Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

"But my uncle insisted, and my grandfather couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he let that person move in."

"And then..." Chu Ling'er clenched her fists, "Three days ago at midnight, that 'master' suddenly attacked, setting up a 'blood sacrifice soul-summoning array' in my Chu family ancestral hall, killing eight people from my second and third uncles' families on the spot!"

"My grandfather and uncle fought desperately. My grandfather was seriously injured, and my uncle... my uncle's mind was controlled by that person, and his life or death is now unknown."

"That man called himself the 'Fourth Elder of the Netherworld Sect,' with the Taoist name 'Ghost Face.' He wanted me to go with him, saying that my 'spiritual body' was the best artifact spirit for the Netherworld Sect's sacred object, the 'Ten Thousand Souls Banner.'"

"When I refused, he activated the formation, turning the souls of my second and third uncles into vengeful ghosts and trapping them in the house, trying to force me to submit."

As Chu Ling'er spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and held them back:

"For the past three days, I have barely managed to suppress those evil spirits and prevent them from completely losing control and harming people, thanks to my family's 'Secret Record of Spirit Communication' and this ancestral 'Soul-Soothing Bagua Mirror'."

"But my strength is almost exhausted..."

She looked at Lin Chen, her eyes filled with a hint of pleading, yet also a touch of stubbornness: "Uncle Fu told me about the engagement. I don't care why you came, but now... can you help me save the Chu family?"

Lin Chen met her gaze and said in a deep voice, "I will do my best. But you need to tell me first, where is that masked man? How many members of the Chu family are still alive?"

"Ghost Face left after setting up the formation, saying he'd give me three days to consider. He'll come back tomorrow at midnight." Chu Ling'er pointed towards the backyard:

"Grandpa was seriously injured and was being cared for in a secret room by Uncle Fu's son. The other servants... were either dead or had fled, leaving only Uncle Fu and two loyal old servants."

She paused, then added, "Furthermore, through psychic abilities, I sensed that Ghostface had set up an altar in the mass graves on the western outskirts of Los Angeles, seemingly preparing for some larger ceremony."

Ye Qingcheng spoke at this moment, her voice icy: "A diversionary tactic? Or a double trap?"

Shen Qingqiu had already taken out the pill and given it to Chu Ling'er, while quickly checking her physical condition: "Your spiritual power has been overdrawn, and your meridians have hidden injuries."

"He needs at least twelve hours of rest and medication, and cannot use his abilities again."

Chu Ling'er shook her head: "No, the vengeful spirits in the house need to be appeased. Once the power of the Bagua Mirror is exhausted, they will completely lose control..."

Lin Chen pondered for a moment, then looked at Ling Feng: "Captain Ling, what do you think?"

Ling Feng said in a deep voice, "My lord, the situation is more complicated than expected. The enemy came prepared and their methods are vicious."

"I suggest we split up: one group stays at the Chu residence to assist Miss Chu in suppressing the evil spirits and treating the wounded; the other group goes to the mass grave in the western suburbs to investigate, and if there is an opportunity, to destroy the enemy's altar first."

"But splitting up the forces is risky. What if Ghost Face suddenly returns, or what if the mass grave is a trap..."

Lin Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "Miss Shen, you are proficient in medicine and formations, stay and assist Miss Chu in stabilizing the residence and treating Old Master Chu."

"Ling Feng, you stay behind with four Ice Guards to protect them."

"Qingcheng, you have just broken the curse and should be resting, but..." He looked at Ye Qingcheng.

Ye Qingcheng interrupted her directly: "I'll go to the mass grave. The Frost Yin Body is sensitive to evil things, so it might be of some help."

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Lin Chen finally nodded: "Alright. Me, Qingcheng, and two Ice Guards will go to the western suburbs. The rest of you stay."

Chu Ling'er said urgently, "I'm going too! To the mass grave..."

"You stay." Lin Chen's tone left no room for argument. "You can barely walk now; you'll only be a burden if you go. Don't worry, we'll bring your uncle back—if he can still be saved."

Chu Ling'er bit her lip, and finally lowered her head: "...Be careful. Underneath the mass grave, there are many nameless corpses from the war, and their resentment is extremely strong."

"The fact that Ghost Face chose that location was no accident."

With the plan set, everyone immediately took action.

Shen Qingqiu began setting up a medicinal array, using the essence of herbs in conjunction with Chu Ling'er's Bagua mirror to temporarily strengthen the tranquility effect within the house.

Lin Chen, along with Ye Qingcheng and two ice guards, drove straight to the western suburbs.

On the way, Ye Qingcheng suddenly asked, "Do you believe in that Chu Ling'er?"

Lin Chen stared ahead: "A psychic body can't be faked. The 'clarity' in her eyes is a special pupil technique formed through long-term communication with the dead. Moreover..."

He paused for a moment: "When she spoke of her family's murder, the resentment and grief she felt were genuine. But she concealed something."

"What is it?"

"She said Ghost Face gave her three days to consider and would come at midnight tomorrow. But when I used my Yang Spirit Eye to look at her aura, I found a very faint 'Soul-Chasing Mark' between her eyebrows—that's a mark used by the Netherworld Sect to control targets, allowing them to track and locate at any time, and even detonate remotely when necessary."

Ye Qingcheng's eyes narrowed: "You mean, she's actually already under control?"

"Not entirely." Lin Chen shook his head. "The Soul-Chasing Seal is very faint, which means the spell was cast hastily, or Chu Ling'er used her spiritual power to resist some of the effects."

"She may not have fully realized it herself, but she just felt uneasy instinctively."

"So, what's our plan...?"

"Proceed as planned." Lin Chen's eyes were cold. "If Ghost Face can monitor Chu Ling'er through the Soul-Chasing Seal, then he should know we're here by now."

"The trip to the mass grave was probably already an open secret."

"Let's see whose hand is stronger."

……

The mass grave in the western suburbs is said to have been an ancient battlefield.

It later became the preferred place for nearby towns to dispose of unidentified corpses.

Overgrown with weeds and dotted with abandoned graves, the place exudes a chilling and eerie atmosphere even in the daytime.

Lin Chen parked the car in the woods one kilometer away from the mass grave, and the four of them approached on foot.

The further you go in, the stronger the malevolent energy in the air becomes.

It was noon, but the sunlight was blocked by a layer of hazy fog, making it appear dim and unclear.

"There are fresh tire tracks on the ground, and... traces of something being dragged." An Ice Guard reported in a low voice; he was skilled at tracking.

Ye Qingcheng closed her eyes and sensed for a moment, then pointed to the northeast: "The yin energy is heaviest over there, and there's a bloody smell."

Lin Chenyang activated his spiritual eye and saw a thick, ink-black cloud rising into the sky from the depths of the mass grave, with faint blood-red runes visible within it.

"Found it. Approach carefully, there might be an ambush."

The four men approached silently, using the dilapidated tombstones and abandoned graves as cover.

After passing through a patch of waist-high weeds, the sight before them made everyone's pupils shrink.

On a relatively flat open space, a huge magic circle with a diameter of ten zhang was drawn using black dog blood mixed with cinnabar.

At the center of the magic circle was a three-meter-high altar of white bones, on which were seven black soul banners. The banners moved without wind, and twisted runes were embroidered on them with silver thread.

Around the altar, dozens of fresh animal carcasses were piled up, all of which appeared to be extremely yin.