Chapter Summaries

Cheng Shi’s elaborate deception revealed how Zhen Xin impersonated him during the gods’ gathering, while he stayed hidden and prepared to claim the Divine Throne. The chapter ended with Li Jingming learning that he had been deliberately drawn into Cheng Shi’s [Order] Collapse Plan.

• Cheng Shi appeared beneath the Starry Sky and dismissed the assembled gods, while Zhen Xin revealed herself as the new [Chaos].
• Zhen Xin told Li Wufang that the switch was a secret, and Li Jingming admitted he had known about the plan from reading Cheng Shi’s memories.
• The revelation showed that Cheng Shi had arranged for Zhen Xin to impersonate him so he could expose the Iron Rule of [Order] while protecting his predetermined identity from [Chaos] and the Final Decree.
• Cheng Shi recruited Zhen Xin and relied on the God of Merriment to intervene if the plan went wrong, striking the Bone Clock so the god would hear his intentions.
• Cheng Shi planted a message in Zhen Xin’s memories so Li Jingming would discover their meeting and join the scheme; he welcomed the Dragon King to the [Order] Collapse Plan.

Cheng Shi’s elaborate scheme helped restore [Chaos] and raise Zhen Xin to godhood, with [Deception] secretly guiding events. The plan succeeded, but Cheng Shi was left facing [Death]’s anger and wondering how [Memory] obtained a doctored recollection.

• Cheng Shi had Zhen Xin pose as him to provoke the [Iron Rule of Order] and draw out the will of [Chaos].
• [Death], [Silence], and [Time] arrived as part of Cheng Shi’s plan, while [Deception] concealed the real Cheng Shi and made the deception fool the Cosmos.
• When [Chaos] invoked the Final Decree, [Deception] hid Cheng Shi’s name, and [Chaos] designated Zhen Xin as its inheritor.
• Zhen Xin inherited [Chaos]’s authority and ascended the Divine Throne as a god who had risen from mortality.
• Cheng Shi questioned how [Memory] had obtained a doctored memory and suspected the Dragon King could explain it.
• Released from the [Covenant], [Death] confronted Cheng Shi with a pointed string of praise.

After the gods departed, Cheng Shi learned that [Justice (Order)] had concealed [Chaos]'s identity and that only a few people remembered the God of Merriment’s false curtain call. Zhen Xin and Cheng Shi left for her Temple, while Cheng Shi planned to find [Order]'s vessel and return to claim the Divine Throne of [Order] for a successor.

• [Folly] mocked [Justice (Order)], which admitted that its position sometimes aligned with [Deception]'s while insisting that the [Covenant] remained impartial.
• Cheng Shi tried to ask [Decay] when it would die, then corrected himself and wished to witness its final devotion; [Decay] acknowledged him and vanished.
• Cheng Shi recommended that a devout believer inherit [Order]'s throne, but [Justice (Order)] rejected the proposal because he lacked the required vessel.
• Cheng Shi promised to find [Order]'s vessel and return, then told Li Jingming to explain what had changed in the archive.
• Zhen Xin and Cheng Shi vanished together so she could visit her Temple.

Katarro panicked after the authorities of [Chaos] vanished from the Temple, then mistook Zhen Xin for his Lord of Grace when she arrived with Cheng Shi. He realized she had inherited [Chaos], confessed that he had once impersonated Cheng Shi, and sought to secure his position under the new god.

• Katarro worried that the disappearance of [Chaos]'s authorities and his Lord of Grace's absence meant a disaster had struck the Cosmos.
• Cheng Shi and Zhen Xin appeared in the Temple, and Katarro mistook Zhen Xin's aura for that of his Lord of Grace.
• Cheng Shi told Katarro that Zhen Xin was not [Deception], prompting Katarro to realize she had inherited the authorities of [Chaos].
• Zhen Xin restrained Cheng Shi and gave Katarro one chance to explain himself, so he confessed to impersonating Cheng Shi to deceive her.
• Cheng Shi accused Katarro of planning to defect, while Katarro sought Zhen Xin's forgiveness and protection.
• Zhen Xin reassured Katarro that Cheng Shi would not begrudge him the Temple caretaker's position.

