The Patriarch Ghost Fiend was clearly a man accustomed to brute force and dominance. Facing the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts, he showed no sign of backing down, stepping forward instead. The formidable aura belonging to a Nascent Soul stage Patriarch pressed down upon the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts, his eyes flashing with savage malice: "Myriad Ghosts, my son is dead. Anyone who dares obstruct my search for the killer, I will kill them."

"Kill whom? Kill this Seat?" Facing the overwhelming murderous intent of the Ghost Fiend, the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts seemed utterly unconcerned. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and let out a disdainful laugh, saying proudly, "If you truly have the ability, then by all means, come and try."

"Myriad Ghosts, don't push me too far." The Ghost Fiend seemed barely able to contain himself, his face twitching incessantly. Although he was frenzied, he knew that while the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts was much younger and less senior, in contests among peers, he possessed a unique approach. Furthermore, his supreme spirit ghost—the one that had been with him since childhood—hadn't shown itself in a long time. He had no idea what level of Ghost General it had become, but he estimated it couldn't be lower than a Sixth-Tier Ghost General, and very likely already reached Seventh or Eighth Tier.

The Ghost Fiend harbored a deep apprehension regarding this Myriad Ghosts. This was why, when visiting many other cave mansions, he had gone alone. However, when coming to the Myriad Ghosts Grotto, he felt compelled to bring along an Elder from the sect.

Seeing the atmosphere grow increasingly volatile, Elder Tu, invited as the mediator, chuckled and waved his sleeve to stand between the two men. "There, there, we are all fellow disciples within the same sect, why be so tense? Ghost Fiend, I must say a word or two to you. It’s already showing great deference that the younger brother Myriad Ghosts allows you to question his disciples. And Brother Myriad Ghosts, you should also be considerate of the Ghost Fiend; after all, he is grieving the loss of his son."

The Patriarch Myriad Ghosts sneered, "If it weren't for the fact that your son died, I wouldn't even spare you a glance today." With that, he stepped back one pace and said softly to Lei Dong and the other two, "Don't be afraid, the three of you. Just answer a few questions honestly. This Seat believes you are completely innocent. If he dares to take any excessive action, this Seat will not stand idly by."

"Yes, Ancestor," the three disciples replied.

The Ghost Fiend let out a dissatisfied snort. Instead of entering the main hall, he proceeded to interrogate them right there at the entrance. He first looked at Lei Dong, whose cultivation was the lowest, and frowned slightly, "Myriad Ghosts, are you presenting this low-level disciple to impersonate your personal successor?"

"Hmph." Seemingly utterly displeased with the Ghost Fiend, the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts didn't even bother to address him.

The Ghost Fiend’s eyes were fixed on Lei Dong as he began questioning. It was nothing more than the usual inquiries about his name and hometown. Lei Dong carefully guarded his mind, but presented an appearance of utter panic, timidity, and trembling fear.

"You killed my son." Suddenly, the Ghost Fiend's eyes burst forth with astonishing fierce light, and he roared in a mixture of rage and fury, "Brat, die!"

Lei Dong was overwhelmed with terror, every pore on his body suddenly constricting. His mind felt heavy and muddled, almost devoid of the power to think. There was only one thought: How did he know? Yet, even facing a figure at the Nascent Soul stage, knowing death was certain, he wouldn't just surrender. Even though he was terrified to the core, he was resolved to fight back one last time before dying.

"Enough." The Patriarch Myriad Ghosts stepped in front of Lei Dong again, waved his hand toward him, and reprimanded the Ghost Fiend with a cold face, "Are you finding it amusing to use Soul-Capturing Demonic Sound on a mere junior at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage?"

With the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts' shout and gesture, Lei Dong felt a shock resonate through his heart, followed by a chilling coldness that made him shiver violently. Simultaneously, the previous fervor and surge of blood energy vanished without a trace.

"Myriad Ghosts, are you guilty and covering your tracks, or are you deliberately causing trouble for this Seat?" the Ghost Fiend bellowed, his face contorted with fury.

After a brief pause, Lei Dong understood what had just happened. A chill ran down his spine, and the skin beneath his inner armor felt slick. In a moment of carelessness, he had almost fallen for the Ghost Fiend's dangerous move and confessed inadvertently. He thought to himself that these Nascent Soul Ancestors were truly not to be trifled with. He was filled with lingering fear; if he had been exposed right then, even the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts might not have been able to save him.

