I looked at the blurry figure before me in disbelief.
Stuttering, I asked the question.
"Are, are you really the Myriad Ghost King?"
"I am the true Myriad Ghost King."
Upon receiving his affirmative answer, I didn't feel much fear.
I just instinctively took two steps back and pleaded cautiously.
"Please let me go. I've never harmed you, and my flesh isn't tasty."
He laughed heartily and explained.
"You needn't worry. I won't harm you. I sought you out because there's good news.
You are human, intelligent, and have befriended so many powerful individuals.
You are my best candidate for possession, easy to manipulate and control."
Hearing him, I quickly refused.
"No, no, no. You're male, and I'm female.
You taking advantage of me is unacceptable. Find someone else."
He snorted coldly, showing some annoyance.
"You ungrateful wretch. In my youth, I was a handsome young man.
However, during a battle with them, my demonic power was depleted, causing my face to become haggard and wrinkled.
I'm actually very handsome. You should feel fortunate."
Looking at his blurry, shadow-like, dark form, I couldn't discern any handsomeness.
"It's no, anyway. Find someone else."
Seeing my unyielding refusal, he resorted to threats.
"Don't forget, your physical body is still in this Hundred Bones Cave.
If you refuse to possess me, you will never be able to leave this Hundred Bones Cave in this life.
For all eternity, you will only have bones for company."
I sighed, thinking that being outside wouldn't necessarily be better, and said indifferently.
"It doesn't matter. It's quite good in this cave, and I wouldn't know where to go even if I left."
He seemed to sense my slight displeasure and sorrowful thoughts.
But he didn't address them immediately, instead tempting me with fame and fortune.
"If you are willing to become one with me, you will be reborn with me.
You will gain my supreme demonic power and become the feared and revered Myriad Ghost King.
Then, we can rise again, command all ghosts with the Myriad Ghost Token,
conquer cities, change the world, and become the foremost king of this realm."
Listening to him, I found it childish and laughable, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hahaha, you're so funny. At your age,
you're still thinking about conquering cities, like a childish fool."
Seeing me mock him, he didn't get angry and asked calmly.
"What are your insights?"
Speaking of insights, as someone from a peaceful world, I naturally had some.
So I spoke eloquently.
"As I see it, the citizens of the four cities live in peace and happiness.
If there were to be war, it would surely lead to devastation and the suffering of the people.
Therefore, there is no reason for war, nor should we fall into the abyss for unrealistic ideas."
He smiled faintly and praised me slightly.
"You do have some insights, but they are only superficial.
You have no idea of the suffering here, of how many people still live in dire straits."
"Do you know?"
I was somewhat speechless. This old, unworldly shadow dared to lecture me.
"Naturally, I know."
"You haven't been out of here, so how would you know."
"Who says one must go out to know."
"Then how else?"
"Alright, I won't bicker with you. You simply don't understand the grievances of nation and family. Let me tell you.
My Ghostly race has been oppressed for thousands of years.
We can only eke out an existence in desolate, barren lands.
And it's not just my race; there's also the Divine Horse tribe.
Perhaps you don't know, but the Divine Horse tribe was once one of the great tribes of this realm.
For fabricated crimes, they were forced to atone for millennia, to be ridden like horses, enduring humiliation.
And then there's the vast ocean, the Merfolk tribe. They lived peacefully for millennia, yet were constantly hunted and killed."
Hearing him recount all this, and remembering that I had eaten merfolk meat before, I felt ashamed.
The Myriad Ghost King continued.
"I do this not for myself, but to save more people."
"Then, please don't find me."
I refused decisively.
"You are the most suitable candidate. Let us conspire for a great cause together."
"No, no, absolutely not."
Seeing my repeated rejections, he decided to play his trump card: the temptation of wealth.
With a wave of his hand, mountains of glittering gold and silver appeared around us.
All sorts of rare treasures were piled up in one place.
My eyes widened in astonishment.
"Wow, these, these treasures, are they all yours?"
"They are mine. If you become one with me, all these treasures will be yours."
I immediately became disdainful and said speechlessly.
"I am not someone who covets wealth. Take it away, I don't want it."
"You really don't want it?"
"No."
"Alright."
Saying this, he waved his hand again, and suddenly, fierce flames erupted, burning the mountains of gold and silver.
I was shocked and quickly shouted.
