Chapter 83: The Flesh Cage

Watching the thirty-six red dots rapidly converging on his phone, Chen Shi Jin neither stopped them nor had the means to.

Yet, his expression was somewhat grave—

Likely, once these thirty-six red dots gathered, the thirty-six surviving exiles already locked by the cage would die due to the fusion of the cages, becoming part of the entire cage world.

Perhaps a very few exiles, particularly adept at defense or escape, might evade this fate, but most likely he would have to face the entire world alone.

At this thought, Chen Shi Jin's eyebrows twitched slightly. He had experienced long periods of silence against the entire world before.

He had never experienced being an enemy of the entire world, but this wasn't entirely bad. At least, it could be a boast in the future, assuming he indeed became the world's enemy and succeeded.

Soon, the twenty-six little red dots on the phone had merged into one giant red dot.

The moment this giant red dot formed, Chen Shi Jin saw the entire visible world change—

Every road underfoot turned into pulsing, contracting blood vessels, the roadside flora transformed into clawing tentacles.

All surrounding buildings slowly became massive tumors oozing foul, corrosive pus, with cracks like beastly maws seemingly waiting to devour all that could be devoured.

In just a few seconds, this seemingly gentle and beautiful "Path of Life," hardly distinguishable from a normal world, had morphed into a scene of horror and bloodshed only found in the depths of hell.

This sudden transformation left the two exiles who ran the fastest to kill Chen Shi Jin utterly dumbfounded, their hearts uncontrollably filled with dread.

How could it not be terrifying?

Had they not rushed to kill Chen Shi Jin immediately, had the massive flesh cage imprisoning them not been pulled from their bodies by Chen Shi Jin, they might have already merged with this horrific world of flesh.

Moreover, what's most absurd is that even as the world has turned into this state, those citizens resembling walking dead are still lunging at them with open arms.

"What are you waiting for?! I'm not responsible for your lives! If you try to run now, you won't escape; better to follow me and fight against the world together."

Without further concern for the two with indescribable expressions, Chen Shi Jin moved towards the direction of the giant red dot indicated on the phone map.

No. 22 and No. 88 could never have imagined Chen Shi Jin being so brave, and so coldly ruthless.

In a world turned into the worst hell, he dared to rush towards the most dangerous place, but why did he run after only a few words, without properly persuading them?

Yue Feng watched the two still hesitating whether to follow, with a look of amusement and mockery on his face.

So why does he see Chen Shi Jin in a different light?

Because, no matter how he looks at it, all other humans seem utterly displeasing to him.

This foolish, greedy, dark aura, once a source of strength he could consume limitlessly, has become increasingly repulsive over time.

The entire world has this scent.

The entire world is in a state he despises.

Really... there are many times he wishes he could devour everything that comes into his sight, leaving nothing behind.

However, for now, he no longer harbors such a frenzied desire to devour.

At some point, he had learned restraint, knowing that beautiful things could be hoarded and savored slowly... as well as possessed.

Yue Feng watched Chen Shi Jin, who was already flying through the air without wind, destroying parts of the world with each strike of his golden curved knife, took a leisurely step forward, shook his head, and let out a "wow."

This ferocious, decisive, and unhesitating Chen Shi Jin was something he had never seen before.

But compared to the other two, this person was indeed very pleasing to his eyes.

He is destroying this world.

Doing what he once wanted to do.

At this moment, Chen Shi Jin felt unexpectedly exhilarated; perhaps everyone's inner self harbors a violent switch, and once that switch is flipped, a brutal wildness erupts.

Chen Shi Jin's right hand unleashed a ferocious energy blade, and with the power of his words, his left hand instantly froze several massive tentacles that were lashing towards him.

Thus, these massive tentacles instantly turned into icy dust, and their energy began to be absorbed by the golden curved knife.

These tentacles and massive tumors seeking to attack and devour him couldn't obstruct his path, so soon, he saw a gigantic flesh cage ahead that seemed to connect the entire world.

When Chen Shi Jin arrived, he saw a person standing beside the cage, floating in mid-air.

That was exile No. 1, Kong Ju.

Or rather, another Devourer, Fear.

He still maintained his princely appearance, standing beside the flesh cage, yet his gaze at Chen Shi Jin was filled with pity.

"You've chosen the worst possible path."

Fear slowly spoke up.

"You've made enemies with both life and fear."

"Aren't you afraid that from now on, your life will plummet to rock bottom, forever accompanied by fear?"

Chen's response was succinct: "Snap!"

However, his cold, upward-rolling eyes clearly conveyed his disdain: all this talk is pointless, if I were afraid, would I even be here fighting you?

He appeared directly beside one of the massive blood-and-flesh pillars of the colossal celestial prison, dodging countless chains stretching out from within, and without hesitation, delivered a fierce slash!

With a thunderous roar—

The immense prison monster let out an angry howl, as a dense fog of blood rushed towards him.

Even though Chen always surrounded himself with an energy shield, the thick blood mist still penetrated his barrier, hitting him squarely in the face.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Fear slowly curling its lips into a smile.

Then, everything in front of him turned upside down, and he found himself transformed into a child, about ten years old, kneeling beside the dining table.

