Zhang Bin was completely speechless, his eyes wide as he stared at the stunningly beautiful woman. He asked tentatively, "Lin Youlan, who exactly are you? And what do you want from me?"

Lin Youlan let out a laugh as pleasant as the chime of silver bells. "Husband, don't worry. As long as you do as you're told, we won't harm you. You might even receive a tremendous benefit."

Husband? What a peculiar way to address someone. A strange feeling surged in Zhang Bin's heart; this woman felt incredibly mysterious and unlike any ordinary person. Moreover, she expected him, Zhang Bin, to obey her? How is that possible? That goes against my very nature.

It seemed a conflict with this Netherworld Organization was inevitable. He knitted his brows and said, "I don't know the first thing about you. How could I dare to marry you?"

"In this world, countless men wish to marry me. For you, this is a stroke of luck you wouldn't dare dream of. Even our children will be fortunate," Lin Youlan said with a coquettish laugh. "Are you thinking of going back on your word? You're the one who agreed to the bet with me. Besides, with a woman as gorgeous and noble as me marrying you, what more could you possibly be unsatisfied with?"

"Go back on my word? Never," Zhang Bin said with a grin. "A beauty like you? I'd welcome you with open arms."

I'm in no position to start a conflict with the Netherworld Organization right now. My own strength and influence are still far too weak. I have no choice but to play along for now. I have a strong hunch that the Netherworld Organization is a somewhat evil group. They clearly have designs on me, Zhang Bin, but I still don't know why.

"So, when will you marry me?" A radiant smile bloomed on Lin Youlan's pretty face as she wrapped her arms around Zhang Bin's neck, asking expectantly.

"Didn't we agree on a year? It hasn't even been six months yet, has it?" Zhang Bin said. "In another half a year, I'll come and marry you. Just you wait to be my bride!"

"Can't it be now?" Lin Youlan asked plaintively.

"I have a lot to take care of right now. The company just opened, so I can't get away," Zhang Bin said with sincerity.

"Then I'll wait another six months. But you're not allowed to ignore me anymore. Otherwise, I'll get very angry. And when I'm angry, Lord Specter gets angry too, and he might come looking for you," Lin Youlan said, her tone a mix of a pout and a warning.

"I was just too busy before and didn't have time to contact you. I'll make sure to stay in touch from now on," Zhang Bin promised.

The two of them went out and even shared a dance in the main hall.

Lin Youlan finally let Zhang Bin go and took her leave.

Zhang Bin put on a nonchalant face and continued to entertain the guests.

However, he immediately called Gao Si. "Gao Si, my brother, I encountered something bizarre today. There was this terrifying person, like a ghostly spirit, who could only be seen with the naked eye but couldn't be detected by Divine Sense. Of course, if he didn't want me to see him, I couldn't see him at all. Even a Late Golden Core Realm Cultivator couldn't find him. Can you tell me what kind of being that could possibly be?"

He had already asked Tutu to search meticulously for information on the Netherworld Organization online, but she had found nothing, as if no such group existed. This made him even more wary. An organization like that was simply too terrifying. He had to handle this with extreme caution, or he could find himself in an inescapable disaster.

"My God, that might be a Living Ghost!" Gao Si exclaimed.

Xuanwu Star's civilization has a history of over eighty thousand years, so its records are naturally far more complete and numerous than Earth's. As soon as Gao Si heard the description, he understood the implications.

"Living Ghost? What's that?" Zhang Bin felt his hair stand on end. Thinking about the name Youming, which had a strong connection to ghosts, he felt Gao Si's mention of a Living Ghost had hit the nail on the head.

"Living Ghosts are Superpower Users born with extraordinarily strong spiritual power. They tirelessly practice special Cultivation Techniques that make their Souls grow ever stronger. Eventually, their physical bodies die, but their Souls live on, and quite well at that. They can even continue to cultivate, making their spiritual power even stronger. Strictly speaking, they are a group of beings who have abandoned their physical bodies to cultivate their Souls exclusively. Since they have no body, they're called Living Ghosts," Gao Si explained.

"So, how powerful can a Living Ghost be?" Zhang Bin asked, his mind reeling from the revelation.

"Living Ghosts are also graded by level. The weakest are comparable to an Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, though I'm not sure how your world classifies them," Gao Si said. "Here on Xuanwu Star, we have some exceptionally talented individuals who cultivate the Pure Heart Mystique and eventually become Living Ghosts as well."

"Without a body, what's the point of living?" Zhang Bin asked, puzzled. "Couldn't they just reincarnate or use Soul Seizing to take over a body?"

"Being a ghost without a body can be quite interesting. The spiritual pleasures are in no way inferior to physical ones," Gao Si said. "A pair of male and female Living Ghosts can live together very happily. As for why they don't reincarnate, it's because reincarnation is risky. If you're reborn as a baby, you have no way to protect yourself and can easily die young. Plus, your memories might become fragmented. Soul Seizing has many restrictions, too. If they try to take over someone with very strong spiritual power or immense potential, a failed attempt will result in them being refined by the host. They'd be utterly obliterated, only serving to strengthen their target."

"So being a Living Ghost means they can be immortal? That sounds like the ultimate happiness!" Zhang Bin asked in surprise.

"Being a Living Ghost is indeed great. A male Living Ghost who finds a female Living Ghost partner can live a life better than an immortal's," Gao Si said. "However, every hundred years, a Living Ghost must face a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation. If they fail to overcome it, they are wiped from existence. That's why we classify them as One-Tribulation Living Ghosts, Two-Tribulation Living Ghosts, Three-Tribulation Living Ghosts, and so on. The more Heavenly Tribulations a Living Ghost has survived, the more powerful it is."

"What kind of happiness is that? They're just waiting to be annihilated!" Zhang Bin said, stunned.

"No, no, no, you don't understand. They have evil means..." Gao Si said, his voice laced with fear.

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