Moreover, the Ghost Ancestor was powerful—even Ni Guang feared him greatly. Maintaining a good relationship with him was hardly a bad thing. Who knew when one might need to call upon his aid in the future.
"Indeed, there is such a place that requires your strength to enter." The Ghost Ancestor pondered for a moment. "With only this old man alone, I truly wouldn't dare charge in recklessly. Very well, follow me."
The Ghost Ancestor was a straightforward fellow. Having said his piece, he set off ahead to lead the way.
Yang Kai reached back and adjusted Xue Yue's position against him so she could rest more comfortably, then hurried after him.
Along the way, through casual conversation, Yang Kai learned that the Ghost Ancestor had already been planning to tail him ever since spotting him before entering the Lost Lands. After all, spatial rifts were rife throughout the interior, and only someone who had mastered spatial power could traverse the place without mishap.
The Ghost Ancestor just so happened to know that Yang Kai possessed considerable attainment in spatial power.
His original plan had been to find an opportunity to lure Yang Kai away from Ni Guang and Luo Lan, then explore the Lost Lands together with him. But after entering, he hadn't been able to locate Yang Kai right away—only vaguely determining his direction of travel—and so had been trailing from behind ever since.
Later, however, things went slightly awry, and he lost Yang Kai's trail.
Until just now, when Yang Kai suddenly burst out of a spatial rift and appeared right before him.
"In that case, it seems Senior and I are quite fated to meet," Yang Kai said with a hearty laugh after hearing the full explanation.
The number of connection points between spatial rifts and the Lost Lands numbered in the tens of thousands. The Spectral Sky Beast had fled while wounded and happened to materialize right in front of the Ghost Ancestor—the odds of such a coincidence were less than one in ten thousand.
"I was rather surprised myself. I'd thought I couldn't count on you anymore." The Ghost Ancestor shrouded himself in black qi once more, obscuring his features, though from his tone one could tell that this chance encounter had been a pleasant surprise for him.
"Oh, right, Senior—where exactly are you taking me?"
"A medicinal valley!" The Ghost Ancestor answered without turning his head as he sprinted ahead. "When this old man passed by it before, I saw many rare spiritual herbs. The damned place is crawling with spatial rifts, though, so I didn't dare venture deep. I managed to harvest a few Insight Blossoms before I had no choice but to withdraw."
"Insight Blossoms!" Yang Kai's eyes lit up.
The Insight Blossom was a mid-grade Void-tier spiritual herb! In the entire Star Field, one could barely find a handful of them, because the current laws of heaven and earth no longer suited the growth of this ancient herb. Only in the environment of the primordial era could the Insight Blossom survive.
And the Lost Lands contained traces of primordial energy virtually everywhere—it was no surprise that Insight Blossoms could be found there.
Whether used to refine Insight Pills or consumed directly, this ancient herb offered tremendous assistance to Void King Realm cultivators in bolstering both their strength and their mental state!
No wonder even someone of the Ghost Ancestor's cultivation level couldn't stop thinking about that place. It turned out he had already obtained several Insight Blossoms there.
"Mm, apart from the Insight Blossoms, there are many other treasures as well. Some of them even this old man couldn't identify, but it's absolutely a paradise for Void King Realm cultivators! If I can reap enough benefits from that place, I'll have the confidence to assault the third level of the Void King Realm before my time runs out!" There was a faint note of fervor in the Ghost Ancestor's voice.
Hearing this, Yang Kai stirred inwardly and quietly deduced that the Ghost Ancestor must already be a peak second-level Void King Realm powerhouse—otherwise he could never have spoken of breaking through to the third level.
It seemed Ni Guang's wariness of him was entirely justified.
"After this old man pulled out of there, I'd intended to see if I could track you down. If anyone in this place can safely enter that medicinal valley, I reckon it'd be you! I wasn't holding out much hope, I admit. But it seems this old man's luck has been rather good!" the Ghost Ancestor declared.
"That must be the medicinal valley Uncle Ni mentioned."
The moment the Ghost Ancestor finished speaking, Xue Yue's voice drifted from behind Yang Kai.
Her voice was still somewhat weak, but she sounded as though she was otherwise unharmed.
"You're awake?" Yang Kai turned his head slightly to glance at her. He noticed that color had already returned to Xue Yue's cheeks—her healing technique truly was extraordinary. In such a short time, she had already stabilized her injuries.
"Mm, I was in a daze just now, but I'm lucid now." Xue Yue nodded. She showed no intention of climbing down from Yang Kai's back—if anything, she held on tighter, contentedly savoring the warmth of his care. Then she cast a suspicious glance at the Ghost Ancestor and whispered warily into Yang Kai's ear, "This senior is…?"
"This is Senior Ghost Ancestor," Yang Kai replied with a chuckle. "Don't worry, the Senior and I are old acquaintances."
"Heh heh heh…" The Ghost Ancestor let out an eerie cackle. "Little girl—you're young, but you've got quite the suspicious mind. If this old man truly wanted to make a move on you two, would you even still be alive? Rest easy. Just as your sweetheart said, we're old acquaintances. Running into each other in this wretched place is like meeting a dear friend far from home. I bear you no ill will."
At the word "sweetheart," a faint blush crept up Xue Yue's neck, though a smile surfaced at the corners of her lips. She replied softly, "Senior is too kind. I'm injured and afraid I cannot bow to you—please forgive me."