Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

James and Bishop Thompson's conversation was carried out in hushed tones and wasn't heard by the others.

For the Church, they controlled the methods by which exorcists entered Evil Spirit Transformation.

But there were only five hunters in the Church, and they were all old men.

James had a firm belief and was willing to become a desperate hunter for the safety of others to leave.

But at this moment, he also knew that the hunters in the Church were definitely not as simple as he thought, merely five in number.

In fact...

Previously, he had heard about the Dusk Bell Church.

The Dusk Bell Church was an organization formed by hunters who defected from the Church last century.

Their faith remained the same, but it became more extreme; every member had reached the Third Phase of Spirit Vision and entered Evil Spirit Transformation.

And the most powerful were the old generation hunters who were about to completely turn into Evil Spirits.

The Church and the Dusk Bell Church, although seemingly severed, actually had intricate connections.

The goal of everyone was the same; it was only the means of achieving it that differed.

This was something undeniable.

All of a sudden...

An idea emerged in James's mind.

Although there weren't as many exorcists in the Church as in the last century, there must be some who had entered the Third Phase of Spirit Vision and had become hunters.

Yet those hunters had never appeared within the Church itself.

Was it possible that these newly emerged hunters were all in the Dusk Bell Church?

But that was too absurd...

James's heart pounded fiercely; he dared not think further and suppressed that thought at the bottom of his heart.

Then, he took the flintlock gun and walked towards the male Evil Spirit wrapped in bandages ahead.

Behind him...

The team began to move forward slowly.

Bishop Thompson, holding a burning candle, illuminated the path ahead and gave James a complex look.

As he said,

If there was no other way, he wouldn't have made such a decision. Discover hidden tales at empire

He didn't even want to tell James about the hunters.

But the situation was just so.

From faith to personality, James might be suitable to be a hunter.

The precondition was that he could endure the pain of entering the Third Phase of Spirit Vision, the beginning of Evil Spirit Transformation...

In the history of the Church, many exorcists with firm faith had fallen at this stage.

The hunters who successfully passed through the Evil Spirit Transformation couldn't explain exactly what it was.

The conclusion drawn from their words was that—when Evil Spirit Transformation began, there would be an apparent sense of erosion from body to soul.

It felt like the entire person was rotting.

That kind of pain and desperation was the greatest test of one's will, or perhaps, torment...

...

At the broken overpass.

Du Wei was unaware of the words Thompson shared with James and didn't know the so-called pain of entering Evil Spirit Transformation.

Because he had never experienced such a thing...

After all, Father Tony wasn't privy to such confidential information, so naturally, there was no way to tell him.

And at this moment.

Du Wei encountered a bit of trouble.

He felt a different kind of pain as his Joker Card inexplicably became ice-cold and emitted a bone-chilling chill just now.

Holding the Joker Card in his right hand, the pain transmitted from his skin was very distinct.

"What's happening?"

Du Wei was puzzled. The connection between the two cards told him that although the other card was moving towards him, its speed hadn't suddenly increased, and there was still a great distance.

Logically, there shouldn't be any anomalies.

After some thought, Du Wei did not hesitate to enter Evil Spirit Transformation, and a chilling terror slowly emanated from his right hand.

In his ears, a buzzing sound arose.

The frequency of his heartbeats also started to slow down.

Du Wei's entire demeanor had completely changed.

Gloomy and bizarre, he was like a ghostly apparition.

Previously, his Evil Spirit Transformation had deepened significantly, causing many hidden dangers to begin to emerge.

Humanity was draining away, drawing closer to becoming an Evil Spirit.

As the Evil Spirit Transformation intensified, his Right Hand also fell into a state of uncontrollability.

However, after returning home, a night passed, and the transformation abruptly ended.

It wasn't until the next day, after Annabelle erupted, that Du Wei realized something had been left in his Right Hand.

And a one-way connection had been established between them.

Annabelle was nourished and grew stronger through this link.

In other words, his transformation was not complete.

But even so, Du Wei distinctly felt that his Evil Spirit Transformation had made him much stronger than before.

At the very least...

When his Right Hand held the Joker Card, the bone-chilling coldness was gradually diminishing.

This sensation was hard to describe in words, and could even be called very forceful.

Because Du Wei's Right Hand had no sensation after the Evil Spirit Transformation, the so-called feeling was more like a sixth sense.

Suddenly...

At that moment.

Du Wei heard a strange sound.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle...

It sounded like water coming to a boil.

Under Spirit Vision, he followed the sound and saw a filthy pool in the shadow to his left.

The murky water bubbled and frothed, rising upwards as if something was trying to crawl out from within.

Du Wei watched indifferently; after putting away the Joker Card, he took out the mask with his left hand and put it on, his Right Hand drawing the Dagger...

After these preparations, he stepped toward the pool.

It was not an Evil Spirit, nor was it the same weirdness from the previous street, but something familiar to him.

An Evil Spirit... or the power of another Joker Card.

When he arrived at the pool.

The rising filthy water formed the outline of a human face, apparently a man's, hairless...

It was the Bald Man from Dusk Bell Church...

Du Wei stared at him expressionlessly, while he studied Du Wei curiously in return.

All was silent.

Du Wei had no intention of speaking, and the other could not speak.

In the meantime, his entire head kept extending upward until he could meet Du Wei's gaze, and then he stopped...

The Bald Man just looked at Du Wei, his water-formed head opening its mouth as if to say something.

Though there was no sound, and Du Wei didn't know how to read lips, he could roughly sense the other's intent.

It was malevolence...

The determination to possess the Joker Card in his hand, and the firm intention for him to die.

Du Wei just watched him, sensing that the other Joker Card was fast approaching his location, meaning that the Bald Man from Dusk Bell Church couldn't really emerge from the filthy water.

If he could have, he would be the hunter, not an Evil Spirit.

Otherness, it must be the manifestation of some special ability, or maybe related to the other Joker Card?

With this thought, Du Wei calmly held the Dagger and stabbed toward the man's water-formed head.

He engaged with the man in a staring contest just to confirm his own location and to prepare to provoke him.

Anger is a human instinct.

Especially for a hunter when capturing prey, if provoked by the prey, he would certainly be consumed by anger and begin his chase.

Anger can cloud a person's reason, and at least before he suffers, he will harbor a strong animosity towards Du Wei.

And Du Wei needed just a flicker of anger and hostility because that would be enough to lead this so-called hunter into a trap.

He stabbed down.

The blade sank in deeply without resistance.

Du Wei swung his arm in a fluid motion, and the Bald Man's water-formed parts splashed back into the pool with a splash.

All fell silent again.