Arc 31The Clown Circus and the Monastery

Yi Chen defeated Yate in the Clown Circus’s first two acts and survived At’s final performance, which ended in a draw. After recovering, he set out with Nash to study death and find a way to kill At, reaching the Monastery of Suffering, where his unusual examination caught a Great Prison Monk’s attention.

  • Wilkerson found Dick Drom dead and later accused Jennifer Bello of disappearing after Layton Bello’s death, while Calvin suspected Wilkerson of murder.
  • Nanny Ima imprisoned Sebastian, but after Sebastian was found dead, Calvin shot Nanny Ima and Sharon, who revived with tentacles, and elsewhere, Yate revealed himself to Ilya Roman before her performance ended.
  • Yi Chen fought Yate through the Clown Circus’s wirewalking and ring-of-fire acts, then accepted Nash’s parasitism and gained a new body suited to the final performance.
  • Yi Chen reopened his sealed memories and fought At’s divine form, using the Army of the Dead to escape the tumor-filled tent, and At’s outbreak later subsided, and he declared the final act a draw.
  • Yi Chen recovered backstage, learned that At had damaged the storybook, and heard that Duke Garryson wanted to meet him, after meeting the Duke, he killed Nash’s apparently dead parasite, and Nash emerged alive.
  • Yi Chen and Nash left the theater to seek the Former Commander at the Monastery of Suffering, refusing Liya Roman’s help and entering with Laisa Hellerde’s ID Card.
  • Yi Chen endured the monastery’s painful examination, and the Information Cocoon recorded his S+ potential and unusual lung reading, prompting a Great Prison Monk to consider whether he sought to restore his missing concept.
Chapters 769–793 Vol. 8 Read

Ch. 769Conflict Escalates

Policeman Wilkerson found Dick Drom’s body in the exhibition hall and was confronted by Calvin, who suspected him of murder and hiding Jennifer. By morning, the survivors gathered for a meeting, where Calvin openly accused the Policeman and demanded to know where his fiancée was.

  • Policeman Wilkerson encountered a strange woman in the corridor, then continued his patrol after his attack failed to hit her.
  • Policeman Wilkerson found Dick Drom dead in the exhibition hall, arranged as a Human Vase, and realized Catherine might still be in the mansion.
  • Calvin Frey burst into the hall and found the Policeman examining Dick Drom’s corpse; the Policeman proposed gathering everyone for an emergency meeting.
  • By morning, Layton Bello was dead, Jennifer Bello was missing, and the surviving residents gathered in the meeting room.
  • Policeman Wilkerson blamed Jennifer’s conflict with her father and urged everyone to search for her, while Calvin accused him of killing Layton and possibly hiding Jennifer.

Ch. 770A Wicked Heart

Nanny Ima and Sharon helped Calvin imprison Sebastian, then found him apparently dead in the storage room and mistook his death for a retreat from the performance. Nanny turned on Calvin, but he shot her and Sharon; both rose again, leaving him facing their tentacles.

  • Nanny Ima accused Sebastian of being suspicious and restrained him with a tentacle-laced rope before locking him in a sealed storage room.
  • After searching the mansion for Jennifer without success, Calvin, Nanny Ima, and Sharon gathered at the storage room late that night and found Sebastian lying dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
  • Catherine wondered whether her boss, Yate, had truly died, while Lya Roman chopped up Sebastian’s body and disposed of the pieces.
  • Nanny Ima accused Calvin of killing the electrician and handed him a pistol, but Calvin shot Nanny Ima and Sharon in the head.
  • Nanny Ima and Sharon sprouted tentacles from their wounds, rose again, and threatened Calvin.

Ch. 771A Change in the Situation

Yi Chen waited underground while the mansion’s surviving performers fought, and Yate revealed that he had survived by taking over The Master's corpse. The chapter ended as Ilya Roman sensed the Black-haired Woman behind her.

  • Yi Chen found Jennifer’s mother floating in the Blood Pool and learned the Belo family had used ancient blood in an attempt to revive her.
  • Yi Chen told Nash to wait underground rather than investigate, then asked whether Nash would submit to Mad Brain Enlightenment if William demanded it.
  • Ilya Roman defeated Catherine, who warned that her boss might still be alive and could threaten her true body.
  • Ilya Roman went to The Master's study to search for Jennifer, where the supposedly dead Master suddenly stood up and reclaimed his intestines.
  • Yate revealed he had been playing The Master after transferring his consciousness into the Policeman’s corpse, then warned Ilya Roman that danger was behind her.
  • Ilya Roman felt a cold presence and saw a spoon slide across her neck.

