That streak of light moved with incredible speed. Before Lei Dong could fully set up his defenses, it had traced a vast arc across the sky, hurtling directly toward him. In mere moments, it floated right before his eyes.

It was a curiously shaped, shuttle-like magic tool, emitting a faint, eerie green luminescence. Standing atop the shuttle was a tall, strikingly handsome woman. With her hands clasped behind her back, her posture on the craft rose and fell slightly. As she dispersed her protective Zhenqi, her robes danced in the wind—truly a vision of heroic grace, almost celestial. However, perhaps due to her cultivation of the Yin Sha Great Law, the previously ethereal and transcendent aura surrounding her had subtly turned cold.

Fortunately, this chill dissipated somewhat in the presence of Lei Dong. Her almond eyes held a half-smile as she scrutinized him: "Junior Brother Lei, you conceal a weapon and have a ghost soldier lurking nearby. Do you take me for a highway robber, Senior Sister?"

Lei Dong quickly recalled his Sha Lei and the lurking Shadow Ghost Soldier, managing an awkward smile as he cupped his hands in greeting. "Lei Dong pays respects to Senior Sister Ding. I didn't realize it was your light of evasion just now; please forgive my presumptuousness, Senior Sister. That flying shuttle of yours is quite exquisite; it must be a high-grade flying artifact, correct?" As he spoke, an envious look flickered across his face, an attempt to subtly change the subject.

Hearing this, Ding Wanyan drifted gracefully down before him. With a flick of her slender hand, the dark green shuttle flew back toward her like a living thing, hovering playfully before Lei Dong. She laughed heartily. "This artifact is called the Green Cloud Shuttle. I happened upon it recently and have only just begun to refine it; its speed is decent. If you like it, Junior Brother, take it for your own use."

Lei Dong broke out in a cold sweat. He had merely intended to divert the conversation away from his concealed Sha Lei. Who would have thought she would offer to give away such a valuable, high-grade flying artifact without a second thought? Though Lei Dong desperately coveted the Green Cloud Shuttle, he couldn't possibly accept Ding Wanyan's personal transport. He hurriedly declined with a flush of embarrassment. "Thank you for your generous offer, Senior Sister, but what would a man like me do with a shuttle? Besides, I already possess the Evil Ghost Shroud." Speaking of the Evil Ghost Shroud, his Ancestor could hardly alter it significantly. However, not long after Lei Dong emerged from seclusion and participated in a life-or-death duel, the Ancestor bestowed it upon him, claiming it was personally refined by him.

As he spoke, Lei Dong summoned the Evil Ghost Shroud. It manifested as a mass of black fog, occasionally shifting to reveal ferocious ghost faces seemingly struggling to break free, emitting pained moans and soaring with overwhelming resentment. It was terrifying to behold and chilling to hear. In terms of sheer speed, the current Evil Ghost Shroud might be slightly inferior to Ding Wanyan's Green Cloud Shuttle.

However, as Lei Dong's cultivation advanced and he managed to refine more powerful living souls within it, it would only grow stronger. In essence, the Evil Ghost Shroud was a flying artifact that could accompany him for a very long time.

Even though Ding Wanyan hailed from the Myriad Ghost Cave of the Yin Sha Sect and was constantly exposed to malevolent spirits and resentful souls, she still felt a genuine pang of dread. Yet, she knew the Evil Ghost Shroud was ultimately more valuable than the Green Cloud Shuttle. She stopped insisting and recalled her own artifact. "Junior Brother, you should put yours away quickly. With this overwhelming malevolence, the wails of ghosts, it’s making me uneasy."

"Then Senior Sister should listen to it more often. Otherwise, if you encounter an opponent wielding the Evil Ghost Shroud next time, you might suffer for it," Lei Dong refused to retract his artifact, instead guiding it slightly closer to Ding Wanyan. He spoke seriously, "The Evil Ghost Shroud has this inherent function. Once fully unleashed, it chills the bone and makes one's limbs numb. But the best remedy is to sleep closely embraced with it for a period." Lei Dong knew this wasn't an issue of cowardice on Ding Wanyan's part; it was the terror-inducing effect of the Evil Ghost Shroud itself. Those lingering resentful energies, when concentrated and unleashed, could profoundly shake a person's very soul. This was one of the Evil Ghost Shroud's powerful distinctions from other flying artifacts.

Ding Wanyan’s delicate face flushed upon hearing this. A sudden, intense impulse rose within her to slap that infuriating junior brother to death. Sleep embraced by that? How could he even conceive of such a terrible idea...

Sensing Ding Wanyan's unfriendly gaze, Lei Dong instantly realized he had misspoken. He laughed heartily, attempting to change the subject again. However, far off to his left, a powerful collision of energy suddenly erupted, sending out visible shockwaves.

