Chapter Summaries

Cheng Shi witnessed [Destiny] and [Deception] meet at the Dawn of the Era and argue over whether the Creator’s Divine Throne should be assembled or destroyed. [Destiny] proposed a way to test the oracle, then formed the Dice of Stars and cast it.

• Cheng Shi saw that the eyes of the two Dominions of [Nothingness] at the era’s beginning held only spirals, unlike the dim starlight in [Deception]’s present eyes.
• [Destiny] asked [Deception] to help assemble an eternal Divine Throne for the Creator, but [Deception] refused and argued that [Nothingness] meant returning everything to oblivion.
• [Destiny] insisted that [Origin]’s guidance could not be wrong, while [Deception] warned that they might part ways over their opposing intentions.
• [Destiny] proposed verifying the oracle without using Divine Authority on [Deception], and [Deception] accepted the plan without objection.
• [Destiny] gathered countless stars into a giant die, which Cheng Shi recognized as the Dice of Stars, and then cast it.

Cheng Shi learned that [Destiny] had died at the dawn of the era and that [Deception], his Lord of Grace, had been impersonating them. [Deception] revealed that [Destiny] died after prophesying something they should not have, and Cheng Shi suspected [Origin] was responsible.

• The starry die shattered, and [Destiny] vanished while [Deception] watched in shock.
• The God of Merriment told Cheng Shi that he had witnessed [Destiny]'s fall and revealed that [Deception] was also [Destiny].
• Cheng Shi realized that [Deception] had used [Chaos] and deception to conceal a one-god scheme driving and resisting predestination.
• Cheng Shi demanded to know who had caused [Destiny]'s death, and [Deception] said [Destiny] had prophesied something they should not have.
• Cheng Shi connected [Destiny]'s death to An Mingyu's sudden death in the Trials and suspected [Origin].

[Deception] revealed that the true [Destiny] died at the Dawn of the Era and explained how he created a separate god to replace him. He told Cheng Shi why he had chosen him and left him facing the possibility that even his rebellion against destiny had been predetermined.

• [Deception] confessed that [Origin] had killed his twin, the true [Destiny], and that he had created a separate god to conceal the death and sustain [Nothingness].
• [Deception] explained that the replacement [Destiny] carried the will of Predestination but was fundamentally an avatar of [Deception], and that he had died during the false ending of the era.
• [Deception] revealed that he had granted Blind Man the ability to see destiny after the replacement [Destiny] took her mortal eyes, because he pitied her resemblance to [Destiny].
• Cheng Shi asked why [Deception] had chosen him, and [Deception] said he had selected Clown because he had turned his back on [Destiny] in the Path of Fate's Beginning.
• [Deception] revealed that in every world he had chosen the version of Cheng Shi who rejected his oath, leaving Cheng Shi to fear that his defiance was also part of [Origin]'s design.

Cheng Shi learned that the world faced destruction when the era of [Nothingness] ended, and realized [Deception] and [Time] planned to make Predestination replace [Origin] as the Experiment’s observer. [Deception] revealed that the stars in His eyes marked [Origin]’s power, which He had never obtained during the False Curtain Call because [Origin] had ignored the world.

• [Deception] confirmed that the world’s countdown began when [Origin]’s power first descended and that the era of [Nothingness] marked its duration.
• Cheng Shi inferred that [Deception] and [Time] intended for Predestination to take [Origin]’s place as the Experiment’s observer, and [Deception] did not deny it.
• Cheng Shi guessed that [Deception] had baited out [Origin]’s power to calculate when the era would end, but [Deception] called the idea immature and said He had another use for the power.
• Cheng Shi realized that [Destiny]’s prophecy at the Dawn of the Era might also have brought [Origin]’s power into the world.
• Cheng Shi identified the starlight in [Deception]’s eyes as a manifestation of [Origin]’s power, and [Deception] explained that He had never obtained it during the False Curtain Call because [Origin] had never looked toward their world.

[Deception] revealed that the Finale Performance came from their own despair after finding countless dead versions of themselves and Divine Thrones in the True Universe. They admitted they would have sacrificed Cheng Shi if he had agreed to become Predestination, but believed he would never yield.

• Cheng Shi learned that the Finale Performance had gained no power of [Origin] and had instead consumed [Deception]'s existing power.
• [Deception] explained that they had escaped their confinement to search the True Universe for answers and found countless dead versions of themselves, along with Divine Thrones in the Gods' Graveyard.
• [Deception] revealed that they had written the Finale Performance hoping to end the experiment and spare the many versions of [Deception] and [Destiny] from further suffering.
• Cheng Shi realized that [Deception] had placed the choice to yield on his shoulders and asked whether they would truly have sacrificed him if he agreed.
• [Deception] confirmed they would have made Cheng Shi into a Divine Throne for [Origin], but said they knew he would never agree; Clown had saved his Lord of Grace once before.

