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After nearly an hour of this ordeal, Charles Morin’s body was battered and tormented, trembling and wracked with pain. This meant that the 'vital energy' was still sealed inside him. Felix Eagleclaw kept pushing his inner strength, burning through his reserves, while Shawn Young poured hot water over Charles again and again, sweating buckets. The most dangerous moment—the 'Shell Void'—was almost behind them. If they could last another half hour, they’d survive the hardest part.
Suddenly, a thunderous rumble echoed in the bathroom. Charles Morin’s trembling body went rigid. From several acupoints on his face and body, dark yellow foul mist began to seep out, slowly gathering into dozens of wriggling yellow parasites, each the size of a grain of rice!
“Ah! Shawn, what—what are those things?” Felix Eagleclaw cried out in shock.
Shawn glanced at his phone for the time and said, “Uh—those are the three strands of innate evil energy from the Corpse Demon God. Daoist texts say they take the shape of worms, so the Corpse Demon God is also called the 'Corpse Parasite.' It’s nine o’clock now. If we can hold out for another half hour, we’ll make it!”
“Heh—heh—heh—think you can survive the 'Shell Void'? Not so easy!” A sinister laugh echoed from above.
“Ah—it’s the Yan Twins of Terror! They must be nearby!” Felix Eagleclaw’s face turned pale.
As soon as he finished speaking, Charles Morin’s skin began to change rapidly in the bathtub. Thick yellow foul mist poured out from every acupoint, even making the needles in his pain points tremble. The strangest thing was, the hot water Shawn poured over him cooled instantly, and a layer of wriggling yellow parasites began to cover Charles’s body. The scene was downright terrifying.
“Oh no, the Yan Twins of Terror are using sorcery to boost the Soulhook Arrow’s power! Our methods might not be enough to stop them—” Shawn said, frowning.
“What—what should we do now?” Felix Eagleclaw asked anxiously.
"I'm going to cast a protective spell on Charles Morin right now, locking down all his pressure points—" Shawn Young said, focusing his mind and channeling his inner energy. He formed a sword sign with both hands, pointing skyward, and shouted, "Divine weapon ablaze, Heaven and Earth lend me strength! All seas return to the source, let the golden light appear! Shield the true one, Three Pure Ones' righteous energy is here! Evil gods, begone—by my command! Release!"
As soon as the incantation finished, Shawn Young sliced the air with his sword sign, and a flash of white light shot out from his fingertips. The rumbling, thunder-like noise stopped instantly. The creepy, color-changing bugs wriggling on Charles Morin’s skin shrank back into his pores, and a glowing white barrier wrapped around him. His rigid body went limp again, trembling softly inside the shimmering shield.
"Alright, Felix Eagleclaw, I’ve temporarily suppressed the Corpse Demon God’s attack with the Golden Aura Ward. You need to go find the Yan Family Twins—they’re about five meters southwest. Don’t let them cause any more trouble, and whatever you do, don’t fight them head-on! Try to lure them to the dock, and we’ll deal with them there!" Shawn Young instructed Felix quickly.
"Got it! Five meters southwest—I’m on it!" Felix Eagleclaw confirmed, then spun around and dashed out of the bathroom, sprinting down the ship and searching quickly in the southwest direction.
Once Felix Eagleclaw left, Shawn Young cast another spell on Charles Morin lying in the bathtub, picked up his phone, and headed out of the bathroom. He stepped onto the deck, just in time to see Minnie Wang and Helen hurrying up from below.
Spotting Shawn Young, Helen rushed over and said, "When I went to the dock to pick up the cash, I noticed some shady people hanging around. I think we’re being followed!"
"Whoa—seriously? Those guys move fast! They already tracked us down?!" Shawn Young was stunned.
"Ah! W-what do we do now? Those people are professional killers!" Minnie Wang exclaimed, clearly shaken.
"Don’t worry, the worst enemy has already shown up. I’ll get off the ship and check things out! Miss Helen, once I’m ashore, start the Starlight Princess and leave the port—don’t let those guys sneak onboard!" Shawn Young said after thinking for a moment.
"Wait, what about you? And that guy in the bathroom?" Helen asked anxiously.
"Oh, relax, I’ll be fine. As for the guy in the bathroom, just let him lie there for now—you don’t need to worry about him. Once I’ve handled things, I’ll get in touch!" Shawn Young said, and without another word, he turned and hurried off the yacht, heading straight for the southwest dock.
"Uh—Helen, do you think Shawn will be okay going down there alone? I’m really worried about him—" Minnie Wang said, watching Shawn’s retreating figure with concern.
Helen sighed and shook her head. "Yeah… Mr. Shawn is definitely heading into danger, but even if we followed him, we wouldn’t be much help. We’d probably just get in the way. So let’s do what he said! If things get bad, we’ll call the cops!" With that, Helen turned and went back to the control room. Soon, the Starlight Princess slowly pulled away from the dock, cruising upriver.
Shawn Young watched the Starlight Princess depart from the dock and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Refocusing, he slipped past the stacks of shipping containers and moved quickly toward the southwest. After turning a corner, he suddenly heard the sounds of a fight coming from a secluded spot. Pressing himself against the wall, Shawn peeked out and saw Felix Eagleclaw locked in combat with two black-clad, straw-hatted figures—the fight was intense!