Come to think of it, Yang Kai had actually dealt with something like this before. Many years ago, when he'd been training in the Malevolent Caves of the Cangyun Evil Grounds, the evil spirits he'd encountered were entities much like these yin souls. Back then he'd managed to collect quite a few evil spirit essences, but unfortunately, after the yin souls here dissipated, they left nothing of the sort behind.
After entering this valley, Yang Kai had suspected there might be yin souls lurking about. But as they'd progressed without encountering any, he'd put the thought aside. He hadn't expected to finally run into one only now.
What darkened Yang Kai's expression even further was the realization: if one yin soul had appeared here, it meant there had to be a second, a third, or perhaps even more.
Judging by Yang Yan's face, she'd clearly reached the same conclusion. Her expression flickered between emotions.
As if to confirm their suspicions, the moment that yin soul was destroyed, wisps of visible yin-cold energy suddenly began seeping up from the ground in every direction — as though the soul's death scream had startled them awake.
The yin-cold energy ranged from faint to dense. The thin wisps were nearly imperceptible, while the thicker ones curled like pale smoke. Regardless of their form, they merely twisted and writhed before taking on humanoid shapes — yin souls, every one of them. Not a single one had clearly defined facial features. Some didn't even possess all four limbs. The sight was utterly eerie.
Upon seeing this, Yang Yan immediately activated one of her treasure armors. In an instant, a swirl of fiery red light enveloped her entire body. Yang Kai, meanwhile, said nothing — he simply flicked his fingers in rapid succession, sending streaks of pitch-black demonic flame shooting outward, each one precisely piercing through a yin soul's body.
Though the yin souls were numerous and appeared densely packed, they proved devastatingly fragile. A single volley of attacks was all it took — not one withstood the assault. They were all engulfed by demonic flames and reduced to ash, dissipating between heaven and earth.
Seeing this, Yang Yan seemed considerably more at ease. Her eyes darted about, and she produced a disc-shaped Artifact, pouring Sacred Yuan into it to activate its power.
The next moment, a ring of blazing crimson fire erupted from the disc-shaped Artifact, expanding outward in all directions. Wherever the firelight swept, it banished every trace of yin-cold. The condensed yin souls stood no chance against its might — their bodies shattered apart amid shrill, agonized screams.
The blazing ring of fire spread outward for a hundred zhang before gradually losing its power and fading away. Looking around, the yin souls that had densely packed the area moments ago had been completely eradicated — not a single one remained.
Yang Kai was stunned. He stared at Yang Yan with an incredulous look.
"Hehe! My newly forged Artifact — pretty good, right?" Yang Yan grinned at him with visible pride.
"Mm, it suits this situation well. Though it'd be somewhat lacking against a single target." Yang Kai had a discerning eye, and he'd immediately identified the Artifact's shortcomings.
Hearing this, Yang Yan pouted. "I've got other Artifacts for dealing with single targets. I'm just too lazy to fight people, hmph!"
It seemed Yang Kai's honesty had put her in a sour mood.
Yang Kai rubbed his nose and said evenly, "Let's move on. These yin souls may be pushovers, but there could be more dangerous spirits deeper inside. We can't let our guard down."
The pair promptly continued on their way.
This sect ruin was indeed peculiar — apart from the numerous lingering restrictions, it had also spawned all these yin souls. Over the course of their journey, the two encountered yin soul attacks and restriction barriers several more times, but each time, Yang Kai and Yang Yan dispatched them with minimal effort. Nothing truly dangerous occurred.
Several days passed as they explored the valley. As time went on, Yang Yan spent increasingly longer periods consulting the fragmentary map, as though the closer they got to the target's location, the harder it became to pinpoint its exact position.
One day, while Yang Yan was studying the map for directions, Yang Kai's expression suddenly shifted. He released his Divine Sense outward, and after a moment, his face took on a peculiar look. Frowning, he said, "There are other people here."
"What people?" Yang Yan asked, startled.
"Can't tell, but there are only four of them — two at Saint King Stage Three, two at Saint King Stage Two. Looks like they're trapped inside some kind of restriction."
"Should we go take a look? We could ask them exactly where this place is," Yang Yan suggested.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai would have had no interest in getting involved — they were here for treasure, and whatever trouble those people had stumbled into was none of his concern. However, among the auras his Divine Sense had detected, two felt somewhat familiar, as though he'd encountered them somewhere before.
Curiosity piqued, he considered Yang Yan's suggestion for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Let's slip over and take a look, but don't reveal ourselves."
"Sure," Yang Yan agreed without hesitation.
The two immediately headed toward the area in stealth. With Yang Kai's powerful Divine Sense, as long as he suppressed his own aura and wrapped it around himself, there was little chance of being detected by cultivators at the same level.