Chapter 264 | The One Who Devours All

Inside the Painted Realm space.

Boss Pi and the Resonant Daoist were held in two separate locations.

Yue Shi had just finished washing up. His long hair was slightly damp, draped loosely over his shoulders.

He had changed into casual black clothes. With a single thought, he appeared within a small, isolated space.

Boss Pi was imprisoned here. Still wearing the skin of a beautiful woman, he looked perfectly at ease.

His eyes scanned the strange space, his face showing no sign of panic.

Seeing Yue Shi appear so abruptly, Boss Pi wasn't startled. Instead, he spoke first with a teasing, interested tone.

"Tsk, tsk. Is this a space independent of reality?"

"You wouldn't happen to be one of those novel protagonists who hit a stroke of dumb luck, dripped blood onto an ancestral jade pendant, and bound themselves to a portable dimension, would you?"

Yue Shi ignored his theorizing, his eyes calm and devoid of emotion. "Falling into my hands, yet you still have the nerve to be so nonchalant?"

Hearing this, Boss Pi's shoulders shook slightly as he let out a low chuckle.

"You're not the original body."

Yue Shi's statement was flat and factual.

Boss Pi laughed even louder, looking smug.

"Knowing how dangerous you are, how could I possibly use my true self to contact you?"

"Only a fool like the Resonant Daoist would charge in without a care, completely unafraid of being counter-killed."

Yue Shi clicked his tongue, his tone impatient. "How troublesome."

"You're so damn hard to kill. Can't you just take the initiative to die once? It would save me the effort."

Boss Pi rolled his eyes. Combined with the face of a beautiful idiot, the expression had a unique charm.

"You've got a thick skin, making such unreasonable demands."

"I also find you very troublesome and hard to kill."

"Why don't you be a bit more proactive and offer me that skin of yours?"

As he spoke, Boss Pi's gaze gradually became fanatical.

He scanned Yue Shi's face and physique as if appreciating a rare treasure, murmuring to himself, "This skin... the more I look at it, the better it gets. I'm truly drooling for it."

Flash!

A black light flickered. Before Boss Pi could finish his sentence, Yue Shi had already poked his eyes out.

"I hate being stared at like that."

"Argh!" Boss Pi screamed, clutching his eyes and stumbling back.

But in the next second, his body underwent an unnatural squirming.

The skin of the beautiful woman slid off him, revealing another skin underneath.

It was a dark-skinned athlete.

The injuries he had sustained vanished along with the molting.

The athlete grinned, revealing white teeth as he chuckled in a coarse voice.

"Don't you know what you look like?"

"With a face and body like yours, people are going to stare no matter where you go."

"People with looks that are either too high or too low are destined to live under the gaze of others."

Yue Shi remained expressionless and struck again.

This time, he tore the athlete's skin to shreds while speaking coldly.

"I'm well aware of what I look like."

"An extra like you should just shut up and be stunned. Don't make such greasy, lecherous expressions."

"It's really asking for a beating."

Boss Pi's third skin was revealed—this time, he was a child of seven or eight.

The child had innocent, watery eyes. He opened his small mouth as if to say something.

Bang!

Yue Shi delivered a merciless kick, sending him flying to crash heavily against the spatial barrier.

"Stop acting cute. That trick doesn't work on me."

This time, Boss Pi curled up, his face twisted in genuine, agonizing pain.

He didn't molt again to erase the damage.

Instead, he struggled to lift his head, licking the corner of his mouth as he glared viciously at Yue Shi.

"Vicious."

"Most people would feel at least a shred of compassion for a child. You have none at all."

Yue Shi approached, looking down at him. "You're not a real child."

Boss Pi forced himself to crawl up. "Even if it's fake, most people would instinctively hesitate when striking."

"It's like carving a cake into the shape of a human head—it affects the appetite."

"But not you. You don't hesitate for a second!"

Yue Shi replied, "It just means I'm clear-headed."

Boss Pi fell silent for a moment. Looking up at Yue Shi's cold face, he suddenly said, "Has anyone ever told you that you really don't seem human?"

