Volume 14, Chapter 896 – No One Is Leaving

“Allow me to ask something. If I want to fully unleash the power of the heart fragment, does that mean I have to become a ghost?”

Qi Huang asked, holding onto a sliver of hope. Beside her, Cheng Hongling instinctively leaned in to listen.

“Of course. A living body constantly produces yang energy, which suppresses the power of the heart fragment. The opposition between yin and yang. Don’t tell me you don’t understand such a simple principle?”

An Xuan immediately shattered Qi Huang’s fragile hope.

“In that case, forget it. As the saying goes, ‘a bad life is still better than a good death.’ I’m not ready to become a ghost just yet.”

Qi Huang declined without hesitation. After all, who isn’t afraid of death?

“Actually, Young Mistress, you don’t need to take life and death so seriously. Becoming a ghost… isn’t that just another way of ‘living’?”

An Xuan tried to persuade her but didn’t push the matter.

“What do you plan to do next?”

Cheng Hongling asked from the side.

“I need to clean up this mess first. For starters, I’ll make sure those ghost clans stay put and farm peacefully for me. And then…”

Qi Huang turned her gaze to the massive Solar Tree. “This thing is troublesome. There seems to be a remnant soul inside it. I need to fully assimilate it and let it help me manage this Xiannu Planet.”

“That’s actually a good idea. Even though the ghost clans have all been weakened to the extreme and can’t return to the Immortal Realm for now, they bought a lot of evil spirit remains from you. Once they start absorbing those, their strength will recover quickly. A manager is definitely needed.”

Cheng Hongling agreed.

Qi Huang soon relocated Xiannu Planet into the starfield where Lishui Planet resided. Only then did she focus on assimilating the remnant soul within the Solar Tree, ignoring its physical form for now.

As for the million ghost clans, the gravitational pull of Xiannu Planet was now so strong, and their powers had been severely weakened. Like insect larvae, they could only crawl about on the ground.

“Everyone, don’t worry. Once I’ve secured control over this demonic tree, you’ll all be free again.”

Qi Huang took a moment to offer a comforting word, then continued assimilating the Solar Tree’s remnant soul… focusing only on mental control, not feminization, as there was no need for that.

The remnant soul of the Solar Tree manifested as a majestic young man clad in golden armor. As a Heavenly Demon level entity, he resisted fiercely. It took Qi Huang a full day to succeed. When it was finally done, she summoned him with a thought: “Come forth!”

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As her voice fell, a flash of golden light appeared. A handsome young man in golden armor stood before her.

“Greetings, Master!”

The golden-armored youth saluted respectfully.

“What’s your name?”

Qi Huang asked first.

“Reporting to Master, this subordinate is named Yang Xiu.”

He answered with deference.

“Yang Xiu, is it? I’ve got a task for you. From now on, you are to guard this Xiannu Planet. No ghost clan is allowed to take a single step off this planet without my permission. Understood?”

Qi Huang issued the order.

“This subordinate obeys!”

Yang Xiu saluted and accepted the command.

“First, restore the gravity of Xiannu Planet to normal.”

Qi Huang instructed.

Yang Xiu followed her command, manipulating his original body to absorb the fire spiritual energy from Xiannu Planet’s core. As the planetary mass lightened, the gravitational field slowly returned to a manageable level.

Qi Huang smiled with satisfaction, then flew into the air and called out:

“Dear families of the ghost clans, your strength has been severely damaged. What are your plans for the future?”

“Our plans? Of course we want to find a way back to the Immortal Realm!”

A ghost clan member shouted.

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“Back to the Immortal Realm? With your current power, you can’t even break through the spatial barriers of this cultivation world. How exactly do you plan to get back?”

Another ghost scoffed.

“Then we’ll go through the spatial rift that Xiannu Planet just traveled through.”

The first ghost replied stubbornly.

“Are you stupid? The Immortal Alliance has definitely stationed heavy guards there. You’re walking straight into their trap.”

“You’re giving him too much credit. With his current cultivation, he can’t even fly off this planet.”

“Don’t forget I’ve got the evil spirit corpses I bought at auction. Once I absorb their Yin energy, my power will recover quickly.”

“Why do you insist on going back to the Immortal Realm anyway? Isn’t it safer here, where there are no Immortals to harass us?”

