Chapter Twenty-Two: Purification of the Soul

In an instant, a swirling vortex of multicolored energy formed around Lin Hai, unleashing a tremendous wave of power that swept through the entire hall. As the energy surged and elements gathered, scattered white bones slowly rose, hovering in midair.

Looking around, countless remains mixed with the five-colored radiance emitted by “All Thoughts Burned,” spreading outward from Lin Hai at the center, eventually forming a barrier that sealed off the outside world, only stopping once the Demon Child was enveloped within.

The air was thick with the essence of life, mingled with an overwhelming presence of souls. The Demon Child could even hear powerful spirits wailing in anguish, their cries growing ever more shrill and violent as time passed.

“Not human! Definitely not human!”

Within the brightly lit hall, a sudden deathly aura spread. The Demon Child stood blankly inside the five-colored barrier, utterly stunned by the spectacle before him.

Shock! His heart was filled with endless shock—not because of the five-colored light blazing in Lin Hai’s eyes, nor because his escape was cut off, but because of Lin Hai’s astonishing endurance and cunning.

“You damned old fox! Old bastard! You hid your true nature so deep? Damn your ancestors! You… you’ve got quite the act, so sly! So shameless! The phrase ‘playing the pig to eat the tiger’ was practically invented for you! What am I suffering for? Sigh~ An innocent youth meeting a lecherous old uncle? Today, your extreme ugliness has defeated me! Must it really come to this…”

Just then, countless ghostly figures suddenly flashed into the fray from all sides of the hall, surrounding the Demon Child like a horde of deathless sentinels.

One particularly tall ghost abruptly transformed into a phantom, leaping high and shooting into the barrier like a meteor, crashing to the ground. There was a loud “bang!” and a web of cracks spread outward from the point of impact.

The entire hall shattered in an instant.

The descending figure landed between Lin Hai and the Demon Child, facing Lin Hai and shouting, “Spare the ghost! Stop at once!”

When Lin Hai saw several ghostly figures suddenly rush into his attack range, he initially thought they were the Demon Child’s accomplices, feeling secretly delighted—now he could wipe them all out in one go, saving himself the trouble. But as he focused, the first one flying out seemed strangely familiar…

“Damn!”

As expected, the would-be hero was none other than his overly compassionate, newly awakened fatherly nephew, Lin Fan! Lin Hai was both vexed and inexplicably relieved, a mix of frustration and comfort flooding his heart.

Fortunately, he reacted in time. With a twist of thought, he exhausted the last of his strength, pressing his hands together in a desperate, grimacing struggle, barely halting the innate skill he’d already half unleashed—forcing his ultimate move back down.

The brilliant five-colored light abruptly vanished. The hall, just moments ago surging with energy and filled with drifting bones, returned to calm.

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“Pfft!” A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, and Lin Hai felt a tightness in his chest before falling to his knees.

Lin Fan, acting on impulse, had rushed into the fray, only to be overwhelmed by Lin Hai’s devastating aura. His heroic bravado melted away, his legs trembling, eyes squeezed shut as he silently prayed, “Uncle, please keep your eyes open! Don’t mistake me for the enemy—I still owe you money!”

Just as Lin Fan’s soul reached its limit, the oppressive force suddenly lifted. He opened his eyes in relief, quickly moving forward to help Lin Hai up, asking with concern, “Uncle, are you all right?”

Staggering to his feet, Lin Hai looked Lin Fan over and said, “Glad you’re okay. Your uncle’s tough, not dying anytime soon…”

But seeing Lin Fan, healthier and more robust than himself, full of vigor and recalling his earlier ‘saving the ghost, mistaking the enemy for family’ act, Lin Hai immediately burst into curses: “You big idiot! Did a donkey kick your head? You can’t tell friend from foe? Shielding that little bastard? I nearly obliterated you completely! If you don’t give me a proper explanation, I swear I’ll beat you until you shit yourself, and then call you Uncle!”

Lin Fan tore the PM3.0 cloth from Lin Hai’s face, hastily wiped the blood from his mouth, and said, “Uncle, calm down! Let me explain. Those Demon Children possessed me earlier—I accidentally glimpsed their memories. There’s more to this story!”

