Chapter 2538
Chapter 2538 - Falling Thunder
Upon hearing Old Ban's question, Zhang Ruo Xi said in a trembling voice, "I don't know if it's a Yin Soul, but it has no physical body… and it seems to be very angry!"
"Ordinary attacks have no effect on them, so when it draws near, use a Soul Attack. Don't be afraid, Young Lady, with your cultivation, an ordinary Yin Soul cannot harm you. Only the Ghosts with higher cultivation, like a Ghost General or Ghost Lord, could pose a threat, so you must remain calm and act accordingly!" Old Ban quickly told her. He seemed to be quite familiar with encounters like this and knew how to handle them.
Zhang Ruo Xi took a deep breath and spread out her Divine Sense, paying attention to the movement of the Yin Soul.
It appeared that the Yin Soul was indeed enraged after being attacked. Its distorted facial features became even more ferocious and twisted and its semi-transparent body retreated slightly into the strange fog, then rolled up into a chilling gust of wind and lunged at Zhang Ruo Xi.
Before it reached her, a sharp scream could be heard. It was not only harsh but also contained a kind of strange Spiritual Energy that threatened to tear through Zhang Ruo Xi's Knowledge Sea defences.
However, after being warned by Old Ban, Zhang Ruo Xi was prepared. Although her face was still a little pale, she didn't make a sound, waiting until the moment the Yin Soul was just a metre away from her before suddenly releasing a burst of pure Spiritual Energy.
The Yin Soul's semi-transparent body was like a water droplet that bumped into a hard surface, suddenly splitting and disappearing with a shrill scream.
"Ha..." Zhang Ruo Xi took a breath and slowly calmed down.
After killing a Yin Soul herself, she realized they weren't that scary after all.
At the front, Old Ban reminded, "The Yin Souls here can be dealt with by even this old man, so long as you can remain calm, Young Lady, they are no threat at all. However, you may have noticed that in this bizarre environment, the Yin Souls have cultivated a special ability which is quite overwhelming. If you have a Soul type defensive artifact, you should activate it for good measure."
He didn't tell Yang Kai such things because he knew that an Emperor Realm Master didn't need such precautions or warnings.
Zhang Ruo Xi stuck out her tongue, "I don't have a Soul type artifact."
She only had two artifacts on her body. One was the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe given to her by Divine Spirit Qiong Qi, and the other was the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal from Yang Kai.
Hearing this, Old Ban didn't say any more and focused on leading the way.
As they went, Yin Souls would appear from time to time to disturb them; however, because Old Ban was familiar with the passageway, the paths he chose were all quite safe, and they didn't encounter any strong Yin Souls. Naturally, none of the ones that did get in their way met with good ends.
Rather than Yang Kai, it was Zhang Ruo Xi who handled all of them. After half an hour, she became so familiar with killing them that she didn't even blink when she did so anymore.
Due to the interference of the strange fog, Yang Kai couldn't tell where they were; however, judging from Old Ban's actions, they had taken a path with many torturous twists and turns.
From time to time, Old Ban would stop to observe the nearby terrain and then turn in a different direction entirely. Sometimes he would even stand in one spot for a long time, doing nothing, and then move again several moments later.
Yang Kai felt that his guess was right. The best guide in the entire city had figured out a way to safely enter the Ancient Lands every time.
However, since it was Old Ban's secret and also his only way to make a living, Yang Kai didn't probe into it.
Half a day later, Yang Kai had completely lost sense of where they were. After Zhang Ruo Xi dealt with a Yin Soul, the leading Old Ban suddenly halted. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air. Only the sound of light breathing could be heard.
Yang Kai raised his brow, realizing that Old Ban had discovered something, and released his Divine Sense so he could react quickly.
After sniffing the air for a while, Old Ban's expression suddenly changed and he shouted, "Follow me closely, and don't fall behind a single step!"
As soon as the words left his lips, he sprinted forward.
Old Ban had been extremely cautious the entire time, never daring to make any rash movements, but now, he was acting so frantically, so he must have noticed some approaching danger.
Although Yang Kai wasn't as experienced as Old Ban in this place, he also felt an approaching sense of crisis. It seemed that something dangerous was coming.
As an Emperor Realm Master, Yang Kai was extremely sensitive to danger. Furthermore, it was obvious from Old Ban's reaction that the situation had gone awry.
Yang Kai quickly released his Emperor Qi to cover Zhang Ruo Xi, stepped forward, and followed Old Ban closely.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn't say a word, but the look on her face revealed her nervousness.
