58: Chapter 58 Do you know how I spent those six minutes?

That golden world announcement, like a nuclear bomb dropped into a tranquil lake, stirred up colossal waves throughout the "Source Realm."

No matter where they were or what they were doing, the vision of every player was dominated by overbearing golden text.

"Destruction Mode? What is that? A new secret dungeon instance?"

"Inscribed upon the boundary marker of the dungeon... What an honor!"

"Damn it, I just got back from Wailing Valley, how come I didn't know about this thing?"

After a brief dead silence, a clamor and boiling excitement swept across the entire world.

The intelligence systems of countless guilds operated frantically at this moment, and countless pairs of eyes fixed upon the keywords "Wailing Valley" and "Chen You."

Soon, the news spreading from players at the scene in Wailing Valley flew like it had grown wings, rapidly disseminating to every corner of the world.

"What? You just need to chop down the dungeon's wooden sign to activate it?"

"That simple?"

This news struck everyone as absurd, but it was immediately followed by uncontrollable fervor and impulse.

For a time, the entrances to dungeons across the Source Realm staged scenes that were both ridiculous and laughable.

Entrance to the [Wind and Snow Divine Mountain] dungeon.

An Orc Warrior, holding a giant axe, took a deep breath under the cheers of his teammates and swung the axe with all his might at the wooden sign of the dungeon.

"Clang—!"

Sparks flew.

The Orc Warrior's hand was instantly numbed by the massive recoil force, and he almost lost his grip on the giant axe.

Yet, that ordinary-looking wooden sign remained completely still, not even showing a single white mark.

Entrance to the [Fallen Swamp] dungeon.

An Elven Mage chanted complex incantations, and a massive fireball roared toward the wooden sign.

"Boom!"

The flames dispersed, and the wooden sign still stood there, perfectly intact.

"It's useless! There's invincibility protection!"

"No, there must be a special condition! That Chen You must have used some special item!"

"Or maybe it's a prerequisite for a hidden quest?"

Countless speculations arose.

Innumerable Adventurers used every method they could think of: attacking, burning with fire, flooding with water, some even tried gnawing at it with their teeth...

The result was always the same—failure.

This humble wooden sign, usually ignored by countless people, now seemed to be the most indestructible thing in the world.

...

The originator of this storm, Chen You.

He completely ignored the stunned Adventurers behind him, nor did he look at the constantly popping-up friend requests.

He walked to the dungeon entrance, and a new system selection box popped up before him.

[Please select entry mode:]

[1. Normal Mode]

[2. Destruction Mode]

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen You’s finger tapped on "Destruction Mode."

Instantly, the world spun!

The surrounding scenery twisted, blurred, and faded like ink painting dropped into water.

An irresistible pulling force swept over him. When Chen You could see clearly again, he was standing in a darkness so thick he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.

"Hiss..."

Even with his Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation, he couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

It wasn't actual cold, but a feeling affecting his spirit.

It was as if an icy chill capable of penetrating to the bone marrow was invading his body from every angle.

This was completely different from the mere "eerie atmosphere" felt in Normal Mode.

The air was filled with a rich smell of blood and decay.

In his ears, the indistinct shrieks of vengeful spirits were replaced by bizarre whispers, as if someone was breathing right next to his ear.

"So cold..."

"I want... blood..."

"Give it back..."

These voices seemed to carry magic, constantly assaulting his mind.

[System Prompt: You have entered a Soul Erosion Zone. Mental Resistance is continuously decreasing...]

Chen You frowned.

"A little something extra."

He muttered inwardly, but there was no panic on his face.

The greater the danger, the calmer he needed to be.

He calmly opened the System Mall and tapped his finger lightly.

First, ten substitute talismans!

He casually took one out and slapped it onto his body.

A faint, almost imperceptible golden light flashed across him and vanished.

Chen You didn't even blink.

With this first layer of security, he felt much more at ease, but it wasn't enough.

His gaze fell back onto the mall interface.

Exorcism Talismans, another thousand!

Looking at the stack of yellowed talismans in his inventory, Chen You felt completely reassured.

Counting what he had left, he still had about one thousand seven hundred talismans remaining.

"Alright, time to get to work."

He held the ascension dao sword in one hand and had already pinched two Exorcism Talismans in the other, starting to walk toward the depths of the darkness.

Visibility was extremely low, only about ten meters.

"Shh... shh..."

Suddenly, a faint scraping sound came from the front left.

If it were any normal Adventurer team, they would have immediately formed a defensive formation: tank in front, healer in the back, cautiously scouting ahead.

But Chen You's reaction was completely different.

He wasn't even interested in seeing what the monster looked like.

Without even glancing in that direction, he flicked his wrist holding the two Exorcism Talismans and threw them straight over!

"Whatever you are, take one of mine first!"

