The words had barely faded when a juvenile hawk alighted on a dead branch.
The hawk pecked at the brittle bark beneath its talons, showering the scene in a rain of wood chips — a tribute to Decay.
"Lin Xi. I've long heard of you.
I have no intention of disturbing your path or making an enemy of you. I'm rely guarding myself against unknown threats approaching. You're welco to ignore .
Of course, if you're interested in learning any information during this trial, I could be a rather useful pair of eyes.
Care to consider?"
Lin Xi let out two sinister chuckles, then casually wiped the entire dead tree from existence. The startled hawk took flight, screeching twice as it circled high. Its tone was displeased.
"So friendship is off the table?
Don't say I didn't offer."
The hawk flew straight toward the highlands. But before it left Lin Xi's line of sight, the Decay Chosen snorted coldly.
"You know Cheng Shi?"
The hawk's montum stalled instantly. It executed a clean V-shaped reversal and shot back like a bullet, its talons slamming into a solitary trunk near Lin Xi's feet, embedding themselves deep. Its eyes were razor-sharp.
"Who did you say?"
"Interesting — I saw you greet him on the cart. So you actually don't know him?"
The hawk... no, Du Qiyu froze.
'Cheng Shi?'
'The Cheng Shi who single-handedly wrecked 0221's experint ground and dragged the pseudo-god Zangier into the Void?!'
'He's in this trial too?'
'Who is Cheng Shi? Who did I greet... wait — Xiao Shi!!??'
'No. No no no. NONONO!'
'Absolutely impossible!'
The hawk beat its wings frantically, shrieking: "His na is Sun Lin! Not so Cheng Shi!"
"Hmph." Lin Xi didn't even bother acknowledging the suddenly unraveling Beast Tar. He rely snorted, then sat down cross-legged to rest on the spot.
Now the hawk's movents grew even more frenzied — or rather, more unhinged.
Lin Xi's reaction clearly said: I don't make mistakes like that. And if Xiao Shi was actually the infamous Fate Weaver Cheng Shi, then... everything before — the 2,201 score, the Pen of Finality class — was fake?! All lies?!
'But why didn't Master of Deception flag them as lies?!'
'He has a Master of Deception Card!!?'
Not only that — even that 2,400-point Mi Master had been lying. Well, she hadn't spoken aloud, but her tacit complicity and refusal to expose the truth was the greatest insult and malice toward him!
'Those two actually played
for a fool!'
Uncontrollable fury instantly ignited Du Qiyu's reason. In his hiding spot, his true body slamd a furious fist into the ground. But the mont that fist fell, the surge of rage evaporated — replaced by a terror beyond description.
'If that man could deal with a pseudo-god, why couldn't he deal with ?'
'Then why hadn't he dealt with
this whole ti?'
'Just to toy with ? Payback for that old deception?'
'No! Wrong! He's not holding back — he's confirming whether I have any cards left to play! He wants to erase
from this world permanently!'
In that mont, Du Qiyu suddenly recalled what Cheng Shi had said: "Yeah. It's all in the past now."
Those simple words now echoed like whispers from an abyss, sending chills down his spine. So that was what he'd ant by calling himself a hunter. Xiao Shi's prey... was him!
'On what grounds!?'
Under the twin assault of fear and rage, Du Qiyu's face darkened to its extre. He made the hawk screech desperately at Lin Xi:
"You have a grudge against him, don't you!? You do, right!?
I knew it — nobody could like that self-righteous good-for-nothing! Lin Xi, we can team up! We can kill your enemy!
Only then can we walk this road in peace! He's a threat! A massive threat!!"
Honestly, Lin Xi hadn't expected the Beast Tar to suddenly have a ltdown. But he didn't care about the cause — knowing the result was enough.
The man was indeed a viable teammate. But in his current state, an alliance like this had no future.
So Lin Xi sneered, raised a hand, and casually obliterated the squawking hawk. The sudden death of his tad beast shocked Du Qiyu back to his senses. Fear, given ti to settle, solidified into sothing manageable.
He began to reassess his situation. After long deliberation, he realized he had no other options — because the one who'd crushed his choices wasn't Lin Xi, who'd offered the ultimatum, but that Xiao Shi who'd been playing dumb the whole ti!
At this thought, Du Qiyu's fury intensified. His expression shifted through several shades before he finally guided his remaining hawk back to Lin Xi's side.
"I've never heard of any grudge between you and Xiao... Sun... Cheng Shi. Lin Xi, what exactly do you want?"
"Ah — calm again. Good." Lin Xi raised his head slightly toward the sky. Watching the moon's glow slowly shroud itself behind clouds, he prayed with deep reverence:
"Born from nothing, extinguished in silence.
My Benefactor issued a divine decree — naming Cheng Shi specifically, commanding us followers to offer him up. My station is humble. I don't comprehend my Benefactor's foresight. I only know He saved
from fire and flood, gracing
with power and glory. And so I ca.
What I didn't expect was that a prayer with hidden motives would collide with her. It seems Fate has brought us both here for a reckoning.
Knowing Chun as I do, she'll certainly seek Cheng Shi's help. So upon seeing you, I asked first:
Enemy or friend?"
Du Qiyu had regained his shrewdness. He parsed every word for aning, then replied:
"Would you dare swear on your own devotion?"
Lin Xi gave the hawk a sidelong glance and sneered. "Dare? Certainly. But do you deserve it?"
"..."
Even from this distance, Du Qiyu instinctively shrank back.
He sensed the killing intent — and his mind amplified it severalfold, birthing a fear that made him cower.
But the exchange also showed him sothing: this seemingly disastrous trial still had a turning point. That Xiao Shi — who'd finally learned how to lie — wasn't necessarily going to have the last laugh.
'Strong as you are, can you overpower a Chosen who's fused two faiths?'
'Among the sixteen Chosen, there's never been one nad Cheng Shi!'
'Fine. FINE. Being Lin Xi's friend is entirely YOUR doing, Xiao Shi!'
"How should I cooperate with you?"
"So it's 'friend.' Good — you've made the right choice.
Cheng Shi is formidable. Every source of intelligence confirms it. I don't fear him, but I can't claim confidence either.
Dealing with Fate isn't hard. What's hard is dealing with Deceit.
Since you're also His follower, all you need to do is strip away Cheng Shi's lies. Peel off his fabricated illusions. Then I can strike at the essence and obliterate all his fate.
Simple, isn't it?"
"?"
'Wait — hold on.'
"He fused faiths? Fate fused with Deceit?" Du Qiyu's voice cracked.
"What — you didn't know?
Well, faith fusion only happens to the select few. He hid it well, but secrets can't be kept from everyone."
"..."
In that instant, Du Qiyu half-regretted the alliance.
Right now, all he wanted was to run.
The person he'd wanted to bully was Sun Lin — not so Fate Weaver nad Cheng Shi who'd fused Deceit.
He did enjoy the dark thrill of turning humans into beasts. But the prerequisite was that the beast... couldn't be too strong.
A beast that could devour its master was one he couldn't ta.
So for Du Qiyu, staying alive mattered far more than indulging himself.
And so Little Seven — who'd just resolved to strike back — plunged right back into indecision. Seeing through this, Lin Xi fixed the hawk with a cold smile.
"What I cannot accept most is betrayal.
I hope you take that to heart."
...
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