Foolish Game of the Chapter 892: Wait, Who Did You Say Is Imprisoned Here?!

...and instantly pulled his foot back.

From the fourth step onward, the influence of Chaos's power on mortals was impossible to ignore. If he just repeated his previous approach, Cheng Shi genuinely didn't see how he could get past the fifth step and reach the sixth.

After all, he didn't know ballet, and wriggling in place wasn't going to land him on the sixth step.

So to complete the Benefactor's "assignnt," he'd have to get creative.

Cheng Shi knew his own limitations. He pondered for a mont and quickly ca up with a painless thod to climb the staircase:

Switch to Fate and cheat with the dice.

Da Yi had actually used this trick before. That reckless Gap Light Iron Thorn had teleported straight to the tenth step — and then instantly disintegrated into symbols that fluttered down like confetti. It had scared Cheng Shi half to death at the ti.

But just because Da Yi had turned into symbols didn't an Cheng Shi would too. His target was only the sixth step, not the tenth. Zhen Xin had already proven with her own body that the worst a mortal faced on the sixth step was death — at least you wouldn't die into symbols.

Besides, leaving aside whether the Fun God sitting in the temple above would really let him die, the master of the Fishbone Hall would hardly pretend not to recognize his diligent and efficient employee upon reunion, would He?

Impossible. He would absolutely save this devout and productive worker.

Thinking it through this way, the path from life to death seed to have already been paved. Every "authority holder" he'd encountered was practically an ally. A little flirtation with death was probably harmless.

So Cheng Shi made the switch. On the Chaos staircase, right in front of Kataro, he switched to Fate. And then a massive hand ford from yellow mist backhanded him into the air.

"..."

Kataro watched wide-eyed as Lord Cheng Shi was swatted away — and then scooped up by that sa chaotic hand and deposited in the temple. He didn't dare utter a word, rely bowed his head and prayed that his lord's blasphemous stunt wouldn't bring the Benefactor's wrath down on him.

Cheng Shi had no idea how he'd blacked out. All he knew was that when he ca to, he was lying inside the great hall, and Zhen Xin was sprawled on the floor not far away, her body still radiating an unstabilized breath of Chaos.

She'd fused?

That fast?

Then where was the Fun God?

Cheng Shi shot upright and scanned the surroundings. No sign of the Fun God anywhere — but he did spot a reverent-faced Kataro trotting over on quick, mincing steps upon seeing him awake.

Utterly confused, Cheng Shi asked: "What just happened?"

"..." Kataro was speechless.

'Sir, you personally committed the blasphemy. And you've already forgotten?'

'Was that on purpose or by accident?'

Regardless of what Cheng Shi might be thinking, a servant should do what a servant does — avoid speculating about his superiors' motives. So Kataro stood at attention beside Cheng Shi and faithfully relayed the Benefactor's instructions.

"Sir, the Benefactor wishes

to take you to see a prisoner."

"Who?" Cheng Shi went blank. He blinked, the bewildernt plain on his face. "Are you saying the prisoner... is here? In the Chaos Temple?"

Kataro nodded reverently.

Cheng Shi's brow furrowed in thought. "Sothing doesn't add up. Your expression is strange, Kataro. Is this prisoner's identity... distinguished?"

Kataro nodded again without hesitation.

Seeing this, Cheng Shi's frown deepened.

Why would there be a prisoner in the Chaos Temple?

Whose prisoner?

Chaos's, or the Fun God's?

If it was Chaos's, that would make sense. After all, Order had imprisoned a Chaos Envoy, so tit-for-tat, Chaos imprisoning an Order Envoy wouldn't be unusual.

An Envoy's status was high enough to justify Kataro's obvious anxiety.

But if it was a prisoner taken after the Fun God's "coup"...

Who had He imprisoned?

Could it be... Oblivion?

Had He already resolved his mortal crisis that quickly?

At this thought, excitent surged through Cheng Shi. But then the fear set in — if it really was Oblivion, there was a chance He'd simply obliterate all restraints and break out to kill him. So before getting up, Cheng Shi played it safe.

"Is this Chaos's prisoner, or His prisoner?"

Kataro's face was the picture of piety. "Both."

"Both?" Cheng Shi was baffled again. That ruled out Oblivion — after all, Oblivion and Chaos had no quarrel between them.

He mulled it over briefly and decided that since the Benefactor had said it was fine to visit, there shouldn't be a problem. So he took Kataro's offered hand, stood up, and nodded. "Lead the way."

Kataro turned and set off. But just as the two of them stepped around the prone Zhen Xin and were about to ascend the divine throne's platform, the Magician on the floor suddenly woke. She opened her eyes woozily.

Zhen Xin was equally disoriented. She'd lost consciousness on the fifth step. Waking now, she'd only vaguely heard a familiar voice and assud she was back in reality.

But finding herself inside the Chaos Temple sharpened her brow into a tight knot.

That voice... was definitely Cheng Shi's. But why would Cheng Shi's voice be here?

She didn't sit up. Instead, she cautiously shifted her eyes around the hall. When she spotted the mysterious Lord Ultraman in front, and behind him a partially obscured but familiar figure, Zhen Xin let out a startled whisper:

"Cheng Shi? You're really here?"

