Shen Bai didn't understand, but since Ye Bufan had said so, he could only ponder it himself.
"Ah—" Just as the two were talking, Ai Feihuan woke up from his hallucination, shouting wildly at his surroundings, retreating continuously, and even unleashing a palm strike at an empty spot.
"What's wrong with him?" Shen Bai asked worriedly.
Ye Bufan chuckled and said, "It's nothing, just teaching her a lesson."
"Is everything settled?" Ye Bufan asked Shen Bai, scanning the area.
"Everything is settled, and we even captured a few alive. We'll interrogate them properly when we get back," Shen Bai chuckled. "These good-for-nothing people from Sakura Island will have it coming."
Ye Bufan nodded, scanning the area. In this space, there was a very strange feeling.
"You all go first, I'll stay here for a while," Ye Bufan said to Shen Bai.
Shen Bai looked at Ye Bufan with confusion, but since the other party was a great martial saint, and had spoken, they tidied up quickly as Ye Bufan instructed and, led by him, found the exit and left the place.
After everyone had left, Ye Bufan looked around. He sensed a faint energy fluctuation here.
Ye Bufan closed his eyes, then opened them again. A human face instantly appeared before him.
"Damn!" Ye Bufan was startled and took a step back.
The face was that of a young girl, flickering in and out of existence. She was a soul.
"You can see me?" the other person asked.
Ye Bufan nodded and said, "A little magic is all it takes to see."
"That's great. Finally, someone can see me again." The other person gave a bitter smile. "It's a shame my time is running out."
"One hundred years have passed, and the Soul Orb fortunately didn't fall into the hands of villains," the person said.
"You must be an original resident of this village, right?" Ye Bufan looked at her attire and analyzed her identity from her words.
The person nodded and said, "My name is Chi Xi, from Chi Village in Qinghe Town."
"Did your village disappear overnight because of the Soul Orb?" Ye Bufan asked.
Upon hearing this, Chi Xi's eyes showed deep sadness, and she then said, "My Chi family has been worshipping the Hidden Yama for generations. The golden statue of the Hidden Yama has always been in our ancestral home. Because of this statue, everyone in our village has the ability to perceive the yin and yang."
"If I'm not mistaken, there should be a Golden Core inside the golden statue, which is the Soul Orb they took just now?" Ye Bufan asked.
"That's right." Chi Xi looked at Ye Bufan in shock. "How did you know?"
Ye Bufan smiled slightly and confidently said, "I guessed."
Chi Xi nodded. She had seen Ye Bufan's combat earlier and knew his identity was not simple.
Thus, Chi Xi began to recount the events of the past to Ye Bufan.
A hundred years ago, some people came to Chi Village, claiming to seek their help with supernatural matters, and went around asking for assistance.
The village chief of Chi Village was skilled in the arts of Qi Men Dun Jia and fortune-telling. From the visitors, he discerned their impure intentions and foresaw a calamity for the entire village. He immediately gathered the villagers and drove them away.
A week later, a group of people stormed the village in the dead of night and gathered everyone.
"If I'm not mistaken, they were trying to steal the golden statue of the Hidden Yama, but your village chief hid it, right?" Ye Bufan asked.
Chi Xi nodded, her eyes widening even further. Ye Bufan was as if he had experienced the event himself, guessing everything correctly.
Later, unable to extract information about the golden statue, those people threatened the village chief, stating they would kill one person every minute if he didn't hand it over.
Chi Xi experienced the darkest night of her life. Finally, seeing that the village chief remained silent, they subjected him to brutal torture, using unimaginable tools.
Ultimately, they still couldn't learn the whereabouts of the golden statue from the village chief, and had to leave.
With his last breath, the village chief approached Chi Xi. Through Yin Yang techniques, he infused the souls of the entire village into Chi Xi's soul and revealed all information about the Hidden Yama statue to her.
"Why you?" Ye Bufan frowned, looking at Chi Xi with confusion.
"Because my physique is a supreme yin body. After they injected the soul power into me, I became a ghost cultivator. However, we had no cultivation methods, and after a battle with that sorcerer seventy years ago, my vital energy was greatly depleted," Chi Xi said, her eyes filled with more resentment. She continued, "If only I could, I would personally kill my enemies and tear them to shreds."
Ye Bufan looked at Chi Xi. Her soul was weak, and it was only due to the lingering obsession in her heart that she hadn't dissipated yet, which was a miracle.
Just now, Chi Xi's resentment towards the group from that year had made her ephemeral body clearer.
A thought suddenly occurred to Ye Bufan. He extended his right hand, and a scroll appeared.
"This is a cultivation method for ghost cultivators. Whether you can survive depends on your destiny," Ye Bufan said to Chi Xi.
Chi Xi looked at the scroll in Ye Bufan's hand and was about to reach for it when she knelt down before him.
"Chi Xi is now yours, young master," Chi Xi said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Ye Bufan waved his hand and said, "This place was originally where the Soul Orb was located, with heavy yin energy, suitable for your cultivation. I'm giving you the technique, and when I need you in the future, I will come find you."
Chi Xi excitedly took the scroll from Ye Bufan and performed a kowtow to him.
"The shackles of Earth are about to break, and I should prepare in advance, for the future," Ye Bufan took a deep breath and then also left the area.
Meanwhile, in the deep mountains of the north, outside a bottomless sinkhole.
The area was teeming with people, all clad in combat gear and standing by, ready for action.
"Roar—"
A low roar emanated from the deep pit, accompanied by waves of sound.
At this moment, inside a tent, everyone sat around a conference table, their faces grave. Ji Feiyang was among them.
"Report!" a person sitting at a computer called out, turning around.
"We just received news that the monster in the abyss is likely the Eight-Headed Serpent!" the person said. "Currently, they have captured Yamato Natsuryu and the Soul Orb."