Chapter 55: The Chant

“Yin Ghost Feeding Chant (First Rank).”

“Contamination Level: High.”

“Effect 1: Part of your body has begun to undergo corpse transformation, granting some abilities of a half-zombie (extended breath-holding time and slight resistance to ordinary attacks).”

“Effect 2: Once per day, you may shroud your body in yin energy and temporarily deceive certain monsters’ senses.”

“Side Effect of This Chant: Numbness.”

“Effect Description: Whenever you use the active effect of this chant, or whenever the chant advances in rank, you will gradually lose sensation throughout your body. First pain, then pleasure, then taste, then touch. In the end, you will become a monster that can see, speak, and hear, yet can no longer feel anything.”

The organs of the human body can connect to supernatural forces. Above dwell the spirit gods; below dwell the yin ghosts. This chant allows one to feed one’s own yin ghosts using the flesh and blood of oneself or others, thereby obtaining all manner of incredible powers. Yet regardless of the path taken, every practitioner ultimately becomes a despairing walking corpse.

System Notification: Because this chant is relatively incomplete, you may spend 2,500 Soulstones to remove this side effect immediately.

Zhou You directly selected No.

First, he did not have enough money.

Second, according to the description, the negative effects increased based on usage frequency and advancement in rank.

As for his current state...

Zhou You pinched his cheek.

He could still feel pain.

The sensation merely seemed slightly duller than before.

Not a major issue for now.

However, it suddenly reminded him of something.

“By the way, I have a question. Didn’t I previously obtain something called Dead Curse Brahma Sound? If that thing is contaminated as well, how much would it cost to remove the contamination?”

Zhou You asked the System out of habit.

He had not actually expected an answer.

To his surprise, it replied immediately and directly.

“Dead Curse Brahma Sound is of a relatively high grade. If you wish to remove its influence directly through Soulstones, the required cost will be...”

“300,000 points.”

Zhou You mentally reviewed the number again to make sure he hadn’t accidentally imagined two extra zeros.

All right.

Sorry for bothering you.

The old Daoist watched Zhou You standing there in a daze.

Rather than questioning him, he suddenly spoke.

“Disciple, the teachings have been passed on. You now possess at least some ability to protect yourself in this land overrun by demon ghosts.”

“Shouldn’t we... be setting out?”

Zhou You cast a sidelong glance at the head and nodded.

“Yes, Master. We really should be setting out.”

He deliberately emphasized the word “Master.”

According to the old Daoist, his temple lay outside Changhua County.

Zhou You had no idea where that was.

However, according to the old man’s estimate, traveling there on foot would take at least a month.

The distance could hardly be considered short.

If possible, Zhou You would much rather find some form of transportation.

He had looted some silver from the pig demon’s lair.

It probably wasn’t enough to buy a horse.

A mule, however, would be well within his means.

The problem was that this required someone willing to sell one.

Since leaving the lair, Zhou You had not seen a single living person.

A merciless sun hung overhead.

Not a single cloud could be seen in the sky.

The ground was cracked with fissures.

Trees, vegetation, and even the hardiest weeds had withered away.

As far as the eye could see, there was only an almost lifeless landscape.

At one point, Zhou You passed a gigantic depression in the earth.

At first he assumed it was a geological sinkhole.

Only after discovering some dried fish bones within it did he realize in astonishment:

It was not a pit at all.

It was a lake.

A lake that had been baked dry by the sun.

Under such severe drought conditions, human habitation naturally became rare.

Zhou You passed through several villages.

Everyone capable of movement had already fled as refugees.

Those incapable of moving had long since become skeletons.

Naturally, no business could be conducted with them.

Yet because of this, Zhou You discovered another abnormality about himself.

He apparently did not need water.

An ordinary human deprived of water would generally become disoriented within two days.

By the third day, unconsciousness would be highly likely.

Around five days would usually mean death.

Yet Zhou You had gone several days without drinking a single drop of water.

Not only had he suffered no symptoms, he could barely even feel thirst.

In contrast, his hunger grew increasingly severe with each passing day.

The remaining pig’s head had originally been enough to fill an entire pocket.

Now there was barely anything left.

At this point, all he could do was ration it carefully.

The sun sank westward.

Darkness gradually approached.

After finding a relatively sheltered location, Zhou You gathered a pile of dry grass and dead branches, then used a firestone to light a simple campfire.

Next, he removed several pieces of salted pork from his pocket.

After some thought, he put most of them back.

Only one larger piece remained.

He skewered it on a branch and began roasting it over the fire.

At that moment, the Daoist head tossed aside nearby spoke up.

“I say, disciple, do you regret it now? Before we left, I told you the journey would be long. A single head like that wasn’t enough to sustain you all the way to the temple. You should’ve cut off some of the fattier parts from those human corpses, even just as a precaution. But you refused to listen. Now look. How much longer can that little bit of food possibly last?”

Zhou You did not answer.

Instead, he carefully turned the meat, watching the tempting grease gradually drip from it.

The firelight cast shifting patterns of brightness and shadow across his face.

The old Daoist continued his endless chatter.

“I’m serious. Why are you being so stubborn? It’s only human flesh. Go ask around. In all of Cangzhou, who managed to survive without eating people? Even after Grand Duke Jupiter arrived, it was the same. Grand Duke Jupiter flesh can’t be eaten in large quantities, so people need other ingredients to supplement it. Human flesh is simply the easiest thing to obtain.”

“Master.”

Zhou You called out lightly.

“What is it?”

“Your disciple’s food supply is indeed running low.”

“But within a hundred li there isn’t a single living creature.”

“Once this meat is gone, Master, would you care to guess what I’ll be eating next?”

The Daoist head immediately shut its mouth.

Thus Zhou You continued roasting his meat.

Unlike what the old Daoist believed, however, Zhou You was not particularly worried.

After all, he had not made a single save yet.

Even if he starved to death, he could simply start over.

At that point, he could see whether there was a way to preserve the pig demon’s corpse intact.

That mountain of fat contained enough meat to last quite a while.

Time passed silently.

The meat gradually finished cooking.

Zhou You took a bite.

His eyebrows immediately furrowed.

The meat reeked of gaminess.

Moreover, after sitting so long in this weather, even though it had been salted, it had begun to develop a faint rotten odor.

Yet Zhou You calmly ate it piece by piece.

Not even a scrap was wasted.

Just as the meal was drawing to an end, however, a surprised voice suddenly sounded from somewhere nearby.

“Well now, who would’ve thought there’d still be a living person in a place like this?”