"Yes, absolutely, we can," the sea ghost leader agreed without hesitation.
To these sea ghosts, they were, to put it bluntly, wandering souls, undead beings straddling the line between life and death. For them, living was torture, yet they lacked the courage to embrace death. Now, someone offered to let them experience being human again, with loyalty as the price. Loyalty? What was loyalty worth? As long as they could be human again, even for a few days, they would willingly be his beasts of burden.
"Very good, then let us sign the contract." Bai Qi wouldn't simply trust the other's word. A written agreement was more substantial. Although sea ghosts had many drawbacks, any gain was better than none. Furthermore, in naval combat, sea ghosts possessed considerable strength. Especially with the Justice League having Aquaman and his Atlantis, a confrontation was inevitable, and sea ghosts might prove surprisingly useful then.
Just like when he subdued the spectral pirates at the first marker, Bai Qi only signed the contract with the leading sea ghost.
Once the contract was signed, Bai Qi nodded with satisfaction and said, "Since you are now my subordinate, I will not mistreat you. Consider this a welcome gift."
With that, a wisp of black energy shot from Bai Qi's hand into the sea ghost leader's body. The sea ghost leader's dilapidated form began to mend at a visible rate. His seemingly ordinary dagger, under the influence of Bai Qi's black energy, was reborn.
"Since you are my subordinate, here is your first command: I want you to gather all the sea ghosts scattered across the sea and bring them under your command. Do you understand what I mean?"
Before the sea ghost leader could revel in his physical transformation, Bai Qi's command sent him into a frenzy of excitement. Bai Qi hadn't explicitly stated it, but the sea ghost leader was no fool. He instantly grasped the underlying meaning. Everyone harbored a dream of becoming a general. Before becoming a sea ghost, he had been an officer, commanding this very group of sea ghosts. Now, with Bai Qi bestowing power and a formidable magical weapon, and tasking him with recruiting and leading other sea ghosts, wouldn't he soon be second only to the ruler himself? With a slight shift in perspective, he would essentially be a great general of old. He had never dared to dream of such a thing even in life; now, in his spectral form, his dream was coming true.
"Can you handle this? If not, I won't force you. I can always find someone else, and you can continue guarding this island with Hai Gui Shan."
"No, no, no..." Hearing the prospect of remaining on this desolate island, the sea ghost leader became agitated. He quickly declared, "Yes, yes, I can definitely do it! My lord, no, Master, rest assured, I will recruit all the sea ghosts in the vast ocean for you, train them, and await your orders."
"Good, very good," Bai Qi nodded. "This matter is settled. Take your subordinates and handle it properly. I will not treat you unfairly."
Having resolved the matter with the sea ghosts, it was time to address Hai Gui Shan. Although Hai Gui Shan had submitted, taking the crystal shard from atop their head without cause was akin to cutting off their livelihood. Furthermore, now that Hai Gui Shan was also his subordinate, Bai Qi found it even more difficult to forcibly seize the shard.
"How about this," Bai Qi took out a pocket watch. "I'll trade this with you. Lend me the crystal shard for a while. You can use this as a substitute in the meantime."
Hai Gui Shan was no fool. Upon seeing the pocket watch in Bai Qi's hand, its eyes were fixated. It felt the aura of a demon emanating from it, a power derived from demons. As creatures of black energy, anything touched by demons was a treasure to them. Hai Gui Shan understood precisely what this item meant to it. If it could absorb and refine the power within, it might undergo a metamorphosis and be reborn.
Without further ado, Hai Gui Shan shifted its body, removed the crystal shard from atop its head, and handed it to Bai Qi. It then eagerly gazed at the pocket watch in Bai Qi's hand, excitedly drooling.
"Alright, alright, here you go. Look at you, like you've never seen the world." The demonic power contained within this pocket watch was not Bai Qi's own. Bai Qi's own strength was not yet sufficient; how could he store it in a watch and give it to another? The demonic power stored within was from Bogan, the mountain demon. When Bogan returned to the mortal realm with Xi Mu, Xi Mu fled, leaving Bogan to draw fire. Later, the Ancient One appeared and teleported it to the desert, temporarily halting the commotion. In fact, the Ancient One's appearance was at Bai Qi's request. As a demon, despite their immortal nature, this world was too peculiar, with gods and demons intertwined and all sorts of chaos. Erasing an immortal demon was a simple matter. The most direct method would be for Superman to hurl Bogan into outer space, or for figures like Doctor Strange to seal or banish Bogan to another dimension. Rather than wait for them to act, Bai Qi took it upon himself. By teleporting Bogan to a sparsely populated desert, he minimized damage and impact. Moreover, in such a location, Bai Qi could easily monitor it and have his shadow ninjas discreetly place the pocket watch on Bogan to absorb its power. The most crucial point was that Bogan consumed sand for sustenance, gaining little energy. Coupled with Bai Qi secretly siphoning its demonic power with the pocket watch, it effectively curbed Bogan's growth, preventing a situation from becoming unmanageable. Furthermore, this demonic power was of the highest caliber. Although it carried Bogan's aura, Bai Qi could easily erase this with a little effort. Once erased, it became Bai Qi's most potent resource. Firstly, it could be used to reward subordinates, allowing their strength to surge, while those who used demonic power would be abhorred by righteous energy, effectively pushing them towards black energy and thus bolstering Bai Qi's forces. Secondly, even if Bai Qi kept it for himself, he could use it to enhance his own strength and break through the seals on the Twelve Talismans, quickly regaining his peak state. It was a pity that Bogan had only recently arrived on the surface, and to avoid detection while extracting its demonic power, Bai Qi had to be extremely cautious, not daring to unleash his full potential. Thus, by now, he only possessed two pocket watches filled with demonic power. Giving one to Hai Gui Shan would not only enhance its strength but also serve as an exchange for the crystal shard. Lastly, it was for the sea ghost leader to witness. Seeing Hai Gui Shan clutching the pocket watch, it was practically drooling.