Chapter 260 | The One Who Devours All

Fine black rifts spread through the air, strangling the investigators in every direction.

The crowd descended into chaos, everyone scrambling to dodge.

But in the next heartbeat, their movements suddenly became sluggish and slow.

Lifting a hand, raising a leg, turning a body—every action was stretched out, becoming clearly visible yet incredibly slow.

Time deceleration.

Those within the slowed area couldn't feel the flow of time slowing down; they only felt as if the world around them had suddenly accelerated.

The distant shouts became sharp and distorted, and pedestrians on the road stretched into long afterimages.

To those outside the area, however, they looked like actors performing a slow-motion play.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Some transcendents who failed to dodge in time were sliced open by the passing spatial rifts. Before their blood could even spray, they collapsed to the ground.

Human wave tactics appeared pale and powerless before Yue Shi.

Their only use was to stall for time.

Yue Shi’s figure darted through the crowd, leaving a blurred afterimage with every flicker.

Wherever he passed, vibrant lives fell in swaths, turning into cold corpses.

Blood gradually stained the long street red.

“Hahaha! Wonderful! Truly wonderful!”

Arrogant laughter echoed over the battlefield, carrying a sense of unbridled, hearty satisfaction.

“Bastard!”

A sharp shout thundered.

The true high-end combat power of Yujing had finally arrived.

Four powerful auras locked onto Yue Shi from four different directions.

They were four Rank 4 transcendents.

They weren't at the captain level, but they believed they were only a hair’s breadth away. They even felt they were no worse than a captain, simply lacking the opportunity and background.

With four against one, they still held a fair amount of confidence.

Yue Shi could kill a captain, but if they could kill Yue Shi here, that would be quite interesting...

“You dare to kill in Yujing? Die!”

One of them struck first.

“Dark Walk!”

The surrounding light vanished, and the environment turned into an absolute darkness where one couldn't even see their own hand.

Depriving light and sealing vision—this was intended to restrict Yue Shi’s movements.

At the same time, he could designate his teammates to remain unaffected by the darkness.

The other three had no intention of fighting fair. Almost the instant the darkness descended, they acted.

They simultaneously launched long-range attacks, saturating the area where Yue Shi was positioned.

After all, since Yue Shi could solo a captain from headquarters, they didn't dare to be careless, let alone get close to him.

However, Yue Shi’s laughter pierced through the darkness.

With a slight movement of his body, he deftly avoided the round of concentrated fire.

Immediately after, a beam of soft light cut through the surrounding pitch-blackness.

The group looked at Yue Shi and saw a glowing crystal ball in his hand.

The supernatural object, 【The Light That Never Fades】. No form of darkness could obscure or consume its radiance.

Even something that seemed useless had its moment to shine.

The faces of the four changed simultaneously, especially the transcendent who had cast Dark Walk; his expression was particularly unsightly.

Yue Shi gave them a toothy grin.

In the next instant, he vanished and teleported in front of one of them. With a simple punch, he aimed straight for the man’s head.

“Hmph! I’m not afraid of you when it comes to strength!”

The man shouted, his muscles bulging until his clothes burst.

His skin took on a metallic luster like a block of iron, brimming with a sense of power.

His ability could reinforce his physique, making his physical attributes far superior to ordinary people.

In close combat, he was extremely confident.

He grinned and threw a punch in return. The wind from his fist howled like a crashing thunderclap!

Yue Shi didn't dodge, and their fists collided.

Crack!

The sound of bone fracturing rang out clearly.

The smile on the muscular man’s face froze, turning into an expression of extreme horror and agony.

He didn't feel the impact of the punch against Yue Shi; instead, it felt as if he had crashed into an immovable object.

His proud, tough body twisted and shattered. His arm deformed, and blood sprayed from his ruptured muscles.

The other three were shocked and wanted to help, but they were hesitant to act for fear of hitting their own.

The muscular man was too close to Yue Shi; a long-range attack could easily cause collateral damage.

Yue Shi seemed to see through their concerns and thoughtfully waved his hand.

The space around the man collapsed. Without even a chance to scream, he was ground into a lump of flesh and blood.

Now they didn't have to worry about hitting their teammate anymore.

“Idiot. Did you really think I was competing with you in raw strength?”

Yue Shi flicked off the non-existent blood on his hand and sneered.

He went on the offensive again, his figure moving like lightning.

With the previous example before them, who among the remaining three dared to let him get close?

Like startled rabbits, they all frantically pulled back to increase the distance.

In the blink of an eye, one of the four Rank 4 transcendents was dead.

However confident they had been before was how terrified they were now.

What horrified them even more was that Yue Shi hadn't used his full strength from start to finish. He was like someone playing a game, casually crushing a few annoying NPCs.

