The time law fragment rested in Ye Kaishan's hand as he stood before the space-time skill tree. He examined the fragment—it appeared to be a broken piece of an artifact, resembling the head of something once whole.
Ye Kaishan slowly released the fragment. It drifted toward the skill tree, and the moment it touched the trunk, it instantly fused with the tree—like a drop of water disappearing into a vast sea.
The space-time skill tree glowed with a vibrant green luster. The leaves on the branch representing time flourished, growing with incredible vitality. At the same time, Ye Kaishan himself radiated a gentle blue-green light.
"It seems the time fragment has integrated successfully," he thought. "My control over the time ability has significantly improved. Though... it's a pity I didn't gain any new powers."
The space-time skill tree now bore four active abilities. The time element had grown notably stronger, its green leaves thick with concentrated time laws. Ye Kaishan smiled, pleased with the progress. The time laws were now not only easier to manipulate but also far more powerful than before.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on a bed.
"Hm? Where is Song Yan?" he murmured.
He got up and stepped outside. A large tree stood nearby—the same one where he had spent half a month resting. Under it, Song Yan was speaking with Wang Li and several other cultivators.
"So that's what happened," Song Yan said, listening intently as Wang Li and the others recounted their tale: how they had fallen into Lee Xiao's trap, been chased by the old witch, and finally arrived here, only to be captured by Ye Kaishan.
Song Yan nodded solemnly. "It's truly fortunate you all survived that witch," she said with a sigh. "Not many could."
"But there's something strange," Wang Li added. "I never saw the Dao companion of that old witch."
Song Yan paused, feigning contemplation. "He's likely long dead," she replied. "That old witch has been devouring the souls of ghosts and wandering spirits to maintain her cultivation."
Wang Li accepted this explanation easily. It was consistent with the behavior of someone from the devil path. Devouring souls to sustain power wasn't uncommon among their kind.
"I forgot to introduce myself," Wang Li said. "My name is Wang Li, and this is my maid, Li Xu. We're from the Wang family."
"I'm Song Yan, from the Song family," Song Yan replied with a polite nod.
She quickly assessed the situation. Lee Xiao of the Ghost Sect... she was a problem—one that Song Yan had been avoiding. While she and Ye Kaishan could conceal themselves, a head-on confrontation with Lee Xiao would be dangerous.
"Do you know her current cultivation level?" Song Yan asked Wang Li and her maid.
"It should be early Soul Creation stage," they responded.
"Even if her soul is forged, it would still be difficult to kill someone four realms above her," Song Yan mused. "But… not impossible."
"So, can you defend yourselves if she comes after you?" she asked.
"Yes, yes! Sister Wang and Sister Xu can fight her!" Yang Mon interrupted before Wang Li could respond. "Sister Xu is really strong."
Song Yan looked at Yang Mon and smiled. "Are you from the Yang family?"
"Yes. Me and Sister Bing are from the Yang family," Yang Mon replied. "And my name is Luo Xuan, from the Luo family," added the boy beside them.
Song Yan nodded slightly. "Ah... the twin sisters of the Yang family," she muttered to herself.
"Is something wrong?" Yang Bing asked, noticing Song Yan's thoughtful expression.
"Nothing," Song Yan replied smoothly, hiding her smile behind a calm facade.
"Yes," she said after a pause. "As Yang Mon mentioned, my maid and I can handle Lee Xiao. But if more Ghost Sect members get involved, that changes things."
Song Yan was right to be concerned. If Ghost Sect reinforcements appeared, their group would be at serious risk. The commotion caused by the old witch had surely attracted attention—it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
She bit her lip in thought. "How many of them are above the Forging Realm?" she wondered. "Even if I defeat one or two... if the rest come, we won't stand a chance."
"Don't overthink it," came a calm voice behind her.
Startled, Song Yan turned around to see Ye Kaishan standing nearby.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"I'm fine now."
"And the time fragment?" she asked through a soul transmission, ensuring no one else could hear.
"It's integrated with me," he replied.
She frowned, filled with questions. How had he subdued the fragment? How did he merge with it? But now wasn't the time for interrogation, so she let the matter drop and turned back to Wang Li and the others.
"He is my Dao companion—his name is Ye Kaishan. I assume you all know him," Song Yan said.
"Yes, we've met him," Yang Mon said coldly from behind Yang Bing, clearly holding a grudge.
Ye Kaishan sighed inwardly. "The first woman in two lifetimes who curses me daily," he thought. For the past half-month, there hadn't been a single day without Yang Mon's curses ringing in his ears.
Still, he greeted everyone calmly. "Please don't misunderstand me. If I hadn't restrained you, the old witch would've attacked and killed all of us."
"Yes, thank you, Brother Ye," Yang Bing said sincerely. "It's because of you that we survived the witch's pursuit."
"Oh, it was nothing," Ye Kaishan said modestly. In truth, it was the first time he'd ever killed someone. The feeling still made him uncomfortable.
"Sister Song," Wang Li spoke up, "may I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"When we were captured, Brother Ye used a power that restrained both me and my maid. She's also in early Soul Creation. What kind of elemental energy or law did you use?"
"My source law is space," Song Yan said plainly. "Just like Ye Kaishan. He also controls the space laws."
"What?! Space laws?" Wang Li and her maid gasped in shock.
Yang Mon, Yang Bing, and Luo Xuan didn't react as strongly. In the southern region of the Soulspirit Continent, space laws were rare and poorly understood—most only knew they were used in storage items like space rings.
But Wang Li, from the powerful northern Wang family, had heard of space laws and their terrifying potential.
"You pursue space laws?" Wang Li asked again, stunned.
"Yes," Song Yan confirmed.
Now it all made sense to Wang Li—why she hadn't sensed any elemental energy. Space was a unique and rare law.
Wang Li's heart raced. Though she had never seen someone who controlled space laws before, she had heard of their destructive might from her elders.
Forcing herself to calm down, Wang Li asked, "Sister Song, what are your plans after leaving the Ghost Territory?"
"I'm heading to Yaochi," Song Yan answered.
Wang Li nodded regretfully. "What a pity," she murmured. She had hoped to recruit Song Yan and Ye Kaishan into the Wang family, but if Song Yan had a path of her own, Wang Li wouldn't interfere.
"It looks like I came at the right time," a voice suddenly echoed across the black mountains.
Everyone tensed and looked up.
From the sky, a volley of arrows rained down toward them.
Ye Kaishan narrowed his eyes. Activating his space laws, he instantly teleported everyone to the foot of the black mountain, avoiding the attack.
"So, you really do control space," sneered a voice from above.
Lee Xiao and Lee Mo hovered in the sky, staring down at Song Yan and Ye Kaishan.
Song Yan looked up coldly. There were at least twenty enemies. Five were at the Soul Body Realm; the others were all late-stage Forging Realm.
Ye Kaishan, in contrast, remained completely calm.