The three quickly shuttled through the strange fog, and within ten breaths of time, Old Ban stopped again and took in a breath. His body, which was rushing forward, suddenly stopped. Then, with a slight shift of his feet, he leapt back and shouted simultaneously, "Retreat!"
Yang Kai's reaction was not slow. Although he had been right behind Old Ban, he'd stepped back as soon as Old Ban moved.
Simultaneously, he locked his Divine Sense on an area in front of him to scan for any changes.
*Kacha…*
Before Yang Kai could find out what was happening, explosive thunder entered his ears and a purple bolt of light came crashing to the ground, leaving a black pit about four metres wide. Everything in that region turned into ashes.
Yang Kai let out a choked cry as wariness flashed through his eyes and cold sweat poured down his forehead as he grit his teeth and muttered, "Soul Extinguishing Divine Thunder!"
He was only curious about what would happen but never expected this one bolt of falling thunder to completely cut off his thread of Divine Sense.
In the face of this falling thunder, his Divine Sense that was on par with a Second-Order Emperor Realm was as akin to a baby's fist. If it were an ordinary person, they would be holding their heads and howling miserably right now.
Although Yang Kai felt extremely uncomfortable, he had the Soul Warming Lotus protecting him. A sense of coolness emerged from the Soul Warming Lotus and infused into his mind, which greatly alleviated his pain; therefore, although he still looked pale, it was not a big problem.
The location of the bolt of thunder was where Old Ban had been standing. There was no doubt that if he hadn't moved away at the last moment, his Soul would've been extinguished.
It was truly curious how he was able to avoid dangerous situations at the most crucial moments.
"Follow me!" Old Ban continued shouting.
Yang Kai didn't dare to neglect his instructions and quickly followed.
After five breaths worth of time, there was another crackling sound behind him, and the earth under his feet began to shake, as if thousands of troops were trampling towards them.
Although Yang Kai couldn't see what had happened behind him, he could infer from the shocking movement that several bolts of purple lightning had just fallen.
In his heart, he was becoming more and more impressed with Old Ban.
When Pi San told him to seek out Old Ban, Yang Kai had agreed but regarded his advice casually. He'd believed that with his current strength, entering the Ancient Lands without a guide would be no problem.
However, after this incident, Yang Kai realized that he had been treating this place too lightly.
The strength of the thunderbolt just now was unimaginable, and if Old Ban hadn't helped him and Zhang Ruo Xi avoid it, Yang Kai was certain it would be difficult to get past even with his current cultivation.
The thunder was so terrifying and erratic, while the strange fog could entrap an Emperor Realm Master for over ten years.
*Kacha...*
The booms of purple lightning falling sounded from all directions, and although the strange fog was obstructing his sight, Yang Kai could still vaguely see the faint purple flashes in the mist, making for a truly shocking sight.
They suddenly seemed to have entered a sea of thunder, surrounded by crises. Zhang Ruo Xi didn't dare to move at will and simply allowed Yang Kai to envelop her with his Emperor Qi and carry her along.
In front of them, Old Ban's movements seemed entirely irregular, but he was able to somehow lead them to avoid all of the falling thunder.
He was like the most experienced sailor who could conquer the majestic sea and witness the mesmerizing scenery of its deepest depths while only operating a wooden boat.
All of a sudden, a scream came from nearby. It seemed that some cultivator had been hit by falling thunder and was crying out for help tragically.
However, the voice stopped after just a moment, as if it was strangled by the neck. One could imagine how that cultivator met their end.
The Yin Souls that used to be everywhere were all gone now.
Fortunately, with Old Ban guiding them, they were able to avoid every bolt of thunder and safely travel through the fog.
After an unknown amount of time, the falling thunder became weaker and weaker, until finally, it fell silent completely.
However, it wasn't until several paces later that Old Ban finally stopped and bent over, his face pale and bloodless as he gasped for air.
Yang Kai stood close behind him and used his Divine Sense to check their surroundings for potential threats.
"Sir, are you okay?" Zhang Ruo Xi looked at him nervously.
Yang Kai had obviously been injured by the first bolt of thunder. At the time, she didn't dare to disturb him and only decided to ask after determining that his condition had stabilized.
He motioned that he was alright, then he turned to Old Ban and asked, "Old Ban, are we safe now?"
The fear of the Soul Extinguishing Divine Thunder still lingered in his mind.
