Chapter 991

Invitation from the [Clown]

After a trial ended, Long Jing returned to the rest zone and immediately noticed something amiss in the theater; he bent down on the aisle of the audience seats and picked up a white paper airplane.

“Today’s unusual, but this method of communication is terribly outdated...”

“Let me see which old friend has remembered me.”

He unfolded the paper airplane with interest and found it was an invitation—its header bore his name, the middle contained an invitation to a gathering and instructions for attendance, and the signature was...

Cheng Shi!?

In that instant, even though the invitation revealed nothing about the gathering’s purpose, the two words “Clown” flashed again into Long Jing’s mind.

Gatherings linked to Cheng Shi might not be limited to the Clown, but the only one Long Jing could think of was the Clown!

Although the Clown was not something he learned from this world’s Cheng Shi, Long Jing knew the Clown in this world must be connected to Cheng Shi.

Yet since the invitation gave no specifics, cautious Long Jing feared this might be another trap—or someone testing him through this invitation.

After all, the things Cheng Shi said during that simulation had been terrifying enough to alter Long Jing’s mindset toward trials recently, making him view his teammates differently than before.

Chairman Gong carried a touch of godhood dream within him—or rather, every top player wanted to gain something from this [Faith Game], and the only ways to fulfill their wishes were either to draw near to Them or become Them.

Many were not as fanatical as the Worship Society, yet it could not be denied that becoming a god was the greatest temptation.

But now, upon learning that godhood might merely be a mirage, and even gods might not truly be gods, Long Jing began viewing this game from another perspective, even seeing himself as an “observer” outside the world, finding it slightly absurd how these teammates scrambled and died for devotion.

Yet the most absurd thing was undoubtedly his former self.

Still, even with such thoughts arising, Long Jing had not entirely lost interest in this [Faith Game]; at least, he remained deeply intrigued by the Clown organization mentioned by Cheng Shi from the other world.

According to that version of Cheng Shi, the Clown would be one of the few remaining hopes in this world, and because the other world’s Long Jing had contributed greatly to the Clown, he had “bestowed blessings” upon this world’s self, allowing him to learn the “truth of the world” ahead of time.

Thus, after the fusion of faiths, he had been searching for any trace of the Clown.

That weathered Cheng Shi had not revealed who was in the Clown, but the simplest assumption was that Cheng Shi himself must be one of them; so recently, Long Jing had been searching for Cheng Shi, though he dared not make his efforts too obvious, and luck had been slightly poor—he had not encountered him in over a dozen trials.

Yet he was certain an opportunity would come—but he never imagined this opportunity would come knocking on his door.

Actually, the moment he saw the letter, Long Jing had thought of Fool Play Master; he had not forgotten that Fool Play Master had also played Cheng Shi, so he wondered if this might be an invitation from a god.

But since removing some of the divine halo, he no longer viewed Fool Play Master with the same fervor as before.

Yet before he became one of Them—or before he could stand against Them—he still owed them due respect; this had nothing to do with piety, but with survival.

As clever as Long Jing was, he did not jump to conclusions; instead, he carefully and repeatedly examined the invitation, seeking any clues beyond the text to determine whether this was a genuine invitation or a false probe.

Soon, he truly found something odd.

Incense ash!

Long Jing discovered several specks of incense ash in the handwriting of the paper airplane—so faint they were nearly imperceptible to ordinary eyes.

Though the ash pressed into the paper was as fine as dust, it already revealed much.

In this age of divine descent, although some players had been assigned to temples and monasteries, offerings to old-world relics had long since lost their incense; thus, this seemingly fresh incense ash was undoubtedly a key clue to tracing the invitation’s origin.

Who, at this moment, would still come into contact with incense—and accidentally leave specks of airborne ash on paper...?

The answer might be many, but Long Jing’s instinct told him one person was most likely:

Long Wang Li Jingming!

So this invitation was not sent by Cheng Shi—it was sent by Li Jingming!

He was impersonating Cheng Shi not to continue Sandres’s absurd farce; this Long Wang was most likely testing him, and whether the test concerned the Clown or something else...

Long Jing let out a light laugh, rolled up the invitation, and tucked it into his chest.

He accepted this “challenge”—yes, to him, this was not an invitation, but a challenge.

He had not forgotten how Long Wang had deceived him throughout the Sandres trial; though their identities were nearly exposed at the end, this “grudge”... if he didn’t deceive him back, how could he justify the second faith he had fused?

Long Wang, Long Wang, times are advancing—do you think only you possess two faiths?

No, I have them too—and mine are also [Void] and [Existence]; so why can’t your probe against me become my probe against you?

Since we’re all liars, let’s settle this with deception.

The appointed time arrived; Long Jing looked at his reflection in the mirror—no, the reflection of Li Jingming—and smiled contentedly; then he donned his black robe and false mask, ensured his resurrection preparations were in place in the rest zone, performed the ritual as instructed, and entered the gathering grounds.

It was a void—normal enough, since all players met in the void; yet different hosts decorated the void differently, and this time...

No, did Long Wang bury all the people he killed here?

Otherwise, where did all these tombstones come from!?

This place is too eerie!

Indeed it was eerie, for before Long Jing’s eyes stretched a vast expanse of tombstones, countless stones arranged in orderly rows across the entire space, flickering with faint phosphorescent flames in endless darkness, sending chills down the spine.

At the center of this sea of tombstones lay a circular clearing, upon which hung a stone lantern; its dim yellow light illuminated a figure—identical in attire to Long Jing’s, wearing a false mask and black robe, seated directly on the foremost tombstone; hearing the sound, the figure slowly turned its head toward him.

For a moment, Long Jing’s scalp prickled, and goosebumps rose across his body.

But he had seen stranger, more eerie scenes before; the acrobat quickly regained his composure and cautiously stepped toward the center of the tombstones.

The distant figure grew clearer as he approached; the body was entirely concealed, making it impossible to tell who it was, but Long Jing had already devised his probing method.

Since this gathering was summoned by Long Wang, if he greeted by saying, “Li Jingming has come as invited,” how would you respond?

Thinking of this, Long Jing already began to smile inwardly.