Xue Yue stood her ground as Ni Guang launched his sudden strike. She trusted that Ni Guang would not harm her — if Uncle Ni was doing this, he surely had his reasons.
A sharp whistle rang out as the forceful wind grazed past the top of Xue Yue's head. But before the strike even arrived, a wisp of black qi suddenly shot up from within Xue Yue's hair, made a slight swirl in midair, then fled like an arrow loosed from its bow toward the Ghost Ancestor's position.
The black qi fled with astonishing speed — even Ni Guang was too slow to intercept it.
He could see clearly that the wisp of black qi was vaguely humanoid in shape, bearing a twisted face, like a dark phantom. It had been lurking among the tips of Xue Yue's hair all this time — being black in color and having concealed its aura, even he had failed to notice it at first.
By the time he noticed, it was already too late.
The wisp of black qi quickly reached the Ghost Ancestor, who let out a strange cackle and opened his mouth, swallowing the black qi into his belly.
"Doesn't Your Excellency find this rather shameless?" Ni Guang called coldly from afar, glaring at the Ghost Ancestor.
"Heh heh heh…" The Ghost Ancestor continued to laugh eerily. "This old man's actions need no commentary from others!"
Ni Guang's expression darkened as he stared at the Ghost Ancestor for a good while before flinging his hand dismissively. "I won't hold this against you now, but I will settle the score another day!"
Though he was displeased that the Ghost Ancestor had tampered with Xue Yue, now was clearly not the time to fight him. With a conflict breaking out here, Zi Long not far away was already watching with keen interest, looking as if he wished nothing more than for Ni Guang and the Ghost Ancestor to start fighting.
Ni Guang naturally would not grant him that wish. Moreover, with his keen perception, he could tell that whatever the Ghost Ancestor had done to Xue Yue was not meant to harm her — it was simply for eavesdropping.
With that, he turned toward Medicine Valley, his face cold.
"Kid Yang, did you hear everything they just said?" On the other side, the Ghost Ancestor asked Yang Kai in a low voice.
"I did." Yang Kai wore a surprised expression. "Senior, when did you plant that thing on Xue Yue?"
Xue Yue had been on his back the entire time. He had completely failed to notice when the Ghost Ancestor had made his move.
"Right when I handed you the startle beast's inner core." The Ghost Ancestor smiled smugly. "What? Did my actions make you unhappy with me?"
"Not at all…" Yang Kai chuckled softly. "I just feel that Senior truly is far-sighted."
The Ghost Ancestor laughed heartily. "Spare me the flattery. This old man is alone, so I have to stay sharp everywhere! Well, since you heard what they said just now, then going forward… I'll be counting on you."
"I'll do my best!" Yang Kai nodded, without making any grand promises.
Outside Medicine Valley, silence prevailed. The various Void King Realm masters waited in quiet anticipation. Some, like Zi Long and Ni Guang, knew exactly what to do next, while others like Kong Fa, Xu Wei, and Meng Tong might have only a partial understanding of this place. But they were Void King Realm cultivators nonetheless, blessed with extraordinary powers of observation and analysis. Even if they couldn't immediately figure out how to safely enter the valley, once Ni Guang and Zi Long made their move, they would be able to catch on.
Xu Wei in particular kept glancing toward Yang Kai from time to time, deeply curious about how Yang Kai and Xue Yue had managed to survive surrounded by so many Phantom Void Butterflies. He had used the two of them to stall the butterflies so he could escape, fully expecting that these two juniors were as good as dead.
Who would have thought that just a few days later, they would appear before him completely unscathed.
Xu Wei could only attribute their survival to the Ghost Ancestor who had come with them, assuming it was the Ghost Ancestor who had appeared to rescue them.
Time passed.
After roughly an hour, a strange sound suddenly emanated from somewhere deep within the enormous valley ahead. It sounded like the drawn breath of something vast in slumber.
The sound rolled forward like thunder, like the pounding of war drums — deep and resonant, shaking the very soul.
Nearly every Void King Realm master tensed the moment they heard it.
Ni Guang, Luo Lan, and Zi Long in particular felt their spirits jolt as they secretly activated the Sacred Yuan within their bodies.
The next instant, a sudden change erupted.
Without warning, a violent gale swept across the previously tranquil valley, surging from outside straight toward its depths. At the same time, the sound of that drawn breath grew ever more pronounced.
Accompanied by this breathing sound, the Seven Radiance Treasure Light that had been shrouding the valley seemed to be drawn by some invisible force and receded like the tide toward the depths of the valley. In the blink of an eye, the scenery of the valley's outer rim was exposed to everyone's view.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…
In that very instant, the three Void King Realm masters — Ni Guang, Luo Lan, and Zi Long — burst into motion. All three shot forward like arrows loosed from their bows, chasing after the retreating Seven Radiance Treasure Light, and in the blink of an eye charged into the valley!
Seeing them move, Kong Fa, Xu Wei, and Meng Tong, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer hold back. Each of them unleashed their movement techniques, transforming into streaks of light and shooting off in different directions.
The Ghost Ancestor similarly let out a loud laugh, summoned the Myriad Soul Banner, and enveloping Yang Kai within it, surged forward.
His cultivation was profoundly deep — among all the Void King Realm masters, only Ni Guang and Zi Long could match him. His speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, he had surged forward a full ten li.