Zhen Xin explained how faith shaped the Divine Authority of [Chaos], while hiding that her bond with Zhen Yi had helped her accept it. Katarro revealed that the Lord of Grace had left a Chaos Yellow Mist sand table depicting the Isle of Hope, and Cheng Shi wondered what he had been contemplating.

• Zhen Xin showed Cheng Shi two forms of Chaos Yellow Mist and explained that both disorder and recognizable transformations were chaos.
• Zhen Xin described how believers' faith and desires reached the Divine Throne and became a weapon in her hands.
• Zhen Xin concealed that her long coexistence with Zhen Yi had shaped her understanding of [Chaos] and that Zhen Yi had urged her toward the Divine Throne through laughter.
• Cheng Shi asked Katarro when the Lord of Grace had last visited, and Katarro said it was before Cheng Shi left the Cosmos for the True Universe.
• Katarro admitted that he had glimpsed the Lord of Grace's lingering Chaos Yellow Mist, which had formed a sand table showing the Isle of Hope and its Abyssal Volcano.
• Cheng Shi wondered why the Lord of Grace had contemplated the Isle of Hope.

Cheng Shi thanked Zhen Xin for becoming [Chaos] and prepared for the Audience Assembly, while she encouraged him to trust himself. He then visited the [Memory] Repository, where Li Jingming revealed he had gained control of it through [Memory]'s Vessel but still could not unlock the hidden collectible.

• Cheng Shi thanked Zhen Xin for becoming [Chaos], and she urged him to believe in himself and promised [Chaos]'s vote at the Audience Assembly.
• Zhen Xin asked Katarro about Sandlais and wondered whether its Joyful Theater founder was the same clown who had left Dusk Play.
• Cheng Shi traveled to the [Memory] Repository and saw that Li Jingming could summon him there using his new control over the repository.
• Li Jingming revealed that he had obtained [Memory]'s Vessel after surviving a flood of memories, gaining control of the repository.
• Li Jingming told Cheng Shi that the Vessel could not unlock the collectible, and that Kraun's Mask, which Cheng Shi possessed as Fool's Game's Mask, might be needed.
• Cheng Shi accused Li Jingming of fabricating memories in the repository, and Li Jingming joked that he had learned blasphemy from spending time with Cheng Shi.

After learning that [Memory] had left for the True Universe, Li Jingming agreed to inherit his Divine Throne. Cheng Shi then brought Li Wufang to meet the imprisoned [Wrath of Abomination] and asked whether he remembered him.

• Cheng Shi told Li Jingming that [Memory] had left the Starry Sky to seek memories in the True Universe.
• Li Jingming reasoned that [Memory] might have already seen the world's future through [Time], while Cheng Shi said they would have to ask the God of Merriment for answers.
• Cheng Shi asked Li Jingming to prepare to inherit [Memory]'s Divine Throne, and Li Jingming agreed to remember the world's memories.
• Cheng Shi set out with Li Wufang to retrieve everything that belonged to [Order] and brought him to a cage holding [Wrath of Abomination], once known as [Blazing Sun].
• Cheng Shi asked the frightened [Wrath of Abomination] whether he still remembered him.

Cheng Shi visited the imprisoned [Wrath of Abomination] to demand a vessel of [Order], pretending he could help shorten the god’s sentence. He eventually realized [Wrath of Abomination] was not refusing but had no vessel to give, leaving Cheng Shi embarrassed by his failed bluff.