"Your behavior is far too human-mimicking."

"Actually, your face and body seem a bit off too..."

Yue Shi leaned down, grabbed Boss Pi by the hair, and hoisted him off the ground.

"That's none of your concern."

He carefully studied the child's pained, twisted face.

"You're not molting despite such heavy injuries. Is this the last skin of this body?"

Boss Pi bared his teeth in pain, but his child-like eyes remained as hot as fire.

His gaze swept over Yue Shi's features inch by inch, as if he were trying to skin and deconstruct him with his eyes alone.

"I'll get your skin sooner or later."

"Guess what I'll do once I'm wearing it?"

Yue Shi responded with violence.

Crack!

The skull was crushed.

The small corpse went limp on the floor, but there was no burst of blood or brains.

Through the shattered wound on the head, the interior was visible—it was completely empty.

Yue Shi crouched down and calmly peeled away the child's skin.

The outer layer was quickly torn off, revealing what lay inside.

Countless nerve-like threads were attached to the inner side of the skin.

And all these threads were connected to a single core.

It was a thin, palm-sized fragment with an irregular shape and a yellowish-brown, oily luster.

Yue Shi pulled on a pair of gloves and roughly tore the disgusting nerve threads away before taking the fragment in his hand.

It felt cold and greasy to the touch.

Looking at the fragment, Yue Shi's expression gradually turned sinister.

As long as something was left behind.

As long as there was a clue, he could find him.

He stood up and put the fragment away.

He had decided. Every other mess could be put on hold.

He had to kill this Boss Pi first!

Because Yue Shi was thoroughly disgusted.

...

Bureau headquarters.

Emergency meeting room.

The circular conference table was packed with people, and the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

The lights reflected faces that were either livid or pale, all suppressing their anger.

The preliminary casualty figures had been compiled into a report.

The list of the fallen included the headquarters captains, 【Judgment Angel】 and 【Longevity Demon】.

Several Rank 4 transcendents and numerous low-rank investigators were also among the dead.

The number of civilian casualties was followed by a long string of zeros.

The entire meeting room was deathly silent, save for the voice of the reporter.

"Furthermore, because the range of that massive candle's burn is continuing to expand, the number of affected citizens is still increasing rapidly."

"If this trend continues, the residents of Yujing won't last long."

Hearing this, the atmosphere grew even more stagnant.

After a long time, the Vice Minister of the Action Department finally spoke with great difficulty, his voice hoarse.

"Our losses this time... are simply too great."

No one responded.

Everyone looked solemn, some staring down at the table to hide the alarm and fury in their eyes.

The Vice Minister sighed, his face bitter and his tone pained.

"The frequency of supernatural incidents is rising, and the human environment is worsening by the day."

"Yet, we humans are still slaughtering one another."

The crowd's reactions were mixed.

"Yue Shi!" A middle-aged man sitting in the corner ground his teeth, forcing the name out of his throat.

He suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"That scoundrel first slaughtered the entire Su family, and then publicly massacred our colleagues from headquarters in the city center!"

"He is riddled with crimes and treats human life like weeds!"

"Vice Minister! I believe we should immediately concentrate all of headquarters' strength and eliminate this man at any cost!"

"Otherwise, the consequences will be endless!"

The Vice Minister didn't seem to hear his roar; his gaze didn't even linger on the man.

If Yue Shi could be killed by sheer numbers, he would have been dead long ago.

The Vice Minister looked toward an intelligence officer across from him, his finger tapping the table unconsciously.

"What's the status of the investigation into Yue Shi's whereabouts?"

The intelligence officer stood up immediately. His attitude was respectful, but his tone was helpless.

"Reporting, Vice Minister. The target ultimately used a spatial ability, making it impossible to track his movement trajectory."

"We have utilized all known detection methods, but have found nothing."

"Perhaps he entered a stable extra-dimensional space, or perhaps he has fled a thousand miles away. In short, his specific location cannot be determined."

