Martial Peak

Chapter 2537 - Shrouded in a Strange Fog

The next day, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and said in a low voice, "He's here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi quickly put the Space Spirit Jade away, then she stood up and focused her gaze forward.

A figure was running in their direction, constantly looking around, as though looking for something.

Yang Kai sent out a sliver of Divine Sense to guide him, and the man immediately felt it and ran over, soon arriving in front of them.

"I apologize for the wait, Little Brother," Old Ban said.

"You are too polite, Old Ban," Yang Kai replied, "We'll be troubling you."

Old Ban smiled, "Rest assured. With me as your guide, entering the Ancient Lands safely is guaranteed!" When he said this, his face was filled with confidence. It was a stark contrast from the submissiveness he showed when he was beaten by the red-clothed girl the day before.

Yang Kai nodded to himself. Pi San was right to introduce Old Ban to him.

His cultivation level may be low, but Old Ban had undoubtedly mastered a safe passage to and from the Ancient Lands, or at least understood some of the patterns there. Otherwise, with his cultivation, he would not be so confident.

"The two of you should refine this before we enter the Ancient Lands," Old Ban said, handing something to Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi.

Yang Kai took it and found that it was something similar to a Sound Bead, but not exactly. Moreover, the workmanship was extremely rough. It didn't look like it was made by a professional Artifact Refiner, but rather a random person with whatever materials they had.

"What is this?" Yang Kai looked at Old Ban questioningly.

"The Ancient Lands Passageway is shrouded in a strange fog that interferes with one's Divine Sense. It is easy to get lost if you enter without guidance. This old man gathered some stones from the passageway and created these Communication Beads. They can be used to sense each other's locations and will be unaffected by the strange fog; however, the detection range is only one hundred metres, so the two of you must follow me closely," Old Ban explained.

Yang Kai nodded to express his understanding, "Good!"

Afterward, he and Zhang Ruo Xi began to refine the jade beads.

They weren't difficult to refine, and after only a stick of incense's worth of time, they both finished. As they held them in the palms of their hands, they could clearly sense the location of the other two jade beads. It was extremely convenient.

Old Ban was right. With the help of these jade beads, it would be very unlikely for him to lose Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban.

"Now that we're ready, let's go. Before we enter though, this old man must remind you again that you must stay close to me! Otherwise, if you get lost, it will be difficult to find your way out again."

Old Ban solemnly warned Yang Kai to not be dependent on his cultivation, even giving a special example, "Over thirty years ago, an Emperor Realm Master got lost and remained in the strange fog for an entire decade."

"Ten years!" Yang Kai exclaimed in shock.

Old Ban nodded solemnly, "Indeed."

"How come you know such specific details about it, Old Ban?" Zhang Ruo Xi asked. She wasn't doubting him, but just curious.

Even if an Emperor Realm Master was lost in the strange fog for ten years, how would an outsider like Old Ban know? Even if he knew the Ancient Lands Passageway like the palm of his hand, his cultivation level wasn't high enough for him to be able to observe a person for ten years under the interference of the strange fog.

"Because in those ten years, I encountered that person many times in the passageway. Every time, I would see her wandering aimlessly like a ghost. I was almost injured by her multiple times, but thankfully, I was able to run away," he replied.

"What happened to that person in the end?" She asked nervously.

Old Ban shook his head, "I don't know. Maybe she died somewhere inside the passageway, or maybe she found an opportunity to escape twenty years ago. Nonetheless, I never saw her again. She seemed to have been trapped there for a long time, so her consciousness became a little muddled."

"How pitiful!" Zhang Ruo Xi sighed.

A woman, no matter how strong, was still a woman. How did she spend those ten years, trapped and alone in the strange fog? Did she escape or die in the end?

[What would become of me if I were to be trapped for ten years in this strange fog?] Zhang Ruo Xi shuddered while thinking about it.

However, this was just an anecdote from the past that Old Ban mentioned with the intent of warning Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi to be careful, nothing more.

"Rest assured, Old Ban. We'll stay beside you at all times," Yang Kai reassured.

"Alright, then. Let's go," Old Ban nodded, waved his hand, and headed towards the Ancient Lands Passageway.

Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi followed closely.

While they were waiting for Old Ban, Yang Kai had taken some time to inspect the Ancient Lands Passageway. It appeared to be a large canyon spanning over a dozen kilometres in width and an untold distance in depth. Countless cultivators had entered, each one looking more confident and energetic than the last, eager to go inside and hunt for treasures. This included the red-clothed girl's entourage.

