Chapter 99: My Destiny
The big oak tree at the town's entrance is where the Soul Collector is suppressed. Even with so many people surrounding it, there's still a great risk; the Soul Collector could go berserk and kill indiscriminately at any moment.
Marcus drove around the town, heading towards St. Michael's Church from another direction.
At the entrance of St. Michael's, adorned with stained glass windows and white stone columns, a heavyset young man was seeing off a visitor.
"Blessed papers are 5 dollars each. They're very effective at warding off evil, changing luck, and bestowing blessings. Three aren't enough, come on, buy five and get one free! We've also launched the latest digital blessings, which you can carry with you on your phone. Want to buy one and try it?"
Marcus got out of the car, carrying a briefcase, and walked towards the entrance. The heavyset man's eyes lit up when he saw Marcus's attire, and he quickly stepped forward to greet him:
"Sir, are you here for prayers or blessed items? Blessed papers are 5 dollars each. If you're praying for blessings, our prayer candles are very effective. Small candles are 3 dollars each, okay?"
"I'll take all the blessed papers!" Marcus replied, seemingly looking like an easy mark.
"Alright, alright, I'll count them right away and pack them up for you. I'll give you a 5% discount!"
The heavyset man, upon hearing "all of them," didn't doubt it at all and hurriedly started counting, as if afraid Marcus would change his mind.
While he was counting, Master Alex had already returned to St. Michael's. He walked up behind the heavyset man, Gabe, who was bent over counting in the box, and tapped him on the head:
"Trying to overcharge the customer again!"
He made no attempt to hide it in front of Marcus.
Then he turned to Marcus and asked him what he had come for.
"Master Alex, you just got back from the scene. What are your thoughts on the corpse that was hanged earlier?"
Marcus's words caused Master Alex's expression to change drastically, and he looked at Marcus warily.
"What do you mean? What do you know?"
Marcus gestured for Master Alex to calm down, but didn't answer. Instead, he walked to the altar, lit a prayer candle, bowed, and placed it inside.
Marcus then slowly said,
"Father Cross is a priest I admire. He sacrificed himself to exorcise evil spirits, and I deeply respect him. However, there are some things he didn't handle properly!"
Master Alex hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. The Soul Collector suppressed under the big oak tree at the town's entrance was a secret between him and his fellow disciple, bought with his master's life. Why did this person seem to know something?
"The Soul Collector wasn't completely suppressed. There's still a fragment outside. Did you know that, Master Alex?"
Marcus's words struck Master Alex like a bolt from the blue. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"You know about the Soul Collector? Who are you?"
Master Alex adopted a defensive stance and asked seriously.
"I found this at the home of the smuggler who was hanged last night."
Marcus reached into his bag and pulled out a small burlap sack. He walked up to Master Alex, slightly opened it to let him peek inside, then quickly tied it up and put it back in his briefcase.
But that one glimpse was enough.
Master Alex recognized it instantly; it was definitely a fragment of the Soul Collector. So, the Soul Collector was incomplete all along; his master's sacrifice had been utterly meaningless.
Master Alex was instantly overcome with grief and heartache, coughing involuntarily while covering his mouth with his hand. He then clenched his fist and lowered it, concealing a trace of blood on his palm.
His life force had been damaged by Lily, and he hadn't fully recovered. He couldn't even channel his spirit or invoke the Reaper in the ritual.
"Father Cross's sacrifice was worthwhile; he kept the Soul Collector suppressed for five years. But now that it's trying to escape, I want to ask Master Alex to completely eliminate it,"
Marcus said, his eyes flashing with anger.
"You're right, but why do you hate the Soul Collector so much?"
Master Alex still felt a bit wary and asked uneasily.
Marcus simply took out a few newspapers from his briefcase, pointed to a section, and Master Alex immediately understood the whole story.
Marcus then told Master Alex about the Soul Collector's plan to find a psychic, gather the malevolent energy of seven hanged victims into one body, and transform it into human form. Master Alex was horrified.
After discussing for a while, the two decided to eliminate the Soul Collector, but they still needed to devise a plan.
"Master Alex, I want to avenge my nephew myself. Could I learn exorcism techniques from you?"
Marcus looked at Master Alex with a determined expression in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Master Alex pondered for a moment. His health was failing, and it would be good to have someone who could help. He said,
"The techniques of a spiritual medium are no longer secret; they're not rare anymore. If you want to learn, you can study these books."
"However, the most difficult is 'channeling one's life force.' Only a few people can succeed at this; not everyone can become a medium."
Marcus knew from the movies that invoking the Reaper required channeling one's own life force.
"Master Alex, does the Reaper really exist?" Marcus asked, glancing down at his briefcase.
His question was clear.
If the Reaper truly existed, why was this Soul Collector so arrogant? If he didn't exist, why did this practice of channeling one's life force exist?
"I had the same question after my master's death, and I consulted many materials. But I found no answer. The power of the mediums only weakened, and of course, the power of the evil spirits also diminished, but the mediums' power weakened even faster."
"But I feel that the Reaper I invoked was about form, intention, and spirit, not about being a deity; deities don't descend to the mortal realm. Even if there are methods for invoking gods, they are definitely not like ours. However, as long as it works against evil spirits, that's enough!"
Marcus nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, then asked,
"What is 'channeling one's life force'?"
"Channeling one's life force involves lighting a candle and placing a trace of one's life force within it, offering it before the Reaper's altar. Generally, evil spirits won't be able to enter the church. When performing the ritual, one's vital energy won't leak out, nor will it be tainted by dark energy."
Marcus then expressed to Master Alex his desire to learn the method of channeling one's life force, and Master Alex didn't refuse.
The method wasn't complicated; in fact, it was quite simple.
Master Alex taught Marcus the prayer and ritual in ten minutes.
Marcus relit a prayer candle and placed it in front of the altar. After the offering, he lit the ceremonial flame before the shrine.
He formed a hand sign with his left hand, keeping the other three fingers straight. He clenched his right fist, the four fingers gripping his palm tightly.
Then, as his left hand, still in the ritual position, moved closer to the candle flame, the position changed to a flat palm.
The tiny flame inside the ceremonial lamp suddenly surged five times its original height, roaring and startling Master Alex beside him.
"You succeeded on your first try! And how is your innate talent so strong!"
Master Alex was dumbfounded. This talent was no less than that of his fellow disciple, Brother Kane, who possessed the "Reaper's Chosen Destiny."
Strong, huh? It was obtained by exchanging a ginseng root!
Marcus could sense that the reason he was so strong was related to his powerful spiritual connection, coupled with his recovery ability. He felt he could channel the Reaper for seven days and seven nights straight.
Having learned how to channel his life force, Marcus, upon hearing that Master Alex was going to find Brother Kane, declared he would go with him. He explained that Brother Kane was now in a state of despair, addicted to alcohol, and he was worried that Master Alex wouldn't be able to handle him alone.
(End of Chapter)
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