As the car sped off, Bernard asked, "So, did you find out how Locke managed to seal the Shadow King''s energy inside him?"


    "I did, actually. Locke is a cultivator too, and he''s a member of the Church of Bloodism. He cast his evil sorcery just now and tried to kill me in his room."


    "That bastard! I knew he wouldn''t have just let go of resentment like that."


    Perry nced at Wilbur from the rearview mirror. "Do you believe in karma, Wilbur? Everything that happened to Locke was his karma for cultivating evil sorcery for his own selfish gain. Now that his son''s dead, all his hard work and suffering was in vain. That''s his punishment from god."


    Wilbur said, "I''m not in the mood to joke around with you guys. I just want to know if there''s any other way to stop the Shadow King froming here if I can''t change Locke''s mind. Could we find the Shadow King''s clones and kill them first? Would that work?"


    "No, it won''t. The world of the Shadow Men is a special one, and they can remain undetectable as long as they hide in the darkness. We won''t be able to find those clones. The only way to stop the tragedy is if we team up and kill the Shadow King together."


    Wilbur frowned. "I thought you said that was impossible? Why did you tell me to try talking Locke out of his hatred, then?"


    "That would have never worked. Locke is not a good person."


    Bernard said, "You were really emotional then, you know? Do you seriously think you would''ve just let it go if we hadn''t let youe?"


    "I..."


    Wilbur felt a little helpless. Indeed, he had thought half an hour ago that he would actually be able to persuade Locke and talk him out of sacrificing himself. It was clear now that Locke was not the kind of person to just change his mind, and he would rather sacrifice himself to the Blood God and the Shadow King than let go of his hatred.


    The three men arrived at a hotel where Wilbur saw the other members of the ck Panthers as well. Perry chatted with them briefly, and Wilbur finally understood then that the Shadow King could actually increase his level of power endlessly aftering to another universe despite being weakened.


    The Shadow King might only have a fifth of his actual power here, but he could gain more power quickly by usurping other cultivators. That way, he would be able to grow stronger very quickly. Perry felt that the only way to draw the Shadow King''s attention after he arrived here was to cast the ck Panther formation.


    Once the Shadow King was lured here, the ck Panthers would team up with Wilbur to take the Shadow King down. The ck Panthers inspected the hotel balcony, and Bernard and Perry found a good spot there toy down the formation.


    "Is there anything I can help with?" asked Wilbur.


    Perry said, "Don''t forget that you''re the main character. The ck Panthers might be able to lure the Shadow King over, but we might not be a match for him. You''re our only hope at defeating him, or we''re all going to die."


    Bernard put a hand on Wilbur''s shoulder. "We''re counting on you tonight, Wilbur."


    Wilbur looked at Bernard, then at Perry. "Are you guys kidding me? You sure seem calm about something so big happening, don''t you? Aren''t you afraid of dying?"


    "Well, we''ve already died once if you want to talk about death. None of the ck Panthers fear death anymore, nor do we fear many things."


    "Master saved us all those years ago, and we knew then that our past selves have died, and we are now living a new life."


    Time ticked by, and it was dark soon enough. The hotel they were at was closer to


    the ocean, and the sound of the waves could be heard from the balcony.


    "It''s starting, look!"