Death Game: Starting as a Trickster, Pretending to Be a God

Chapter 705: Putting On a Show

"Huh? Why is that?"Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, Li Nian couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"You said you agreed to her—you were lying to her," Yunzhen was also puzzled. "But why would you do that?"

"Because if I agreed to her, she wouldn't try to destroy the seal. Instead, she'd actively cooperate with the sealing process, hoping to use your seal to completely sever her past as the 'Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord' from herself. Why wouldn't I go along with that?"

Lin Yu said with a smile.

Yunzhen paused for a moment, then said, "That's not what I'm asking. What I mean is... she must have offered you some benefits, right?"

"Of course," Lin Yu said softly. "Taking her away would actually benefit me in itself—I'd gain a usable combatant, and she has some ability that's extremely useful to me that she's willing to teach."

Yunzhen looked at Lin Yu. "Then why did you refuse her?"

"Agreeing to her would be the better choice for you, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't even hurt you all, because she even proactively offered to cooperate in helping us Otherworldly Ones achieve our goals here, and to let Fellow Daoist Yunzhen and Fellow Daoist Mystic Cloud Master—one of you find 'release,' and the other find 'freedom,'" Lin Yu said calmly. "It was actually quite sincere, especially if what she said is true—her strength would be reduced to just a thousandth of its former power, leaving her completely at my mercy, while her innate divine ability would still be very useful."

As Lin Yu spoke, everyone exchanged glances.

Clearly, they were even faintly persuaded by Lin Yu's words.

But Lin Yu continued.

"Still, I don't plan to refuse her—I don't intend to take her away," Lin Yu's voice gradually turned cold. "The reason is simple... She's already like this in the Prison Mountain Realm. If brought to our world... a creature that craves freedom and possesses a terrifying divine ability like 'Causality Silk'—who knows what she might do?"

"I can't gamble that I'll always be able to keep her under control. And besides..."

Lin Yu let out a long sigh.

"Even though she has no emotions, no awareness of what she's doing..."

He looked out the window at the bustling Willow Town, now fully plunged into the dead of night, yet even more lively than before.

An old man holding a child craving sugar candy slowly walked past the street, the child's steps moving forward but their eyes fixed on the candy vendor's stall; a young couple who had just quarreled walked one in front of the other, both wearing awkward expressions, neither willing to speak first yet always maintaining a fixed distance apart; at a porcelain stall, a man dressed as a laborer cautiously asked about prices, as if calculating how best to use his meager wages to buy a few pieces; at the street corner, an old beggar curled up in distress, his face etched with exhaustion...

The former lives of these vivid townspeople were laid bare in the Phantom Realm, displayed in perfect detail before everyone.

Their joys and sorrows, their angers and griefs—far from what could be called happiness, some barely even able to satisfy their hunger or warmth...

But still...

These were people who had truly lived.

"If I agreed to her, then all these people who have died, died because of her—over a million lives—wouldn't they have truly... died in vain?"

Lin Yu said quietly.

The words fell, light and airy in tone, yet weighing a thousand tons.

"She wants freedom, but she's no longer worthy of it. At least not in my book."

Everyone was struck silent.

After a long moment, Yunzhen rose and gave Lin Yu a slight bow.

"Fellow Daoist, you've gone to great trouble."

High Mountain also let out a breath. "You did the right thing and said it well, Ms. Yao."

Snowy Owl slid her blade back into its sheath and sat down again.

Though she said nothing, the look she gave Lin Yu carried a hint of respect.

This was indeed the "right" way of thinking, but to still uphold what was "right" in the face of enormous benefits—that was worthy of being called greatness.

Lin Yu, sensing their respect, didn't have any particularly special feelings about it.

He smiled and spoke up. "Don't rush to thank me either. Doing this actually puts everyone in danger."

"Once the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord realizes something's off, she'll definitely find a way to fight to the death with us and re-execute her original plan to break free from the Prison Mountain Realm," Lin Yu said seriously. "She has the 'Causality Silk' divine ability. As long as she's not dead, even things that seem settled and conclusive can be changed by her. So even after she severs ties with the 'Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord,' once she senses something wrong, I'm afraid she still has backup plans to 'undo her move.'"

"At that point, this 'Master Thief' lady and I might be fine—since by then it would already count as us having 'arrived in Willow Town'—but the three of you... I'm afraid clearing the level won't be easy, because you'll have to stop 'Willow Town's Manifestation' all over again."

As Lin Yu spoke, surprisingly, Seagull was the first among the three to respond.

"No worries, it's not like this is our first time playing a challenging dungeon like this," Seagull said, having been quiet until now, finally speaking up. "If we let that demon help us clear the level, where's the fun in that? That'd be like begging on our knees to get through!"

"My class is the godforsaken 'Student,' and I've had to beg and plead plenty of times along the way... but it still matters who you're kneeling to!"

"Kneeling to a scumbag demon like that? Not a chance!"

As Seagull spoke, Snowy Owl nodded.

"That's right. That demon absolutely cannot be allowed into our world."

After the two voiced their stance, High Mountain also gave a rare smile and joked in a relaxed tone.

"Since you two common folks are so enthusiastic, if I, a people's policeman, don't speak up, won't it seem like my thinking has seriously slipped?"

"Let's take it on—since she cut herself off and then went back on her word, she should have to pay a heavy price. That's way easier to handle than normal circumstances anyway."

High Mountain said, and Lin Yu turned to the two Daoist priests.

"What are you looking at me for?" Yunzhen said irritably. "All you Otherworldly Ones are so noble. Are you saying that I, a disciple of the Taiqing Temple... the Taiqing Sect, am a coward?"

"Let me tell you, I'm still here because I already risked my life and died at her hands three hundred and fifty years ago—and my good grand-disciple Mystic Cloud Master here also lost a life to that demon."

"Do you think we're afraid of her?"

Mystic Cloud Master nodded. "Exactly—just tell us straight up what we need to do next."

Lin Yu looked at everyone as they voiced their stances and nodded.

"Next, what you need to do is actually very simple—just follow the 'procedure' normally. Keep advancing the sealing progress."

"Of course, since you already know the truth, now please forget everything I just said, and join me in... putting on a show."

As Lin Yu said this, a bright, genuine smile spread across his face.

After all, this was what he was best at and loved most.