Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

Chapter 166 165, It's foggy...

Drip-drop...

Tick-tock...

Surrounding him was pitch-black darkness, his feet submersed in a bone-chilling pond.

Above the surface stood a man in a black overcoat, his head bowed, a cracked, fragmented mask covering his face.

His demeanor was cold and grim, yet beneath that, an elegance shone through, reminiscent of a gentleman from the previous century.

It was the Evil Spirit Du Wei...

This place was the so-called Spirit Lake.

Beneath the surface, an entirely different scene unfolded.

There was no reflection, but instead a different visual perspective appeared.

In the image, the edge of a Black Umbrella could be seen, beyond which lay a street, and a little further, the destination was within reach.

After a long while.

A voice identical to Du Wei's echoed, "The one who knows oneself best is always oneself."

"You think you can leave this place, but in reality, it's just what I let you believe."

"Indeed, there is a time difference in our memories, but I am not completely ignorant, and as you sank to the bottom of the lake, I acquired all your memories."

"What you can do, I can do, what you understand, I understand."

"I indeed lost to you, but I also succeeded in planting a psychological suggestion in you. Even if you could think about what happened after you sank, you'd never anticipate that I had already prepared a big trap for you as a gift."

"This mask is the bridge between us. The moment you put it on, it's as if I've put it on as well."

"The next time you use the Joker Card will be when I fully appear, and by then, you will be unable to take back control of your body."

"You set traps for the people of Dusk Bell Church, but in reality, I was also setting traps for you."

"James, Homier, Harry, masks, psychological suggestions, traps, and again psychological suggestions, you've already lost."

"And I am the true victor."

...

Inside Massas City.

Du Wei, holding a Black Umbrella, proceeded in silence, a long procession of Evil Spirits following him.

The entire squad moved with a uniform pace and step.

Regular, yet rigid.

Yet in the encompassing darkness, punctuated only occasionally by a glimmer of light, the scene took on an added eeriness.

The street lay ahead.

Under the Joker Card's influence, that Bald Man would arrive here in at most half an hour.

But for some reason.

The closer it got to the critical moment, the stranger Du Wei felt.

It wasn't so-called intuition.

It was the oddity he discovered after habitually reevaluating his plan to ensure the outcome—that he himself was off.

As he continued forward, he mulled over this in his mind.

Since entering Massas City, his actions had been too reckless, although this also had to do with the city's inherent strangeness, which was difficult to guard against.

But no matter how you looked at it, on reflection, there were many things that he shouldn't have done.

For instance, facing the Bald Man from Dusk Bell Church, why did he insist on waiting for him to appear in the puddle before taking action?

Or when escaping by car, with a Ghost sitting in the vehicle, why did he insist on carrying it along in his flight instead of dealing with it on the spot?

Dealing with that Ghost, even if it couldn't slow the extension of the highway, would have allowed him to verify some information.

And another thing, why did he agree to a bet with the leader of the Evil Spirit Squad?

Even if it was to resist the strangeness of the highway, it still got him into even bigger trouble.

Once the members of Dusk Bell Church were taken care of, he would have to figure out how to get rid of this squad.

But now, with myself as the leader, wherever I go, these Evil Spirits will follow.

If I gave up the leadership, then the first one the Evil Spirit Squad would kill would be me.

The Joker Card is almost useless now.

Using the same trick to pit against the Evil Spirits...

That's probably akin to seeking death...

Thinking of this, a fine sweat broke out on Du Wei's forehead and trickled down his cheeks.

He realized that he seemed to have fallen into a deathtrap.

Find adventures at empire

Once he handled the people from the Dusk Bell Church, it would be his turn.

He took a deep breath, tried to stay calm, and started to think carefully.

The situation had turned out this way because he had made some decisions that seemed rational yet contradicted his usual behavior.

There were only two things that could influence his behavior.

One, Evil Spirit Transformation. As one gradually becomes an Evil Spirit, their behavior also becomes aligned with that of an Evil Spirit: inhumane, cold-blooded, chaotic.

Two, the Joker Card. Part of the Evil Spirit was hidden within it, and the more it was used, the deeper the influence on the user became until they eventually turned into part of the Evil Spirit.

With this in mind, Du Wei took out the Joker Card from his pocket.

At this time, on the Joker Card, the image of himself in a tailcoat had a more sinister smile, and the evil wolf lurking in the shadows had stealthily moved a step closer, its gaping maw slightly ajar, revealing sharp, fierce fangs.

As for Evil Spirit Transformation.

Du Wei frowned and looked down at his right hand.

The skin pale as a corpse's, it did not seem like his own, except that he could still control it.

This included the influence of Annabelle but also aspects of Evil Spirit Transformation.

What exactly is going on?

Why would I make decisions that are so out of character for me?

Even if it was a gamble with the Evil Spirit Squad, I shouldn't have gambled in a way that put me in even greater danger.

At the very least,

I should have included a rule that would allow me to extricate myself.

Wait a moment...

Evil Spirit Transformation would only make me more like an Evil Spirit; it shouldn't lead me to make wrong decisions.

Evil Spirit within the Joker Card would devour me, but this is shown as the image of myself and the evil wolf on the card's face.

Something else must be influencing me.

Du Wei had always had a good memory; he replayed all the events since arriving in Massas City in his mind.

After sorting through everything,

Du Wei suddenly reached out and touched the mask on his face.

It felt somewhat cool...

Then, his eyes suddenly became dangerous, and he quickened his pace.

The entire Evil Spirit Squad seemed to have sensed something and all the Evil Spirits raised their heads to glance at Du Wei at the front.

Each Evil Spirit radiated malice compressed to its extreme, deep and terrifying, as if they were about to burst forth at any second.

Behind them,

stood a Ghost, motionless, staring numbly and blankly as the Evil Spirit Squad advanced, creating a sinister atmosphere that was frightening.

Further back, white fog had appeared; it was unknown when, but it was thick and hazy, with no end in sight.

The fog was peculiar, as if having a consciousness, spreading forward at an incredibly fast rate.

In just a minute, the white fog reached where the Ghost was and slowly engulfed it.

The next second,

another Ghost appeared at the rear of the Evil Spirit Squad.

This road, while continuing to spread, also underwent some mysterious changes.