Destiny is a Bitch?

Rolling back time just a little, to the moment Cheng Shi shouted those words: "Destiny is a Bitch."

Above the skies of the Isle of Hope, within a plane unreachable by mortals, three pairs of eyes opened at once.

The first pair had heterochromatic pupils—the left eye a blazing flame, the right eye flowing blood.

The moment They opened Their eyes, a stirring symphony resounded through the void, every note stirring the soul and igniting the will to battle.

"This... is My trial... You... have broken the rules..."

The second pair of eyes were icy and silent, utterly devoid of emotion, their whites filled with dizzying spirals, their pupils engraved with diverging starlight.

A single glance into them made one feel their soul being dragged into an endless void.

They cast a glance at the first pair and said coldly, "When did you exchange authority with [Order]?"

"..."

Clearly a taunt, and the other was indeed rendered speechless.

As the two faced off, the corners of a third pair of eyes curled up slightly, letting out a pleased, low laugh.

The third pair resembled the second in appearance, but the divine light in them was more vibrant—or rather, more like the eyes of a "person."

They silently watched the standoff, saying nothing, only laughing.

"What... are you here for..."

"I heard a blasphemous rant, felt a destiny toyed with. I will exercise My authority and banish the ignorant sinner."

"This... is My trial... You... have broken the rules..."

"..."

This time, it was the other's turn to fall silent.

The third pair of eyes suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"How amusing, how amusing. A fool who believes in himself, and a simpleton who can't talk about anything but war. Hahaha, too amusing."

"Is it funny?"

"Is it not?"

The second pair narrowed slightly, casting a cold glance at the third.

"Why are you here?"

"And why are you here?"

"He believes in me, yet blasphemes me. I naturally have the right to revoke his qualification. Do you intend to defy the [Covenant] to protect him?"

"But he's already been snatched into my hands, so he counts as my follower. Do you intend to defy the [Covenant] to banish him?"

The eyes that pierced through the void cast another cold glance at Them, fell silent for a moment, then slowly dissipated.

The third pair of eyes laughed again.

"What... are you here for..."

"Me? I'm here to save my adorable follower, of course."

As They spoke, a finger as crystalline as jade extended, piercing through endless planes to arrive before the [Wrath of Abomination].

They simply placed Their hand there, and the sky full of flames contracted and recoiled, scrambling to avoid it.

The [Wrath of Abomination]'s venting was interrupted by this "person," enraging Them beyond measure. But when They saw the eyes behind that finger, Their fury instantly cooled, and Their massive frame trembled, barely perceptibly.

Quietly and precisely, They pulled the prison door a little tighter, ensuring that not a single meteor would fall where the finger pointed.

The first pair of eyes widened slightly, the blood in Their pupils boiling, the flames roaring.

"...You... broke the rules..."

The third pair blinked.

"And then?"

"..."

The eyes of blood and flame stared at Them for a moment, then fell silent.

"Tch. Your followers wage wars everywhere just to beg for a glimpse of you, yet you, as the sovereign of war, wearing the divine name of [War], don't even dare to fight me."

"...The [Covenant]... cannot be broken..."

"Heh, boring."

They gazed into the unknown starry sky for a moment, then vanished into thin air.

Everyone was exhausted from running, especially Chen Chong and Xia Wan.

When they realized they had truly escaped danger, they refused to move another step, just lying on the ground, gasping for air.

Chen Chong had been treated by Nangong along the way, so his condition was still manageable. The only one who suffered was Nangong, whom he had been carrying by the hand—her face was as pale as if she had been dragged the whole way.

It was Xia Wan who, due to Cheng Shi's relentless treatment, had once again become a "mother" in her "tenth month of pregnancy."

Dealing with this kind of problem still required the expertise of Song Yawen, the specialist in infertility.

He instinctively hid beside Xia Wan, and every time a patch of skin burst open to birth a new twisted life, he would be the first to chop down that "monster" before it could even open its eyes.

As he chopped, he couldn't help but complain: "Why do all the newborns of [Birth] look so sanity-draining? Do the true gods actually like this appearance?"

Xia Wan pursed her lips, said nothing, and turned her head to look at Cheng Shi.

The meaning in her eyes was clear: Cheng Shi had a high score, he knew more than she did.

No one in Cheng Shi's Faith Channel was discussing matters of [Birth], and he himself had no idea of the reason, yet he still spoke an explanation with great certainty, though his expression was somewhat grim.