The shout nearly gave Cheng Shi a heart attack.

He shot a quick glance at his own disguise, thinking — the instant he'd sensed her regaining consciousness, he'd already activated Chaos Acting to assu Ultraman's appearance. How had she seen through it?

Was this a new talent of hers?

That couldn't be right — was the Fun God specifically targeting His own people?

But in the next instant, Cheng Shi caught the direction of Zhen Xin's suspicious gaze and realized the truth. She hadn't unmasked his disguise — she'd mistaken Kataro behind him for Cheng Shi!

No wonder she'd mixed them up. In a sense, Kataro was his shadow — a shadow from history.

Kataro was stunned too. In the presence of the real deal, he'd never dare usurp the identity. He moved to pull back his hood and explain — after all, this "collectible" was also a player the Benefactor had His eye on, and in terms of rank, she might even be above him. No matter how loyal he was to Lord Cheng Shi, there was no need to stir up trouble here.

But just as Kataro was about to remove his hood, Cheng Shi subtly stopped him. Then, wearing a mysterious smile, Cheng Shi addressed Zhen Xin.

"You woke at just the right ti. A mont later, and this secret would have been Cheng Shi's alone.

What a pity, Clown — you lost the bet. Your greed ca up empty."

"?"

'Sir, are you mocking yourself now?'

Kataro was remarkably sharp. He imdiately grasped Cheng Shi's intent, though he hadn't expected his lord would sacrifice his own reputation just to separate the identities of Ultraman and Cheng Shi.

But if the lord himself didn't mind, who was Kataro to object?

So the mont Cheng Shi took the lead in the charade, Kataro seized the cover of the blocked sightline and, right under Zhen Xin's nose, shifted his appearance into "Cheng Shi." With a guilty face, he poked his head out from behind Lord Ultraman and flashed Zhen Xin an awkward grin.

"Fancy eting you here, what a coincidence!

I saw you sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you. Secrets and all that are secondary — your health cos first.

Without a healthy body, how can you make it to the top of this ga? Right, Zhen Xin?"

"..."

"..."

Both people present were rendered speechless.

Cheng Shi was speechless because it was his first ti witnessing his own lip from a third-person perspective. But he decided the bla lay entirely with Kataro's over-the-top acting causing character drift — that wasn't the real him at all.

Zhen Xin was speechless because with one glance, she'd read the situation and this Clown ally's true intentions.

There was a secret hidden in this temple, and this so-called partner who'd sworn to share intelligence was planning to cut her out and hoard the secret for himself!

'He's probably trying to use this secret to trade for more intelligence from , isn't he?'

'No — a secret from a divine temple is definitely no small matter. One piece of intel probably won't cover it!'

'Fine, fine, fine. So this is where the Joker's intelligence cos from. Turns out that besides the great Lord Yu Xi, this Clown also has connections to the Chaos Envoy!'

Zhen Xin got to her feet with a rare scowl. She felt the Chaos energy within her body and asked, perplexed:

"Haven't you already fused Fate? Are you going to fuse Chaos too?

Has a third faith slot opened up?"

Cheng Shi tensed inside but showed no concern on the surface.

"Sotis, His gaze is worth far more than any fusion.

Cheng Shi is a guest I invited. It rely happened to coincide with your visit."

'A guest...'

'So Cheng Shi's relationship with Lord Ultraman isn't bad either. How does this Clown always end up on good terms with Envoys?'

'What on earth does he do to win over these Envoys that ordinary people haven't even seen?'

Zhen Xin knew this wasn't the ti for deep investigation. She shelved her swirling doubts, bowed slightly to Lord Ultraman, and asked:

"Sir, now that I have received the Benefactor's gaze and beco part of Chaos, may I ask — do I have the qualifications to learn the secret within this temple?"

Cheng Shi said nothing. He rely smiled and looked at Kataro.

This wasn't to ask for Kataro's opinion, of course — it was to ask whether the secret was significant enough to require Zhen Xin to step out.

From Cheng Shi's perspective, Zhen Xin was a solid ally. Since he'd already shared Order's secret with her, there was no need to be constantly on guard. Today's theatrics had all been about establishing Ultraman's image and separating it from Cheng Shi's identity. Now that the desired effect had been achieved, there was no point in being cagey about other things.

But he wasn't sure what the Fun God intended by this arrangent, which was why he let Kataro clarify.

Kataro considered for a mont, then smiled at Cheng Shi and replied in "Cheng Shi's" voice:

"Your generosity puts

to sha, sir.

A small wager for entertainnt — since I've lost, I'll naturally defer to your arrangent."

Hearing this, Cheng Shi knew the temple's secret didn't need to be hidden. He relaxed and waved Zhen Xin over.

"Your luck isn't bad. Co — let

take you both to et Him."

Zhen Xin's eyes widened in surprise as she hurried to keep up, walking shoulder to shoulder with "Cheng Shi" behind the lord. She glanced sideways at "Cheng Shi" and whispered:

"et who? The master of the temple?"

"Cheng Shi" shook his head, eyes forward, and murmured back: "Not Chaos. It's... Order."

'Wait — hold on — WHO?!'

In that instant, Lord Ultraman, who'd been leading the way with ears pricked, froze mid-step.

...

That was one hell of a bombshell!

...