Worshipping deities is about extracting various forms of malice from the statues to improve oneself.

  Worshippers gain different supernatural powers based on the deity they worship.

  Stirling has encountered such things on his journey, like the human-faced statue at the Blood God Temple and the Seven Extreme Shrine, which can cut off all emotions.

  There are 108 temples and shrines around the world. This means there are at least 108 different supernatural powers.

  At this moment, Stirling, with a solemn expression, looked at the red fingerprint on Master Kim's arm and placed a finger on it.

  In the next moment, a fierce energy burst from the fingerprint into Stirling's finger.

  "Luis, are you insane?" Master Kim felt puzzled and struggled to pull away from Stirling's arm. He couldn't break free for a moment. Stirling stood still, his blood energy building up. It surged from his body, step by step, creating a King Kong phantom behind him.

  Master Kim stared at the scene before him as if seeing a ghost.

  Only a blood-boiling Grandmaster can channel internal energy and blood flow so intensely that it overflows, creating significant phenomena behind them. This is one of the most distinctive characteristics of a Blood Boiling Grandmaster.

  Master Kim couldn't understand. Just three months ago, Stirling was still at the Bone Forging stage. How could he have, as fast as a flying arrow, become a Blood Boiling Grandmaster?

  A genius? A worshipper?

  No, this pure-blood energy was true Blood Boiling Samurai. Master Kim would never be wrong about that.

  "I never imagined that I would receive such a peerless genius in this chaotic era…" Master Kim stared blankly at the Blood Phantom behind Stirling, muttering to himself.

  Stirling had already focused all his energy. He concentrated his mind and gathered strength, feeling the intense power surge into his fingertips.

  As the strange energy invaded, Stirling felt a burning pain in his fingertips, like fire.

  Right now, the flesh on his fingertips cracked and a tad contract inward.

  "What kind of witchcraft is this?" Stirling looked at his slightly reddened fingertips and asked Master Kim.

  "It's not a technique, but the anode poison unique to the Yearning Palace."

  "You've only been contaminated with a trace, which you can suppress with your Virl force. But you must cleanse it straight away; otherwise, once it seeps into your body, even a god couldn't save you." Master Kim looked at Stirling's fingers and sighed.

  As expected, when this worshipper grows stronger, the evil magic gets more powerful. No wonder the samurai could not withstand it.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Stirling smiled a bit, but then his eyes narrowed. He activated the Malice-Converting Technique without delay.

  But the next moment, Stirling was pretty surprised. This trace of evil poison wasn't as refined as he had expected. Instead, it continued to spread along his fingers and into his body.

  Stirling snorted coldly. His vital force surged to his fingertips like a tidal wave, wrapping around the evil poison.

  And this evil poison, once again, surprised Stirling. It did weaken a bit under the vital force's wrapping, but the effect wasn't significant.

  When the suppression of the vital force stopped, the harmful poison could come back fiercely, making it hard to deal with.

  Stirling finally understood the power of this evil poison. He pondered for a moment, then changed his approach.

  He used the Pine Valley Flowing Wind Blade Intent to control the Aether. Once more, he charged at the wisp of evil poison on his fingertip.

  This time, the evil poison vanished without a trace when it met the Aether, like snowflakes dissolving in spring.

  "As expected," Stirling felt a slight sense of relief.

  The Aether had saved him from those odd states many times before. Stirling had guessed it likely had a strong restraining effect on the worshippers.

  Now, it was indeed the case.

  Master Kim saw Stirling standing still, and he soon felt anxious. He swiftly took a black badge from his robes and placed it on the table.

  "Luis! Now that you know about the Exorcism Sect, are you willing to join?"

  "I am the Zephyr Hall Master of the Exorcism Sect in Golden River Canton. If you are willing, this Hall Master position is yours today!"

  Master Kim's old eyes widened as he looked at Stirling with bated breath. "With your martial arts talent, once you join, you can get any skill, divine pills, demon beast flesh and blood, and even women!"

  Stirling raised an eyebrow at Master Kim's persuasive words but remained silent.

  Master Kim grew even more concerned and urged on. "Luis! Take the badge and leave posthaste! You can consider it later. Once the people from Yearning Palace arrive, neither of us can leave!"

  Only then did Stirling leisurely glance at the badge on the stone table. "Master, do you know why you failed this time?"

  Stirling spoke, laid-back, picking up the badge.

  Master Kim looked at Stirling in astonishment.

  "You've grown old, Master. You have developed a fear of them, and so you've lost."

  Stirling looked at Master Kim, increasing the pressure bit by bit in his hand. The black wooden badge creaked in his grasp.

  A moment later, Stirling let go. Clumps of black fragments drifted from his hand, floating away on the breeze. "An organization that can only hide in the shadows, a sect that only hopes to gamble with schemes. Master, tell me, why should I join?"

  Stirling looked at the dumbfounded Master Kim and asked with an unfathomable smile.

  "Luis… you, what do you mean?" Master Kim realized he couldn't see through the young man before him.

  "I have my path, Master." Stirling said, grasping the red mark on Master Kim's hand. A powerful energy surged into his palm. It became a powerful suction, pulling the evil poison from Master Kim's body into itself.

  "You're insane!" Master Kim tried to escape, but Stirling's strength was much greater than he had expected. Coupled with his own near-collapse, he could only sit there, at a loss, staring.

  Stirling stood before Master Kim, his expression neither sad nor happy. As soon as the surging evil poison entered his body, the long-awaited Aether dissolved it in no time.

  In no time, the evil poison within Master Kim's body was completely cleansed. Only then did Stirling release her grip and take out a bottle of pills from her robes.

  "Master, you gave me a Blood Nourishing Pill back then; now I return it to you with a bottle. Please leave now."

  Stirling placed the porcelain bottle in Master Kim's hand and bowed low.

  "Let's go together!" Master Kim looked at Stirling and implored.

  "Master, our paths are different. You rely on others, while I rely only on myself."

  "The weak worship gods; I worship myself!!! I will slaughter all the deities in this world, not just drive them!"

  "The patrol shaman is heading here; hope their god heard the pray and reveals a miracle. Otherwise, I will kill them all."

  Stirling laughed loudly. He grabbed Master Kim's shoulder and tossed him toward the roof. Then, he threw the bottle over, too.

  "I saw Pillnar when I came. He seems to be in some trouble. Master, check on him!"