Both of them turned their heads in that direction simultaneously, followed by another series of impactful fluctuations, though none as forceful as the initial burst. They exchanged a look, their expressions growing heavy with gravity. Though they hadn't witnessed it directly, they could sense that neither of the parties engaged in combat seemed weak.

"Roar~"

From the distance, the faint sound of an enraged tiger's roar drifted over. Judging by the sound, it seemed someone was battling a potent, tiger-like demonic beast.

"Senior Sister, since this is within the territory of our Myriad Ghost Cave, why don't we go take a look?" Lei Dong’s heart stirred. This area was near the Yin Wind Canyon, where common demonic beasts rarely ventured. Coupled with that tiger's roar, could this possibly be the rare and valuable Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger?

"Fine, let's go see," Ding Wanyan waved her hand, summoning the Green Cloud Shuttle, stepping onto it gracefully, and speeding toward the direction of the commotion first.

Lei Dong promptly leaped onto the spectral, ghost-ridden Evil Ghost Shroud. The burst-forth artifact resembled a swath of black mist in the mid-air, vaguely enveloping Lei Dong within it. Within seconds, he caught up to Ding Wanyan, who had slowed down to wait for him.

One green, one black—the two streaks of evasive light traveled side-by-side across the sky, sweeping toward the site of the battle with remarkable momentum. Lei Dong had initially intended to mask his presence and see if there was any profit to be gleaned. But seeing his Senior Sister take the lead with such an imposing aura, he had no choice but to follow. After all, this was their own territory; acting sneakily wouldn't look good and would surely earn him a severe reprimand from the Ancestor if word got back.

It took only about a hundred breaths before the two arrived and hovered in the air. The scene of the battle below immediately came into their view.

Bai Liuyun was immensely frustrated. He had been tracking this pregnant, Twelfth Layer Qi Refining Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger for over half a year. However, the Shadow Tiger was incredibly cunning, especially being on the verge of giving birth—it hid incessantly, nearly vanishing from his surveillance several times. Finally, it had fled thousands of miles, ending up right in the territory of the Myriad Ghost Cave. That itself wasn't the worst part; after it gave birth, he could simply eliminate the mother and obtain the newly born Shadow Tiger cubs, which were the truly valuable assets.

Unfortunately, immediately after giving birth, the weakened and blood-deficient Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger was still ferociously potent, resisting fiercely and creating a massive disturbance. And now, the most vexing thing had occurred: two streaks of flying light, one green and one black, streaked in at high speed, bearing powerful auras—clearly, neither of them were pushovers. He was on the verge of striking it rich, and the one thing he feared most was a random passerby appearing...

Upon clearly seeing the two figures hovering in the sky, Bai Liuyun, who had diverted half his focus to observe them, gasped again. The woman controlling the green shuttle-shaped artifact, possessing an outstanding temperament and exquisite features, was none other than Ding Wanyan, whom he had met before. Ever since joining the Myriad Ghost Cave lineage, Ding Wanyan had displayed astonishing cultivation talent and speed right from the start, nearly matching Dongfang Fu, who ranked first, and decisively outpacing him, Bai Liuyun.

No matter how arrogant Bai Liuyun was, he did not believe he could suppress Ding Wanyan with sheer strength in this situation. Furthermore, she was not alone. The other individual appeared to be a man, enveloped entirely in a hazy black mist, making his appearance and cultivation level indiscernible. But Bai Liuyun knew this person was by no means simple. How could anyone using the Evil Ghost Shroud be overlooked?

Regardless of his internal turmoil, Lei Dong’s face lit up. "Senior Sister, it truly is a Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger! We are lucky today, thanks to you, Senior Sister. It seems we are about to make a nice little profit."

Ding Wanyan felt a mixture of amusement and irritation. This Junior Brother Lei truly loved stirring up trouble. Someone else had discovered the Shadow Tiger and was already engaged in battle, yet he was already claiming it as their property. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him with mock annoyance. "The person below is called Bai Liuyun. Among all disciples of the same generation, his aptitude ranks second, and his cultivation progress ranks third. He is already at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining and has been favored with many magical artifacts. How do you plan to fight him for it?"

"But I still have Senior Sister here, don't I?" Lei Dong began to flatter extravagantly. "Senior Sister, you are a top-tier master whose cultivation progress ranks second! What is a mere Bai Liuyun compared to you? Moreover, this is on our Myriad Ghost Cave's territory; what right does Bai Liuyun have to come onto our land and snatch things?"

Lei Dong spoke righteously, completely unaware that the Ghost Fiend Son had employed the exact same style of logic years ago.