Chapter 3

“Get lost!” Ethan Moore shouted angrily. His hands moved even faster in forming seals, while the spiritual energy within him surged violently. The runes on the Yin-Yang Ring glowed brightly. A blinding white light burst from the ring and shot toward the little ghost.

The white light struck the little ghost’s body, producing a “zizzing” sound. The little ghost let out a shrill scream. Its body became blurred for a moment, but it didn’t disappear. Instead, the evil energy around it grew stronger. A murderous intent flashed in its dark eyes.

“Play with me! You have to play with me!” The little devil’s voice suddenly became shrill. No longer childish, it now carried the deep tone of an adult man. A dark energy gathered around him, forming four streams of darkness that coiled around Ethan Moore like ropes.

Ethan Moore tried to dodge to the side, but the dark airflow was too fast. In an instant, it wrapped around his limbs, trapping him firmly. A bone-chilling coldness rushed into his body through the airflow, causing his entire body to stiffen. His spiritual energy became sluggish to function.

“Kikikiki~” The little demon laughed as it stepped forward toward Ethan Moore. With a wave of its hands, two enormous white bone axes appeared in its hands. The axes emitted a terrifying sense of death, making people’s hearts race.

Ethan Moore felt a chill run down his spine. He never expected that this little brat would be so powerful. Ordinary yin-yang techniques couldn’t even hurt him at all. It seemed that this wasn’t some ordinary evil spirit at all, but a true Ghost King!

“Since you refuse to play with me, then I’ll kill you. I’ll trap your soul here forever, so it can accompany me for all eternity!” The Ghost King sneered, raising his bone axe high above his head and swinging it down fiercely toward Ethan Moore’s head.

At that critical moment, Ethan Moore bit his own tongue hard. A mouthful of vital blood gushed out. When the blood touched the Yin-Yang Ring, its glow intensified dramatically. A powerful force erupted from the ring, freeing it from the grasp of the dark currents.

“Heaven and earth have no limits. With blood as the conduit, I invoke the forbidden powers of the Muir family’s Yin-Yang rituals!” Ethan Moore roared, quickly forming seals with his hands. Using blood as a medium, he unleashed the forbidden energies of the Muir family’s Yin-Yang rituals. Veins bulged on his arms, neck, and forehead. The spiritual energy within him surged violently. His yang energy became extremely intense, standing in sharp contrast to the surrounding yin energy.

With a swift motion, he grabbed the massive bone axe from the Ghost King’s hands. The axe was icy to the touch, emitting a strong sense of deathly energy. But with the power of his yang energy, this deathly energy was suppressed, and instead, a faint white light began to emanate from the axe.

“Bang!” Ethan Moore swung his giant axe, hitting the Ghost King’s head with great force. There was a loud crash, but the axe failed to hurt the Ghost King at all. Instead, it was sent flying back by a powerful recoil force. Ethan Moore’s arm went numb from the impact, and he stumbled several steps back, with a trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“It’s useless, mortal. Your strength isn’t even enough to hurt me!” The Ghost King sneered. With a flash, he appeared right in front of Ethan Moore. Another bone axe swung toward his chest.

Ethan Moore didn’t have time to dodge. He could only raise his giant axe and try to block the attack. With a loud “bang,” the force of the impact sent him crashing into a locust tree. The branches of the tree snapped instantly. Ethan Moore spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. His giant axe fell to the side as well.

He struggled to get up, but his spiritual energy was completely exhausted. His entire body ached and he felt powerless. All he could do was watch as the Ghost King approached him step by step, his eyes filled with mockery and murderous intent.

“The boy from the Moore family… I didn’t expect you to be able to wield forbidden powers. You do have some skill.” The Ghost King’s voice now sounded like that of a mature man. The ghostly energy around him gathered once again, and his body began to transform. From a child, he gradually turned into a tall male figure with a blurred face, yet exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

“Who are you?” Ethan Moore spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse. Yet his gaze remained cold, fixed intently on the Ghost King.

“Who am I?” The Ghost King laughed heartily, his laughter filled with mockery and resentment. “Your grandfather, Han Jue, probably never told you about me, did he?”

Han Jue? Ethan Moore was shocked. His grandfather had been dead for many years. How could he possibly know this Ghost King? Moreover, from the Ghost King’s tone, it seemed like there was deep hatred between him and Grandfather.