As for those low-level investigators, they didn't even have the right to intervene now.

They finally realized that even though they had overestimated Yue Shi’s strength as much as possible before coming, they had still far underestimated this man.

Blood splattered, and severed limbs flew through the air.

Yue Shi was only excited for a short while before he became unhappy, even bored.

When the desire for slaughter was satisfied, a deeper, more fundamental desire began to emerge.

Compared to killing, he seemed to prefer torturing people.

Making others feel extreme pain before killing them.

Simple killing—especially this kind of painless euthanasia—made things uninteresting.

Yue Shi couldn't help but frown, and the surrounding space distorted and fluctuated violently in response.

Subsequently, two more Rank 4 transcendents were killed effortlessly, like crushing ants.

Just as the last person was about to be finished off...

The sky suddenly brightened, becoming blindingly luminous.

“Stop!”

A reprimand filled with fury came from the horizon.

Whoosh!

A brilliant pillar of light descended from the heavens, tearing through the air and slamming accurately toward Yue Shi.

But a second before the pillar of light could hit, Yue Shi’s figure had already vanished, reappearing a hundred meters away.

The pillar of light struck the ground heavily, blasting out a scorched crater and sending soil and rocks flying.

“Hmm?” The voice in the sky sounded a bit surprised, then understood.

“Headquarters still underestimated your mastery of spatial abilities.”

Yue Shi looked up. High in the sky, a golden, glowing figure hovered.

“Attention-seeking bitch. Why are you giving yourself so much dialogue? Who are you to judge me?”

Yue Shi’s opening words were a torrent of “well-wishes.”

The person had a handsome face, but his expression was a bit stiff as he said solemnly, “I am a Captain from headquarters, 【Judgment Angel】.”

Hearing this, a brilliant smile returned to Yue Shi’s face.

Captains were exactly who he wanted to fight!

He was about to strike when a cold female voice came from behind him.

“Captain from headquarters, 【Longevity Demon】.”

Yue Shi’s eyebrows rose slightly, his smile becoming bright and enchanting.

“Good, two captains. You can keep each other company on the road to the yellow springs. No need to be afraid of being lonely; you’ll have someone with you even in death.”

Judgment Angel and Longevity Demon stared at Yue Shi simultaneously, their expressions grave.

This was the central area of Yujing. Once they fought with full force, the entire city could be turned into ruins.

“Let’s go outside and find a spacious place to fight, shall we?” Longevity Demon spoke up.

Yue Shi didn't even think before saying, “No. I want to be right here.”

A hint of mockery flashed in Longevity Demon’s eyes. “Hmph! You want to use the safety of this city to restrict headquarters’ actions? For someone who is supposed to be a powerhouse, you’re using such low-class methods?”

Yue Shi admitted it frankly, “That’s right. That’s exactly what I’m thinking. I’m going to use the safety of Yujing to hold you hostage.”

“I’m a wanted criminal. Did you really think I’d care about whether others live or die?”

“Don’t waste your breath on him. Just strike! End this quickly!”

Judgment Angel in the sky could no longer hold back, and another blazing white pillar of light crashed down.

But the moment the light was about to swallow Yue Shi, he swapped positions with the distant Longevity Demon.

Caught off guard, Longevity Demon was hit squarely by her colleague’s holy light.

BOOM!

A direct hit on a teammate~

Dust and smoke filled the air.

In the next second, strange flames ignited on Longevity Demon’s body, and her scorched injuries quickly healed within the fire.

However, her youthful and beautiful face was now clouded with anger.

To guard against Yue Shi’s spatial abilities, she had clearly stood far enough away.

She hadn't expected the range of Yue Shi’s ability to exceed their estimates.

The analysis team at headquarters can all go to hell!

“You... idiot!” Longevity Demon gritted her teeth, though it was unclear if she was cursing Judgment Angel or Yue Shi.

Surging flames rose around her, illuminating half the sky.

Yue Shi’s vertical pupil on his forehead swept over. He paused, not taking the opportunity to attack her, but instead retreated rapidly to increase the distance.

Then, with a flap of the wings on his back, Yue Shi teleported high into the air, appearing right in front of Judgment Angel.

This Judgment Angel looked like a true angel.

He had white wings on his back and a brilliant halo above his head. His entire body glowed with golden light, looking holy and majestic.

“Why are you hiding in the sky, afraid to come down?”

Yue Shi hovered in the air, the massive black wings on his back flapping slowly.

Every black feather was as dark as ink, with an ominous glimmer flowing along the edges.

He stood opposite the golden, glowing Judgment Angel.

One black, one white.

The embodiment of the fallen and the divine, with a clear boundary between them.