Two beams of golden light cut graceful arcs through the darkness, precisely embedding themselves into the shadows.

"Zzzt—!"

Blinding golden light suddenly erupted, illuminating a small surrounding area as brightly as day.

In the light, the silhouette of a monster wrapped in black energy, far more solidified than an ordinary vengeful spirit and a size larger, flashed past.

Immediately following this was a scream ten times more shrill than that of a Normal Mode vengeful spirit!

[You have slain LV12 Elite Valley Vengeful Spirit, gaining 1500 experience points.]

"Hmm, one talisman isn't enough to instantly kill it, need two."

Chen You calmly made his judgment based on the vengeful spirit's health, his heart remaining completely undisturbed.

For him, this was just a simple math problem.

If one doesn't work, use two.

If two don't work, use ten.

He continued forward.

"Heh heh..."

A heavy breathing sound came from the back right.

Chen You didn't look back, throwing two more Exorcism Talismans over his shoulder.

"Zzzt!"

A scream, followed by a system prompt.

Something seemed to be rapidly approaching from the front.

Chen You's expression remained blank. He raised his hand, scattering four Exorcism Talismans in a fan shape toward the area.

"Zzzt la la la!"

Two screams sounded simultaneously, Experience + 3000.

Just like that, Chen You walked leisurely through this Destruction Mode dungeon, an area so perilous that even a Level 10 Elite squad would proceed with extreme caution.

He was like an emotionless seeding machine, scattering golden "seeds" wherever he went.

Any dark creature that attempted to approach him would be instantly vaporized by this unreasonable purifying power the moment it entered his range of perception.

The entire process was characterized by monotony, tediousness, and expense.

But, it was safe.

That was enough.

Soon, he passed through the long valley passage and arrived at the core area of the dungeon.

The space here suddenly opened up.

On a throne several times larger than the previous one, a black mist so dense it seemed tangible was slowly writhing.

The surrounding chilling energy reached its peak here.

The blood-red name [Wailing Lord · Barton (Enhanced)] flickered faintly within the black mist.

"Insignificant mortal! Your soul smells so... so delicious!"

"How dare you trespass into my resting place again! This time, I will tear you into pieces and let you..."

The voice was still echoing when the entire cavern began to shake violently.

Countless vengeful spirits seeped out from the stone walls in all directions, dense and overwhelming, surging toward Chen You.

Faced with a scene that could cause someone with trypophobia to die on the spot, Chen You’s expression remained calm.

He merely reached into his ear somewhat impatiently.

"Too much talking."

He muttered softly, and then, he moved.

He didn't draw his sword, nor did he use any cultivation technique.

He simply pulled out a stack of Exorcism Talismans from his inventory.

Then, he raised his hand.

Toward the massive black mist that was accumulating power, preparing to deliver a longer monologue, he threw them over.

One after another, in a furious barrage!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

Chen You transformed into a ruthless launching machine.

In that instant, time seemed to slow down.

Under the incredulous gaze of the [Wailing Lord · Barton (Enhanced)],

Streams of golden light, like a bursting dam, like an erupting volcano, like the Milky Way pouring down!

Hundreds of Exorcism Talismans formed a vast, sweeping curtain of golden, mighty death, sweeping toward it!

That was not combat.

That was carpet bombing!

Lord Barton's grand declaration caught in his throat, letting out only a distorted syllable: "You..."

The next second, it was completely submerged in the golden ocean.

"Zzzt—la—!!!"

The entire cavern was completely swallowed by an unprecedented, dazzling golden light!

That sound was no longer purification; it was annihilation!

Lord Barton's massive body twisted and dissolved madly in the light, unable to even utter a complete scream.

All the power it had accumulated, all the skills it had prepared to unleash, all its dignity and rage...

All seemed so ridiculous and powerless before this waterfall of holy light constructed from money.

Just three seconds.

The golden light dispersed.

The entire cavern fell silent.

The dense mass of ordinary vengeful spirits, along with the supremely arrogant final BOSS on the throne, all vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.

Only a faint scent of sandalwood remained in the air.

Chen You stood in place, gently rubbing his slightly sore fingers.

"Phew... Finally quiet."

He checked the consumption; he had thrown out over eight hundred Exorcism Talismans in total.

"Not bad."

Just then, a string of system prompts surged before his eyes like a screen refresh.

[You have slain [Wailing Lord · Barton (Enhanced)]!]

[You have successfully cleared the dungeon [Wailing Valley (Destruction Mode)]!]

[You have received the Solo First Clear Reward for [Wailing Valley (Destruction Mode)]!]

[Experience + 200000!]

[Your level has increased to LV11!]

[You have received...]

Chen You quickly scanned the routine rewards, finding nothing interesting.

It was only when the very last, and most special, system prompt popped up that his pupils sharply contracted.

[You have received a special reward: [shattered world stone] X1!]