"After all, I'm just a young girl and I hold grudges."
Fang An was unfazed. What had they, ghosts who had lived for hundreds of years, not seen? Could they be controlled by a soft, boneless little girl?
It would be a laughingstock if word got out!
"Whether it's complete annihilation or no reincarnation, you just come at me. I, Fang An, will never be defeated by you!"
She made her solemn promise. Meng Xuan frowned beside her, feeling something was amiss, but he couldn't pierce through the thick veil of mist.
Bai Ran's lips curved into a smile as she readily accepted Fang An's challenge. "The first match is in a month. I shall await it."
She strode away, Zhong Zi and Dong Ling quick to follow. Ying Xing shot a glare at the three figures and then followed Bai Ran into the Ghost Tribe.
Zhong Zi pursed his lips and sidled up to her, his expression hesitant. "My Queen..."
"Are you worried I'll lose?" The smile from moments ago vanished, replaced by an icy tone.
Zhong Zi lowered his gaze, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions. "Those commanders of the Ghost Army have cultivated for hundreds of years. Their strength should not be underestimated..."
It was a disadvantage for the Queen to confront them...
Bai Ran's eyes narrowed, her voice sinking low. "If I, as the King of a tribe, cannot even manage my own people, perhaps I should leave now."
Zhong Zi slowed his steps, no longer trying to persuade Bai Ran.
"Um... Elder Dong Ling..."
Dong Ling turned around and found Ying Xing looking at him expectantly, as if he had something to say.
"What is it?"
Ying Xing rubbed his hands together, looking hesitant. "Can you teach me... how to improve my strength...?"
Dong Ling frowned and refused his request without hesitation, which left Ying Xing very disappointed.
As they delved deeper into the Ghost Tribe, the entire territory gradually revealed itself to Bai Ran.
Souls did not need to eat or drink, nor did they require ordinary living tools like humans. Throughout the entire territory, there were only residential courtyards and various arenas for competitions.
Bai Ran stopped, for before the palace where she would reside, she saw a patch of pale purple flowers, emitting a faint fragrance when the wind blew.
"Who planted that patch of flowers?"
As soon as she spoke, Ying Xing, standing behind her, weakly replied, "Reporting to the Queen, it was your subordinate..."
Bai Ran's eyebrows rose. She smiled at him with amusement. "It seems your time is quite abundant each day."
Ying Xing shivered, a premonition telling him that the days ahead would not be easy...
The group entered the palace. Everything Bai Ran needed was already arranged, presumably by Zhong Zi.
A small purple bottle was tossed to Ying Xing. He caught it, his face showing confusion. "Queen? This is...?"
"I don't know if this elixir is effective for souls. Eat it and see if there are any changes."
Bai Ran turned and watched Ying Xing swallow the elixir.
As soon as the elixir entered his abdomen, Ying Xing felt a burning sensation in his dantian, but he felt no pain.
The next moment, Ying Xing's expression was filled with extreme joy, for his cultivation, which had been stuck at the ninth stage of True Immortal realm, was now showing signs of an imminent breakthrough!
Ying Xing immediately sat down cross-legged. Bai Ran watched, understanding dawning on her.
Human elixirs were also applicable to souls, but their effects were not as pronounced as they were for humans. If this elixir were consumed by a human, it would at least boost their cultivation by three minor realms.
She raised her hand and released all the souls within her spatial realm, giving each of them a bottle of elixir.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a massive spiritual energy vortex began to fill the sky above the palace, constantly pouring into it.
"What is that? A spiritual energy vortex during a breakthrough?" The souls outside the palace saw it and began to chatter.
"Why is it so enormous? Could it be that many souls are breaking through at the same time?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Such a huge spiritual energy vortex would require at least fifty souls to start. How is that possible?"
The conversation between a few souls was overheard by Meng Xuan, who happened to be passing by.
He looked up and saw the massive spiritual energy vortex above the palace. He knitted his brows and recalled the words spoken by that woman.
'The strong gain status, power, and reputation...'
He felt that this woman was somehow different from the ghost kings of previous generations...
Bai Ran turned to look at Zhong Zi and Dong Ling. "What are your respective strengths?"
Zhong Zi replied obediently, "Our cultivation levels are both at the third stage of Golden Immortal realm."
Bai Ran nodded. "Above you, is there anyone else you know of?"
Then, Zhong Zi roughly described the strength of the various powerful individuals in the Nine Heavens, concluding that there were five in total.
The Demon Lord of the Demon Realm and Venerable Long Yu. Venerable Long Yu's strength was always renowned; at the second stage of Immortal Lord realm, he was truly fearless in the entire Nine Heavens.
As for Long Jin Han's strength, it remained a mystery. He had only acted three times, all against the Divine Realm.
Yet, from those three instances alone, rumors circulated that Long Jin Han's cultivation was comparable to Long Yu's, and there were even signs of him surpassing him.
Furthermore, there was the late Emperor of the Divine Realm, and the father of Bai Li Xiao, who had also passed away.
"The last person is the Elder of the Ghost Tribe."
The Elder? Bai Ran's beautiful brows furrowed. "Where is he now?"
Zhong Zi paused, clearly showing his fear of this Elder. "In... the Ghost Tribe's ancestral tomb..."
For thousands of years, the Ghost Tribe had seen changes in leadership, with ghost kings succeeding one another. However, he had never stepped out of the ancestral tomb, only silently guarding it.
"Why does the Ghost Tribe have an ancestral tomb?" Bai Ran couldn't help but ask.
Logically speaking, when souls died, they would be annihilated, their spirits scattered. There would be no coffins to contain them, so why an ancestral tomb?
"It was built at the Elder's command. For every death, a tombstone is erected in the ancestral tomb."
Bai Ran remained silent for a long time before inquiring about the current Divine Emperor's strength.
"Speaking of which, the Divine Emperor's cultivation is very strange," Zhong Zi recalled and spoke eloquently.
"I have crossed hands with him a few times. The Divine Emperor's cultivation level fluctuates, making it unpredictable."
Bai Ran nodded, having a general understanding of the strengths. At this moment, the souls who had been cultivating had finished their meditation and were gradually standing up.
"Queen! Your subordinate has broken through to the first stage of Profound Immortal realm!" Ying Xing's face was filled with excitement. After a hundred years of cultivation, he had been stuck in the True Immortal realm for over a decade. Now, he had finally broken through!
Bai Ran smiled faintly. "If you encounter any bottlenecks in the future, you can ask Zhong Zi for an elixir to help you break through."
Afterward, all the souls were dispatched to guard various corners of the palace. With everyone replaced by her own people, certain matters would not be leaked.
As Bai Ran sat down, the Shadow Soul came to report. "Queen, someone is seeking an audience outside the palace."
Her eyebrows rose, her eyes filled with an unfathomable smile. "Oh? Who is it?"