• [Wrath of Abomination] recalled Cheng Shi’s earlier connection to [Deception] and cautiously treated him as someone not to anger.
• Cheng Shi reminded [Wrath of Abomination] of the suffering caused by his fiery rain and framed a demand for a vessel of [Order] as a chance to prove his repentance.
• [Wrath of Abomination] tried to explain that he had no vessel of [Order], but Cheng Shi mistook his agitation for defiance.
• Li Wufang asked whether the negotiations had failed as the heat around the cage rose, while [Wrath of Abomination] kept the flames contained.
• Cheng Shi realized [Wrath of Abomination] lacked the vessel, and the god excitedly confirmed it, making Cheng Shi feel like a clown.

Cheng Shi visited the Fire-Keeping Hall to meet Qin Xin and Hope's Flame, but Nangong mistook him for an intruder before he disguised himself as Cui Qiushi. After Cheng Shi slipped away, Cui Qiushi reassured Nangong, while the Candlelight Person prepared the Fire Keepers to fight.

• Cheng Shi comforted Li Wufang after the attempt to obtain the [Order] vessel failed, then contacted Qin Xin to arrange a meeting with him and Hope's Flame.
• Qin Xin agreed to receive Cheng Shi at the Fire-Keeping Hall, where Cheng Shi entered through the ordinary route with his hood up.
• Nangong recognized Cheng Shi, pulled him into the shadows, and begged him to leave, but Cheng Shi removed his hood and appeared to her as Cui Qiushi.
• Nangong fled in confusion when Cui Qiushi appeared both before her and in the shadows, then claimed the hidden figure was one of the Fire Keepers.
• Cui Qiushi trusted Nangong without pressing her for answers, while the Candlelight Person listened from afar and said it was the Fire Keepers' turn to fight.

Cheng Shi urged Qin Xin to inherit [War]'s voting rights before the Audience Assembly, warning that the God of Merriment’s plans threatened the Cosmos and that mortals needed the [Covenant] to oppose them. Qin Xin agreed to stand with him, while Hope's Flame was left questioning its origins and the fate of [Destiny].

• Cheng Shi asked Qin Xin to claim [War]'s vote before the Audience Assembly, prompting Qin Xin to weigh the risks of exposing the Fire Keepers.
• Cheng Shi explained that the God of Merriment had cleared obstacles for the Fear Faction and described the False Curtain Call and Hope's Flame's role in saving him.
• Hope's Flame questioned whether it had been created by [Deception] and asked where [Destiny] was.
• Cheng Shi said [Destiny] was alive but might be imprisoned by the God of Merriment, and urged Qin Xin to unite with him through the [Covenant].
• Qin Xin agreed, and Cheng Shi remarked that he was starting to sound like the Fire Keepers.

Cheng Shi and Qin Xin discussed how to gather enough divine votes to advance the God Creation Plan before Qin Xin revealed that Wei Mu had arrived at the Fire-Keeping Hall. They met Wei Mu’s scouting puppet, whose sharp deductions left them speechless, and Cheng Shi asked whether the sage sold cheats.

• Cheng Shi considered which gods might support his plan to secure succession for Nangong and Li Wufang, but ruled out getting [Folly]'s vote easily.
• Qin Xin explained that Wei Mu, a follower of [Folly], had sent a puppet to the Fire-Keeping Hall, and Cheng Shi asked to meet him.
• Cheng Shi and Qin Xin went with Hope's Flame to Qin Xin's room, where they found Wei Mu's puppet temporarily confined.
• Wei Mu greeted the three Emissaries and deduced their identities, including that the God of Merriment was sheltering the Fire Keepers.
• Cheng Shi tried to correct Wei Mu's deduction, but Wei Mu used the explanation to infer more about [Deception], prompting Cheng Shi to ask if he sold cheats.

Wei Mu deduced that Cheng Shi was resisting his role as a sacrifice and was seeking the answer to [Nothingness], then inferred why he had come to the rebels’ gathering. Cheng Shi uncovered Wei Mu’s method for borrowing the faith of his followers to enhance his reasoning, leaving Wei Mu’s experiments with [Folly]’s authority on the verge of a breakthrough.

