Soul Stones were a relatively common type of energy crystal. However, the aura of Soul Power emanating from the Soul Stones before him was of exceedingly high quality—clearly far superior to ordinary ones. Moreover, this large pile of energy crystals was stacked into a small, black mountain peak, their quantity vast.
Ye Yunfei was utterly merciless; within moments, he had collected every single Soul Stone in sight.
From within the token, the Reincarnation Ghost cried out with extreme unwillingness and frustration upon seeing the Soul Stones it had painstakingly accumulated over the years all taken by Ye Yunfei. Yet, there was nothing it could do but wail loudly.
Next, Ye Yunfei's gaze fell on a stone table not far away. On its surface lay a spatial ring and a jade slip.
"I have a feeling this small space was originally meant for some specific being to live in," Hun Lao speculated, looking at the stone table and the items on it.
"Or perhaps the Reincarnation Ghost snatched these things," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm offered.
"Simple. We'll just ask him," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Ye Yunfei immediately pressed the Reincarnation Ghost for an answer and learned from it that this small space was indeed once inhabited by an extremely terrifyingly strong individual, and that individual was an old woman.
"An old woman... Could it be the legendary Meng Po? How strange. It seems relics left by Meng Po are found on the Naihe Bridge in every Reincarnation Passage. Is there only one Meng Po who stayed in different Reincarnation Passages in the past, or is there one Meng Po in each passage?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm asked, puzzled.
"The Reincarnation Sect was an extremely mysterious force even in ancient times. How could we possibly guess the details of its affairs?" Hun Lao replied with a laugh.
Ye Yunfei extended his Soul Power energy towards the spatial ring and jade slip on the table.
"This spatial ring contains an even greater quantity of high-quality Soul Stones, along with a large batch of other Soul Power-related treasures!" The next moment, the words burst from Ye Yunfei's mouth, his tone excited.
"It seems the Soul Stones we found earlier were likely taken out by the Reincarnation Ghost from this ring for its own cultivation. The number inside is far greater," Ye Yunfei added.
"Looks like we've cleared out this Reincarnation Ghost's nest completely," Hun Lao chuckled.
"And this jade slip actually records two high-level Soul Power techniques!" Ye Yunfei announced after his Soul Power energy perceived the contents of the slip.
"Spirit-Binding Art, Soul Purification Art," Ye Yunfei softly recited the names of the two techniques recorded within.
"Just from the names, these techniques don't sound simple. Tell us more," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm immediately asked.
"The Spirit-Binding Art can be used to restrain a Soul Body, binding it up. The Soul Purification Art can purify the memories of a Soul Body, turning it into a pure mass of Soul Power energy," Ye Yunfei explained.
"That's a bit terrifying. If you combine these two Soul Power techniques—first binding an enemy's Soul Body, then purifying it—doesn't that amount to completely controlling the enemy?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed in surprise.
"Indeed, both techniques seem somewhat esoteric. They should belong to the Reincarnation Sect's legacy techniques. It seems the former master of this small space might truly be the legendary Meng Po. Legends say Meng Po distributed her soup at the head of the Naihe Bridge to purify the memories of all ghosts embarking on the Samsara journey. Perhaps this Soul Purification Art is part of the legacy she left behind," Hun Lao speculated.
"That's possible. But regardless of who left them, the power of these two Soul Power techniques should be quite formidable. I'll start cultivating them right now," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"Master, we've acquired so much Soul Soup and Soul Stones, a large batch of Soul Power energy cultivation resources, plus these two Soul Power techniques. Our gains from entering this Reincarnation Passage have truly been bountiful! We've entered other Reincarnation Passages before, but the harvests never seemed to match this one," Hu Miao said.
"Indeed, this harvest is exceptionally good. The main reason is that we captured this Reincarnation Ghost. It's quite likely that the other passages we entered before also concealed many precious treasures we simply didn't find. Just look at this small space—without the Reincarnation Ghost, do you think we would have found it?" Ye Yunfei replied.
"True. Without that ghost, we indeed could not have located this space," Hun Lao nodded.
"Human! Those are all my cultivation resources! You can't take everything! Leave some for me! I'm already injured. If this continues, I'll be completely wiped from existence!" At this moment, the Reincarnation Ghost, seeing Ye Yunfei taking all the Soul Power cultivation resources, was extremely unwilling. It immediately transmitted its will to Ye Yunfei, tinged with a note of pleading. However, Ye Yunfei ignored it and simply confined it within the token.
In legend, Reincarnation Ghosts lurked on the Samsara path specifically to ambush and devour ghosts attempting reincarnation—a deeply immoral act. Therefore, Ye Yunfei held no pity for it whatsoever.
