"So, what should we do next?"
"First, we have to find a safe place. That old witch is out of the tree, so she'll start devouring ghosts, souls, and the soul energy of cultivators. We have to move quickly," Song Yan said to Ye Kaishan.
After speaking, she took Ye Kaishan's hand and flew into the air. She had held his hand many times before, but there was still a trace of hesitation.
This was still new to her. They flew toward the northern direction, under the light of a red moon. The sword hovered in the air above the black forest. The moon was ten times larger than a normal one.
Ye Kaishan, seeing this eerie and otherworldly scenery, felt deeply content. In his previous life, he had been a student who studied since childhood. His life had been plain—same day, same routine. Relationships had been out of the question. This new life was a welcome change.
Song Yan increased her speed and flew toward a black mountain in the northern part of the territory.
Meanwhile...
Wang Li and her maid flew eastward, with Yang Bing and the others following closely behind.
Wang Li and her maid landed on a meadow, the others following. After landing, Wang Li turned to the group.
"I didn't introduce myself before. My name is Wang Li, and I am from the Wang family."
"I'm Yang Bing, and this is Yang Mon. We're from the Yang family," she said, cupping her hands. Luo Xuan and Yang Mon also introduced themselves respectfully.
"Thanks to Fellow Daoist, we escaped a huge disaster," Yang Bing said gratefully.
"There's no need for that. We stumbled upon it by chance," Wang Li replied in a calm tone.
"Wang family?" Luo Xuan said with hesitation. "I haven't heard of such a family in the Southern Region. Are you from somewhere else?"
"We're from the Northern Region," Wang Li replied. Luo Xuan gulped as he glanced at Wang Li's maid, who appeared just a year or two older than him—perhaps twenty-three or twenty-four. Her cultivation was terrifyingly high. And if she was just a maid… how powerful must her family be?
"That old witch has locked onto our auras. She'll pursue us wherever we go. We must leave the Ghost Territory as soon as possible," Wang Li said.
"Is she really that powerful?" Yang Bing asked.
"If my guess is right," the maid answered, "her power should be at least at the Saint level—no less than that."
Yang Bing was stunned. She had never seen a Saint-level powerhouse in her life, yet this witch had that kind of strength?
"Don't be too nervous," Wang Li said to ease her tension. "She can only influence what's within the Ghost Territory. She can't come outside."
Hearing that, Yang Bing felt a wave of relief. If the witch escaped, even her own family wouldn't be able to stop her.
"So… what can we do to escape her clutches?" Yang Mon, who had been silent, finally asked.
Wang Li frowned. She too had a headache about this. "Let's rest here for a while. That witch is likely busy hunting ghosts for now. When she gets closer, my maid can detect her within ten miles."
Everyone agreed and took a short rest while Wang Li sat on a rock.
Meanwhile, in the southern region of the Ghost Territory...
The old witch ran barefoot across the rocky land. Ghosts fled as she approached. She extended her massive hand, grabbed a cluster of ghosts, stuffed them into her mouth, and began devouring their souls.
She ran with a terrifying smile. Suddenly, she stopped and turned toward the north. She stared for a moment, then smiled again and whispered: "Emperor Orb…"
The words echoed across the silent, rocky meadows, sending a chill into the wandering souls. Withered trees surrounded her. Black liquid oozed from her black eyes, streaking down her cheeks and ending at her chin.
It was a hellish sight—her sinister voice and cracked smile turned eastward with a glare. "First, I'll deal with those ants who dared shoot an arrow at me."
Then she continued devouring souls, strengthening herself by consuming the inner elixirs of those spirits.
At the western side of the Ghost Territory...
Lee Xiao and Lee Mo landed inside a massive valley—home to the main camp of the Ghost Sect.
Ghost servants stationed outside instantly approached. "We greet the Master!" they said.
Lee Xiao nodded and entered with Lee Mo. Her injuries from Wang Li and her maid had partially healed.
Inside the camp, Lee Xiao took her place on the high platform. Lee Mo returned to her subspace. With an annoyed look, she slammed her fist on the seat.
"How can the Wang family be here?" she muttered. "This day has been cursed ever since that dog couple—Song Yan and Ye Kaishan—snatched the Yin Drop from me."
She clenched her jaw. "And in that cave… who was the one that gained the best treasure and vanished? All that was left was that sword technique."
Lee Xiao fell into deep thought. After a while, she shook her head. "Anyway, we still have time. When the time comes, everything will be in my hands." She smiled darkly. Inside the subspace, Lee Mo shook his head helplessly.
Back on the northern side of the Ghost Territory...
Song Yan and Ye Kaishan landed on the black mountain. They wandered around, searching for a place to rest. Song Yan still needed time to stabilize her realm.
Ye Kaishan noticed a small hut nearby. The bricks were crumbling.
"Song Yan!" he called.
"What is it?" she asked.
"There's a hut. We can stay there until my teleportation ability recovers."
Song Yan eyed the hut warily. "Alright, but let's check it first."
Ye Kaishan smiled. "Don't worry. There's no one inside."
Song Yan gave him a teasing look. "What if there are traps or forbidden arrays?"
Ye Kaishan blinked, speechless. He hadn't thought of that.
(Ye Kaishan: -_-)
Well, it couldn't be helped. Song Yan had the mind of an empress—someone who had survived in this continent by being cautious.
Smirking, she considered this a small repayment for the prank he played last time.
She activated her Heaven and Earth Detection to check for traps and restrictions—finding nothing. Relieved, she let her guard down.
After all, strength meant little if one died early.
Her strength is not enough so she still has to be careful of many things "a genius is not a genius if he dies early" and even "a trash will be hailed as a genius if he constantly progresses and achieve greatness
After checking the area, Song Yan and Ye Kaishan entered the hut. Inside were broken chairs, a table, a bed, and a cracked statue of a girl.
One hand of the statue was broken, but the face was intact—smiling. Cracks lined her body. Next to it was a painting—the same girl in a red dress, with skull-like head jewelry and a black diamond waist chain.
Ye Kaishan and Song Yan examined the statue and cleaned up the surroundings. Then they sat on the bed. Song Yan crossed her legs and began stabilizing her realm.