"What's going on? I keep feeling something is off, as if something is peering at me. Don't tell me there's another living being on this Reincarnation Path besides me?"
The white-robed youth stared in Ye Yunfei's direction, his face filled with confusion.
"This fellow's perception ability is quite good. We need to be careful," Hun Lao said.
"He's definitely cultivating Reincarnation Energy and Samsara Laws. This is the Reincarnation Path, essentially his turf. So it's normal for his perception to be stronger," Ye Yunfei replied.
"On the Reincarnation Path, besides us who maintain its order, all others are spirits. How could there possibly be a living being? And yet, just now, I clearly felt something watching me from the shadows. Could it be the legendary Reincarnation Ghost?"
The white-robed youth muttered to himself, releasing his Soul Power to probe in all directions.
He also activated his Samsara Laws to sense the surrounding desolate starry sky.
However, he was only a Perfected True God, incapable of detecting Ye Yunfei's presence.
Ye Yunfei was a God King; when concealing his aura, even a Heavenly God might not sense him.
"Looks like it must have been my imagination," the youth said after perceiving nothing for a while.
"Even if it is a Reincarnation Ghost, so what? If there really is one, let it come at me. It would be a perfect chance to subdue one and bring it back. The elders in the sect would surely praise me!"
The white-robed youth continued speaking.
"These two fellows still need further repairs. Might as well get to work now."
The youth's attention returned to the two guardian statues. He then pulled out over a dozen talismans from his spatial ring, chanting incantations under his breath as he circled the statues.
His chant had a strange, rhythmic cadence that formed echoes, gradually filling the surrounding space with his recitation.
He then began sending the talismans in his hands, one by one, into the two statues.
Hum! Hum!
Circles of white light surged from within the statues.
"Look, that guy really does seem capable of repairing these statues. Their auras have noticeably strengthened," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm transmitted to Ye Yunfei.
"He's a successor of the Samsara, a guardian of the Reincarnation Path. Him knowing how to repair these statues isn't surprising. I suspect Qing Luo can do it too, and likely even better," Ye Yunfei replied.
"Yes, Sister Qing Luo's talent must be far superior to that guy before us," Hu Miao chimed in immediately.
At that moment.
Ye Yunfei's expression suddenly shifted as he looked towards a distant point.
There was a shadowy mass there, twisting and fluctuating, slowly writhing. The temperature in that part of the starry sky was incredibly low, beginning to form floating blocks of white ice.
"Has this guy actually summoned a Reincarnation Ghost by talking about it?" Hun Lao also noticed the twisting shadowy mass and exclaimed in surprise.
Back in the Three Lifetimes World Group, within the Samsara Passage, Ye Yunfei had encountered a Reincarnation Ghost. That ghost had attempted to attack him, but fortunately, Ye Yunfei possessed an ancient token passed down by the Reincarnation Palace, gifted to him long ago by Su Qingluo, which subdued the ghost. Later, Ye Yunfei had even seized many treasures from that Reincarnation Ghost. Therefore, Ye Yunfei, Hun Lao, and the others were quite familiar with the aura of a Reincarnation Ghost.
"Indeed, it's a Reincarnation Ghost!" Ye Yunfei quickly confirmed that the distant, twisting shadow was precisely that.
"Look! That Reincarnation Ghost might be planning to attack that fellow. It's moving closer!" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly exclaimed.
They saw the twisting shadowy mass in the distance stealthily drifting towards the white-robed youth.
The youth was currently circling the two statues. He had already inserted all his talismans into them and was now forming hand seals, sending one magical seal after another into the statues. The light radiating from the statues grew increasingly dazzling, as if they were about to awaken.
The twisting shadowy mass took advantage of the opportunity, moving closer until it was right behind the youth.
This mass of shadow appeared faint and ethereal, flickering in and out of existence, and it carefully suppressed its aura. The white-robed youth, for the moment, failed to detect it.
Suddenly.
The shadowy mass solidified and unleashed a sharp, piercing shriek. A vast wave of sinister, chilling energy instantly erupted, instantly enveloping the white-robed youth.
Then, a pair of razor-sharp claws extended from the billowing gray mist, shooting towards the youth with astonishing speed.
"What kind of monstrosity is this?"
