Mo Lin lay sprawled on the bed, a dull ache throbbing in his temples.
Trouble had found him almost the moment he returned to the realm of the living.
If the Ghost Domain was targeting the Yin Messengers from Yetou, then he was certainly on their list as well. After all, he too hailed from Yetou.
And during his time in the Underworld, he had slain more than his fair share of ghosts belonging to the Ghost Domain. Their enmity was carved in blood and fire.
To the higher-ranked entities within the Ghost Domain, Mo Lin was nothing short of a mortal enemy. They would not let him off easily.
Mo Lin reached out, lightly pressing against his abdomen, where his five viscera were housed. Gradually, the anxiety in his heart eased.
He was no ordinary exorcist—he was heir to the Heavenly Master lineage, and the art of nourishing ghosts with one's internal organs was not mere legend. It was real, tangible, and terrifying in its potency.
If the Ghost Domain truly cornered him, truly forced him to the brink, he wouldn't hesitate to unleash the full power of the Five Ghosts Technique. He'd drag the entire Ghost Domain down with him if need be.
Of course, that presupposed that those ancient, death-fearing fiends were actually brave enough to face him head-on.
He hadn't earned thirty-six battle merits in the Underworld and been bestowed the title of Yin Division Officer just by talking a good game. His strength was real.
After a cursory review of the Ghost Domain's current situation, he dismissed Chen Xi and the other contracted ghosts, sending them back into the Ghost-Sealing Tome.
Then he lay down, intent on stealing a moment of rest.
Ring-ring-ring...
The sudden trill of his cell phone shattered the silence.
Mo Lin glanced at the screen—it was already 12:34 a.m.
Who could possibly be calling at such an hour?
He picked up. A woman's voice flowed from the receiver.
"Mo Lin, do you have a moment?"
It was Li Bingyan.
"What's going on?" he asked, his voice calm.
"There's a powerful ghost at 26 Huanghai Street. Three Spirit Tamers have already died. I'd like you to go take a look."
Clearly, this wasn't a situation that could be handled easily. Otherwise, she wouldn't be calling him in the dead of night.
"Is there payment involved?" Mo Lin asked frankly.
It wasn't that he was greedy—he was just broke.
"If you resolve the issue, I'll pay you two thousand nether coins."
"That'll do."
He agreed readily. Two thousand nether coins was no paltry sum. For a Spirit Tamer, that kind of money was enough to support a contracted ghost for quite some time.
"I'll head there now."
He ended the call, dressed in a simple tracksuit, and left the hotel.
He had chosen not to wear his Yin Division robes—not just to avoid wear and tear, but to keep a low profile. After the earlier incident where the Ghost Messengers had been captured, he'd decided to stop making such a conspicuous show of force.
The Yin Division robes were too recognizable. Whether friendly or hostile, anyone who saw them would instantly know who he was.
Back at the Jin Shrine, the Spirit Tamers had been unable to summon their contracted ghosts precisely because Mo Lin had been wearing his robes. The aura they emitted was so oppressive that the ghosts hadn't dared to show themselves.
Though the robes stayed packed away, he did bring along his crystal-blue longsword.
Mo Lin hailed a cab and headed for 26 Huanghai Street.
Roughly twenty minutes later, he arrived.
The street ahead was cordoned off. Two black sedans blocked the road, and a pair of young men in black uniforms and glasses stood guard, forbidding anyone from entering.
Mo Lin stepped out of the taxi and walked toward the blockade.
"Sir, this area is sealed off. Entry is prohibited," one of the guards said, stepping in his path.
"I'm with the Ghost Taming Bureau. I'm here to handle the situation," Mo Lin replied coolly.
The young man's expression shifted upon hearing this, becoming more respectful.
"Follow me," he said, turning to lead the way. "You're a Spirit Tamer, right?"
"Yeah."
"Four Spirit Tamers have already gone in. Three died, and one's in critical condition. Please be careful."
"No problem."
Mo Lin's gaze was suddenly drawn to a derelict building up ahead.
Even from this distance, faint traces of ghostly energy seeped from within. Though subtle, they could not escape his eyes.
For ghost aura to be noticeable from such a distance, the entity within had to be at least at the Dangerous Level.
After about five minutes, they reached a spot directly facing the ruined structure.
A group had gathered there, murmuring among themselves.
