The Third Day: The Day of Ice

My head hurts so much.

It felt like the explosion of a hangover, or like countless thorns churning inside my brain.

It hurts so much.

Cheng Shi was awakened by the pain.

Even in the most intense pain, he didn't dare to furrow his brow or open his eyes.

Because he didn't know if Su Yida was still around, and he wasn't sure if the surrounding area was safe.

When a person is unconscious, their breathing is obviously different from when they are awake. Most people may not be able to tell the difference, but Tao Yi can.

Because she was also an expert in this area, a master of feigning unconsciousness.

"You're awake?"

Is that a big star's voice?

Cheng Shi's heart skipped a beat, but he still didn't speak.

Tao Yi felt the power of revival flowing through Cheng Shi's body and chuckled softly:

"Alright, open your eyes. We're safe now, we're out."

Come out?

Where did we come from? And where did we end up?

After Cheng Shi deliberation, Cheng Shi slowly opened his eyes.

A wisp of pink hair came into view, confirming that the voice from earlier was not an imposter; it really was Tao Yi.

"You were unconscious for 12 hours, that's really something. Do you know how we survived those 12+ hours without Priest?"

12 hours?

Cheng Shi felt a chill on his body. He hugged his arms and took the opportunity to touch the ring on his finger.

1, 2, 3, 4, all four are still here, they weren't lost?

He was somewhat shocked, but outwardly he asked weakly:

"What happened?"

Tao Yi's face was full of anxiety, and she pointed to the top of Cheng Shi's head.

"It's so cold. After we came out of the Void Rift, we fell into Icefield. The Frigid Wind is howling outside and it's freezing cold. If you don't wake up soon, the four of us will suffer from hypothermia."

Four?

Tao Yi's face darkened, and she nodded:

"Yes, Zhao Qian... is dead."

There wasn't even a corpse left; only a pile of ashes remained.

Zhao Qian? Dead?

That Believer "war" who held Blood and Fire in his hands, is actually dead?

Who killed him, Su Yida?

Where is Su Yida?

Cheng Shi had just woken up from his near-death experience, his mind still foggy and filled with questions.

But he didn't have much time to think, so he needed to know immediately what had happened during the time he was dead.

So he did something bold:

He took Tao Yi's hand.

Tao Yi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and let him hold her hand.

"There's no firewood left, it's all burned. If you feel cold, just hold me tight."

Cheng Shi's expression didn't relax because of Tao Yi's thoughtfulness. He looked at Tao Yi's face very seriously and asked:

Can I trust you?

Tao Yi was surprised that Cheng Shi would ask such a question. She first widened her eyes, and then frowned.

To what extent should one believe?

"Let's be completely open and honest with each other!"

She looked at Cheng Shi, her eyes darting around quickly.

"Whose Believer are you, anyway?"

Cheng Shi's gaze remained fixed, earnest and sincere:

"Death, I am Believer in death."

"..." Tao Yi opened her mouth wide, her face filled with surprise. "I should have known you were the Gravekeeper, but you lied to me all this way and still expect me to be sincere with you?"

Can I trust you?

"Hmm...50%. You can trust me as long as you're not lying to me."

Cheng Shi finally smiled and said quickly in a low voice:

"Tell me everything that happened. I need to know everything."

Where to begin?

"It all started when you came to me."

Let's go back to the time when the Edict of Passage.

The Cheng Shi confirmed the lineup for this game, he immediately planned whose Believer he would play in this Trials.

[Order].

Clearly, in a trial with a fellow practitioner, a Priest of Order can slightly restrain the fellow practitioner's conduct to prevent him from engaging in excessive rebellious behavior.

But just as he was about to Edict of Passage, he suddenly had an even bolder idea.

Since "the Lies Like Yesterday" is deception and a false Faith, does "deceiving" the gods count?

After all, the power of talent comes from Deception, and He approves of that deception.

So Cheng Shi made another bold attempt.

He quietly plucked a blade of grass, offering this insignificant death as a sacrifice to the being upon the Upon the Throne.

This is not the Edict of Passage of [Deception], but the Edict of Passage of [death] itself.

Cheng Shi did this for no particular reason; he simply wanted to express his gratitude to the Faith he was about to borrow.

Then, he silently recited a prayer to the Dice of Destiny, asking to become a Believer in death.

To everyone's surprise, the Edict of Passage was carried out successfully.

God of Merriment supports him as always!

He abandoned the constraints of [Order] and gained immunity from [death].

As for the so-called "Birth," it's nothing more than adding another layer of disguise to keep more cards up one's sleeve.

