Chapter 1216: Ghostly Shadows

To keep their secret, clan members entering the ruins were not allowed to leave easily. This also served as a failsafe: if another clan annihilation occurred, their presence would allow the Wang family to rise again. Wang Changsheng was simply being proactive.

These clan members had grown up within the Wang family and had a strong sense of belonging.

"Yes, Patriarch," the clan members replied in unison, their expressions filled with excitement.

The ruins were several times larger than Qinglian Island and rich in spiritual energy, promising rapid cultivation for anyone training there.

"Tianqi, take them down and settle them properly. Find a place to establish an ancestral hall, along with all the other necessary facilities like the Artifact Forging Peak and Alchemy Peak." The Zhenhai Sect ruins were enormous, and over a hundred people under Wang Tianqi were not many. They would be cultivating there for a long time, so it was natural to establish an ancestral hall and other facilities, as well as rules. In a sense, this was to be a second Wang family.

"Yes, Great-Grandfather," Wang Tianqi readily agreed, then led the clan members away. Wang Changsheng and Fairy Ziyue promptly left the Zhenhai Sect ruins to continue transporting more clan members. Wang Changsheng estimated that moving over a thousand cultivators without attracting the attention of other high-level cultivators would take at least a year, or several years if done slowly.

On an isolated island, atop a towering black mountain, Ye Haitang sat cross-legged on a black lotus seat, clad in a black lotus dress. Her expression was indifferent. Behind her, a black banner, over ten yards long, fluttered in the wind, its surface adorned with grotesque ghost faces that appeared and vanished.

One by one, bone corpses burrowed out of the ground, and hundreds of ghosts emerged from various places. Ghost cultivators and ghosts were distinct entities: the former possessed cultivation methods, consciousness, and the ability to think, while the latter lacked methods and consciousness, serving merely as instruments of slaughter. If an ordinary cultivator stayed here for too long, they would be infiltrated by Yin energy, lose their sanity, and eventually become a ghost. However, as a ghost cultivator, Ye Haitang found this place to be a spiritual training ground and had no fear of Yin energy entering her body.

The island possessed a good amount of arable land, suitable for growing Yin-attribute spirit medicines to aid her cultivation. Before that, Ye Haitang needed to subdue the island's ghosts, compel them to serve her, and forge her own ghost army.

Indeed, the Myriad Ghost Sea was teeming with ghosts, making them the most abundant resource there. However, most of these were low-level. If she could acquire a spiritual Sky Ghost, Ye Haitang's strength would significantly increase.

Sky Ghosts were intelligent ghosts and, strictly speaking, could be considered ghost cultivators, as they possessed cultivation methods. They could cultivate by absorbing Yin energy, though devouring the essence blood and souls of living beings was the quickest way to advance. However, the higher a ghost's rank, the more difficult its advancement became.

Gusts of Yin wind swept through, accompanied by loud wails and howls. Hundreds of bone corpses and ghosts charged from all directions, yet none dared to approach Ye Haitang. These ghosts ranged from low-level Qi Refinement to high-level Foundation Establishment; there were no Core Formation stage ghosts among them.

"Insignificant tricks, how dare you display them before me? Come out!" Ye Haitang's expression turned cold. The Hundred Ghost Whip in her hand suddenly shot out, striking towards the void behind her.

A black light flashed, and a ghost with a blue face and tusks suddenly appeared. This was a Core Formation stage ghost, and its ten slender fingers snatched at the Hundred Ghost Whip. With a muffled thud, the whip was seized. At that moment, the whip's tip abruptly transformed into a grotesque ghost face, biting the ghost and tearing off a large piece of black light.

The ghost was startled and tried to flee, but a gust of Yin wind swept past, and Ye Haitang suddenly appeared before it.

A dark light glowed from Ye Haitang's right hand as she reached for the ghost. The ghost's ten fingers elongated, lashing out at Ye Haitang. The moment its fingers touched the dark light emanating from Ye Haitang's body, a plume of green smoke erupted, and it let out a horrifying shriek.

The "Yellow Spring Secret Manual" was a Heaven-grade cultivation technique, rumored to counteract most ghosts. This Core Formation stage ghost king was perfectly countered by Ye Haitang.

Ye Haitang's fingernails turned inky black as she seized the ghost. The ghost struggled violently, but to no avail. The entity formed by the Hundred Ghost Whip opened its maw and devoured the Core Formation stage ghost whole.

Ghosts would consume each other, and generally, a ghost needed to devour one more powerful than itself to advance.

The Hundred Ghost Whip hovered erratically in the air for a moment before settling back into Ye Haitang's hand.

A strong wind howled past, causing Ye Haitang's hair to dance. Combined with her indifferent expression, she exuded an air of invincibility.

"Submit to me, or die," Ye Haitang stated coldly, her voice echoing across the entire island.

Feeling the potent Yin energy emanating from Ye Haitang, most of the bone corpses knelt, emitting mournful wails. The low-level ghosts, however, did not comprehend such things.

Ye Haitang opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. She then formed a hand seal, transforming the blood into dozens of fingernail-sized black lotus petals that flew towards the bone corpses below. Simultaneously, the Hundred Ghost Whip glowed with a dark light, forming a grotesque black ghost face that pounced on the ghosts below.

For a moment, the ghosts scattered wildly, and the bone corpses also ran in disarray. Yet, all was futile. The low-level ghosts had no cultivation value and were devoured by the Hundred Ghost Whip. Ye Haitang only kept thirty humanoid bone corpses, instructing them to patrol.

At this point, only Ye Haitang and the thirty humanoid bone corpses remained on the island.

Ye Haitang began collecting the scattered bones on the island, which included both humanoid and beastly remains. She intended to gather a large collection of skeletons to forge her own ghost army.

Tens of thousands of miles away, deep within the Myriad Ghost Sea.

On a massive circular island, a green ghostly silhouette drifted across the land. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, with thick silver bolts periodically streaking across the sky and striking the areas around the desolate island. The green ghost shadow was accustomed to this, continuing its aimless drift.

"Since you've arrived, come out! There's no need to hide." The green ghostly silhouette abruptly stopped, revealing the figure of a beautiful young woman in a blue dress. From her appearance and speech, it was clear she was not a low-level ghost.

Tens of miles away from the island, a dark light suddenly flared, revealing a black silhouette.

"After all these years, you still refuse to leave this place?" A woman's voice emanated from the black silhouette.

"Leave here? I'm perfectly fine staying here, why would I leave? Don't stir up so much trouble. The restrictions laid down by five God Transformation cultivators make it impossible for either of us to leave. Just cultivate diligently. If you can reach the God Transformation stage, you can naturally depart. You've become a ghost cultivator, yet your temper is still so volatile; you haven't made any progress at all." The young woman in the blue dress frowned, her tone indifferent.

"Progress? Hmph, I've been trapped here for thousands of years! Cultivators can't get in, and we can't get out. Do you truly believe such foolishness about advancing to the God Transformation stage through mere absorption? I refuse to be stuck here for an eternity."

"Do as you please! I have no say in your actions, and I have no interest in participating. If you seek death, don't blame me for not warning you." After saying this, the young woman in the blue dress transformed back into a green ghostly silhouette and flew away.

"Hmph, one day, I will leave this place. Just you wait!" A disdainful female voice emanated from the black silhouette, which then transformed into a black light, piercing through the air and vanishing into the horizon as if it had never been there.