Cheng Shi was done.
'Sister, aren't you a bit too relaxed? In this situation you're still driving that train?'
'Railway bureau certified conductor, is that it?'
He clicked his tongue, casually shifted the scalpel, and pressed it against Poison's neck instead.
But the woman who'd been ready to fight to the death monts ago now seed utterly unafraid. Breathing unevenly, she looked at Cheng Shi with flushed cheeks, her words slightly slurred:
"When you negotiate with others, it's all business. But when it's , you have to do it like this?
"Or is this just your thing?
"Mm, well... if you like it, I like it.
"What's this? I sll an unsettling [Birth] aura on it.
"Don't tell
you want to use this to... with ..."
Cheng Shi snorted. The scalpel flashed silver and plunged into Poison's shoulder.
Poison winced, her expression flickering.
"Ah~ That hurts~
"Little priest, could you be a bit gentler?"
Cheng Shi studied Poison thoughtfully, then frowned: "One more word and I'll kill you."
"No you won't."
Poison lifted her chin defiantly, but her hands were clenched white-knuckled within her restraints — not as though she was testing Cheng Shi's temper, but fighting against so invisible force pulling at her.
"If you wanted
dead, Mr. Ram's attack wouldn't have aid for my shoulder, and the Lizard Hunter wouldn't have sent all three arrows at the sa spot."
Her speech grew increasingly slurred, but her logic remained razor-sharp.
"You're not here to kill ... you're... forcing
to cooperate?
"No... I see... you're using this to cut
off from their team... so you can go after them next?
"Interesting... who's your target?
"Da Yi... or Jiang Chi?
"I can help you... you know... out of everyone here, I'm the most trustworthy...
"You'll trust ... right... little priest?"
As she spoke, Poison nuzzled toward Cheng Shi's neck like a kitten seeking affection.
"..."
'Sothing was off. Poison seed to be... poisoned.'
But setting aside these appearances — true or false — Cheng Shi was genuinely irritated.
Fighting peak players was already exhausting. Add in one who could constantly sense your emotions, and it was an absolute nightmare. Even with every nerve on high alert, slips were inevitable.
Like right now — this [Corruption] follower had read his mind again. Even in her seemingly delirious state, she'd seen through the situation.
Yes, Poison was right. Cheng Shi's purpose in hunting her wasn't to kill her. It was to split that team apart, then consolidate every available force to kill Jiang Chi!
People who made it onto Cheng Shi's ledger had only two endings. Either, like Gongyang Jiao, a twist of fate gave them exploitable value — earning the privilege of "atoning" through black labor. Or they died. Simple as that.
His original plan had been to cooperate with Poison. She was the only one who understood Jiang Chi, and for a successful hunt, knowing your enemy was the most basic prerequisite.
But watching her sit there with that "I've got you figured out, you're mine" attitude — Cheng Shi found himself inexplicably annoyed.
'Think you can read everyone, do you? Love driving trains, do you?'
'Fine. Today I'll show you what "the human heart is unfathomable" ans. Even trains can derail!'
With that thought, his gaze changed. It sharpened suddenly. And when the playful glint reached the corner of his eye, silver flashed once more. Beneath Poison's unguarded, increasingly heated stare — ssshk — her throat opened.
Yes. Poison died. Without resistance. Throat slit.
Feeling her life drain away and her vision darken, the Poison in Cheng Shi's arms showed no fear, no confusion, no bewildernt, no rage. She simply curled her lips into a faint smile and closed her eyes in complete contentnt.
She seed quite happy to die in Cheng Shi's arms.
The [Corruption] Chosen died in the most ordinary manner imaginable, head resting against Cheng Shi's shoulder.
'Really dead?'
'Really dead!'
Watching the vivid blood trickle down the dagger and forearm, the Chaleon wore an odd expression. Gongyang Jiao's gaze sharpened slightly.
Everyone knew such a crude thod couldn't truly kill a Chosen. But neither of them tried to guess the deeper aning behind Cheng Shi's action.
Gongyang Jiao, after his initial shock, broke into delighted laughter:
"Brilliant! Brilliant!
"Sha she didn't die by my hand!"
But imdiately, he stepped forward, face maniacal:
"Still, dying at your hands is an honor for that bitch."
'Your.'
Cheng Shi wasn't surprised by the address. He smiled and casually tossed Poison's corpse to the ground.
The two at his flanks stood silent, waiting for his next command.
If Da Yi's group could see this bizarre tableau, they'd be stunned — stunned at how obediently these two followed orders!
And to explain all of this, one would have to rewind to the mont Cheng Shi left the Evil Infant Inquisition.
Let the clock roll back slightly.
...
The reason peak players valued priests wasn't solely their healing.