Ch. 772Final Act

Liya. Roman withdrew from the performance by killing Nanny, then joined the eliminated actors to watch the final act. As William and the audience returned to the manor, At confronted Mr. Yi and demanded a fight to the death.

  • Liya. Roman admitted she had planned to die rather than continue, then shot Nanny and exited the performance without raising her Danger Value.
  • Backstage, William thanked Liya. Roman and invited her to watch the final act; she joined Catherine and her daughters in the audience.
  • Catherine explained that Mr. Yi was William's other half and that the boss's attacks could harm actors' original bodies, leaving the Redundant Intestine Company actor unlikely to survive.
  • William noticed Tumor Cells on the storybook and warned that At had reached a dangerous level before sending the audience back to Snowstorm Villa.
  • In the study, At vomited up foul fluid, said he had dealt with the scene's hidden threat, and demanded that Mr. Yi fight him until one of them died.

Ch. 773Tumor Mountain

Cancer-Faced Kamisky watched Yate’s performance to investigate his abilities, while Yi Chen’s decapitation attack revealed that Yate could transfer wounds to bodies inside him. Yi Chen then saw that Yate’s soul had grown into a mountain of tumor-covered flesh containing the people he had absorbed.

  • Cancer Palace sent Kamisky to investigate Loop City after rumors of a New Moon spread, and he recognized Yate as a threat when he reached the theater.
  • Kamisky recalled that Cancer Palace’s Malignant Tumor exiles had disappeared and that the evidence pointed to Yate, who was suspected of absorbing them.
  • Kamisky watched the performance and judged that its final hidden actor was likely weak, but Yate’s sudden decapitation shocked him and the other spectators.
  • In the basement, Yi Chen attacked Yate with a dagger carrying the Decapitation Concept, but Yate expelled a headless corpse and regenerated his head.
  • Yi Chen realized Yate had transferred the decapitation to another body inside himself and saw that Yate’s enormous soul contained his former prey, including the missing exiles and circus employees.

Ch. 774The Clown

Yi Chen seemingly killed Yate with a ricocheting hand axe and a rapid series of cuts, but discovered the clown had used Cancer Cell Transfer to survive. Yate transformed the mansion into a flesh-and-tumor circus and challenged Yi Chen to a wirewalking duel above a bottomless drop.

  • Yate taunted Yi Chen and questioned his independence from William, while Nash defended Yi Chen and stood up to Yate.
  • Yi Chen threw a hand axe into a series of ricochets, using materialized killing intent to build its force until it snapped Yate’s hands and split his head.
  • Yi Chen followed with a dagger strike and chopped Yate’s divided body into pieces, leaving the audience stunned.
  • Yi Chen sensed that the kill felt soulless, and Yate’s faces appeared across the basement walls as he revealed that he had transferred himself into the building.
  • Yate’s tumors transformed the mansion into a flesh-made Clown Tent, where he appeared on a platform across a wire from Yi Chen and announced a wirewalking performance over a bottomless drop.

Ch. 775Wire

At trapped Yi Chen inside the Clown Circus and began a three-act performance, starting with a deadly wirewalking duel. Yi Chen drew on his brutal childhood training to walk steadily toward At with his eyes closed.

  • William admired the Clown Circus and unlocked Bullet Comments for the audience.
  • Yi Chen tried to cut through the circus tent with his Flying Axe, but the tumor-like barrier swallowed it; At explained the three-act challenge and the rules of Wirewalking.
  • Lorien posted a warning that Wirewalking demanded perfect balance and recalled how he had barely passed At's game by surgically altering his brain.
  • As Yi Chen stepped onto the Wire, he remembered surviving a lethal wirewalking test at the orphanage, where only five children passed.
  • Yi Chen walked toward At with his eyes closed, keeping an unusual steadiness that stunned At.