"Alright, Ghost Fiend," Elder Tu once again played the peacemaker, advising, "Can you two stop being so hot-tempered? After inspecting the Storage Sash, move on to the next one. In my view, this mere boy at the sixth layer of Qi Refining is unlikely to have killed your son. Young man, I believe you, but please still present your Storage Sash for inspection as a routine procedure."

"Yes, Elder Tu." As relief washed over Lei Dong, he respectfully and fearfully took out his Storage Sash.

The Ghost Fiend took it without courtesy, immediately wiping away Lei Dong's mark. After a sweep with his divine sense, he snorted, "Myriad Ghosts, is this boy your illegitimate son? Several high-grade Dharma artifacts and over ten thousand spirit stones."

"Heh, Ghost Fiend, do you take me for a rutting pig like yourself?" Since he had already offended the Ghost Fiend, the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts didn't mind offending him further.

The Ghost Fiend's expression changed, and he tossed the Storage Sash back to Lei Dong. Unwilling to stir up more trouble, he proceeded to question Zuo Chao and Ding Wanyan in the same manner.

Since Zuo Chao and Ding Wanyan had clean consciences and were not the killers, naturally, no problems arose with them. However, for some reason, the Ghost Fiend was extremely suspicious of Ding Wanyan. Even after repeated questioning and inspection, he was unwilling to let her go. The reason was that Ding Wanyan had been traveling outside the Myriad Ghosts Grotto precisely during the time his son died. Moreover, her cultivation level and considerable magical power were sufficient for her to have had the opportunity to kill his son.

Lei Dong, meanwhile, pondered in secret. It was likely the Ghost Fiend saw that Ding Wanyan was both strong and beautiful. He probably knew the extent of his son's lechery and surmised that he had tried to tease a high-level female disciple, only to be killed in self-defense after the advances were rejected. This was likely why he was so heavily suspicious of Ding Wanyan. Although he felt he had inadvertently implicated Senior Sister Ding, since she hadn't committed murder, nothing truly bad would happen. Especially with the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts covering for her, given how much he doted on her.

Indeed, upon seeing the Ghost Fiend seemingly becoming relentless toward Ding Wanyan, the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts genuinely grew angry. With a sweep of his sleeve, an immense and unparalleled force blasted the Ghost Fiend several yards away. Almost simultaneously, his vital spirit servant—clad in armor as black as ink, solidifying into substance, wrapped in faint, ethereal black mist, and radiating imposing majesty—appeared before him. Its lively yet sinister eyes fixed menacingly upon the Patriarch Ghost Fiend.

"Ninth-Tier Ghost General!" The Ghost Fiend, who was about to lose his temper in shame and fury, cried out in horror the moment he saw the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts' spirit servant. It wasn't just him; even the smiling face of Elder Tu couldn't help but change color. A Ninth-Tier Ghost General was equivalent to an ordinary cultivator at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage. And everyone knew that this Ninth-Tier Ghost General of Myriad Ghosts originated from a supreme spirit ghost, possessing exceptionally outstanding natural talent and mastery over several immensely powerful spells. Furthermore, everyone was aware that the Patriarch Myriad Ghosts also possessed another Ghost General refined from a high-grade spirit ghost, which, while slightly inferior to this one, was certainly not weak.

"Ghost Fiend, do you truly think this Seat is easy to bully?" The Patriarch Myriad Ghosts was genuinely enraged now. "Don't think I don't know what you are plotting! Never mind that my Yan'er didn't kill your son; even if she had killed him because he harassed her, then she killed him well. Now get out, or you will remain in the Myriad Ghosts Grotto forever."

The Ghost Fiend’s face shifted from pale to green. He wanted to turn hostile, but seeing the Ninth-Tier Ghost General made him wary. He glanced at Elder Tu, only to see the Elder staring at the Ninth-Tier Ghost General with an expression of sheer fascination. That was a Ghost General refined from a supreme spirit ghost! If cultivated carefully, it possessed a significant chance of breaking through to the Ghost King level—a true treasure.

Observing this scene, the Ghost Fiend realized that Elder Tu was already quite displeased with him. To expect Elder Tu’s support for a clash with Myriad Ghosts was utterly wishful thinking. On his own, there was no way he was Myriad Ghosts’ match. Gritting his teeth, he could only leave behind a harsh threat: "Myriad Ghosts, I will remember you." Saying this, he conjured a dense fog rolling with black energy and flew directly toward the sky.

"What if you remember me? Are you saying you can't father another son and need me to help?" The Patriarch Myriad Ghosts sneered coldly toward the sky.

Alas, upon hearing these words, the Patriarch Ghost Fiend nearly plummeted from mid-air.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.