At this tier, everyone carried enough healing items of their own. Yet in trials, players still preferred having a priest teammate. The reason: a priest's skills were far more efficient and imdiate than healing items. More critically — most high-end priests possessed resurrection abilities more convenient than a player's own backup lives!
That was the real key!
Nobody liked wasting a free life. If a teammate could pull you back up, why burn your own safety net?
But a priest's resurrection wasn't available to just anyone. At minimum, within the sa trial, you couldn't be standing on the opposite side.
After all, only a priest with a screw loose would resurrect an enemy.
Cheng Shi had a "screw loose."
He resurrected Gongyang Jiao.
Yes — he resurrected Gongyang Jiao!
After confirming that all three "teammates" had left the Rosna Court, he picked up a chunk of Gongyang Jiao's shattered flesh from the ground, donned the Lush Horn Crown, and cast the most basic healing spell on the at.
The Lush Horn Crown's function was to imbue healing effects with a resurrection attribute. As long as a living being's vitality had been fully extinguished, it could revive them.
A piece of shredded at had obviously lost all vitality. So Gongyang Jiao was resurrected.
His soul was wrenched from the Ring of Bone Servant Le Le'er by a mysterious [Prosperity] force, poured back into a newly regenerated body, and he stood — stark naked — reborn before Cheng Shi's eyes.
When Gongyang Jiao's consciousness returned, cold sweat drenched his forehead. His body was rigid as stone. Before he could do anything at all, he had already thrown himself prostrate before...
Lord Yu Xi.
He'd heard it!
He'd heard everything!
Not only that — he knew Aph Ros. He knew that was a terrifying dual Herald of [Birth] and [Corruption].
But none of that was most terrifying. What truly shook him was hearing [Ti]'s words!
One of the gods seated upon the sixteen Divine Thrones!
A true deity, speaking to the person before him with such equanimity — that attitude alone was enough to fill Gongyang Jiao with awe.
He'd never had an audience with a god. He never imagined his first such encounter would be accomplished while parasitizing a Servant God's artifact.
Even though [Ti] had paid him no attention whatsoever, sharing the sa space with a true god and hearing divine speech — wasn't that, in its own way, an audience?
But Gongyang Jiao felt no joy. Only fear.
He was terrified. Not rely of his existence being discovered, but of Lord Yu Xi having seen through his designs on the ring.
Yes — he'd coveted that ring.
When he'd sensed the aura within it, so perfectly aligned with his own faith, and the rich undulations of fear — he'd wanted to seize it from Cheng Shi.
That was why he'd used Fear Parasitism, a secret technique he'd never shown outsiders, to feign death and "move into" the ring.
In Gongyang Jiao's plan, the next ti fear surged inside the ring, he would devour that finely filtered terror, nourish himself, resurrect, and then...
Give Cheng Shi an almighty scare.
He did scare Cheng Shi. Big ti. But Cheng Shi scared him even bigger.
The filtered fear appeared right on cue. Not just Cheng Shi's — his own fear was in the mix too.
The quantity was abundant. But he didn't dare consu it.
Because of the four beings present at that mont, besides one half-dead human soul-fragnt — himself — the other three were all Him!
The Him of true gods and Servant Gods!
Gongyang Jiao was petrified. He didn't dare twitch, let alone resurrect. He could only watch helplessly as waves of concentrated, essence-grade fear bypassed him and were devoured by the ring.
Yet since not one of Them had called out his presence, the faintest thread of hope kindled in his heart.
'Perhaps there was still a chance?'
But then, when Aph Ros laid everything bare, he realized Lord Yu Xi had seen through his sche from the very beginning.
His fear was made manifest — of the five Screaming Mouths that lit up on the Ring of Bone Servant Le Le'er, four had been his contribution!
Cowering inside the ring, Gongyang Jiao couldn't help but marvel:
'So this was what an Envoy was. A sharp-eyed [Deceit] Envoy!'
'After all, what illusion could escape the eyes of the "Ancestor of Illusions"?'
He was terrified beyond asure. So the instant he felt himself resurrected, he dropped to his knees before Lord Yu Xi.
He didn't know why Yu Xi had resurrected him. But he knew that if he failed to seize this chance, the next second might be his last!
And the so-called "Lord Yu Xi," upon sensing his Fun Ring was fully charged, fixed the kneeling man with ice-cold eyes and playful tone:
"It seems you truly do love fear, Mr. Ram."
"..."
Fear was indeed the Screaming Earl's sustenance. But the problem was — eat too much, and it would kill you.
Gongyang Jiao pressed his face to the ground, not daring to draw a single loud breath. Only after a long silence, seeing no reaction from his lord, did he finally summon the courage to speak:
"I... am useful."
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