• Wei Mu deduced that Cheng Shi was resisting sacrifice and that [Deception] was using his rebellion to draw the gods’ attention toward the answer to [Nothingness].
• Wei Mu reasoned that Cheng Shi had come to the rebels’ gathering for something other than a possible Mask, and Cheng Shi recognized that his deductions were accurate.
• Cheng Shi connected Wei Mu’s Vessel and [Time]’s words, then realized Wei Mu was borrowing power through faith.
• Wei Mu revealed that he had gathered faith by becoming number one on the Path to Godhood and had used it to collect drops of divinity.
• Wei Mu explained that he borrowed small amounts of processing power from believers, and that his research had brought him close to understanding how to assemble [Folly]’s authority.

Cheng Shi revealed the truth of the True Universe and the False Finale to Wei Mu, who then reasoned about Deception and Time’s plans. Wei Mu concluded that they intended to create an Origin.

• Cheng Shi realized that Wei Mu’s faith gave him leverage over other people’s unused mental capacity and persuaded Wei Mu to discuss the Divine Throne and the Assembly of the Gods.
• Cheng Shi asked Wei Mu whether he could match Folly, then used Wei Mu’s competitive nature to draw him into a discussion of the Universe Truth.
• Wei Mu said Folly sought the world’s answer while he sought Cheng Shi’s, and agreed to hear what Cheng Shi knew.
• Cheng Shi told Wei Mu everything he had learned in the True Universe and everything that had happened during the False Finale, causing Wei Mu’s puppet to go still.
• Wei Mu brought his main body through Puppet Strings and explained that he had reasoned out Deception and Time’s intentions: they wanted to create an Origin.

Wei Mu revealed his theory that [Deception] and [Time] were orchestrating a plan to detach the world from [Origin]'s universe experiment. He believed Cheng Shi was being shaped into a substitute for [Origin]'s gaze, and Cheng Shi realized this explained how he could both approach and turn away from [Origin].

• Puppet admitted that he had secretly entered Sun Miao's Rest Area to gather intelligence about the Fire Keepers.
• Wei Mu argued that [Deception] had accepted [Destiny]'s plan to create a sacrifice, but intended for that sacrifice to become a substitute for [Origin] rather than merely draw close to Him.
• Wei Mu proposed that [Deception] was destroying the old world to create a new one beyond [Origin]'s gaze, with Cheng Shi as the crucial sacrifice.
• Qin Xin questioned how the gods could deceive the Creator, and Wei Mu conceded that he could only conjecture about their plan.
• Cheng Shi understood that becoming a substitute for [Origin] would let him protect the world while detaching it from the Creator's experiment.

Cheng Shi learned that [Deception] might be guiding the gods toward the death of the old world so he could become the new world's [Origin]. Unwilling to accept this predicted fate, Cheng Shi decided to seek confirmation and pursue another path with Wei Mu's help.

• Cheng Shi realized that [Deception] had arranged for the old gods to die so the new world's [Origin] could be born, potentially making Cheng Shi [Origin].
• Wei Mu explained that Kraun's Mask might preserve the memory of a god discovering the truth of the universe and the despair that drove the gods to resist [Origin].
• Hope's Flame said they would die and return to [Destiny], leaving behind [Destiny]'s Vessel as a final effort for the new world.
• Cheng Shi wondered whether [Destiny] had rejected [Deception]'s plan or chosen another path, and decided he would not accept his fate without seeking answers.
• Cheng Shi told Wei Mu he would ask the others to confirm the conjecture and called his next attempt another act of folly.

Cheng Shi prepared to leave for the True Universe to pursue another path forward, and Zhen Xin agreed to help despite fearing the risk. When he used the Time Deduction Method to seek a way through [Existence], he unexpectedly encountered [Chaos] being torn apart, which took Zhen Xin’s familiar form and greeted him.

