"Sarcasm." Ding Wanyan shot him a glance, letting out a soft snort. "Easier said than done. If you want to go, then you go." "Fine, but Senior Sister must cover my rear," Lei Dong agreed readily. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he asked, "Senior Sister, do you think we should just scare him off, or kill him? His set of magical artifacts looks quite good..."

The Baili Yun below felt a surge of congestion in his chest, nearly choking on a mouthful of blood. Those two seemed to hold him in utter contempt, openly discussing the prospect of murder and treasure-snatching right in front of him. A moment's lapse in concentration nearly allowed the wounded Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger to pounce. He frantically deployed the Ghostly Shadow Evasion technique, his body and spirit becoming even more ethereal and unstable. After regaining his composure, he called out to the sky, "Senior Sister Ding, it has been half a year since our hurried parting. Your grace is even more impressive than before. And this Senior Brother, what should I call you? I am from the White Bone Peak..."

Lei Dong glanced down and interrupted with a dissatisfied grunt. "Stop trying to cozy up to us. I don't know you. What Senior Sister, Senior Brother? Do you even know where this is? This is the Yin Wind Canyon of the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave. White Bone Peak? Heh heh, you've overstepped your boundaries, haven't you?"

Baili Yun was furious, but he dared not provoke that arrogant brat at this moment. He had no choice but to swallow his pride along with the blood in his mouth. While desperately countering the Shadow Tiger's incessant, powerful assaults, he feigned appeasement. "Yes, yes, I know I was wrong this time. How about this—I’ll let Senior Brother have this Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger. We can be friends from now on." Yet, he inwardly mused that fortunately, this location was miles away from the Shadow Tiger's breeding grounds; he could retrieve the young cubs later, which would surely be more valuable than this adult tiger. Nevertheless, a deep-seated hatred for Lei Dong had already taken root in his heart.

"Mmm, that sounds more like something a person would say," Lei Dong replied, appearing quite pleased, and lazily drifted downward, controlling the Evil Ghost Shroud.

Simultaneously, the two ghost soldiers, Bloodthirsty and Fierce Howl, stepped out from a black mist, moving agilely toward the Shadow Tiger.

Witnessing this scene, and taking a closer look to discern that Lei Dong was merely at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, a fierce glint appeared in Baili Yun's eyes. Although those two seventh-level ghost soldiers seemed formidable, he did not take them too seriously. However, a quick glance at Ding Wanyan, who was hovering in mid-air, watching him intently, extinguished any thought of murder. He could only curse inwardly, thinking this boy was truly a jackal relying on a tiger's might, a dog borrowing a master’s prestige. If Ding Wanyan hadn't been present, he would have certainly gone all out to eliminate him.

"Whoosh~" A semi-transparent, somber bead shot toward Baili Yun at an extreme speed. The distance between the two was no more than ten zhang. And the trajectory of the bead aimed precisely where Baili Yun had flickered away to avoid the Shadow Tiger’s pounce using the Ghostly Shadow Evasion.

"Yin Fiend Thunder?" Baili Yun’s expression drastically changed as he cried out in alarm.

With nowhere to dodge, Baili Yun was struck directly by the Yin Fiend Thunder.

With a deafening "BOOM," the Yin Fiend energy, mixed with the shattering debris of the Profound Yin Shield, scattered everywhere. A strangely shaped shield suddenly manifested before him, intercepting the remaining power of the Fiend Thunder. But even so, Baili Yun was terrified, his face pale, and he shouted in rage and humiliation, "You are despicable!"

Lei Dong's only response was for the two seventh-level ghost soldiers, Bloodthirsty and Fierce Howl, to converge on him. The Shadow Ghost Soldier quietly circled around, preparing to sneak up behind him.

Baili Yun was slightly inferior to Ding Wanyan in terms of cultivation progress. However, at this point, he had already reached the tenth level of Qi Condensation. The invisibility technique of the Shadow Ghost Soldier, though extraordinary, could not escape his divine sense. He flicked his finger, and a distorted, pale-blue pillar of light shot out, hitting the Shadow Ghost Soldier squarely with a "snap!" penetrating it completely.

Fortunately, ghost soldiers lacked true physical bodies. Although this strike injured the Shadow, it could not kill it outright. Forced into visibility, the Shadow abandoned stealth and instead lunged toward his back with its elusive movement technique.

