226: Hey bro, you even know how to use the Golden Cudgel?

Ye Bai blocked Meng Ziyi just in time, swinging the Iron Rod to interrupt its attack, but the attack still landed on Meng Ziyi's chest.

"Hiss—" Meng Ziyi gasped, her cheeks flushed red.

Ye Bai frowned, pushed her aside, and then raised the Iron Rod, stabbing it into the air. His speed was astonishingly fast; the Iron Rod turned into an afterimage, shattering the Skulls of several Vengeful Spirits.

Deafening thunder sliced through the night sky. Ye Bai looked up and saw a bolt of silver lightning strike down, illuminating the entire world.

"Why is there still lightning this late?" Meng Ziyi murmured.

Ye Bai was also stunned. Although he didn't understand TV dramas, he had basic common sense. The moonlight tonight was beautiful, and stars twinkled in the sky; it didn't look like a day for wind or rain.

Just then, Yang Mi grabbed his sleeve, trembling, "Teacher... I-I'm scared..."

Ye Bai patted her shoulder reassuringly: "It's nothing, just ordinary lightning."

Yang Mi looked doubtful, but her expression remained panicked.

At that moment, Meng Ziyi suddenly reached out and pulled Ye Bai.

"Teacher, I have a bad feeling about this. Let's retreat first!" she said.

Ye Bai shook his head: "It's too dangerous to leave now. What if there are enemies lying in ambush nearby?"

"But..."

"No buts!" Ye Bai stated firmly.

Just then, a bolt of lightning struck down, illuminating the dark woods. Yang Mi shrieked in terror and fear, covering her head and crouching on the ground. Meng Ziyi was also scared, shrinking back against the wall.

Ye Bai gritted his teeth and looked into the air. He saw a group of ferocious Ghosts suspended above them, looking down!

Each of them had their own appearance, their clothes fluttering, their faces ghastly!

"Ah—" Meng Ziyi cried out and fainted.

Yang Mi also slumped to the ground, utterly terrified.

Ye Bai gripped the Iron Rod, watching them coldly, without the slightest hint of fear. He even curled his lips into a smile, as if he hadn't seen these Ghosts.

At this point, the foremost Ghost suddenly rushed over, attempting to take their lives.

Ye Bai snorted coldly, raised the Iron Rod, and with lightning speed, smashed the opponent's head.

That Ghost let out a miserable shriek, and its form dissipated.

The remaining Ghosts became cautious.

Ye Bai knew that they had to be dealt with quickly at a time like this.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated his spirit.

In an instant, the energy between heaven and earth surged wildly into his body. Ye Bai opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and cold, sweeping over the Ghosts like a sharp blade, decisive in killing. His aura suddenly became extraordinarily fierce and terrifying, making him impossible to look at directly.

He slowly moved his body, raised the Iron Rod, and fiercely stabbed through the robber's abdomen, pinning him to the ground.

After completing this, he quickly turned around to prevent the Ghosts from escaping.

Seeing this, the other Ghosts gathered around. Ye Bai raised the Iron Rod and forcefully jabbed it toward the sky, sending a bloody Skull flying upward. With a wave of his hand, the Skull fell into his palm.

He stared at the Skull in his hand, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.

"So it's a Skull Ghost," Ye Bai murmured. "This thing isn't powerful enough; it can only take down one."

He composed his expression and calmly yet swiftly dealt with another Ghost.

Just then, his right eye twitched. He paused slightly, immediately looked down to check, but couldn't see anything unusual.

Ye Bai narrowed his eyes. After thinking for a second, he ignored it and focused wholeheartedly on dealing with the surrounding Ghosts.

He killed five Ghosts in total.

He stopped and looked around, only to see many Corpse Remains lying scattered across the ground.

Ye Bai picked up two long rods and set them aside, then picked up a Dagger and used it to cut the ropes.

"Waaah! Help!" Yang Mi cried out in panic after being untied, "Teacher! Why did you stop paying attention to me?"

"These skeleton are the skeleton of living people. They died unnatural deaths, and their resentment is extremely heavy," Ye Bai said calmly. "That's why they targeted you and Zimo. Don't be afraid. As long as I am here, I absolutely won't let you get hurt."

"Teacher, thank you for saving us," Meng Ziyi said tearfully and gratefully. "If it weren't for you..."

Her face was covered in tears, looking pitiful and lovable.

Ye Bai sighed and said softly, "It's alright now. Stay close to me."

Meng Ziyi nodded hastily: "Okay, okay."

Yang Mi, however, looked a bit lost.

"Teacher," she asked hesitantly, "Are you especially brave?"

Ye Bai smiled: "Of course."

"Then I will follow you from now on!" Her eyes lit up, and she said happily, "I will be your obedient and loyal student!"

"You're an interesting child," Ye Bai chuckled. "However, we don't have time to play around right now. Let's quickly leave this place."

"Okay!"

They hurried along the mountain road, running into many Ghosts along the way, but Ye Bai ignored them all, bypassing them directly.

Finally, after several close calls, they arrived at a flat area surrounded by tall, straight mountain walls.

Meng Ziyi panted, "Are we finally rid of them?"

"Mm." Ye Bai glanced around, confirmed there was no danger, and took out the divination compass from his backpack: "Now that we've found the way out, if we follow the signpost north, we can leave the valley."

Hearing this, Yang Mi sighed in relief and said, "That's great. I thought I was going to be stuck here forever."

As soon as she finished speaking, the divination compass needle suddenly shook violently, then abruptly stopped!

Ye Bai's expression changed drastically: "Damn it! The place the divination compass is pointing to is actually a Restricted Area!"

A Restricted Area? Hearing this term, Meng Ziyi and Yang Mi simultaneously turned pale: "What kind of place is a Restricted Area? What's there?"

Ye Bai said seriously: "According to the information I read from the Record of a Hundred Ghosts, that place is a long-abandoned Ancient Tomb. Legend says an ancient Great Demon was buried there a thousand years ago!"

"A Great Demon?" Meng Ziyi swallowed hard.

"Those Ghosts were all placed inside under a Seal. Moreover, that Tomb is located in a barren land, where the Yin Qi is extremely heavy. An ordinary person entering would immediately die violently, so I suspect the Tomb definitely contains many mechanisms and traps."

"Then won't it be very difficult for us to break out?" Meng Ziyi asked worriedly.

"We can wait," Ye Bai said. "We'll wait until night, then sneak in under the cover of darkness to find a way to break through."

Meng Ziyi whispered, "It's so late... I'm scared."

Yang Mi also said, "I'm scared too."

Ye Bai glanced at them, seeming to realize something, and said, "In that case, I'll go scout ahead. You two stay here and don't run around, understand?"

Meng Ziyi quickly grabbed him and shook her head: "No! We can't leave you alone, Teacher!"

Yang Mi agreed: "Exactly. What if you run into danger?"