Cheng Shi and [Deception] restored their familiar banter after Cheng Shi reaffirmed his commitment to resist [Origin] alongside the Fear Faction. [Deception] rewarded him by choosing him as His Chosen of God and granting him Divine Authority.

• Cheng Shi demanded a reward for saving [Deception], and the two resumed their teasing exchange.
• [Deception] dodged the obligation by claiming He had no morals, while Cheng Shi accepted Him again as the God of Merriment.
• Cheng Shi promised to stand with the Fear Faction against [Origin], even if resistance cost him his life.
• Cheng Shi said that if their effort ended in tragedy, its story could help other worlds find another path, carrying forward the flame taught by [Deception] and the Fire Keeper.
• [Deception] chose Cheng Shi as His Chosen of God and promised him Divine Authority, without requiring him to reach the Top Rank on the Ladder of Audience.

[Deception] told Cheng Shi that it had found a path to save the world and would travel to the True Universe for a final clue, while Cheng Shi had to keep performing and draw the Cosmos’s attention. [Deception] appeared to destroy itself in a staged catastrophe, leaving Cheng Shi accused by the gods of being [Deception] in disguise.

• [Deception] told Cheng Shi to continue his performance and distract the Cosmos while it sought a final clue in the True Universe.
• Cheng Shi chose to trust [Deception] after the Lips of Foolish Play affirmed its faith, and [Deception] began the performance called [Nothingness]'s curtain call.
• Masks and dice filled the void before an explosion tore open the river of [Existence], which vanished into abstract blackness.
• Cheng Shi accused [Deception] of abandoning its allies and demanded that it appear, while the gods suspected the destruction was an act.
• A god asked whether Cheng Shi was actually [Deception] and where its believer had been hidden, and Cheng Shi realized that deceiving the gods was the ability [Deception] had granted him.

Cheng Shi pretended to be [Deception] after [Deception] vanished, leaving the gods uncertain about what had happened. He sought reassurance from [Death], who confirmed that [Deception] had likely used the commotion to disappear, though neither knew where he had gone.

• Cheng Shi acted as though he were [Deception], while [Folly] accused him of being part of a performance and the gods questioned his identity.
• Zhen Xin used [Chaos]'s Divine Authority to further muddle the situation as [Silence] tested Cheng Shi through assimilation and [Death] departed.
• After the other gods left, Cheng Shi concluded that [Deception] had not truly annihilated himself and prayed to [Death] for an audience.
• [Death] brought Cheng Shi to Fishbone Hall, where Cheng Shi deduced that [Death] had known [Deception] planned to disappear.
• [Death] admitted he had guessed [Deception] used the commotion to leave, and Cheng Shi said he did not know where he had gone, enraging [Death].

Cheng Shi questioned [Death] about [Deception]'s disappearance and the trouble that began after [Deception] entered the Sea of Desire. He left with suspicions about [Filth and Decay], [Origin], and [Folly], while [Death] warned him not to investigate the Sea of Desire himself.

• Cheng Shi refused to reveal anything about [Deception], and [Death] withdrew the false flames and asked whether the god had contracted trouble.
• Cheng Shi proposed that [Filth and Decay] was responsible, and [Death] confirmed that [Deception] had stopped sharing plans after entering the Sea of Desire with the [Sin of Desirelessness].
• [Death] explained that other gods who entered the Sea of Desire, including [Order] and [War], had also changed, making Cheng Shi's suspicion of contamination plausible.
• Cheng Shi asked whether the being in the Sea of Desire could be an injured [Origin], and [Death] rejected the idea as impossible before learning about the Divine Throne [Nothingness] had been asked to piece together.
• [Death] warned Cheng Shi against entering the Sea of Desire, but Cheng Shi wondered whether mortals might resist its contamination and was burned into a small skull for his continued speculation.
• Cheng Shi considered whether [Folly] could investigate the Sea of Desire and began to suspect that [Folly]'s authority might be connected to it.

Cheng Shi told [Death] he planned to send Jie Shu to other worlds with the flame Cheng Dashi had entrusted to him, then conduct an experiment to glimpse the future using the gods’ powers. [Death] revealed their willingness to die resisting [Origin] and promised to support Cheng Shi until [Deception] returned.

• Cheng Shi concluded that [Folly]'s authority might be hidden behind the painted-over piece in [Memory]'s collection hall.
• Cheng Shi explained Jie Shu’s plan to travel between worlds and said he would pass the flame to other Cheng Shis.
• Cheng Shi announced his plan to conduct an experiment that would use the gods’ power, authorities, and wills to glimpse the future.
• [Death] explained that death meant rebirth through reincarnation and declared their resolve to resist [Origin], even at the cost of their own life.
• Cheng Shi asked [Death] to support his plan, and [Death] agreed to stand behind him until [Deception] returned.