For the first twenty kilometres or so, it was still relatively easy to see. Even if there was some fog, it didn't affect their vision. However, the deeper they traveled, the thicker the fog became, and at around fifty kilometres, they would no longer be able to see their fingers.

When Yang Kai tried to use his Divine Sense to probe around him, he felt that he was trying to stretch an elastic piece of cotton. His Divine Sense bounced back, so he couldn't see any deeper into the fog.

Of course, he wasn't surprised as he'd long known about this strange fog that could turn many of the cultivators in the desolate city pale just at its mention.

Old Ban moved like he was flying, without rest, and before long, they reached the fifty-kilometre mark.

At this point, the strange fog took full effect.

Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly felt like they had plunged into the bottomless deep sea. Their vision became dark, and even their Divine Senses could only extend about ten metres from their bodies.

Yang Kai was shocked. [Nature really is uncanny. A normal person would never be able to set up such a powerful restriction. If this strange fog was placed around a Sect, it would undoubtedly be comparable to one of the greatest Sect Defending Arrays. Anyone who dared to invade would get completely lost in it.]

Although he was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, his Divine Sense was no worse than a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master's. Yet, even he couldn't penetrate this strange fog.

How many people in the Star Boundary would be capable of prying into the dangers and secrets of this strange fog?

Perhaps only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be able to do this.

After stepping into the area of strange fog, Old Ban suddenly slowed down his steps and quickly said, "Now, you must focus on the jade beads and follow my location closely, so we don't get separated."

"Yes!" Behind him, Zhang Ruo Xi nodded repeatedly.

In fact, there was no need for another reminder. Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had already grasped jade beads in their hands and poured their Divine Sense inside as soon as they entered the strange fog.

This way, even though they couldn't see in front of them and the range of their Divine Sense was limited, they could still follow Old Ban.

*Kacha...*

An odd, creepy crunch sounded beneath their feet, as though they had stepped on something and crushed it.

Curious, Yang Kai let out some Divine Sense to investigate. When he saw what was beneath his feet, he couldn't help but suck in a breath.

Because the ground here was covered with white bones from an untold number of skeletons. Having been weathered for so long, they were extremely brittle and immediately turned into dust when trodden upon.

Yang Kai quietly looked at Zhang Ruo Xi and saw that she didn't seem to be too scared. Although she looked a little nervous, it wasn't fear, so he was relieved.

She was quick to adapt.

Old Ban's voice came from the front, "Through the ages, countless heroes have died in the Ancient Lands Passageway. This place is almost entirely paved with white bones. Their flesh and blood withered away, but their skeletons remained here. Sometimes, their Souls find the opportunity to continue on, possibly as a result of the bizarre characteristics of this fog, making it easy for them to become Yin Souls."

"Yin Souls!" Zhang Ruo Xi shuddered, goosebumps raising all over her body.

She wasn't afraid of the bones on the ground, but the mention of the Yin Souls frightened her greatly.

Old Ban continued, "They hide in this strange fog and come out to attack people from time to time. As a matter of fact, they are one of the three fatal dangers of the Ancient Lands Passageway. Regular Yin Souls aside, it would be extremely troublesome if we encounter a Ghost General or Ghost Lord. Not only that, but at the heart of the passageway, there is a powerful Ghost King! It is said to be transformed from the Soul of a dead Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. Anyone who has even the slightest understanding of the passageway knows this and would avoid the central region."

As he was speaking, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly cried out as though frightened by something.

Immediate after, she unleashed her Source Qi and sent a fierce blow in a certain direction.

The energy surged forth with terrifying momentum, and in that direction, there was suddenly a shrill cry as sharp as a baby's wail at night.

The instant she made a move, Yang Kai had sent out his Divine Sense to investigate. He found at an unknown point in time, half a metre to her right, a strange energy hidden within the fog which gathered into a distorted face had approached her and was staring at her curiously.

But with Zhang Ruo Xi's blow, the distorted face immediately became ferocious.

Old Ban's face changed, and he whispered, "A Yin Soul?"

He was the weakest in their group, so even if he sent out his Divine Sense, he wouldn't be able to tell what had happened to Zhang Ruo Xi, so he could only ask Yang Kai.