Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!-Chapter 1695: Palace Of Burning Sunlight

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Maria glanced at the Skills she had gained from her battle against the White Mist Immortal. The "Fake" Skills, [Fake Martial Soul: Lv1] and [Fake Martial Sense: Lv1], were the most intriguing, hinting at new possibilities for her growth.

However, both Skills were still considered fake because Maria had never cultivated nor learned Martial Arts like the people of Murim. She was simply imitating the White Mist Immortal. Yet her imitation was strong enough to create tangible forms and effects, granting her two new Skills to further refine this "fake copy."

Lastly, the two Title Skills were fascinating. The first increased her damage against Immortals—specifically those from Murim—while also allowing her to ignore part of their defenses, such as barriers or auras. It even boosted her stats slightly when fighting multiple Immortals at once.

The second Title was unique, born from her takeover of the White Mist Sect and its renaming into the Ghostly Fist Sect. She had now become a Sect Master in Murim, officially recognized by the System.

This granted her a special power: a Sect Management Menu. Through it, she could browse her Sect's funds, treasury, books, history, and members, as well as change their positions, assign tasks, and more. Assigning tasks that granted bonuses or rewards upon completion required System Points, but even so, it was a remarkable ability. The more she acted as a Sect Master, the higher the Skill's level would rise, unlocking greater benefits.

This day had been among the wildest Maria had ever lived. She had fought Atlanteans and learned their origins, tamed an entire zombie world, discovered a cursed manor, and then battled cultivators and even an Immortal.

And tomorrow promised to be just as long.

"There's still so much left to do... the Golden Dragon Emperor and probably checking the Blood Demon Sect territory to see if there are any survivors. While doing that, we'll likely see what's happening with the sects and await the Murim Alliance's response. But I can already tell—it won't be pretty..."

"Also, I want to find the Heavenly Demon. If he was truly as strong as they say, maybe he isn't dead yet. If I could recruit him, he'd be a powerful ally. And maybe he could even teach me. What's better than learning from the greatest Martial Artist of Murim, after all?"

With countless thoughts swirling in her mind, Maria finally decided to shut it down for a moment and rest. Despite her physiology, she could still grow mentally exhausted.

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As the morning sun rose over the horizon of the Thousand Mountains Region, the Palace of Burning Sunlight was in turmoil. The Sunblade Damsel, third daughter of the Sect Master—the Sunshine Empress—had returned gravely wounded, barely surviving an encounter with a band of rogues accompanied by Wu Lieng from the upper floors.

She explained everything to her mother and elder sisters, shocking them to the core. Not only had the forsaken son of the Heavenly Demon returned after being rumored dead, but he had brought with him an army of incredibly strong Players from the Upper Floors. Based on what the Sunblade Damsel had overheard, they came from Floor 50, Yggdrasil.

"Is this the truth, my daughter?" asked the tall, intimidating yet beautiful Empress of Sunshine. Her divine red eyes glowed brightly, her tone filled with disdain and disbelief. "Has that son of the Demon we thought dead truly returned?"

"Yes, dear mother!" said the Sunblade Damsel. Surrounded by Doctors and Alchemists, she was treated with glowing talismans imbued with Healing Ki while she swallowed pills to mend her deep wounds. "And he seemed to have attained a strange and bizarre power—his disciples too! Something about... dreams? They could manifest weapons out of nothing. They weren't Immortal Artifacts or anything of the sort! What's more, Wu Lieng had a strange power, perhaps a Martial Soul, even though he shouldn't be able to attain that when he isn't even a Golden Core Cultivator yet! It... it resembled his father's Martial Soul! It was like fighting that demon, mother! It was terrifying!"

"...What?!" gasped one of her elder sisters.

"I can't believe this!" the eldest sister said angrily. "Mother, she's clearly lying to excuse losing a duel she probably started herself!"

"It's the truth! Mother, please ask the Murim Alliance—they must already know! That white-haired woman with red eyes and a black dress, she killed the White Mist Immortal! I saw it!" she pleaded desperately. "I'm not lying...! I know I'm known for lying, but this time, please trust me!"

"..."

The Empress remained silent, quickly grabbing a purple crystal ball. Touching it, she activated an internal formation that connected her to a network of Immortals—masters of other sects and leaders within the Murim Alliance.

Closing her eyes, she spoke telepathically with many. When she opened them again, the crystal ball's glow faded.

"It's true..." she said. "I'm sorry for not believing you, my dear daughter."

"Wait, what? It's true?!"

"No way..."

The elder sisters were stunned as the Sunblade Damsel smiled confidently. Feeling better after being mostly healed, she pushed away the healers and stood.

"Mother, what did they say?" she asked.

"They said the White Mist Sect is no more," the Empress replied, her face calm but filled with anger. "Not only was the Immortal who controlled it slain, but not even his soul was spared. Reports say she turned him into a hideous Rakshasa. She is not only powerful but wields immense power over the dead—a filthy Necromancer."

"What?!"

"She turned the handsome Xiu Lan into a Rakshasa?!"

The Sunblade Damsel saw her sister's reactions. The White Mist Immortal had been one of the most popular male Immortals in the Thousand Mountains.

He was strong, wielding several powerful Immortal Artifacts and incredible mastery over his abilities. He could control mist, clouds, and even weather to an extent. His specialization was in clouds and thunder, and he carried a golden pole forged from the scale of the Golden Dragon Emperor. It could shapeshift into other weapons or even armor. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He was someone nobody wanted to cross, highly respected. The Sunblade Damsel had fought for his favor, hoping to earn his respect.

But now, with him dead and his corpse enslaved by that woman, she could only feel pity and disgust.

"How could he lose?! He was so strong!" she sighed.

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