It's definitely not because they've simply gotten used to lying.

Then...

Today, Cheng Shi is Believer in death and Gravekeeper.

"Old Cui led me to you, who was unconscious, and Gao Yu, who was on the verge of death..."

Coma...

It seems I was right, I really did die.

Cheng Shi felt that his talent as Gravekeeper had been activated once, which meant that his Memory was not the problem and that Su Yida had indeed killed him once.

However, the contingency plan he had prepared saved his life.

The Gravekeeper's talent is to keep people alive, which is also the inspiration for Cheng Shi's "XX for the Dead" series of medicines.

As Priest of death, they Proxy His Will, capable of transforming the light of healing into the darkness of death, and deciding whether the recipients of their healing can die.

They are like gatekeepers of hell, choosing the Sacrifice to be made to Him according to their own desires.

Of course, the Sacrifice that belong to Him cannot be reduced at will; for every Sacrifice that the Gravekeeper takes away, He must be given a replacement.

This also led to the Gravekeeper becoming the Priest profession with the most killings, truly becoming a healer who brings death.

Cheng Shi now owes Him a Sacrifice.

"After finding you, Old Cui and I dragged you through three more Void Rift before finally escaping the Void and falling onto this Icefield."

But by then you and Gao Yu were almost at your limit. We dragged you both across the endless Icefield in search of shelter from the wind, and during that time we encountered Su Yida.

"You encountered him on the Icefield!?"

"Yes, his condition was not good either. His whole body was frozen stiff, and he almost died on the Icefield."

Fortunately, he was carrying a large bundle of broken wood and branches...

We guessed that he probably didn't know how to start a fire, so he froze like that.

But we didn't have any either. Later, I had to use the last bit of [Prosperity] power to wake Gao Yu and light the frozen firewood.

But the wind was too strong, and it was difficult to keep the fire burning, so we set up camp on the spot and took turns guarding the camp. We kept the fire burning for half the night before we managed to rescue everyone.

But now... the flame has burned out.

Cheng Shi followed Tao Yi's gaze and noticed a patch of ash around his waist.

"Gao Yu and Su Yida have both woken up, but you have remained unconscious, and no matter what we try, we cannot wake you up."

In the end, it was Su Yida who secretly took out a pill, which saved you.

"?" Cheng Shi was a little confused. "Su Yida? He saved me? Where did he get the medicine? His personal space..."

Before he could even try, Tao Yi replied:

"It's still locked. It's the batch of 'Fleeting Radiance' that you refined back then, do you remember?"

Su Yida's mind was not as shallow as he appeared. He deliberately kept some of the medicine on his person when he was robbing it.

We never imagined that one batch of medicine could yield two pills, otherwise I would have collected some too.

Although the amount he concealed wasn't large, it was still effective; at least you're truly awake.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi's expression became incredibly complex.

This colleague is truly remarkable.

Even after learning his true identity, he used the "Mirage in the Void-Reality Gap" to recreate the medicine that he had fabricated using the "Sacrifice to the Void," a medicine that could not be preserved.

The problem is that this only pill was used on himself?

Why?

He killed himself, and then saved himself?

What is he doing?

Cheng Shi wanted to ask, but that would be too obvious, so he could only do it little by little.

Why don't they all come in?

"..."

Tao Yi didn't speak, but the pale look on her face seemed to say the answer.

Cheng Shi frowned, and using the dim light shining through the "tent," he turned his head to look around. Soon, he realized that the materials used to pitch the tent seemed somewhat familiar...

"This is..."

Old Cui's skin?

Cheng Shi was instantly stunned.

This tent, which could only accommodate two or three people huddled together, was actually made from the skin that Old Cui had taken off and wrapped around himself!

"Yes, as you can see, Old Cui isn't feeling well. The tent... the tent could be destroyed by the strong winds at any moment, so we're taking turns guarding the outside to ensure our only safe haven isn't destroyed..."

"Outside..."

"The wind howled, the land was frozen for thousands of miles. In the distance were icebergs that could never be reached, and underfoot was frozen soil that no amount of magic could break through. As far as the eye could see, not a blade of grass grew, only ice and white."

The conditions were too harsh; we couldn't dig Coffin Camp or build shelters, and the biting cold, mixed with the howling wind, was intensifying. We had no other choice...

"..."

Cheng Shi never expected that before he could sort out the Memory in the Void, the current environment would become so harsh.

"But it's all right now, you're awake. Quick, Cheng Shi, cast a Healing Art, they're about to collapse."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Shi felt a biting Frigid Wind seeping in from his feet.