After a short while, Ye Yunfei, along with Su Qingluo and the other two young women, stepped into the Small World.
"Ye Yunfei, I heard you previously collected a bounty—ten times the original reward—on your own head within this Small World, is that right?" Xiao Hui asked curiously.
"Indeed, it was here. Later, Master and I even pulled a U-turn, rushing back to rob all the disciples of those major forces who had placed bounties on Master. Dare to provoke my master? They had to be shown their place," Hu Miao eagerly answered before Ye Yunfei could reply.
"After hearing your name, I've been worried about you all this time. But looking at things now, it seems it's the disciples of those major forces who should be worried," Xiao Hui said with a laugh.
"Of course! Haven't you heard? Inside that Illusion Palace, Master slaughtered over thirty Acupoint Opening Realm experts. Those so-called Acupoint Opening Realm masters were completely helpless before him," Hu Miao declared proudly. She knew Ye Yunfei's true identity and genuinely worshipped him from the bottom of her heart!
Although both Su Qingluo and Xiao Hui had already heard about this, hearing it again from Hu Miao still shook them somewhat.
Soon after, they entered a vast mountainous region. Within this mountain range, there was a valley where spectral energy surged into the skies, with gusts of sinister wind and spine-chilling wails of ghosts and fiends echoing from within.
Ye Yunfei and the others arrived before this valley. This was Ghost Valley, the place Huang Shang had entered back then.
"I wonder how Elder Huang is doing now," Ye Yunfei said.
"Kehehe… I'm doing just splendidly!" A bizarre laugh sounded from within Ghost Valley the moment Ye Yunfei finished speaking.
The valley was then filled with roiling yin energy. One spectral face after another materialized, densely packed, enough to make one's scalp crawl.
"Elder Huang is coming out," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a tall, majestic wraith strode out from the billowing yin wind. Opening its mouth wide, it inhaled, directly sucking all those spectral faces into its stomach. Then, the ghost swaggered out.
It was Huang Shang.
"Elder Huang, your harvest was decent, I trust?" Ye Yunfei asked with a smile.
"More or less," Huang Shang chuckled. His entire body gleamed with a dark, metallic luster, his spectral form seemingly forged from ten-thousand-year-old Dark Gold, emanating formidable ghostly power. Wherever he passed, the ghosts in the valley fled in terror.
Casually grabbing a few nearby ghosts, Huang Shang stuffed them into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
"Elder Huang! That's too cruel! These poor ghosts!" Hu Miao cried out.
"Haha… Here with me, you of course feel pity for them. But if you were alone in this place, you wouldn't think them pitiful. This valley is suppressed by a unique Yin Vein, forming a Gourd Ghost Ground. It constantly breeds rich yin energy, gathering a great number of spirits. Influenced by the valley's unique geography, these ghosts are filled with resentment, malice, poison, and miasma, having long lost their original nature. They are exceptionally savage. Even someone at the Acupoint Opening Realm would surely not return alive if they ventured in here," Huang Shang explained with a laugh.
"But it's precisely this environment that has brought Elder Huang tremendous gains," Ye Yunfei observed.
"Correct. For a ghost cultivator, this Ghost Valley is a paradise for cultivation," Huang Shang agreed with a smile.
As he spoke, Huang Shang had already reached the valley's mouth.
*Whoosh…* Suddenly, Huang Shang turned back, opened his mouth, and inhaled. The rolling ghostly energy within the valley surged toward him like a great river, converging massively before being sucked into his mouth.
Along with it came a multitude of ghosts. Each specter struggled and roared, only to be ultimately devoured by Huang Shang.
Moments later, the ghostly aura in the valley grew noticeably thinner.
"Alright, let's go. The yin energy in this Ghost Valley can regenerate cyclically; it will never be fully exhausted," Huang Shang said.
"Good, let's depart then," Ye Yunfei nodded.
He was anxious to return to the Tianxuan Continent's starry sea.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei and the others entered another Small World. Ye Yunfei needed to retrieve a treasure—the Profound Magnetic Mountain!
This was the first Small World Ye Yunfei had entered after arriving in this Incomplete Chaos Universe. Back then, Ye Yunfei had even slain the young prodigy of the Jiang Family from the Tianfu Starry Sea, Jiang Jie, within this Small World. Later, encountering the Mystic Magnetic Polar Light, he had left the Profound Magnetic Mountain here.
"Be careful, everyone. This Small World contains Mystic Magnetic Polar Light, which could erupt at any moment," Ye Yunfei cautioned Su Qingluo and the others as they carefully advanced deeper.
"Master, look!" Hu Miao suddenly exclaimed, pointing ahead.
Ahead, in a certain area, bleached bones littered the ground. The place was deathly silent, devoid of any sound or living beings, not even a single blade of grass grew.
In the center of this region lay an ancient cave. A thick layer of white bone dust had accumulated before the cave mouth. From within, dazzling seven-colored radiance pulsed, exuding an extremely dangerous sensation.
"The Mystic Magnetic Polar Light erupts from that ancient cave," Ye Yunfei said gravely, gazing toward the distant cave entrance.
"Oh? There seems to be a plant inside the cave! How strange. This area is barren, not a single blade of grass grows. Why would there be a plant inside that ancient cave? Could it be some extraordinary natural treasure?" Su Qingluo suddenly exclaimed, pointing toward the cave.
Indeed, they could vaguely make out what seemed to be a long vine deep within the cave, not far from the entrance. Its leaves and branches were sparse. Under the brilliant illumination of the rainbow light, the plant appeared crystalline and translucent, glowing with dazzling divine luminescence.
Moreover, it bore five milky-white fruits that resembled jade carvings.
"I truly never imagined that such precious exotic fruits would exist in a Small World like this," Ye Yunfei murmured, his gaze growing fervent as he stared at the five milky-white fruits.
"These are Primordial Magnetic Fruits, a variety of exotic fruit worth an entire city's weight in gold," Ye Yunfei explained to Hu Miao, Su Qingluo, and the others.
"Primordial Magnetic Fruits?" This was the first time Su Qingluo and the other two young women had heard of such fruits.
"Primordial Magnetic Fruits contain pure Mystic Magnetic energy, one of the fundamental forces between heaven and earth. For martial artists cultivating Mystic Magnetic-type techniques, these fruits are ultimate treasures," Ye Yunfei elaborated.
"However, martial artists who have never cultivated Mystic Magnetic arts absolutely must not consume them. Otherwise, their physical and Soul Bodies would be dissolved by the vast Mystic Magnetic energy," Ye Yunfei warned.
"Then these Primordial Magnetic Fruits are essentially useless to us," Su Qingluo concluded.
"They are useful to me. Because I possess the Profound Magnetic Mountain, which can withstand the dissolving effects of Mystic Magnetic energy on the physical and Soul Bodies. Using Mystic Magnetic energy to temper the flesh body has immense benefits," Ye Yunfei said.
"Master, where is the Profound Magnetic Mountain?" Hu Miao asked.
"Inside the cave," Ye Yunfei replied.
Having said that, Ye Yunfei raised his hand slightly.
*Rumble…*
A rumbling sound echoed from within the ancient cave. A mountain peak, radiating waves of rolling seven-colored light from every inch of its form, slowly flew out from within.
It was the Profound Magnetic Mountain!