The Vice Minister nodded without a word, his finger continuing to tap the table.

He frowned deeply and turned his gaze toward several heads of the research departments.

"That candle... what exactly is it? Is there any way to deal with it?"

This was the most critical question at hand.

The representative of the research department shook his head, his expression grave. "It's still unclear."

"But based on its various characteristics, the candle is highly likely to be Captain Longevity Demon after losing control and undergoing an unknown, malignant mutation."

"We have tried multiple methods, but none have been effective in extinguishing it."

"Furthermore, its size and brightness are still expanding."

"If we don't find a solution soon, the destruction of Yujing is an inevitable conclusion."

"My greatest concern is whether there is a limit to this expansion."

"If it can grow indefinitely..."

The sentence was left unfinished, and the room became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Infinite growth meant it would eventually devour everything.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, someone asked in a low voice the question that was on everyone's mind.

"With something this big happening, why haven't the High-level Elders of headquarters come forward?"

"The Silent Silhouette elder left quickly after repelling Yue Shi."

"Why is the leadership ignoring such a disaster?"

All eyes focused on the Vice Minister of the Action Department.

The Vice Minister sat up straight, trying his best to maintain a facade of calm.

His lips moved as if he wanted to offer an explanation to appease the crowd.

But in the end, he only opened his mouth; no sound came out.

No matter how many excuses or reasons he gave, they would all be a joke in the face of that massive, burning candle.

...

Supernatural Forum.

"Holy crap, did that You-Know-Who really attack another city? And it was Yujing? For real?"

"It's definitely real. A friend of mine lives in Yujing; they've already fled to a neighboring city."

"Yujing probably won't last long. It'll be a wasteland soon."

"What the hell does that guy want? Destroying three cities in such a short time... is he a supernatural creature pretending to be human?"

"When Chijing City fell, I thought he was a scapegoat being framed. I didn't expect it to be true. What a waste—he's so handsome, why would he do such things?"

"Don't try to understand him. By the time you do, you'll probably have become just like him."

Users across the forum were speaking their minds freely.

Yue Shi's recent actions were explosive. Half of the top ten trending topics were about him.

Only the scandal of the top star Yin Runa could barely compete with him for attention.

The vast majority of netizens were cursing him.

However, they didn't dare to use Yue Shi's name directly in their posts.

They only referred to him as "that so-and-so" or "You-Know-Who."

Because rumors claimed that when someone spoke Yue Shi's true name, he could hear them.

No one knew who had started this rumor, but it had spread far and wide.

There were also various speculations about Yue Shi's abilities.

Some said his power caused a loss of sanity and a craving for slaughter.

Others said his power required killing to evolve.

In short, everyone was wary and didn't want to provoke a madman.

After all, if you provoked him, it wasn't just you who would die—your entire city might suffer.

Yet amidst the tide of curses, there was a small number of extremists who supported Yue Shi with fanatical zeal.

"I live in the Chaos Zone and have worked in a roast duck shop since I was thirteen. I got sick yesterday, but my 'Father' wouldn't let me rest and even burned me with an iron. I don't understand why I have to suffer like this. I hope the world burns."

"Hahaha, what's the difference between people in the Chaos Zone and livestock? The lords in the cities are the only humans; we're just maggots on the ground!"

"Checking in from Chensha City. I hope Lord Yue Shi descends soon to destroy this city and slaughter everyone. Kill, kill, kill, hahahaha..."

"Is the guy above a psycho? What's wrong with you? Your life sucks, so you take it out on society?"

"My child only sprained her ankle, but after being sent to the hospital, she mysteriously became brain-██, and all her or██s were ██ed. My husband tried to find the truth and was beaten to death. The surveillance ██ was broken, and no killer was found. Every official channel is stalling; no one will give me justice. I don't need justice anymore. I just want everyone in Chensha City to die."

"No need to be too sad, sister. What's a dead husband and child? You'll forget the pain soon. Hahaha, this world is rotten to the core! The common people aren't even allowed to feel pain. We must forever be industrious, and we must forever be singing."