Chapter 199: Void Specter Possession

"Experience Points -900, Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record internal cultivation lv4→lv5."

A wave of heat poured into Zhou You's crown, then branched out to his torso and limbs, spreading to every minute detail at a constant speed.

The ends of his hair and the nails of his hands and feet all received a subtle and comprehensive combing and strengthening of Qi and blood.

Thump, thump, thump—his heartbeat became increasingly powerful and vigorous.

The density of the blood flowing from his heart chambers increased, its texture became more viscous, and it was undergoing an immeasurable upgrade and transformation.

More importantly, the folding, compression, and condensation of his Qi and blood reached a higher level.

His hard training during this period had been quite effective; the Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record had broken through in Qi and blood, rising from the initial stage to the middle stage.

Zhou You leaped from the middle stage of double-material Qi and blood to the middle stage of triple-material Qi and blood, his comprehensive strength increasing by a large margin.

Although he only improved his cultivation and had no techniques or ultimate moves, the strengthening brought by this body was of great benefit to him.

The process of breaking through from Qi and blood to Martial Master is a comprehensive strengthening of the body inside and out, a process filled with infinite changes and variables.

Personally experiencing this process has important reference value for his original body's future breakthrough to Martial Master.

Today, the Grandfather was not at home; a village ten miles away was hosting a banquet, and Zhou Laiwei accompanied him to socialize.

As a highly respected elder like him, people from ten miles around would scramble to invite him to weddings and funerals, because a long-lived person has abundant fortune and can bring good luck and joy.

Near midnight, the Grandfather returned home drunk; seeing that Zhou You was not asleep, he bowed to apologize.

"Young Master, this old servant has returned late."

"It is of no matter, go and rest first!"

The Grandfather was in a good mood and had drunk to his heart's content, so he could not help but talk a bit more.

About how everyone's life was not easy, how the meat dishes at this banquet were clearly fewer, and the wine was much thinner.

The local villagers wolfed down their food at the tables; they must not have been getting enough to eat usually.

Compared to peaceful times, funerals were becoming more frequent, and the newly built graves outside the village were becoming more and more numerous.

And...

"I heard a girl in the village was possessed by a Void Specter and went mad, biting off a section of her own father's finger and grabbing people to gnaw on everywhere."

"Her family wanted to hire a doctor to treat her, but where could they get the money? They invited someone to feed her a few packets of incense ash and water, but it didn't work."

"There is no cure; if it keeps going like this, no one can stand it."

Zhou You did not pay much attention after hearing this, only asking two questions, "Under normal circumstances, how are these people handled?"

"If the family is wealthy, they keep them, locking them in the livestock shed with iron chains and giving them food and water on time so they won't starve to death."

"But if they really can't hold on, they also... won't live very long."

Whether it is a literary madman or a martial madman, it is not something an average family can afford.

Every household in the village lives a tight life; men and women alike are counted as labor, and those who do not work do not eat.

A madman not only cannot work but also eats for free, sometimes disturbing the peace, which is a major burden.

Some families take care of them at first, but after a long time, they are also dragged down.

Rural life is poor and oppressive, and people often go mad; even in modern society, this is the case.

There used to be a female madman in this village who was crazy all day long, hitting people when she saw them, and later she lost her footing, fell into the river, and drowned.

There is even a dark rumor that the villagers could not bear it anymore and joined forces to drown her.

The female madman's family did not pursue the matter but instead felt relieved, hurriedly burying the corpse as if nothing had happened.

Zhou You did not say anything after hearing this; even if an immortal came, there would be no way to deal with such things.

The next day, Zhou You practiced his punches in front of the door as usual. The world was clear and bright! 500 meters away, the sound of Zhou Laiwei and the Grandfather talking reached his ears.

"That girl was possessed by a Void Specter; no wonder she was biting people everywhere and even swallowed her father's finger."

"An eleven or twelve-year-old girl, yet her strength was so great that four or five strong men couldn't hold her down, her mouth full of bloody teeth biting crazily."

"Grandfather, I told the local village guardian; it is a disaster and cannot be left."

Yesterday at the banquet, Zhou Laiwei sent the Grandfather home and intended to sleep, but he did not expect to be woken up in the second half of the night.

The one who woke him was not a clansman from his own village, but the village guardian of the other village.

A village guardian is an existence that has become a convention under local customs.

For example, Zhou Laiwei is the village guardian of this village; he has achieved some success in practicing martial arts, can guard the village, protect the peace of the area, and even drive away possessed villagers.

The village guardian of a village is also a warrior at the Qi and blood level; although they are just farm-style practitioners, their strength is not weak.

He found out that the girl had gone to the lakeside alone to pick reeds and went mad after returning, refusing to eat food and chasing people to gnaw on them.

All kinds of symptoms prove that she has been possessed by a Void Specter and is urgently craving to devour flesh and blood.

The common people in the countryside do not know the inside story and call this situation 'possession'.

Possession is a catch-all basket; any abnormal situation can be put into it, such as mental disorders, depression, mania, and so on.

But in the eyes of village guardians like Zhou Laiwei, the one they least want to see is the most serious kind... Void Specter possession.

Void Specter possession—even an immortal can hardly save them.

A mere Void Specter that has just possessed someone is, of course, no match for a Qi and blood warrior, but if it is delayed for too long, once it completely occupies the shell and then eats the host's family and relatives, it will brew into a massive disaster.

Among the stories passed down among village guardians, there is a story of a specter destroying an entire village.

"Grandfather, the Void Specter has only been possessing her for a short time, but if time drags on, it will definitely break free from its shackles and eat people; by then, the people in the village will surely suffer."

"The village guardian means we cannot be soft-hearted."

After hearing this, the Grandfather sighed, "Poor child, it was not easy for her parents to raise her this big!"

"Even if it just possessed her, even if an immortal came, she couldn't be saved; we can only burn her with a fire to prevent future trouble."

"Don't wait until two or three days later when the Void Specter completely merges with the flesh and causes a great disaster!"

Zhou You's eyebrows jumped when he heard this. Just possessed? As everyone knows, after a Void Specter enters the body, there is a 2-3 day period to occupy the shell and swallow the original owner's memory and soul; this period is the fusion period, where the specter is the specter and the living person is the living person.

Once the fusion period passes, the Void Specter occupies the magpie's nest, the original body dies like a lamp going out, and only the specter wearing a human skin remains.

This is too much of a coincidence.

Just as he was getting sleepy, a pillow arrived; the Trial Project he had just refreshed—solving a case of a newly possessed Void Charm—was immediately followed by encountering a Void Charm possession.

He could do this job, provided he did not expose his tracks.

Listening to the two of them talk, it was impossible to Drive Away Charm from a possessed entity; this was common knowledge formed over ten million years.

Once he exposed the ability to overturn common knowledge, it would not only invite a fatal disaster but could even implicate his family.

Completing the mission was a rigid requirement, but the prerequisite was not to bring trouble upon himself.

Think it over, think of a way! Hmm, got it!

The term "Golden Immortal Dao" surfaced in Zhou You's mind, along with the six-character evaluation of being good at Drive Away Charm and capable of extending life.

He could put on the vest of the Golden Immortal Dao to do this, avoiding the exposure of his own abilities.

The Golden Immortal Dao was mysterious and aloof; using its name to do things could save a lot of trouble.

(End of this chapter)