"Join forces?" The demon stared at him, his vigilance unabated. "Why should I trust you?"
The man was not in a hurry, but looked at her calmly. "Because right now, you have no other choice but to join forces with me."
The demon gritted her teeth, her eyes bloodshot. The man's implication was that if she didn't join forces with him, she wouldn't be able to leave here safely!
Threatening her? The demon pursed her lips, her eyes on the man wild and terrifying. "The thing I hate most in my life is threats..."
"So, what's your answer?" The man grinned, a chilling smile.
"Just this once."
...
Ghost Tribe—
"Welcome, our King—!"
Upon the desolate territory, dense ranks of ghosts gathered before the gates of the Ghost City.
Each translucent shell looked exceptionally eerie, and even the slightest breeze felt like a sharp blade against the skin.
Bai Ran pressed her forehead, a look of helplessness on her face. "Didn't you say to keep my return to the Ghost Tribe a secret?"
Why was there such a grand spectacle as soon as she stepped into Ghost Tribe territory?
Ying Xing acted like a devoted follower, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Bai Ran. "The King's return to the Ghost Tribe is such a momentous occasion, how can it be kept secret?"
He wished he could announce to the entire world that the King of the Ghost Tribe had returned!
Zhong Zi and Dong Ling, standing beside him, also looked stiff and turned their heads away from Bai Ran.
Bai Ran sighed softly. She was about to signal for the souls to rise, but looked up and saw that among the masses of souls bowing, a few figures stood exceptionally straight.
Two men and one woman, they stood with their arms crossed, scrutinizing Bai Ran with unwavering gazes, showing no sign of submission.
"She's the new Ghost King?" one of the men said, his tone laced with disdain and contempt.
The woman beside him nodded in agreement. "Look at how fawning the sect leader is. I suppose this delicate young girl is it."
"Such a young girl, kept hidden in the inner chambers by her family. She'll probably faint at the sight of blood. Making her the Ghost King? It's a joke!"
The second man's assessment of Bai Ran was extremely poor, his face full of resentment.
The conversations of the few were quite loud, as if deliberately meant for Bai Ran to hear.
But before Bai Ran could speak, Ying Xing, who was behind her, could no longer bear it. He frowned, stepping directly in front of Bai Ran, glaring at those souls.
"Do you know the consequences of insulting the King of a tribe!"
Bai Ran waved towards Zhong Zi behind her, who stepped forward and bowed his head.
"Who are those people?" Bai Ran asked in a low voice.
Zhong Zi glanced at those souls and then lowered his gaze. "Reporting to the King, those three are all commanding officers of the Soul Army with relatively strong power."
Below Zhong Zi and Dong Ling were Sect Leader Ying Xing, and below him were the five commanding officers of the Soul Army.
"The man on the left is named Yi Wenhao, the other man is named Meng Xuan, and the woman is named Fang An."
Bai Ran nodded. "Who are the other two commanding officers?"
Zhong Zi looked up, scanning the dense ranks of souls, then lowered his head again. "The two behind Fang An are."
Bai Ran looked up and saw that the two commanding officers were completely blocked by the Fang An in front, only glimpses of their half-bodies could be seen.
"Consequences?" Yi Wenhao scoffed, his sharp gaze fixed on Bai Ran.
"What? The new official is making a name for herself. Is our new Ghost King going to make an example of someone?"
Fang An covered her mouth and chuckled, her laughter extremely arrogant. "Wenhao, don't say that. What if we scare away our little Ghost King? Hahaha!"
Ying Xing gritted his teeth, staring at the three souls, a furious killing intent rising in his eyes. "As a member of the Ghost Tribe, disrespecting the Ghost King is a grave crime!"
"Today, I will strip you of your positions as commanding officers!"
But the three souls remained unmoved, showing no fear.
Meng Xuan tilted his chin towards Bai Ran. "The Ghost King is right here, what are you? Overstepping your bounds?"
The surrounding souls all bowed their heads. Despite the exceptionally outrageous words of the three souls, no one dared to intervene, showing that the arrogance of these three had been ongoing for a long time.
Bai Ran gazed at the three figures, but the smile in her eyes deepened, finding it extremely interesting...
"You! You guys!" Ying Xing's face turned red with anger. Even when he was managing the Ghost Tribe, these three never obeyed orders and always opposed him.
But to his surprise, now that the Ghost King had returned, they were even more arrogant, even speaking disrespectfully in front of the Ghost King!
"Meng Xuan, is it?"
Bai Ran spoke, but the three souls didn't even spare her a glance, their arrogance extreme.
"You're right. As the King of this tribe, your sect leader indeed shouldn't overstep his bounds and issue orders arbitrarily..."
Ying Xing's body stiffened, and he cautiously looked at Bai Ran.
Meng Xuan raised his eyebrows at Ying Xing. This woman looked no older than fifteen or sixteen. Wasn't she still someone they could manipulate?
"But how do you know this isn't my intention?"
At these words, the three figures finally turned their attention to her, staring at Bai Ran with suspicion.
Bai Ran hooked her lips, a wide smile on her face. "The new official is making a name for herself, you're not wrong about that."
"So, the first thing I'm doing upon my return to the Ghost Tribe is cleaning house."
Cleaning house? Meng Xuan's mind was filled with confusion, but more so with doubt. "Oh? And how does the Ghost King intend to clean house?"
Bai Ran waved her hand, signaling Ying Xing to step back. "From today onwards, the number of Soul Army commanding officers will be reduced from five to three. The position of sect leader will also be fluid, with the strongest candidate assuming the role."
Her voice, though smiling, uttered words that made people uneasy.
"Even the positions of Zhong Zi and Dong Ling can be challenged."
Bai Ran spoke slowly. Zhong Zi and Dong Ling maintained a calm demeanor, but Ying Xing couldn't stay composed.
Strength meant he could be kicked out of his sect leader position!
Ying Xing clenched his fists, his head bowed low. While his strength wasn't the weakest, it certainly wasn't the most outstanding...
In this case, wouldn't he have to yield to someone else...
Three... Yi Wenhao and the others exchanged glances. There were exactly three of them.
Fang An curled her lips into a smile, her expression full of confidence.
But what they didn't notice was that the other two silent commanding officers behind them had eyes filled with ambition.
"From today onwards, the strong will gain status, power, and renown. Every month, I will hold a competition. The last place in the competition..."
"Will only receive a penalty..."
Bai Ran smiled, her expression sending chills down the spines of the assembled souls, all speculating what the penalty might be...
"If that's the case, can we challenge your position?" Fang An stared at Bai Ran, her eyes brimming with confidence.
Bai Ran smiled at her. "Of course, you can. However, the loser's fate will be quite grim..."