When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 182 : A Night in the Ghost Clan's Fortress

182: A Night in the Ghost Clan's Fortress

"What are you all... doing?" Xia Yuyin was tall. Although she would still appear delicate and slender in front of the adult male ghosts, they were all kneeling, which naturally accentuated her queenly aura as a woman in white.

This kind of presence was innate, not something Xia Yuyin deliberately tried to display.

Although she had saved them, it was right for these Ghost Clansmen to be grateful to her, but did they have to worship and kowtow like she was a goddess?

"Fairy Princess." The Ghost Clan elder, kneeling, looked up at Xia Yuyin. His eyes were filled with reverence and not a trace of blasphemy. After all, at his age, no matter how beautiful Xia Yuyin was, he had no other thoughts.

"I, in my old age, once saw an ancient prophecy in the Holy Land, in the Eastern Saint Cave. The prophecy said that when the Heavenly Tribulation was about to arrive and my Ghost Clan was on the verge of annihilation, a Fairy Princess in white, riding the clouds and wielding a sword, would descend from the Other Shore to save us from a calamity that would otherwise be inescapable!"

"Cough, cough..." The elder had also been injured in the previous battle. "But that was a very old prophecy. I, in my old age, only treated it as a belief passed down through the clan. I had never truly believed in it without a doubt. But I never imagined that tonight, when my clan faced a disaster of extinction, you, the Fairy Princess, would truly descend!"

"Fairy Princess, you are the woman of fate who will save our clan. Your arrival will bring hope to our Ghost Clan, in this darkness and peril! All clansmen, kowtow with me to the Fairy Princess!" he said.

With that, the Ghost Clansmen and she-demons kowtowed even more piously.

To be honest, receiving the kowtows of these simple and honest Ghost Clansmen made Xia Yuyin feel a bit awkward, but having them kowtow forever was not a solution.

"Alright, regardless of where I came from, stop worshiping me for now. Get up. If you're not tired, I'm starting to feel a bit tired," Xia Yuyin said, gently stroking her long sleeve. She was no real descended fairy. Xia Yuyin didn't want to deceive these simple Ghost Clansmen, but she also felt that having them hold her in some awe would be beneficial for her to inquire about her disappearance and find a way back to the Two Realms Gate.

"The Fairy Princess has fought bloody battles for us. Her immortal energy must be greatly depleted. The Fairy Princess is tired; we cannot let her be further exhausted just by our worship," the elder said, waving his hand to signal everyone to stop.

Xia Yuyin noticed that among the adult male ghosts kneeling around her, although they were also pious and grateful to her, their gazes still drifted to her chest and thighs from time to time. As for where their gazes on her back landed, that went without saying.

"Hmph, these evil spirits, perhaps they are simple, but they are also lecherous. If I encounter danger, they might fight to the death to repay me, but if one day I lose my power, these evil spirits might not necessarily refrain from harassing or disrespecting me. They are just this kind of fellow, who are righteous in their bones but ultimately have wild, beastly thoughts," Xia Yuyin thought to herself.

"Who is the leader of this fortress?" Xia Yuyin asked.

At this moment, the Ghost Clan elder stood up. Behind him, a tall, brown-maned green ghost and the deer-antlered she-demon also stood up.

"Fairy Princess, I am the elder of this fortress. This is Da Tuo, the most powerful male ghost in the fortress, the chief of the Ghost Clan warriors. And this is Lu Yu, the chief of the she-demons," the elder introduced.

"Mm." Xia Yuyin nodded. "I have questions to ask you."

"Fairy Princess, you must be tired from your journey. Please, come into the pavilion to talk. We can also prepare a banquet to host you," the elder said respectfully.

"That's not necessary. Just find me a clean place where I can rest alone, and prepare some clean water. Then, answer my questions," Xia Yuyin said. If she were a man, perhaps seeing the simple and sincere Ghost Clansmen, she would consider befriending them. But she was a woman, after all. She still had to maintain a certain queenly demeanor, to have these Ghost Clansmen work for her, so why not?

"If that is your wish, then we shall follow the Fairy Princess's instructions."

The Ghost Clan elder ordered his men to clean up the best, and also most colorfully decorated, pavilion in the fortress for Xia Yuyin to live in. Usually, no one lived here; it was specifically for receiving and hosting honored guests.

"Is this pavilion to your liking, Fairy Princess?" The elder asked, bowing by Xia Yuyin's side.

"Mm, it's not bad." Xia Yuyin nodded. Although the pavilion was simple and rugged, compared to the mountain cave and island she had lived on for half a year, it was quite nice.

"By the way, the equipment and treasures of those two Alien Tribe cultivators in green robes, collect them and bring them here to me. Don't let a single piece go missing," Xia Yuyin said to the elder. These were, after all, her spoils of war.

"Da Tuo, follow the Fairy Princess's orders," the elder said to a sturdy male ghost.

Da Tuo's gaze lingered on Xia Yuyin's figure for a moment, as if still thinking of going in to provide her with information, but he had no choice but to obey and leave.

"Oh, Da Tuo, was it?"

"Yes, Fairy Princess, what are your orders?"

"As for the equipment of the other Alien Tribesmen, it's yours. Do with it as you please," Xia Yuyin said generously. She couldn't be bothered with the common stuff herself, and she couldn't take it with her. As for the Yuan Essence, the biggest haul was from the two Void Truth Realm experts' treasures and equipment.

Lu Yu and two she-demons brought over tea and fruit. Then Lu Yu sat beside the elder, waiting for Xia Yuyin to speak.

