Chapter 27

Even without the fleeting aura fluctuation, Ken and his companions could still determine the direction clearly.

This was because their companion, Gembur, had the manifestation ability "Gambler's Frenzy," which, when redeeming a prize, had a mechanism of "absolute fulfillment" within a reasonable range.

It was only logical that using the grand prize to get a directional guidance would be fulfilled.

This was also the confidence that allowed Ken and his companions to determine their direction.

"Location confirmed."

In the driver's seat was a burly, dark-skinned man with a buzz cut.

This man was Gembur, who possessed the "Gambler's Frenzy" ability.

"That's not needed anymore."

He controlled the steering wheel with one hand, glanced at the direction of the scenic area, and then extended his other hand out of the window to flick away a handful of blood.

Ken, sitting in the passenger seat, noticed Gembur's action and smiled, praising him: "Gembur, it's good to be confident."

The blood that Gembur flicked away came from Hawk.

"Blood, return to your master."

This was the content that Gembur had redeemed with a grand prize.

Then, under the guidance of the blood, they arrived here. However, before they reached their destination, they sensed the sudden burst of a怨念 (yuan nian, "grudge") aura fluctuation.

Although it lasted only about a second, it was enough for them to determine the location.

That's why Gembur confidently threw away Hawk's blood, thus terminating the ability's effect.

Ken, seeing this, couldn't help but praise Gembur's confidence, but in his heart, he was cursing Gembur for being irrational.

How could Gembur detect Ken's true thoughts? He grinned and stepped hard on the gas pedal.

With a roar like a beast, the black car suddenly accelerated and sped forward.

The five black cars following closely behind could only step on the gas to keep up.

"What the hell is Gembur up to? Leading the way on such a broken road and still flooring it, has he ever considered the possibility of a blowout?"

In one of the cars, a long-haired man wearing sunglasses cursed.

Sitting in the passenger seat was the still provocatively dressed Shyvyr.

She, who was already used to Gembur's sudden fits, did not join in the long-haired man's complaints.

"Bang!"

At that moment, a loud noise came from ahead.

The long-haired man and Shyvyr looked in the direction of the sound.

They saw Gembur's car crash into a rock wall, the entire vehicle deformed.

Despite the strong impact, Gembur and Ken, as Nen users, were unharmed, but the three armed members sitting in the back of the car were not so lucky and died on the spot.

"That idiot..."

The long-haired man sighed and immediately braked to a stop.

He and Shyvyr got out of the car, and the cars following behind them also stopped one after another.

"What a piece of junk tire."

Gembur, unscathed, kicked the severely deformed car, completely unconcerned about the three armed members who had died in the car.

Ken stood beside him.

He held a long black-sheathed sword, his expression calm, as if Gembur's reckless operation had not affected his mood.

The long-haired man, who walked over, didn't bother to look at Gembur and said to Ken, "The other cars don't have extra seats, so the two of you will have to walk."

"No problem, we're not in a hurry."

Ken smiled slightly, pointing at the sky that had not yet darkened, and said seriously, "No one would think we would act during 'daytime,' right?"

The long-haired man looked up at the sky and nodded.

Shyvyr, who followed behind him, swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

---

At the top of the scenic area, in the temple courtyard.

It was hard to imagine—

A zombie face that looked like tree bark could display such a rich range of expressions at this moment.

After all, only exorcists could deeply understand the terror of "grudges."

This was because the vast majority of exorcists' methods of removal involved first transferring the "grudge" to themselves and then elevating and digesting it.

This zero-distance contact, along with the accompanying risks, constantly reminded exorcists of the dangers.

Arisel, just by looking closely at the aura emitted by the "Scales," completely lost the courage to further interact with it.

That level of grudge was far beyond his reach.

So, subconsciously considering himself superior, he straightforwardly admitted his inadequacy in front of everyone when he was startled.

However—

Hawk subsequently pointed out the true object that needed to be removed for Arisel.

It was not the "Scales" that had just emitted a terrifying aura, but the gas-like expression on Ratbo's tail.

Arisel's face, still showing signs of shock, slowly turned to look at Ratbo's tail under Hawk's guidance, remaining silent.

Moyu and Kido, after calming down, also looked at Ratbo.

In their eyes, the gas at the end of Ratbo's tail did not seem particularly special, nor did they feel any threat from it.

Hawk did not explain but directly deactivated his ability.

"One-way passage"

The straight-ahead mark on Ratbo's head suddenly glowed green.

At the same time, fine blood threads began to appear on the surface of the "gas" at the end of its tail, quickly covering the entire mass.

"Snap."

Ratbo made a soft sound.

Before the sound faded, the gas covered with blood threads shrank and withered like a deflated balloon, eventually disappearing.

At the same time—

Worm-like black grudges began to emerge from Hawk's face, neck, and arms, spreading.

Next, Hawk's body began to age.

The flesh on his face became loose and sagged, many wrinkles appeared on his forehead, and his thick beard turned white.

In just a couple of seconds—

His originally robust figure had noticeably thinned.

Seeing Hawk's sudden transformation, Moyu, Kido, and Arisel all wore expressions of shock.

Aging, dying, turning to ash.

This was the price the "Scales" had inflicted on Hawk.

More terrifying—

This price would be passed down through the bloodline.

In other words, once Hawk died, this aging phenomenon would transfer to Moyu.

"Mr. Arisel, the grudge attached to me... I entrust it to you."

Hawk's voice had become much hoarser, but it still carried a tone of expectation.

Arisel's eyes trembled as he stared at Hawk, stunned.

What he had seen and heard today had severely impacted his senses.

"I..."

Arisel hesitated.

He wanted to refuse, but the pride he had cultivated over the years was pulling at his thoughts.

"I'll give it a try..."

Arisel ultimately did not refuse.

Hawk, in his aged state, immediately felt relieved, at least seeing a glimmer of hope.

"Hawk."

Moyu quickly walked over, supporting Hawk's aged arm, his eyes complex.

Whether to exorcise or not—

The choice given by his subconscious seemed like an innate instinct, without any sense of contradiction.