"You disobedient waste! Have I raised you all these years just for you to score so low in exams and get into fights?!"

"Out of sixty students in your class, you only ranked third! Do you think you've justified the money I've spent on your tutoring and interest classes, the investment I've made in you?!"

The sharp accusations, accompanied by fingers almost poking his face, overwhelmed Chen, instantly filling him with an unbearable and uncontrollable surge of negative emotions.

He felt fear, injustice, and a desire to break free, yet his body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, unable to rise from his kneeling position.

He could only remain calm, focusing all his mental strength to slowly raise his head and directly gaze at the tall man who was scolding him.

However, his steadfast gaze quickly invited a storm of accusations and a harsh slap across his face.

"What's with that look?! You dare glare at me?! I'm your father! You don't listen to a word I say, are you trying to rebel?!"

Chen Shi Jin's eyes became sharply intense in an instant.

"Still glaring! You dare to glare at me!"

"No dinner for you tonight! You can eat again when you realize your mistake! And clean the entire house! Wash your own clothes! I didn't raise you to be a freeloader!"

With these words, Chen Shi Jin felt the oppression and grievance in his heart, and the physical burden on his body intensify significantly.

Perhaps in a few more seconds, the boy kneeling on the floor would burst into tears and collapse, or he might forever become someone who fears and resents his father and the outside world, never escaping the flesh cage of paternal tyranny.

Chen Shi Jin took another deep breath, suppressing the urge to break down and go mad. His phoenix eyes shone brightly and sharply at the "father" who seemed towering in the eyes of the child, and he questioned, word by word:

"Just because you're my dad, does that make you always right?"

"Just because you're my dad, does that give you the right to control my life?"

"Just because you gave birth to me and raised me, must I obey your every command?"

"Just because you're my dad, are you always right?"

With each question he asked, his gaze grew sharper, and his body, as precious as gold, shifted slightly.

The father on the opposite side flew into a rage.

"You little brat!! I am your father! I am always right!! I will never be wrong!!"

The "little brat" suddenly clenched his teeth, "You're, wrong."

As he spoke these three words, the boy's entire body trembled, nearly crushed by fear and dread.

But the soul within him propped him up, enabling him to lift his head even higher, repeating once more.

"You're wrong."

"I'm your father, I'm not wrong!"

"No, you're wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, whether you're my dad or not!"

The man raised his hand high, his expression as fierce as a demon: "I'll say it again, I'm not wrong!!"

"Dare to say that again?!"

The little boy used all his strength to stand up and shout, "You're wrong!"

At that moment, it was as if a shackle had fallen from him.

Finally standing firm, the boy raised his voice: "You're wrong! You're wrong!!"

"Not every father is right!"

"Just because you raised me doesn't give you the right to destroy my personality, control my life, or deny my choices!!"

"There's nothing wrong with coming in third! Next time I'll try harder, but not for you! For a better life for myself!"

"I fought back because they bullied me first! I must fight back, not passively endure!"

"None of those hobby classes or tutoring sessions were what I wanted! You just wanted to use me as a bragging tool, projecting your own failures onto me!!!"

"You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong!!"

"I refuse to accept this life; I can still strive for a better future—"

As the ten-year-old boy cried out these words, the father towering before him like a mountain crumbled away, just as the boy's fear of power and force in his heart was cut through at that moment, breaking free from one corner of the cage.

Boom—

Outside this illusionary world, a corner of the flesh cage that seemed to connect heaven and earth suddenly collapsed, causing Fear, who wore an indifferent smile, to slightly change his expression.

He suddenly faced the young man, who stood unmoving within the blood mist cage, and reached out to attack.

But instantly, he felt intense pain in his extending hand, and when he looked down, the hand had vanished.

The Fear Eater sharply looked up to see the man floating before him.

Le Yuan's face still carried a smile that deemed everything in the world as trash: "Oh dear."

"What were you trying to do to my possession?"

"Haven't you heard? Fair fights are one-on-one duels."

"If you want to make a move, you'll have to wait for my Sweet Gold to come out."

Fear's gaze sharpened at Le Yuan, mixed with caution and confusion.

Despite once feeling that number one hundred, though a Sovereign Exile as well, was closely matched in power with him.

But just moments ago, when his arm vanished, he experienced a fear so profound, it seemed to tremble in his very soul.

Who is this person?!

By this time, the boy who had broken out of the "father" cage had transformed into a gentle and mild-mannered girl.

In front of her, a "mother" cried incessantly.

"My girl, you're already so grown up, why aren't you married yet? Your brother is getting a wife, and we have no money. As his older sister, how can you not help him?"

"And what's wrong with the match I found for you? The man has a car, a house, and even a store! You could live comfortably right away, and they're even offering a dowry of 300,000. What's there to be dissatisfied about?"

"I am your mother, I've raised you from a child for your own good. How can you not listen to your mother?"

"I am your mother, doing everything for your good. I've always been fair and just at home, how can you not show some understanding and listen to your mother?"

Thus, within the body of this girl, Chen felt once again the crushing weight on his heart, as if he could never catch his breath, surrounded only by dead ends and suffering.

However, compared to the little boy, this represented another form of cage and pain.