Chapter 33: The Art of the Shaman

Chapter 33: The Sorcery of the Witch Priest

"You exorcist charlatan, today I'll show you the power of my witchcraft—first I'll devour your ghost, then refine your soul!" The Grand Witch's shout rang out, but by the latter half, it was no longer a single voice—it was as if several people were shouting in unison.

With those words, the Grand Witch spun on his heel and strode out the door, halting at the threshold. The villagers, having heard his voice, had already scattered in a flustered retreat.

His figure flickered in and out of the firelight, garbed in a tattered long robe whose colors had long since faded, embroidered with strange symbols and patterns. Upon his face he wore a fierce, demon-faced mask—a grotesquely twisted visage with hollow, abyssal eyes, as though capable of devouring a person's very soul. Beneath the mask, his eyes blazed with fanatic light, his movements stiff and mechanical, as if some unnameable force had seized control over him.

Clang, clang, clang—

"All spirits bow before me... commanded like thunder... demons and monsters, begone... phantoms, vanish into oblivion..."

As the shrill jangle of bells pierced the air, the Grand Witch began to chant and dance. His heavy steps matched the rhythm of the bells, each one falling in unexpected places, leaving deep imprints on the ground. His body twisted and writhed, arms flailing, the bells in his hands issuing a disquieting clamor—now distant, now near, now shrill, now low, as if summoning some force or driving another away.

The villagers' breathing quickened, their hearts thudded wildly, and they stared at the Grand Witch without daring to relax for a moment. The witch's dance grew ever more frenzied; his body began to tremble uncontrollably, and beneath the mask, his face seemed contorted in agony. Suddenly, he let out a piercing scream that tore through the night, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

Zhang Sanlu, having heard the threat against himself, would hardly sit and await his fate. The instant the bells began, he had already drawn the head-hammer from his back, leaping forward to land in the courtyard with a whoosh.

At the same time, he muttered an incantation—"One-Eyed Five!" Instantly, a strange distortion warped the air; the entire courtyard seemed shrouded in a foul, unclean aura. A bone-chilling, wicked wind rose from nowhere, laden with a malignant presence.

A suffocating pressure filled the air, as if countless unseen, warped things crawled in the shadows, noiselessly drawing near, making one's heart pound and skin crawl.

A shrill howl then sliced through the night—part beast's roar, part eerie laughter borne by the wind—charging at the Grand Witch alongside Zhang Sanlu.

Just then, a sudden gust swept up outside the yard, torches flickering wildly, casting leaping shadows across the Grand Witch's mask, making his fiendish visage all the more terrifying. His mouth spilled forth incomprehensible incantations, suddenly booming like thunder.

In the instant "One-Eyed Five" lunged at the Grand Witch, his mask suddenly changed shape in the firelight. The once-fierce visage split open, revealing a gaping maw lined with knife-sharp fangs glinting coldly.

The transformation of both combatants drew simultaneous gasps from all present; panic-stricken, the crowd screamed and surged out of the yard.

The Grand Witch's monstrous jaws now stretched to an impossible angle, his entire upper skull flipping backward as a powerful suction erupted from his mouth, threatening to draw in everything around him.

A hissing sound—Zhang Sanlu, for the first time, sensed One-Eyed Five's panic and helplessness. Its twisted shadow in the air seemed shackled, struggling to escape but too late. The Grand Witch's maw, like a black hole, swallowed one of One-Eyed Five's phantoms whole.

Zhang Sanlu, a step behind, hurled his head-hammer just as the Witch's torn mouth snapped shut. The Grand Witch raised his wooden staff, meeting the hammer with a resounding clash.

A metallic clang reverberated, so loud that everyone's ears rang and their heads spun; the frail among them even collapsed to the ground.

The Grand Witch glanced coldly at Zhang Sanlu, then with a twitch of his throat, spat forth a torrent of searing flame, forcing Zhang Sanlu back.

Then the Grand Witch shouted, "Stop! Are you of the Fire Geng Character?"

Zhang Sanlu was thrown by the question, but said nothing, merely fixing the Witch with a deadly glare. Now, he could no longer sense the "One-Eyed Five" he had unleashed, and even when he tried to recite the spell again, the other four remained unresponsive.

The Grand Witch exhaled, muttering a few more incantations. His body shuddered and shrank a size before he reached up, pushing the mask from his face to reveal a painted, streaked countenance beneath.

The apprentice witch hurried forward to steady him, but was brusquely brushed aside.

"Fellow Daoist, you and I have no real enmity. These villagers sought help from two masters for the same trouble; I want no further part in this. Do as you will," the Grand Witch declared, sweeping his sleeve and preparing to leave.

Zhang Sanlu, incensed, retorted, "You fight when you please, leave when you please—is that all I am to you? First, return what you took from me!" He had no time to ponder the Witch's abrupt change of attitude.

The Grand Witch paused. "You, in driving these evil spirits, have accumulated heavy baleful energy. I could only devour one, and sealed the rest. I can return this one to you now, but the sealing spell cannot be undone at once—you must wait for the bindings to loosen themselves."

Zhang Sanlu grew even more frustrated. His "One-Eyed Five" had been borrowed at the cost of his own lifespan, and now his fighting power had suddenly been cut to a fifth. In this wretched, perilous world, how could he hope to survive another encounter, let alone find a way home? He could only shake his head, refusing to yield.

"Enough," sighed the Grand Witch. He reached for the apprentice's cloth bag, which was covered with pouches of various colors, each bulging with mysterious contents.

He hesitated over a blood-red pouch, but finally reached in and withdrew a wooden token.

"Fellow Daoist, this was granted to me by my master after I was initiated by divine will. Now I give it to you as compensation for sealing your spirits." With that, he tossed the token over.

Zhang Sanlu dared not take it by hand, instead catching it on the head of his hammer. He was about to protest being fobbed off with a worthless wooden token, but upon closer inspection, he saw it was neither metal nor wood, but a weighty, extraordinary object. On the front were two ancient characters: "Dread Bane." On the back was an inscription: "I offer my flesh that I may possess Dread Bane. Heart, lungs, viscera, sinew, blood and marrow, all transformed to curse. Self-harm in pursuit—can Heaven and Earth endure such?"

"How is this used?" he asked.

"Wear it on your person, recite the spell on the back, and dedicate your hair, skin, and body to Dread Bane. It will shatter barriers and make you unstoppable. But beware—using it may bring greater suffering than not."

Zhang Sanlu was about to ask more when suddenly, he sensed the presence of his summoned "One-Eyed Five" again.

The Grand Witch, having released "One-Eyed Five," said no more, but turned with the apprentice and departed at a leisurely pace.