Lucien's tone was calm.
Almost casual.
But to Elise and the Rain Ghost standing behind him—
it sounded unbelievably terrifying.
After witnessing what he had done to Parker and the countless evil spirits before him, neither of them doubted it anymore.
If Lucien truly wanted to—
he would wipe out every wandering spirit in this realm.
And honestly?
That was exactly what he was considering.
As he looked across the sea of ghosts before him, thoughts flashed through his mind.
This dark realm was constantly expanding.
Growing larger.
Growing stronger.
And every time an evil spirit was injured, traces of soul energy leaked into the environment.
The realm absorbed it all.
Parker.
Parker's mother.
The countless spirits he had defeated.
All of them had contributed to it.
However—
Lucien had noticed something interesting.
When a spirit was completely destroyed—
when it was truly erased—
that energy never escaped.
It simply vanished.
Which meant one thing.
Someone.
Or something.
Was feeding this place.
Whether this realm had formed naturally or had been deliberately created, Lucien didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
Anything that harvested power through endless suffering probably wasn't benevolent.
Since he'd already stumbled into the problem—
he might as well solve it thoroughly.
Before he could think further—
a furious roar suddenly erupted from the crowd.
The spirits understood his words.
Unfortunately—
they were no longer capable of rational thought.
Years of wandering through darkness had consumed the last traces of their sanity.
All that remained was obsession.
They wanted bodies.
They wanted life.
They wanted escape.
And those desires drove them completely mad.
The horde surged forward.
Countless ghostly claws reached toward Lucien.
Dark energy flooded the surroundings like a tidal wave.
Behind him, Elise and the Rain Ghost instinctively retreated several steps.
Fear appeared on Elise's face.
Even standing behind Lucien, she could feel the overwhelming pressure.
Then what was Lucien experiencing while facing the entire horde head-on?
The answer came quickly.
Lucien moved.
Invisible currents exploded around him.
Wind swirled.
Spiritual energy surged.
And he charged directly into the sea of ghosts.
The Rain Ghost immediately covered her eyes.
She couldn't bear to watch.
Because this battle had no suspense whatsoever.
The spirits never had a chance.
—
When everything finally ended—
silence returned.
Lucien stood alone amidst the ruins.
The endless stream of system notifications echoed inside his mind.
[You destroyed an evil spirit while in Yin Spirit form.]
[Soul Strength +1]
[Soul Strength +1]
[Soul Strength +1]
The notifications continued endlessly.
Then—
[You have destroyed numerous evil spirits.]
[Soul Strength +7!]
Another notification appeared.
[Continuous close-quarters combat has deepened your understanding of martial arts.]
[Bajiquan Proficiency +3]
[Taijiquan Proficiency +3]
[Xingyiquan Proficiency +3]
A final message followed.
[Bajiquan Intent has reached Major Accomplishment!]
Lucien wasn't surprised.
Throughout the fight, he had alternated between martial arts and spiritual techniques.
Against ordinary people—
evil spirits were terrifying because of their supernatural abilities.
But once those abilities lost effectiveness—
they weren't much different from untrained humans.
With wind manipulation protecting him...
Nightmare Prayer disrupting entire groups...
And his summoned allies supporting the battlefield...
The fight had been almost effortless.
The surrounding spirits vanished completely.
Not a single trace remained.
The ground looked spotless.
As if nothing had happened.
Lucien was about to turn away when his eyes suddenly narrowed.
A flash of red disappeared into the darkness.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
A crimson figure leapt between shadows before vanishing.
Unlike the other spirits—
this creature had never joined the attack.
It had simply watched.
Observed.
Waited.
Then left.
Lucien's gaze sharpened.
A demon?
Even from that brief glimpse, he had clearly seen goat-like hooves.
A long tail.
A humanoid shape wrapped in crimson.
This realm was becoming more interesting by the minute.
Not only were there evil spirits.
There were demons too.
And unlike the ghosts—
that thing felt dangerous.
Lucien wasn't completely certain he could instantly kill it while in his current Yin Spirit state.
So he allowed it to leave.
Still—
something about it felt familiar.
Very familiar.
"Lucien..."
Elise finally approached.
She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Are you alright?"
"Can we continue searching for the oxygen-mask spirit now?"
Lucien nodded.
"Yes."
Then he added:
"But give me a few minutes."
"I need a short rest."
Elise's eyelid twitched.
A short rest?
He had just annihilated an entire army of evil spirits.
And all he needed was a few minutes?
The helper she had recruited this time felt absurdly powerful.
Elise knew very well that evil spirits weren't weak.
The only reason everything had seemed so easy was because Lucien was standing beside her.
With him around—
her role had been reduced to guiding and investigating.
As for actual fighting...
There wasn't much left for her to do.
Nearby, the Rain Ghost stood obediently beside them.
After witnessing Lucien's methods, not a single spirit dared approach this area.
The surroundings became unbelievably peaceful.
For the first time in years—
this terrifying realm felt strangely safe.
Elise looked around.
Then muttered softly:
"This really is eye-opening..."
After Lucien finished resting, the group continued forward.
This time—
nothing blocked their path.
No ambushes.
No spirits.
No obstacles.
After walking for some time, they arrived before a lonely wooden door.
The Rain Ghost immediately pointed toward it.
"He's inside..."
Then she retreated several steps and curled up against a wall.
Clearly unwilling to get any closer.
Lucien stepped forward and pushed open the door.
Creak.
Inside stood an old man.
His back faced the entrance.
Hearing the door open, he slowly turned around.
The moment Elise saw his face—
her body trembled.
Her eyes widened.
A name escaped her lips involuntarily.
"Jack..."
The man standing before her was her husband.
Her deceased husband.
The man she had missed for years.
The man she had desperately wanted to see again.
During her entire career as a medium, Jack had always supported her.
Encouraged her.
Protected her.
The desire to see him again had become one of her deepest regrets.
Which was exactly why Parker had managed to target her.
But then—
Elise suddenly snapped back to reality.
No.
This wasn't Jack.
Jack would never be here.
The only thing that could be here—
was the oxygen-mask spirit.
Before she could react—
a blur shot past her.
Lucien.
The crowbar descended immediately.
BANG!
The old man flew across the room.
Rolling across the floor.
The illusion shattered.
His appearance distorted rapidly.
The gentle old man disappeared.
In his place appeared a gaunt, twisted spirit.
Its head tilted unnaturally.
Heavy breathing echoed through the room.
Huff...
Huff...
Huff...
The sound alone was enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Hand over Quinn's soul!"
Elise stepped forward instantly.
The lantern in her hand erupted with exorcising light.
She wasn't trying to steal the victory.
She was worried.
If Lucien accidentally destroyed the spirit too quickly—
they might never find Quinn's missing soul.
The oxygen-mask spirit showed no fear.
Instead—
it began clapping slowly.
A smile stretched across its face.
Then—
something crawled out from the darkness.
A figure.
Missing both arms.
Missing both legs.
Missing its eyes.
It dragged itself across the floor like a broken doll.
Even so—
Elise recognized the clothes immediately.
"Quinn!"
Her face turned pale.
It was Quinn's soul.
Or rather—
what remained of it.
The girl crawled obediently to the spirit's feet.
Like a trained pet.
Like something that had completely lost its will.
Elise's heart sank.
She immediately moved forward.
But before she could attack—
the oxygen-mask spirit grabbed Quinn's soul.
Then lifted her in front of itself.
Using her as a shield.
The room fell silent.
Elise froze.
The spirit's smile widened.
Despicable.
Absolutely despicable.
It had taken Quinn hostage.