The youth was concentrating on casting spells to repair the statues when he was suddenly attacked. He was startled, then sensing the shadowy mass behind him, he reacted with shock and fury.
Clang!
A white circular ring shot out from within his body, blocking the Reincarnation Ghost's sharp claws. A shower of dazzling sparks burst forth.
A moment later, crack! The white ring was directly shattered by the impact.
Having shattered the white ring, the ghost's sharp claws continued their trajectory towards the white-robed youth. Space seemed to tear open like tofu, leaving behind terrifying dark spatial cracks.
"Did you notice? This Reincarnation Ghost is much more formidable than the one we encountered last time!" Hun Lao immediately sensed the ghost's fearsome power.
"What's there to be afraid of? My master is a God King now! We weren't scared of the Reincarnation Ghost back then, and we have no reason to be scared now!" Hu Miao immediately retorted.
"A Reincarnation Ghost! It truly is the legendary Reincarnation Ghost! No way! I was just talking casually! How did a Reincarnation Ghost actually appear?! This is terrible!"
Seeing the ghost's true form clearly now, the white-robed youth paled with fright and began shouting.
He had only read about or heard stories of Reincarnation Ghosts from old sect texts or senior elders. This was his first time seeing one in person. He knew that Reincarnation Ghosts were strange entities on the Reincarnation Path that disrupted its order. They possessed eerie and terrifying power. According to legend, many ancient guardians of the Reincarnation Path had fallen victim to these ghosts.
"Damn it! With my current strength, I'm probably no match for a Reincarnation Ghost! Better to flee than fight!"
Seeing the fierce and menacing ghost, the young man lost all fighting spirit and turned to run.
The two guardian statues, which had been radiating light until then, began to dim and fall silent as the youth fled. They became motionless once more, devoid of any glow.
Clearly, the youth had not fully repaired them.
"This guy is useless! He was just boasting about capturing a Reincarnation Ghost, but as soon as he encounters one, he turns tail and runs," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm remarked disdainfully.
"Master, last time we subdued the Reincarnation Ghost using that token from the Reincarnation Palace. This guy should also be a successor of a Reincarnation Sect from a certain world. He should also have a related token, right? Could it be that he doesn't know tokens related to Reincarnation Sects can suppress Reincarnation Ghosts?" Hu Miao asked.
"Perhaps he isn't aware," Ye Yunfei answered.
"That token Qing Luo gave you was passed down from ancient times within the Reincarnation Palace, wasn't it? Not every successor of the Samsara possesses a token passed down from antiquity," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"That makes sense! The Reincarnation Palace token Qing Luo gave me is indeed ancient. The ancient Reincarnation Palace was a guardian of the Reincarnation Path. Perhaps ancient tokens have unique properties," Ye Yunfei pondered and replied.
At that moment, the white-robed youth had already fled far away along the small stone path.
However, the Reincarnation Ghost was exceedingly fast. With a shrill shriek, it shot ahead and intercepted the youth, blocking his escape.
"The Reincarnation Ghost is too frightening! I'm definitely no match! I have to escape!"
The white-robed youth turned ashen pale and once again spun around to flee.
"This guy's courage is pitifully small. He doesn't even dare to fight back, just keeps running," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm sneered.
"Master, that coward is running towards us now," Hu Miao pointed out.
Indeed, the direction the white-robed youth fled in happened to be towards Ye Yunfei's hidden location.
"We'll stay put for now and see what happens," Ye Yunfei said.
Soon, the white-robed youth arrived near where Ye Yunfei was concealed.
"This fellow can run fast enough," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm remarked sarcastically.
"The Reincarnation Ghost is faster," Hu Miao cried out.
Sure enough, the next moment, the Reincarnation Ghost surged forward again, intercepting the white-robed youth and cutting off his path.
"No way! This ghost is too fast! Am I unable to escape? What do I do? I don't want to die at the hands of this Reincarnation Ghost! Elder Liu has praised me multiple times as a rare young talent within our sect! I have a brilliant future ahead! I can't be cut down here!"
Panicked cries erupted from the youth as he was blocked once more.
