Chapter 25 Gathering of the Titans

Climbing out of the liquid, the man didn’t bother to greet Ou Xiaolu or Zhong Kui, but instead turned directly to the boy and said, “Aren’t you ever going to share that technique of yours? Do you have any idea how unbearable it is not to have a body?”

“No way. If I gave you this technique, the whole world would know that human cloning is possible in no time. I’m not that foolish,” the boy shook his head. “By the way, let me introduce you—this is Ou Xiaolu, the one who initiated this operation.”

Ou Xiaolu stepped forward and gave a polite bow. The man glanced at him, “About ten years’ worth of inner force, average lightness skills, a swordsman? Your swordsmanship seems mediocre too. No wonder you’d hire help. Don’t worry, we of the Fist Society always do our work for money—there won’t be any problems.”

Zhong Kui, standing to the side, explained to Ou Xiaolu, “This is the Fist Society’s senior brother, brought to the Americas more than a hundred years ago. After his death, he merged with the deity he worshipped and set foot on the path of the divine. But everything he says is true—the Fist Society always works for hire and never causes trouble.”

Ou Xiaolu barely registered what Zhong Kui was saying. At that moment, his mind was filled with only one thought: “So it’s possible to do that…”

Just then, the other person the boy had mentioned arrived, entering in the boy’s luxury car just as Ou Xiaolu had.

This new arrival wore a white lab coat, looking every bit the professor. Seeing him, Ou Xiaolu wondered if this one too might be some spectral being from the East. If that were really the case, he’d have to reconsider the supernatural climate of this region.

Fortunately, his suspicions proved unfounded. According to the boy’s introduction, this professorial figure was a former archbishop.

The word “former” being key—after more than seventy years of religious faith without developing a single bit of magical power, he had converted to science.

Oh, and it bears mentioning—he was as old as the Fist Society’s senior brother, hailing from that same era. Unlike the senior brother, who had already crossed into the divine, he still used his own flesh and blood, though science had transformed his body in many ways.

No wonder there was a saying in the Land of the Lighthouse, “The poor rely on mutation, the rich rely on technology.”

The former archbishop entered and immediately asked, “My friend, what interesting things do you have for me this time?”

“Something similar to the strengthening holy water you developed, but gentler. It’s very effective at neutralizing the aberrant blood in your body,” the boy explained.

At this, the former archbishop’s excitement was evident. “Really? Can I have some to study?”

“Not yet,” the boy replied. “Let’s first hear from the one who initiated this operation.” He led the former archbishop over to Ou Xiaolu.

Having spent many years in these lands, the former archbishop naturally recognized the senior brother. As for Zhong Kui, though his true nature was hard to pin down, his identity could more or less be guessed.

Only Ou Xiaolu was clearly the weakest here, which made it obvious he was the one who had hired them.

The former archbishop strode up to Ou Xiaolu and said, “How much of that potion do you have? Give it all to me, and I can solve your entire problem single-handedly.”

“Is that really appropriate?” the boy interjected. Yet by his tone, it was clear they were long accustomed to such banter.

Knowing he was intruding on their conversation, Ou Xiaolu simply waited until their jokes had run their course before sharing his recent discoveries.

Thanks to the guidance previously provided by the boy, this time Ou Xiaolu spoke with more detail: how he discovered the earthbound spirit, how he retraced the sequence of graffiti starting from the first mural, and how he realized there was something suspicious about Room 301.

He then shared his own theories—for instance, his belief that beneath the Shixi campus lay a half-awake ley line, and that the mad Caesar was the vessel it had chosen.

At this, Ou Xiaolu unconsciously glanced at the senior brother’s body, struck by a thought: if the ley line beneath Shixi campus had any connection to the senior brother, perhaps he would be sitting here now, plotting with them against other enemies.

Brushing the notion aside, Ou Xiaolu went on to raise the unresolved mysteries—who had broken Caesar’s hand, whether his nightly racing route was significant, and, given the existence of Room 301 as a safe house, whether there might be an opposite room within Shixi campus that served as the starting point for the blood ritual.

Having finished his rambling account, he waited in silence for these formidable figures to respond.

After all, any one of them had knowledge and experience far beyond his own. Perhaps there were issues he had failed to see.

When he finished, both the boy and Zhong Kui remained silent. Zhong Kui, having accompanied Ou Xiaolu all along, already knew the gist of the matter and felt it would be unhelpful to add his own interpretation. The boy, on the other hand, fell into deep thought.

At last, it was the senior brother who spoke first. “I’ve seen ley lines develop sentience before, back in the capital. Usually, for a ley line to awaken, it takes either extraordinary people living above it, or extraordinary buildings erected there.

Most crucially, right before the ley line becomes sentient, either the remarkable people move away or the buildings lose someone who can keep things in balance. Only then does the ley line develop ambitions it ought not have.

From what you just described, my guess is this ley line was influenced by that university. But the Shixi campus is only a branch—it was never strong enough to keep things in check.

Still, that’s not a bad thing. Ambitious ley lines like this often spawn rebels. If we eliminate it, it will be a worthy act.”

The former archbishop spoke up, “As for merit, I can’t say. From your description, the ley line has gained some sentience, but it’s not quite there. Most likely, the initial blood ritual was left incomplete. The ritual itself is a variant of the demon’s gate—a rather crude method, repeating the same act at various nodes and activating the key point at the end.

So those previous street races may have been part of it. The later graffiti, definitely. If that crazy fellow hadn’t died, he would have started killing from the first site, working his way through all the murals.

Even if he died in the process, it wouldn’t matter. As long as the first act was set in motion, he could command others at the school, causing them to die where they were meant to.”