It was simply bad luck for the man; had both sides engaged in a direct three-on-three confrontation, he would have at least fought them to a stalemate, if not gained the upper hand, given his formidable magical artifact and superior cultivation. Unfortunately, being young and prematurely successful had made him a bit too arrogant, displaying bravado coupled with insufficient vigilance. Before he could even bring half his strength to bear, he was successfully ambushed by the ghost soldier and lost his head to a single clean stroke.

At the second level of Qi Condensation, even after the second washing of marrow and cleansing of the body, a human's inherent defense was far inferior to that of demonic beasts. The reason human cultivators could often overpower monstrous cultivators was their adept use of tools. However, after the ghost soldier employed the Bloodthirst Art, a single strike against the giant snake caused deep bone injuries; how much more vulnerable was the neck of this mere human cultivator at the second level of Qi Condensation?

As the arrogant youth's head flew upwards, Chen Ge and Wei Hua simultaneously bared savage, ferocious grins. One began to conjure a Nether Fire Bomb, the other fortified himself with the Profound Yin Shield, all while directing their small swords to shoot out as they charged forward. After his successful thunderous strike, Lei Dong immediately commanded the ghost soldier to attack the female disciple from the Extreme Yin Cave next to them.

That female disciple also possessed the strength of the first level of Qi Condensation, but under the momentum of the ghost soldier’s killing blow, she faltered before the fight even began. Her face pale and her composure shattered, she miserably urged her dark green small sword to meet the foe. The other male disciple, caught in utter astonishment, instantly chose flight. He hadn't managed more than a few steps before his calf was pierced by Wei Hua’s emerald sword, immediately followed by Chen Ge’s Nether Fire Bomb, which nearly blew him into several pieces.

Whoosh~ Lei Dong’s dark green small sword arrived with sudden speed. Taking advantage of the female disciple’s desperate struggle against the ferocious ghost soldier, he showed no mercy and sliced her throat open with a swift cut.

The entire process took less than a few breaths, yet it was fraught with countless perils. Especially that fellow at the second level of Qi Condensation; he was likely a core disciple of the Extreme Yin Cave. If he had managed to unleash his full combat potential, the victor between the two sides would have been uncertain. The three hapless brothers exchanged glances, their faces slick with sweat, each mirroring the pallor of the others. When the killing was decisive, they felt nothing, but after the deed was done, a distinct chill of lingering fear crept over them. This was partly because all three opponents were novices, lacking experience. Once ambushed, their minds became disordered, and in their panic, they couldn't even execute their spells.

Although they had all undertaken missions and slain demonic beasts before, killing a person with magical arts was a first for all of them. Fortunately, all three possessed relatively steadfast minds. Knowing the situation was irreversible, all that remained was how to manage the aftermath.

The trio cooperated, dividing the task of scavenging the property of the three corpses. The man and woman were clearly poor; besides some magical artifacts and items issued by the sect, they only found two Spirit Stones and four bottles of Minor Origin Replenishing Pills. As for the headless cultivator at the second level of Qi Condensation, his storage pouch, apart from three Spirit Stones and five bottles of Minor Origin Replenishing Pills, was empty. However, the flying sword artifact in his hand, named the Fire Cloud Sword, was exceptionally extraordinary; the searing fiery essence emanating from it was far beyond the comparison of novice junk like their dark green small swords.

“This should be a Mid-Grade flying sword artifact,” Chen Ge announced after scrutinizing it with extreme gravity. Upon hearing this, Lei Dong and Wei Hua both sucked in a sharp breath. The might of a Mid-Grade artifact was far beyond what they could currently withstand; even Wei Hua’s half-baked Profound Yin Shield would probably struggle to block it. It was a near thing that the ghost soldier had taken him down so swiftly; otherwise, the consequences could have been dire.

After another thorough inspection, Chen Ge’s face lit up with delight. “We’ve struck it rich! This fellow must not have possessed this flying sword for long; the refinement isn't deep. With some effort, we can erase his imprint soon enough.”

“Let’s discuss it back at base,” Lei Dong urged, keenly aware that lingering was ill-advised. He quickly commanded the ghost soldier to devour the flesh and blood of the three Extreme Yin Cave disciples completely. After the ghost soldier pulsed with renewed vitality, satisfied, the three immediately set off.

They avoided the main roads, instead choosing the narrowest paths to travel at their maximum speed. Their journey was arduous but free of immediate danger, and though disheveled, they returned to the Myriad Ghost Cave unharmed. Upon arrival, the three dared not delay, rushing everywhere to offer respects to gods and buddhas, begging an audience with the Myriad Ghost Ancestor. Regrettably, not only did no one agree to inform the Ancestor, but they were met with ridicule. They were told that mere disciples at the first level of Qi Condensation had no standing to request an audience with the Ancestor.

