"That's right, I am the Ghost Lord. What, were you hoping to meet me that much?" the man said with a laugh.
"I heard you're even stronger than them, so I want to know where that power comes from. Can you explain it to me?" Yang Han smiled.
"Wait until you can defeat me first. Otherwise, I'll just destroy your body and wipe out your soul. As for that Soul-Devouring Divine Sword in your hand, I'll be taking it—and that girl, too." The Ghost Lord grinned.
"Oh? You recognize the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword too?" Yang Han asked curiously, wondering why so many people seemed to know about the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword.
"Of course. The Soul-Devouring Divine Sword was famous back in the day. It's hard to imagine it's ended up like this, and now that it's in your hands, its power doesn't even compare to what it once was." The Ghost Lord laughed.
"Looks like you know the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword pretty well?" Yang Han eyed the Ghost Lord suspiciously.
"What, you don't know anything about the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword?" Seeing Yang Han's expression, the Ghost Lord chuckled.
"I only understand swords. As for its history, I really don't know. Please enlighten me." Yang Han said.
"Enlighten you? I wouldn't dare. Let's exchange a few moves first and see if what they say is true—whether you really aren't afraid of the Nether-Origin Force." said the Ghost Lord.
Yang Han smiled. "Then let's do it."
The Ghost Lord interlocked his ten fingers, sending out a surge of power that instantly bound Yang Han. Just like last time, Yang Han was locked in place by the Nether-Origin Force, unable to move.
"Weren't you supposed to be unafraid? What's this—still completely immobilized?" the Ghost Lord said with a laugh. He believed his Nether-Origin Force was far stronger than those knockoff versions; his was the real deal.
Yang Han felt it too—this Nether-Origin Force was different from before, much denser. Still, he wasn't worried. Like last time, he quickly activated the Heaven-Cold Seed within his body, and soon Heaven-Cold qi thickened inside him, allowing his arms and legs to move again.
Seeing Yang Han moving his limbs, the Ghost Lord exclaimed in shock, "Impossible! How did you do that?"
"The Nether-Origin Force isn't invincible. There's always a way to break it. So your power doesn't necessarily trap everyone," Yang Han replied.
"You're the first person I've met in this world who isn't afraid of this power. Looks like I underestimated you. But it doesn't matter—today, you must die here. I can't let you live, or you'll ruin everything for me," said the Ghost Lord.
"Oh? I wonder what good things I'd be ruining for you. Are you talking about that strange place in this world—the one that turns spirit beasts into monsters? Was that your doing too?" Yang Han laughed. He already had a suspicion: if the strange power in the Desert Wastes was also the Nether-Origin Force, then maybe they're the same thing, or at least closely related.
The Ghost Lord's eyes widened, as if Yang Han had hit the mark, but he quickly calmed down. "You're pretty clever. Or did someone tell you that this power is the same as the one over there?"
Yang Han knew it was Melody Wood who told him. He'd always been curious how Melody knew such things, since she rarely left her clan. But now wasn't the time to press her for answers—she must have her own reasons for keeping quiet. Right now, his focus was on dealing with the Ghost Lord.
"You don't need to know who told me. The point is, I already know your power is connected to the one over there. I've always been curious about that place, you know. The more mysterious something is, the more it draws us in. So, after I settle things here, I'll naturally head over there." Yang Han smiled.
Hearing Yang Han's words, the other party grew furious. "Hmph, you'll be staying here today. Let's see if you can still go anywhere else."
With that, the man produced eight small banners, each infused with dense Nether-Origin Force. He tossed the banners in eight directions around Yang Han, and a space appeared before him—one sustained by the eight banners.
Inside the Eightfold Ghost Banners, Yang Han was instantly frozen in this space. It was similar to being directly locked by the Nether-Origin Force, but this time it was even stronger.
Yang Han knew that to move, he'd need enough Heaven-Cold qi circulating inside his body, so he closed his eyes and activated the Heaven-Cold Seed.
Outside, the Ghost Lord laughed. "It's useless. If you could move easily before, this time it's not so simple. This space isn't just filled with Nether-Origin Force—it's powered by the Eightfold Ghost Banners themselves. They form a spatial array, so no matter what you do, you're still trapped inside. You'll never escape—until the banners devour your soul completely."
"Devour my soul?" Yang Han asked suspiciously.
"That's right. The power of these banners is immense. With every soul they devour, they grow stronger. Do you have any idea how many souls they've consumed?" The Ghost Lord laughed.
"How many they've devoured isn't my concern. What matters is, your words reminded me—this is a spatial array." Yang Han smiled.
"You—" The Ghost Lord eyed Yang Han suspiciously, but Yang Han had already closed his eyes, ignoring him.
