The God Emperor, the Demon Lord, the Monster King, the Ghost King.
The common folk said the God Emperor was the strongest person in the world, but little did they know that even the God Emperor dared not provoke the Ghost King in the slightest.
The God Emperor ruled over humans, the Demon Lord commanded demon generals, and the Monster King governed monstrous beasts.
Among the four, only the Ghost King was in charge of departed souls.
Never mind the Deathless Skeleton Legion under the Ghost King's command; what was truly most dreaded were the living dead.
The living dead were corpses that had recently died, their souls still within their bodies. Summoned by the Ghost King, though their physical bodies were deceased, they would reawaken and rise to fight for their master.
The living dead not only possessed thrice the strength of the living but also had the indestructible bodies of the Skeleton Legion. They obeyed only the Ghost King’s commands.
If the Four Great Powers of the Nine Heavens were to engage in war, the victor would undoubtedly be the Ghost King.
This was because in battle, casualties could number in the tens of thousands, and those who had already died would then fall under the Ghost King’s dominion.
This was why Jingyun had been so terrified upon seeing Bai Ran as the Ghost King.
Jingyun stood behind Long Jinhan, staring blankly at Bai Ran, who was enveloped by countless wisps of ghostly energy.
At this moment, she was shrouded in darkness, her crimson eyes a symbol of the Ghost King.
Suddenly, the disciples who had fallen to the ground, devoid of any life, straightened up as if they were automatons.
Even the deceased Elder Mo wobbled to his feet.
Fang Tianhui trembled, covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face as she watched the people before her, like walking corpses, walk step by step behind Bai Ran.
In the dimly lit academy, countless living dead slowly moved to Bai Ran’s side.
“One last time, fight for the academy,” she said softly, her crimson eyes gazing at the approaching army of demonic beings. She closed her eyes.
Countless living dead moved with lightning speed, charging into the horde of demonic beings, fighting and battling.
The living dead were continuously knocked down, only to rise again and charge forward.
Among them were former friends, beloved family members, and cherished lovers.
The elders and the remaining disciples, having recovered from their injuries, sat up.
They watched this scene unfold with tears streaming down their faces, sobbing uncontrollably.
They felt as if they were still alive…
Still fighting for the academy…
As if the heavens had heard their collective sentiment, a light rain began to fall from the sky.
Though light, the rain was enough to dampen their clothes and wash away their tears.
After a long while, the demonic beings were suppressed and all perished.
And the living dead, the instant the demonic beings were all dead, collapsed to the ground.
This was Bai Ran’s wish.
She hoped that after fighting for the academy, these former compatriots, mentors, and elders could enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn as living beings, not as the living dead.
The rain intensified, as if wanting to wash away the river of blood on the ground.
At the same moment in the Imperial Capital, the demonic beings were also eradicated.
Xiao Zhu stayed quietly by Murong Chen's side. Murong Chen looked at it, his eyes filled with tenderness.
The skeleton army, appearing and disappearing without a trace, vanished as inconspicuously as they had arrived after completing their mission.
This tragic and heroic war had ended.
Xuan Yuan’s eyelids twitched, and he opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Bai Ran, who had fallen straight down.
“Girl!”
He leaped to his feet and rushed over.
In an instant, a pair of large hands caught her.
Long Jinhan swept Bai Ran into his arms. He looked at the anxious Xuan Yuan not far away and murmured to himself.
A massive formation materialized above the entire Vermillion Bird Kingdom, shining brightly before vanishing.
Xuan Yuan stopped: “Eh? What was I doing?”
He scratched his head and turned to check on everyone.
The people of the Vermillion Bird Kingdom, at that moment, had all lost the memory of Bai Ran repelling the demonic beings.
Long Jinhan, holding her, vanished into thin air.
Jingyun followed behind Long Jinhan, not daring to look at Bai Ran, feeling extremely guilty.
Her injuries had not healed, yet she had forcefully used the Ghost King’s abilities, causing her meridians to surge with spiritual energy.
She had been in a coma for over ten days before slowly regaining consciousness.
Bai Ran lay on a rocking chair in the courtyard, basking in the sun, gently swaying, completely at ease.
“You’re quite leisurely,” Jingyun said, bringing a bowl of medicinal soup and seeing Bai Ran’s state.
It seemed she wasn’t worried at all about when her powers would recover. Currently, she was an ordinary person with not a shred of spiritual energy.
Bai Ran glanced at him and teased, “Isn’t it because I’ve latched onto Long Jinhan’s powerful backing?”
Jingyun’s face turned red with embarrassment. It was all Jing Feng’s fault for constantly reporting to her; he couldn’t even make amends.
Thinking back to their past conversations, Jingyun wanted to slap himself.
Who exactly was clinging to whom?
“This, this is indeed my fault,” Jingyun mumbled awkwardly, fiddling with the hem of his clothes.
Seeing his expression, Bai Ran stood up from the rocking chair, picked up the bowl of medicinal soup, and took a few sips.
“But this time, I truly owe him a favor,” Bai Ran said in a low voice.
If Long Jinhan hadn’t appeared in time and cleaned up the mess, she would likely be dead by now.
And the demonic beings would have completely devoured the Vermillion Bird Kingdom, leading to its demise.
This was a truly significant favor.
Jingyun’s expression also turned serious as he listened.
The people of the Nine Heavens were forbidden from interfering in the affairs of the lower realms; this was the law of the Nine Heavens, which no one could violate.
His Highness saving Bai Ran was already a breach of this law.
If discovered later, his Highness would become a sinner of the Nine Heavens and be hunted by the entire Nine Heavens.
This was also the primary reason why Jingyun had harbored murderous intent towards Bai Ran previously.
However, fortunately, Bai Ran was the new Ghost King, and the Ghost Clan was one of the Four Great Powers of the Nine Heavens.
Saving Bai Ran was not considered a violation of the law.
Jingyun never imagined that his Highness had saved her without knowing she was the new Ghost King, simply not wanting to see her meet with misfortune.
“Where is he?” Bai Ran asked Jingyun.
Jingyun knew she was asking about his Highness: “Our master has important matters to attend to and cannot return for a while.”
What a busy man.
Bai Ran raised an eyebrow and asked, “What is your master’s true identity?”
Jingyun’s body stiffened. He hadn’t expected her thoughts to jump so erratically.
“I, my master is just an ordinary person.”
Bai Ran glanced at him. From the first time she met Jingyun, she knew this person couldn’t hide his emotions.
And such a person was perfect for extracting information.
“He’s probably not from this continent, is he?” Bai Ran said, observing Jingyun’s expression, “He’s probably from a higher realm.”
“Or perhaps, he’s a lord or king of a higher realm.”
Sure enough, Jingyun’s expression shifted dramatically.
“The highest realm is none other than the Nine Heavens.”
“Let me guess, the Monster King, the God Emperor, the Demon Lord, which one is your master?”
Bai Ran looked at Jingyun’s stiff expression and smiled.
“Alright, I won’t ask anymore. Look at how scared you are.”
Jingyun was furious and almost wanted to curse. Your guesses are already pretty close to the truth, aren't they!
Is there anything else to ask?