Chapter185 – The power of merit

From every direction, vengeful spirits surged back toward her. She was surrounded.

There was nowhere left to run. At this point, there was only one option left.

“Master Light,” she whispered, “it’s up to you.”

A massive golden Buddha manifestation appeared in midair, radiating boundless light. The endless darkness was torn apart, illuminated as brightly as day.

Under the golden radiance, the ghosts had nowhere to hide. The weaker ones were instantly reduced to ash. Even the Ghost King raised an arm to shield itself from the direct glare.

“Amitabha.”

High Priest Light descended slowly, hovering before the Ghost King, gazing into its hollow eyes.

“Sir,” he said gently, “hell is full of suffering. Go to the Western Paradise. Allow me to send you on your way.”

He closed his eyes and began chanting. The mantras echoed through the abyss, and the vengeful spirits screamed in agony.

Lauren watched as those spirits, wrapped in golden light, transformed into beams of radiance and shot upward, dissolving into the darkness.

The Ghost King, unwilling to be liberated, flailed wildly, spewing thick black mist toward Light.

It couldn’t reach him. When it tried to flee, countless chains formed from Buddhist mantras bound it in place.

Lauren didn’t hesitate. She turned and rushed toward the boundary marker. There were thousands of spirits here—far more than Light’s avatar could handle. He wouldn’t last much longer.

“Edmund,” she urged, “don’t waste time. Hurry.”

Edmund had no physical body. He could only possess her, using her flesh as a vessel. The moment he did, vast divine power erupted from the boundary marker, surging outward.

Divine light flooded the abyss, overwhelming even the golden brilliance of the Buddha manifestation.

Buddhist deliverance caused spirits to disperse into golden light. Divine purification was different.

It didn’t erase them. It restored their reason. The vengeful spirits slowly calmed, their madness dissolving as clarity returned to their eyes.

Lauren stared in awe. Light’s time was up. He smiled faintly at them—and vanished.

The bound Ghost King was purified next, its massive form breaking apart into countless bewildered souls. They turned in unison, kneeling toward the boundary marker.

Their expressions were filled with absolute reverence, as if gazing upon a supreme god.

With a thunderous boom, a gate of white light opened beneath the mountain-like boundary marker. A terrifying suction force erupted.

“What’s that?” Lauren asked.

“The Gate of Reincarnation,” Edmund replied. “Once they pass through it, they can be reborn.”

As the spirits were drawn into the gate, specks of golden light drifted out from the boundary marker and flowed into Lauren’s body.

She froze. “What… is this?”

“The power of merit,” Edmund said. “Now it belongs to you.”

Lauren’s heart soared. All that suffering. All that risk. Worth it.

The purification ended, and the divine radiance slowly faded.

Edmund stepped away from Lauren’s body and condensed into human form beneath the towering boundary marker.

Lauren finally felt full control return to her limbs. She flexed her fingers, exhaling. “Where’s the Boundary Breaking Stone?”

Edmund pointed at the base of the marker. “Dig there.”

Lauren drew her sword and crouched down, chipping away at the stone foundation. After a few strikes, several small, smooth stones tumbled free—each one a different color, faintly glowing.

“These are them.”

Lauren blinked. “These? They look like five-colored stones.”

“Yes. They’re also called Five-Colored Stones.”

She immediately pulled out a storage pouch and started scooping them up.

“Hey—don’t take too many.” Edmund stopped her. “It’ll reduce your merit.”

She paused mid-grab. “What?”

“One of each color is enough.”

“…Fine.”

Reluctantly, she selected five—one red, one blue, one green, one yellow, one white—and sealed them in her pouch.

With the Boundary Breaking Stone secured, she retraced her path out of the abyss.

Back at Thunder Sect, Lauren went straight to her master.

Edmund placed the five-colored stones on the table. “They can’t be used directly. They need to be refined.”

Drake studied them calmly. “How?”

“Prepare a sturdy cauldron. I’ll guide you.”

“Very well.” Then Drake turned to Lauren. “Go. Keep an eye on Wayne.”

“Yes, Master.” She bowed and withdrew.

Inside the hall, Drake looked at Edmund. “When do we begin?”

“I’ve expended a great deal of energy these past few days,” Edmund replied lazily. “I’ll need to replenish it first.”

Drake thought for a moment, then pulled out a storage pouch.“High-level demon beast cores. And something you like—Soul Strengthening Pills.”

Edmund opened the pouch, inspected it, and nodded with satisfaction.“Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t eat your supplies for nothing. Once we ascend, I’ll repay you in Immortal Crystals.”

Drake calmly produced another jade slip. “Add it to the tab.”

Edmund’s lips twitched. “Even your disciple isn’t as ruthless as you.”

Muttering under his breath, he recorded another debt.

......

Lauren took Wayne down the mountain for a walk. The poor kid had been cooped up for days and looked bored out of his mind.

She also bought two large bags of spirit beast meat for Briar.

This time, Briar had been injured pretty badly. Its fingers hadn’t even been able to manifest properly.

Three days later, Briar finally recovered enough to crawl out of her inner space and roam around again.

Lauren wandered over to Starfell Hall to check on the refining progress. Her master and Edmund were still working on the stones. No idea how long that would take.

Off in the distance, Timothy was busy cleaning up debris—moving shattered rocks, scattering seeds over the barren ground.

Then, suddenly, he dropped what he was doing and flew off.

Lauren narrowed her eyes and shot after him. She blocked his path midair.

“Where are you going? You haven’t finished moving those loose stones over there. Trying to back out?”

Timothy’s lips twitched. “I’m not backing out. I just have some personal matters. I’ll come back afterward.”

“Nope. What if you run?”

“I won’t run.”

“Then finish moving the stones first.”

“…I didn’t blast that area alone,” Timothy said irritably. “I even moved the rocks you blew up along with mine. How am I the one reneging?”

“You’re talking nonsense. I destroyed a chicken coop. You flattened entire hills.”

“…Fine. I can’t be bothered arguing with you. Move aside. I have personal business.”

Lauren’s expression sharpened. Judging by his face…

Could it be? “You’re going to see Indiana?”

Timothy stiffened. “How did you know?”

Holy shit. It really is. “Where is she?”

He didn’t answer. This was between him and Indiana. He didn’t want a third party interfering.

Especially not Lauren. The moment she saw Indiana, she’d probably throw the first punch and ask questions later.

“You’re not going to tell me?” Lauren folded her arms. “Have you forgotten? Your master said you’re not allowed to see her.”

She couldn’t reach Herbert. Her master was busy refining the stone.

After a brief pause, she sent a telepathic message to Dante. Come over. And bring the Sect Leader with you.

Lauren managed to stall Timothy just long enough. Dante arrived quickly—with Gerald in tow.

“Lauren,” Gerald said, frowning slightly, “Dante said you urgently needed me. What’s going on?”

Timothy’s expression darkened the moment he saw him. With the Sect Leader here, leaving would be much harder. Lauren reacted instantly.

She knew about Gerald’s long-standing feud with Herbert. If she simply asked him to send word for Herbert to retrieve his disciple, he’d probably refuse out of spite. So she changed tactics.