"Hmm?" After shouting the opening line, the figure noticed Ye Fan and the others on the ground.
The figure slowly descended and stopped not far in front of them.
"Cultivators?!" Upon realizing Ye Fan and the others were not ghost cultivators, the figure immediately turned to You Ci: "What is going on?"
"Third... Third Brother?" You Ci was completely bewildered.
Because the person before him was none other than the Third Brother who had left with the Sect Master.
Hadn't Third Brother perished along with the Sect Master?
The one who had attacked was right here.
"It's not the same person..." The Little Demoness nodded thoughtfully. "Although they look alike, this one is a bit more powerful than the one who died earlier."
Hearing the Little Demoness utter the word "died," this Third Brother once again looked at You Ci.
"Tell me, what exactly is going on?!"
"You Ci, you colluded with outsiders to enter the forbidden land, do you know the consequences!"
You Ci looked at the enraged Third Brother, then at the calm Ye Fan and the others.
He quietly shifted his feet, shrinking behind Ye Fan...
"I say, Third Brother, I think there might be some misunderstanding here." Ye Fan smiled amiably. "How about we sit down and talk properly?"
The only response Ye Fan received was the frenzied surge of ghostly energy from Third Brother.
The Little Demoness immediately stepped forward, raising her right hand.
"Take it easy, don't kill him," Ye Fan cautioned.
"Arrogant, dammit..."
Before Third Brother could finish his threat, he let out a startled cry.
After a dizzying spin, he found himself grabbed and brought before Ye Fan and the others...
He perfectly demonstrated the classic villain boss entrance.
But he failed to exhibit the classic follow-up...
His defeat was swift and caught everyone off guard...
"You are of the Demonic Path?!" Seeing the black demonic energy entwined around him, Third Brother exclaimed again.
"Third Brother, can we talk properly now?" Ye Fan asked with a smile.
"I admit defeat today!" Third Brother coldly snorted. "But you won't get anything out of me!"
Ye Fan's eyebrows shot up.
This impostor who suddenly appeared seemed tougher than the previous two?
This was very You Sha.
"Thank you." Ye Fan smiled kindly. "It just so happens I didn't have enough fun last time."
"Ye Fan..." The Little Demoness said with a tremor in her voice. "Are you... going to use that move again?"
Shan Ji and Xiang Jiao Jun also instinctively flinched.
"While I'm not a devil, you've seen it yourselves," Ye Fan pointed at the impostor Third Brother with a helpless expression. "He's so stubborn, I can't do anything about it, can I?"
Seeing Ye Fan actually admit it, the Little Demoness and the two demons turned away.
Perhaps feeling it wasn't safe enough, they retreated a significant distance...
"Bring on whatever tricks you have! If I so much as frown today, I'll take your name!" The impostor Third Brother shouted defiantly and fanatically, "The Ancestor is with me—!"
You Ci next to them looked curiously at the Little Demoness and the others, then at the smiling Ye Fan.
His intuition told him something powerful was about to happen...
Even the Little Demoness, whom he considered a terrifying overlord, had backed away, unwilling to watch. If he were rational, he should also avoid it.
But human curiosity was a powerful thing...
You Ci widened his eyes, afraid of missing any detail...
Ye Fan rubbed his hands excitedly.
"Since you're ready, let's begin."
Everyone in their life has likely done or experienced something they regret.
Upon recalling it, they can't help but sigh.
However, You Ci was an exception.
He had never felt any regret for things he had done or experienced.
Even when he personally killed his own father, he hadn't so much as blinked.
Ultimately, it was because he had no bottom line.
He would use any means to achieve his goals, caring only about the outcome, not the process.
Although such people are often scorned by the world, one cannot deny a fact.
That is, after abandoning their bottom line, they usually fare quite well.
But after experiencing the past quarter of an hour...
You Ci regretted it completely!
He regretted his curiosity just now.
He regretted seeing such a terrifying and disgusting scene...
"Ugh—!"
Unable to bear it any longer, You Ci ran to the side and began to retch violently.
This nausea was not visual, but a sense of disgust triggered by psychological terror.
But it was precisely because of this that it made him suffer even more...
"Alright." Ye Fan clapped his hands with satisfaction. "Now we can talk properly."
"What do you want to ask... No, don't come near... Don't come near me... I'll tell you everything... Please don't come near..."
The impostor Third Brother was no longer the iron-willed man he was before, having transformed into You Sha 2.0.
"Tell me about the jade pendant," Ye Fan asked with a smile. "You should know more than they did."
"Jade pendant? Oh, right, the jade pendant..." The impostor Third Brother began to speak intermittently.
However, his language was so jumbled that Ye Fan was utterly confused after listening for a long time.
After repeated inquiries, Ye Fan finally understood one thing.
This impostor Third Brother was actually the true Sect Master of the ghost cultivators!
The one who had died earlier was merely a subordinate who had usurped power.
And the Third Brother who had died before was his puppet substitute.
This true Sect Master had indeed had the fortune to study the jade pendant for a day, but it was later taken back by their Ancestor.
Afterward, the Ancestor left with the jade pendant, leaving behind only this forbidden land and its treasures like cultivation techniques and artifacts.
"Then take us to see the forbidden land," Ye Fan said with some frustration.
If they couldn't find any more clues inside the forbidden land, today's trip would have been in vain.
"Big Brother, Big Sister," Xiang Jiao Jun suddenly said. "Why don't you go in, I want to stay here."
"Forbidden lands sound exciting, maybe there are many valuable treasures?" The Little Demoness said with a speculative tone. "Outside, there are only these half-human, half-ghost creatures, what's so fun about that?"
"It's like this." Xiang Jiao Jun awkwardly touched his bald head. "With so many ready subjects outside, I want to further refine the soul-redeeming technique."
Hearing Xiang Jiao Jun's words, Ye Fan and the Little Demoness's minds conjured images of those dancing muscular figures...
"You make a lot of sense, keep up the good work!"
"Take your time, we're not in a hurry!"
With these words, Ye Fan and the Little Demoness fled with the true Sect Master...
Shan Ji didn't react as strongly as them.
Although he found Xiang Jiao Jun's dance peculiar, he inexplicably felt it was very powerful.
Brother Jiao wants to research a new ultimate move, and as his brother, he couldn't be absent, right?
Even if he couldn't offer any substantial help, at least he could offer comfort if his brother failed.
Brotherhood is sometimes as simple and pure as this!
"Fellow Daoist You Ci." Xiang Jiao Jun politely interrupted You Ci's retching. "Could I trouble you to gather your people?"
"Okay... okay..."