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

In her room on the thirty-first floor, Song Xinxue clutched the jade pendant and huddled in a corner. Outside the door, an even more powerful presence was guarding—no, not guarding, but blocking the way.

The man stood at the doorway, holding a black banner in his hand. The blood-red runes on the banner writhed in the darkness, like living things.

The man's aura was off. It wasn't the aura of a living person, nor the aura of a spirit; it was somewhere in between, a distorted, torn, possessed scent. He was possessed.

The craftsman who created the Soul Gathering Banner lacked sufficient cultivation to control such immense power and was thus devoured by the backlash. Now, what occupies his body is something born from the Soul Gathering Banner—a ghost king.

Chen Hao withdrew his divine sense, turned around, and faced the two girls.

After a moment of preparation, Chen Hao suddenly gathered his energy in his dantian and roared, his voice like rolling thunder, breaking through layers of black mist and echoing throughout the entire building: "What kind of demon dares to linger here, harming all living beings in the mortal world? Surrender at once!"

This angry shout, carrying a faint ancient tone, caused ripples in the surrounding yin energy and clearly reached the room on the 31st floor.

Song Xinxue, who was huddled in the corner trembling, suddenly raised her head, her eyes instantly igniting with hope. Thinking it was a patrolling police officer or security guard, she shouted with all her might towards the door, "Is anyone there! Help! I'm on the 31st floor, please help me!"

The sound traveled clearly through the door to Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing on the 29th floor. This was not because the sound traveled far, but because Chen Hao deliberately used his spiritual energy to concentrate the sound so that the two of them could hear it.

Chen Siyao's eyes widened instantly. She grabbed Chen Hao's arm and exclaimed excitedly, "Brother, I heard it! It's Sister Xue's voice! It's Song Xinxue! How could she be trapped here?"

Yang Wanqing nodded quickly, a worried look on her face: "It really is Sister Xinxue. She seems very scared. Let's go save her!"

Chen Hao nodded calmly, "That's right, it's her. She's trapped on the 31st floor and has been targeted by an evil spirit."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Ghost King on the 31st floor seemed to be enraged, letting out a series of eerie, sinister laughs. The laughter was chilling and piercing, as if it came from the deepest hell, carrying endless coldness that spread down the corridor: "Where did this brat come from, daring to ruin my good time? He's simply courting death!"

Startled by the voice, Chen Siyao immediately looked at Chen Hao anxiously, her voice urgent: "Brother, don't delay! We need to go save Sister Xue right away, or it will be too late!"

Chen Hao looked at his anxious sister with a serious expression and slowly said, "Yaoyao, Xiaoqing, there are too many ghosts in this building. If I take action directly, it will inevitably affect these unconscious ordinary people."

"Yaoyao, Xiaoqing," he said in a serious tone, "I'll be setting up a three-meter-wide River Diagram Soul-Suppressing Technique later. This technique requires me to continuously cast spells to maintain it, and any soul entering this area will be weakened."

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time.

Chen Hao continued, "When the time comes, you will be needed to eliminate these souls."

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing exchanged a glance, both showing fear on their faces. Yang Wanqing whispered, "Brother Hao, we...we don't know magic. How can we destroy a soul? We're even afraid of ghosts."

Chen Siyao nodded in agreement, but then, thinking of Song Xinxue's suffering, she gritted her teeth and said, "Brother, I'm not afraid, but I really don't know how to fight ghosts."

Chen Hao took out two items from his Qiankun bag.

The first item was a wooden sword with a pale gold color throughout. Ancient runes were engraved on the blade. It felt warm and smooth in the hand, without any coldness, but instead exuded a faint fragrance.

"Yaoyao, this is a wooden sword made of paulownia wood from ancient times." Chen Hao handed the sword to her. "Paulownia wood is the wood where phoenixes perch, and it is naturally able to restrain evil spirits. Use this sword to deal with those spirits."

Chen Siyao took it, holding it in both hands, her eyes wide as she stared at the unassuming little sword: "This...this is something from ancient times?"

Chen Hao nodded and then took out a second item. It was a thin incense stick, entirely silvery-white, emitting a faint glow, like moonlight.

"Xiao Qing, this is the Soul-Returning Incense. If you encounter someone who is unconscious, hold the incense under their nose and circle it once, and they will wake up."

Yang Wanqing took it with both hands, holding it carefully as if it were a fragile treasure.

Chen Hao looked at them: "Aren't you scared?"

Chen Siyao gripped the wooden sword tightly and took a deep breath: "I'm not afraid."

Yang Wanqing clutched the incense in her hand and took a deep breath: "Don't be afraid."

Chen Hao nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Let's go. Don't stray more than three meters from me."

He turned and walked deeper into the corridor. Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing exchanged a glance and followed him at the same time.

The 29th floor, at the end of the corridor.

The first door appeared before them. It was closed, a dark red security door with several deep scratches on the doorknob, as if something had torn it out from the inside.

An upside-down "福" (good fortune) character was pasted on the door; it had faded, the edges were curled up, and it cast a small shadow under the emergency light.

Chen Hao stood in front of the door, without moving.

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing stood behind him, holding their breath.

The door opened by itself.

It didn't open slowly; it slammed open with a loud "bang," as if something had kicked it from the inside. The door hit the wall, making a piercing metallic sound that echoed through the empty corridor.

Chen Siyao was so frightened that she took a step back, and Yang Wanqing screamed.

The room was dark, the curtains were drawn tight, and only the emergency light from the hallway shone in from the doorway, casting a small, pale light on the floor. Something was moving at the edge of that light.

Two hanged ghosts.

One on the left and one on the right, hanging from the ceiling. Feet up, heads down, like two upside-down bats. Their hair hung down, almost dragging on the ground, wet as if it had been soaked in water.

His face was bluish-gray, swollen and distended, his eyes bulging out, all whites showing, with no pupils. His mouth was open, his tongue sticking out, purplish-black, hanging down to his chest. His clothes were tattered, as if torn by something, revealing the bluish-purple skin underneath, covered with lividity.

Their necks were bound by a thin rope, but the rope wasn't hanging from the ceiling—it was suspended in mid-air, the other end disappearing into the darkness, as if being pulled by something.

The two ghosts moved at the same time.

Their heads slowly, very slowly turned, their necks making a "click-clack" sound, like rusty gears turning. Their bulging eyes stared at the doorway, at Chen Siyao, and at Yang Wanqing.

Then they laughed.

His mouth stretched to his ears, revealing a dark, toothless mouth. His tongue slid out from the corner of his mouth, hanging down his chin, dripping dark red liquid.

Startled by the commotion of the three, the two hanged ghosts let out a sharp wail. One of them suddenly broke free of its ropes and, like a kite with a broken string, pounced on Chen Siyao, aiming straight for her forehead, trying to possess her.