Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

May 28, a clear morning with bright skies.

A McLaren GT, followed by an Aston Martin Noe77, left New York.

When they got to the intersection, the two cars pulled up in succession.

Du Wei and Alex stepped out of their cars and hugged each other.

By now, Alex had put on the necklace and spoke with reluctance, "You must be careful, and, I'll tell my parents about you."

Du Wei hummed softly, his eyes filled with complexity.

What Alex said carried weight.

Her family was not like the average one, and although her parents spoiled her and hoped she would be free to love, once they knew about his existence, it was inevitable that they would meet the parents.

Du Wei gently ruffled her hair and said, "I'll meet your parents when the time comes."

Alex suddenly smiled, "Okay… I'll be waiting for you. It might be a bit nagging, but… dear Mr. Du Wei, please make sure you're safe."

Du Wei said earnestly, "Don't worry, I definitely will."

Alex stopped dithering, let go, got back into her car, pressed the gas pedal, and sped away.

On the spot.

Du Wei watched her leave, took a deep breath, and began to adjust his state of mind.

A few minutes later, his eyes became calm and deep, and his demeanor much colder.

"Time to set off!"

...

Massas is located to the northwest of New York, with a distance of about five hundred kilometers between the two cities.

Even though Du Wei drove the McLaren GT, speeding on the highway, it still took him six hours.

By the time he neared his destination, it was already noon.

The surroundings were desolate, the wild grass withered and yellow, and from afar, the distant view of a city could be seen.

But weirdly, the skies over Massas City were always gloomy, as if caught in a thunderstorm, yet there was no sound of thunder or sight of lightning.

While the outside world basked in sunlight, the inside was dark and gloomy, giving off an inexplicably oppressive feeling.

This city was very dangerous.

Du Wei sat in the car, gauging the distance, which seemed to be about ten kilometers, but now he couldn't drive any further.

The road had been cut off, and he had no choice but to proceed on foot.

Last night, Alex had already collected a lot of information, even discovering that the Church had sent many people here.

The Church's public reason for being here was hardly disguised—it was for exorcism.

But precisely because of this, most people didn't pay attention.

To the average person, the Church was simply about "exorcism." Although many didn't know or believe in the existence of evil spirits, no one thought there was anything wrong with the Church performing exorcisms.

Conversely, if people think there are no evil spirits, then the Church's exorcisms are just for show, a way to maintain their presence.

This is known as... mold of thought.

The death events that occurred in Massas were not as few as Alex had previously mentioned. After her investigation, she concluded that at least tens of thousands of people had died.

In the last century, Massas was a region where heavy industry was most developed. With mining and iron smelting, they practically flattened the nearby mountains and even hollowed out the ground with tunnels everywhere.

This is also why, outside the city where Du Wei was, there was such desolation and not even a hill in sight.

But you have to understand.

In the last century, capital was massively invested in the heavy industry sector. Back then, capitalists hardly cared for workers' lives.

The mines were much more dangerous than now.

Every time miners went down, it was a gamble with their lives.

A single collapse could kill hundreds inside.

Over more than a century, tens of thousands is a conservative estimate.

Underneath this ruined city, there might be hidden tens of thousands of skeletons, or even a hundred thousand.

Somehow.

A shadow crept over Du Wei's heart.

If judged by the number of deaths, the horrors of Massas City surpassed all evil spirit incidents he had encountered before.

Moreover, there were signs of cultist activities here.

Even now, the Church had not put out any news. What exactly was in Massas City was described only with a very vague concept—some horrifying things.

That is to say, there could be anything inside…

With that thought, Du Wei took out his phone to check.

No signal.

And the time now was 12:09 PM.

"In about two hours, I'd enter Massas City, but I need to take a detour and find a concealed spot to hide the car,"

"Moreover, I seem to sense that something in Massas City has become aware of my presence."

Having said that, He didn't hesitate to pull out his wallet and drew the Joker Card.

The card felt slightly icy to the touch.

Du Wei knew that it belonged to a member of the Dusk Bell Church who also possessed another Joker Card.

The two Joker Cards each contained a part of an Evil Spirit and could sense each other...

Suddenly...

Du Wei's pupils contracted.

He thought of something.

When he had received the Joker Card, he could sense that the other part of the Evil Spirit had left New York, but in reality, only two days had passed.

Within two days, a member of the Dusk Bell Church had to exorcize the Evil Spirit in order to obtain the Joker Card, and also make it to Massas City...

This was nearly impossible.

Which meant...

Did the other part of the Evil Spirit leave New York and come directly to Massas City?

Du Wei's complexion turned unsightly.

He had a premonition that if that were the case, there might be more than just the Church's exorcists and that one hunter in Massas City; it was quite possible that many members of the Dusk Bell Church were there.

Even that this whole affair was inseparably linked to the Dusk Bell Church.

What exactly were they trying to do?

...

At this moment.

Within Massas City.

On a deserted street, three exorcists in priest's attire looked around with pale faces.

Each of them wore expressions of fear they could not fully conceal.

One of the older individuals spoke with a face full of despair, "What on earth just happened? Weren't we leaving Massas City with the bishop and the others? Why is it that in the blink of an eye, it's only the three of us left?"

The other two spoke with trembling fear, "York, we might have been left behind by something. Perhaps only if that hunter settles everything, we'll be able to leave."

The man called York clutched his hair in a fit of collapse, venting the fear in his heart, yet not daring to scream aloud.

All he could manage was a helpless comment, "Can we hold out until then?"

The other two exchanged looks of nearing breakdown.

Last night, that hunter arrived in Massas City with two assistants and entered. They found many lost exorcists there.

Luckily, the last batch to go in, more than eighty people, were still alive.

York and his two companions were among that group.

The hunter had given their bishop a candle, which, once lit, would guide them safely to the way out and ensure everyone's safety.

Thus, they quickly made their way to the outskirts of Massas City under the bishop's lead.

But unexpectedly, as they passed through this street, in just the time it took to blink, the bishop and others in front had suddenly vanished.

York felt an intense collapse inside. His experiences during this period had greatly traumatized his psyche. The grisly deaths of many of his companions were branded in his mind as if they could never be shaken off.

Those horrific Evil Spirits and that sinister stuff were terrifying to the extreme.

This Uninhabited City was truly a ghost city!

Thinking this, York's expression became even more desperate, but at that moment, he saw a figure with a Black Umbrella approaching gradually. Enjoy new adventures at empire

As the figure with the Black Umbrella became clearer, York's expression grew more numb and desperate.

He saw that the one holding the Black Umbrella in front was a young girl, with the umbrella obscuring her upper body so her face was unclear. But judging by her attire, she resembled a student.

Or perhaps, an Evil Spirit.

Behind her followed eight students, also holding Black Umbrellas, both male and female.

Each one of them emitted an oppressive, somber aura.

No sound, no superfluous movements.

They slowly walked towards York and his two companions, getting closer with each step...

And during this process, the expressions on the faces of York and his companions became utterly hollow and blank, as if they had lost their souls.

Then, as these students holding Black Umbrellas passed in front of York and the others.

They began to follow behind in a mechanical march.

Without Black Umbrellas of their own, they looked like part of a neat formation...