Outside the palace, the sounds of chattering discussions continuously erupted, the voices of over ten thousand lost souls making the surroundings extremely chaotic.
"What's all the noise—!"
A vast wave of spiritual energy emanated from within the palace, stirring up a fierce wind, mingled with endless killing intent and rage.
The stronger lost souls could still maintain their stance, but the weaker ones' knees buckled, and they directly fell to their knees.
In an instant, it was deathly silent outside the palace, so quiet that one could hear a silver needle drop.
"Thump—thump—thump—" Heavy footsteps sounded, and an ancient figure slowly emerged.
The lost souls seemed to be intimidated by the earlier show of force, holding their breath and gazing intently at the palace entrance.
"If every ghost tribe member were like you all? Wouldn't they become a laughingstock of the world!"
The elder, with a somber face, spoke with a voice that was both majestic and immensely oppressive.
"It's not that exaggerated, is it..." At this moment, a faint, tiny voice of dissent arose.
Though the lost soul's voice was extremely soft, it was precisely captured and locked onto by the elder from afar.
Not good! Among the lost souls, Fang An and the other two suddenly turned their heads, looking at the one who had spoken.
In the next instant, black ghostly energy poured out, like a force that could shatter ten thousand mountains, rushing directly towards that lost soul!
The immense spiritual energy fluctuations reverberated, causing the surrounding lost souls to lose their footing and stumble backward.
Simultaneously, a profound sense of fear blossomed, an infinite dread towards those who were powerful...
"Rumble—" In the blink of an eye, the spot where that lost soul stood was blasted into a huge pit, from which wisps of black smoke now rose.
And the man who had spoken, who had been standing in place just moments before, had now vanished without a trace...
"Soul... soul scattered...?"
"He's dead...?"
The surrounding lost souls took a long time to recover, all of them stunned by the elder's ruthless methods.
That lost soul had merely spoken one extra sentence, refuted something... and was now... by the elder...
Zhong Zi and Dong Ling stood behind the elder, both with their heads bowed and nerves taut.
They had both personally experienced this kind of fear. Back when they were under the elder's command, they hadn't dared to even breathe too heavily.
Only to obey, not to defy.
Fang An and the other two among the lost souls also silently straightened their bodies. They knew their master's temperament, so the moment that lost soul spoke, they had sensed their master's immense killing intent.
"What, has it been so long since I left the mausoleum that you have all degenerated this much?"
Faced with the elder's enraged voice, the lost souls below dared not move, their necks tucked in like a flock of quail.
Because they knew, the elder was not joking with them...
If they made a mistake or said the wrong thing, they would truly die in an instant...
"Loyalty means submission and obedience; ferocity means ambition and unyielding spirit."
"The Ghost Tribe has always been known throughout the world for its loyalty and ferocity, yet now, the entire Ghost Tribe has fallen to such a state!"
"Does what I say no longer count!"
Zhong Zi and Dong Ling bowed slightly: "It counts."
Seeing this, Ying Xing also quickly chimed in: "It counts."
Among the lost souls, Fang An and the other two wore solemn expressions and also slowly bowed: "It counts."
Gradually, more and more lost souls bowed their bodies, respectfully responding: "It counts."
A dense multitude of lost souls, all now stooping their backs and lowering their heads, truly uttered proper words.
What the elder said, always counts—
The elder narrowed his dark eyes, and the killing intent around him slowly dissipated: "Since it counts, then prove it to me! What kind of posture, what kind of status should the Ghost Tribe have!"
"Yes—" The uniform, resounding reply also calmed his emotions somewhat.
"The Ghost King has decreed that before the sun sets today, every lost soul must return with the head of a person from the Divine Realm."
"If you cannot accomplish this, you will be dealt with by me."
His tone was unquestionable, his strategy cruel and unfeeling. Every lost soul knew full well that if they failed, there would be only one outcome: death...
"No lost soul is allowed to help or offer aid. I will go with you all."
Outside the palace, there was utter silence. All the lost souls had become exceedingly obedient.
The elder leaped into the air and headed in the direction of the Divine Realm, followed closely by Zhong Zi, Dong Ling, and Ying Xing.
The lost souls exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and also followed suit.
At worst, it's death! What is there to fear!
And what the elder and Bai Ran desired was precisely this kind of ferocity, hidden deep within their bones...
What is there to fear in death? Hesitating, being weak and easily bullied, that is the true killer.
Over ten thousand lost souls poured out, a truly spectacular sight. The sky was even covered by black figures, obscuring half of it.
......
"Lord Divine Emperor! It's bad! It's bad—!"
The Fourth Elder rushed into the palace, stumbling, his movements frantic and utterly panicked.
On the main seat, Mo Huai'an got a headache just seeing him. This old fellow never brought good news whenever he came.
"Speak, what has happened this time?"
The Fourth Elder knelt down with a thud, his body trembling like a sieve, and his words came out stammeringly: "The ghost! The Ghost Tribe is attacking!!!"
What! The Ghost Tribe!?
Mo Huai'an abruptly stood up, his face visibly contorted with panic: "Why would they suddenly launch an attack! How many lost souls have come!?"
"This subordinate doesn't know!!! It was just that the sky was covered by black figures! A dense multitude!!!"
The Fourth Elder's teeth chattered from fear, and his entire body trembled with weakness.
"Send troops to meet them! Quickly!!!"
Damn it! Why did these ghosts suddenly make a move? They were clearly not like this before...
Watching the Fourth Elder rush out of the palace in haste, Mo Huai'an's chest heaved, unsure if it was from anger or panic.
But the next moment, a figure flashed in his mind, a figure as dazzling and flamboyant as fire.
'Mo Huai'an! You will face retribution!!!'
'One day, someone will ascend to these Nine Heavens and overturn the filth of these Three Realms!!!'
The words of Huan Yan before her death echoed incessantly in his ears, making his hair stand on end...
No... impossible...
He had painstakingly reached this point, reached the pinnacle of the entire Nine Heavens...
Never.
Mo Huai'an stumbled a few times, then strode towards the palace exit.
He would lead the troops himself! To repel these lost souls!