“Do you know my grandfather?” Ethan Moore asked, feeling increasingly suspicious.

“Know each other? More than that.” The Ghost King’s tone turned icy. The malevolent energy around him surged once again. “Back then, if it weren’t for your grandfather, Han Jue, I wouldn’t have been imprisoned in this locust tree forest, tormented by this Ghost-Trapping Array for decades! Today, I’ll take your life to atone for the suffering I’ve endured over the years!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Ghost King clapped his hands. Four zombies, with stiff bodies and pale, dark-colored faces, jumped out from the locust tree forest. Their eyes were pitch black, and their bodies emitted a strong sense of death. They stepped forward towards Ethan Moore.

Ethan Moore felt a sense of despair. Dealing with the Ghost King alone was already beyond his capabilities. Now, with four zombies added to the fight, it seemed he would truly die here today. He remembered the old man’s warnings and what had happened to his two brothers. A sense of unwillingness filled his heart. He hadn’t yet mastered the Muir family’s secret arts of yin and yang, nor had he uncovered the reasons for the feud between the Harrison and Muir families. How could he just die like this?

Just as the zombie was about to reach him and the Ghost King prepared to act, the roar of a car suddenly broke the silence of the locust tree forest, approaching from afar. A blinding white light burst from the car, instantly enveloping the entire forest. The gloomy and lifeless atmosphere vanished quickly under the light.

“You brat, do you want to die? Who gave you the right to enter this Ghostly Formation without permission?” An angry voice rang out. Han Tangzhu, the head of the Mu family, jumped down from the off-road vehicle, holding a peachwood sword in his hand. The sword emitted a strong aura of yang energy as he walked toward them step by step.

When the Ghost King saw Master Han, his gaze turned icy instantly, and his voice was filled with hatred: “Old Man Han, you’re still alive after all! Back then, your grandfather Han Jue imprisoned me. Today, I’ll kill both you and your grandson to avengement!”

“You think you can do something against me?” Lord Han sneered. With a wave of his peachwood sword, a blinding white light was sent toward the Ghost King. “Back then, my grandfather was able to imprison you. Today, I will utterly destroy you!”

The white light struck the Ghost King. He let out a shrill scream. His body became blurred instantly, and the demonic energy surrounding him dissipated rapidly. He knew he was no match for Master Han. He glared fiercely at Ethan Moore and said through gritted teeth, “Ethan Moore, I remember this revenge today! Before long, I will return. Then, I’ll make your Moore family pay a heavy price!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the Ghost King’s figure completely disappeared into the locust tree forest. The four zombies, too, turned into pools of black liquid under the white light and vanished without a trace.

Hallmaster Han walked over to Ethan Moore. Seeing his battered body and blood dripping from his mouth, he was furious. “You brat, you’re getting more and more reckless! On the Ghost King’s birthday, you still dare to enter this Ghost-Seeking Formation. Do you really think you have an immortal life?”

Ethan Moore struggled to get up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said with a grin, “Old man, what else was I to do? Leo Harrison set this trap to lure me here and offer me as a sacrifice to the Ghost King. I had no choice but to fight back. Besides, if you’d arrived just one minute later, I’d really have been done for.”

“You still dare to make excuses!” Hall Master Han glared at him, but then took out a bottle of medicinal pills from his bosom and handed them to Ethan Moore. “Eat the pills quickly and restore your spiritual energy. If you die, how am I supposed to explain this to your grandfather?”

Ethan Moore took the medicinal pill and swallowed it whole. As soon as it entered his mouth, it dissolved. A warm sensation spread throughout his body, relieving the pain in every muscle. His spiritual energy also began to recover slowly. He looked at Master Han and asked seriously, “Old man, who exactly is that Ghost King? Why did he say that my grandfather once imprisoned him?”

Lord Han’s expression immediately became solemn. A complex mix of emotions flashed in his eyes. After remaining silent for a long time, he finally spoke, revealing a secret that had remained hidden for decades.

“Back then, your grandfather, Han Jue, along with several of his old friends, were hired by someone to perform religious rituals in a village. It was in that village that they encountered the Ghost King.” Master Han paused for a moment before continuing, “Before becoming the Ghost King, he was just a five-year-old child. Because he was small and thin, he was bullied by children from another village. They tied him to a locust tree, and he died of cold in the dead of winter.”

