111: Enemy Appearance

"Of course, it wasn't a wasted trip. At the very least, we now know that the demonic cultivators slaughtering villages is a verified fact, and we know the specific location. We don't need to wait for the Du Pang Dynasty's investigation results anymore; we can head straight there," Yang Kai said, not dejected like Zi Ning, but rather appearing quite spirited.

Zi Ning waved her hand dismissively. Her mind was simple, and she didn't like to dwell on such brain-taxing matters. Since Yang Kai already had a plan, she summoned a gorgeous carriage once again and sat in it. Yang Kai skillfully took his seat at the front of the carriage, taking control of this brand-new Magic Treasure.

"Hum!"

As Yang Kai injected his magical power into it, the carriage immediately floated up. A transparent Formation barrier formed around the carriage, isolating the inside from the outside. Then, under Yang Kai's control, the carriage gradually flew off in one direction.

While controlling the carriage, Yang Kai took out the map Meng Yun had left for him and silently compared it with the location mentioned by Yang Tinglan earlier. Finding no discrepancies, he set his mind at ease. The flight speed of this carriage was only eighty percent of the original Cloud Shuttle, but that Cloud Shuttle had already been destroyed within the imperial city of the Du Pang Dynasty, and there was no better alternative for the time being. Fortunately, the incident location was not too far from here, so flying there slowly wouldn't delay them much.

On the soft seat at the back of the carriage, Zi Ning was sleeping peacefully. Although she hadn't done much these past few days, it had been exceptionally mentally exhausting. She didn't know what situations they would encounter next, so she needed to quickly rest up and regain her energy.

At this moment, having finished handling everything, Yang Kai felt a bit bored. Now that his cultivation and Physical Body had reached a level that was difficult to improve in the short term—after entering the Gathering Yuan Realm and breaking through the third stage of his Body Refining Cultivation Technique—the Spiritual Qi required to refine each acupuncture point was immense. Even if he were to Cultivate by absorbing Top-Grade Spirit Stones, it would be hard to achieve quick results. Moreover, he only had three Top-Grade Spirit Stones. However, the System's tenfold rebate was about to recover. When that happened, these three Top-Grade Spirit Stones would instantly transform into thirty Top-Grade Spirit Stones. This quantity was likely something even an ordinary Nascent Soul old monster couldn't produce, right?

Just as Yang Kai was feeling proud of himself, he suddenly remembered what he could do at this moment.

"Wraith!" Yang Kai called out softly in his heart. A figure, turbid and somewhat ethereal, like a shadow, appeared before Yang Kai.

Yang Kai glanced back slightly at Zi Ning and discovered that she had not awakened and was still sleeping. He manipulated the carriage's Formation, creating a silver light barrier that separated him and Zi Ning, cutting off the connection between the inside and outside. Without Yang Kai's consent, Zi Ning would not be able to see what was happening outside this light barrier.

After doing all this, Yang Kai examined the Wraith again. Within its turbid and ethereal form, a golden light faintly flickered. Looking closely, a long, thin golden line was engraved in the core of its body, running through its entire being. This was a somewhat crude main meridian he had hastily constructed last time. After many days, the golden line had become somewhat blurry and flickering. If another month passed, he feared not even a trace would be visible.

"Since it will still be a while before we arrive, why not refine this Wraith again? When those demonic cultivators see that their opponent is actually a Wraith, I imagine their expressions will be quite spectacular." Yang Kai had an evil smile on his face as he began to engrave the entire meridian circulation paths recorded in the Demon Sect's foundational Cultivation Technique, the Ascension Heart Sutra, onto the Wraith once more.

The next day, at noon.

"Yang Kai, aren't we there yet? I've slept several times already. What shady business are you doing outside, sealing me off like this!" Hearing Zi Ning knocking on the light barrier and her dissatisfied voice, Yang Kai glanced at the Wraith in front of him. By now, the golden lines within the Wraith's body had developed many more branches. However, Yang Kai's magical power was limited, and it was difficult to engrave all the Meridians within a single day. Still, as more Meridians were engraved, the Wraith's form had become much more solid.

Yang Kai slowly restrained his magical power and summoned the Wraith back into his body. With a wave of his sleeve, the silver light barrier suddenly vanished. Regaining her freedom, Zi Ning immediately walked out, sat beside Yang Kai, and looked at him with a hint of annoyance.

"Sorry, I got too absorbed in my Cultivation and forgot about you." Yang Kai rubbed his nose and told a tall tale.

Zi Ning let out a "Tch," with an expression that said, "As if I'd believe that!" Then she asked, "Where are we?"

"Let me check." Yang Kai unfolded the map he was carrying. After comparing it with the markings on the map, he looked at Zi Ning and said, "Looking at the thick mist that hangs over these mountains and never dissipates, we should have entered the territory of Wusong County now. In a while, we'll find a village or town to ask around, and we'll know the specific location."

As he was speaking, Yang Kai's Divine Sense continuously spread out in all directions. Soon, he discovered traces of human habitation ahead. He immediately perked up, controlled the carriage to slow down, and flew slowly at a height of over a zhang above the ground, searching for a target.

"Found it." After flying for another distance, human figures finally appeared in Yang Kai's Divine Sense, and he adjusted the carriage to fly toward that location.

"Ah!" An old farmer who was hoeing the ground was stunned when a gorgeous carriage suddenly descended before him, and a man and a woman stepped out, causing him to cry out in shock.

"Old man, don't panic. We are Disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect, passing through here and wanting to ask about the specific location of this place." Yang Kai's attitude toward these Mortals was actually much gentler than toward the Du Pang Dynasty and the law-enforcement Disciples stationed within the Spirit Mountain. Seeing that Yang Kai and his companion looked kind, the old farmer set his mind at ease and invited Yang Kai to sit down.

Zi Ning scanned the surroundings and frowned slightly at the environment. Weeds were overgrown, rocks were piled up, and the terrain was not flat but uneven. She didn't know why this person would want to farm here and paid no heed to the old farmer's invitation. Yang Kai, on the other hand, sat on the ground with the old man with a smile, chatting idly.

"Old man, have there been any strange things happening in this county recently? For example, villagers in some villages dying in large numbers, or villagers from other villages running to another village to seek refuge, and so on." Yang Kai picked up a coarse teacup, took a sip of the dry, alkaline-tasting water, and asked.

"How could that be? Besides the county seat, there are thirteen villages and towns in Wusong County, and every village keeps in frequent contact. Take me, for instance; my son married a girl from Hanjiang Village. Just two days ago, my son brought his wife back to visit, and they brought me back quite a few local specialties. How could such a thing happen?" Hearing this, the old man shook his head repeatedly to deny it, scoffing at the suggestion.

"I see. Then I apologize for the intrusion, old man. We were just passing through. We'll be taking our leave now." A flash of coldness passed through Yang Kai's eyes upon hearing this, but he then stood up with a smile, called out to Zi Ning, and prepared to board the carriage to leave.

"Hmph! Since you've seen through it, then stay here!" Just as Zi Ning was feeling confused about why Yang Kai was suddenly leaving and wanted to ask, a sinister voice suddenly sounded in her ears. Countless black crows suddenly flew out from the forest, enveloping the two of them!