As they ventured deeper, they encountered one dangerous or deadly locale after another, along with strange creatures from time to time.
Thankfully, Ye Yunfei, Situ Kong'er, and the old man in green were all quite capable. Particularly, Ye Yunfei was well-versed in Geomancy Technique. They had encountered danger but emerged unscathed, traversing safely.
"Huh? What are those?" Situ Kong'er exclaimed in surprise, pointing toward a massive mountain in the distance.
Upon looking, they saw from the foot to the summit of that mountain, terraced herbal fields filled with densely planted medicinal herbs. Infant-Grade, Silence-Grade, Nirvana-Grade, and even higher-grade herbs—everything you could imagine.
Moreover, in some of these fields, many small creatures were frolicking and moving about: children, tortoises, little white rabbits, and various other beasts. The air was filled with happy laughter and sounds of fun.
"Could those be… Half-Immortal Medicines? So many Half-Immortal Medicines!" Situ Kong'er stared at the small creatures in the distant mountain's fields with a look of doubt, exclaiming in shock.
"They are not Half-Immortal Medicines. They might be the legendary Celestial Medicine Clan," the old man in green also gazed at those little beings and spoke up.
"I came here once before. The first time I saw them, I also thought they were Half-Immortal Medicines. Later, I felt that couldn't be right.
If there were so many Half-Immortal Medicines here, those superpowers in the Central Divine Land would have already swarmed in to snatch them like mad." the old man in green added.
"No, they are not the Celestial Medicine Clan," Ye Yunfei shook his head and replied.
"Then what on earth are they? Such a rich medicinal aroma! Even if they aren't Half-Immortal Medicines or the Celestial Medicine Clan, they must be priceless medicinal herbs. And with so many herbs on that mountain, their value is incalculable!" Situ Kong'er's gaze remained fixed on that distant mountain; he simply couldn't tear himself away.
It had to be remembered, he was notoriously skilled in trickery and deceit back in the Central Divine Land, always going wherever there were benefits to be found.
"Brother Su, now that we've run into them, we shouldn't let this opportunity pass. Let's go up and gather those herbs together," Situ Kong'er said to Ye Yunfei.
"Don't go up. That mountain is extremely dangerous," Ye Yunfei said, having been observing the mountain all this while, even employing his Geomancy Technique to connect with the earth's energy and perceive.
Very soon, Ye Yunfei discovered that there were some terrifying auras lying dormant on that mountain, auras he himself was unwilling to provoke.
"Oh? Brother Su, did you discover something?" Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Situ Kong'er couldn't help but be startled.
He knew of Ye Yunfei's capabilities. Every step of the way inside, he had been able to foresee dangers in advance.
*Rustle…*
Just at that moment, a strange, howling wind suddenly rose from the mountain, whipping up a skyful of snowflakes that swirled and tumbled chaotically in the gale.
Only then did the three of them clearly see that those were not snowflakes, but snow-white human skulls! A vast quantity of pale skulls, blown about by the fierce wind, rolled incessantly across the mountain, creating a white, blurry expanse that resembled a blizzard.
*Heh heh…* A chilling, sinister sneer rang out from the mountain, causing their very Soul Bodies to tremble violently.
"Brother Su, seems like some kind of creature is lurking on that mountain!" Situ Kong'er felt a creeping dread and said to Ye Yunfei.
"Brother Situ, look. While there are many herbs on that mountain, there isn't the slightest trace of anyone having harvested them, proving no one has ever gone up to pick them.
Just imagine, that mountain must be an extremely forbidden, dangerous area.
Let's not provoke it," Ye Yunfei said.
"Alright," Situ Kong'er knew Ye Yunfei was making sense and could only nod in agreement.
Thus, the three of them circumvented the mountain and continued deeper into the Land of Life and Death.
After walking a while, Ye Yunfei suddenly turned around to look back at that mountain. Situ Kong'er and the old man in green also turned.
"Who is that?" Situ Kong'er cried out in alarm.
They saw a tall monk standing at a spot on the mountain they had just passed. He wore a golden kasaya robe, his flesh withered, his body so thin he seemed like skin wrapped over bones.
Only, his skeleton was very robust, so he still appeared quite tall.
The monk's eyes shot out two beams of silver light that tore through the sky, looking toward Ye Yunfei's group from afar.
An extremely dangerous aura emanated from the monk's body, seemingly suppressing the entire surrounding heavens and earth.
"Not good! That fellow intends to make a move on us. We must leave quickly!" Ye Yunfei was slightly alarmed and murmured urgently.
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh!*
Ye Yunfei and the other two simultaneously unleashed their movement techniques and dashed far away.
