Chapter 614: Ashes
Each time, the witch desperately avoided them instead of confronting them head-on.
Lana became increasingly puzzled.
’What are those pills? Some kind of poison? Or are they specially designed to suppress witches?’
Unable to understand their purpose, she silently continued observing, determined to learn every trick her uncle revealed during the battle.
As time slowly passed, Lana carefully observed the battle.
However, no matter how closely she watched, she couldn’t see those strange blue pills having any effect on the witch.
Her movements remained as agile and graceful as before, effortlessly avoiding Axel’s relentless attacks.
Lana couldn’t help frowning.
’Did Uncle throw those pills only to confuse her? Was it merely a bluff to force her attention elsewhere?’
Just as that thought crossed her mind, something unexpected happened.
The witch’s entire body suddenly twitched violently. Her graceful movements came to an abrupt halt.
Every muscle in her body spasmed uncontrollably as though countless invisible hands were tearing her apart from the inside.
The next second, a brilliant blue light erupted from within her body.
The witch’s eyes widened in horror.
"N-No! What is happening?! How is this possible?! It shouldn’t have happened!"
Her terrified screams echoed throughout the cave.
She desperately tried to suppress whatever was happening inside her body, but it was already too late.
Boom! Her entire body exploded into countless fragments.
The cave shook violently as ashes scattered in every direction.
Silence returned almost immediately afterward. Lana stared at the scene with narrowed eyes.
For just a split second, she thought she had seen something.
A thin stream of black energy silently escaped from the exploding body before rapidly disappearing into the darkness.
She immediately rubbed her eyes. ’Was I imagining it?’
When she looked again, the strange black aura had already vanished without leaving behind the slightest trace.
Lana softly murmured,
"Strange, I’m absolutely certain that witch wasn’t a ghost. So, why was there a black evil aura inside her body?"
Meanwhile, Axel remained standing where he was.
He didn’t immediately leave after killing the witch.
Instead, he quietly waited until every last ember had finished burning and only a pile of gray ashes remained upon the cave floor.
Then, he calmly took out a crystal bottle filled with clear water.
Removing the cork, he slowly sprinkled the water over the ashes.
The moment each drop landed, soft golden ripples spread across the gray remains.
It almost resembled someone sprinkling holy water during an ancient purification ritual.
Lana watched everything with great curiosity.
She patiently waited until Axel had completely finished.
Only then did he put the bottle away before walking back toward her with a relaxed smile. "Everything’s taken care of."
Lana immediately asked,
"Uncle, why did you sprinkle water over her ashes?"
Axel smiled knowingly. "Because that witch was most likely cultivated by a Ghost Organization."
Lana’s eyes widened. "Really?"
Axel nodded. "Most likely."
Lana tilted her head. "I still don’t understand. What does that have to do with pouring water over her ashes?"
Axel patiently explained,
"Witches like her are far more troublesome than ordinary cultivators. Their physical bodies aren’t actually their true vessels."
He pointed toward the ashes. "Those ashes are."
Lana blinked. "The ashes?"
"Exactly."
Axel nodded. "Once their physical body is destroyed, the ashes scatter into the air. They quietly search for another suitable human. Once they find one, the ashes slowly invade that person’s body. They eventually transform the victim into an entirely new vessel."
He sighed softly. "So, if these ashes aren’t completely purified, the witch can return."
Lana stared at the ashes with newfound caution. "Wow, I never knew something like that even existed."
Axel chuckled.
"Oh, there are things even stranger than this. If these ashes remain untouched for a long enough time, they can even multiply on their own. The larger the amount of ashes becomes, the stronger the witch eventually returns."
He gently tapped the crystal bottle.
"The only reliable method of destroying them completely is holy water from the Great Lake."
Lana looked toward the bottle with obvious curiosity.
"The Great Lake? How did you even manage to get water from a place like that?"
Axel smiled.
"I happened to visit it during one of my missions. I was fortunate enough to obtain a single bottle."
He slowly began explaining.
