Chapter 968: The Shelter of [Deceit] |
He had thought that even [Fate] would do. With the aura of mystery, he could deploy his swindling skills more effectively. But he'd never had the chance to touch [Void].
Until one day, a true god found him.
That's right. Du Qiyu had met a god. He'd kept this tightly under wraps, never telling a soul.
It happened in a pitch-dark Void. He stood facing... a pitch-dark Void and completed his first audience.
That made sense, didn't it? [Void] was nothingness, so naturally it would have no concrete form.
The one who'd summoned him was a deity of [Void]. To be blunt: [Deceit].
No one knew why the Fun God had summoned Du Qiyu. He simply gave Xiao Qi a choice: permission to break his oath and join [Deceit]'s camp.
He even promised that the power boost from switching camps would far exceed the side effects of [Corruption]'s Oathbreaking Curse. He told Xiao Qi to think it over carefully and give his answer within three seconds.
It was undeniably coercive. Who would dare refuse a true god? And who could make such a drastic oathbreaking decision in three seconds?
Xiao Qi gave his answer in one.
Because he had no desire whatsoever to refuse!
He'd envied [Deceit] believers for too long. And so, with the Void as his witness, he finally became a member of [Deceit]'s camp.
But this was also where his nightmare began.
[Deceit]'s gifts were blunt and direct. Every talent He bestowed was enough to make Xiao Qi shine in the game, and his strength had genuinely improved in substance.
In all fairness, setting aside [Corruption]'s Oathbreaking Curse, with the caliber of talents he now carried, climbing above 2,600 would have been trivial so long as he participated in trials systematically. He could even have surged up the Ladder of Ascent several ranks under his Benefactor's protection.
But the Oathbreaking Curse ruined everything.
[Corruption]'s punishment for oathbreakers was viciously cruel. The curse was called "Insatiable Desire." Under its influence, the desires in Xiao Qi's heart swelled at an unthinkable rate, accompanied by a buildup of toxic emotions. The ceaseless craving nearly devoured his sanity and left him paralyzed.
Fortunately, [Deceit] had seemingly anticipated this curse all along and provided Xiao Qi with a countermeasure. And so, a Beast Tamer who fragmented himself was born.
Du Qiyu could only survive by mass-taming beasts and splitting himself among them, suppressing the growth of desire and calming his emotions. But in doing so, his gifted power fragmented along with him.
[Deceit]'s promise seemed to have become empty words — until today!
Until he snatched this emotion-absorbing tool from another [Deceit] believer's hands, he finally understood: [Deceit]'s gaze had been on him all along.
And when the person who'd provided this crucial tool turned out to be Xiao Shi... in that moment, Du Qiyu's elation rivaled what Cheng Shi had felt upon first merging with [Void].
He felt that he was destiny's chosen in this game.
Now everything was perfect. He no longer needed to fragment himself into tamed beasts to contain his emotions and desires. He had more than enough power to do whatever he wished. For example...
Seize this perfect timing, these rare matchmaking odds, and get rid of this tool's former owner — his old friend, his fellow [Deceit] traveler, Xiao Shi — as quickly as possible.
Only then could the path ahead be free of worry.
Cheng Shi was undeniably dangerous. Du Qiyu had heard how the Fate Weaver had smashed through 0221's experiment site and rescued a host of experts. So this was his last window of opportunity.
This wasn't some manifestation of obsession. It was born from the coldest, most rational analysis. If he let Xiao Shi go, would those players the Fate Weaver had saved use that debt as an excuse to come after him?
He knew that in the high ranks, there was no friendship — only interests. Not everyone who'd been rescued would necessarily help Xiao Shi out of gratitude. But if Xiao Shi went out there and told people this tool was now in Du Qiyu's hands, how many of those so-called expert players would resist the temptation once they learned about such a useful tool?
So it was a simple calculation: either attempt a 1v2 during this trial, or hide until the trial ended, only to face a 1v-unknown on the outside.
Whether driven by desire or reason, Du Qiyu would choose the former without hesitation.
He was simply thinking about how to execute it. Ideally, he'd first separate Xiao Shi from the wise man, then find a one-on-one opportunity.
Du Qiyu had always been cautious. But when a person's fear dissolves along with their other emotions, that person becomes confident. Strangely confident.
A victory you've never personally witnessed — who knows how much of it was inflated?
Even if Xiao Shi had managed to kill Lin Xi during this trial, don't forget: he'd had help.
Nobody knew how much effort the former [Prosperity] Chosen One had contributed. And since both Lin Xi and Chun had disappeared, didn't that suggest they'd traded lives? Xiao Shi was just the fisherman who reaped the benefits.
And so, growing ever more certain, Du Qiyu began devising a plan to eliminate Cheng Shi before the trial's end. Time was short. When the battlefield would conclude was always an unknown for individuals, and as long as the timing wasn't in his own hands, every second mattered.
But while he was carefully preparing this new hunt, a small interlude occurred. He actually sensed the presence of a god within this trial!
Yes. Him.
The density of this [Decay] aura was incomparable to Lin Xi's. Just as Sun Miao had reasoned, a force whose magnitude dwarfed the Chosen One couldn't possibly belong to a player.
And so, with fear absent from his heart, Du Qiyu had a "flash of inspiration" and made a shocking decision. He actually followed the faint trail and tracked it, wanting to see why an Envoy had descended into this trial.
Naturally, if he was fortunate enough to spark something with this Envoy, or even establish a connection, it would be a tremendous asset for his future.
Hadn't Xiao Shi won against Zangier precisely because of the legendary hideous-faced Go Lis?
But these were all rational, calculated probes. Du Qiyu's devotion to [Deceit] at this point was absolute. He harbored not the slightest thought of returning to [Descent], and even believed he was about to become a son of [Deceit], perhaps earning a seat at the Audience Meeting through his devotion.
No — not "perhaps." Definitely!
There would definitely be a seat for him at the Audience Meeting.
But fortune didn't always favor the persistent. While [Deceit] sheltered him, [Fate] clearly wasn't interested.
Du Qiyu had barely glimpsed the Envoy's retreating form, caught only a single phrase — "Why is He here too" — before the [Decay] Envoy vanished in an incomprehensible manner.
Because of this, Xiao Qi also learned that yet another Envoy had descended into this trial.
But who could that one be?
...
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