"Time manipulation!"
Ye Kaishan raised his hand, and a bluish-green light illuminated the space. The surrounding laws of time began to distort.
His ability only affected a 10-meter radius, so he stood near Song Yan and directed the time laws toward her. As the flow of time surrounded her, her recitation speed increased tenfold. Now, she would only need one more minute to retrieve the orb.
Song Yan felt the shift. Their souls were linked, so she immediately realized Ye Kaishan had used his time ability."Why is he using it on me? Is something wrong outside?" she wondered, then quickly shook her head and refocused on the inscriptions.
Ye Kaishan turned his gaze to the bridge. Six figures approached cautiously—but suddenly, his expression darkened.
"Looks like we have more guests," he muttered, resting a finger against his chin. Three more figures were also making their way toward the bridge.
With a flick of his finger, dark blue light surged forward.
"Space distortion!"
An invisible wall of warped space immediately blocked the bridge. The six cultivators crashed into the unseen barrier and stumbled backward.
"What is this? Why is there a wall?"
"Watch your step! There's no wall, but something's blocking our path," Yang Bing said to Yang Mon.
"Snort. Let's just force our way through," one of them suggested.
"No. What if it's a trap? We can't afford to take that risk," Yang Bing replied firmly.
"So what do we do then?" Yang Mon asked, frustrated.
Just then, Lee Xiao appeared behind them.
"Who are you?" Yang Bing asked coldly as the group turned to face her.
Judging by her attire, they quickly realized she was a ghost cultivator.
"No need to be so wary," Lee Xiao said with a harmless smile. "I'm here for an opportunity, just like you. I mean no harm."
"Why should we believe you?" Yang Mon snapped.
"I don't have the strength to fight all of you even if I wanted to," Lee Xiao replied calmly, all while secretly thinking,"First let them get the treasure—then I'll refine them into ghost servants."
Her eyes glimmered slightly as she activated Ghost Voice, sending a subliminal suggestion into Yang Mon's mind.
Yang Mon blinked, her eyes briefly glowing red.
"I don't see any issue with working together," she murmured, scratching her head.
"Oh? So you want to cooperate?" Yang Bing cut in sharply, interrupting her junior sister. She had noticed the red glint in Yang Mon's eyes and instantly became more alert.
Lee Xiao smiled."Yes. I can even lead us through the obstacle blocking the bridge."
"How can we trust that it's not a trap?" Yang Bing asked.
"There were twelve fire slots. Seven are here. I saw four sticks left outside, which means one person entered before us," Lee Xiao explained."That person is likely the one who set the space wall to block us. I can break it."
Yang Bing thought it through and found the logic sound. Though she didn't trust the ghost cultivator, the situation gave her little choice.
"Fine. If you can break the wall, we'll cooperate."
Lee Xiao grinned wickedly behind them.
Just then, the space wall suddenly trembled—and to everyone's shock, it cracked and disappeared.
"What? The wall just vanished?" Yang Mon gasped.Without waiting, Lee Xiao dashed forward.
Yang Bing, Yang Mon, Luo Xuan, and the others followed.
Crossing the bridge, they arrived at a massive tree—but the area was empty.
Lee Xiao scanned the surroundings and clenched her fist."Damn it. Looks like the prize slipped away."
"Sister, look! There's a sword technique here!" Yang Mon called out.
"Don't shout. I can hear you even if you whisper," Yang Bing replied as they all moved behind the tree.
Luo Xuan examined the technique."This looks high-tier, definitely not something low-grade."
Irritated by their chatter, Lee Xiao drew her sword and suddenly slashed at the group.
Yang Bing, already on alert, grabbed Yang Mon and leaped away. Luo Xuan and others scattered, but two cultivators were struck by the sword energy.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Yang Mon yelled.
"Snort. You want the technique? Eat this!" Lee Xiao sneered, releasing a ghost technique. Thousands of spectral apparitions swarmed toward them.
"What?! How can this be? Even under the red moon, that's too strong!" Luo Xuan cried out.
"You... You're not in the Soul Forging Realm..." he stammered.
Lee Xiao smirked."No, I'm not. And now… you'll all become my ghost dolls."She laughed like a wicked witch ready to feast.
Suddenly—
"Chaos Fortune Bell!!!"
DINGGGG!A massive three-meter bell crashed onto Lee Xiao, giving her no chance to react.
Elsewhere...
DINGGG…
"Did you hear that?" On the east side of the ghost territory, two figures stepped out of space.
After acquiring the Emperor Orb, Ye Kaishan had taken Song Yan far away using teleportation.
"Don't think about it now," Ye Kaishan interrupted. "We've got what we need. Let's begin."
Ye Kaishan took her hand.
They reached a secluded mountain and created a hidden cave using space energy. Inside, they sat cross-legged, holding hands.
Song Yan suspended the Yin Droplet and Ghost Emperor Orb, then activated the Soul Heavenly Treasure—a Yang-aligned item—to begin refining both.
As energy surged, Ye Kaishan absorbed part of it. His soul grew stronger, though his space-time skill tree remained unchanged. Still, his physical strength far exceeded the Soul Forging Realm.
After half a day, Song Yan stepped out of the cave, refreshed. Ye Kaishan followed, his soul now equal to hers—while his body far surpassed normal levels.
"Finally, a perfect soul forge," Song Yan said with a smile.
Suddenly—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
A tremor echoed throughout the ghost territory. Wandering souls, ghosts—even ghost kings—trembled in fear, as if witnessing something unimaginable.
Cultivators across the region, some already forging their souls, looked toward the south with one thought in mind:
"Run!"