The term Ghost Warden was one known by every household. Even children could identify the title when it was mentioned.
But it wasn't always this way. Once, there were no Ghost Wardens on Earth. Everything changed on a single night seven years ago.
That night, an inexplicable wind howled from dusk until dawn, sweeping through streets and alleys alike, accompanied by the ceaseless cries of mourning and terror.
It would later be remembered as the Night of Terror's Descent.
It was the night "ghosts"—things from beyond the living realm—first appeared on Earth.
But humanity is nothing if not adaptable. Within a year, people had begun to adjust to the ghosts' presence. And soon, there were even those who tamed them—who forged contracts with these otherworldly beings and earned the title Ghost Warden.
What began as terror gradually evolved into mastery. People went from fearing ghosts to capturing and commanding them.
Wu Min had come to Mount Wanlin for precisely that purpose—to capture a ghost.
"They're coming..." a middle-aged man muttered as he clutched a spirit compass, his voice tinged with unease.
The compass's needle spun erratically, faster and faster, until it was a frenzied blur.
Wu Min tensed immediately. Holding her breath, she reached into her pocket and retrieved a sheet of yellow talisman paper.
She stayed close behind the man, her steps careful and alert.
They were facing a Peril-Class ghost—an entity known for its lethal threat. This was no time for carelessness. Even the slightest misstep could cost her life.
A gust of chilling wind suddenly swept through the trees.
Wu Min staggered, her body swaying under the force, barely managing to keep her balance.
"This is no ordinary ghost..." the man said gravely. "The spiritual energy is far too dense. It may be beyond Peril-Class."
Beyond Peril-Class meant one thing—Terror-Class.
Wu Min's heartbeat accelerated involuntarily. She had only ever encountered a Terror-Class ghost once before.
And with her current strength, attempting to tame one would be no different from suicide.
Suddenly, a figure materialized out of thin air before them.
A man clad in crimson robes stood tall, the fabric resembling an ancient official's attire.
One look at him, and Wu Min knew—this was no living man.
Dark smoke coiled visibly around his form, the ghostly aura so concentrated it had become corporeal.
Only extraordinarily powerful spirits could manifest such dense energy.
Mo Lin inhaled deeply, savoring the crisp air, his eyes sweeping across the earthly surroundings. Then he murmured, as if awakening from a long nightmare:
"Finally... I've returned."
"Seven years... Seven whole years. Does anyone know what kind of hell I endured in the Nether Realm?"
The torment he had endured—bitter and endless—was something no words could describe.
His voice, heavy with resentment and pain, sent shivers crawling over Wu Min's skin.
She was certain now—this ghost was dangerous. Lethal. It had to be stopped.
"Spirit, arise!" she shouted.
It was the call to summon the ghost with whom she had signed her contract—a Dangerous-Class entity.
Though weaker than a Peril-Class ghost, it should still be capable of inflicting considerable damage.
But... nothing happened.
Silence.
Her contracted spirit gave no response.
What was going on?
"Spirit, arise!" she cried again, more urgently.
Still, there was no answer.
Panic began to seep into her voice. This had never happened before.
She tried communicating mentally with her spirit, but it was as if her words were cast into the void.
No echo. No return.
"Elder Li!" Wu Min turned desperately to the man beside her.
Her eyes pleaded with him.
Elder Li understood immediately. He scoffed, "Come forth."
But he too froze, dumbfounded.
Nothing.
His contracted ghost did not respond.
"Come forth!" he repeated, unwilling to accept it.
Still, silence.
The same phenomenon. Both of them unable to summon their ghosts.
A Ghost Warden unable to call forth their spirit—if word of this got out, it would be a public humiliation of the highest order.
"Use Daoist techniques," Elder Li advised grimly.
They had come prepared for a hunt. If contracts failed, they would rely on their talismans and artifacts.
"Understood."
Wu Min nodded, swung her shoulder bag forward, and retrieved several yellow talismans tied with red string.
These paper charms were powerful tools for combating spirits.
She walked a circle around Mo Lin, enclosing him within a ring of spiritual energy.
The talismans shimmered faintly.
Beside her, Elder Li drew a wooden sword and passed it to Wu Min.
She accepted it and assumed a battle stance, aiming the blade at Mo Lin as she lunged forward.
Mo Lin stood bewildered, watching this woman wave talismans and circle him with growing suspicion.
What the hell was she doing?
Was she crazy? Had he just returned to the world of the living only to encounter a lunatic?
With a flick of his hand, he tore the talismans around him like they were paper streamers.
Wu Min, two steps into her charge, froze mid-motion.
Her mind went blank.
A ghost that wasn't fazed by talismans?
Unwilling to give up, she pulled out a rare violet charm and slapped it directly onto Mo Lin's forehead.
This talisman had cost her a fortune.
Mo Lin frowned, plucked the charm from between his brows, crumpled it, and tossed it aside like trash.
"What's wrong with you?" he snapped, irritated. "Are you insane?"
He had only just returned from the Nether Realm, and already someone was pasting talismans on him?
His mood soured instantly.
Wu Min, now truly panicked, struck with her wooden sword.
It barely scratched him, causing only a slight sting.
But even that was enough to make Mo Lin snap.
He seized the sword and snapped it in two.
"Insane. Get lost."
The foul luck of encountering a madwoman the moment he returned—it was unbearable.
Wu Min was petrified.
This ghost was too powerful.
Even the wooden sword, blessed and carved by Daoist hands, had shattered like kindling.
He had to be beyond even Terror-Class... perhaps even something higher.
Without a second thought, she turned and fled.
"Run, Elder Li! This ghost is beyond us!" she screamed over her shoulder.
In her panic, she tripped, falling hard to the ground.
She scrambled up, ignoring the pain, and bolted away.
"You're the ghost! Your whole family's a bunch of ghosts!"
"Bad luck..."
Mo Lin grumbled, his voice heavy with disdain.
By the time his words fell, the two figures had vanished from sight.
Suddenly—
A chilling, raspy laughter echoed in the sky.
A decaying head floated in mid-air, hair disheveled, face half-rotted.
Its upper teeth were bared in a permanent snarl, and one eyeball dangled grotesquely from its socket.
The sound it made was neither human nor beast.
Its lower body dragged itself slowly across the ground, shambling like a corpse in rigor mortis.
"So much ghost energy... If I devour him, I'll become stronger... far stronger!"
Her voice was ecstatic, like a starving beast finding a feast.
With sudden hunger, the ghost's head shot toward the source of the ghostly energy.
But then—
She froze.
Her eye widened with primal fear.
Whatever she had seen, it had triggered a terror so deep, so complete, that she turned and fled without hesitation.
Not a single pause.
From recognition to retreat, the entire process took less than two seconds.
"No way... someone like him can't be here. Not in this world..."
She muttered as she fled into the darkness.
Had the Nether Realm collapsed?
Had the boundary between life and death shattered?
Why would someone of that caliber appear in the world of the living?