• Cheng Shi told Wei Mu he would return to find him, then went back to the Temple of [Chaos] to meet Zhen Xin.
• Cheng Shi told Zhen Xin he needed to leave for the True Universe, and she demanded to hear his plans for returning safely.
• Cheng Shi admitted he had no reliable fallback, and Zhen Xin agreed to help him despite calling his plan a gamble.
• Cheng Shi used the Time Deduction Method with Zhen Xin to seek a shortcut through the gaps in [Existence].
• Cheng Shi found [Chaos] being torn apart in yellow mist, and it formed Zhen Xin’s figure and greeted him.

Yellow Mist Zhen Xin warned Cheng Shi that the power of [Origin] was a poison that led to a world's destruction, then sacrificed herself to create a Space-Time Storm. Cheng Shi reached the True Universe and began searching for a fellow traveler, where he encountered Big Cat.

• Yellow Mist Zhen Xin told Cheng Shi that [Origin] power brought destruction, not rebirth, and urged him to keep it out of his plans.
• Zhen Xin realized Cheng Shi needed a Space-Time Storm to reach the True Universe and chose to die so he could go farther than her group had.
• Zhen Xin dispersed, destroying her world and creating a Space-Time Storm that swept Cheng Shi into the True Universe.
• Cheng Shi arrived on the Space-Time Dolphin Bridge and set out to find someone with the same destination.
• Cheng Shi spotted a figure at the far end of the bridge and recognized Big Cat.

Cheng Shi met another Hong Lin on the long bridge, where she prepared to enter the battlefield connected to [War] and [Origin]. When their attempt to anchor the world containing Zhang Jizu failed, Cheng Shi continued toward the Gods' Graveyard, determined to search for Old Zhang and protect Cosmos.

• Cheng Shi found Hong Lin on the bridge, and she warned him not to come closer.
• Hong Lin explained that she was on a mission and asked Cheng Shi to send her to her intended battlefield in exchange for helping him find Zhang Jizu.
• Cheng Shi tried to anchor the world containing Old Zhang and the other Zhang Jizu, but Hong Lin sensed that the world or its anchors no longer existed.
• Cheng Shi refused to abandon his search and tossed a die onto the bridge to leave a temporal anchor before asking Hong Lin to send him to the Gods' Graveyard.

Cheng Shi entered the Gods' Graveyard to collect corpses, but a death-triggered trap exposed the presence of another intruder. He discovered that the intruder was Gravekeeper Zhang Jizu, who admitted he could not find his way home.

• Cheng Shi cautiously descended into the Corpse Field to collect corpses for an experiment.
• When Cheng Shi touched a Silent Puppets corpse, an aura of [Death] triggered trembling corpses and booming sounds from the pit.
• Cheng Shi realized the noises were meant to frighten outsiders away and recognized the trap as resembling the defenses in Squinty Old Zhang's Cemetery.
• Zhang Jizu approached Cheng Shi from behind and held a glowing Scalpel to his neck.
• Cheng Shi confronted Zhang Jizu, who confirmed his identity and said he could not find his way home.

Cheng Shi reunited with Zhang Jizu in the Gods' Graveyard, where they discovered that their accounts of the other Cheng Shi's death contradicted each other. Zhang Jizu explained how he became stranded there, and the two began piecing together what had happened in the Trial.

• Cheng Shi confirmed that Zhang Jizu was the living Gravekeeper and teased him about coming to the Gods' Graveyard.
• Zhang Jizu revealed that the other Gravekeeper, who had inherited [Death]'s Divine Authority, had died in the other Cheng Shi's place.
• Cheng Shi told Zhang Jizu that the Outer God in the Trial had been the God of Merriment in disguise, leaving them both shocked by the conflicting accounts.
• Cheng Shi and Zhang Jizu exchanged what they had learned about False Curtain Call and the events surrounding the other Cheng Shi's death.
• Zhang Jizu explained that he had followed the Leaky World Silent Puppet through a Space-Time Storm into the Gods' Graveyard, where he built a trap and waited for a way out.