After taking out the yellow talisman, Li Hai's expression turned serious as he formed hand seals and chanted incantations.
After a few breaths, he let out a low, sharp cry:
"Armored Horse Spell, Haste!"
Under this low cry, the yellow talisman held between his fingers instantly ignited without fire, transforming from substance to void, becoming a wisp of formless Qi that danced and wrapped around his legs and feet.
Whoosh~
Then, Li Hai experienced what it felt like to have wind beneath his feet.
He, who had been walking at a normal human pace, suddenly saw his speed increase dozens of times, as if he were riding an invisible divine steed. His feet seemed to touch the ground and yet not touch it as he soared towards the continuous mountain range at the edge of the wilderness.
"Awesome! Hahaha~"
Bathing in the brilliant sunlight, Li Hai, whose legs and feet clearly hadn't moved an inch but who was flying at extreme speed, spread his arms and burst into laughter.
At the same time, while 'flying' close to the ground, the rays of sunlight covering his body miraculously transformed into wisps of Yang Qi, which were absorbed into his body and soul, undergoing three turns and nine refinements, turning into streams and bundles of formless Mana.
The reason why Li Hai could transform sunlight into Yang Qi and then refine it into Mana was because the sun hanging in the sky was the greatest source of Yang Qi in the world.
It was also because of the Heavenly Blaze Drawing Yang Technique he learned from Zhang Miaoji, whose core principle was to summon sunlight and transform Yang Qi.
As for the other technique, the Yuan Breath Refining Yang Method, which also contained the word 'Yang', it was a more important fundamental technique for converting Yang Qi into Mana.
Subsequently, with the assistance of the Armored Horse Spell, Li Hai traversed the entire wilderness in a short time without expending any physical energy or mental effort, reaching the continuous mountain range he had seen in the distance earlier.
Upon arriving here, the effect of the talisman also reached its end, and thus Li Hai's walking speed also dropped significantly to a normal level.
Although he could continue to use the Armored Horse Spell to travel, firstly, this spell was not suitable for mountainous and forested terrain, and secondly, his speed was actually not as fast as his own two legs.
So, after having his fill of using the Armored Horse Spell, he decided to walk the rest of the way himself.
And as a top Steel Grade Martial Path practitioner, when Li Hai utilized his physical energy, he was extremely formidable.
His body, though as robust as a tiger, could move like an illusion, swiftly and freely traversing between mountains and forests like lightning.
With just a light step, he could cross a distance of several dozen zhang.
At such a terrifying speed, Li Hai could walk on steep slopes or uneven depressions as if on flat ground.
Even if occasionally blocked by giant rocks or sheer cliffs, he only needed to step twice on their solid surfaces, crushing and cracking a few small indentations, to use the force to easily climb over the entire towering stone wall.
As Li Hai climbed over mountains and ridges, the surrounding mountains became increasingly treacherous, and the trees scattered in all directions also grew taller and denser.
These trees were tall and lush, with branches and leaves intertwined, forming large swathes of dark green canopy. Coupled with the thick or thin hazy mountain mist drifting around, the light in this mountain domain was as dim as twilight.
In this dark and gloomy mountain wilderness, Li Hai suddenly stopped his rapid pace and turned to look towards the southeast.
"The aura of a ghost."
He stared silently to the southeast, "Among them, there's also a strong living aura mixed in, and the two auras are intertwined and indistinguishable. How strange."
Ghosts are ghosts, and people are people. The two are distinctly separate, with no middle ground.
This has always been the view of the world, and it was also Li Hai's consistent understanding.
Even though he himself could freely transform between ghost and living person, he couldn't become a state of being both ghost and person.
But what about this aura that is both human and ghost, with the two blurring and merging without distinction?
"Strange, strange."
Li Hai muttered to himself, "Let me observe."
Saying this, he changed direction and sped towards the direction from which the non-human, non-ghost aura was coming.
Possessing the three perception-based techniques, Seeking Ghosts and Tracking Monsters, Qi Observation Art, and Yin Yang Eyes, Li Hai was very sensitive to the flow and changes of various auras in the external world.
Therefore, even though this strange aura was very faint, almost non-existent, Li Hai could still hold on tightly and follow the trail against the aura.
The process of dodging, shifting, traversing forests, and crossing streams during this time goes without saying. In short, after traveling about ten li, he arrived at the edge of a not-so-wide, muddy mountain stream.
And that strange aura, which was clearly much clearer, was hidden precisely beneath this rather turbid stream.
Something hidden in the water that is neither human nor ghost... What could it be?
Li Hai couldn't help but recall the many strange tales he had heard in his previous life:
"Could it be... the legendary water monkey?"
Just as his thoughts were turning, the turbid stream suddenly rippled, and from it crawled out a humanoid creature covered in dirty green hair from head to toe, whose face and appearance were completely indistinguishable.
And when this green-haired monster emerged from the water and saw Li Hai, it screamed in fright as if a person had seen a ghost, and immediately tried to return to the bottom of the stream.
But Li Hai wouldn't let it go so easily.
He pulled a yellow talisman from his pocket, quickly formed a seal, and chanted an incantation:
"Spirit Fixing Spell, Haste!"
The paper talisman ignited without fire, turning substance into nothingness.
Whoosh~
A wisp of formless Qi arrived instantly, precisely hitting the green-haired monster.
"Gak..."
Under the Spirit Fixing Spell, the green-haired monster only managed to let out half a scream before freezing on the surface of the stream as if dead.
Swish—
In the next instant, a strange gust of wind swept over, blowing the monster to the edge of the stream at Li Hai's feet.
Yes, this strange wind was also created by Li Hai, controlled through the Rushing Wave Palm 'provided' by Zhang Miaoji.
This technique was originally used by Zhang Miaoji specifically for projecting yellow talismans. Now, Li Hai used it for telekinesis, which was just right.
"I didn't expect..."
Looking down at the green-haired monster lying motionless on the ground, Li Hai clicked his tongue in wonder, "There really are creatures that are half-human, half-ghost in this world."
That's right, through observation and the System's detection, this green-haired monster was indeed something that was both human and ghost.
And this monster's personal interface was—
Character Name: Unknown
Level Rank: Ghost Folk → Yin Qi Dark Growth
Skills Owned: "Survival in Harsh Environments (Incomplete)", "Minor Yin Absorption Technique (Incomplete)", "Ghost Eye Night Vision (Incomplete)"
Trait Entries:
Strong Fragment: None
"Ghost Folk..."
Li Hai frowned at his bald eyebrows and scrutinized this so-called Ghost Folk from head to toe, feeling for the first time that he didn't want to learn the other party's cultivation System and Skills.
Because according to the System's detection results, once one had this damn Ghost Folk bloodline, their lifespan would be reduced by nearly half, and they would become mentally chaotic, afraid of light and cleanliness, and fond of darkness and raw food.
Damn, this is simply a low-level, short-lived species that is even worse than humans.
And just as Li Hai was full of disdain and about to remove the Spirit Fixing from this green-haired monster and kick it back into the stream, the monster actually got up and kept kowtowing, stammering in human speech:
"Lord... spare... spare my life, this humble one... this humble one is not a monster, please don't kill this humble one!"