After a day had passed, Yang Kai, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and said in a low voice, "They're here!"
Zhang Ruoxi heard him and quickly put away the Spirit Jade Tablet in her hands, then stood up and gazed into the distance ahead.
In that direction, a figure was hurtling toward them at great speed, constantly glancing around as if searching for something.
Yang Kai released a sliver of his Divine Sense to guide the person, who immediately sensed it and sprinted toward their location.
Before long, Old Ban appeared before Yang Kai and cupped his fists in greeting. "Sorry to keep you waiting, young friend."
"You're too kind, Old Ban," Yang Kai returned the gesture. "We'll be in your care for this journey."
Old Ban smiled faintly. "Don't worry—with me as your guide, I guarantee you'll enter the Ancient Land safely." As he said this, his face radiated a confidence so deep that he seemed like an entirely different person from the cowering old man who had been beaten and berated by the red-clothed girl the day before.
Yang Kai nodded to himself, thinking that Pi San's recommendation was on the mark. This Old Ban might not have much in the way of cultivation, but he clearly knew a safe passage in and out of the Ancient Land—or at the very least, understood some pattern. Otherwise, with his level of strength, he could never carry himself with such assurance.
"Before we enter the Ancient Land, both of you should refine these first," Old Ban said, producing an item and handing it to Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi.
Yang Kai took it and found it was something resembling a Voice Pearl—though not quite the same as an ordinary one. The crafting technique was also extremely rough, clearly not the work of a professional artifact refiner. It looked as though someone had simply grabbed whatever materials were at hand and knocked something together.
"What is this?" Yang Kai asked, regarding Old Ban with a hint of suspicion.
Old Ban explained, "The passage to the Ancient Land is shrouded in a strange mist. That mist severs both Divine Sense and sight—if you go in without something to guide you, it's easy to get separated and lost, unable to find the way out. This is a communication bead I refined using a special material found only in the passage itself—Tortoise-Shell Stone. It lets you sense one another's positions without being affected by the mist. Once you've refined them, you'll be able to track my movements through the mist. However, the detection range is limited to only thirty zhang, so you'll need to stay close behind me."
Yang Kai understood and nodded. "Good."
Right then, he and Zhang Ruoxi set about refining the Tortoise-Shell Beads.
The process wasn't difficult—less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, and both of them had finished. Holding the bead in his palm and extending his awareness, Yang Kai could indeed sense the locations of the other two Tortoise-Shell Beads. It couldn't have been more convenient.
He knew Old Ban was right. With this item in hand, it would be very difficult for him and Zhang Ruoxi to lose track of their guide.
"Now that you're both prepared, let's set off. Before we leave, I must remind you one more time—you must stay by my side at every step. If you get separated, it will be extremely difficult to find your way out again." Old Ban's tone was solemn, clearly worried that Yang Kai might take things lightly relying on his own powerful cultivation. He even offered a specific example: "Just over thirty years ago, an Emperor Realm master got lost in that strange mist and remained trapped for a full ten years."
"Ten years!" Yang Kai's expression turned grave.
Old Ban nodded with a serious face. "That's right."
Zhang Ruoxi asked curiously, "Old Ban, how do you know the exact length of time?"
An Emperor Realm cultivator lost in the strange mist for ten years—how would anyone else know? Even if Old Ban knew the passage to the Ancient Land inside and out, his strength was so low that the interference from the mist would surely have made it impossible for him to observe a single person for a decade, wouldn't it?
She wasn't questioning his honesty—just curious.
Old Ban replied with a straight face, "Because during those ten years, I encountered that person in the passage multiple times. Each time, they wandered aimlessly through the corridor like a lonely ghost. On several occasions, I nearly got hurt by them—I was only saved by running fast enough."
"Then what happened to this person in the end?" Zhang Ruoxi asked nervously.
Old Ban shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe they died somewhere in the passage. Maybe by some stroke of luck they broke free. I haven't encountered them in the last twenty years. But I did notice that they seemed to have lost their mind from being trapped for so long—though I could make out that it was a woman."
"How tragic!" Zhang Ruoxi sighed with pity.
A woman—no matter how powerful, she was still a woman. Trapped in that strange mist for nearly ten years—how had she endured that time? Was she alive or dead in the end?
What if she herself were trapped in the passage for ten years? What would become of her? The thought sent a chill down Zhang Ruoxi's spine.
But this was old history, after all. Old Ban had only brought it up to impress upon Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi the need for caution—there was no other implication.
"Rest assured, Old Ban. We will not leave your side," Yang Kai said firmly.
"Good. Then let's go." Old Ban nodded, waved his hand, and set off toward the entrance of the Ancient Land passage.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi followed closely behind.