Chapter 2539, Kekeke Translator: Silavin & vin Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Old Ban chuckled bitterly, “Safe? This is just the beginning!” Yang Kai’s face changed, “Could it be that the Soul Extinguishing Thunder…” Old Ban shook his head, “We do not need to worry about it anymore. Now that the thunder tide has passed, it will not happen again within this one month. There will only be stray bolts here and there. What we need to guard against now is… the Astral Wind!” Previously, Pi San had warned Yang Kai about the three deadly dangers of the Ancient Land Passageway, the strange fog, the thunder tide, and the Astral Wind. The strange fog existed everywhere in the passageway, and anyone who wasn’t familiar with the path would easily get lost in it. As for the thunder, Yang Kai had personally experienced its terrifying power when his Divine Sense was easily cut off by a single bolt. Since the Astral Wind was mentioned alongside the Falling Thunder, it was undoubtedly something that couldn’t be looked down upon. Moreover, Old Ban’s face was very grim at the moment, which only made Yang Kai feel more apprehensive. “How powerful is the Astral Wind?” Yang Kai asked in a low voice. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 Old Ban responded, “In terms of direct lethality, the falling thunder is much stronger; however, anyone who is familiar with this passageway will tell you that they would rather face the thunder tide than the Astral Wind.” “Why is that?” Zhang Ruo Xi’s expression was blank with confusion. “Because the Astral Wind does not stop. Although it is not instantaneously lethal like the falling thunder, it is continuous. Passing through it feels like your flesh is being shaved off by the sharpest of artifacts and it can not only tear away at a cultivator’s physique but also grind down their Soul. If one stays in the Astral Wind for a long time, they will die a miserable death.” Upon hearing this, she immediately broke out in a cold sweat. It sounded like being attacked by the Astral Wind was like being cut by a blunt knife over and over again, and the scariest thing was that it could even grind down the Soul! Old Ban continued solemnly, “Now that the thunder tide has passed, a howling wind will sweep through the area. If we fail to find shelter within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, we will die.” “Astral Wind!” Yang Kai’s face sank. Although he had never heard of it before, he could imagine what it was like, “Is there a shelter around here? Old Ban looked around at their surroundings before quickly stating, “In order to avoid the thunder tide earlier, this old man had to take some unplanned turns; thus, I am not very familiar with this area, but if my guess is right, this should be the heart of the passageway.” “The heart…” Zhang Ruo Xi frowned, then suddenly, her expression shifted, “Old Ban, didn’t you say that the core region is where…” Before she could finish speaking, two dots of glowing red light shone out from the distance. It was unobstructed by the strange fog, so they could see it very clearly. An extreme chill filled the air as a frigid domain enveloped Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban, causing them to shiver. “Ah…!” She cried out, as she had discovered that the glowing red dots were actually a pair of eyes. They seemed to be filled with unimaginable anger and seemed to be pouring out blood. Just one glance at them was enough to petrify a person. “The Ghost King!” Yang Kai murmured. Instead of looking away, he unleashed his vast Spiritual Energy, which turned into a pure Soul Attack and flew directly toward the Ghost King. After the silent collision, his face slightly paled. The red lights flashed with smugness as its power didn’t falter but increased instead, and it suddenly charged forth, seemingly intent on taking advantage of its victory to crush Yang Kai to dust. Immediately, Yang Kai’s mind sank into chaos. He felt as though he had plunged into Hell’s purgatory, surrounded by horrifying, hostile Ghosts. Their strange calls filled their ears as they tried to bite and claw at him, to seize him and drink his blood and eat his flesh. They were truly disgusting, hideous, and terrible. “Demon Eye of Annihilation!” Yang Kai no longer dared to hold back. His right eye instantly turned golden in colour, shining with majestic brilliance. From his golden pupil, a strange force flowed out, dispelling the illusion and stabilizing his mind. Not only that, but there was a strange attraction from his right eye, like a bottomless abyss, that sought to pull the Ghost King inside and trap it forever. “Hmph!” From the depths of the strange fog, a cold snort rang out. It seemed that the Ghost King was a little angry because of Yang Kai’s counterattack and a dark wind began to blow, causing the chill in the air to suddenly intensify, physically freezing the earth around them. Amidst the wailing, translucent ghost claws erupted from the earth and grabbed at the three people’s ankles. The changes happened almost instantaneously, and old Ban and Zhang Ruo Xi weren’t strong enough to resist them, so as soon as the Ghost King snorted, they fell into a state of confusion and seemed to lose consciousness, simply staring forward without any other reaction. Yang Kai reached out and lifted