"Before you were born, if you could change your appearance, what would you want to look like? These newborns who worship 'my lord' are merely trying to become what 'my lord' likes, only... they don't know what [Birth] likes, so they start using their imagination. As for the result, well, you've seen it."

The group heard this explanation for the first time, but the confidence in Cheng Shi's voice didn't sound like a guess at all—it was more like a statement of cause and effect. Coupled with his repeated rescues of everyone from desperate situations, they all instinctively wanted to believe him.

Only Cao Sansui widened his eyes and confirmed once more: "The consensus among [Birth] players that I know of is that the newborns already know the appearance of [Birth], but with their abilities, they can only replicate a part of it. That's a completely different concept from what you're saying. Are you implying that even the newborns born under [Birth]'s influence don't know His form? Is this true?"

Everyone looked at Cheng Shi, waiting for his answer.

The reason they took this so seriously was that this answer concerned the relationship between [God] and [Believer]. If the newborns knew the face of [Birth] and tried their best to replicate Him, it meant the God could accept the worship of believers, and then the rumored "drawing close to God, saving oneself" would become possible. But if the newborns didn't know [Birth]'s appearance and were merely trying to please Him, then the relationship between [God] and [Believer] might be much colder. And coldness meant that gods and men were separate. Those who begged for divine gifts might forever be trapped in the God's game, merely surviving as players.

Cheng Shi didn't know if what he said was true or false, but lies had become his "habit" and "restraint." Even when he sometimes didn't want to lie, his mouth would have objections. His smile was a bit forced, but his tone was unquestionable: "Absolutely authentic."

Xia Wan was stunned. Looking at the "tentacle" newborns continuously emerging from her own body, she asked in shock, "You... where did you learn that?"

Cheng Shi smiled mysteriously. "Confidential."

Xia Wan nodded thoughtfully and didn't press further.

But Song Yawen suddenly blurted out, "Brother Cheng, you're not [Birth]'s [Chosen One], are you?"

[Chosen One] referred to the player ranked first in each faith on the Ladder of Audience.

Cheng Shi was taken aback and quickly waved his hand in denial: "I'm still far from being first on the Ladder of Audience. Even if I craned my neck until it broke, I couldn't see their feet."

As he said this, Xia Wan and Nangong beside her both looked at Cheng Shi's feet, the same thought rising in their minds: "Could Cheng Shi really be the Chosen One of [Birth]'s Ladder of Audience? Only a 'Chosen One' would have such an unbelievable way to escape..."

Cheng Shi guessed what they were thinking, instinctively shrank his neck, and continued to deny it.

But Xia Wan didn't believe him at all. She snuck a look at the [Ladder of Audience] for [Birth] and [Filth and Decay] and saw that the top-ranked believer of [Birth] had the ID "Specializing in Infertility."

"..."

That tone... it was similar, very similar.

Seeing that the conversation kept circling around Cheng Shi, Chen Chong, who had rested enough and recovered his strength, responsibly interrupted them. "Um... can we find a safe place first before discussing the Chosen One issue?"

"Ah, right, right, right. Survival first."

The group looked at each other, then burst into laughter. The joy of surviving a disaster finally erupted.

"Generally speaking, after breaking through a trial, the danger level drops sharply, but we should still be careful. Let's head southeast. Whether by the battlefield position of the Isle of Hope or the marching direction of the Dread Demons, the southeast should be far from the center of the war vortex. Let's walk a bit more and see if we can spot the Blizzard Mountain Range. That place might let us avoid all conflicts and wait out the trial until it ends."

Cao Sansui regained his composure and vast knowledge, dragging Chen Chong along as he led everyone southeast.

After dodging the Meteor Fire Rain, everyone's mood had clearly improved, but their vigilance remained.

Along the way, Chen Chong took point, Song Yawen kept watch around the perimeter, Cao Sansui coordinated from the center, and Nangong drank blood potions while treating Xia Wan.

As for Cheng Shi...

He was like an old man on his first group tour, desperately eager to learn everything about the Isle of Hope, peppering the "guide" Cao Sansui with questions.

Familiarity with history might increase a player's survival rate in the trials. He hadn't bothered before because the Faith Channel had no useful information, and the Professional Channel's messages were hard to distinguish between truth and lies, so he'd only skimmed them without paying attention.

Now that a rare "living history textbook" stood before him, it would be a waste not to ask.