Until the successive deaths of his parents, he saw his mother and father, saw that they were still accompanying him and had not gone to another world. A month later, he realized that his parents were actually in great pain. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to leave, but that they were bound to his side. He understood then that he possessed a powerful ability—not only could he see, but he could even control the souls of others. So he used this power on his own soul, erasing all memories related to spirits, hypnotizing and sealing himself, turning into an atheist. And now, that blurry red once again appeared in his eyes, as if blood was swirling in his sockets.

Chapter Six: End and Beginning

The surrounding ghosts scattered in all directions, as if William Carter were the living King of Hell in this world, able to make them vanish at any moment.

A gray soul, as dim as chaos, gray hair as disheveled as this person’s heart, red eyes staring at all living things in the world. At this moment, William Carter seemed to be possessed by another childhood version of his own soul. You know, the state of “he’s not fighting alone” is truly invincible!

He looked coldly at the hundred ghosts before him. With just a wave of one hand, a swath of ghosts turned to dust. The corners of his mouth curled into a cold smile as he reaped these souls, making them all dissipate completely. He had no idea how terrifying his actions were at this moment. Even Mr. Cat wouldn’t dare to destroy so many souls in such a short time. Doing so would disrupt a certain balance between heaven and earth and trigger unimaginable consequences.

At this moment, William Carter discovered that he could actually understand the Demon-Subduing Chapter left by Guiguzi. Not only could he read it, but he could fully comprehend its meaning. The contents recorded within left him in awe. He no longer cared where he was, but desperately absorbed the knowledge recorded in the Demon-Subduing Chapter.

He didn’t notice that as the Demon-Subduing Chapter circled around him, the red in his eyes gradually faded, and he slowly turned back into that homebody William Carter...

Suddenly, he felt his body grow heavy. This feeling... something was approaching again! A monster the size of a car suddenly leapt out from a nearby building, heading straight for that grotesque-faced female ghost. The female ghost was terrified and tried to run, but it was far too late. The beast’s claw left a half-meter-deep pit in the road, pinning the female ghost firmly beneath its paw and tearing her apart to eat her. No matter how shrill her screams, there was not a shred of mercy.

According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Zhen: a beast, shaped like a red leopard, with five tails and one horn, its cry like stones striking.

Before William Carter could react, the female ghost who had given him so much trouble was already in the belly of the beast. The Zhen beast, seemingly unsatisfied, gulped down several nearby ghosts in one go, then turned its head and began to approach William Carter.

But William Carter looked at the Zhen beast with an expression as if it were an idiot, sneering, “You’re just asking for death!” Then, with a grasp of his left hand in the air, the dagger that had fallen to the ground flew back into his hand. He chanted, “Heaven and earth without bounds! Borrowing the power of the universe!” The dagger suddenly shone with dazzling light. With a flick of his fingers in a mystical gesture, he sent the dagger flying toward the Zhen beast, controlling it as ancient people would a flying sword.

Then, something unbelievable happened. The dagger flew to the Zhen beast... and was swallowed in one gulp...

“Uh... hey... bro, um, could you... give that back to me...?” His attack failed, and he instantly reverted to his original self. The image of a master vanished without a trace, and the bamboo scroll returned to its original form, falling to the ground.

This time, it was the Zhen beast’s turn to look at William Carter as if he were an idiot. In almost an instant, it leapt in front of William Carter, swatting him a dozen meters away and slamming him into a bus by the roadside. The windshield shattered, and William Carter flew through the glass, landing in the driver’s seat. His internal organs felt as if they’d been turned inside out. His bones were definitely broken this time, and he had no idea how many. It felt as if his whole body had shattered.

At this moment, William Carter only wanted to pass out quickly and then wake up to find it was all a dream. Unfortunately, the Zhen beast’s heavy footsteps drew closer and closer, each step seeming to stomp on his heart. He forced himself, through excruciating pain, to open the car door and practically rolled out. As soon as he hit the road, the driver’s seat he’d just occupied was flattened by a single swipe of the Zhen beast’s paw, crushing down from the roof. The entire front of the bus was mangled and caved in to one side.

William Carter’s arms and legs could no longer move. He could only crawl along the ground like a worm. Even if he could get just an inch farther from the Zhen beast, his chances of survival would increase. He had fought this hard—he had to survive!

The Zhen beast noticed him too. With a leap, it landed right in front of him, opening its bloody maw to enjoy its feast. At that moment, a voice stopped it: “Little Brian, wait.”

A little boy in a baseball cap walked out of the darkness. He looked William Carter over on the ground, then turned and said, “Little Brian, let’s go.” The Zhen beast obediently lowered itself, allowing him to climb on its back.

William Carter was furious: “Hey, are you kidding me! You keep a dog that big and don’t even leash it? Let it out to bite people everywhere? What’s your name! I want to talk to your parents!”