There's a ghost!

The spatial rift had only just vanished when ten figures appeared again.

"King Qin Guang, what sort of man do you think this Imperial Lord Haoran is?" King Yama couldn't help asking.

King Chujiang and the others all turned to King Qin Guang as well, eager to hear his opinion.

King Qin Guang was silent for a moment before speaking. "We knew nothing of him before today. He seems to be someone who knows how to bide his time. Naturally, we must be on our guard."

"Mm..." King Yama and the others nodded at his words.

"However..." King Qin Guang continued, "we have ruled the Netherworld Underworld for hundreds of millions of years. We certainly won't be afraid of him. If he knows what's good for him, we can coexist peacefully. Otherwise... he cannot blame us for being ruthless."

"You are absolutely right, King Qin Guang." King Chujiang and the others voiced their agreement.

"For now, we should do our best to establish good relations with him. Better not to make an enemy of him unless we have no other choice." Finally, King Qin Guang waved his hand. "All right, that is all. Return to your respective halls." With that, he vanished.

The others exchanged glances, then turned and left without another word.

After returning to his hall, King Yama pondered for a long time before beckoning Black and White Impermanence over. "You both saw Imperial Lord Haoran today, didn't you?"

Black and White Impermanence exchanged a glance, unsure what their boss had in mind.

They could only nod. "Yes, Your Majesty, King of Hell. Of course we saw him."

"He has returned to the Mortal Realm now. Presumably, he has descendants there," King Yama said quietly. "Keep an eye out when you travel through the Mortal Realm. You might have a chance to forge a favorable connection."

Black and White Impermanence looked at each other, elated. If they could get a Ghost Emperor to owe them a favor, wouldn't they be able to swagger around the Underworld however they pleased?

They immediately bowed to King Yama in thanks. "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty, King of Hell. We brothers are eternally grateful."

"Mm." King Yama nodded in satisfaction. "Go on, then. Keep your wits about you." With that, he dismissed Black and White Impermanence.

Watching the two leave in high spirits, King Yama curled his lips into a smile, then casually picked up a document and began reading.

Candlelight still shone over the desolate open ground at the White Temple, though the candles had nearly burned down.

The flames flickered in the night breeze. A faint smile had actually appeared on Li Yichen's face, as though he were having a pleasant dream. In these surroundings, however, it looked downright creepy.

Just then, space split open not far from him, and a young man dressed in white stepped out.

Ghost Emperor Haoran waved the fan in his hand, his brows drawing together slightly. "To think that after a thousand years, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth would be so thin, while foul energy has grown so dense. It seems the world has undergone a great upheaval. It is no longer suitable for spiritual cultivation."

Then he smiled. "It does suit ghost cultivation, though. It is about time ghost cultivators rose to prominence."

With that, he turned his gaze toward Li Yichen nearby. Their shared bloodline gave him an extraordinary sense of kinship. Gently waving his folding fan, he slowly walked over.

When he reached Li Yichen, his gaze fell on the finger that had yet to heal. His fondness for the young man immediately rose several notches.

"So those three sticks of incense came from this lad," Li Haoran said with a soft chuckle. "It seems I ought to give him a little something as his Great-Grandpa."

He closed his folding fan, then reached out and began feeling Li Yichen's body.

Li Yichen was sleeping groggily. In his dream, a beautiful woman's fiery red lips were just about to do that with him when he suddenly felt a pair of hands roaming over his body, occasionally squeezing his arms and thighs.

He couldn't help frowning. Swatting at the hands, he mumbled, "Fuck, Number Two, are you up to your old tricks again? I'm not some beautiful woman. What are you groping me for? If you ruin my date with this hottie, you're going to pay."

Suddenly, a jolt ran through him. He snapped his eyes open and found himself looking straight into the eyes of a young man in white, who was smiling down at him.

Looking farther down, he saw that the man's hand seemed about to reach for a certain spot. His asshole clenched, and he shot upright, shouting, "Fuck! Stay away from me, you damn homo!"

"Damn homo? What is a homo?" Ghost Emperor Haoran was delighted to see him awake, but then asked in confusion.

Keeping a wary eye on him, Li Yichen felt around on the ground for a brick and hid it behind his back. Then he slowly stood, bending his front leg and bracing his rear one, ready to bolt at any moment.

Only after doing all that did he feel somewhat reassured. "Who are you? Why are you here?" he asked.

He could hardly be blamed for being nervous. This was the White Temple, a place with more ghosts than people. If someone suddenly appeared in the middle of the night and started feeling you up, wouldn't you be scared?

Naturally, Ghost Emperor Haoran paid no mind to his little maneuvers. With such an enormous disparity in strength, everything he did was futile.

He smiled and was just about to explain when Li Yichen's tense face suddenly lit up with delight. Li Yichen shouted toward something behind him, "Big Brother, I'm over here! Hurry over!"

"Hmm?" Ghost Emperor Haoran froze, puzzled. Someone is here? Why didn't I sense them? Could they be an expert?

He had only just turned to see whether someone was really approaching when Li Yichen shouted behind him, "Behold my magical treasure... sneak attack!" Then he felt something smash into his head.

Crack! The brick in Li Yichen's hand instantly broke into several pieces and fell to the ground.

Yet to Li Yichen's utter astonishment, the young man turned his head back as though nothing had happened and asked in confusion, "Where is this person?"

Fuck, what the hell is this guy? Is he the Terminator I saw in the movies? Shocked, Li Yichen asked with a slight tremble, "You... you're all right?"

"Of course," Ghost Emperor Haoran said matter-of-factly. "A blow of that caliber couldn't harm a single hair on me. Put a little more strength into it next time." As he spoke, he cast a disdainful glance at the broken brick on the ground.

"However..." He then revealed a somewhat wicked smile. "If you weren't my tenth-generation descendant, you would be dead..."

"Tenth-generation descendant?" Li Yichen froze, unable to wrap his head around it.

Li Haoran was in no hurry. With a swish, he opened his fan and gently fanned himself.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Li Yichen said. "You mean you're my grandfather or something?"

"Mm, you could put it that way." Ghost Emperor Haoran nodded. "But that isn't quite accurate. I would be your grandfather's grandfather's... grandfather. In other words, your Great-Grandpa."

"My grandfather's grandfather's... grandfather... Great-Grandpa..." Li Yichen frowned. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

Suddenly, his eyes went wide. Pointing a trembling hand at Li Haoran, he cried out in terror, "You... you... there's a ghost! Help!" Then he spun around and took off running.

Ghost Emperor Haoran's face turned livid. He hadn't expected the brat to show him so little respect. "I'm a dignified Ghost Emperor! Don't I have any dignity to preserve?"

"Trying to run, brat?" He pointed a finger, and with a crack, space instantly froze.

Li Yichen had barely taken two steps when he suddenly felt the space around him tighten. His body could no longer move, leaving him planted there, rigid as a stick.