The next moment, the three ghost cultivators moved.
Their expressions, however, turned even more terrified.
Because they had no intention of moving; their bodies moved on their own!
The three ghost cultivators, with their own eyes, watched as their bodies bent down and reached for the demonic energy banana on the ground…
Their fingers finally touched the banana.
The three ghost cultivators were utterly despairing…
An unknown force surged into their bodies through their fingers, completely sealing their internal ghost energy!
They lost all control of their bodies…
The three ghost cultivators remained bent over, frozen in the pose of picking up the banana.
"Shan Ji… it's your turn," Banana-kun said, his voice strained, "I can't hold on for much longer…"
As he spoke, sweat dripped down his bald head.
The response was a sudden burst of raging flames!
The Vermilion Bird Divine Fire erupted, rolling towards the three ghost cultivators!
"Ah—!" Gui You's scream echoed from within the flames.
The reason Third Brother and Fifth didn't scream wasn't due to their incredible tolerance, but because they instantly turned to ash…
There was no time to scream…
When the flames dissipated, Gui You was completely blackened…
A faint smell of roasted rotten flesh permeated the air…
"The old guy's quite tough…" Shan Ji muttered, throwing another burst of flames.
After his upgrade, Shan Ji's endurance had clearly improved; he could now unleash the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire three times consecutively.
Yet, even after three divine fires, Gui You still hadn't fallen.
Even though his body was close to being charred carbon, he stubbornly maintained that posture of picking up soap… no, picking up the banana.
"Big sis, it's your turn."
The two demons said in unison, then both sat on the ground, panting heavily.
The little demoness beckoned, and Gui You's body flew uncontrollably towards her.
"Little Ji, Big Banana, I didn't expect you two to be so formidable," the little demoness exclaimed, "He was almost killed by you."
"Regarding the jade pendant, how much do you know?" Ye Fan switched to interrogation mode.
Gui You was clearly not as thoroughly brainwashed as You Sha; he didn't exhibit the fanatical cultist demeanor that You Sha had.
It made sense, though.
He was the sect leader, after all.
Brainwashing subordinates was one thing, but he wouldn't brainwash himself, would he…
"I am the sect leader of the ghost cultivator forces in… Ge City…" Gui You replied weakly, "Our base is located in… the Luoling Mountain Range, five thousand li south of the inner city…"
"I didn't ask where your den is," Ye Fan urged, fearing he might die any second, "Hurry up and tell me about the jade pendant."
"That jade pendant was… left by the ancestor…" Gui You stammered, "It contains… it contains…"
Before he could finish, Gui You's head lolled.
He had died without suspense…
Tiny specks of fluorescent light appeared and merged into Ye Fan's body.
"Uh… Big Brother…" Shan Ji found himself in an awkward situation, "I thought we weren't a match before, so I didn't hold back earlier…"
Shan Ji had originally believed that the opponent was three small realms above him, and even a full-force attack wouldn't do much.
Take that You Ci earlier, for example; he only sustained a superficial wound, right?
Who would have thought this old guy was so vulnerable to fire…
And he was supposedly at the seventh level of Void Integration, was that a lie…
It was also his own fault for being too excited while burning earlier; otherwise, he would have realized it with the first fire.
"Forget it…" Ye Fan rubbed his temples with a headache, "I'm not blaming you…"
Ye Fan felt very frustrated at the moment.
Fighting across realms was indeed impossible for cultivators, but for beings like the Vermilion Bird and the Tree of Life, it was considered standard practice.
If their cultivation were any higher, Gui You would have likely turned to ash with the first burst of fire.
And this ability to fight across realms would only increase as their cultivation improved.
However, he couldn't really blame them, as he had never informed them of this.
Never mind…
The only way forward was to visit their base.
Perhaps he could find some clues from what the ancestor had left behind…
Hmm…
He could only hope…
After disposing of Gui You's corpse, Ye Fan went out to gather information.
Gui You had only provided a general location; specific details would require the help of the locals in Ge City.
Fortunately, despite being a bit chaotic, Ge City's residents were just as practical as those outside; they cared about money.
And Ye Fan happened to be someone who wasn't lacking in funds: when those power banks were delivered, the little demoness had thoroughly ransacked every single one of them…
Judging by her greed, the little demoness was quite similar to Liang Ru Jing.
By the time they reached the location, it was already the next morning.
Although it was outside the inner city, the Luoling Mountain Range was still within the boundaries of Ge City.
Therefore, Ye Fan and the others were not restricted in their movements.
The Luoling Mountain Range stretched over three thousand li from east to west, and Ye Fan and the others spent a full seven to eight days traversing it.
They encountered many traveling cultivators and demon beasts, but found no trace of any sect.
"That's strange…" Ye Fan mumbled to himself, "Under those circumstances, Gui You wouldn't have lied…"
He was practically on his deathbed; he wouldn't just fabricate a lie to make them run around for nothing, would he?
Gui You was, after all, a cultivator in the Void Integration realm; he shouldn't have been that bored.
"Could there be some formation or illusionary array to hide their tracks?" the little demoness suggested, "Our sect used to have one."
"I've already checked; there's nothing," Ye Fan shook his head.
"Then it's strange…" the little demoness was also perplexed, "They couldn't have burrowed underground, could they?"
"That's actually a possibility!" Ye Fan's eyes lit up at her words, "When you were searching earlier, did you sense any ghost cultivator auras?"
"I didn't pay attention…" the little demoness shook her head, "But I think if there were, I would have detected it, as that smell is quite strong…"
"What about you?" Ye Fan looked at Banana-kun beside him.
"There was a faint trace…" Banana-kun rubbed his bald head, "But with all sorts of demon beasts here, I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, so I didn't say anything at the time."
"Lead the way!" Ye Fan was immediately relieved.
Since they had a specific location to search this time, the process was much faster.
After confirming that the first two locations were incorrect, the group proceeded to the third.
Banana-kun closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
Several green tendrils extended from his body, piercing into the rocks beneath the ground.
Two minutes later.
"Big Brother, I found it," Banana-kun retracted the green tendrils and opened his eyes, "The aura became stronger the deeper we went, but after a thousand zhang, it seemed to be blocked by something, and we couldn't penetrate further."