before Cheng Shi could move, he vanished from the empty hilltop.

Yes—he vanished again. And faster than before!

Looking at the lingering surge of divine power before him, Cheng Shi’s pupils shrank, his expression grim.

[Time]!

The divine power still lingering before Cheng Shi was [Time]!

But why [Time]?

How was Yuge connected to [Time]? What was this [Existence]’s Master doing? Did He even have time to meddle in such affairs?

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Du Qiyu, after retrieving the [Corrupt] Vessel, headed north straight out of the Boro battlefield, returning to the Secret Forest District of the Grand Inquisition Court, settling in a remote border town.

Along the way, he recalled all his tamed beasts—even to test the artifact’s effect, he was forced to kill his favorite few, keeping only two or three as final backups.

The results left him utterly satisfied.

Perfect!

This was an absolutely perfect artifact for him.

[Deception]’s promise to him had finally closed its loop.

From inciting oath-breaking, to plummeting scores, even to mental fragmentation—Du Qiyu endured two grueling months.

Yes, Xiao Qi was an oath-breaker.

On the day the [Faith Game] descended, in that starting point of fate, there was no mask offered for him to choose. The Dice of Fate? Pure nonsense.

He hadn’t even been given a choice—only the twisted desire of [Corruption] lay before him.

So from the game’s start to 2600 points, he had been a [Corrupt] believer—a Sensory Hunter.

He had to admit, he was skilled at it. But he felt he was better suited to [Deception]. [Corrupt]’s talent was merely the foundation of his power; lies were his habitual tool.

His countless successes were paved with lies. Each lie brought him new gains—this thrill matched his desires, amplified his confidence, and with the legends of tricksters in the game, Du Qiyu had once yearned for [Void] above all else.