Chapter 974: You and I Are Merely Passersby

You and I are merely passersby

「?」

The instant he heard those words, Du Qiyu didn’t think Yu Xi was fake—he only wondered where the Envoy had just deceived him.

Could it have been the second trial opportunity?

Did my vulgar words make him abandon the idea of continuing to test me!?

No, no! It was the lure of [Deception] that turned me this way—you, as His Envoy, must take responsibility!

You cannot revoke my trial eligibility!

Enraged, Du Qiyu, his fury boiling over, could no longer suppress his rage—he commanded his tamed beast, Xiao Qi, to seize Yu Xi’s collar and spit venomously at the mask:

「TEST! ME! NOW!」

「?」

Is this guy insane?

Cheng Shi blinked, his smile growing even more sinister as he nodded.

「Alright, since you insist so strongly, then I...」

He raised his blade and severed the tamed beast’s throat in one swift motion, catching Xiao Qi completely off guard, while simultaneously dissolving Yu Xi’s illusion. He turned toward the dense forest with a mocking sneer:

「...I can only shatter your dream.

I told you—I lied. There is no Yu Xi in this world.

Thank you for returning my vessel.

Reclaiming what was lost feels good—but I wonder how it feels to lose it again, Xiao Qi?」

「!!!???」

He’s... Xiao Shi!!?

No!

Impossible!

This can’t be!

When Du Qiyu realized his last tamed beast had just been killed by this man, his fury—nearly at its peak—suddenly froze for a second, then exploded into boundless terror, leaving his mind blank and ringing.

He jammed his ten fingers deep into the soil beneath him, his whole body taut, screaming at Cheng Shi in disbelief and refusal:

「This is the deception!

Yu Xi, you can’t fool me!

There is no Xiao Shi in this trial—it’s your test, your second trial for me!

I’ve seen through you! I’ve passed! You can’t deceive me! You can’t possibly deceive me!!!」

Du Qiyu truly seemed insane.

Cheng Shi rolled his eyes, slightly covering his ears at the volume, then shook his head and sighed:

「The greatest deception in this world is deceiving oneself.

I always thought you unworthy of being His follower—but now I see I underestimated you.

You think all this is fake?

Why? Because of this vessel?」

As he spoke, Cheng Shi pulled out two more vessels from behind his back. He toyed with them in his hand, mocking:

「Do you think these vessels can’t be faked, so my identity must be real?

But...

Who told you the vessels are fake?

The vessels are real. I never lied—they are indeed necessary to become one of Them. But I have many such necessities.

So do you understand? The vessels are genuine. I’m just lying to you.」

「!!!」

The moment he finished speaking, Du Qiyu’s dream shattered—he shot toward the forest’s edge like a released arrow. His earlier roar had been a search for an opening, yet he still clung to a sliver of hope—that this was truly Yu Xi’s second trial.

But in his emotional frenzy, he could not believe a word from anyone who resembled Xiao Shi—even if this were the second trial, he refused to continue.

All he wanted now was to survive, then find another chance to repay every deception and humiliation he’d suffered today—onto Xiao Shi. Whether Yu Xi existed or not, Xiao Shi must not exist!

But unfortunately, Du Qiyu’s once-prized escape technique had finally failed—because Cheng Shi didn’t need to know where he was.

「Looks like the second trial failed too.」

Cheng Shi sneered, snapped his fingers casually, and four bolts of lightning surged from his fingertips like plasma torrents, obliterating everything in their path through the forest, reducing the fleeing tamed beast—who was still cursing heaven and earth—to ash.

「Boom—Boom boom boom—」

The violent explosions shook the entire river valley. The final lightning bolt, having missed its target, slammed viciously into the surrounding trees.

In an instant, a vast stretch of forest was scorched bare, littered with charred remains.

Looking at the scene like a corridor of hell, Cheng Shi made no haste to confirm whether Xiao Qi was truly reduced to ash—he strolled calmly to the corpse of the recently dead tamed beast and kicked it idly.

He never forgot Sun Miao’s words: tamed beast masters are cunning hunters who create decoys to lure and counterattack—so who could be certain the one blasted to dust was truly Xiao Qi’s true body!?

