The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Zhang Dechang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face ashen: "Someone...someone secretly ran to the top floor of Building A, took out the Soul Gathering Banner, and even broke the Seven Star Suppressing Array that I set up back then! The array's core was completely destroyed, and all the wronged souls and evil spirits in the mass grave came out and were forcibly gathered together by the Soul Gathering Banner. Now that building has long become a living hell! It has become a ghost realm."

"The Ghost Realm?" Qian Hong's expression changed.

"It's a realm formed by the gathering of ghosts." Zhang Dechang's voice was hoarse. "In there... it's no longer an ordinary haunted place. When I went in, the stairwell to the 28th floor was blocked by black mist. I used three talismans to get up there, but I couldn't hold on until the 29th floor. There were too many spirits, and the Soul-Gathering Banner was constantly attracting them. They were more than ten times stronger than ordinary ghosts."

He glanced down at the peach wood sword broken in two in his hand, and gave a bitter smile: "This sword has been with me for thirty years, and it's broken inside today. The Bagua compass is also shattered. If I hadn't retreated quickly, I'm afraid I wouldn't be out today."

His voice was filled with deep fear as he continued, "The person controlling the Soul-Gathering Banner is a complete novice, with shallow cultivation. He can't possibly control such a malevolent object. Now the Soul-Gathering Banner is completely out of control, countless wronged souls are being devoured and refined by the banner, and the malevolent energy is growing stronger and stronger. Even the person controlling the banner has had his mind overwhelmed by the resentment and is close to going insane. He could be annihilated at any moment!"

"Utterly heartless! Who on earth could be so heartless?!" Qian Hong was enraged, trembling with rage. He slammed his fist against the wall, his eyes red-rimmed. "Who did Hongsheng Real Estate offend to ruin me like this?!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger and fear, and clinging to his last glimmer of hope, looked at Zhang Xuanqing and asked, "Elder Zhang, you are a master of Longhu Mountain. Could you contact the Longhu Mountain headquarters and request the current Celestial Master to come down the mountain personally? If the Celestial Master is willing to come, he can definitely resolve this matter, right?"

Zhang Dechang shook his head, his voice low: "I'm afraid it's no use. A ghostly realm has formed inside. Even if the Celestial Master himself came, he might not be able to resolve it. Moreover, I've only heard of the Soul-Gathering Banner in legends; its resentment is too strong. Those souls, attracted by it, have gone mad. It's not a matter of their cultivation level; it's that the thing is too evil."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "Mr. Qian, I suggest you report this to the Special Affairs Bureau immediately. This is beyond our capabilities to handle."

Qian Hong broke out in a cold sweat: "The Special Intelligence Bureau? Then... what will the outcome be?"

Zhang Dechang paused for a moment: "If the Special Affairs Bureau intervenes, they might first seal off Building A, then set up an array to seal off the entire building, and then use the ultimate Yang secret technique to slowly wear down those souls. Then they would remodel the Feng Shui layout, relying on the essence of the sun and moon and the ultimate Yang energy to slowly dissipate the resentment inside. This process... might take ten years, or even longer."

These words struck Qian Hong like a bolt from the blue. He staggered back two steps, his face ashen, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. His suit jacket was soaked through with sweat, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"Ten years?!" Qian Hong's voice trembled. "What about my building? Building A is the core building of Baotian City, with over two hundred households and billions of yuan in assets! If it's sealed off for ten years, the company is finished!"

Zhang Dechang sighed, "Mr. Qian, I know you're in a difficult position. But the situation there is truly beyond human control. The Soul-Gathering Banner has gone out of control, and the person who set it up is trapped inside. When I went up, I could sense he was on the 31st floor, but he was already delirious. His cultivation level isn't high enough; he simply can't control that thing."

Qian Hong's face turned pale and then green, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. He knew, of course, what it meant for Building A to be sealed off for ten years. Baotian City was the company's flagship project, and Building A was the most valuable unit, with over two hundred households, each worth at least tens of millions. If it were sealed off for ten years, the consequences—refunds, penalties, a stock price crash, a broken cash flow… he dared not think about it any further.

He glanced back at the several company executives standing beside him. When they met his gaze, they all lowered their heads and no one dared to speak.

Qian Hong took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Old Zhang, is there really no other way?"

Just as Zhang Dechang was about to speak, he suddenly coughed violently, coughing several times before spitting out a mouthful of blood. Qian Hong quickly supported him, asking, "Mr. Zhang! Are you alright?"

Zhang Dechang waved his hand, paused for a while, and then said, "President Qian, prepare to seal off the building. Report to the Special Affairs Bureau as soon as possible. The longer we delay, the bigger the monsters inside will become, and then it won't just be a matter for Building A anymore."

Qian Hong's hands were trembling. He knew, of course, that he couldn't delay, but the words "sealing off the building" carried too heavy a weight. He glanced back at the dark windows of Building A. Behind the windows of the 29th, 30th, and 31st floors, the shadowy figures were still moving, even more numerous than before. The sunlight shone on them, but it seemed to be sucked in by something, reflecting no light at all.

Several shareholders on the board of directors had long coveted his chairmanship and were waiting to find fault with him. Now that such a big incident has occurred, those people will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble. At that time, he will not only lose his chairmanship, but he may even cause Hongsheng Real Estate to go bankrupt!

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and was about to speak—

"Mr. Qian, um..." He Zhongwei leaned closer, his voice trembling, "There are a few people over there who said they can handle it..."

Qian Hong opened his eyes and impatiently looked in the direction He Zhongwei pointed—outside the police line stood a young man with two girls beside him. The young man, dressed in a white T-shirt and black trousers, looked to be in his twenties, with a calm expression, and was looking in the direction of Building A.

Qian Hong frowned: "Who is that?"

He Zhongwei whispered, "It's that internet celebrity who was about to go in, the one called Chen Tianshi. He's quite popular online, doing all that stuff about the Queen Mother of the West and Qin Shi Huang, and he's fooled a lot of fans. I stopped them just now."

Qian Hong glanced at him, then at Chen Hao, about to say something. Qian Hong's secretary, wearing high heels, clattered over. "Mr. Qian, this is the information Chen Hao uploaded to the God Network. Please take a look."