Chapter 4

Inside the dilapidated ancient temple, smoke curled upwards. Ethan Moore sat cross-legged, eyes closed, his fingertips forming simple meditation gestures as he tried to integrate the spiritual energy that hadn’t yet fully merged with his body. Having just escaped death in the locust tree forest and consumed the Yin-Yang Pearl of the Harrison family, he needed to calm himself down and regain his composure. But before he could do so, a strange “giggling” sound suddenly pierced his ears.

The laughter was childish yet sinister, eerily resembling that of the Ghost King in the locust tree forest. Ethan Moore’s heart tightened. He suddenly opened his eyes, his meridians activating instinctively. A dark red seal flashed in the depths of his eyes. In a flash, he rushed out of the ancient temple. Following the direction of the laughter, he saw two figures engaged in a fierce battle on the opposite hillside.

On one side was a man in green with an ugly appearance. He kept making hand gestures and muttering incantations. Dozens of small demons, about the size of a palm, surrounded him. They were the source of those laughter noises. On the other side was a Taoist priest dressed in Taoist robes. He held a peachwood sword. His body was covered in wounds, and he was clearly in a desperate situation. The positive energy in his peachwood sword was weakening rapidly, and it seemed like it wouldn’t hold much longer.

“That’s actually a demonic spell for raising demons!” Ethan Moore’s pupils constricted. The Harrison family was indeed skilled in such unholy practices. That man in green must be Leo Harrison’s subordinate. Just as he prepared to investigate further, to find out why that sorcerer was being hunted by the Harrison family, the man in green suddenly acted. A wisp of black mist wrapped around the sorcerer’s neck, and with a pull, he was lifted into the air. In moments, he disappeared into the depths of the forest, leaving behind a shrill scream that echoed through the valley for a long time: “Harrison family! You wretched Harrison family!”

Ethan Moore frowned, filled with doubts. There must be some hidden schemes behind the Harrison family, as mentioned by that Taoist priest. Leo Harrison not only wanted to sacrifice him, but also wanted to get rid of the Taoist priest. They even raised demons and set up evil spells. What exactly were they planning? After pondering for a moment, Ethan Moore decided to go to the Harrison family’s residence tonight to find out.

As night deepened, the Harrison family’s mansion was brightly lit, yet there was a sense of oppressive silence throughout. Ethan Moore moved like a ghost, silently climbing over the walls, avoiding the security guards on patrol, and staying hidden in the shadows to observe. In the living room, Leo Harrison was raging at several security guards, his face so dark it seemed to drip with fury.

“Nobody?” Leo Harrison kicked over the coffee table in front of him, his voice icy. “You were sent to search the locust tree forest during the day, and you didn’t even find a single body? That kid, Ethan Moore… could he really have disappeared without a trace?”

“Mr. Shen, we’ve turned the entire mountain upside down. Not only were there no remains of Ethan Moore, but we didn’t find any remains that even resembled his at all.” The security guard kept his head lowered, not daring to speak.

“Waste!” Leo Harrison roared, pacing back and forth with murderous intent in his eyes. “Go and find out from the Moore family whether that kid has returned there. Report back immediately once you get any news!”

The security guard quickly stepped back in response. Leo Harrison stood alone in the living room, gritting his teeth. “Ethan Moore, if I say you die, you must die! You’re lucky this time, but next time, I’ll make sure you’re completely destroyed!”

Ethan Moore hid in the shadows, sneering to himself. Leo Harrison must be completely frantic. Just as he prepared to investigate further, he saw a man in a suit enter the living room and whisper something in Leo Harrison’s ear. Leo Harrison’s expression became even more furious, and the murderous intent in his eyes seemed about to burst forth.

In the latter half of the night, the Harrison family’s mansion fell completely silent. Ethan Moore took advantage of the situation. With a quick movement, he rushed toward the bedrooms. His footsteps were so light that not even the dogs in the yard noticed him. In the faint moonlight, he saw Leo Harrison sneaking out of one of the bedrooms and heading toward the backyard.

In the depths of the backyard, the man in the green shirt stood in a corner, waiting. The two exchanged a few words in hushed tones before going their separate ways. Ethan Moore acted quickly, silently following the man in green shirt deeper into the mansion. Eventually, they stopped in front of a unassuming thatched cottage.

The man in green looked around carefully to make sure no one was nearby, then entered the thatched cottage cautiously. Ethan Moore hid behind a nearby tree, waiting patiently. He thought it would take several hours, but to his surprise, in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the man in green came out and left quickly.

Ethan Moore immediately stood up and silently entered the thatched cottage. The space was small and dimly lit. Right across from the door hung a painting over a meter long, with strange characters carved on it. Even though Ethan Moore had learned spells since childhood, he couldn’t understand the meaning of those characters at all.