Ch. 776Talent

Yi Chen crossed the wire with his eyes and ears shut, defeating Yate’s attacks through instinctive balance, Consciousness Slash, and precise swordplay. He outmaneuvered Yate with a sudden burst of speed, won the first round, and stepped onto the platform for the next performance.

  • Yi Chen merged his sensations with the wire, while Nash helped him enter the wirewalking state.
  • Yate sent Head Balloons and a compressed meat projectile at Yi Chen, but Yi Chen neutralized them with Consciousness Slash and purple lung energy.
  • Yate enlarged an iron hammer with tumors, but Yi Chen retrieved the Hundred-Headed Hunter and split it without losing his balance.
  • Yate tried to block Yi Chen’s path, but Yi Chen accelerated suddenly, cut through him, and passed him.
  • Yate surrendered as Yi Chen reached the opposite platform, and Yi Chen opened his eyes as the wire disappeared.

Ch. 777Meat Mountain

After Yi Chen won the tightrope performance, Yate trapped him in a ring of fire and revealed his cancerous body for the second show, a physical contest to push each other outside the ring. Elsewhere, Mr. Rabbit praised Mosander’s improved strength and ranked Yate second only to himself in physical power.

  • Yi Chen grew wary after winning the tightrope walk, suspecting Yate had let him take the first point for a reason.
  • Yate surrounded Yi Chen with a ring of fire and slammed his enormous cancerous body into the circus floor.
  • Mr. Rabbit praised Mosander’s leg strength and said Yate was the circus member with the strongest body after himself.
  • Yate revealed his Back Tumor Wings and explained that the second show required them to push each other out of the ring of fire three times, under rules forbidding flight and requiring human posture.

Ch. 778Burning

Yi Chen faced Yate in a ring-of-fire contest, relying on technique to overcome the clown’s overwhelming size and strength. After Yate’s charge crushed him and the contest’s burning penalty destroyed his eyes, Yi Chen recovered and prepared for a second round by dislocating his joints and neck.

  • The audience and Kamisky marveled at Yate’s enormous new form and ring-shaped wings as Yi Chen asked about the contest’s rules.
  • Yi Chen prepared to use skill and borrowed force against Yate, who charged immediately after the countdown began.
  • Yi Chen tried to redirect Yate’s momentum, but Yate’s immense weight left him unable to move the clown and a collision flattened him against the tent.
  • Yi Chen re-formed with Nash’s help, but Yate’s out-of-bounds penalty ignited his eyes, forcing Yi Chen to remove them.
  • Yi Chen recovered, coordinated with Nash, and dislocated his joints and neck before declaring himself ready for the second round.

Ch. 779Predicament

Teacher Fang taught Yi Chen her self-dislocating-joint technique, which he adapted during his fight with Art to evade the clown’s charges and counterattack. Art then used his Ringed Wings to trigger malignant proliferation inside Yi Chen, leaving him trapped and badly burned as the fight continued.

  • Teacher Fang took Yi Chen to her dormitory and taught him how to dislocate his joints as a survival technique.
  • Yi Chen used the self-dislocating technique and his other abilities to turn his body soft, evade Art’s charges, and slash Art’s abdomen and Achilles tendon.
  • Art began using the Ringed Wings on his back and infected Yi Chen with malignant proliferation, causing twisted arms to burst from Yi Chen’s abdomen.
  • Yi Chen and Nash severed the proliferating arms, but Art’s next charge sent Yi Chen into the fire ring, where his right arm burned away.

Ch. 780The Final Gamble

Yi Chen rejected Nash's offer of immediate perfect parasitism and entered the fire ring for the final burn, losing his other arm. As Art began the third show and revealed his true strength, Yi Chen sat silently in an apparent preparatory state.

  • Nash proposed fully parasitizing Yi Chen's brain, and Yi Chen agreed to let him enter.
  • Nash reached the death altar inside Yi Chen's brain, was accepted by Death, and learned that Yi Chen had postponed the permitted parasitism.
  • Yi Chen voluntarily entered the fire ring for the third burn and emerged with his left arm carbonized, leaving him without either hand.
  • Art declared the second show's score three to zero and expanded the arena for the decisive third show.
  • As Yi Chen sat cross-legged in silence, Art began a bizarre performance and revealed his Last Malignancy form.