“Easy for you to say. I’ve got family back in the Immortal Realm. What will happen to them if I don’t return?”

“Exactly! You think everyone’s a loner like you?”

The debate grew heated, faces reddening and voices rising. Since both sides were equal in number, neither could persuade the other.

“Everyone, quiet!”

Qi Huang shouted over the clamor. Once the noise died down, she said,

“I understand your longing for home. But given your current strength, even if you make it back to the Immortal Realm, you probably won’t survive the journey. For now, it’s best to stay on Xiannu Planet and recover your strength.”

The million evil spirits looked at one another but didn’t voice any objections.

“Frankly speaking, this National Preceptor agrees with some of what’s been said. With no threat from Immortals, why the obsession with returning to the Immortal Realm?”

Qi Huang shifted the tone slightly. “Let me be honest. This Xiannu Planet has been brought to the cultivation world by this National Preceptor as a sanctuary for the ghost clans. Now tell me, could there be a safer place? Do you really think Immortals can reach you here?”

“I see! National Preceptor, your methods truly defy the heavens!”

The evil spirits exclaimed in awe.

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“It still won’t work. I’ve got family back in the Immortal Realm. I have to return!”

Another ghost shouted, immediately joined by many in agreement.

“Missing your family is only natural. I understand.”

Qi Huang replied with empathy, then added: “How about this… tell me the address of your relatives in the Immortal Realm. I’ll bring them here to Xiannu Planet for you.”

“Really? That’s amazing! We’ll stay!”

Most of the evil spirits were quickly convinced.

Qi Huang wasn’t doing this out of compassion. Her goal was to “help” the Immortal Alliance by drawing as many evil spirits as possible into the cultivation world.

“No! I still have to go back. My dog is waiting for me!”

“My cat has no one to feed it. If I don’t go, what’ll happen to it?”

“I was born and raised in the Immortal Realm. I don’t want to abandon my homeland.”

Yet a few voices of dissent rang out, with all kinds of bizarre reasons for wanting to return.

“This National Preceptor is not an unreasonable person. If you truly want to return, that’s fine. But first, your signed contracts and debt notes must be settled. Those who owe labor must pay it back. Those who owe ghost tomatoes must pay through labor, until the quantities written on the notes are fulfilled.”

Qi Huang’s tone turned stern.

“Why? I signed an IOU. I can go back and gather enough to pay you later.”

A ghost questioned.

“Gather later and pay me? One, without an Assimilation Domain, how would you return to the cultivation world? Two, I constantly move this planet to ensure everyone’s safety. Even if you made it back, how would you find me? You think I should broadcast my location? I have to be responsible for the rest of the ghost clan here. Three… forget it. I could list ten thousand more reasons.”

Qi Huang shot back.

“That’s right, National Preceptor. We can’t let them leave so easily. If the Immortal Alliance catches them, our location might be exposed!”

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Most of the surrounding evil spirits chimed in, they were the ones who wanted to stay.

Those few dissenters had no argument left and had to accept the majority decision.

“Alright, let’s get started building shelters. Once those are done, begin planting plants and herbs to transform this planet. Whoever performs well, I’ll prioritize bringing their family members here.”

Qi Huang offered a tempting deal. ‘Now that you’re here, you think I’ll just let you leave?’

Meanwhile, in the Immortal Realm, at the Immortal Alliance headquarters, Yin Wan was holding a high-level meeting.

“You all understand the situation. Let’s brainstorm, what should our next move be? The Celestials have only given us less than twenty years.”

Yin Wan sat atop his throne, gazing down at his subordinates.

“What do we do? Even if it’s just a mid-tier world, it’s vast beyond measure. How are we supposed to find those evil spirits?”

“Even if we find them, so what? We can’t use Assimilation Power. Hunting them down is impossible.”

“Those evil spirits are just too cunning. I fear we won’t complete the mission. Who knows what punishment the Celestials will deliver?”

The senior members exchanged uneasy glances. No one could offer a solution.

“Alliance Master, I believe if we want to handle those evil spirits, we need to overcome two main obstacles. First, how to locate their position. Second, how to bypass spatial laws and send our experts after them.”

The Grand Elder Yan Yi gave his opinion.

Yin Wan fell silent for a moment. Then his eyes lit up.

“Perhaps… there’s a way to locate them.”