"The Great Lake exists in the heart of Atlantica. Atlantica is one of the most dangerous regions in existence. It contains countless Ghost Zones. Yet, in the very center of all that darkness, there exists a sacred lake naturally capable of suppressing evil. As long as someone drinks its water, they become far more resistant to ghost possession for quite a long time."
He lifted the bottle slightly.
"And if it’s sprinkled upon curses, evil spirits, or witches, it purifies them completely. You could think of it as an exorcism talisman. Only much stronger. But also incredibly limited."
Lana’s eyes sparkled immediately. "Uncle, do you still have some left? I want a little for myself."
Axel rolled his eyes. "No. Not at all."
Lana instantly pouted. "So stingy."
She crossed her arms dramatically.
"Fine. One day I’ll personally visit the Great Lake. I’ll collect plenty of Holy Water. Then, when you’re the one asking me for some... I won’t even give you a single drop."
Axel couldn’t help laughing. "Whatever you say."
Soon afterward, the two of them descended the mountain.
As they entered the village once again, they found complete chaos. Many villagers clutched their heads in confusion.
Some looked around fearfully without understanding what had happened. Others hid inside their homes, trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing their frightened expressions, Lana couldn’t help feeling a little sympathy.
Meanwhile, Axel slowly closed his eyes. His spiritual sense spread throughout the entire Ghost Zone.
Several moments later, he reopened them.
"There are still over one hundred thousand people being influenced by ghostly energy."
He looked toward Lana.
"So, do you want to stay here and help them? Or, do you want to continue your cultivation elsewhere?"
Lana remained silent for a moment.
The little girl tugged on her clothes and asked innocently, "Sister, are there people like me still here?"
"Yes." Lana nodded.
"Then are you going to help them?"
Lana blinked before saying with determination. "Let’s help them."
Although she desperately wanted to continue cultivating, she was already standing at the peak of the First Level of the Celestial Core Rank.
She could vaguely feel that if she continued purifying ghostly energy and saving people, she would naturally break through to the second level.
’Besides, saving lives is also part of an exorcist’s path.’
Axel smiled proudly. "Alright. Then we’ll stay."
For the next five days, Axel and Lana remained inside the village.
Every single day, they crafted countless exorcism talismans before distributing them among the villagers.
At the same time, they began recruiting volunteers.
These volunteers were ordinary villagers whose minds had already recovered after the ghostly influence was removed.
Once they learned that Axel and Lana were the people who had rescued them, their gratitude became overwhelming.
Many tried offering them gold. Others brought silver. Some even offered family heirlooms.
However, both Axel and Lana politely refused every reward.
"We were only passing through. This was also part of our cultivation."
Since they had already removed the source of the disaster, they naturally wished to finish what they had started.
With everyone’s combined efforts, more than half of the Ghost Zone was successfully purified.
Hope gradually returned to the once hopeless village.
However, on the fifth night, something unexpected happened. Late at night, Lana quietly rested inside her room.
The wooden door slowly opened. A shadow silently slipped inside.
The man carefully closed the door behind him before turning toward Lana.
His eyes immediately filled with unmistakable lust. A disgusting smile slowly spread across his face. "There you are..."
Without another second of hesitation, he lunged straight toward the bed.
However, the very moment he moved, Lana instantly rolled off the bed.
She had already awakened the instant someone entered her room.
In fact, for the past four nights, Myra had continuously warned her.
"Master, someone keeps lurking outside your room every single night. I can feel his malicious intentions. They’re definitely waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack."
Ever since hearing those warnings, Lana had never truly fallen asleep.
She merely pretended to rest while remaining completely vigilant.
Who would have thought that the man lurking outside her room for the past four nights would finally decide to make his move?
The moment the intruder lunged toward the bed, Lana rolled away with practiced speed. The man lost his balance and crashed heavily onto the mattress.
Bang!
That brief opening was all Lana needed. Without giving him a single moment to recover, she rushed forward.
Her fist slammed into his shoulder.
Before he could react, she grabbed his wrist, twisted it behind his back, and drove her knee into his stomach.
The intruder cried out in pain. "Aaagh!"
Lana showed no mercy.
Compared to an ordinary person, her physical strength was overwhelming.