The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

The Ghost King stood in the middle of the corridor, the black mist surrounding him growing thicker and heavier. He opened his mouth and let out a deafening roar that shook the entire building.

Chen Siyao fought the Ghost King for a full ten minutes before gradually becoming exhausted.

Her breathing became more and more rapid, beads of sweat streamed down her face, her arms ached so much she could barely lift them, and the speed at which she swung the peach wood sword in her hand slowed down considerably.

"Yao Yao." Chen Hao's voice came from behind, very calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary, "Press the button in the middle of the hilt of the sword."

Chen Siyao looked down and saw a small protrusion on the hilt of the sword, almost invisible unless you looked closely. She pressed her thumb down on it.

The paulownia wood sword emitted a clear hum. All the runes on the sword lit up, and golden light spread from the hilt to the tip, making the entire sword seem to be on fire, burning with golden flames.

Chen Siyao could feel the sword vibrating, as if something was awakening inside it.

The Ghost King pounced again. Chen Siyao swung her sword—

A golden sword aura shot out from the tip of the sword, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Wherever the sword aura passed, the black mist was torn apart, the air was ignited, and two deep grooves were cut into the walls on both sides of the corridor.

The Ghost King was struck head-on by the sword energy, letting out a deafening scream. A long gash was cut open in its chest, from which black mist, like blood, poured out. It staggered backward, crashing into the door behind it, the door panel shattering with a "crack".

"You... what kind of sword is this?" The Ghost King's voice carried fear for the first time.

Chen Siyao stared wide-eyed at the paulownia wood sword in her hand, which was now radiating sword energy. Her face was filled with disbelief, and she burst into a joyful cheer: "Amazing! This sword can actually emit sword energy!"

She brandished her paulownia wood sword, unleashing another golden sword aura. The Ghost King was terrified and hurriedly dodged, but was still grazed on the arm by the sword aura, letting out another scream. He couldn't get close at all and could only passively dodge, looking utterly pathetic.

Chen Siyao used the wooden sword as a ranged weapon, fiercely unleashing sword energy, thus avenging her previous disheveled state.

The Ghost King dodged several times, trying to get close, but Chen Siyao unleashed several sword strikes each time he was about to reach her, blocking his path. He had no way to get close.

Viewers in the live stream were instantly stunned by what they saw, and then the chat exploded with a frenzy of comments, completely turning the room upside down.

[New User 001: Holy crap! I'm not seeing things, am I?! Sword energy! This is a sword immortal!]

[Yao Yao's Little Red Riding Hood: A female swordswoman descends to earth! Yao Yao is so cool! I'm completely blown away!]

[New User 002: My god, this wooden sword is amazing! Just who is this deity?!]

[Qin Jia Xiaoyu: Yao Yao, go for it! Defeat the Ghost King with sword energy! So cool!]

[New User 003: It's confirmed that a fairy descended to earth! I could watch this scene a hundred times!]

The arrogance on the Ghost King's face vanished instantly, replaced by fear and apprehension.

He hadn't expected the wooden sword to be so powerful. He hurriedly waved the Soul Gathering Banner to defend it, but when the banner touched the golden sword energy, it was instantly shattered. The banner turned to ashes, and the souls inside dissipated.

The sword energy continued its momentum, striking the Ghost King fiercely!

"Ah—!" The Ghost King let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed throughout the entire building. His soul was struck by the sword energy, and instantly black smoke billowed out. The bluish-black soul rapidly faded, and many of the ghost markings on his body disappeared.

The third, the fourth, the fifth. Chen Siyao wielded her sword with increasing skill, each strike faster and more powerful than the last. The Ghost King dodged and weaved through the corridor, his wounds multiplying, and the black mist billowing out thicker and thicker.

Its body began to become unstable, sometimes expanding and sometimes contracting, as if something was struggling inside.

"You dared to bully me! You dared to capture Sister Xue!" Chen Siyao said angrily as she swung her sword. The sword energy made the Ghost King's soul body grow weaker and weaker, and it looked like it was about to collapse.

"Impossible...impossible!" the Ghost King screamed, its voice filled with terror. It was forced to the end of the corridor by the sword energy, with nowhere to escape.

