A voice that could stop the heart

It is difficult for ordinary people to see through appearances to the essence, let alone three "Mortals" who want to explore the True Universe.

Cheng Shi did indeed have many speculations after seeing the Corpse Field, but this still could not reveal the secret of this place.

He didn't know how this place worked, nor why the dead gods were "sent" here. But one thing was certain: this must be part of that terrifying Creator's Experiment, and it was very likely a dumping ground for "abandoned waste" or a place for the regeneration of "recycled consumables".

From his perspective and with his limited knowledge, that's all he can think of.

Of course, this unexpected "journey" wasn't entirely without its gains. At least Cheng Shi confirmed one thing: the [Silence] "corpse" he had seen in the True Universe earlier was indeed not dead!

If He truly dies, He will most likely be dismembered here, like the Leaky World Silent Puppet in this Corpse Field, rather than wandering alone.

This made Cheng Shi even more puzzled.

[Silence] It's not hard to understand why people are alive; after all, Mortals can ascend to the True Universe, let alone gods with endless lifespans.

But the question is, what is He doing?

Is His Will simply drifting passively through the True Universe?

No, that doesn't make sense, because He didn't assimilate the life nearby. His actions were more like turning His body into a trap, but such actions would only make people hate Him, despise Him, and turn away from Him. So how could His will spread?

Furthermore, if a deity could be driven away from their homeland of Faith and choose to wander in the True Universe, then their Slice Universe must have already been destroyed. Therefore, [Silence] must know that the True Universe is nothing more than a grander Experiment. If that's the case, why would they still act on their own will and demonstrate their piety to that ruthless Experiment?

Just to live?

It makes sense, but something feels off.

Cheng Shi felt something was off, but with too little information at his disposal for deduction, he was completely stumped.

The three of them nervously "wandered" around the Corpse Field for a while longer. Finding no more usable information, Qin Xin suggested:

"It's time to go back. The longer the unexpected happens, the more unpredictable Change will occur."

We've already gained enough from this trip, let's go.

Hong Lin nodded, wishing she could leave this terrifying place immediately, while Cheng Shi frowned slightly and glanced down into the endless depths.

He was about to speak when Hong Lin covered his mouth.

"You said you'd only look at it once!"

Cheng Shi was taken aback, patted the Big Cat's hand, and mumbled, "You only get one chance."

"!!!" The Big Cat exclaimed anxiously, "I knew it! Every time this happens, you're the one charging in, while I'm the one taking the lead!"

A flicker of fear crossed her eyes as she looked into the depths of the Starry Sky crater, then at the countless corpses of gods surrounding it. Her muscles tensed, and she nodded emphatically.

"Okay, just one look. You walk behind me."

With that, Hong Lin gritted her teeth and plunged into the Abyss below.

Cheng Shi followed closely behind with a solemn expression, while Qin Xin consciously trailed behind. He knew he was the two's hope, and if anything unexpected happened ahead, he had to use all his Divine Authority to rescue them from danger.

The three people lined up began to fall rapidly. More and more divine corpses swept past them in the Starry Sky, and the radius of the giant crater formed by the piled-up corpses was shrinking. The overwhelming sense of fear made everyone feel suffocated.

They weren't sure how deep the giant pit was, but fortunately, the depths were the same as the surface, so there was no immediate danger.

Repetitive scenes are most likely to numb a person's five senses and nerves. As the fall continued, the three gradually adapted to the endless Abyss and the rain of corpses passing by.

However, accidents always happen when people are most relaxed. Just as the three of them saw that there was no end in sight and began to discuss whether they should stop exploring further, a deep and resounding voice suddenly rang out from the "wall" of the corpse pit not far from their feet.

The sound was so abstract, as if it resonated directly in people's minds, or as if it echoed in the ears of the three people.

"The gods..."

This happened without warning, like an invisible hand that gripped the hearts of the three of them, causing them to fall instantly into the deep pit.