Ch. 781Internal Parasitism

As Aiter’s performance pushed the severely injured Yi Chen toward death, Nash completed Internal Parasitism and transformed Yi Chen’s body with a black bio-armor. The chapter ended with a deathly figure covering Yi Chen’s eyes and urging him to show his limit.

  • Director Cao explained that the orphanage’s lessons were designed to push children toward the human limit, and said Yi Chen had the best chance of reaching it.
  • Watching Aiter’s performance, Lorien feared Yi Chen could die, while Catherine and Liya Roman reacted to Aiter’s growing power; William chose to let the performance continue.
  • Nash knelt before the shrine in Yi Chen’s black-brain island as the island sank, then his parasite attached to Yi Chen’s brain and merged with its nerves.
  • Internal Parasitism gave Yi Chen a black spine, synchronized bio-armor replacing his missing limbs, a weapon-storage head on his shoulder, a balancing tail, and a mask over his ruined eyes.
  • A woman shaped from killing intent and death appeared behind Yi Chen and urged him to show his limit to his teacher.

Ch. 782Memory Liberation

Yi Chen confronted Art in the Final Performance atop the red curtains, where falling or harming the procession would bring penalties. As Art unleashed hundreds of clown copies, Yi Chen reopened a sealed memory and reached his limit, slaughtering them and appearing before Art.

  • Yi Chen climbed onto the curtains and used the gases to sense Art’s mutated form, detecting a trace of divinity.
  • Art explained the performance’s rules and began the Final Performance, warning that three Disrespect marks would make the curtains devour Yi Chen.
  • During Art’s countdown, the bone tumors on his body mutated into hundreds of clowns surrounding Yi Chen.
  • Yi Chen recalled fighting his way back to the Orphanage and reopened the memory vault sealed in his mind.
  • Yi Chen vanished in a burst of speed and beheaded the entire horde before appearing in front of Art as the dead he had slain praised him.

Ch. 783Divinity

Yi Chen destroyed Black Mountain Orphanage and was captured, while in the Theater he faced At. Kramer’s transformed divine form. The chapter ended as Yi Chen prepared for their final showdown against At’s cancer-spreading Giant Bell.

  • Yi Chen danced among the burning remains of Black Mountain Orphanage, then watched Director Cao die before he could strike her.
  • Detectives restrained Yi Chen after he killed 117 faculty members, 500 guards, and 31 adult orphans, and he was sent to national prison.
  • In the Theater, Yi Chen instantly slaughtered At’s tumors, but At struck back with a Shockwave that blasted him hundreds of meters away.
  • At formed a Giant Bell that spread cancer through its vibrations and floated into the air in his divine form.
  • Nash offered to remove tumors caused by the bell, and Yi Chen accepted the risk of taking one direct hit as he prepared his battle plan.

Ch. 784Decapitation

Yi Chen fought Art in his revealed divine form, using extreme speed and repeated attacks to overcome Art’s reinforced neck. The chapter ended with Yi Chen’s fourth strike breaking Art’s cervical spine and leaving his head folded forward.

  • Yi Chen asked Art about his Pontiff Stance, and Art explained how he had infected and absorbed a religious order whose pontiff’s memories helped shape his current form.
  • Yi Chen used Instant to rush Art and drove his dagger into Art’s neck, but the Golden Bone Tumors and divinity prevented decapitation.
  • Art’s clown-headed babies exploded and destroyed Yi Chen’s body, but Yi Chen had decapitated himself first and reformed before Art could infect him.
  • Yi Chen stabbed Art’s temple, kicked the dagger deeper to damage his nerves, and repeatedly struck Art’s neck with the hand axe, but Art’s Giant Bell helped his tumors repair and reinforce the bone.
  • Yi Chen used his Hundred-Headed Hunter to disrupt Art, then struck his neck with a spiraling palm that pulled the embedded axe through the cervical vertebra and broke it.

Ch. 785Breakthrough

Yi Chen realized that destroying Ate’s head was not enough to defeat him, so he used Ate’s Giant Bell strike to launch himself through the Circus Tent and escape the Clown Circus. His escape left Ate furious, and the fake moon over Lupu began to weep tumor tissue.