Cheng Shi received a Vessel of [Order] from [Death] and prepared to keep his appointment with Jie Shu, though he had lost Lele'er and his Thunder Punishment. Elsewhere, Little Puppet confronted [Folly] about [Deception], the coming era, and whether the god still needed his Divine Authority, leaving with [Folly]’s cryptic answer.

• [Death] gave Cheng Shi a Vessel of [Order] forged from [Resounding Thunder]’s divinity so he could reclaim [Order]’s vote.
• Cheng Shi learned that Lele'er had been annihilated, the Ring of the Atoning Son had shattered, and his Thunder Punishment was gone.
• Cheng Shi resolved to continue Passing the Flame and began mustering for his appointment with Jie Shu.
• Little Puppet questioned [Folly] about knowingly committing a foolish deed, [Deception]’s plans, and Predestination’s preparations for the next era.
• Little Puppet asked whether [Folly] still needed his Divine Authority, and [Folly] replied by asking whether Little Puppet’s coming foolish deed would have an answer.

[Birth] summoned Hu Xuan and warned her that the age of [Nothingness] was nearing its end and that the gods who resisted it were falling. The deity told Hu Xuan that [Birth] would eventually fall too, but its will would endure as long as life remained, and hinted that someone would come to [Birth] and make Hu Xuan the beneficiary.

• [Birth] summoned Hu Xuan to the void and praised her devotion to the will of [Birth].
• [Birth] told Hu Xuan that the age of [Nothingness] was about to end and that the deity would be targeted next.
• Hu Xuan struggled to respond as [Birth] explained that its will could continue beyond the deity itself through new life and living beings.
• [Birth] told Hu Xuan not to repeat their conversation and said someone would come to the deity, with Hu Xuan as the beneficiary.
• Hu Xuan agreed to keep the matter secret, while privately suspecting that she knew who would come.

Hope's Flame summoned Bailing in the Fire-Keeping Hall and gave her a secret mission to spread word that [*He] had visited, while concealing the truth from the Fire Keepers and Qin Xin. He then recruited a shadowy figure to make the world believe the Creator had abandoned [*He], though he doubted they could kill him.

• Bailing returned to the Fire-Keeping Hall after [Deception]'s mysterious Audience Assembly, where the participants kept silent about what had happened.
• Hope's Flame told Bailing that [Origin] had been there and showed her a terrifying scene that left her trembling.
• Hope's Flame ordered Bailing to remember the scene and spread the news that [*He] was there, keeping the mission secret from Qin Xin and all other Fire Keepers.
• Bailing asked why Hope's Flame had acted as he did at the Audience Assembly, and he explained that the Cosmos was divided and no one trusted him anymore.
• After Bailing left, Hope's Flame tasked a figure from the darkness with convincing the world that the Creator had abandoned [*He].
• The figure said killing a god would be more interesting than becoming one, but Hope's Flame doubted they could kill him.

Cheng Shi explained that the Clowns’ progress depended on countless Slice Universes passing clues and eliminating failed choices, and he revealed that Long Jing would play a crucial role in the Fire-Passing Plan. The chapter ended with Long Jing learning that he would return to the past as the Master of Trickery and kill Cheng Shi, who was mistaken for Su Yida.

• Zhang Jizu wondered who would inherit [Deception], while Li Jingming hinted that he had someone in mind.
• Zhen Xin criticized Long Jing for relying on familiar deceptions, leaving him questioning his creativity.
• Cheng Shi arrived and said that [Deception] had left, then began explaining Jie Shu’s plan.
• Li Jingming showed the Clowns Cheng Shi’s memory, revealing that the Blind Man’s prophecy concerned a future Cheng Shi and that Long Jing had once acted as the Master of Trickery.
• Cheng Shi told Long Jing that he would return to the past as the Master of Trickery and kill Cheng Shi, who had been known as Su Yida.

Cheng Shi explained that Long Jing had to reenact Su Yida’s past journey to pass the truth to another world without disrupting its fate. Long Jing accepted the mission despite believing it required his death, but Cheng Shi promised he could use his scriptwriting to prevent anyone from dying.

• Long Jing learned that his earlier actions had helped reveal the universe’s truth and asked whether the Passing the Torch Plan required him to play Su Yida.
• Cheng Shi explained that the passage had closed and that Jie Shu might be the only one able to open another way out.
• Zhen Xin and Cheng Shi warned that changing past events could endanger intertwined worlds, so Long Jing had to faithfully reenact Su Yida’s actions.
• Long Jing accepted the mission, believing he would have to die as Su Yida had, and the Clowns applauded him in recognition.
• Cheng Shi reassured the group that he would use his skills as a priest and scriptwriter to create a way for no one to die.