Seeing Yang Han like this, the Ghost Lord activated the power within the Eightfold Ghost Banners. The space around became filled with drifting souls, all with the urge to devour each other. They swarmed toward Yang Han in a group attack.
Sensing the terrifying souls approaching, Yang Han snorted coldly and said to the Soul-Reaping Water in his mind, "I'll leave those souls outside to you."
Although Yang Han couldn't move or wield the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword against these souls, he was fortunate to have another kind of water inside him—one that could devour souls.
As soon as it received Yang Han's command, the Soul-Reaping Water appeared above his head and opened wide, swallowing all the souls that came near.
The Ghost Lord was shocked. He never expected Yang Han, while immobilized, to still have such ability—especially that water-like thing floating out, actually able to devour souls.
"What is that?" The Ghost Lord was at a loss for words—this was the first time he'd encountered anything like it.
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click the next page to continue reading!
Unwilling to give up, the Ghost Lord kept summoning more souls to attack Yang Han, but every one was absorbed by the Soul-Reaping Water. Yang Han just closed his eyes, gathering Heaven-Cold Seed qi to counter the Nether-Origin Force.
Time passed bit by bit. The surrounding souls were devoured one by one by the Soul-Reaping Water, infuriating the Ghost Lord, who wanted to retract the Eightfold Ghost Banners and fight Yang Han directly. But remembering that Yang Han could defeat even gods, he knew brute force wouldn't work. All he could do was rely on the Nether-Origin Force—a power that even gods feared, but Yang Han was unaffected.
The stalemate continued until Yang Han opened his eyes, grabbed the Soul-Devouring Divine Sword, and attacked the Eightfold Ghost Banners. In an instant, the surrounding souls were devoured by the sword, and the banners were overturned by its power.
Controlling the Eightfold Ghost Banners, the Ghost Lord suffered backlash and fled underground in panic. The area fell silent, leaving only the Desert Lord and his followers, who were stunned—if even the Ghost Lord was defeated by Yang Han, what hope did they have left?
"D-don't come any closer!" the Desert Lord cried out in alarm as Yang Han approached.
"Relax, I'm not interested in your life. But I do want to know—where did the Ghost Lord go?" Yang Han asked.
"I... I don't know," the Desert Lord stammered.
"Did you really think the Ghost Lord could defeat me? You'd better give up that idea. Tell me now, and I'll spare your life," Yang Han said.
With the Ghost Lord defeated, the Desert Lord's defenses were completely broken. Plus, Yang Han's offer was tempting, so he finally said, "Alright, I'll tell you."
He then told Yang Han where the Ghost Lord might be hiding. Yang Han smiled as he received the information. "You're spared. I'm leaving now," he said, and vanished in a flash.
Everyone saw Yang Han disappear. They should have been happy, but they still couldn't move. Only then did they realize Yang Han hadn't released them—if a sandstorm hit, they'd be doomed.
"Desert Lord, what do we do now?" someone asked.
"I don't know either," the Desert Lord said gloomily.
At that moment, everyone's faces turned gray with despair, waiting for death. Suddenly, the Desert Lord seemed to remember something.
"I've got an idea," said the Desert Lord.
"What idea?" someone asked.
"We can use our divine sense—it's still working—to contact others for help," said the Desert Lord.
Everyone agreed it made sense, so they began searching for someone to contact. The Desert Lord reached out to his son. When Prince Leng arrived, he saw the chaos and the fallen experts, and exclaimed, "Father, what happened to you?"
"That guy—the one who took your Blood Seal—is terrifying. He left us unable to move. Hurry and take us somewhere safe so we can avoid danger," said the Desert Lord.
Hearing that Yang Han had come here and injured these people, Prince Leng couldn't believe it. He quickly arranged for the Desert Lord and the others to be taken away.
Only after they were brought to safety did he ask about the whole incident. Meanwhile, Yang Han had already arrived beneath a sand dune.
It was like an underground palace here. All around, the Nether-Origin Force could be sensed, but it was faint and had little effect. Following the Desert Lord's directions, Yang Han headed toward the Ghost Lord's location.
The Ghost Lord, though seriously injured, now stood before a tunnel, trying to seal it with his power.
When Yang Han arrived, he saw the Ghost Lord frantically attacking a tunnel.
"What are you doing?" Yang Han's voice interrupted the Ghost Lord's actions. The Ghost Lord sneered, "Obviously, I'm making sure you can't get through this tunnel."
"Where does this tunnel lead?" Yang Han asked suspiciously.
"You'll never know. My mission is complete, and I've already sent your information back. Soon, this place will become terrifying—darkness everywhere, and people will be devoured by our spirit beast army." The Ghost Lord laughed madly.