This Reincarnation Ghost, having been tortured by the token earlier, was already injured and devoid of any power to resist. Unless Ye Yunfei released it, escape on its own was impossible.
"Alright, let's continue forward," Ye Yunfei said, stepping out of the small space, crossing the Naihe Bridge, and proceeding ahead.
The space ahead was no longer a passage but a vast, misty expanse of ancient void. Greyish mist drifted about, surrounding an empty, featureless space.
"This place is filled with rich, pure Samsara energy and Samsara Laws," Ye Yunfei remarked, observing the drifting grey mist.
Many people were already slowly exploring ahead in the expanse. Some dispersed in all directions, trying to discover what might exist within this vast, misty space. Ye Yunfei chose to head straight onward.
"Actually, you could press the Reincarnation Ghost for information about the various aspects of this Reincarnation Passage, especially whether there are other precious treasures. The Reincarnation Ghost was born within this passage, so it's certainly intimately familiar with it. If you can extract the information, we wouldn't need to spend time exploring ourselves," Hun Lao suddenly suggested to Ye Yunfei.
"That makes sense!" Hearing Hun Lao's words, Ye Yunfei's spirits lifted. The excitement from obtaining the treasures and techniques had temporarily overshadowed this possibility.
"Now tell me about this Reincarnation Passage. Specifically, what other treasures exist here. If you cooperate, I might consider giving you some Soul Soup or Soul Stones for your recovery. If you provide nothing valuable, I will keep you imprisoned in this token forever, leaving you to perish on your own, or perhaps destroy you outright when I'm in a bad mood," Ye Yunfei said to the Reincarnation Ghost within the token.
"Human, you're too greedy! The Samsara path involves profound Samsara mysteries. Those who created and guard it are terrifying beings. Many things on the path are taboos, not to be trifled with. How dare you covet the Samsara path? Do you have a death wish? Release me at once!" the Reincarnation Ghost retorted upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words.
"Still being stubborn, are you?" Ye Yunfei's expression darkened. He immediately activated the token.
Within, the token blossomed with a host of esoteric runes that surged toward the Reincarnation Ghost's form.
"Agh... Stop! Stop! I'll tell you whatever you want to know!" the Reincarnation Ghost screamed in terror.
"Good. Then start by giving me a general overview of the Samsara path," Ye Yunfei ordered. With a thought, he calmed the interior of the token.
"First, give me some Soul Stones and Soul Soup to recover. This token is too terrifying. I'm extremely weak now. If this continues, I truly will be wiped from existence," the ghost pleaded in a feeble voice.
"Fine. I can give you some Soul Soup and Soul Stones. But you'd better honestly tell me everything you know about this Reincarnation Passage. Otherwise, don't blame me for being harsh," Ye Yunfei considered for a moment, then agreed.
He then sent some Soul Soup and Soul Stones into the token—naturally not a large amount, just enough to let the ghost catch its breath.
Overjoyed upon receiving the resources, the Reincarnation Ghost immediately began to recover. After a short while, it seemed to regain some strength. It sat there panting for a moment, then began recounting what it knew about the passage to Ye Yunfei.
According to the ghost's account, it was indeed born within this Reincarnation Passage. However, it did not know the exact reason for its birth.
In its memory, one day long ago, it suddenly gained consciousness and found itself in this passage. Driven by instinct, it lurked daily on the Samsara path, devouring the ghosts traversing it for reincarnation. As the number of ghosts consumed increased, the Reincarnation Ghost's strength gradually grew.
Nevertheless, its existence within the passage required extreme caution, for another group of formidable powerhouses also resided there—all members of a force called the Reincarnation Sect.
These powerhouses were immensely terrifying. Merely the aura they exuded forced the Reincarnation Ghost to keep its distance, not daring to draw near.
Yet despite its caution, the day came when it was eventually discovered.
One of the Reincarnation Sect's powerhouses found the ghost and immediately attacked, severely injuring it in a single blow. At the brink of death, the Reincarnation Ghost managed to perform an extremely mysterious secret art, attaching itself to one of the countless ghosts endlessly walking the Samsara path. Using that ghost's aura, it evaded the powerhouse's pursuit.
The Reincarnation Sect powerhouse, however, did not give up, patrolling the path back and forth in search of the ghost.
Just as the Reincarnation Ghost believed its discovery and death were inevitable, this Samsara path suddenly became abandoned. No more ghosts entered.
The Reincarnation Sect powerhouses stationed on the path also vanished abruptly, leaving behind only a completely deserted, empty passage.
Fortunately, the ghost later found many items and cultivation resources left behind by the vanished Reincarnation Sect members within this abandoned passage. Thus, it managed to persist here until being discovered by Ye Yunfei.