"Tang-jie, someone from the Ghost Bureau is here," the young man announced to a woman standing nearby.
The woman wore a black uniform, her hair tied in a ponytail, matched with sleek black slacks—entirely businesslike.
Her face was unremarkable, neither strikingly beautiful nor unpleasant.
"Mm." Tang Fang nodded, then promptly ignored Mo Lin, busy on a call, seemingly coordinating with another expert.
"What do you think you're doing?" she snapped suddenly, catching sight of Mo Lin walking alone toward the derelict building.
"I thought we were here to catch a ghost?"
"Get back here!"
She rushed forward, grabbing him and pulling him back.
"That ghost is dangerous. It's already killed three Spirit Tamers. Are you trying to die?"
She didn't give him a chance to reply. "Hold on—I've called in a high-ranking Spirit Tamer. Once he arrives, we'll go in together."
"Fine." Mo Lin didn't mind waiting. They were paying, after all.
Ten minutes passed.
A thunderous roar echoed overhead, whipping the air into a frenzy.
A helicopter descended and landed in an open space nearby.
A woman in a white dress stepped out, holding an umbrella—likely out of personal preference.
Her skin was porcelain pale, her heels crystalline. She looked more like a tourist than someone here to hunt ghosts.
But the show of force—arriving by helicopter—was impressive.
"She's one of our elite Spirit Tamers," Tang Fang said proudly. "That umbrella? It's a ghost artifact. There's a Dangerous-Level ghost sealed inside."
"She's the strongest among all Tier-3 Spirit Tamers."
Mo Lin absently touched the hilt of his blue sword.
"What's the situation?" Yun Ling's voice was soft, almost gentle.
"It's bad. We've lost three already," Tang Fang replied, frowning deeply.
Yun Ling tapped the umbrella lightly, and a dark silhouette emerged—a faceless ghost floated behind her, a shifting shadow without features.
It leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
Yun Ling nodded and motioned for the group to move in.
Had Mo Lin worn his Yin Division robes, this ghost likely wouldn't have dared to appear at all.
He followed Tang Fang into the ruin, while the others stayed outside. They were civilians—no match for what lay ahead.
"You're new, right?" Yun Ling asked, eyeing him.
"Yeah."
"Stick close to me. I'll protect you if anything happens," she said kindly, as if comforting a junior.
Their footsteps echoed through the empty structure, crunching softly on broken stones.
Yun Ling and Tang Fang moved cautiously, constantly glancing over their shoulders.
Nothing had happened yet, but their skittishness made the atmosphere unbearably tense.
Thunk...
A sudden noise.
Yun Ling gasped. "What was that?"
Tang Fang recoiled in fear, glancing behind her.
"I stepped on a rock," Mo Lin said simply.
The place was full of debris—nothing strange about that. But their exaggerated reactions were unsettling.
"Oh," Tang Fang murmured, casting another look behind Mo Lin.
Her fixation on what was supposedly behind him raised the hair on his neck.
There was nothing there.
But her repeated glances created an eerie suggestion—What if there was something?
He wasn't afraid of ghosts, but the psychological pressure was mounting.
Mo Lin stopped, brow furrowing.
He sensed two ghostly presences—one faint, the other powerful.
They were heading toward the weaker one. The strong presence lay in the opposite direction.
"What is it? Did you see something?" Tang Fang's question, perhaps unintentional, carried an ominous undertone.
"No. I'm heading this way," Mo Lin said, pointing in the opposite direction.
He turned and walked off alone.
"Looks like the rookie got scared," Tang Fang muttered.
"We all start somewhere. I was scared during my first ghost hunt too."
Suddenly, the ghost behind Yun Ling darted forward, sensing something. She followed swiftly.
Mo Lin, meanwhile, wanted no part of their theatrics.
He ascended to the second floor alone.
There, something blocked his path.
A corpse lay slumped, sliced clean in half.
A chill swept through the air.
Mo Lin looked up—and found himself face-to-face with a rotting visage that had appeared out of nowhere, silently, horrifyingly close.
It began to decay before his very eyes.
In that same instant, the ghost raised a black mist to strike.
Mo Lin met the attack with a raised palm, blocking it with ease.
Then he lashed out, summoning the Soul Chain technique.
A spectral chain shot forth, binding the ghost instantly.
It struggled in vain. The more it fought, the tighter the chains became.