Although the battle was fierce, it ended quickly. Everyone used all their skills and dared not hold back at all.

Ruan Bei and his group dared not delay, nor could they afford to. This was Ghost King Forest, and they didn't know how many ghosts were hiding in the nearby forests, or how many were eyeing them covetously.

Therefore, they could only use swift and decisive measures to eliminate the first wave of invading enemies who dared to offend them, in order to deter the villains lurking in the shadows.

In the end, none of the ghosts that attacked them escaped alive.

The malevolent ghost he encountered during the day was Ruan Bei's primary target, and he blasted it into a scattered cloud of yin energy with a thunder talisman.

Some ghosts, sensing something was wrong, tried to escape but were trapped by Lao Bai and Xiao Tong, the girl from Jiao Yan's team. Finally, once the others had a chance to free up their hands, they were all wiped out.

The battle had just ended, and no one dared to let their guard down. Ruan Bei, in particular, didn't even dare to blink, staring intently at the dark forest.

Although he has the ability to see ghosts, the dim lighting around him affects his vision, and he can't see clearly in places that are too far away.

Fifteen minutes later, no more ghosts appeared, and the few ghosts that Ruan Bei could see slowly drifted away, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because they witnessed their tough methods and knew that this was a tough nut to crack, and also because of Jiao Yan's great-uncle's influence, the latter half of the night passed peacefully.

Because they didn't get a good night's rest, everyone was a bit tired the next day, but there was nothing they could do. The competition was almost over anyway, and once they got the results, they could have a good rest for a few days.

Jiao Yan went to see his great-uncle and made the round trip in half a day, but that doesn't mean the Ghost General's territory is only this big.

He was led in a straight line, and it wasn't until he had walked quite a distance that his great-uncle came to see him. Otherwise, he doesn't know how long it would have taken him to walk on his own two legs.

Ruan Bei and his team were searching for people by following the route left by the second group of rescuers who entered the area. In order to find the young people who entered the first group, they took roundabout routes and changed directions, but their purpose was to search rather than move forward.

So Ruan Bei and his group walked for a whole day, but they didn't go very far as the crow flies.

The next morning, they still found nothing, and both teams were getting anxious.

With less than two days left until the end of the competition, and no signal in the forest, they couldn't submit their mission even if they completed it. They needed to allocate at least half a day to travel and leave Ghost King Forest.

With this calculation, they only have less than a day left to search for the person. It's too dark at night, and even a powerful flashlight won't work. So, they only have less than twelve hours to complete the mission.

Jiao Yan's tightly furrowed brows never relaxed. He had proposed this task, and for it he used his family connections and even got Ruan Bei to provide more than a dozen Yin Qi talismans.

Even if the mission fails, Ruan Bei won't ask him to compensate for the talismans, but if he really gets nothing, it will be a big blow to Jiao Yan.

They hadn't slept well the night before, and their food was also poor. Ghost King Forest was filled with heavy yin energy and dampness, so they didn't light a fire and just ate some compressed biscuits to fill their stomachs.

For cultivators like them, unless their cultivation methods are special, staying in such an environment with heavy yin energy is particularly uncomfortable, especially for someone like Yin Kai who is sensitive to yin energy; he felt somewhat listless.

They searched for several more hours in the afternoon without stopping. By four or five o'clock, the sky in Ghost King Forest was getting darker and darker, and the atmosphere in the team was extremely heavy.

Mao Xiaoqian lost all interest in joking and was listless and dispirited.

As darkness fell, Wang Yunbo, the man from Jiao Yan's team who had nearly fallen down the stairs that night, stopped and said impatiently, "This won't do. Are we just going to search aimlessly everywhere? Isn't this a waste of time?"

Conan wiped his sweat but didn't say anything.

If they had a way, they would have used it already; they had considered every possible method before entering the forest.

Jiao Yan was already in a bad mood, and now he was even more irritable. His face darkened and he wanted to curse.

Before Ruan Bei and his team could say anything, their own men couldn't hold on any longer. How could they possibly give their captain any face?

Ruan Bei was also exhausted. He cleared his foggy mind and hesitated, "How about we try asking the ghosts?"

Others: "...?"

Apart from Ruan Bei, none of the others had ever considered this idea. The reason for this was that they had been taught from a young age that Taoist priests and ghosts were in opposition.

Moreover, unlike Ruan Bei, who has the ability to see ghosts and communicate with spirits, they can't even see clearly. Who would talk to a ball of air?

The Eye-Opening Talisman isn't easy to draw, and even if you use it, you still have to catch the ghosts you need to catch, so why waste it?

However, Conan and the others had seen many instances of Ruan Bei communicating with ghosts without any obstacles. There were one or two that were not particularly vicious and did not intend to cause harm. Ruan Bei listened carefully to their arguments and even made special notes about them.

So when he said that, his teammates immediately wavered.

Wang Yunbo couldn't help but pour cold water on the idea: "Are ghosts so easy to talk to? What if they take the opportunity to attack us? Even if we win, wouldn't it be a waste of time?"

"If this won't work and that won't work, then what do you suggest we do?" Mao Xiaoqian had been holding back all day and was quite angry, so naturally he sided with Ruan Bei.

The mission was at a dead end, and Ruan Bei kindly offered a suggestion. But this person not only didn't appreciate it, but kept nagging and complaining. He was really annoying.

Wang Yunbo was so angry at being rebuked that he took a step forward, and it looked like they were about to start arguing.

"Yunbo!" Jiao Yan stopped his team members and looked at Conan: "What's your team's opinion?"

