Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!-Chapter 1700: The Next Day

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The next morning arrived as Maria slowly and lazily opened her red eyes, gazing at the mountain range before her. By touching the pagoda, she could hear its many voices and words, recounting everything that had happened the previous night.

Everything was clear—nothing out of the ordinary.

"Alright, time to start our day with some good breakfast... Ah, right, I’m the Sect Master. Wait, do we do something special?"

Maria saw her girls sleeping and didn’t bother them; she knew they were exhausted. She walked into the bathroom and bathed in the huge tub, using Murim-exclusive bath salts and aromatic soaps.

As she washed herself and sighed in relief, she quickly sent a telepathic message to the White Mist Immortal, who was resting in his chambers within the pagoda. Apparently, he had his own Immortal Domain above the skies, but Maria was too tired to go retrieve it.

"Hey, Xiu Lan was your name, right?"

"...?! You know my name! Then why do you keep calling me dog all the time?"

"Well, can you guess?"

"Grrr..."

"Yeah, you even groan like a dog. Alright, tell me how you handled the sect, tasks, and such. I have my own ghostly fist technique I want to teach the disciples— as many as possible. I think I can grow stronger if I do that."

"You... you have your own martial arts?! Hahaha! Don’t make me laugh!"

"I didn’t use it on you because you probably would have exploded into pieces..."

"...Uh, really?"

"Yes. Now listen to me, it’s a potent martial art, but it could create a sect strong enough to challenge the Murim Alliance."

"...I’m listening."

"So let bygones be bygones and help me manage the sect with the elders, alright?"

"Not like I can refuse anyway."

"Sure, but I can reward you if you do it willingly."

"With the Millenary Dream Artifact?!"

"Maybe. Also, that’s not their name. They’re just called Dream Hearts."

"And you can turn my body back to normal too, right? I heard your brother is technically like us, yet he looks like any living being..."

"Arthur is a little different and technically not dead. His body was fused with other mutated bodies, and I used flesh-manipulation techniques to restructure and rebuild him. I imbued his body with Yin and Yang Ki in the process, making him incredibly talented, apparently."

"You... can you do that with me too? Or the whole Clan?!"

"Eh, I don’t know. Can I? Maybe? Maybe not. I don’t think I’ll go that far—it would be a lot of work."

"At the very least, if you truly want our loyalty, you should grant Yin and Yang Physiques to the Elders... and me! And also give us Dream Power!"

"You’re so demanding. Why don’t you do what I ask first? You have to prove yourself before that, remember?"

"Yes... Fine."

"Good."

Maria nodded happily, ending the call. Afterward, she put on new clothes, similar to those worn by Murim people—a long dress made of the same material as the Immortal’s robes. She had fed it to her Living Dress, which swiftly transformed itself into the garment.

Maria’s [Phantom Enchantress Dress of Abyssal Moonlight: Hecate] had evolved greatly since its creation. It was now capable of shapeshifting into different dresses and clothes it absorbed.

As a ghost-like being, she produced no body odor, sweat, or waste, so her clothes always remained clean. She mostly bathed for relaxation, since even though she was technically always clean, it felt strange to remain dry all the time.

Afterward, she found her family awake and had breakfast with everyone, inviting the Elders of the White Mist Sect, including the Rakshasa himself, who looked uncomfortable as he tried to eat with his new body. Maria served the elders snacks from Azure Star, which quickly addicted them to the sweets—especially the sponge cake and chocolate.

"So today, what do we do, mama?" Nyx asked.

"There’s a lot to do. We’ll go see what remains of Wu Lieng’s sect," Maria said. "Then we’ll gather more information about the Golden Dragon Emperor and see what happens. But this morning, I plan to focus on the sect."

"I’ll help!" Nyx said.

"Me too," Celes nodded.

"And me," Arachne added.

"Thank you," Maria said. "I’ll see what tasks I can assign to everyone. For now, let’s finish breakfast together."

Maria shared delicious food with the Elders, including Fang Sheng, who had been "revived" as a Jiangshi even though his body had been torn into pieces by Lucifer’s claws. His soul was also wounded, but Maria did her best to heal it. He was still a little broken, though. Despite regaining consciousness, he seemed slightly amnesiac, and his cocky personality was gone.

The Third and Fourth Elders helped him recover, pitying him. As for the White Mist Immortal, he barely spoke to his Elders, which annoyed Maria.

"What’s wrong with you? You’re their leader—can’t you say some encouraging words or something? You’re such a hermit for someone who owns and manages an organization. Open your heart for once and tell them you’re sorry, that you want to make things better! Take responsibility for the people who trusted and loved you!"

"..."

The White Mist Immortal opened his mouth wide as Maria’s words struck him. He fell silent, looking down.

"I..."

He couldn’t muster the words, but Yoomyung patted his huge, muscular shoulders.

"Don’t worry about it, Sect Master... Erm, I mean, Second Elder," he said. "We know you’re going through a lot..."

"...No," the White Mist Immortal sighed. "You’ve gone through worse. You feel betrayed too, right Yoomyung? Truth be told, despite all my strength and bravado, I was a coward. I feared the Murim Alliance and did whatever they told me, even when I hesitated deep down."

"You’re not a coward, master," the female elder said. "No sane person would oppose the Murim Alliance, let alone the Heavenly Palace’s direct orders..."

"But in the end we lost, and it’s all my fault," the Immortal said. "I’m not good with words, but I’m very sorry. I’m sorry for disappointing you all. I should’ve been stronger; I should have questioned them. I should have sought another path. Because of my cowardice, I am now a Rakshasa, and Fang Sheng doesn’t even remember his own name. I guess... this is my karma, my punishment."

"Master..."

"You..."

"Hm..."

Yoomyung stroked his white beard, then glanced at Maria with a smile.

"It’s ironic how he had to die to finally open up after hundreds of years of seclusion," Yoomyung said. "I don’t know if I should be thankful or not for that, Maria."

"Well, be grateful?" Maria asked. "None of this would have happened if you hadn’t tried to kill us all."

"True..." Yoomyung nodded. "But I didn’t do that."

"We know," Lucifer said. "Either way, I’m done with breakfast. Maria, what’s next?"

"Hm..." Maria rubbed her chin. "Let’s go see the disciples. We’ll instruct them and handle other matters."

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