Cheng Shi prepared Long Jing to impersonate Su Yida in a plan to reach another world, and insisted that his shadow would accompany him despite Zhang Jizu’s concerns. Once the preparations were complete, Long Jing and the Dragon King went to meet Jie Shu and begin the operation.

• Cheng Shi gave Long Jing [Prosperity] Divinity and explained that he would travel with him disguised as a die, while Zhang Jizu supplied the Parasitic Wood to preserve Long Jing’s soul if he died.
• Cheng Shi rejected Zhang Jizu’s warning against entering the True Universe and said someone would bring him back, reassuring Zhen Xin that he trusted Predestination.
• After Mo Shu, Zhao Xishi, and Su Yida completed their preparations, the Clowns set a date to meet Jie Shu and carry out their plan to escape their world.
• Long Jing, impersonating Su Yida, approached Jie Shu with the Dragon King impersonating Long Jing.

Jie Shu gathered the members of his plan against Cheng Shi, but Long Jing’s unexpected presence and the others’ changed circumstances made him doubt whether the plan could still work. Zhao Xishi revealed that Zhen Xin had merged with [Chaos], and Jie Shu demanded that Long Jing prove he could be trusted before the plan began.

• Jie Shu questioned Long Jing’s motives while Su Yida defended bringing the Acrobat into the plan.
• Zhao Xishi arrived and revealed that Zhen Xin had merged with [Chaos] and was nearing godhood after driving Zhao Xishi into hiding.
• Zhao Xishi spread an aura of [Chaos] across the rooftop, causing Jie Shu to forget the questions he had wanted to ask.
• Mo Shu arrived without his pastry box and asked what [Annihilation] was.
• Long Jing mocked the group and warned Su Yida that he would leave if the plan could not handle the Fate Weaver.
• Jie Shu challenged President Gong to give him a reason to trust him, citing rumors of his close relationship with Cheng Shi.

Jie Shu laid out a plan to escape the world and carry out an assassination, but the Clowns realized he had withheld the method for finding their target universe. Long Jing then discovered that a ring from another Cheng Shi contained a route to a past version of Cheng Shi through Past Self in Memory.

• Zhao Xishi explained that the Fate Weaver had impersonated Long Jing at the Audience Assembly and blamed President Gong, while Long Jing and Zhao Xishi fought before reluctantly stopping.
• Jie Shu outlined how the group would breach the world barrier, escape through a spacetime tunnel, and send Su Yida to assassinate a target in the True Universe.
• The Clowns noticed that Jie Shu had not told them how to locate the connected world, and Zhao Xishi confirmed through Jie Shu's senses that he was telling the truth.
• Cheng Shi failed to find the missing method in Jie Shu's memories and wondered whether Wei Mu could reveal the connections between worlds.
• Long Jing recognized that Past Self in Memory could be reached through his connection to Cheng Shi and revealed the ring another Cheng Shi had given him.
• The ring displayed a message from another Cheng Shi explaining that crushing it would lead Long Jing to an ignorant past version of himself and urging him to protect that world's Cheng Shi.

Jie Shu sent Su Yida through an unstable passage to the True Universe, while Long Jing followed a memory figure to a past world. There, Su Yida encountered a future version of himself, who revealed he had returned to the Trial.

• Jie Shu opened a fragile passage beyond the Spacetime Barrier and explained how Su Yida could return, then sent him through it.
• Zhao Xishi challenged Jie Shu about his plans for Su Yida, but Jie Shu said they were partners who each wanted something from the arrangement.
• Long Jing entered the True Universe and used Cheng Shi's memory figure to find the Pig Bridge and anchor himself to a world containing a past Cheng Shi.
• Long Jing jumped from the Pig Bridge and arrived on the Stage, where he saw a younger version of Su Yida approaching.
• The future Su Yida pinned his past self in the Void, mocked his boldness, and announced that he had returned.

Long Jing, posing as Su Yida’s future self, offered to send him to a future where the gods had fallen and the Sixteen Divine Thrones were contested. Su Yida eagerly accepted the chance to pursue a throne, and Long Jing left to fetch a target’s corpse and a token for him.

• Long Jing trapped Su Yida in the void and claimed to be his future self, then proposed an exchange that would send Su Yida to the future.
• Su Yida saw through Long Jing’s claim that he intended to strip away his soul, but learned that his companions had sent Long Jing back to prove himself.
• Long Jing explained that he wanted to avoid serving as cannon fodder in the struggle for the Divine Thrones and said their spacetime could not hold two identical Masters of Trickery.
• Su Yida realized Long Jing meant to send him to the future and eagerly accepted, hoping to compete for a Divine Throne.
• Long Jing told Su Yida to wait while he went to retrieve a target’s corpse and a token, and Su Yida vowed to become a god.