William Carter sat cross-legged in meditation for a long time as the sky gradually darkened. The red sun sank in the west; evening had arrived. John Foster had somehow managed to catch two more wild rabbits, set up a campfire, and roasted them until the fat sizzled and dripped. The aroma was mouthwatering. Although William Carter had heard that Tantric lamas were not forbidden from eating meat—and that some special practitioners were even allowed to marry—he had rarely seen a monk as gluttonous as John Foster.

After getting up this morning, he had come here and stayed all afternoon. The meal that Old Mr. Bolton had treated him to last night had long since been fully digested. William Carter hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he could not resist the hunger burning in his belly. He set aside his pride, grabbed a piece of rabbit meat, and ate heartily.

John Foster grinned, about to speak, when suddenly strange noises erupted throughout the mountains and fields, and black smoke rose everywhere. Without waiting for John Foster's signal, William Carter slapped a few talismans for exorcising evil onto himself. Unlike John Foster, whose cultivation was profound and who was impervious to all evil, William Carter feared that before he could even catch any ghosts or monsters, the chilling yin wind would freeze him to the bone and he would die a mysterious death, possessed by a hundred ghosts.

William Carter had great confidence in these talismans—they were his usual tools for exorcising ghosts and catching monsters, and had proven quite effective.

With nightfall, the yin energy was ten times stronger than during the day. Billowing black smoke, mixed with countless wronged souls, filled the air with overwhelming ghostly energy, far beyond anything seen in daylight.

William Carter drew his broken sword, forcing himself to appear calm, but his hands and feet still trembled uncontrollably.

Chapter Three: The Fierce Ghost

“Heaven may abandon me, but it is not the fault of battle...”

A deep, thunderous roar, mixed with endless yin wind, sounded especially jarring. Countless shadowy spirits around them howled madly, and for a moment, William Carter could not tell if this was the same voice as last night.

He turned to look and saw John Foster sitting with legs spread on the ground, completely unmoved. William Carter felt a new level of respect for this renowned old monk. He wondered what kind of magic John Foster had used, for within five feet around them, there seemed to be an invisible barrier—no matter how the spirits outside crashed about, they could not enter, and William Carter was protected as well.

Seeing William Carter was a bit nervous, John Foster said reassuringly, “These are just scattered spirits trapped here. It will be a while before the Dutian Ghost General appears. Young Taoist, there’s no need to worry.”

William Carter was slightly taken aback and strained to look into the distance, saying to John Foster, “Isn’t the one roaring now the Dutian Ghost General?”

Shaking his head slightly, John Foster replied, “The Dutian Ghost General is an evil being formed from the fusion of thousands of spirits. This one, however, is a naturally born fierce spirit of a thousand years—it’s not the same thing. If it weren’t for Edward Parker's insatiable greed, gathering all the evil spirits from thousands of miles around, some of these ancient fierce spirits would not submit to his control, which is why his Doumu Xuanling secret spell has yet to succeed. Otherwise, this old monk wouldn’t have to go to the trouble of exorcising demons today…”

With a long sigh, John Foster said in a deep voice, “This old monk has no choice but to try to perish together with it if I can’t stop this fiend.”

Hearing John Foster's words, William Carter was deeply shocked. The distinction between humans and demons in this world was clear-cut. The Ten Great Demons of the world were not human and could not be compared to top masters like John Foster. The former often cultivated for a thousand years and possessed profound power, while the latter had extraordinary wisdom and followed the way of heaven. William Carter truly did not know, if it came to a direct contest, whether the current Four Great Masters or the Ten Great Demons were more formidable.

As William Carter was pondering, a sudden thunderous shout erupted, and a pitch-black figure appeared out of nowhere beside him. An overwhelming murderous aura instantly filled the area. William Carter ran his left hand along his broken sword, letting the blade drink blood once more to sharpen it, and gathered all his true energy to resist this killing intent.

“Who in the world can block the path of George Washington? All of you, get out of my way!”

Even though William Carter was under the protection of Robert Foster and had exorcism talismans and true energy shielding him, this single shout still made his head buzz, and he nearly dropped his broken sword and covered his ears.

Whoosh!

Another thunderous shout, and a fist the size of a wine jar seemed to appear from the underworld, heading straight for John Foster's forehead. Even before the fist arrived, the fierce wind had already made John Foster's robes flutter, and a few tattered strips of cloth reluctantly drifted away from his body.

William Carter had not expected that this self-proclaimed greatest overlord of all time would be so overwhelmingly powerful. Even John Foster's Buddhist protection could not stop him for a moment, and in an instant, he had broken through. William Carter thrust his broken sword swiftly, trying to help John Foster out of danger.

“Subdue demons and exorcise evil, James Foster.”

Compared to William Carter's hasty move, John Foster was already fully prepared. Forming the Vajra King Sword mudra with his hands, a ball of purple flame burst from his fingertips. Sitting motionless, he met the overlord’s fist head-on.

In the clash of energies, William Carter, whose cultivation was far inferior to the other two, had his broken sword shattered into seven or eight pieces. Before he could even get close, he was sent flying backward, coughing up blood.

Soaring seven or eight zhang through the air as if riding clouds and mist, William Carter had just hit the ground when countless fierce spirits pounced upon him.