Foolish Game of the Chapter 317: It's Him!

Whether Zhen Xin found what she'd been waiting for was still up in the air. But Cheng Shi definitely had.

What he'd found was an unexpected fright!

He'd assud that after joining Cheng Dashi's sche, he could sit back and watch from the sidelines—observing what kind of gambit his future self had set up in the present. But shortly after [Prosperity]'s descent, his vision went black and he lost consciousness entirely.

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the Underworld's newborn rainforest. He stood atop an endless Canopy Sea, and in the brilliant light of dawn, he beheld a colossal tree that pierced the starry sky.

The tree was impossibly lush and unfathomably thick. Its wildly spreading branches filled nearly his entire field of vision, and its height was enough to make one's neck snap just trying to look up at it.

But none of this was the most staggering part. What made Cheng Shi's pupils constrict as he froze in place was the realization that this colossus was no ordinary plant. The pulsating outer layer on its trunk and branches looked less like bark and more like an animal's skin—and upon closer inspection, the gently contracting surface was unmistakably raw flesh covered by a thin mbrane of sinew!

This giant tree was a hybridization of flesh and wood!

Cheng Shi's breath seized. He had a guess about who stood before him, but the conjecture was so absurd it set his brain rattling.

'How can it be Him?'

'It probably should be Him. But the trial isn't even over—how did things jump straight to an Audience with God?!'

'What's going on? Was this what Cheng Dashi had been scheming for?'

'Did he want

to have an audience with [Prosperity]? Or was he planning to et [Prosperity] himself?'

Anxiously, Cheng Shi swallowed and glanced down at his own shadow.

But he found none—not because the shadow had Changed again, but because this Canopy Sea was bathed in dawn-light from every direction. Under the glare of countless blazing suns, there were no shadows at all.

Cheng Shi's heart dropped. He suddenly realized that what he was facing wasn't the tree-god said to appear within the Prosperity Divine Shade, but rather...

His true form, manifested above the Prosperity Divine Shade?!

He looked at the canopy beneath his feet and the realization hit—of course. Below was the so-called Prosperity Divine Shade, the Pilgrimage Site every [Prosperity] follower dread of. And above it...

There was only one being—a monstrosity fused of flesh and wood. A... true God!

'Phew—'

He'd slamd the brakes just in ti. Otherwise he'd have been slapped with another blasphemy charge.

Just as Cheng Shi's mind churned in turmoil—not knowing what to think or how to speak—the colossal tree radiating terrifying Vitality spoke first.

This was the first ti during an Audience that Cheng Shi hadn't managed to voice his praise. But remarkably, [Prosperity] didn't seem to mind his "disrespect." His voice was like a warm breeze, carrying infinite [Prosperity] across Cheng Shi's face, clearing his mind and calming his spirit.

"Lift your head. Let Us see you."

His voice was androgynous—crisp, pleasant, and powerfully charismatic. It made listeners' blood surge and spirits ignite, entirely unlike the maternal, kindly female voice Cheng Shi had imagined for the "Prosperity Mother."

Nervously, Cheng Shi raised his head and looked at the towering tree once more. But the mont his gaze swept past the massive trunk, terror constricted his pupils, stiffened his spine, and locked his fists. He didn't dare look any higher.

Because he saw, clear as day, that the trunk—which monts ago had been a fusion of flesh and wood—had opened mouth after gaping, tree-hollow mouth. From each rough-barked maw protruded a vivid red tongue, varying in length and size.

The horrific sight paralyzed Cheng Shi's brain. He imdiately recalled the [Birth Divine Pillar] he'd once been fortunate enough to glimpse—but compared to the motionless, fossilized mouths on that Pillar, the many great mouths before him now were far more... lively.

"..."

'So this... is [Prosperity]?'

'This is the second God of the [Life] Path?'

'Seriously—why do all of you in the [Life] Path look like this?!'

'Does that an the one sitting on the Bone Throne actually has the most normal appearance?'

'Ha—a skull being the most handso of the three. What kind of hellish joke is that!'

'But since He has mouths, does that an...'

Cheng Shi swallowed again, forced down his terror, and looked higher. Then he saw what hadn't been there before—but whose appearance was entirely expected: noses, ears, and eyes.

Except the breathing noses were attached to the junctions between branches like new buds. The twitching ears hung from every fork like leaves, rustling softly. And the eyes—like clusters of ripe fruit dangling from every bough, blinking in random disorder—turned in unison to stare at him the mont he raised his head.

Cheng Shi decided he'd been wrong. What he was having an Audience with wasn't [Prosperity]. It should have been... [Chaos].

'Too chaotic. So chaotic that my rational mind just went on strike.'

'Ababababa...'

"..."

Seeing Cheng Shi stunned into a stupor, the great tree spoke again:

"You are clever. No wonder [Deceit] has listed you as a prized possession."

Hearing this, Cheng Shi finally snapped back to himself. He hastily bowed his head and offered the most "devout" "praise" he could muster:

"Praise [Prosperity]. May life's breath endure eternally. May decay never touch the universe again."

"You seem to be afraid. Is it because Our appearance has stirred fear in you?

How curious. We deliberately altered Our form to approach humanity. Our current appearance most closely resembles humans. You who do not fear even [Death] should have no reason to dread Us."

"..."

'Most closely resembles humans...'

'Excuse ?'

'I'd like to ask—on what basis did You arrive at that conclusion?'

'The countless leaf-ears? Or the grape-cluster eyeballs?'

'With all due respect, even [Birth]'s Divine Pillar looks more human than You do.'

"..."

But these were words Cheng Shi absolutely could not say. He could only keep his head bowed, suppress the discomfort, and offer platitudes:

"I am not afraid. I am rely overwheld by [Prosperity]'s magnificence—so awed that I'm at a loss."

"You are lying. Your Vitality has beco erratic—fluctuating strong and weak, just like that lie-loving Benefactor of yours.

No matter. We do not worship hierarchy the way They do. You need not be so constrained before Us.

We summoned you because We found your deeds to be quite aligned with Our Will. Such a devoted servant walking the path of [Void]—what a waste.

So, human—are you willing to step beyond [Void], cease [Deceit], rewrite [Fate], embrace [Prosperity], and then... beco one with Us?"

Countless tree-hollow mouths spoke those astonishing words, and Cheng Shi's brain detonated with a thunderous ring.

He understood now: [Prosperity]'s recruitnt was nothing like [mory]'s or [Chaos]'s. He wasn't simply looking for a follower to carry out [Prosperity]'s Will. It was more like He was extending an invitation to... rge.

He seed to want Cheng Shi to embrace the great work of [Prosperity], to fuse completely into this supre [Prosperity], to beco part of this colossal tree that pierced through the sky and the universe—to share the glory of [Prosperity] together.

A Deity was inviting him to share His Authority?!

Was that possible?

Was this real?

Could humans and gods even share Authority?

Could this be an illusion planted by Zhen Yi?

Cheng Shi was dumbstruck. His heart clenched as he instinctively swept his surroundings—but sensing the boundless, endless Vitality engulfing him, he knew for certain: what stood before him was no hallucination. It was the genuine [Prosperity]!

He was inviting him to beco one!