Chapter 125: Cleanup
Marcus glanced at the bloodstains remaining on the withered grass, followed the trail of blood, pushed aside the tall weeds, and strode after them.
The bloodstains along the way resembled dried paint.
'You have nowhere to escape!'
Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Marcus simply took out a drone from his storage and launched it overhead. At the same time, he held a silenced rifle. Against these ordinary people, modern firepower was more effective.
The Hsu family members, carrying the wounded, moved slowly. However, in the overgrown weeds, visibility was obscured. They believed that one should not pursue a cornered enemy. Since the man had only wounded and not killed, he was still hesitant, so they felt much more at ease.
"Grandfather, that man should have left already. Let's go back first."
"Yes, I didn't expect him to have a gun. Let's go back and get some shotguns before we come back."
Several wounded middle-aged men, still shaken, advised the elderly man.
The old man, drenched in cold sweat from the pain, nodded upon hearing this:
"Tom, Steve, you two are alright, stay here and keep watch. We'll go back to get weapons and bring more members."
"That girl must be taken and handed over to the Mother Buddha. We're about to finish building the new chamber, and for now, we need to appease the deity's anger."
Two middle-aged men, upon hearing this, handed the wounded they were supporting to their companions and stepped out.
The instant the two men emerged...
Thud! Thud!
"You two keep a close eye on that girl." The old man's voice abruptly stopped.
With a dull thud, bloody holes appeared on the foreheads of the two men, their bodies crashing to the ground, crushing a pile of weeds.
A rustling sound came from under the nearby weeds; a wild turkey flapped its wings and fled, thinking its hiding place had been discovered.
"He's chasing us!"
"Run!"
The group panicked instantly, quickly crouching low to the ground, gripping their weapons tightly.
But they no longer had the chance to stand up. A series of gunshots rang out. This time,
Marcus showed no mercy. Grass stalks were snapped in two by the flying bullets, vegetation flew everywhere, and the Hsu family members quickly fell to the ground.
There was no chance to dodge at all. After the barrage, Marcus slowly approached.
In the hand of the now-dead old man lay a container. Three pitch-black scorpions crawled out of it, moving towards Marcus from under the dry grass.
They had long worshipped the deity, raising venomous creatures for her, and had learned some methods of controlling them.
Marcus noticed the threat near his leg, expressionlessly shook his leg, flung the scorpions out, and caught them in his hand.
The venomous scorpions' stingers couldn't even pierce his skin.
He went to the old man, pried open his mouth, and stuffed the scorpions inside.
The old man suddenly opened his eyes, staring viciously at Marcus, and struggled violently, but Marcus covered his mouth, making it impossible for him to break free.
In less than five seconds, the old man's face turned dark, swelled up three times its normal size, and his skin began to rot as if burned.
"Such potent venom!"
Marcus used his absorption ability, and the old man, along with the scorpions inside his body, turned into a dried-up corpse.
He was no longer worried that the old man could continue to play dead.
The Hsu family members who managed to emerge this time were all the strong middle-aged men in their group; the rest were all elderly.
The complete elimination of these able-bodied men here had sealed the fate of this cult that worshipped evil entities.
After cleaning up the scene, Marcus put the remains into his storage and disposed of them before returning to Master Yuan's Temple.
Master Yuan was tidying up the room. Little Angel was now awake and couldn't stay in the temple any longer; at least a place to sleep needed to be provided.
Marcus found Master Yuan and expressed his thoughts.
"Are you really going?"
Master Yuan asked with some worry.
"Yes, that evil entity has suffered two backlashes and lost its devotees; it's at its weakest now. We can't miss this opportunity."
It was time to find the Mother Buddha Deity, and Marcus decided to go tomorrow; it was a bit late today.
"Then I'll prepare some things tonight and go with you!"
Master Yuan understood. This evil entity specifically killed children and had to be eliminated, but he wasn't comfortable with Marcus going alone.
Marcus had some confidence in the mission, at least enough to escape unscathed.
But Master Yuan was just an old man, frail and weak. Although he knew some techniques, even a slight physical attack could seriously harm him.
The deity possessed physical abilities; her manifestations could grab people by the neck and pull them into the air, and she could also manipulate objects to attack people—all of which were shown in the original events.
In the Soul Collector case, Master Alex was physically attacked by a fierce spirit, suffering internal injuries that prevented him from continuing to channel his power.
Physical fragility was a common weakness among spiritual practitioners in both worlds.
"Master Yuan, I need to bring the sacred altar with me tomorrow. I still need you to look after things here. Although I've already dealt with those who attacked the courtyard, we still need to be wary of the deity's methods."
"Only if you're prepared for the deity's tricks at the temple can I eliminate her with peace of mind."
Marcus simply advised Master Yuan. This old man was willing to risk his life with him, and given that he was certain the old man's role was limited, he didn't want him to sacrifice himself in vain.
Master Yuan thought carefully for a while before nodding and saying,
"Then I'll prepare some things for you tonight, and I'll maintain prayers in the temple all night, invoking divine protection for tomorrow's battle."
Marcus agreed to this plan. The sacred altar definitely needed to go with him; it was a crucial element.
After the agreement was reached, Marcus went to the temple, bowed to the altar, and showed his respect.
Then, taking out the guardian statue he had found on the mountain path, he went to the temple gate. Ronan Chen had already built a one-meter-high wooden shrine using the simple blueprints Marcus had given him.
Marcus pretended to take a heating device from the back of the car, melted gold coins into liquid, and then applied it to the guardian statue.
Since he had promised to restore it, he might as well do it now.
He then applied the excess liquid to the shrine, and through rapid cooling, the wood did not burn but instead turned golden.
Marcus placed the now-golden guardian statue into the shrine, which was placed next to the temple gate.
He took out an incense holder and lit three large incense sticks.
He planned to bring the guardian statue with him tomorrow; he had to honor the statue properly first.
"I've done what I promised you. I plan to get rid of the evil entity occupying your mountain tomorrow. I hope you can lend me a hand."
This statue had been abandoned on the mountain path for who knows how many years; it had been there for at least six years.
The incense burned brightly, and Marcus, not wanting to disturb the ritual any longer, turned and went inside.
Regarding the religious aspects of this world, Marcus still couldn't be sure whether they truly existed as divine forces or were merely products of people's collective beliefs.
These manifestations were always filled with coincidences and uncertainties.
They were effective in some ways, but ineffective in others.
They could harm evil spirits and malevolent forces,
but the degree of effectiveness was extremely limited.
Like the sacred power that Master Yuan had channeled, although it did remove Dodo's curse, it was like treating an illness—it was as if everything was just done according to a procedure, and it succeeded.
The altar never exhibited any unusual phenomena.
It was as if evil was merely an affliction, and that these spiritual practices in a specific way could turn it into a cure.
(End of Chapter)
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