The old man gazed into Bai Ran's eyes, seemingly infected by the fiery red figure. A seedling of hope unexpectedly sprouted in his heart.
He blinked, then shook his head.
He was getting old. How could he have such thoughts? His experiences over the years had already explained everything.
"Then I wish you both success."
He said this subtly, then led them to a room.
Bai Ran brought Fang Tianhui into the room. Fang Tianhui immediately shut the door tightly and leaned against it, sighing in relief.
"Sister Bai, I feel this place is so eerie," she said to Bai Ran.
"Scared?"
Fang Tianhui nodded vigorously.
Bai Ran looked at the uneasy Fang Tianhui and said, "You stay here tomorrow night."
"How can that be!"
Fang Tianhui was about to say more, but Bai Ran's next words rendered her speechless.
"Your strength is not comparable to mine. If you come, you might just be a hindrance. Moreover, if I get injured, you can still treat me," Bai Ran said helplessly to Fang Tianhui.
"I..."
She lowered her head, unable to retort, because what Sister Bai said was the truth.
She had insisted on coming along, but had never considered whether she would cause trouble for Sister Bai, or be a burden.
She was truly too foolish!
"Don't overthink it. Just consider it as gaining experience and building courage," Bai Ran told her.
Hearing Bai Ran's words, Fang Tianhui raised her head, and her nose suddenly felt a sting, almost making her want to cry.
It was because she was too weak. One day, she would stand by Sister Bai's side and fight alongside her!
"I will stay here obediently. Sister Bai, you must be careful."
Her gaze at Bai Ran was resolute.
In fact, this was exactly what Bai Ran had planned.
Even if Fang Tianhui had accompanied her, she would not have been allowed to participate. This was not only for her safety but also to prevent her own secrets from being leaked.
Knowing people's faces but not their hearts, Bai Ran had learned from her past mistakes.
The two spent a peaceful night in the room.
The next morning, before Fang Tianhui had even opened her eyes, Bai Ran had already disappeared from the other room.
Sitting on the rooftop, Bai Ran gazed at the empty street. She could feel it.
The aura of ghosts here was very strong, as if humans had stumbled into the territory of the ghost tribe.
The ghosts here had also sensed Bai Ran's arrival immediately, the arrival of the Ghost King, yet they had not come to greet her.
Bai Ran released the ghosts from her Killing Heaven Realm, from Ying Yi to Ying Shi.
"Go investigate what has happened to the ghosts here."
"Your subordinate obeys." The ten ghosts transformed into black mist and scattered to every corner.
In their previous lives, they were all powerful cultivators at the Golden Core stage. They retained this strength even after death. Coupled with the ghost tribe's immortal and indestructible bodies, Bai Ran was not worried.
"Little ghost, you're actually the Ghost King?" Xiao Zi asked incredulously from within the space.
Even though he spent his days with these unsightly ghosts, Xiao Zi had never guessed that she was the new Ghost King.
"What, do you look down on a little ghost being the Ghost King?" Bai Ran replied nonchalantly.
Xiao Zi's mouth twitched. It was just a title, why was she so concerned?
He pouted and didn't reply, his snow-white tail swaying behind him.
To command the ghost tribe, to be favored by the Demonic Lord of the Demon Realm, and with himself by her side, could this little ghost be any more heaven-defying?
Even he hadn't noticed that, as he watched Bai Ran's every move in the Killing Heaven Realm day by day, he had unknowingly begun to consider himself as one of Bai Ran's people.
Should he also establish some connection with the Divine Realm?
Complete the four major forces of the Nine Heavens for her?
Allow her to walk with impunity?
Xiao Zi could never have imagined that his casual thought would become a reality in the near future.
At this moment, the shadow ghosts returned.
"My King, the ghosts here say they seem to be trapped by a formation. Only on a certain day, when the formation's power weakens, can they enter or leave. And the next day, no matter how far they flee, they are inexplicably summoned back," Ying Yi explained, bowing.
Bai Ran slowly raised her slender fingers and pointed to the sky. "Then we'll wait until midnight."
A figure like a burning flame, peerless in beauty, reclined on the rooftop, holding a jar of strong liquor, drinking it sip by sip, free and unrestrained, wild and untamed.
On this day, many people witnessed this breathtaking scene through cracks in doors and windows, imprinting it into their bones and passing it down through generations.
For they believed she was their deity.
Night quietly descended. The moon climbed into the sky, but was then suppressed by dark clouds and hid itself, plunging everything into darkness.
Bai Ran slowly stood up, a smile curving her lips, and vanished into the night.
At midnight precisely, the formation's power weakened, and the aura of ghosts grew more intense. A large number of ghosts surged out, wandering the streets as if searching for something.
Suddenly, a powerful aura spread out. The ghosts were startled and all flew rapidly in one direction.
Three thousand souls transformed into skeletons and knelt in unison.
"Welcome, My King!"
Bai Ran, her figure graceful, walked from the deep forest as if each step bloomed a lotus.
She casually pointed to one of them. "Tell me, why have people been dying inexplicably all these years?"
"My King, your subordinates have not killed anyone. It's just that every night at the hour, we go out to seek help. But when those people see us, they are all so terrified that they die of fright," the ghost she pointed to replied fearfully.
Bai Ran rubbed her temples, speechless.
So it was all a misunderstanding?
The ghosts wanted to seek help, so they captured some humans. But upon seeing the ghosts, those humans died of fright?
Bai Ran thought of Fang Tianhui; it was indeed highly possible to be scared to death.
"Take me to the formation," Bai Ran said.
Soon, the ghosts led Bai Ran to a stone forest.
Stones of various sizes were arranged on the ground, and strange blood-red lines connected the stones, forming a formation.
Bai Ran stepped forward and carefully examined the base of the formation.
This was... a Soul Locking Formation?
This formation only existed in books and was one of the forbidden techniques among the Ten Great Formations.
It was forbidden because the person setting up the formation needed to pay with their life, using their blood as a guide for the formation to take shape.
Forming it was difficult, but breaking it was easy, so almost no one was foolish enough to use their life to set up such a formation.
She hadn't expected to see it here.
Bai Ran bit her finger and drew a few lines on the blood-red lines. The formation shattered, and the souls were freed.
The excited shouts of the ghosts startled every household.
No one knew what had happened that night. They only knew that from then on, no one died again.
The ghosts voluntarily followed Bai Ran and lived together in the Killing Heaven Realm, making it suddenly lively.
Bai Ran clapped her hands and headed back.
As soon as she returned to the inn, Bai Ran sensed something was wrong. Why was the ghost energy so strong?
As she thought this, a figure suddenly rushed out from upstairs. It was Fang Tianhui!
She was enveloped in ghost energy, her expression one of extreme pain, falling to the ground unable to straighten up.
"Fang Tianhui!"
Bai Ran helped her up, only to find her tears streaming down her face, while she kept murmuring, "Daddy, your daughter dares not anymore."