Chapter 180: A Surge in Net Worth: A Million in Assets

Mountain winds blew past, the thickets swayed, and all sorts of strange whistling sounds arose.

In the pitch-black, shadowy corners, countless dangers seemed to lurk, coveting the only living flesh and blood on the scene.

Zhou You took a deep breath, knowing he could not stay here any longer; the valley floor's environment was complex, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't encounter more Void Phantoms.

He channeled his palms to drive the Poison Aura, and the transparent outer garment vibrated and rolled outward, flicking away the black light transformed by the Void Phantom.

A streak of black light in the air vanished and returned, re-attaching itself to the surface of the Poison Aura.

This Void Phantom was like sticky taffy; he couldn't shake it off no matter what.

"Tiger Aura, destroy the enemy."

A large mass of iron-gray airflow surged from Zhou You's fist; in the blink of an eye, the Iron Tiger Aura wrapped around his fist, and its volume increased threefold.

He punched through the Poison Aura, striking the black light transformed by the Void Phantom dead on.

A heart-rending scream rang out in his ears!

The black light was swallowed by the Iron Tiger Aura, wriggling and rolling, and in the blink of an eye, it shrank significantly.

A moment later, the black light was completely annihilated, leaving not a trace behind.

Zhou You draped the airtight Poison Aura over himself again and climbed the rock wall with his bamboo basket on his back, his hands and feet nimble.

The wilderness was too dangerous; if he hadn't been cautious just now, he would have long since been hollowed out into a layer of human skin by the phantom creatures.

Fortunately, he had completed the mission perfectly, and the treasures and Secret Medicine were all in hand.

He would never come here again.

Not long after Zhou You left the bottom of the cliff, the rotting mud everywhere surged like a tide, and streaks of black light gathered from all directions.

"Flesh and blood, the scent of flesh and blood."

"A body of flesh and blood is waiting for me to possess it; a heaven-sent opportunity!"

"Hehehe, no one fight me for it!"

Swish, swish!

The black lights scrambled like tentacles, climbing up the rock wall, dense and numerous like a large mass of leeches.

Viewed from afar, it looked like viscous black water flowing upward against the current.

Zhou You realized something was wrong when he was halfway up.

Although the surroundings were empty, he felt a sense of alarm and left no gaps in his Poison Aura garment.

From behind a rock, a familiar black light shot out suddenly.

The black light had a clear target—his forehead and the space between his brows—and it pierced over as straight as a ruler, sinking into the Poison Aura.

Why hadn't they learned a single lesson!

Zhou You vibrated the Poison Aura to spread it out, threw a punch of Iron Tiger Aura, and swallowed the Void Phantom.

The next moment, 3 or 4 more streaks of black light followed in succession, crashing into the Poison Aura garment one after another.

The force was so strong that the garment was dented, at one point nearly pressing against Zhou You's skin.

There were too many of them.

Zhou You threw a few more punches; although the Iron Tiger Aura was sharp, these Void Phantoms were very cunning, deliberately scattering to avoid the brunt of the attack.

Looking down, more and more black light surged from the dark valley floor.

Ants can kill an elephant; if he didn't leave now, it would be too late.

Zhou You looked at the perilous surroundings and suddenly shouted, "Tianfu Decipher Confusion..."

The surrounding black light, like bloodthirsty leeches, drifted and twisted, changing from sparse to crowded, filling every direction of his vision.

Endless Void Phantoms were still crawling out from the valley floor, joining this feast.

"... Decipher Confusion."

The rock wall, the air, the mountain wind, and even the firmament above trembled for an instant.

A gust of wind from an unknown source rolled up and shattered countless streaks of black light, drawing them into Zhou You's mouth.

This area was like a lake covered in waterweed into which a large stone had been thrown; it was briefly cleared, revealing the limpid water surface.

Zhou You used his hands and feet, swiftly sweeping across the rock wall, and a notification sounded in his ears: "Trial Project (Unrated): Eliminate 1 unattached Void Phantom, completed, Experience Points +50."

"Trial Project (One-Star Level): Eliminate 10 unattached Void Phantoms, completed, Experience Points +200." "Trial Project (Two-Star Level): Eliminate 50 unattached Void Phantoms, completed, Experience Points +1000."

"Trial Project (Three-Star Level): Eliminate 200 unattached Void Phantoms, in progress..."

Zhou You gradually grasped the pattern for eliminating Void Phantoms.

The Void Phantoms were too fast; once they touched flesh and blood, they possessed it immediately, so he could not let them possess him.

Therefore, using the Poison Aura garment to prevent possession, then using Tianfu Decipher Confusion to swallow and suck, slowing down the speed of the surrounding phantom creatures, and finally using the Iron Tiger Aura to pick them off was highly efficient.

By the time he climbed to the top of the cliff, the black light at his feet retreated like a tide, as if the top of the cliff were a forbidden zone.

"Trial Project (Three-Star Level): Eliminate 200 unattached Void Phantoms, completed, Experience Points +3000."

Zhou You let out a sigh of relief; he had finally escaped unscathed, and feeling the heavy basket on his back, he felt he had returned with a full load.

He poured out the treasures and Secret Medicine from the basket, along with his unexpected gains.

Since this haul only took up half the volume of the basket, he thought he shouldn't waste the space and had picked many wild medicinal herbs along the way.

These medicinal herbs were all rare varieties; whether he refined them himself or sold them at the medicine hall, they were a considerable fortune.

"The number of Void Phantoms at the valley floor is just too high."

Zhou You recalled the heart-stopping scene just now and felt a lingering fear.

He had relied on "cheating" to escape; if it had been anyone else, even a martial master, they might have capsized in the gutter.

The Void Phantoms used a human-sea tactic; as long as a single streak of black light touched the skin, they would succeed.

The true nemesis was Tianfu Decipher Confusion, which eliminated the Void Phantoms without leaving a trace.

Even if a Void Phantom burrowed into his body, he could completely extract and eliminate it with Tianfu Decipher Confusion.

On the return journey, Zhou You packed the treasures and Secret Medicine separately, concealing them with straw on a flatbed cart to transport back to his old home.

He made up his mind to find a place to bury the treasures for the time being, while he would consume the Secret Medicine himself after portioning it out.

"The number of Void Phantoms has surged; is this related to the destruction of the Moyun Stronghold?"

Previously, thousands of people were active in the Moyun Stronghold, their life force and blood vigorous, and even if Void Phantoms occasionally caused trouble, they were wiped out.

But now that the stronghold has been razed to the ground and thousands have died or been injured, the entire mountain has been abandoned and left to ruin, and the Void Phantoms have begun to emerge.

Analyzing it this way, it feels as if phantom creatures and humans are competing for space to survive between heaven and earth.

If I retreat, they advance! With the world in chaos, cities and villages are being destroyed one after another, and the frequency of phantom creature sightings is becoming increasingly frequent.

If things continue like this, what will the future become?

After Zhou You pushed the flatbed cart back to his old home, he immediately went to the Great-Uncle's house.

Four full days had passed since he left, and during that time, his parents had sent people to inquire, but they were fended off by the Great-Uncle.

"Great-Uncle, is there any good place to Zang things?"

The Great-Uncle did not ask further and immediately replied, "Yes, the Ancestral Hall."

People rarely go to the Ancestral Hall, and no valuables are kept inside, so it does not attract attention.

Furthermore, this renovation requires reinforcing the foundation, which necessitates digging up the ground, making it the most suitable place to Zang something.

Zhou You thought about it; Zang-ing them at home was not safe, and the ancestral graves carried the risk of being robbed, so the Ancestral Hall was the most appropriate.

The matter of Zang-ing the items was thus settled.

"Young Master, you have returned just in time; in two days, your house will begin laying the foundation, so you must return."

It turned out that the renovation of Zhou You's old house had a set auspicious date for laying the foundation, at which time the whole family would be present to burn incense and inform the ancestors.

His parents had sent someone to notify him, telling Zhou You that he absolutely must not be absent.

"The Young Master has returned in time; otherwise, this old servant would not have known how to handle it!"

Zhou You was busy for most of the night, and only with the Great-Uncle's help did he manage to sort and pack the items.

At night, he pretended to be exhausted and fell asleep, observing the Great-Uncle's actions.

The old man did not take the opportunity to steal the valuables or leave any marks, but instead stood guard loyally by his side.

The night passed without incident! (End of chapter)