Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

St. Bodia is the main base of the Church, and a renowned holy land.

To the west lies the ocean.

To the north stretches an endless great canyon.

More than three hundred kilometers to the south is where the nearest cities with human habitation can be found.

Referring to them as cities, in reality, they are but small towns of various sizes, sparse and remote in some places, even with wild beasts appearing.

However, due to their proximity to St. Bodia, the religious atmosphere in these small towns is particularly intense.

Almost every household has, to some extent, been exposed to church culture, either as believers or as families imbued with that atmosphere.

But now...

Some strange things have already happened.

This is Philo Town, a small town with a history of over eighty years.

Nestled against a mountainous region and being remote, the entire town's facilities and environment are extremely backward.

An old tar road in need of repair, a dozen telephone poles, plus a newsstand, two or three diesel engines, and a sawmill, are all the town's modern facilities.

Most of the houses are built from locally sourced materials, constructed from trees in the nearby forests, and the few existing buildings also look quite old and outdated.

[Master, ten minutes ago, Philo Town welcomed an uninvited guest, a terrible Evil Spirit appeared here and some abnormalities have arisen.]

[The townspeople have completely disappeared, and that terrifying Evil Spirit has burrowed into the mountains. It seems to have a very strong purpose, as if it wants to go to a specific place.]

[As your most loyal hound, that is all the Envelope has discovered.]

In the center of Philo Town.

Du Wei looked expressionlessly at the telephone pole directly opposite him because, on it, there was a clear bloody handprint.

After leaving the Wittebach family, he had rushed here quickly by private jet.

According to the information provided by the Church, Alvin Dowqui, who had died and turned into an Evil Spirit, headed southward, charging forward non-stop. Many small towns and innocent people suffered harm along his path.

However, some people were spared.

This might be considered a small blessing amidst misfortune.

Philo Town was the third small town Du Wei had reached; the previous two towns were already deserted, the same as the current situation.

Therefore, he adjusted his direction and began the pursuit.

"I must find it, otherwise I have a feeling that the situation will become very serious, and perhaps there will come a time even I can't handle it."

Du Wei silently said to himself, shifting his gaze from the blood handprint, and looked up at the sky.

It was already evening.

Perhaps it was due to being near the mountain region, but darkness fell very quickly. It was already a dark mass, the continuous clouds covering the night sky, not a single star to be seen.

"Looks like it's going to rain."

Du Wei made the judgment, then tightened his backpack and walked towards the forest.

Next to him, the Envelope floated, continuously producing lines of text, reviewing what had happened ten minutes ago.

The Evil Spirit will have no place to hide.

But entering the mountain forest at night in search of a terrifying Evil Spirit, meant an extremely dangerous endeavor.

…

After entering the forest, the path became increasingly difficult to tread.

It was also very damp.

The soil underfoot was slippery.

Before long.

There appeared a crossroad ahead, with an exceptionally tall tree with yellowing leaves coming into view.

It was then that the Envelope's paper suddenly sprouted a line of text.

[Master, something doesn't seem quite right, the terrifying Evil Spirit has disappeared...]

Du Wei's brow furrowed, "Disappeared?"

He immediately looked around.

But under the state of Spirit Vision, no anomalies were discovered.

Everything appeared so peaceful.

But the known information was that Alvin Dowqui, who had become an Evil Spirit, had already entered the mountain. Following the traces of disappearance, there should have been some residual aura left behind.

It couldn't have vanished without a trace.

[Master, the Envelope can only trace back to events that occurred ten minutes ago. That terrifying Evil Spirit, upon its arrival here, simply vanished, which is very abnormal.]

Du Wei calmly said, "There's no such thing as normal or not. When you lose sight of the target, it's either because it has left or because it has found you and is secretly watching."

[Why are you so sure?]

"Because I'm experienced."

As he spoke, Du Wei suddenly looked up at the sky and said indifferently, "Your ability is a door, which can imprison Evil Spirits. Once you become an Evil Spirit, this ability will not disappear because it originally came from another you."

"So, let me guess, you're inside the door right now, aren't you?"

There was no response.

The surroundings remained eerily quiet.

The Envelope didn't quite understand what its master was up to.

There was clearly nothing there...

Moreover, why did its master seem so unconcerned about the Evil Spirit? Had the master become so powerful that he could easily crush a terrifying Evil Spirit?

[Indeed, a master like you is awesome.]

But the next second, something that confused the Envelope happened.

Its master, Du Wei, directly pulled out the Joker Card and commanded, "Make a wish, force it out."

[???]

...

The Envelope was now in discomfort.

It even began to doubt its very existence, wondering if its master was a devil?

Asking it to make a wish?

It had already signed an Indenture Contract!

Willingly becoming a lapdog, wasn't that enough?

Why torment the Envelope?

[Master, how about you let Shadow do it? The Envelope thinks Shadow is more resilient. After all, it's your top dog, while I'm only second in command.]

[It's such a good opportunity, better left to it.]

Du Wei looked at it coldly, "Shadow can't speak."

[But when you used it to withstand the Joker Card before, you didn't give it a chance to speak either...]

[Alright, alright, Master, you're the villain. Since the Envelope is your henchman, I'm obliged to serve you loyally. Please don't be angry, I will make the wish right away.]

At that point, all the text disappeared.

When it reappeared, it was the Envelope's own willing wish.

[Starting now, one minute later, the Evil Spirit transformed by Alvin Dowqui will appear before the Envelope and die at the hands of our great master.]

In an instant.

Du Wei released the Joker Card, and the entire card turned icy cold to the bone. Next to the man in a tailcoat and mask on the card, there appeared an Envelope.

Then, a malevolent presence slowly began to spread.

The Envelope burst into flames and turned to ash.

As a vessel, it was too weak; as the price for fulfilling a wish, it would directly combust.

On the other hand, Shadow, after making a wish, could always withstand it.

Although it couldn't resist, that price wouldn't mean an immediate GG for it.

Of course...

The Envelope had a significant advantage: it could resurrect infinitely.

The next second.

The wish was fulfilled.

The Envelope came back to life, and before it, a wrinkled face full of liver spots suddenly appeared.

Alvin Dowqui's corpse appeared eerily, bent forward, his stiff hands laid flat by his trouser legs, his mouth slightly open as if exhaling some filthy breath.

[Master, save me... It's targeting the Envelope!]

At the side, Du Wei snorted coldly and directly went into Evil Spirit Transformation.

His pupils contracted, and Alvin Dowqui's corpse was immobilized.

Then, a Flintlock Gun appeared in Du Wei's hand.

Bang...