Xia Yuyin roughly understood. To say that these Ghost Clansmen had nothing to do with the Ghost King was a lie to her, but she wouldn't rashly bring up the matter of the Ghost King. It might cause trouble. Judging by the strength of these Ghost Clansmen, even if they were subjects of the Ghost King, they were from a remote, barbaric village. And not to mention that ancient prophecy, they didn't know she was the Ghost King's intended fiancée.

Xia Yuyin didn't want to be the Ghost King's fiancée, and of course, she wouldn't mention it.

"Those people who attacked you, you called them the Li Su? What does that mean? And how many are in your clan?" Xia Yuyin asked, sipping a cup of clear tea.

"We have lived here for generations. The Li Su are our nemesis. These Li Su cultivators roam around, hunting and killing rare Alien Beasts, searching for rare ores and medicinal herbs. Not to mention they snatch our prey and resources, if their team is strong enough, they will directly attack our Ghost Clan, wiping us out to the last and seizing our treasures and rare medicinal herbs. Even, some Li Su cultivators will massacre our clan just to satisfy their lust for killing!"

"To guard against the Li Su, our various clans who originally lived here all built fortress walls. But, the Li Su cultivators are becoming more and more powerful. Several of my old friends' fortresses or caves have been slaughtered by the Li Su, suffering the calamity of annihilation... Alas... If the Fairy Princess had not stepped forward to save us, our clan would have been extinguished today!" The elder said, beginning to sob, about to kowtow to Xia Yuyin again.

Xia Yuyin waved her hand, signaling Lu Yu to help him up.

"Then, Elder, do you know of the Two Realms Gate?" Xia Yuyin cut to the chase.

"Fairy Princess, are you speaking of the Realm Gate? I have not left this fortress for many years. But I heard from a White Ape who came from the north that a few years ago, a Realm Gate appeared five or six hundred li to the north," the elder said, his eyes deep in thought.

To the north, five or six hundred li?

So, that was probably not the Lingdu Two Realms Gate. Xia Yuyin remembered from her classes that it was speculated the entire Prison Abyss was interconnected, but it had never been confirmed. But judging from this, different Two Realms Gates were connected to the same Prison Abyss, just at very great distances from each other.

A few thousand li within the Prison Abyss didn't necessarily correspond to a few thousand li on Earth. This Realm Gate, she didn't know exactly where on Earth it led to. Perhaps it was in the north of Huaxia, but it didn't matter where. As long as she could return to Earth, it wasn't a problem.

"Elder, can you send someone to guide me?" Xia Yuyin felt that even if she knew the direction, she was unfamiliar with this vast Prison Abyss and might not be able to find it on her own.

"Some of our brave hunters have been there before. I will make arrangements. When does the Fairy Princess plan to set out?"

"The sooner the better. How about tomorrow morning?"

"Fairy Princess... you're not staying for a few more days?"

"No, I have important matters."

The elder nodded. "It was my ignorance. The descent of the Fairy Princess is naturally for an extremely important mission. How could we delay you at our small fortress? I will go make the arrangements right away."

"By the way, in this area, have you seen any other... Xia people?"

"No. Our clan has lived here, moved from the Holy Land, for several hundred years. We have never seen a single Xia person. It's just that we heard from the Ghost Officers that those who speak the Xia language are Xia people."

"Ghost Officers?" Xia Yuyin asked.

"They are the Ghost Officers who come here every year to patrol and collect taxes. They are the true powerhouses of our Ghost Clan." A hint of reverence also appeared in the elder's eyes.

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Late at night, in the mountain forest several hundred li away from the fortress.

A large bird with one wing of feathers and the other a glowing, ethereal wing let out a mournful cry of "Yao Ru, Yao Ru" and flew into the forest of towering, ancient trees.

At the foot of these giant trees, a team of exceptionally sturdy evil spirits was passing by. Each of them was at least three meters tall, weighing over a thousand jin. Even the most ordinary sturdy evil spirits exuded an aura of the Early-Stage of Void Truth Realm.

A red-maned, green-faced evil spirit over four meters tall, at the Mid-Stage of Void Truth Realm, extended his thick arm, letting the Yao Ru bird land on it.

"It's an emergency signal for help from a nearby fortress!"

The red-maned evil spirit took the red bone token hanging from one of the Yao Ru bird's legs. He passed through a tall evil spirit. In the middle of this group of burly evil spirits, there was a girl less than 1.6 meters tall.

This girl, standing among a crowd of demons, showed no trace of fear. On the contrary, the surrounding sturdy and ferocious evil spirits seemed very wary of her.

Underneath a black cape with ancient, alien bird patterns in crimson, the girl wore a thin, white, cloud-patterned shirt and a short skirt. A pair of beautiful legs was slender, clad in long white socks and wooden clogs.

The girl had short black hair, with two long, thin braids hanging over her shoulders.

Under her slightly casual, straight bangs, however, was a pair of golden eyes that made one's heart tremble.

"Princess Gui Ji, we have received an emergency distress signal from our clansmen. From the southeast, a hundred li away, there is one of our clan's fortresses," the red-maned evil spirit knelt before the petite girl, presenting the bone token with both hands.

The girl took the bone token. With a thought from her fingertips, the token turned into crimson ash and scattered.

Her golden eyes flashed with a cold glint. "The Li Su, the Li Su again! To encounter me is your misfortune. What are you standing around for? We are rushing to their rescue immediately!"