Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

Squeak, squeak, squeak...

Du Wei was riding his bicycle, meandering through the streets of Massas City.

He hurried toward the direction in his memory.

And the red balloon, representative of Pennywise, or rather the power bank, was tied to the handlebars of his bike.

Now, this balloon had grown larger than before.

The reason he had called upon Pennywise at this time

was because Du Wei felt that under such circumstances, Pennywise's recovery to his peak state might be significantly hastened.

At worst,

once the shadow brought back enough sacrifices,

he could use Pennywise to strengthen the shadow.

Even if not for the shadow, he could still use it to create another Demon Spirit, dragging it out to be killed, or to be sent into the mask.

Yes...

He was preparing to revive that extremely dangerous Pennywise.

Although it might not be the original version,

it would still inherit the predecessor's characteristics.

...

On the other side.

The dark area of the Strangeness amalgamation was also spreading within Massas City.

But as it spread wider, it became stranger and stranger.

Specifically,

it seemed to possess a hint of intelligence?

Because it did not chase after Du Wei as he had imagined; instead, it split up first, starting to encircle Massas City, then spreading inwards.

From above,

its target seemed to be more than just Du Wei.

Or rather, there was something inside Massas City that had piqued its interest.

What it wanted was to assimilate the city along with Du Wei.

Du Wei himself was already targeted by the Demon God Rahmer, represented by the Antique Clock, as well as the Demon God Valak, and also by the Evil Spirit assimilating the Demon Spirit within Du Wei.

If that Strangeness succeeded, it could evolve into a disaster that nobody could stop.

And yet, Du Wei had not realized this.

Instead, the external church had already sent people to Massas City.

But even if they arrived with the utmost speed, it would already be too late.

...

Crackle...

A bolt of lightning streaked across the dark clouds overhead.

Du Wei, cycling through the darkness, watched as the surroundings were momentarily illuminated.

He rode on,

all the while observing the scenery around him.

By this time, the red balloon had begun to expand.

It was a product born from his own fear, and within the red balloon, a clown's silhouette faintly appeared.

But the more this happened,

the more uneasy Du Wei felt.

"Something's not right, why hasn't it caught up yet?"

"Logically, it should be forcing me into a dead end by now, seizing the chance to take my life, but up to now, while I can feel the danger growing stronger, I haven't confronted any substantial threat."

Du Wei had now adjusted his mentality.

He was on guard against everything.

"Definitely something off."

"There must be something I haven't thought of."

"If it's not chasing after me to kill me, what exactly is it planning?"

"Judging from its previous behavior, its hatred towards me should be the greatest, unless there's something that has diverted its attention."

"Could it be the shadow?"

"No... I don't feel any danger to the shadow, I could call it back at any time."

"Could it be something else?"

Du Wei remained calm. The reason why he had not dared to enter Massas City again

was not only because of the extreme danger this city posed,

but also because of a piece of information he had received from Alex's grandfather.

Within the agreement the Wittebach family and the Mask Maker had made, it was said that beneath Massas City lay something left behind by them.

That something was suspected to be related to Solomon's Seventy-Two Pillars Demon Gods.

"Could it be?"

Du Wei was somewhat uncertain.

He raised his head to look around, his gaze met only with dim shadows, everything emanating an ominous and deathly stillness.

"I need to think of a way."

He told himself this, even though he was currently unclear on what the strange amalgamation ultimately wanted to do, the precondition that it wanted to kill him was unchangeable.

"No matter what it wants to do, I can't let it succeed."

Du Wei's tone was very determined.

His thoughts were clearer than ever before.

He glanced at the silhouette becoming gradually clearer within the red balloon, and an even crazier idea surfaced in his mind.

Beyond the Demon Gods, his Marking Ability could mark all the eerie existences currently known to him.

Then, through some means,

he could forcibly mark the Evil Spirits, Evil Spirits, Demon Spirits, and Strangeness within Massas City.

Logically speaking, with Du Wei's power, it simply couldn't be done.

But if it were the Evil Spirit Du Wei, it would be all too easy.

"The shadow must not have collected enough Sacrifices for me yet, but as long as I can stimulate the other me who sleeps, it will be able to grant me some strength."

"I don't need too much."

"Because I can satisfy all the other conditions."

With this thought, the peculiarity in Du Wei's eyes grew more intense.

He spoke in a cold voice, "Shadow."

The next second.

Within Massas City, the shadow that had just pierced a Demon Spirit that was only half a body with a Dagger and Scalpel abruptly looked up.

Its bloodshot eyes focused in one direction.

It felt the summon.

Thus, after tilting its head, a creaking door opening sound came from its body made of shadows.

That half of a Demon Spirit was promptly locked away inside.

Ever since the shadow obtained the Evil Spirit Scalpel, it seemed to have grown much stronger than before.

Then, it vanished from sight.

...

In just an instant,

the shadow that had disappeared behind Du Wei reemerged.

He rode his bike.

The shadow, however, behaved differently, stretching out very long.

Afterward, the shadow leapt towards Du Wei like a living thing.

The latter was expressionless.

He allowed the shadow to overlap with him.

But most of the shadow was converging towards the Mask.

"The sacrifices are far fewer than I expected."

Du Wei's voice was somewhat cold, but he knew that the shadow, being able to procure Sacrifices for him in Massas City, couldn't be faulted much.

The next second.

Du Wei touched the mask on his face.

A chill emanated slowly from the mask.

In turn, one of Du Wei's eyes also turned pitch black.

"It's enough."

Du Wei stopped his bike, untied the silk thread binding Pennywise, then touched the mask on his face again.

The shadow immediately withdrew.

Du Wei said to it, "You are my shadow, also a part of me, so I will never mind your strength. And now, I'm giving you an opportunity."

"I don't like Pennywise because it enjoys courting death."

"Now, I want you to take its place."

"When every existence in this city sees you, you will also see them."

"What you see will also be what I see."

"I know there are many terrifying beings hidden in Massas City, but they've been silent for too long, which I don't like."

"So, from now on, make this city lively."

Having said that, Du Wei grabbed the shadow and stuffed it into the red balloon.

The balloon inflated to its limit in an instant and floated towards the gloomy sky.

Only the long string remained in Du Wei's hand.

After that, Du Wei again rode his bike, casually heading towards the center of Massas City.