It glanced back at the window behind it—outside was a void tens of meters high. Then it looked at the sword in Chen Siyao's hand—golden flames were burning, even brighter than before.

Then it saw Chen Hao.

The young man who had been standing at the very back, without uttering a single word, stood there with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if watching an insignificant performance. The Ghost King stared at him and suddenly understood something.

It wasn't the little girl who was powerful. It was the sword in her hand that was powerful. It was all thanks to this person's reminder.

The Ghost King's eyes turned red. Not from anger, but from madness. It knew it couldn't escape, but it wanted to at least take someone down with it.

It chose Chen Hao—the one who looked the weakest, who hadn't done anything, and who stood there like a piece of wood.

"You piece of trash! I'll take care of you first!"

With its last ounce of strength, the Ghost King lunged at Chen Hao. Its speed was incredible, leaving only a black trail in the air. Its claws extended, ten fingers like ten knives, aimed straight for Chen Hao's face.

"Brother! Get out of the way!" Chen Siyao screamed. Her face turned deathly pale instantly. She wanted to swing her sword to block, but the distance was too far, and there was no time to react. She was afraid that the sword energy would accidentally hurt her brother, so she dared not make a move and could only shout anxiously.

"Brother Chen Hao!" Yang Wanqing called out as well.

In the live stream:

[Youyou: God, hide quickly!]

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: Watch out!]

[For those who love the creepy: We're doomed!]

However, there were a few different comments:

[Dongmen Chuixue: Wait... this is courting death.]

[Qin Jia Xiaoyu: Is this because they're afraid of not dying fast enough?]

Chen Hao stood still, without dodging.

Facing the enraged Ghost King charging towards him with his claws pointed directly at his face, he remained standing still, his expression calm and his eyes undisturbed, showing no intention of dodging, as if he didn't take the Ghost King's sneak attack seriously at all.

The Ghost King's claws were already in front of him, less than a foot from his face. He could even feel the chill emanating from the claws and see the madness burning in the Ghost King's eyes.

At the critical moment, the Ghost King's claws were only an inch away from Chen Hao's face. The sharp claws, carrying a chilling aura, were almost touching Chen Hao's skin, and time seemed to stand still around them.

Chen Siyao was so frightened that tears instantly welled up in her eyes, and she murmured, "Brother..."

Yang Wanqing was also trembling all over, unable to look any longer, her face as pale as paper.

The viewers in the live stream were heartbroken and flooded the screen with messages like "God, dodge quickly!" Everyone thought Chen Hao was about to be scratched by the Ghost King, or even meet with some misfortune.

But in that split second, Chen Hao made a move.

"Pop".

He didn't cast any spells, nor did he brandish any magical artifacts. He simply raised one hand, one finger—his index finger. The movement was leisurely and casual, even carrying a hint of laziness, as if he were jokingly flicking the Ghost King's forehead with a friend.

Like flicking away a speck of dust, like gently tapping a child's forehead while teasing them, like your deskmate calling your name and then flicking you during class.

A very soft, almost inaudible sound.

But with that gentle flick, a soft pop, a scene unfolded that left everyone speechless and utterly stunned.

The once furious and menacing Ghost King froze in place, remaining pouncing, his claws hovering in mid-air, motionless. The rage and ferocity on his face instantly solidified, replaced by a look of utter bewilderment and disbelief, his gray-black pupils filled with confusion.

It stopped there, its claws hovering an inch in front of Chen Hao, motionless. The madness on its face froze, and the light in its eyes went out.

Then it fell straight down. With a "thud," the back of its head hit the floor, like a piece of wood falling over.

The room fell silent. Time seemed to stand still at that moment; the entire 31st floor was completely quiet, save for the two women's rapid breathing.

Chen Siyao held her sword, her mouth agape, frozen in place as if she had been struck by a pressure point.

Yang Wanqing's mouth hung open, and she nearly dropped the incense stick she was holding. In the live stream, over thirty million viewers almost simultaneously typed the same symbol:

【I am Ying Zheng: ??? ??? ??? ??? ? ...

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: ? ...]

[Dongmen Chuixue: ? ...]

【long:????????】

【Not a beast of burden: ? ...

[Qin Jia Xiaoyu: ??? ??? ??? ??? ? ...]

[Young Taoist priest at Qingfeng Temple: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ]