At the same moment, in the easternmost palace of the Divine Realm, a slender figure stood upon a high platform.
"The Ghost Tribe has launched an offensive? Who is leading the troops?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, it is the Ghost Tribe elders personally leading the team. It seems the entire Ghost Tribe has gathered outside the Divine Realm."
Below, Zhuang Man, the Palace Mistress of Yaochi Palace, bowed low, reporting with great deference.
"The entire Ghost Tribe..." Mo Ze murmured, his expression tinged with complexity. The long-dormant Ghost Tribe suddenly emerging en masse...
And that old man, who hadn't appeared for millennia, now leading troops into war...
"Has Father Emperor dispatched troops to meet them?"
"Upon receiving the news, the Divine Emperor immediately went to the front lines and personally appeared on the battlefield."
Mo Ze's eyes narrowed. Father Emperor, he finally couldn't hold back. Just a small trick from the Ghost Tribe, and he was defeated and in disarray, forced to personally enter the fray.
Zhuang Man looked up, asking cautiously, "Your Highness... should we go to support?"
"How many troops has the Divine Realm dispatched?"
"Over fifty thousand, and three Saint Lords are accompanying them."
After a moment of silence, Mo Ze's handsome brows furrowed deeply. The Ghost Tribe was in decline, likely unable to even muster twenty thousand souls at this time.
Yet, Father Emperor dispatched fifty thousand heavenly soldiers, plus three Saint Lords...
"No need to support, remain inactive for now." Mo Ze had a hunch that the Ghost Tribe's sudden offensive was merely a warning to the Divine Realm, not a true attempt to conquer it.
Furthermore, souls and ordinary soldiers were different; souls were ethereal and insubstantial. Unless one was exceptionally powerful, it would be impossible to touch them.
Even those few who had condensed a physical form, and were thus tangible, were the supreme powerhouses of the Ninth Heaven.
If Mo Ze sent troops, they would most likely be sent to their deaths, so remaining inactive was the most prudent course of action.
...
Outside the Divine Realm, blood soaked the earth, staining the soil a glaring blood-red.
The battlefield was littered with corpses, limbs scattered everywhere, a scene of brutal carnage.
"My spiritual energy is depleted!"
"Unable to attack the souls! Divine Emperor, what shall we do!?"
Mo Huai'an's luxurious golden robe was already stained crimson with blood. "Damn it! Set up a barrier!"
As the words fell, the heavenly soldiers and the three Saint Lords gathered their spiritual energy, forming hand seals and erecting a defensive barrier.
High in the sky, the Elder stood suspended in the air, his expression calm yet sharp. Even without acting, his mere presence was enough to awe the Divine Realm.
Despite the disparity of over fifty thousand heavenly soldiers against a little more than ten thousand souls, the Divine Realm possessed no power to retaliate.
Their spiritual energy attacks were incapable of harming the souls. The souls, on the other hand, seemed to toy with them, provoking them occasionally before cruelly slaughtering them.
The Elder swept his gaze across the battlefield; almost every soul had killed one or several people from the Divine Realm...
"They're not that formidable either, each one acting like they haven't eaten."
"And they call themselves the number one force in the Ninth Heaven. Look at them, trembling, hahahaha!"
"This feeling of slaughter, it's quite enjoyable!"
The crimson blood stimulated their nerves, and gradually, the long-slumbering blood of the souls began to boil, the sense of rampage within their bones surging forth.
In this world, no force or tribe could defeat the Ghost Tribe on the battlefield.
The battlefield was the Ghost Tribe's domain.
The souls became increasingly rampant, their actions growing more frenzied. Yet, the Divine Realm could do nothing against them.
"Divine Emperor! Your subordinate cannot hold on!"
"Divine Emperor! Retreat first, if we continue fighting like this, we will all be annihilated!"
More than thirty thousand of the fifty thousand heavenly soldiers had already been wiped out...
As the souls' movements became more frenzied and forceful, the Divine Realm's barrier grew precarious, seeming on the verge of shattering at any moment.
Mo Huai'an gritted his teeth, his hand hanging by his robe clenched so tightly that it drew blood. His eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot.
In an instant, a strange grey aura began to emanate from his body, gradually spreading. However, the souls were in their frenzy and completely failed to notice Mo Huai'an's transformation.
Only the Elder in the sky looked at Mo Huai'an with a sharp gaze, having made up his mind.
"Withdraw."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Zi and Dong Ling first ceased their actions and returned behind the Elder. Following them were Ying Xing, Fang An, and the others.
Gradually, the thick killing intent on the battlefield began to recede, and the frenzied eyes of the souls slowly regained clarity.
It was a joke, who would dare disobey the Elder? Who knew who would be turned to ashes next?
Although they hadn't had their fill, having learned from their previous experience, the souls chose to retreat with extreme speed, without the slightest hesitation.
Before Mo Huai'an could even contemplate any action, all the souls of the Ghost Tribe had vanished into the sky, leaving behind a ground strewn with corpses, a stark reminder that what he had experienced was no illusion.
"Ahhhhhhh—I will kill you all!!!"
The heart-wrenching roar shook the air. Mo Huai'an's eyes were bloodshot, his shoulders trembling with rage, as if he had gone mad.
...
Meanwhile, among the Ghost Tribe, the atmosphere was exceptionally relaxed and carefree, as if they had inexhaustible energy.
"That was truly exhilarating. Those damn dogs of the Divine Realm couldn't even fight back."
"Indeed, I didn't expect them to be so weak."
"Did you see the Divine Emperor's expression? His face turning red and then black with anger, it was quite entertaining."
However, the Elder's face was grim, and he remained silent, seemingly burdened by some hidden worry.
"Elder, what troubles you?" Zhong Zi stepped forward, sensing his unusual demeanor.
The Elder then sighed, a look of helplessness appearing on his face. "Do you know why I suddenly ordered a retreat?"
Why the sudden retreat? Was it not because the souls had satisfied the conditions set by the King?
The Elder looked up, his cloudy eyes filled with doubt and inquiry. "That Divine Emperor is somewhat unusual."
Zhong Zi stiffened, his expression turning serious. "What do you mean, Elder...?"
"The grey spiritual energy surrounding that Divine Emperor, like the accumulated resentment of the dead, instantly boosted his power."
For a moment, the Divine Emperor's strength seemed to be on par with the Elder's.
But he was clearly a living being, so why would he possess the resentment of the dead?
The Elder was perplexed, his heart filled with doubts, compelling him to retreat.
Moreover, the purpose of this expedition had been achieved. If any unforeseen events were to occur, it would be difficult to say.
Resentment unique to souls... Mo Huai'an also possessed it?
Zhong Zi pondered, but he had no clue. He was clearly standing before them, alive...
"Could it be that the Divine Emperor's body has been invaded by a soul?"
Dong Ling couldn't help but consider this possibility. His personality had changed drastically, and his strength seemed to fluctuate, which appeared quite plausible.