Without another word, Yue Shi struck first.

With a beat of his wings, his figure turned into a bolt of black lightning, wrapped in spatial fluctuations as he lunged at Judgment Angel.

His attacks were bold and uninhibited, with spatial rifts spreading all around him.

In contrast, Judgment Angel appeared constrained.

Every time he struck, he had to carefully control the angle and range, fearing he would deal a devastating blow to the city below.

Mystical star arrays would occasionally unfold beneath his feet; this ability ensured that he could move freely even within Yue Shi’s spatial interference.

Yue Shi didn't have many concerns.

If an attack aimed at Judgment Angel was dodged, he simply let it fall toward the ground.

The shrill cries of the citizens rose continuously from below.

Low-level investigators were completely unable to participate in the duel in the sky.

Their primary task was to rescue the injured and deal with the monstrous fetuses that were being born unexpectedly.

Judgment Angel’s gaze swept over the tragic scene on the ground from the corner of his eye. His heart was troubled by it, and his offensive inevitably weakened by another thirty percent.

He had to divide his attention to care for those below, while Yue Shi had no such burden.

Golden light and black radiance collided madly in the sky, and spatial ripples spread out in circles.

The halo on Judgment Angel’s head suddenly expanded, and holy light shone everywhere, making people’s eyes ache.

Occasionally, he would summon thick pillars of light to lock onto Yue Shi, but Yue Shi always avoided them at the critical moment.

In their exchange, Judgment Angel didn't gain the slightest advantage.

Yue Shi fought with increasing madness, and his Insight vision had completely analyzed Judgment Angel’s abilities.

Judgment Angel possessed some of the great powers of angels from myths and legends, such as 【Divine Judgment】, 【Holy Light Purification】, 【Heavenly Domain Divine Punishment】, 【Heavenly Justice】, 【Faith Halo】, and so on.

This golden birdman had many abilities that countered those of Yue Shi’s demon bird system.

More importantly, Judgment Angel had an ability called 【Descent】.

When activated, a star array would appear beneath his feet, allowing him to break free from spatial lockdowns.

Of course, what Yue Shi was most interested in was a special information note that appeared in his vision:

【「Divine Erosion」: Divinity will wash away self-awareness. As power is used, divine erosion continues to intensify, while irreversibly modifying the physical body to make it a vessel for descent.】

Yue Shi’s eyes flickered. This was the second time he had encountered an information note about 「Divine Erosion」.

The last time he saw it was on that certain someone in Amber City.

It had indirectly led to the destruction of Amber City.

This glamorous angel hid a deep-seated danger within.

Under Yue Shi’s tempestuous attacks, Judgment Angel was forced back step by step, and many feathers were knocked off his wings.

He finally realized that if he continued to worry about the city below, he would likely be beaten to death.

When fighting an opponent of Yue Shi’s level, one couldn't hold anything back, let alone be constrained; one had to give it their all.

“Ah!” Judgment Angel let out a long roar toward the sky, no longer suppressing his power as he erupted completely!

Brilliant divine light blossomed around him, as if two great suns were hanging high in the sky.

“Heavenly Justice!”

He attempted to lock onto Yue Shi with absolute holy power.

Pillars of 【Divine Judgment】 light were no longer held back, pouring down like a rainstorm.

The pillars of light didn't just cover Yue Shi; they inevitably affected a wider area of the city as well.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Wherever the holy light landed, buildings collapsed and streets melted.

The two fought with increasing ferocity, and the destruction they caused grew greater and greater.

The holy light that Judgment Angel fired wildly was even more destructive than Yue Shi’s attacks.

As the battle reached its peak, Judgment Angel went all out.

During the fight, he intentionally led the battlefield toward the outskirts of the city.

But Yue Shi refused to leave, instead moving toward the more crowded areas.

Judgment Angel then tried to force him toward the ground, moving him closer to Longevity Demon’s direction.

However, Yue Shi always maintained a certain distance from Longevity Demon.

His gaze swept over the glamorous woman below.

Longevity Demon’s abilities:

【「Life-Fire Vision」: Can directly see the lifespan carried by all living and even non-living entities (objects, organizations, concepts). It manifests as clusters of flames of varying sizes, brightness, and colors.】

【「Lifespan Siphoning」: Within a certain range, can forcibly strip and store a target’s lifespan through a gaze.】

【「Lifespan Bestowal」: Can bestow stored lifespan to other targets, extending the lives of those on the verge of death. When the lifespan a target can bear exceeds their limit, the physical body will undergo mutation.】

【「Lifespan Sacrifice」: Can actively burn lifespan as a cost to exponentially increase strength, speed, reaction, perception, recovery, and various supernatural attributes.】