On behalf of his teammates, Conan firmly stated, "We believe in Xiao Bei."

"Then let's give it a try." Jiao Yan said coldly, "It can't get any worse than this."

He was unwilling to accept that he had wasted three precious days of competition time, spent his favors, and used up Ruan Bei's talismans. With so much investment, he had received nothing in return.

"I happen to have three Yin Qi talismans left, which I can use as payment to see if any ghosts are willing to help." Ruan Bei patted his waist pouch, thankfully he had bargained and kept three.

Now there's only one problem left: how to tell which ghosts are trustworthy and willing to help.

The group looked at each other, all avoiding the ghost. For the time being, they were unsure which direction to go if they wanted to find the ghost.

Ruan Bei didn't dare to shake the bell carelessly, as the Soul-Capturing Bell is somewhat aggressive towards ghosts, and using it casually could be misunderstood as provocation.

Last night's situation doesn't count; both sides were fighting, so ghosts with no malicious intent wouldn't get close and wouldn't be affected.

Yin Kai licked his chapped lips, his forehead covered in beads of sweat: "I know which direction the ghost is in."

The direction he felt more uncomfortable was where ghosts lurked.

Now that we have a solution, we should act immediately without delay.

Yin Kai led the way. Ghost King Forest was full of ghosts, and soon shadowy ghostly figures appeared ahead.

Ruan Bei examined it carefully and was pleasantly surprised to find that one of the ghosts was the one he had seen yesterday. It was the one who had persuaded the other ghosts to leave, saying that Jiao Yan was a descendant of the ghost general and should not be killed.

Since he said that, it means he knows Uncle Jiao Yan, which is more convenient than knowing other ghosts he doesn't know at all.

Ruan Bei told his teammates about his discovery, and everyone was very happy, thinking that they could try to make contact with the ghost.

They stopped not far from where the ghosts gathered, neither leaving nor getting closer, which had already attracted the attention of those ghosts.

However, the ghosts did not avoid it. Ghost King Forest was their territory. They were already doing their best not to take action out of respect for the Ghost General. Asking them to hide from these little kids was a pipe dream!

After discussing it, Ruan Bei and the others decided that Ruan Bei and Jiao Yan would negotiate on their behalf. Jiao Yan would have connections, and Ruan Bei would be able to communicate with ghosts; both were indispensable.

Although the others were a little uneasy, they knew that such a large group of them getting too close would agitate the ghosts, so they had no choice but to do so to show their sincerity.

His teammates repeatedly reminded him that safety comes first, and if they couldn't reach an agreement, they should come back immediately.

They watched as Ruan Bei and Jiao Yan walked towards the ghosts, their hands unconsciously tightening their grip on the magical artifacts.

"What do you want to do?" Before Ruan Bei and Jiao Yan even got close, one of the ghosts looked over with a cold face.

Ruan Bei raised his hand to show that he meant no harm, and did not move forward. From a distance of about ten steps, he shouted to them, "We want to discuss something with you."

The ghosts were taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "What do you exorcists have to talk to us ghosts about? Do you want to become ghosts together?"

Ruan Bei shook his head and said bluntly, "I don't want to. Being human is great. I don't want to die."

The ghost's laughter stopped abruptly, but the other ghosts laughed even harder.

After they finished laughing and got bored, Ruan Bei asked him what he really wanted to do, and only then did he honestly reveal his purpose.

"You want us to help you find someone?" The ghosts' faces clearly said, "You're dreaming."

Ruan Bei pulled out a Yin Qi talisman and showed it to them: "I won't ask you for help for nothing. Can I take this as payment?"

The Yin energy contained in the Yin energy talisman is transformed from the talisman master's spiritual energy, and it is extremely pure, making it especially appealing to ghosts.

Immediately, two people with weak willpower looked at the talisman and were eager to try it out.

Ruan Bei quickly stuffed the Yin Qi Talisman into Jiao Yan's hand and patted the man on the shoulder: "You know him, right? He is a descendant of your Ghost General. Helping him is the same as helping the Ghost General, right? Consider the Yin Qi Talisman a gift from me to you all."

To cooperate with Ruan Bei, Jiao Yan took a picture of himself with an eye-opening talisman before he arrived, which was provided by Conan.

He nodded immediately: "Yes, my great-uncle, that is, Lord Ghost General, has a very good relationship with my dad."

The ghost we'd seen before sneered, "You want us to share a single talisman? Who do you think you are?"

He knew that the kid had given a stack of Yin Qi talismans to the Ghost General.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Bei thought, "There's a chance!"

If they're not worried about the low pay, it means they're open to negotiation.

Since he only had a few left, there was no room for bargaining, so he simply took them all out and said frankly, "I only have three left. As long as they can help us find the person, I'll give them all to you without any problem. If you still feel it's not enough, then how about this: we arrange a time for you to meet me at the entrance of Ghost King Forest, and I'll give you some more, okay?"

He didn't intend to renege on his debt; once he returned and saw Qin Gu, he wouldn't be short of talismans.

Moreover, even for the sake of the remaining Yin Qi Talismans they hadn't obtained, these ghosts would do their best to help them complete the task.

The ghosts exchanged glances. They were in the Ghost King Forest, where there was no shortage of yin energy, but there was nothing else besides yin energy!

This yin energy is impure, even quite turbid, and contains a lot of impurities when inhaled, which is very annoying.

"...Let's discuss this!" Most of the ghosts were tempted and immediately floated to the side to discuss it.

Ruan Bei was delighted. He wasn't afraid of their discussion; at this point, all that remained was to discuss the compensation.