Chapter 1088: Gnawing

## Chapter 1088: Devouring

"You want to erase me... it won't be that easy," Chen Ling said hoarsely.

The moment his two pitch-black arms came into view, a flash of insight suddenly struck Chen Ling, as if he realized something. To truly defeat the Calamity, one must first become the Calamity...I am already the Calamity.No, that's not right...Chen Ling knew he was the Mocking Calamity, one of its many consciousnesses. Strictly speaking, he was the Calamity itself, so there was no such thing as "becoming the Calamity." But when his dark hands grasped other audience members, he realized something was amiss. Even biologically, Chen Ling was a Calamity. However, as Zhao Yi had just mentioned, his struggle with the Mocking Calamity wasn't a physical battle in the real world, but rather an entanglement of consciousnesses. On the conscious level, Chen Ling had never considered himself a Calamity.

"Only a Calamity can defeat a Calamity... So how do I become one?" Chen Ling's mind raced through everything he knew about the Mocking Calamity, searching for a breakthrough: its mockery, its observation, its manipulation, its guidance, its deception...

Suddenly, an image surged into Chen Ling's mind."It's not 'slaughter,' it's 'annexation'..."

Chen Ling's body was dragged to the edge of the stage by several audience members. They seemed surprised he still had the strength to resist and struggled together with his hands, trying to push him off directly. Just then, Chen Ling twisted his body sharply in mid-air, using the edge of the stage for leverage. He flipped directly behind the crowd, then seized the opportunity to knock two audience members off the stage, sending them tumbling into the audience seats. The only audience member who wasn't knocked off the stage punched directly at Chen Ling's face. However, Chen Ling nimbly dodged the blow, then lunged again, using his weight to knock both himself and the man to the ground...

Chen Ling lay sprawled over the audience member, struggling to rise. In the dim light and shadow, an unprecedented ferocity and madness gleamed in his eyes!"I am... Calamity!!"Chen Ling roared, pressing his hands against the audience member's head and shoulders. He bit down hard on the person's neck! Sharp teeth tore open the audience member's throat. Chen Ling pressed down, furiously devouring the body. The audience member struggled relentlessly, terror etched in their crimson eyes!

At this moment, Chen Ling no longer showed any human characteristics; he resembled a ferocious Calamity. The audience member, furiously torn apart beneath him, seemed to transform into the "meat chicken" of the past, an unprecedented feast. Chen Ling was devouring the Mocking Calamity... just as the Mocking Calamity devoured other Calamities in the Ghost Mockery Abyss. This was the aggression and hegemony of a superior towards an inferior!

Compared to the "meat chicken" from before, the audience member's body was a bit tougher, perhaps because it hadn't been roasted. Even so, as Chen Ling furiously tore into it, a surge of power was absorbed into his body, flowing through every part of him. His original fatigue gradually receded, and his injuries slowly healed. Chen Ling felt a transformation within himself; his strength surged like never before!*Rip!*

The spotlight's light flickered.A dark figure, clad in an elaborate theatrical robe, rose from the grotesque remains of his companion on the ground. As he ferociously chewed the strange substance in his mouth, he fixed his gaze on the surrounding audience members, his eyes now tinged with red...

"So this is 'annexation'..." Chen Ling licked his lips. His body, like a sharp sword, actively plunged into the surging wave of dark figures!"It feels... pretty good."

After witnessing Chen Ling devour an audience member, the remaining audience members froze for a moment. Seeing Chen Ling charge towards them, they were momentarily flustered... but with their numerical advantage, they easily swarmed over him. However, Chen Ling had now abandoned his previous close-quarters combat style. He moved through the crowd like a fearless jackal, tearing a bite out of every audience member he passed, as if mad. Even as other audience members' fists pounded him, he seemed to feel nothing, his red-glowing eyes filled with excitement and greed!

The Infinite Realm.Red and black flames suddenly erupted from the Mocking Calamity's body as if in a sudden combustion. The "figure" that had been single-handedly battling Jian Changsheng instantly froze, transforming into a burning man."What's happening??"Jian Changsheng, having just narrowly escaped death, breathed heavily. Seeing this, surprise flickered in his eyes. The demigod's killing aura dissipated around him. Jian Changsheng was also nearing his limit, but he didn't dare fully relax. Instead, he gritted his teeth and stood suspended in the air, vigilantly watching the chaotic Mocking Calamity, seemingly ready to fight again at any moment.

"This..." Even Zhao Yi, who had just been instructing Chen Ling, was now stunned. He and the Skeleton Direwolf stared blankly at the Mocking Calamity enveloped in flames. Zhao Yi spoke uncertainly, "Does normal 'spirit-slaying'... cause this kind of reaction?""...Never heard of it," the Skeleton Direwolf said, incredulous. "What exactly did he do?""Did I not explain it clearly enough earlier?" Zhao Yi scratched his head. "But from the current situation... the outcome should be positive."

As they spoke, the outline of the "figure" holding the red umbrella became indistinct. The raging flames seemed to engulf it like fury. Even though a continuous stream of red paper began consciously trying to seal off the flames, it seemed to be too late. As Chen Ling frantically devoured the audience members on stage, more and more flames erupted from his body. He couldn't even maintain his airborne state and stumbled, falling towards the ground... Han Meng and the others frowned, about to step forward. Little Jian, enveloped in the demigod's killing aura, also descended to the ground."Don't go near him!"Jian Changsheng held his sword with one hand, shielding the others behind him, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the "figure" not far away.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...Chen Ling on stage seemed to have his mind consumed by some emotion, completely oblivious to everything outside. In his red-tinged eyes, the dark figures now appeared like lively "meat chickens," exuding an aroma that made him salivate. From the moment Chen Ling started devouring the audience members, the dark figures on stage began to decrease at an astonishing rate. They seemed afraid to approach Chen Ling, disappearing one after another...

"Don't run!! Don't you dare run away!!!"The dark figure, clad in a theatrical robe, continuously pounced on the surrounding "meat chickens." As soon as he tore off an audience member's arm, the latter would instantly vanish from the stage... Chen Ling opened his massive, shadowy maw, furiously tearing at the arm, swallowing it in a few bites. When he prepared to search for his next target, Chen Ling suddenly looked back, only to find the entire stage... completely empty.Chen Ling stood precariously on the stage, clutching a few severed fingers in his hands. His scarlet eyes were bewildered for a moment, then a surge of euphoria and mockery appeared... He suddenly burst into laughter, his shoulders trembling."You're scared!! All of you are scared!!""I told you... the only winner on this stage is me... it can only be me!!! Hahahahahahaha..."