Lucien always believed in one principle:
If an enemy could be eliminated before becoming a real threat, then why wait until they grew stronger and created endless trouble?
That was how he thought.
And naturally—
that was exactly how he acted.
The moment Lucien and Jamie entered the apartment, everyone inside noticed them.
However, because Ellis was still in her psychic state, Sean and the others didn't dare make too much noise. They simply stared toward the newcomers with questioning expressions.
Lucien ignored every gaze in the room.
Without saying a word, he directly activated his spiritual sight and examined Ellis's condition.
The scene before him made him frown slightly.
Ellis was a medium.
She possessed the ability to separate her soul from her body and enter another dimension.
Over the years, she had used this power countless times to help families tormented by evil spirits.
But she never explained that world in much detail.
Lucien could only piece things together from fragments of memory.
That place clearly wasn't Heaven or Hell from Western mythology.
Instead, it resembled a twisted space filled with wandering souls of the dead.
Almost identical to reality—
but with one major difference.
There was no concept of time there.
But now that Lucien saw it personally, he had another thought.
This place...
felt more like something artificially created.
A space belonging to some unknown existence.
Only pure souls could enter.
Either actual spirits—
or people like Ellis.
Her ability was known as Astral Projection.
In Eastern terminology, it could be called soul projection or astral spirit travel.
Through unique spiritual abilities, she could leave her body and travel freely.
Cultivators could also achieve similar results.
Lucien included.
But unlike Ellis, he preferred using his soul for inner cultivation rather than wandering around.
Just as Lucien was preparing to sit down—
his eyes suddenly narrowed.
He sensed an icy aura.
An extremely cold presence.
Within the darkness of the room, unnoticed by everyone else, stood an old woman.
She wore a black wedding dress.
Her face was deathly pale.
Dark lips curled upward into a sinister smile.
Her eyes stared directly at Lucien.
Filled with hostility.
Filled with warning.
The instant their eyes met—
the old woman retreated back into the darkness.
Disappearing.
Lucien stared at where she vanished.
Then—
he suddenly grinned.
Showing a row of white teeth.
Interesting.
The aura surrounding that old woman was exactly identical to what he sensed earlier in Room 514.
Meaning—
the oxygen-mask spirit escaped because someone helped it.
Another evil spirit.
Not only that—
it even dared threaten him?
Interesting.
Can evil spirits form teams now?
Meanwhile—
Ellis, still in the middle of her psychic state, suddenly showed pain on her face.
Her expression twisted violently.
It looked as if someone invisible was strangling her throat.
Her hands released Sean and Quinn.
Then instinctively moved toward her own neck.
"Ellis?!"
Everyone panicked instantly.
No one cared about staying quiet anymore.
They rushed toward her.
"Something's wrong!"
"Help!"
"But... we don't know how to wake her!"
Like headless chickens, they shouted while shaking Ellis repeatedly.
But none of it worked.
Her face slowly turned red.
Then purple.
She looked seconds away from suffocating.
Suddenly—
a yellow talisman flew through the air.
Slap!
It attached itself to Ellis's body.
Golden light exploded from the talisman.
Everyone's faces became illuminated by the bright glow.
Moments later—
Ellis suddenly opened her eyes.
She clutched her throat and gasped desperately for air.
"Ellis!"
Everyone immediately surrounded her.
But Ellis ignored them completely.
Instead, she looked around frantically.
Searching.
Looking for someone.
"I think you're probably looking for me, Ms. Ellis."
Hearing that familiar calm voice, Ellis immediately pushed aside the crowd.
Including Sean.
Her eyes widened.
Near the sofa stood the young Eastern man.
Lucien.
"You finally came..."
Relief instantly appeared on her face.
Only now did the tension leave her body.
Nearby, Tucker and Sean stared blankly.
Only now did they remember the miraculous talisman from before.
Their eyes filled with shock.
"Who... is he?"
Jamie answered immediately.
"He's the Eastern exorcist I mentioned before."
"The one I told you about."
"With him here..."
Jamie let out a breath.
"...Quinn is finally safe."
Sean's expression immediately changed.
As for Tucker and Glasses—
the two silently inhaled.
Everything they witnessed tonight completely shattered their worldview.
Possession.
Psychic mediums.
Eastern talismans.
Real evil spirits.
It felt like they had accidentally touched another side of the world.
A world ordinary people would never see.
Jamie couldn't stop himself from asking:
"What happened inside that world just now?"
Everyone immediately looked toward Ellis.
Ellis slowly spoke:
"I entered that dark dimension."
"It looked like an apartment building."
"I wanted to find the spirit that stole Quinn's soul..."
"But I encountered someone else."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"An old woman."
"Ever since I once helped communicate with a child spirit..."
"...she's held a grudge against me."
"Every time I use psychic abilities, she appears."
"Every single time..."
"She tries to kill me."
Fear flashed across Ellis's face.
Among everyone present—
she understood spirits better than anyone.
And because of that—
she knew exactly what kind of existence that old woman was.
Ellis had a feeling.
If this continued—
one day she would really die.
That was why she had wanted to retire.
"Lucien..."
Ellis lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
"I disappointed you."
"You encouraged me before."
"But I still couldn't do it."
"I couldn't overcome my fear."
Lucien looked at her calmly.
"There's no need to feel guilty."
"You losing wasn't strange."
Ellis looked stunned.
Lucien continued:
"The old woman isn't the only problem."
"The oxygen-mask spirit also became much stronger."
Sean's face turned pale.
"Then..."
"Can Quinn's soul still come back?"
Lucien hadn't answered yet when Jamie spoke first:
"Don't think like that."
"Lucien is here."
"He came to deal with the spirits."
Lucien didn't respond.
Instead, he turned toward Ellis.
"How long before you can perform another psychic session?"
Ellis thought briefly.
"Not long."
"I just need a little rest."
Lucien nodded.
"Next time..."
"I'll go with you."
Ellis froze.
Then surprise filled her eyes.
A smile appeared.
"Okay."
With Lucien there—
someone capable of creating terrifying talismans and destroying evil spirits—
success was nearly guaranteed.
At least...
that was what Ellis thought.
But Lucien had an entirely different thought.
That thing came out...
showed itself in front of him...
acted all arrogant...
and then thought it could simply run?
Dream on.