He stepped forward and touched the painting with his hand. Suddenly, he realized something was wrong—the back of the painting was completely empty! Ethan Moore yanked the painting aside, revealing a dark underground passage before his eyes. The passage exuded a strong sense of death and bloodshed.

Just as he was about to enter the passage to find out what was going on, he suddenly felt dizzy. Strange incantations echoed from all directions. His spiritual energy became chaotic, and he felt extremely cold. Ethan Moore was shocked. He quickly leaned against the wall to sit down, forming seals with his hands to ward off this eerie force.

At that moment, an unremarkable little statue in the corner caught his attention. The statue depicted a little demon wearing a robe, with a furious expression. Yet, on its forehead, there was a painted face with kind-looking features, creating a jarring contrast and giving off an eerie vibe.

Ethan Moore stared intently at the statue. Suddenly, the statue grinned, its mouth stretching all the way to its ears, its gaze fierce and terrifying. “It’s a magic formation!” Ethan Moore realized instantly—that statue was the focal point of the magic formation.

“The vaginal opening is blocked, demons stand in the way, it’s dark under the light, knowledge is obscured—break through these obstacles for me!” Ethan Moore roared. His hands formed seals even faster, and spiritual energy surged from his body. A white light shot toward the statue.

In an instant, cracks appeared all over the statue. With a “crack,” it shattered into pieces. A tiny ghost, no bigger than a palm, emerged from the fragments. It flapped its tiny arms and legs, floating in the air while continuing to emit its “giggling” laughter.

“Brother, brother!” The little ghost flew in front of Ethan Moore, reaching out with its tiny hand to grab his arm. Its voice was childish, but devoid of any malice. Ethan Moore felt a stir in his heart. Having studied the arts of yin and yang since childhood, he knew that even ghosts could be good or evil—those fed on blood were evil spirits, while those worshipped through incense were good spirits. Clearly, this little ghost was good.

“Little guy, do you live here?” Ethan Moore asked softly.

The little boy nodded vigorously, his face showing anger. He tugged at Ethan Moore’s sleeve, pointing at the secret passage behind the painting, unable to speak coherently. Ethan Moore understood immediately: this boy must have been captured by the Harrison family.

“Were you caught by them?”

“Mm!” The little boy nodded vigorously, then pulled Ethan Moore along toward the secret passage.

Ethan Moore didn’t hesitate any longer. He followed the little boy into the secret passage. It was completely dark inside, and the air grew increasingly oppressive. After walking for about as long as it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived near a hidden door in the back room. The little boy pointed at the door and cried out anxiously, “Inside, inside!”

Ethan Moore was about to push the door open when he suddenly noticed a faint presence in the corner. He walked over and saw that someone was lying there, half-reclined in the corner—it was the Taoist priest who had been taken away by the man in green earlier!

The Taoist priest was weak and pale, on the verge of death. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw Ethan Moore. A glimmer of light appeared in his eyes as he struggled to raise his hand and point toward the corner door. He spoke 断断续续 ly, “The Mirror… the Mirror Demon… the Harrison family…”

Mirror Demons? Ethan Moore’s expression changed dramatically! As a child, his grandfather had told him that Mirror Demons were essentially special-type demons. Their creation process was extremely lengthy, and they were a hundred times more dangerous than ordinary demons. It was said that in ancient times, the Li family once raised Mirror Demons, only for the entire family to be destroyed as a result. The Harrison family was actually raising Mirror Demons?

He glanced at the little demon clinging to his arm and immediately understood that this little creature must have been captured by the Harrison family to be used in the creation of mirror demons. And this Taoist priest, likely discovered the Harrison family’s secrets, which is why he was being hunted.

The Taoist’s energy grew weaker and weaker. Eventually, his head tilted to one side, and he stopped breathing. Ethan Moore sighed, formed the necessary seals with his hands, and recited the ritual incantations for guiding souls across. As a child, his master had taught him that sorcerers should do good deeds and help as many souls as possible, so that vengeful spirits wouldn’t bring harm to the world.

After transforming the Taoist priest, Ethan Moore pushed open the horned door and stepped inside. After taking just five steps, the little ghost clinging to his arm let out a scream and scurried into a corner, trembling with fear.

The next moment, dozens of evil ghosts and vengeful spirits rushed in from all directions. A bone-chilling coldness filled the entire chamber. The evil ghosts bared their teeth and claws, desperately trying to get inside Ethan Moore’s body and take control of it. Ethan Moore felt a chill sweep through him. He quickly activated his spiritual energy to create a protective barrier around himself, successfully blocking the attacks of the evil ghosts.

The number of those damned ghosts kept increasing, and his vital energy grew weaker by the moment. Ethan Moore thought to himself that things weren’t looking good. Could it be that he would meet his end here today? Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a mirror in the center of the secret room. Next to the mirror stood a small wooden coffin.