Ghost Realm
On the fifth day, Qi Yuan and Mu Qinghuai went to the desolate area of the inner city as agreed.
A ghost and a demon were already waiting there. They kowtowed three times and shouted in unison, "The ghost and demon are here to welcome the new Ghost King back to the Ghost Realm!"
Qi Yuan said coldly, "Get up, let's set off and take this king and the demon lord back."
Yan Gui stretched out his sharp claws and slashed at the air, immediately creating a black crack. He bowed and said, "Your Highness Ghost King, Your Majesty Demon Lord, please come in."
Seeing that the three had entered the crack, Fu Yao walked at the back, and after she repaired the crack, she followed.
"You ghosts, do you know my name?"
"Your Highness is so extraordinary, your name will surely be remembered for generations!" Yan Gui flattered.
Qi Yuan said, "Remember my name well. Zhu Zhuo."
Mu Qinghuai was taken aback.
Fu Yao quickly replied, "Lord Zhu's name is truly beautiful! I will certainly remember it well."
“Yes. It sounds much better than Di Ming.” Qi Yuan said deliberately, glancing at the two former closest subordinates of Di Ming.
Yan Gui and Fu Yao felt a chill run down their spines, fearing that the new Ghost King might have some dissatisfaction. They hurriedly said, "Of course! The words 'Di Ming' don't sound good; they sound sinister!"
Qi Yuan thought to herself: Isn't the ghost realm gloomy and eerie everywhere?
She learned about the events that had occurred in the Ghost Realm over the past five days from Yan Gui and Fu Yao.
The demons and ghosts returning from Yansha Kingdom announced to the entire ghost realm that Di Ming was dead. Upon hearing this news, the demons and ghosts of the ghost realm were thrown into chaos. Only then did they say that a female ghost had inherited Di Ming's ghostly energy and killed him.
The high-ranking officials of the ghost realm held a meeting, and the demons and ghosts recounted everything that had happened that day in detail.
In the hearts of demons and ghosts, nothing is more important than strength. When the clan leaders heard that the female ghost's realm was higher than that of the Underworld Lord and that she had also obtained the supreme treasure, the Spirit-Slaying Blade, they immediately agreed to make her the new Ghost King.
Only one or two demons remained hesitant, believing her origins to be unknown. So the demons and ghosts revealed that the female ghost was on good terms with the Demon Lord of the Demon Realm. The few clan leaders no longer doubted her and immediately spread the news: the Ghost Realm was about to change hands.
The news spread quickly, and both the cultivation world and the demon world were very concerned about this matter, eagerly awaiting information about the new Ghost King.
The Ghost King Palace is magnificent and exquisite, with an overall dark tone. Even the pillars outside the palace are inlaid with gray-black crystals.
Qi Yuan stood at the front of the hall and examined it for a moment, then said, "Is this my palace from now on?"
"Yes! The high-ranking officials of the Ghost Realm are all waiting for you inside the hall." Yan Gui nodded.
"It's too dark, I don't like it. Change it to a lighter color." Qi Yuan and Mu Qinghuai stepped into the Ghost King's Palace at the same time.
"Alright." Yan Gui and Fu Yao ran forward to lead the way to the innermost room. "This is the council hall. Your Highnesses, please come in."
Upon seeing Qi Yuan and Mu Qinghuai enter the hall, all the clan leaders present stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Lord Ghost King; greetings, Lord Demon Lord."
Qi Yuan pulled Mu Qinghuai to sit in the two seats in the very center. After she sat down, she slowly said, "Please sit down."
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhu Zhuo."
"Mu Qinghuai".
To give these demons and ghosts a taste of their power, Qi Yuan immediately lowered his aura: "Ask whatever you want to ask quickly, I have other things to say."
The snake demon clan member said hesitantly, "We want to confirm your cultivation level so we can be at ease."
Qi Yuan increased her pressure, and all the demons and ghosts except Mu Qinghuai felt the immense pressure of the late-stage Void Refinement Realm. When she saw blood seeping from the corner of one of the ghosts' mouths, she withdrew her power.
She asked, "Any more questions?"
Silence reigned.
She said in a deep voice, "Then I will be frank. The Ghost Realm will no longer attempt to annex the Human Realm or the Demon Realm. I will make peace. You should also warn your people not to harm others anymore, lest the Ghost Realm's reputation suffer further."
He thought the clansmen present would protest, but to his surprise, they all smiled and said, "The Ghost King is wise!"
"The previous Ghost King was nothing short of a tyrant, as humans would say! Almost all of my people perished because of him when he fought against the Demon Realm!"
"Let's make up!"
"..."
The new leader of the merfolk was a young female merfolk. She asked, "My lord, what should we do if the human realm or the demon realm attacks?"
"What else can we do but fight!" Qi Yuan said.
An old demon said to the mermaid, "Isn't the Demon Lord of the Demon Realm on good terms with our Prince? Also, I've heard that Your Highness cultivates both immortality and demonhood, and has connections in the cultivation world. What do you say, Your Highness?"
Qi Yuan paused for a moment, then said, “Indeed. I do have connections in the cultivation world. It’s good that you think that way. If any ghosts dare to plot against those sects, I will tear them apart and skin them alive! Similarly, if the cultivation world launches an attack on the ghost realm, I will not show any mercy.”
The clan leaders below shuddered.
Meeting adjourned.
As soon as those two words were uttered, the clan leaders rushed out of the council hall, and soon only Qi Yuan and Mu Qinghuai remained with Yan Guifu.
Qi Yuan extended her wrist and asked, "Yan Gui, how is this bracelet of mine?"
