Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

Oppressive, gloomy...

When the Antique Clock began to malfunction, Du Wei suddenly felt as if he were on the brink of death.

It was as if his life was entirely out of control.

If the Antique Clock so desired, it could have simply erased him.

However, Du Wei remained calm, endlessly pondering in his mind.

Ever since he had locked Annabelle in the display cabinet, it had been stuck in a vicious cycle, reduced to being nothing more than a tool for him; discarded at home when not needed and dragged out to meet its demise when necessary.

Under normal circumstances, Annabelle should not have been able to act uncontrollably again.

But that assumed there was no external interference.

And the only external force in the house was the mystifying Antique Clock.

With that thought,

Du Wei calmly looked at the Antique Clock and said, "During my absence, you did something to Annabelle. I may not understand what you want to do, but it must have something to do with me."

He seemed unfazed by the ever-growing sense of oppressive horror.

Rather, his entire demeanor became even calmer and more rational.

He said, "I have been reflecting on something lately. Why don't you kill me? If it was because you were still in recovery earlier, your power has long since exceeded my capacity to endure."

"It would be all too easy for you to kill me."

"After killing me, you could still turn me into a Puppet who acts according to your will."

"I find this to be a problem."

Having said that,

Du Wei entered into Evil Spirit Transformation.

On the back of his right hand, the design of a clock hand slowly emerged.

And it began to turn,

as if responding to the Antique Clock before him.

After some thought, Du Wei said, "The reason I shot at you was to test your limits. You should know that I've always wanted to get rid of you."

"So, there's no chance of us getting along harmoniously."

"Mm... You're quite enigmatic. I've never been able to decipher your purpose, and you're not willing to reveal any information."

"But that doesn't mean I'm at a loss for what to do with you, for instance, right now..."

"You haven't killed me; you're just constantly pressuring me. You make me feel as though you're wary of something, or perhaps, if you were to kill me, your goal would remain unattainable."

As the last words fell,

the Antique Clock suddenly stopped its abnormal movements.

The dreadfully oppressive presence that had been so overwhelming moments before vanished in an instant.

As if nothing had never happened.

And it ceased to respond to Du Wei in any way.

Seeing this,

Du Wei suddenly laughed, "Your current reaction tells me that my thoughts are correct."

"And also..."

"I think my chances of killing you are much greater than your chances of killing me..."

After the last sentence, he no longer paid any attention to the Antique Clock, and instead turned and took down the display cabinet, carrying it upstairs.

...

Upstairs.

Inside the bedroom.

Du Wei sat on the bed with the display cabinet set aside.

At this moment, Annabelle no longer feigned innocence. It kept its gaze fixed on Du Wei. Although there was no malice, it exuded a dense sense of deadly stillness.

This thing was different from before.

Du Wei wanted to put an end to it.

But now, he had a new idea.

"The Antique Clock... ah, Rahmer's Bell, the one-sided connection between it and me is just too deep."

"It has always been influencing me."

"But it seems to have sensed that I was slipping out of its control, so it also started to make its moves."

Even though Du Wei hadn't witnessed the destruction of the display case with his own eyes,

he was still able to infer the direction of events based on the details.

As he spoke, Du Wei reached out and opened the display case.

The Evil Spirit Transformation Right Hand grasped Annabelle's body.

Mark successful…

Du Wei narrowed his eyes, took Annabelle out, and said to it, "Everything you've done is crystal clear to Rahmer's Bell; I can regard you as its extension."

"So what I'm saying is, I will head to Esselgreen tonight and enter Hell's Gate."

"And after I come out, I will arrange a perfect destiny for you and test the threat of Rahmer's Bell once again."

"When I have enough assurance, this game will officially begin."

"But for now, I need to find you a new home."

Suddenly.

Du Wei muttered in a low voice, "The shadow…"

An aberration immediately appeared behind him.

The shadow kept spreading.

The entire shadow seemed to come alive as the shadow figure appeared behind him, its hands clenching a dagger, its bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Annabelle.

In this house, the shadow figure was the earliest tenant.

Of course…

The crumpled woman's face Evil Spirit didn't count, since it couldn't even handle the very first Du Wei.

Therefore, the shadow always remembered that it originally had the chance to kill Du Wei but was prevented from doing so because of the appearance of Annabelle.

Du Wei turned around and faced the shadow.

That red balloon tied around its neck, fluttering in the air, was particularly striking.

Amid the absurdity was a chilling and horrific coldness.

After thinking for a moment, Du Wei grabbed Annabelle with one hand and stuffed her into the body of the shadow figure.

Creak...

A strange sound of a door opening came from the body of the shadow, very faint, almost inaudible.

Then, it really went inside.

And when Du Wei pulled his hand back out, a backpack appeared in his hand.

Yes...

Now inside the body of the shadow figure was the legacy left by Alvin Dowqui - the door.

In a sense,

The shadow figure really was not much different from a tool.

Having done all this,

Du Wei withdrew a disassembled painting from the backpack as he whispered, "I wonder if after I've locked Annabelle inside the door, the Antique Clock will be able to influence those evil spirits through her."

"If that's the case, I will have more targets to test."

"And this painting, its name is The Other Door, painted by someone who based it on Hell's Gate."

"Moreover, I can push open the door inside the painting, enter the Ghost Dimension therein, which is the Evil Spirit School from ten years ago. And if I push open the door again, I will enter the current reality of that Evil Spirit School."

"It might help me get out of Hell's Gate."

As he said this, Du Wei securely placed the painting close to him.

He had received this painting quite some time ago, but had never found the right opportunity to use it; now, it had come into play.

Just then, Du Wei furrowed his brows, "No, that Evil Spirit School is currently within the city's reflection, and since the bus and Horror House vanished last time, they haven't re-emerged for a long time."

"Could it be that they have started a struggle for dominance again..."

"If that's the case, wouldn't I run into them if I use the painting to leave Hell's Gate?"

Considering this, Du Wei couldn't help but feel a headache.

"Judging by my past luck, such an encounter would almost certainly happen."

"However, behind Hell's Gate, there probably aren't any evil spirits or anything else that holds a grudge against me."

"After all, that's related to Solomon's Seventy-Two Pillars Demon Gods."