But with their lives hanging in the balance, the three had no choice but to steel themselves and seek out Zuo Chao, who was only six or seven years old. Zuo Chao was not only the personal disciple of the Myriad Ghost Ancestor but also greatly favored by him. Most importantly, being a child, a few sweet words might secure their request. To their surprise, they were met with extreme coldness, blocked by the diligent servants exclusively assigned to attend him. They claimed Zuo Chao was in seclusion, attempting to break through to the third level of Qi Condensation, and was not receiving outside guests.

Even though Chen Ge offered every pleasant word and even resorted to bribing them with Spirit Stones, the servants dared not disturb Zuo Chao's focused breakthrough attempt.

Left with no alternative, the three brothers conferred. They decided they had no choice but to seek the aid of Ding Wanyan. Whether Senior Sister Ding would agree to see them was an utter uncertainty. They had never interacted with the aloof Ding Wanyan before.

They nervously found their way to the exterior of Ding Wanyan’s residence. Fortunately, Ding Wanyan was no longer a young child like Zuo Chao and did not require constant attendance. Even the veteran Chen Ge felt uneasy and hesitant. Lei Dong bravely volunteered, stepping forward to activate the visitation function on the restrictive formation gate.

However, after a long wait, there was still no response. They couldn't tell if Ding Wanyan was in seclusion or simply not home. Growing slightly desperate, Lei Dong pressed the button twice more and waited, still receiving no reaction. The three exchanged dismayed glances. Did they truly have to resort to begging Zhou Minghua, with whom they had already made an enemy? Just as they were about to leave, dejected, the restrictive formation gate flickered, and a voice, slightly cold, reached their ears: “Who is it?”

“Your junior brother Lei Dong, along with Chen Ge and Wei Hua. We have urgent matters requiring Senior Sister Ding’s attention, we implore your kind permission,” Lei Dong hastily replied in a deep, respectful tone. Hearing Ding Wanyan’s voice was like hearing heavenly music, bringing immediate joy to their hearts.

“Lei Dong?” Ding Wanyan murmured softly, as if trying to recall who these people were. However, after a brief hesitation, she opened the door. Her expression was clear and serene, showing neither joy nor anger; she simply stood in the doorway, making no gesture to invite them in.

“Junior Brother Lei Dong pays his respects to Senior Sister Ding.” Now that they were supplicants, Lei Dong deliberately lowered his posture, his demeanor filled with deference. He showed no sign of awkwardness despite Ding Wanyan being two years his junior. Chen Ge and Wei Hua also quickly stepped forward to bow.

Noticing the somewhat disheveled state of the three and the faint smell of sweat and acid clinging to them, Ding Wanyan’s pretty nose wrinkled adorably. “What urgent matters bring you here?”

“Senior Sister Ding, this is how the matter unfolded.” Lei Dong cleared his throat and recounted the entire sequence of events, hiding nothing, not even the fact that they had transplanted the nearly century-old Lingzhi mushroom. As Lei Dong spoke, before he even reached the part where they killed anyone, Ding Wanyan’s face, which had been utterly impassive, began to grow subtly cold. “The people of the Extreme Yin Cave are too presumptuous! Do they think the Myriad Ghost Cave has no one capable?” Then, with a sudden spark of righteous anger, she declared, “Go, I will take you to exact revenge.”

Despite Ding Wanyan’s superior bearing and exceptional aptitude, she was, in essence, just a twelve-year-old girl. Having heard the older-seeming junior brothers address her respectfully as ‘Senior Sister’ previously, she had developed a degree of goodwill toward them, somewhat accepting them as her own juniors. When she heard midway that her junior brothers, while carrying out a mission to dig up a Lingzhi, were being blocked and searched for plunder, her temper flared instantly. Especially since the attackers’ words seemed to show extreme disrespect toward the Myriad Ghost Cave, and even toward the Myriad Ghost Ancestor. Since the Myriad Ghost Ancestor treated her with immense kindness, like a cherished daughter, Ding Wanyan resolved to teach that arrogant fellow a harsh lesson.

“Senior Sister, please hear this junior brother out to the end,” Lei Dong said, feeling a slight touch of emotion at Ding Wanyan’s protectiveness. However, a look of distress crossed his face. “The truth is, your juniors were cornered and forced into a desperate situation, unwilling to surrender passively. In our struggle to resist, we ended up killing all three disciples from the Extreme Yin Cave.”

“What?” Ding Wanyan’s expression shifted to shock. She had initially thought this was merely a matter of mutual bullying. But she never imagined that these three seemingly pathetic junior brothers had actually killed their opponents? Now, the situation had become colossal…