them up while shouting to the Ghost King, “Ghost King, we are just escaping the thunder tide and passed here by accident. We don’t mean to disturb you. Please allow us to pass.” “Keke…” The Ghost King’s grating laughter resounded from all directions, making it impossible to tell where it originated from. At the same time, the two red lights in the fog disappeared. The Ghost King had erased its presence. The Yin Souls that had disappeared, due to the falling thunder, emerged again and hid in the strange fog. They swarmed around Yang Kai’s group, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The ghost claws that had come out of the ground gradually solidified and continued to target Yang Kai, but they all retreated with a hiss after coming into contact with his Emperor Qi. Yang Kai turned his head and stared in a certain direction and coldly snorted, “I suggest that you don’t get complacent, Ghost King!” With this, the Ghost King was completely enraged, and a huge ghost claw suddenly emerged from the depths of the strange fog. It slashed down on Yang Kai like a tall mountain, the claw itself seemingly sharp enough to tear through space. “You’re overestimating yourself!” Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy surged forth, and a column of light shot out from his forehead. Instead of going upwards to meet the ghost claw, it went in another direction, transforming into a long sabre that cut through the air. Soul Splitting Sabre, Heaven Severing Slash! As the attack landed, a shrill wail sounded from within the strange fog. At the same time, the huge ghost claw above Yang Kai’s head flickered and disappeared, along with countless ghost hands rising up from under the ground. The Yin Souls gathered around them were stunned for a moment, and then they screamed and scattered. In the blink of an eye, their surroundings returned to peace, as though no fight had happened at all. Yang Kai knew that if it weren’t for this display of strength, the Ghost King wouldn’t have retreated. Moreover, the fact that his Secret Technique, Heaven Severing Slash, executed with an attack from his Soul Emperor Artifact, had only injured the Ghost King somewhat, was astounding. As expected, this Ghost King hidden within the strange fog would be difficult to deal with. If it weren’t for their circumstances, Yang Kai wouldn’t have bothered to waste so many words trying to negotiate; however, since they were amid the strange fog, he really didn’t want to fight unless absolutely necessary. As soon as the Ghost King retreated, Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban woke up. Evidently, they understood what just happened to them and their hearts pounded as cold sweat dripped down their foreheads. “Time is running out. We must hurry!” Old Ban didn’t ask why the Ghost King retreated and simply continued to lead the way. The sound of the Astral Wind was approaching, and if they failed to find a shelter by the time it arrived, they would certainly die. Old Ban observed the landscape from time to time, occasionally changing direction. In the beginning, he seemed to be hesitant, unsure whether he was going in the right direction, but after a while, he suddenly began to go faster and no longer hesitated as much. Seeing this, Yang Kai knew that he had found the right path again. After all, Old Ban was so familiar with this place that even if they went off-track for a while, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to return to the right path. As time went by, a gentle breeze began to blow. It wasn’t strong, but it made one’s skin sting, as though cut by a small knife. But if this light breeze was already like this, one could only imagine how painful the Astral Wind would be once he truly began to blow. Both Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi could tell that Old Ban was right; the Astral Wind was definitely a more terrible disaster than the thunder tide. Although the falling thunder was deadly, it fell sporadically and was easy to find a safe place to hide from. However, with the Astral Wind, the entire passageway was a danger zone. The wind gradually picked up. For Yang Kai, who had tough skin and strong cultivation, it was still manageable; however, Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban had to push their Source Qi to protect themselves from the Astral Wind’s effects. “Over there!” Old Ban suddenly exclaimed with joy, pointing in a certain direction and immediately picking up his pace, “Hopefully, there is still room there!” Before Yang Kai understood what he meant by ‘room,’ he saw Old Ban’s body flash and reappear where he had pointed. Yang Kai quickly followed suit with Zhang Ruo Xi and found that the place Old Ban had pointed at was actually a cave. Strangely enough, everything seemed to be restored to normal upon entering the cave. Their vision was perfectly restored, and even the strange fog was gone. Only a faint whistling sound of the wind could be heard. Looking around, the cave was quite narrow and spanned about fifteen metres in depth and would become crowded with ten people inside. Before the arrival of Yang Kai and his group, six cultivators had already taken shelter here. These people obviously knew about the Astral Wind, so they found a safe haven early and hid in it, waiting for the storm to pass.