“Hm? What’s going on?” Lin Hai frowned in confusion.

“Look over there first.” Lin Fan gestured toward the Demon Child leader.

Both looked over, seeing the Demon Child leader surrounded by a group of little ghosts—the same ones who had possessed Lin Fan and then emerged.

“Damn! They’re… the Demon Children from the corridor? Your battered soul actually purified their resentment!” Lin Hai was shocked, staring at Lin Fan like a monster and secretly guessing, “What’s this? Soul purification? Is this kid a rare human anomaly—a super-soul mutant? Body and soul mutated together, two-pronged, flying in tandem?”

Lin Fan didn’t know himself. Outwardly, he appeared strong-bodied but weak-souled, yet his soul was not merely frail.

“I don’t really know how it happened—maybe even fate took pity on them, unwilling to let these poor children suffer more… But I’ve learned that they were all orphaned children cruelly murdered in life!” Recalling his journey through the Demon Children’s memories, Lin Fan was overwhelmed with grief, silent tears streaming down his anguished face.

Looking at the group of purified souls before him, Lin Fan was deeply moved. Only he knew the hell these children had endured while alive! Only those who had survived such brutal realities could accumulate enough resentment to become these evil beings—the Demon Children.

He couldn’t fully explain this to Lin Hai now. Quietly, he watched the laughing, playing group of angels opposite him, feeling a deep sense of kinship and shared fate.

Having been with Lin Fan for so long, Lin Hai could easily see his feelings and had his own suspicions. Wiping his mouth with a sleeve, he looked at the Demon Child leader and his laughing siblings, refraining from action and calculating his next move.

After a while, the Demon Child leader signaled his siblings to quiet down, turned to Lin Fan with heartfelt gratitude and said, “Brother, thank you for helping them resolve their resentment, freeing their souls to begin anew and fulfilling my wish. Since that’s so, I’ll return the child to you.”

With that, the Demon Child leader leaped to Xin’er, cut the ropes, grabbed her, and tossed her to Lin Fan.

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Lin Fan moved quickly to catch Xin’er and asked, “You only took Xin’er to help them resolve their grievances?”

“More or less. One more request: the corpses in the morgue’s freezers are all these children’s remains. If you have time, please bury my brothers and sisters.” The Demon Child leader turned away, his voice earnest and pleading.

Lin Hai stepped forward, took Xin’er, examined her carefully, then handed her back to Lin Fan, saying, “Who do you think you are? We’re not your little brothers—you want to order us around? If you want help, do you have money?”

He looked at the Demon Child leader even more curiously now. How did he know Lin Fan’s soul had purifying properties?

“Uncle! Doing good deeds, charity, saving all living things, world peace—you taught me that.” Lin Fan chimed in.

“Damn! I also taught you that not earning money makes you a fool—why didn’t you learn that?” Lin Hai wasn’t a saint; injustice abounds, and he couldn’t solve it all. He always held to his principle: never do anything unprofitable.

“….” Lin Fan was speechless.

Knowing Lin Hai was unwilling to help, the little ghosts opposite looked at Lin Fan with pleading eyes.

The Demon Child leader knew this battle with Lin Hai had been embarrassing, his resentment unresolved, surely bearing a grudge. He turned, ready to persuade Lin Hai, when a flashing green spot in the air between the two groups caught his attention. A cold aura spread through the hall.

The Demon Child leader sensed extreme danger, quickly gathering his siblings behind him, extending his claws and summoning what remained of his spiritual power, entering full battle readiness.

Lin Fan was about to help persuade again when he saw Lin Hai watching intently ahead. Following Lin Hai’s gaze, he too noticed the anomaly. Lin Hai discreetly tugged Lin Fan, and together they retreated, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

The green spot vibrated fiercely a few times, then suddenly unfolded, as if tearing white paper, revealing a glowing green fissure in the center of the hall.

“Whoosh!” A shadow shot out from within at lightning speed, heading straight for the Demon Child leader.

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