"What are you doing! Even if you don't like it, you don't have to burn it!"
"Since you don't want it, it's useless to me, so it's better to burn it."
"Alas! What are you thinking!"
"Gold and silver treasures are abundant for me, but finding a suitable candidate is difficult.
So, if you agree to my proposal and conspire with me, I will give you whatever you want."
Whatever I want, given his capabilities, he should be able to provide.
However, I am just a small human. How could the task of doing great deeds fall to me?
I refused him again.
"Don't waste your breath. I will not agree."
"You woman, tell me, what is it you truly desire."
I... what do I desire?
I thought carefully. This was a good opportunity to ask for something he couldn't do.
"I want to go home. Can you send me home?"
"If you can go home, will you agree to my request?"
"Yes, as long as you send me home, I will agree."
I secretly rejoiced. The human world isn't a place you can just come and go as you please.
If it were that simple, I would have returned long ago.
I wanted to see what he would do.
Unexpectedly, he readily agreed.
"Alright, I will send you home."
My eyes widened in disbelief. Then, I thought he was trying to trick me.
So I said.
"You better not just be saying it."
"Of course not."
He raised his hand, and the surroundings immediately changed.
Blue skies, soaring birds, noisy vehicles, and towering buildings.
Looking at everything before me, I couldn't believe it. I... I... I really, really... was back.
"Ah! I'm back! I'm home!"
Overjoyed, I shouted loudly and ran towards the crowd.
Excitedly, I yelled into the crowd.
"I'm back! I'm back!"
Everyone was startled by the shouting and stopped, looking at me as if I were a lunatic.
I didn't care and reveled in my freedom.
Then, I ran quickly towards the school I remembered.
However, the gates were closed. It seemed it was already vacation time.
But this didn't dampen my good mood. I decided to find a place to stay for the night.
The next day, I would buy a train ticket home.
Suddenly, I realized my pockets were empty. Disaster, I had no money. How would I live?
Sadly, I squatted on the ground and lamented.
"Oh heavens, I have no money. How can I live without money! How can I live!"
Suddenly, a voice prompted.
"You can climb over the wall."
"Good idea."
My face lit up with joy. I remembered that my wallet and everything were in the dormitory.
And if I climbed up the gas pipe outside the window to the balcony, I could open the broken door and get into the dormitory.
I never imagined that what I used to dislike would become a lifesaver. In a moment of excitement,
I felt grateful.
"Thank heavens, I'm still saved."
So, I circled the school and found a wall where trees were close together.
Using all my might, I climbed onto the branches, scaled the wall, and then slid down along the large tree by the wall.
Finally, I arrived inside the school and felt triumphant, clapping my hands.
"Heh heh heh, all these years of useless skills have finally found a use for them. It's not a waste."
After my moment of triumph, I quickly headed towards the dormitory. Behind the dormitory building, there was an open space.
Our balcony faced that open space, and it was quite peaceful.
So, without much effort, I found the gas pipe.
I climbed up the pipe, and in no time, I reached the balcony.
I pushed open the door, which wasn't tightly shut, and walked in.
I found that everything in the room was neat and tidy, nothing was missing.
Moreover, the bedding laid out on the beds had not been rolled up.
This made me a bit puzzled. I asked myself.
"Isn't it vacation time? Why haven't these beddings been rolled up?
And the shoes placed on the side haven't been put away either."
After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't figure it out.
So, I swayed as I rummaged through my bag.
I took out my wallet, and upon seeing the bank card, I revealed a sly smile.
Then, I put it back, slung my bag over my shoulder, and was about to head back the way I came.
Then I thought, since there were no people in the school, no one would be watching.
In that case, instead of wasting money outside, it would be better to sleep here and save some expenses.
Thinking this, I immediately felt cheerful, put down my backpack, climbed onto the bed, and lay down leisurely.
My heart suddenly stirred with excitement.
"After I go back, I'm going to write down everything I experienced in that world into a novel.
The male protagonist will be Ali, the villain will be Liu Xiang, and as for the Myriad Ghost King, I'll write him as a good person.
How should I write it?"
I thought about it. To make this book a bestseller, wouldn't it need some melodrama, excitement, and plot twists?
Thinking this, I suddenly had an idea.
"I've got it. I'll write that the male protagonist, Ali, is inherently innocent.