  • Ate reversed his beheading by sacrificing the arms on his Ringed Wings, then formed a throne from the Golden Tumor and prepared to crush Yi Chen.
  • Yi Chen told Nash to suppress his malignant proliferation and faced Ate’s powerful swing of the Giant Bell.
  • Yi Chen planted his feet against the bell, borrowed its force, and shot toward the Circus Tent with half his body destroyed.
  • Yi Chen and the Army of the Dead tore through the tent faster than it could repair itself, allowing him to escape and return to his True Body backstage.
  • Ate’s fury erupted after Yi Chen escaped, and tumor tissue spilled from the fake moon’s Yin-Head over Lupu.

Ch. 786The Curtain Falls

At’s Malignant Tumor outbreak engulfed the theater and false moon before memories of his brutal past stirred an emotional response that stopped his proliferation. Yi Chen and At returned to the stage, where At ended the performance in a draw and warned Kamisky to report everything to the Supreme Lord accurately.

  • At’s uncontrolled Malignant Tumor outbreak consumed the false moon and drowned Kamisky in pus.
  • At remembered his childhood in Cancer Palace, his persecution by fellow recruits, and his exile after he retaliated at the conversion ceremony.
  • At’s emotional response to remembering the Supreme Lord stopped the proliferation, and the tumors withdrew from the theater and false moon.
  • Yi Chen and At returned to the stage, and At bowed to the audience to signal the performance’s end.
  • At declared the final performance a draw and warned Kamisky to relay every detail to the Supreme Lord without alteration.

Ch. 787The Evil That Could Be Controlled at Will

After At abruptly regained control of his evil, Yi Chen collapsed from exhaustion and later learned that At had injured the storybook’s conceptual evil during the performance. William arranged a private means of contact with At to explore his ability to remove evil, while Duke sought a private meeting with Yi Chen.

  • Yi Chen approached At intending to kill him, but At’s released evil vanished and the clown apologized for losing control.
  • Yi Chen went onstage to thank the audience, then nearly collapsed before Crazy Brain took over the awards ceremony and promised to transfer his rewards.
  • Yi Chen awoke in the aquarium and asked William how he had warned the Old World about the evil; William explained that he had used the storybook to bring the audience to the External World.
  • William showed Yi Chen the storybook’s damaged surface and explained that At had injured the Human Body Collector, then said At had received the Best Actor Award and left private contact information.
  • Yi Chen warned William that he would kill him if he detected malice, and William told him Duke wanted to meet with him alone.

Ch. 788Boon of Death

After the performance, Yi Chen fished in the black sea and consumed a Dead Fish, partially restoring his erased body. Back in reality, he received a temporary prosthetic lower body and set out to meet the Duke, while Lorien gave him a silver token of thanks.

  • Yi Chen fished a Dead Fish from the black sea, ate it, and sensed that the sea had granted him a reward for bringing Nash in.
  • Yi Chen returned to the theater with William and fitted a temporary mechanical lower body built by William and Regan.
  • William told Yi Chen that Nash was recovering, Yate and Catherine had left, and Catherine had sent him a Letter, which Yi Chen declined to read.
  • William mentioned that the Progenitor Strain from the Vibrio Sea wanted to meet Yi Chen, but Yi Chen left to find the Duke.
  • Lorien gave Yi Chen a moon-crystal Silver Coin as thanks for beheading Yate and said it could summon moonlight if Yi Chen needed help.

Ch. 789Duke Garryson's Suggestion

Duke Garryson welcomed Yi Chen into the Chamber of Commerce and advised him to seek the Former Commander of the Death Plague Knights at the Monastery, giving him a costly visitor's card. Yi Chen returned to the Fake Moon Clinic and killed Nash's parasite, allowing Nash to emerge from the pool alive.

  • Duke Garryson praised Yi Chen's Death Divinity and stamped him with the Chamber of Commerce's Mark of Transaction.
  • Yi Chen told the Duke he wanted to deepen his understanding of death and find a weapon to kill Yate; the Duke pointed him toward an ancient weapon at the tannery and the Former Commander imprisoned at the Monastery.
  • The Duke sold Yi Chen a Monastery visitor's card for thirty thousand, charging the cost to William's treasury.
  • Yi Chen returned to the Fake Moon Clinic, where he found Nash's parasite blackened and curled into a sign of death.
  • Yi Chen killed the parasite with a Hand Blade, and Nash emerged from the pool and greeted him as Boss Yi.

