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Translator's note: How about being a landlord and making Taotie's Belly an Inn? It can hold thousands of people—that would be like a cash cow!
"Not a single coin?!" Yang Ming's eyes widened in surprise. "Xiu, have you already found a way to get everything for free in the future?"
No one doubted Fang Xiu's words. Even though they were battered and drained of Spiritual Energy, just hearing Fang Xiu speak gave them a sense of hope, as if a spark had reignited inside them.
Despite having no visible hope, a single word from Fang Xiu was enough to make them feel almost fully restored.
This was the power of the foreseer.
"Xiu, so where do we stay?" Xiao Chuxia asked urgently, her strength rapidly fading.
Fang Xiu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Taotie.
"In Taotie," he called softly.
With a tremendous rumble, Taotie's massive form stirred. Its immense hand, as vast as a mountain range, reached down and spread across the ground like a protective shield.
Fang Xiu walked forward, and though the others were confused, they followed him without question.
Once everyone had stepped onto Taotie's hand, it began to slowly rise, as if they were in a hundred-story elevator shooting upward.
A fierce wind howled past them as they ascended. Despite being psychic warriors with considerable power, even they felt the pressure of the wind pushing against them.
If not for their strength, the wind alone might have overwhelmed them.
Soon, they were lifted right next to Taotie's vast, gaping mouth.
At this point, only Fang Xiu remained unaffected, while everyone else turned pale at the sight of the giant Specter God's projection looming before them.
The overwhelming sense of dread was almost suffocating, and the terror they felt was primal, as though they were standing on the edge of an abyss.
"Xiu... You don't mean to put us inside Taotie, do you?" Yang Ming's voice trembled with disbelief.
"Mm." Fang Xiu replied with a simple, calm affirmation.
At that moment, the group felt Taotie's hand suddenly flip beneath their feet.
"AH!" Xiao Chuxia couldn't help but scream.
As her scream echoed in the air, the group was tossed through the air like tiny specks of dust, flying straight into Taotie's cavernous mouth.
Darkness. Rot. Unintelligible, maddening whispers.
That was the overwhelming sensation they felt as they were swallowed. Then came the sensation of falling.
They plunged rapidly down Taotie's throat, which felt like an endless, bottomless pit.
The sensation was as though they were falling into an abyss that would never end.
It was impossible to tell how long they had fallen, but eventually, the group landed in a mass of putrid, decaying flesh.
Around them was pitch darkness, their vision completely obstructed by the suffocating gloom.
Soft, slithering whispers echoed in the air, joined by the faint, unsettling sound of what seemed like snake-like Specters crawling, sending shivers down their spines.
The ground beneath their feet felt disturbingly soft, as if they were standing on rotten meat.
Every surface they touched was slick and revolting, like decayed flesh.
A nauseating stench of rot flooded their senses, overpowering their nostrils with its foulness.
"Ugh!" Xiao Chuxia was the first to lose control, retching violently.
Humans, after all, are creatures of influence—when one person yawns, others yawn too; when someone vomits, it's hard not to follow suit.
The urge to vomit quickly became contagious.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
More and more people were gagging, unable to suppress it. It didn't matter if they were psychics or not—the stench from Taotie seemed to trigger a primal reflex, an instinctual response to the overwhelming odor.
However, two people managed to keep their composure: Fang Xiu and Yang Ming.
Fang Xiu, having been killed by Taotie hundreds of times before, had long since grown numb to such unbearable conditions.
Yang Ming, on the other hand, had been carrying the Corpse Bead daily, making him more resistant to the smell.
Yang Ming even chuckled, "Xiu, this place is definitely not for ordinary people. But you know, I'm starting to think that cigarette soaked in corpse water might not be so bad after all."
With that, Yang Ming lit a cigarette that smelled like decaying corpse water. Amidst the putrid atmosphere, to his surprise, it actually felt refreshing.
The group struggled with the overwhelming stench for a while before they began to adapt to their surroundings.
At that moment, Xiao Chuxia made a startling observation. "Hey! Not only are we not being attacked by any weird Specters, but the Grey Fog is gone too!"
The others immediately realized it as well.
"It's true! This place—though full of disturbing whispers and a foul odor—seems to block out the Grey Fog and Specters!"
"Xiu, so this is what you meant by 'not spending any money'—living inside a Specter's body. You're amazing!"
"Rest up and recover your Spiritual Energy," Fang Xiu instructed. "I'm going out for a bit."
With that, he plunged into the mass of decaying flesh without a second thought.
Indeed, this was his method of avoiding costs—living inside Taotie. Taotie could absorb both the Grey Fog and Specters, making it the perfect refuge.
Moreover, since Taotie's projection was under his control, Fang Xiu could manage its consumption abilities, ensuring no one would be harmed.
The constant whispers were muffled as well, as he diminished their volume to make it more bearable.
What was most important, however, was that Taotie was so vast that even housing ten thousand people wouldn't make it feel crowded.
And the best part? It was all free.
With Taotie, not only could they stay for free, but Fang Xiu could also harvest large amounts of Spirit Money. It was a perfect setup—no costs, only profits.
Outside, Whitestone had become a nightmarish wasteland, overtaken by the Grey Fog.
The once-thriving city was now teeming with snake-like Specters, slithering through the fog in numbers too great to count.
Among them, several zombies wandered aimlessly, exuding terrifying energy. Their power was unmistakable: they were Class-S Specters.
Suddenly, as Taotie continued to feast, a face began to slowly emerge from its skin.
At first, it was faint, but then the human-like outline became clearer, its features pushing out from Taotie's decaying flesh.
The figure solidified, and in a matter of moments, Fang Xiu himself stepped out from the grotesque mass.
He emerged into the thick Grey Fog, taking a deep breath as if savoring the air. The sensation was euphoric—he felt alive in a way that was almost intoxicating, as though he had always belonged there.
From his left hand, Taotie's mouth opened wide, just like the colossal Taotie behind him, greedily devouring the Grey Fog and the surrounding Specters, tearing them apart one by one.
The group needed shelter to rest and recover their Spiritual Energy, but for Fang Xiu, there was no such need.
For him, the outside world was the perfect place for a rapid recovery.
Having finally arrived in what could only be called a Specter paradise, he wasn't about to waste any time. He was here for one thing: slaughter.
Black flames erupted from his body, spiraling upward into the sky. A mask appeared on his face, and his eyes and hair shifted back to their true form.
Since reaching the third tier, Fang Xiu had absorbed every Specter within him. The Blood Pupil, the Silver Hair—those were his true forms, parts of his very being.
In the next instant, dark, fiery wings unfurled from his back. They beat once, and BOOM!
The earth beneath him cracked open, and ferocious winds whipped around him, sending gusts spiraling outward.
The Grey Fog was pushed in every direction, swept away by the force of his power.
Fang Xiu shot into the sky, disappearing into the endless expanse of the Grey Fog.
It was time for the hunt.
...
The next day, something extraordinary happened.
The once dense Grey Fog began to slowly dissipate, thinning out in every direction.
Specters, once countless and overwhelming, followed the retreating fog, like the tide pulling away from the shore.
It was as if an invisible force had rippled through Whitestone, driving the Specters away.
But the true cause of this phenomenon? It was Fang Xiu.
He had been fighting nonstop through the night, but not in Whitestone—he had ventured far beyond it.
If one wanted to find Specters, it was the outside world that truly overflowed with them. And to maximize his efficiency, Fang Xiu had even sent Taotie away to ensure it wouldn't compete with him for the Specters.