He meets a girl who time-traveled, and that girl will be called, let's call her Qingcheng.
Ali and Qingcheng fall in love at first sight and adore each other.
Who would have thought, this wicked villain, the great antagonist Liu Xiang, would appear out of nowhere.
Liu Xiang kills Ali and insults Qingcheng.
Insults? That doesn't sound good, so let's change it to Liu Xiang kills Ali and frames Qingcheng.
With nowhere to go, Qingcheng, wanting to end her life, is enlightened by a master.
She recruits soldiers, rallies supporters, and soon heroes rise up, joining forces.
Together, they march north to attack Liu Xiang.
Finally, Liu Xiang dies, and the world is at peace.
Hahaha, this is perfect, absolutely perfect. How could I come up with such a good story!"
The thought of being able to portray Liu Xiang as an utterly wicked villain made me grin from ear to ear.
As I thought, I gradually felt drowsy.
Before long, I was fast asleep, dreaming of returning home and getting rich.
In a daze, a voice said.
"Is that enough? Can you agree to my request now?"
I rubbed my eyes, not understanding, and replied.
"Wh-what?"
"Agree to conspire for a great cause with me."
"Conspire for a great cause?"
The more I heard, the stranger it sounded. I rubbed my eyes and opened them.
The first thing I saw was the surrounding void, and the shadowy figure flickering not far away.
Startled, I cried out.
"Wh-what is going on? I, I didn't go back, why did you bring me back?"
"I merely conjured a beautiful dream for you. You never returned home."
"What! I didn't go home? Everything that just happened was my dream?"
"Yes, it was all your dream."
I became furious and accused him.
"You, you, you! I even thought of writing you as a good person, but I didn't expect you to just make me dream.
If you're incapable, then don't bother me. With your abilities, I will never cooperate with you."
"Are you saying you want to go back on your word?"
"Go back on what? You never fulfilled my request."
He smiled faintly, losing his patience, and said with a slightly forceful tone.
"You woman, I think you're deliberately trying to trick me. I warn you, there are dire consequences for tricking me."
"I told you I can't, I won't. You insisted on me cooperating with you, so you brought this upon yourself."
"Hmph! It seems you won't realize my methods until you've tasted some hardship."
"You, you, you, what are you going to do!"
"What am I going to do? You'll know soon enough."
Saying this, he raised his hand and summoned several skulls. The skulls flew to my side.
One by one, they spat a foul breath at me. I immediately felt nauseous,
almost vomiting.
Seeing this, the Myriad Ghost King couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Hahaha, do you realize my power now? I'll give you one more day to think it over carefully.
Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless."
After speaking, he disappeared into the darkness, and the skulls also flew away with him.
I slumped to the ground, fanning the air with my hand, and felt a little better.
Sighing softly, I looked at the void.
My heart was filled with mixed emotions. Suddenly, I felt angry again, stood up, and put my hands on my hips.
I grumbled to myself, expressing my dissatisfaction.
"Am I that valuable? First, I encountered Liu Xiang, and now the Myriad Ghost King.
What makes me so worthy of your important tasks? You're all trying to force me to my death.
Even if I'm going to die, you should at least let me eat a full meal. You're not hungry, but I am."
Perhaps finding my grumbling bothersome, the Myriad Ghost King reappeared and said.
"You have so much energy, have you made up your mind?"
Seeing him emerge, I immediately became timid, pouting.
"Not yet."
"Not yet? Then what are you shouting about?"
"I'm hungry, is that not allowed?"
"I told you, this is in your dream.
Even if you eat in your dream, your physical body will not feel anything."
"But I still want to eat."
"Alright, alright, I'm convinced. Have some."
With a wave of his hand, a table full of delicacies instantly appeared before me.
With tears of anticipation in my eyes, I rushed over and began to eat heartily.
The Myriad Ghost King felt a wave of speechlessness and murmured.
"What a glutton."
Myriad Ghost Token:
The Myriad Ghost Token was originally the marching order of the ancient demon king Mo Yeduo.
Ten thousand years ago, after the great war in the other realm, the demon race was defeated and driven out of the land of peace.
They became nomads dwelling in the mountains and deserts.
However, the Myriad Ghost Token was preserved through generations.
It serves as the item by which the leader of the Ghostly race commands all ghosts.
Danger Index: ☆☆☆☆, ranked fourth on the list of demonic artifacts.