Ch. 790Embarking

Yi Chen and Nash prepared to leave the theater to study death, but Yi changed their destination from the Original Tomb to the Monastery of Suffering. They arranged immediate transport there through the Redundant Intestine Company as Liya Roman pursued them.

  • Yi Chen invited Nash to join him in searching for a way to kill Atet and study death, and William approved their departure from the theater.
  • William gave Yi Chen a letter of recommendation for the Original Tomb and his ten-thousand-dollar performance bonus, while Yi declined a Black Roundworm Company VIP card.
  • Yi Chen and Nash tried to travel discreetly through Loop City, but Liya Roman found them using pheromones collected from Yi's sweat during the performance.
  • Yi Chen erased his scent and entered the Redundant Intestine Company, where he asked for transport to the Monastery of Suffering instead of the Original Tomb.
  • The receptionist offered to arrange a dedicated vehicle or send them on a logistics run, and Yi chose the next available logistics vehicle.

Ch. 791Train

Yi Chen and Nash traveled by train toward the Monastery of Suffering, where Yi Chen hoped to learn about death and possibly meet the imprisoned commander of the Death Plague Knights. They arrived to find a hellish monastery and a pilgrimage line of Ascetic Monks, many already dead.

  • Yi Chen and Nash rode a cargo train through the World Intestine toward the monastery, and Nash identified Yi Chen’s metal card as the Identity Card of an ancient Great Prison Monk.
  • Nash told Yi Chen that the Original Commander of the Death Plague Knights was a feared warrior who might now be a dangerous Plague Lord imprisoned in the monastery’s Lowest Level.
  • Riya Roman appeared with her daughters and offered to use her monastery connections to help Yi Chen reach the prisoners, but Yi Chen refused her offer.
  • The train stopped before reaching the monastery, and Yi Chen and Nash followed the passengers through a narrow passage to the surface.
  • Yi Chen saw that the monastery resembled hell and noticed a long pilgrimage of Ascetic Monks, many of whom were already dead.

Ch. 792Welcome

Yi Chen and Nash approached the Monastery of Suffering, where Yi Chen was pierced by Pilgrim’s Avenue and learned how the Monastery treated its pilgrims. After Yi Chen returned Laisa Hellerde’s ID Card, the Monks admitted them as honored guests and escorted them inside for examinations.

  • Nash explained the history of Pilgrims of Suffering and the Monastery’s rules as Yi Chen stepped onto Pilgrim’s Avenue and iron nails pierced his body.
  • Yi Chen examined the preserved, metal-transformed pilgrims and observed the Monastery’s thorn-enclosed walls and chain-built gate.
  • Monks emerged from the gate after detecting Yi Chen’s danger signal and questioned him and Nash.
  • Yi Chen presented Laisa Hellerde’s ID Card and said he had bought it from the Duke to gain entry.
  • The Monks recognized the ID Card as a valuable treasure and admitted Yi Chen as an honored guest.
  • Yi Chen said Nash’s support was necessary, and the Monks allowed them both to enter and escorted them toward the gate for physical examinations.

Ch. 793Detection

Yi Chen and Nash entered the Monastery of Suffering for physical examinations, and Yi Chen learned how the monastery cultivated iron chains from its murals. His examination revealed a severely damaged body but unprecedented potential and pain tolerance, drawing the attention of a Great Prison Monk.

  • A monk fitted Yi Chen and Nash with thorned eye covers and led them into the monastery, but Yi Chen remained unaffected and secretly perceived their route.
  • As they followed the monk through the maze, Yi Chen studied murals explaining how planted and self-cultivated iron chains were made and how chains shaped monks’ status.
  • Nash was taken to a separate examination room, while Yi Chen chose to undergo his examination despite being offered an exemption.
  • Yi Chen removed his metal prosthesis and endured the needle-filled examination without reacting to the pain.
  • The Information Cocoon recorded Yi Chen’s poor physical condition alongside S+ potential and pain tolerance, and an unscorable lung reading.
  • A Great Prison Monk received the unusual results and considered whether Yi Chen had come seeking to restore his missing concept.
Arc 31 of 45