*Rumble…* A terrifying power descended from the sky, engulfing the spot where Ye Yunfei's trio had just stood. Instantly, everything there turned to powder, annihilated into nothingness.
"Too terrifying! No wonder even those ancient veterans of the Central Divine Land are reluctant to explore the Land of Life and Death!" Situ Kong'er patted his chest and said.
"Of course.
In fact, along the way we have already avoided many perilous places. If we tried to force our way through, fighting our way in, we would never have made it here smoothly," Ye Yunfei laughed.
*Caw Caw…* While they were talking, a flock of large black birds suddenly rose from that very mountain and began pursuing Ye Yunfei's group.
These large birds were pitch black all over, with faces resembling humans. They exuded a dense Yin Qi, lowering the surrounding space's temperature by dozens of degrees wherever they passed.
"Master, those are Corpse-King Birds! They are supposed to be creatures of the Netherworld. I never expected to see them here!" The Holy Son of the Flying Sky Yin Monkey race spoke to Ye Yunfei through telepathic transmission, his tone astonished.
"So they are creatures from the Netherworld," Ye Yunfei was also somewhat surprised.
"Never mind. Let's not provoke them. Finding the Soul Lotus is our primary goal," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and said.
Ye Yunfei flicked his sleeve, wrapping up Situ Kong'er and the old man in green as he plunged into the ground beneath them, vanishing far away in an instant.
Moments later, the three of them were far from that mountain and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Afterwards, they continued deeper into the Land of Life and Death.
"Huh? What's going on? Did we arrive in an immortal paradise?" Suddenly, Situ Kong'er gazed ahead in astonishment.
Most of the areas they had passed earlier consisted of black mountain peaks filled with various sinister auras.
But ahead, the landscape was beautiful: lush mountains and rivers, smooth and graceful peaks rising and falling one after another. Springs chimed on the mountains, immortal mist drifted, spiritual energy was abundant, and light red auspicious vapors rose steaming.
It was practically an immortal paradise!
"Be careful. The closer to the center within the core region of the Land of Life and Death, the greater the danger.
This land before our eyes is much more dangerous than those areas we just passed!" Just as Situ Kong'er was marvelling, the old man in green's expression turned grave, his tone wary.
Having ventured through the Land of Life and Death before, he obviously knew more.
"Back in my day, I truly had a brush with death in this area. If not for good fortune, I would have been utterly destroyed, perished completely here," the old man in green said solemnly.
*Clatter…*
Right then, the sound of rustling chains came from amidst the emerald mountains and clear waters in the distance.
Then, the three saw a small, crimson sedan chair floating out from a mountain valley.
The sedan bearers were actually four humanoid monsters covered in long white hair, their eyes emitting unnerving red gleams.
They saw the four white-haired humanoid monsters carrying the sedan, drifting forth one after the other from among the mountains, heading precisely toward Ye Yunfei's trio.
"Master, those four are White-Haired Flying Corpses! They are said to be born by gathering heaven and earth's Yin Qi, grudges, deathly energy, and misfortune. Possessing immense strength.
Many experts in the Netherworld refine Flying Corpses and command them to perform various tasks." The surprised telepathic voice of the Flying Sky Yin Monkey echoed in Ye Yunfei's soul sea.
"Oh? Could a Netherworld expert be hiding here?" Hearing this, Ye Yunfei was also greatly taken aback.
It must be understood, the Netherworld was a terrifying power that dared confront the Heavenly Emperor. With Ye Yunfei's current strength, he had no wish to provoke Netherworld experts.
"Brother Situ, the situation is critical. The two of us need to cooperate to escape," Ye Yunfei said to Situ Kong'er.
The next moment, the three vanished simultaneously.
*Rumble…*
The four White-Haired Flying Corpses carried the small sedan drifting closer, seemingly having locked onto Ye Yunfei's group, chasing them persistently.
Finally, Ye Yunfei and Situ Kong'er worked together, expending Herculean effort, using every escape secret art they could muster to barely shake off the tracking of that red sedan.
"Senior, how much longer until we reach the location of the Soul Lotus?" Ye Yunfei asked the old man in green.
This Land of Life and Death was simply too dangerous; even Ye Yunfei was starting to feel wary.
Ye Yunfei even suspected that demi-emperor realm powerhouses might be lying dormant within!
Thus, Ye Yunfei wanted to find the Soul Lotus as quickly as possible and leave early.
"We'll reach the location of the Soul Lotus very soon.
Those Soul Lotuses are within that area just ahead," the old man in green pointed forward and said.
"That's good," Hearing this, both Ye Yunfei and Situ Kong'er let out sighs of relief.