There are also legends that the Dunjia Heavenly Book is no longer a mere medical classic of the mortal world. Aside from the Human Dunjia volume, which was written by Benjamin Franklin and contains medical knowledge, the other two volumes were not authored by Benjamin Franklin at all, but were instead obtained from immortals. They are said to possess great supernatural powers, such as summoning wind and rain, subduing demons and monsters. Thus, it is rumored that what was burned at the time was only the "Qing Nang Book," not the true and complete Dunjia Heavenly Book...

Now, this treasure has actually been stored by Mr. Cat, that unscrupulous, overaged youth, in a document on his phone. If Benjamin Franklin is watching from the heavens, one can only wonder what he would think...

To return to the main story, at this moment, William Carter was already utterly exhausted, fleeing for his life. Although, thanks to his otaku biological clock, he was basically a veteran at staying up all night, the fatigue from this high-strung escape was nothing like surfing the internet.

Two hours ago, William Carter had still been full of bravado, vowing to slay gods and destroy demons. But he soon discovered that, in practice, things in this world were quite different from his ideals. First of all, while the dagger could indeed strike ghosts, it was, after all, just a dagger, not a broadsword. One slash—fine, very powerful—would leave a wound, but then the ghost would shriek a couple of times and seem perfectly fine, and then dozens more would swarm in one after another... William Carter still had to run for his life.

He fought desperately to carve a bloody path—though, of course, it was his own blood... all from being grabbed and bitten. Perhaps someone might ask: after two bike crashes in one day and now being chased by ghosts, just how much blood has William Carter lost? How much blood does he even have to lose? Actually, not that much—probably just a bit more than a single blood donation, but definitely not enough to be fatal. Besides, as an otaku with no girlfriend, he generally had an excess of vital energy, so losing a little blood might even help reduce some internal heat.

Perhaps William Carter himself hadn’t noticed yet, but he was already far stronger than the average person. If someone with no spiritual awareness encountered this situation, they’d probably die of fright countless times over. That kind of terror isn’t because someone is especially timid, but because a person without spiritual awareness facing a ghost is like standing naked in the snow—completely unprotected. Their mind and spirit would be controlled by the illusions created by the ghost. The slightly stronger ones might be able to resist, but once touched by a spirit, they’d be paralyzed, unable to move or even make a sound, left at the ghost’s mercy.

Of course, William Carter didn’t know any of this. At this moment, he was running in a panic, clearly caught in some kind of ghostly maze again, and this time he had no way to break free. He ran through one deserted street after another, even feeling as if he was no longer in S City at all. There wasn’t even a single light on in the surrounding buildings—only the dim streetlights still functioned. And he couldn’t stop to rest; at every corner, a face straight out of a horror movie might suddenly appear, shrieking and attacking him.

The more William Carter ran, the angrier he became. Why could these ghosts touch his body, but he couldn’t attack them directly and could only rely on protective items to escape? Why could he only temporarily injure these spirits, but not destroy them completely? There were so many things he wanted to know, but this was hardly the time for idle speculation—no answers would come. As a result, William Carter grew increasingly irritable. If anything were to trigger his crazed desire for revenge at this moment, he would surely tear it to pieces.

Just then, that grotesque-faced female ghost, oblivious to her own peril, appeared before William Carter. Behind her, the road was packed with ghosts, so densely that there was no way through. William Carter tried to turn and run the other way, only to find that the pursuers behind him were no fewer than those in front. He was truly cornered.

“I’ll take you down with me!” William Carter shouted, now completely unhinged. Dagger in his right hand, bamboo scroll swinging in his left, he charged at the female ghost with both weapons. “Charge!” “Hamstring!” “Berserk!” “Lethal Strike!” At this moment, William Carter unleashed the classic warrior opening combo from a certain online game—at least, that’s what he thought. To others, it probably just looked like a clumsy brawl.

William Carter was instantly swallowed up by the tide of ghosts. The dagger fell to the ground, and the bamboo scroll seemed to lose its effect. His nerves must have reached their limit, like a taut string suddenly snapping. William Carter lay on the ground, bitten by a hundred ghosts, gradually growing numb to the pain. At this moment, he thought that maybe dying like this would be a kind of release—there was nothing in this world he was truly attached to anyway. And so, he closed his eyes...

Suddenly, a beam of white light shot up from the pitch-black street. The ghosts near William Carter’s body instantly vanished as if vaporized. William Carter stood up—the “Demon Subduing Chapter” was fully unfurled. The opened bamboo scroll seemed to defy the laws of physics, stretching out like a chain, floating above and around William Carter, emitting a faint glow.

At the brink of life and death, William Carter recalled many things. He remembered himself three years ago, when he had a pair of eyes different from everyone else’s—eyes that could see things others could not. But he had never told anyone, and ever since he could remember, he had constantly denied himself. Back then, he was silent and withdrawn, with a vague red glow in his eyes. Others always thought this child was strange, so classmates and teachers kept their distance. He didn’t even have a single friend.