Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

When Du Wei heard about the prison and the Lock Ghost, he was filled with doubt in his heart.

The consciousness of Alex disappeared mysteriously after his first entry into Hell's Gate, so why would it end up in the hands of the so-called Lock Ghost?

Immediately,

he asked Gascogne, "Where is the prison, and what is the Lock Ghost? An Evil Spirit?"

Gascogne answered cluelessly, "The prison is in Five Keys Town; the Lock Ghost is simply the Lock Ghost. It is the Warden you appointed, and it is also your assistant who helps you imprison those evil spirits."

Du Wei frowned and asked, "Is it related to me?"

Gascogne said, "Yes, you appeared once before. At that time, I had already joined the Vanity Sect, but I saw you come down from a Ghost Ship in the Public Sea, followed by the Lock Ghost."

"I was extremely scared at the time, but you did not kill me. Instead, you said that we would meet again."

"Later, the last time I saw you was after Minette's death, when her body was dismembered by the Demon God. You did something with the Lock Ghost, and you told me she would start a new life."

"You also said that if it was destined for her to die, then the person who actually killed her would be yourself."

Hearing this,

Du Wei clenched his right hand and took a deep breath.

When he exhaled, he also relaxed his tightly clenched right hand.

The words that his past self told Gascogne were clearly conveying information to himself.

It was after Minette's death that Alex was reborn.

In fact, while the primary culprits of her death were Solomon's Seventy-Two Pillars Demon Gods, Du Wei's tacit approval was also a part.

Suppose.

If Du Wei was to go back to the past now, he was very sure that he wouldn't interfere with Minette's fate.

At least that's how he felt now.

After a while,

Du Wei collected his thoughts and asked Gascogne again, "What is the relationship between Minette and Alex, and why was Alex's consciousness imprisoned?"

Just now, Gascogne's words highlighted his relationship with the Lock Ghost and that he had arranged everything.

But it did not explain the information he wanted.

Upon hearing Du Wei's question, a flicker of pain and struggle passed through Gascogne's bewildered pupils.

It seemed as if he wanted to escape the illusion.

But in the end, he could only honestly admit, "I'm not clear about their relationship. I only thought that Alex was the reincarnation of Minette. As for her consciousness being imprisoned, it was after paying a great price to Brand, or Corrine Dowqui, that I got the answer."

A flicker of complexity crossed Du Wei's eyes.

In a daze, he felt like Hell's Gate was like a switch.

Opening the gate to see Minette, acknowledging her existence.

Closing the gate, the consciousness of Alex disappeared.

One had to be chosen over the other.

"Perhaps their relationship isn't as simple as I thought."

"But I can't figure out the significance of imprisoning Alex's consciousness in the prison and having it guarded by the Lock Ghost?"

"I would never harm Alex."

"Nor would I use her as a pawn."

"This style of acting seems like mine, but in reality, it's quite different."

Du Wei's heart was full of doubts. After the departure of Evil Spirit Du Wei, his power had declined far too much; vigilance and rationality were his most important means.

Therefore, he pondered over every word of Gascogne's carefully, even keeping a wary mind.

Could it be something the Evil Spirit Du Wei did?

Du Wei was also considering this possibility.

But upon careful thought, it seemed entirely implausible.

He knew himself best.

The other him was filled with cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness to the bone; it disdained even killing mortals, let alone Alex.

From beginning to end, the only opponent had been Solomon's Seventy-Two Pillars Demon Gods.

At this moment,

Du Wei asked Gascogne a few more questions.

They were all about Alex and Minette.

But the answers he received were all ones he already knew, with nothing incorrect anymore.

Yet, it only made Du Wei feel worse.

Everything seemed to be cloaked in a layer of fog.

Though one could discern the vague outlines within, the truth remained elusive.

Turning to Gascogne,

although he was completely lost in the illusions, faint signs of lucidity were beginning to emerge.

Without any hesitation, Du Wei pressed on, "Where is Five Keys Town?"

Gascogne answered, "Five Keys Town has disappeared. At the end of the last century, about the time when Alex was born, Five Keys Town vanished from the map completely; nobody knows what happened there."

Du Wei nodded and remembered it in his heart.

He then asked, "One last question, what's the deal with the Vanity Sect?"

Gascogne opened his mouth, his tone trembling slightly as he said, "We are a whole, a collective of thirteen. Once we put on our masks, we can never take them off."

"Alfaria is a fraud."

"He deceived both me and Brand; he is very dangerous."

"The Vanity Sect is a hellish lair."

As the last sentence was uttered,

Gascogne's eyes suddenly widened, as if he had touched upon some unspeakable taboo, and blood promptly spurted from his eye sockets.

"Du Wei... what... what have you done to me, you devil?"

Clearly, Gascogne's consciousness had awakened.

Just as he was about to resist, the next second he found that he was completely immobilized.

His body was engulfed in a mass of shadows.

The chilling fear, as cold as a surge of ice water, had penetrated every fiber of his being.

Gascogne said in anger, "You will die, you've heard what you should not have heard."

As members of the Vanity Sect,

every soul was branded with a restriction that absolutely forbade revealing secrets.

And it was this very restriction

that had freed Gascogne from the illusions, bringing him abruptly back to consciousness.

Du Wei looked at Gascogne with an eerily calm tone, "Everybody dies, but you'll certainly die before me."

"You want to kill me?"

Gascogne's eyes hardened, and after a pause, he sneered, "Do you dare? The Vanity Sect is a collective; if you kill me, you will disrupt Alfaria's plan. With your current power, if he wants to kill you, nobody can save you."

Du Wei shook his head and said, "You're wrong. Your death won't disrupt Alfaria's plan because as far as the Vanity Sect is concerned, you should be recuperating on Lake Island right now."

Gascogne asked through clenched teeth, "What do you mean?"

Du Wei stated indifferently, "It's quite simple. Your clone has already been taken back by Brand; he doesn't even know he's a copy. He will replace you and become Gascogne."

"Although I don't know the details of your plans,"

"If the collective of thirteen is infiltrated by an impostor, no matter what you do, your plan is bound to fail."

Gascogne fell into despair.

Meanwhile, Du Wei said calmly, "I've gone to great lengths, hoping to extract something more from you, but it seems you've already said everything you know."

"You've lost all value."

"Shadow... kill him."