Yan Gui leaned closer for a look and exclaimed in surprise, "Lord Ghost King, this is an ancient ghost pearl! Where did you get it?"
She was startled, but her expression remained unchanged: "Never mind that. What do you think of my bloodline?"
“My lord, although you are of mixed human and ghost blood, the ghost realm does not place such importance on bloodlines.” Yan Gui said directly without even probing his veins.
Although she had already guessed a little, Qi Yuan was still very surprised. She lowered her head and said, "You all go out. I have something to say to the Demon Lord alone."
After Yan Gui and Fu Yao withdrew, Qi Yuan slumped to the ground. Mu Qinghuai carefully helped her up: "Qi Yuan, can you confirm that your parents are both human?"
"I'm certain that even this string of red beads was a gift from them. I always treated it as an ordinary bracelet, but it turns out to be an ancient ghost bead," Qi Yuan said solemnly.
Mu Qinghuai's voice was steady, which inexplicably made her feel at ease: "In that case, it is also possible that the bracelet interfered with your aura after absorbing the ghost energy of the underworld, creating the illusion that you are a ghost."
Qi Yuan gradually calmed down and said, "That is indeed possible... I really need to investigate this ghost bead."
She grabbed Mu Qinghuai's sleeve nervously and asked, "Do you think I'm behaving too much like a tyrant?"
He smiled at her and said, "No matter what you do, I believe you will be a wise ruler and will definitely be able to govern the ghost realm well."
The moment Qi Yuan met his gaze, she abruptly released his hand, her heart skipping a beat. She looked away and said, "Thank you. Thank you for always being there for me."
Mu Qinghuai's body stiffened, and his face turned red at a visible speed.
He stammered, "Actually, it's nothing."
The two of them sat there, unsure of what to do, without saying a word.
Qi Yuan spoke first: "I heard that starting tonight, the Ghost Realm will be holding a celebration to commemorate the birth of the new Ghost King. Would you like to... come with me?"
She waited nervously for an answer. Mu Qinghuai seemed very happy and quickly said, "Yes, I want it."
Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. She pursed her lips and said, "I have just become the Ghost King, and I need to stay in the Ghost Realm to consolidate my foundation for the time being. You can go back to the Demon Realm tomorrow."
Mu Qinghuai paused for a few seconds, then said seriously, "Can you promise me one thing? I hope you can come to the Demon Realm and be my honored guest."
She was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Of course. The Ghost Realm welcomes you anytime."
Qi Yuan asked, seemingly jokingly, "By the way, how do you manage to keep your appearance a secret from the world? I've always heard that Demon Lord Mu Qinghuai is a fierce old man with a hawk's beak and hawk's eyes."
He was a little annoyed, touched his face and asked in confusion, "Am I not good-looking? Why do I have such a bad reputation?"
"You look good. So you didn't spread the word yourself? I almost asked the clan leaders to spread the word that the new Ghost King is a snake-headed, rat-brained demon," Qi Yuan laughed.
Upon hearing her words, Mu Qinghuai's heart pounded wildly, and his cheeks, which had just calmed down, quickly flushed red. He said, "You're beautiful too."
In fact, he could clearly sense that Qi Yuan had changed. When he first met Qi Yuan, her cold expression was like a mask, and she spoke without any emotion.
He was very happy. Qi Yuan was happy every day now and laughed more often. Compared to always being a good "senior sister", she was more like herself now.
Hearing the knock on the door, Qi Yuan said, "Come in."
Yan Gui and Fu Yao each brought in a mask. Yan Gui said, "My lords, we must wear masks at tonight's celebration. It is a custom in the ghost realm."
“Okay, remember to tell me more about the history and stories of the ghost realm later,” Qi Yuan said.
Fu Yao handed her a rabbit mask, and Yan Gui handed Mu Qinghuai a fox mask. The two of them took the masks and thought of the same thing at the same time, and were both stunned.
They exchanged a glance, and even without speaking, they understood each other's meaning.
Qi Yuan took the fox mask from him, while Mu Qinghuai took the rabbit mask.
Yan Guifu didn't understand their strange actions, but accidentally saw the genuine smile on Qi Yuan's lips.
This was the first time they had seen the new Ghost Queen smile since they met her. The same was true for the Demon Lord beside her.
Fu Yao said cautiously, "Lord Ghost King, this is your first time appearing in the Ghost Realm. Let me help you with your dressing up."
"No need. I'm already wearing a mask, I'll just change my clothes." Qi Yuan was in a good mood, her voice light and cheerful.
Fu Yao went out for a while and returned with a Ghost King's robe in her hand. Seeing Mu Qinghuai still sitting there, she couldn't help but ask, "Why is the Demon Lord still here? Do you want to see our Ghost King change his clothes?"
Mu Qinghuai was so shocked that he stood up, his expression blank, his face flushed red to the roots of his neck.
His voice rose, and he stammered, "How...how could that be! Don't talk nonsense!"
He practically fled in panic.
Only Qi Yuan and Fu Yao remained in the council hall. Since there was no one else, they changed their clothes there.
Fu Yao exclaimed, "Lord Ghost King, why is your face so red? Are you ill?"
"Shut up…!"
The Ghost King's robe was a black brocade robe with gold stripes on the fabric, and a red token symbolizing the Ghost King hung at his waist.
Qi Yuan used magic to alter the Ghost King's robes to her own size, and with the help of Fu Yao, she put them on one by one. Although it was troublesome, she did indeed exude a kingly aura after putting them on.
Fu Yao exclaimed, "You are so handsome, my lord!"
"Thank you," Qi Yuan said after a moment's hesitation.
"My lord, you actually thank me?! It is my honor!" Fu Yao exclaimed.
"...Keep your voice down."
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