"No way! This guy hasn't even fought a single move after encountering the Reincarnation Ghost! He hasn't dared to fight at all! He probably doesn't even know the ghost's true combat power before being scared stiff! And he calls himself a young sect talent? He's utterly worthless," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm listened to the youth's wails and felt even more speechless.
"He might be too young, lacking experience in dealing with danger. Suddenly encountering the legendarily ferocious Reincarnation Ghost could frighten him badly. Put simply, he's a flower raised in a greenhouse," Ye Yunfei said with a slight smile.
Just then, the Reincarnation Ghost suddenly turned its head and looked towards Ye Yunfei's location.
"Not good! This Reincarnation Ghost seems to have detected us!" Hun Lao's mind stirred, and he spoke urgently.
"Yes, it has already sensed me," Ye Yunfei's face turned stern, a bit surprised.
After all, he was a God King, yet even while suppressing his aura, this Reincarnation Ghost had discovered him. This indicated its perceptual abilities were astonishing.
"Since we've been discovered, continuing to hide is probably not an option. This Reincarnation Ghost will certainly attack us," Hun Lao added.
At that moment, the ghost had already begun its assault on the white-robed youth.
Although the youth was a Perfected True God, the Reincarnation Ghost was terrifyingly powerful, and its movement speed was shockingly fast.
"Master, it looks like that Reincarnation Ghost has started to use a soul arts secret technique!" Hu Miao suddenly cried out.
They saw the white-robed youth suddenly yawn, appearing sleepy.
"How strange… why do I feel so sleepy? I really want to sleep… Could it be that I've been working too hard lately?"
The youth yawned as he muttered doubtfully.
"That's not right… I'm a Perfected True God! Logically, not sleeping for decades or even a century shouldn't be a problem… Why am I suddenly so overwhelmingly sleepy?"
The youth sensed something was wrong, but he was already growing dizzy, his sleepiness potent, leaving him little time for thought.
Boom…
Five or six magical treasures shot out from within the youth's body, activating simultaneously and surrounding him, erupting with radiant protective light.
"Finally, he's putting up a defense. I thought he would just stand there and let the Reincarnation Ghost disembowel him," Hu Miao commented.
"Although his combat experience is lacking, he is, after all, a Perfected True God. In terms of realm, he's not weak. He possesses at least some combat power," Hun Lao remarked.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Reincarnation Ghost waved its sharp claws, continuously attacking and clashing with the youth's magical treasures, producing crisp metallic impact sounds.
"This Reincarnation Ghost is far more powerful than the one we encountered last time! We need to be careful!" Hun Lao exclaimed.
"Last time, we snatched a lot of good stuff from that Reincarnation Ghost. Since this one is so strong, maybe it has an even larger collection of treasures! Let's subdue it and see what treasures it has!" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly suggested.
"That's a valid point! This fellow's hoard is definitely richer," Hu Miao agreed.
"Don't always think about stealing from others. Reincarnation Ghosts are creatures of the Reincarnation Path, very strange. We're better off avoiding them," Hun Lao chuckled.
"But this Reincarnation Ghost has already detected us. Even if we don't provoke it, it probably won't let us off," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm countered.
"True enough," Hun Lao conceded.
"In that case, let's prepare to act. Everyone, get ready," Ye Yunfei considered for a moment.
It would be better to seize the initiative rather than wait for the ghost to strike first.
Boom! Boom!
The Reincarnation Ghost suddenly tossed out two magical artifacts—one was a black millstone, and the other was a black orb. Both artifacts emitted a peculiar aura as they hurtled toward the white-robed youth.
"These two treasures contain extremely strange, dark-type energy and laws. Their power is difficult to estimate," Huang Shang immediately commented.
Boom…
The black millstone shot forward at extreme speed, continuously expanding in size until it transformed into a giant black millstone suspended above the youth's head. It then began to slowly rotate.
"Agh…! Why does my Soul Body hurt so much?! The millstone isn't even touching my Soul Body! Why do I feel like my Soul Body is being crushed and ground by this millstone?!"
As the black millstone rotated, the youth immediately let out a painful cry.
Dang! Dang! Dang!
The black orb also continuously expanded, and then proceeded to knock aside all the youth's defensive artifacts.
"A Reincarnation Ghost knowing how to use artifacts… That is indeed a bit terrifying," Hu Miao exclaimed in shock.