The most dangerous place is the safest. The puppet might be the real body. This was advice introduced by the first Wei Mu on the Path to Divinity, and Cheng Shi had listened—and remembered.

So he would never ignore any potential threat.

But what made him react so swiftly, focusing on the corpse the instant the fleeing Xiao Qi died, wasn’t mere caution—it was the Death Entertainment Ring, still actively granting its power.

Because the one reserve blast he’d deliberately saved had just been refilled again.

Yet only he and a corpse remained—so where did the fear come from?

Hard to guess.

So Cheng Shi looked down at the corpse with mocking disdain:

「Stop pretending. I know you’re still alive.

But know this: every second you live, your fear grows stronger, because you can’t escape.

That’s the rule of this game. While ordinary players scramble for Their attention, I’ve already sat at the same table as Them—I’m one of the rule-makers.」

At these words, the corpse’s fingers twitched slightly.

Cheng Shi smiled faintly at his unwillingly awakened old friend, pulled out his vessel, and tossed it like a jester before continuing to hammer at the man’s psyche:

「Perhaps you wonder how I did all this. I’ll tell you—I’m not human.」

「!!!」

The tamed beast snapped open his eyes, staring in disbelief and terror at the familiar yet alien “man” before him—and the vessel he tossed and caught.

「Woke up?

Hmph.」

Cheng Shi glanced at Xiao Qi casually, just as Yu Xi had done moments ago—no longer caring whether he lived or died—and began to stroll leisurely.

「We are passing through one era after another. Mortal life repeats its own destruction in each era without realizing it. Only we can transcend all, standing atop the tide of time, admiring the unique beauty of the gods.

So you understand now: your best chance to kill me was when I was still not a god. Now, sorry—I lied to you again.

I am not Yu Xi—but only for now. Soon, I will become Him again, and when the era collapses, I will watch this world sink into true nothingness.

You will never have the chance to make me pay for your obsession. It must be painful, Xiao Qi.

I felt this despair myself, in the era before I became a god—and you created it. That was your closest era to godhood. But sadly, I was the one who succeeded.

Mortal and god are separate. I long ago grew weary of this endless repetition and had no interest in you. But your desperate desire to die always compelled me to fulfill your wish, old friend.

So farewell, old friend. Until the next era.

Let me sincerely advise you: though we will meet again, abandon your schemes. Don’t hope for the next era—I will never let you become one of us.」

As he finished, Cheng Shi added a final sneer to seal the parting.

Yet the moment he finished speaking, a bone-deep groan came from behind him.

Cheng Shi seemed to anticipate what had happened. Without surprise, he slowly turned—and saw a bone knife plunged straight into Xiao Qi’s heart, the man’s expression utterly resolute.

Xiao Qi had killed himself.

Unable to bear the humiliation, he chose not to endure it.

But Du Qiyu found no release—only venomous hatred as he glared at Cheng Shi, spitting blood, uttering his final, defiant roar:

「Next... era... I will... beat you!」

His obsession still accumulated.

Clearly, Du Qiyu, unable to comprehend any of this, believed Cheng Shi’s words—otherwise he couldn’t explain why Cheng Shi, so clearly victorious, refused to deliver the final blow. That disgusting little Shi was clearly using the Envoy’s identity to humiliate him!

So better to die—and start over in that so-called next era!

If everyone has a chance to become a god, then in the next era, I will repay every humiliation a thousandfold, a hundredfold!

But next era?

Hmph. Even the Entertainment God doesn’t know if there will be a next era—how do you know?

Did you believe my lie?

Then sorry—I lied to you again.

As for why I lied repeatedly... I was testing a theory: if a person loses the will to live in the present, will they no longer keep any resurrection backup?

Du Qiyu breathed his last—still refusing to close his eyes.

Cheng Shi looked down at Xiao Qi’s corpse with a complex expression, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.

You began my life with a lie—I end yours with one.

Nothing more needs saying. After all, you and I are merely passersby. Yes—you are the road beneath my feet, and I... am the man.

Cheng Shi sneered, stepping over the corpse.

Immediately, several thunderous roars echoed from the dense forest, for the cautious faction never forgot to deliver the final blow.