“After the baby died, its resentment became so intense that it turned into a vengeful spirit. This spirit killed the children who had bullied it back then. It also caused chaos in the village, harming the villagers. Your grandfather and his old friend tried to subdue this spirit, but it was too powerful to be controlled.”

“To make matters worse, as a young child at the time, I insisted on going with your grandfather to the village. As a result, I was possessed by that vengeful spirit and was in grave danger. With no other choice, your grandfather and his old friend set up this spirit-trapping formation. Using the pagoda trees as a conduit, they locked the spirit’s soul within this grove of pagoda trees.”

Ethan Moore was utterly shocked. He never expected that the Ghost King had such a past. Nor did he realize that his grandfather had set up the Ghost-Summoning Array all those years ago, with the intention of saving the old man.

“But why can he take on a human form and even ‘grow’?” Ethan Moore asked doubtfully. “I’ve heard that evil spirits don’t have the ability to grow. They remain exactly as they were after death.”

Lord Han’s expression grew even more solemn. “This is exactly what has puzzled me. Logically, since he was imprisoned in the Soul-Sealing Formation, he could only survive by relying on negative energy. There was no way he could grow. But judging from his appearance just now, it’s clear that he has reached the physique of an adult man. Moreover, his strength is more than twice what it was back then.”

Ethan Moore remained silent. There must be something fishy going on here. Could it be that someone was secretly helping the Ghost King, allowing him to break through his limits and grow stronger? And could that person be Leo Harrison?

At the thought of Leo Harrison, Ethan Moore’s gaze turned icy. Leo Harrison not only set a trap to lure him to the Ghost Array, intending to sacrifice him, but might also be colluding with the Ghost King.

“Old man, why does Leo Harrison target me? What exactly is the feud between the Harrison family and the Moore family?” asked Ethan Moore.

Hallmaster Han sighed and shook his head. “This is a long story. When you return to the Moore family, I’ll explain everything to you in detail. For now, let’s go back and rest properly. Leo Harrison won’t give up so easily. More dangerous things await us ahead.”

Ethan Moore nodded, but his heart was filled with resentment and confusion. He didn’t follow Hallmaster Han back to the Moore family. Instead, taking advantage of Hallmaster Han’s inattention, he quietly turned around and ran toward the back mountains of the Moore family’s territory.

On the back mountain, there’s a dilapidated ancient temple. It’s the place Grandpa took him to during his lifetime. Grandpa told him that the temple contained the secrets to mastering the art of seeing through yin and yang energies. It might also hold the key to defeating the Ghost King. Since he’s not strong enough yet, if he wants to take revenge and uncover all the secrets, he must improve his skills as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, on the barren mountains opposite the back hill of the Moore family, a grotesquely ugly man in green was frantically ordering dozens of demons to attack a Taoist priest dressed in Taoist robes. The priest was covered in wounds, with blood flowing from his mouth. He was cornered, yet his gaze remained resolute.

“The Harrison family members are truly skilled in dark arts! How dare they raise so many demons to cause trouble in the world!” The Taoist priest shouted angrily. He swung his peachwood sword, killing one of the demons. But more and more demons kept charging at him.

The man in green laughed heartily, his tone full of mockery: “So what if it’s an unorthodox method? As long as I can win, as long as I can get rid of you troublemaking Taoists, as long as I can help Young Master Shen achieve his goals, I’ll use whatever means necessary!”

The talismans in his hands changed rapidly. A massive Bagua formation descended suddenly, trapping the Taoist priest firmly inside. The priest let out a shrill scream, struggling desperately within the formation, his breath growing weaker by the moment.

The man in green looked at the trapped Taoist priest, a smug smile on his face. “Next year will be Ethan Moore’s 25th birthday, and also the day when he achieves mastery in his cultivation. Young Master Shen said that we must eliminate him completely before he achieves mastery, and destroy the Muir family’s secrets of yin and yang magic. And you… you’re the first obstacle on our path!”

As the night deepened, atop the barren mountains, the howls of demons and the screams of Taoists merged together, creating a eerie and sinister atmosphere. No one knew that the Harrison family’s schemes were far more dangerous than either Ethan Moore or Master Han could have imagined. And what would be the outcome of Ethan Moore’s decision to go to the ancient temple in the back mountains? Would it bring fortune or disaster?