Qin Xin's hands and feet instantly turned cold, and his whole body went numb. His remaining consciousness immediately activated the [War] Divine Authority, pulling the other two up and charging upwards. However, when he touched the other two, he found that their faces were deathly pale, stiff as dead wood, and they were too scared to move.

Although the sudden noise was terrifying enough, he never expected that players as strong as Cheng Shi and Hong Lin would be paralyzed like this.

Qin Xin didn't have time to investigate further; he just dragged the person and charged forward headlong. However, the next second, he was struck as if by a blow to the head and completely lost consciousness, because he heard that voice explode in his mind again:

"... annihilation, the Cosmos... collapse, this is..."

[Origin]!"

"!!!!!"

In the last second before his consciousness faded, Qin Xin gritted his teeth and activated the item's effect. The power of [Memory] pierced through the Gods’ Graveyard, retrieving him and Hong Lin, and re-imprinting them on the Space-Time Dolphin Bridge.

That's right, Qin Xin and Hong Lin have disappeared.

But Cheng Shi hasn't done it yet!

He remained in that Abyss filled with deep echoes!

Driven by his deepest, most instinctive fear, Qin Xin executed the planned retreat perfectly, but at that moment he had no energy left to consider whether Cheng Shi had used the same retreat method as them.

Don't forget, Cheng Shi got here by relying on his [Time] talent as a backup, so when Qin Xin activated the item's effect, he was naturally left behind.

Fortunately, the sight of his companion disappearing jolted Cheng Shi awake, instantly snapping him out of his daze of fear. His face paled as he looked down towards the source of the sound, and without a second thought, he fired the alarm...

He didn't fire; he suppressed it.

At this moment Cheng Shi was not the Steady Cheng, but the Shrewd Cheng!

He immediately pulled out the [Filth and Decay] Vessel to absorb his overwhelming fear, then frowned and once again chose to gamble at this crossroads of life and death!

He bet that the voice didn't come from [Origin]!

Indeed, the reason Cheng Shi and Hong Lin were so frightened was because they had both heard the voice of [Origin]. Cheng Shi had heard it more than once, and Hong Lin had also had the privilege of hearing the "divine oracle" at the Gods' Covenant Assembly during [Annihilation's ] self-destruction.

So when they heard that the voice was exactly the same as the [Origin] voice, the two of them were completely terrified.

Qin Xin had never heard of it before, so he didn't think anything was wrong. But when the voice uttered the name [Origin], he couldn't suppress his most instinctive fear and chose to retreat safely.

Once Cheng Shi wouldn't leave so quickly, because he knew that if the voice truly came from [Origin]... then what would be the point of fleeing or not fleeing?

[*He] could kill Mortals dared to intrude without even making a sound.

But if He didn't want to punish the three of them, why did He speak up so rashly?

Don't forget, even the grand spectacle of hordes of [War] charging towards Him couldn't earn a single glance from Him. How could that merciless Creator possibly bestow divine words upon three "Mortals"?

Therefore, the source of that sound must not be [*He]!

It's not a god either.

It is known that this place is Place Where the Gods Fell. If one is a god, it is impossible for them to live here for long, or even be "sent" here.

So it's strange enough that this sound could come from here.

Moreover, the content of these words is no different from defying the divine countenance.

The gods perished, the Cosmos collapsed—this is the [Origin]!

Listen to this! What kind of statement is this?!

Previously, only [Origin] commented on the gods; when did it become the turn of "someone" to comment on [Origin]?

Isn't this saying that [Origin] is the culprit behind the collapse of the world and the upheaval of the Cosmos?

Judging from this statement alone, the person who made this sound might not even be an enemy, but rather a member of the Fear Faction who is hiding here from the spying of [Origin]!

Thinking of this, Cheng Shi's eyes narrowed, and he hardened his heart, sending Shadow Cheng Shi out.

He wanted to know what was hidden here "impersonating" [Origin], and what his purpose was in making him make that sound.

Just one glance, at most one glance!

Cheng Shi snapped his fingers tightly, waiting for news from Shadow Cheng Shi.

Happy holidays everyone!