Clang, clang! Bloodthirsty's blade and Fierce Howl's arrow struck relentlessly at Baili Yun. However, his magic shield was no ordinary object; though resisting fiercely, he managed to absorb every blow. At the same time, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, which had been tormenting him for a long time, roared furiously, unleashing a ball of black, energy-warped sphere that struck Baili Yun's magic shield.

Under the violent energy fluctuations, even the decent quality of his shield began to show faint cracks from the intense, continuous bombardment. This barrage of attacks caught Baili Yun off guard, leaving him utterly wretched.

"Hee hee."

Lei Dong let out a sinister, strange laugh, producing a black banner in his hand, intricately painted with ferocious Yin ghosts and wicked souls. He formed a hand seal and chanted incantations.

Wisp-like ghosts, seemingly not quite mist, surged out from the banner. In an instant, over a hundred black ghosts were flying and swirling with unnatural agility around the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner. While the number might not sound immense, when over a hundred dense, mist-like black spirits circled within a radius of several zhang, the density was suffocating. Sharp, mournful, and eerie ghostly shrieks rose and fell, causing the scalps of onlookers to tingle.

"The Ten Thousand Ghost Banner, and a high-grade one at that... "

Baili Yun’s heart plummeted. He cursed inwardly, wondering if this boy was the illegitimate son of the Old Fiend of Ten Thousand Ghosts?

"Go~" Lei Dong pushed the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner forward. Instantly, all hundred ghosts howled in unison, sweeping forward in a dense, black tide like a swarm of terrifying insects, releasing wisps of Yin wind in all directions. Although it was only the state of 'hundred ghosts unleashed,' the imposing aura was undeniable at first glance.

A high-grade Ten Thousand Ghost Banner was not simply about increasing the number of controllable spirits. The effect achieved from refining the same low-grade spirits differed significantly between a low-grade and a high-grade banner—the difference could be nearly twofold.

Baili Yun was already stretched thin trying to cope with the encirclement of the three ghost soldiers and the enraged Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger. Now, adding these hundred-plus ghosts made it impossible for him to manage. The hundred or so ghosts squeaked, and the amorphous black masses, initially shaped like swimming fish, suddenly sprouted black fangs and sharp ghostly claws, desperately tearing and clawing at the newly manifested Profound Yin Shield. In just a few breaths, the Profound Yin Shield dimmed and became unstable, looking as if it would shatter any moment. Furthermore, his oddly shaped primary magic shield was also collapsing under the collective assault, riddled with scars and on the verge of explosion.

He hurriedly conjured another magical artifact, shaped like a gourd, entirely dark crimson and blood-colored, covered with a host of bizarre scarlet patterns and characters.

As he formed a hand seal, a sheet of blood-red mist began to spread outward. The ghosts, which were working in concert, shrieked in agony upon touching the red mist, as if burned by fire. Their black souls twisted violently, emitting plumes of smoke.

"Soul-Corroding Blood Mist!"

Lei Dong’s expression also changed. He hadn't expected this fellow to possess such an artifact capable of unleashing a Soul-Corroding Blood Mist. He frantically commanded the hundred ghosts to retreat from the mist's range. This mist had a considerable corrosive effect on all types of souls, even affecting humans and demonic beasts, specifically eroding the soul essence. Even a cultivator who inhaled some would find it adhering to their soul, slowly dissolving it. Its destructive power was particularly great against lower-tier ghosts.

However, the three seventh-level ghost soldiers and the savage Shadow Tiger were unafraid. Though wisps of black smoke rose from their forms, they remained circling him, shattering both his magic shield and the Profound Yin Shield entirely.

Pfft~

The Bloodthirsty ghost soldier’s ferocious blade slashed into Baili Yun’s chest. The blade sank an inch deep into his body, splattering blood. The wounded Baili Yun let out a roar of grief and fury. Seizing the moment the hundred ghosts retreated, he rapidly dodged backward, creating afterimages—his movement technique was the same as Lei Dong's: Ghostly Shadow Evasion. But his cultivation was higher, making his movements appear swifter and far more erratic.

Simultaneously, Baili Yun’s hands flickered rapidly. Continuous pillars of pale-blue light from the Spirit Slaying Finger blasted toward the ghost soldiers and the Shadow Tiger, forming what looked like a continuous, pale-blue rainstorm. The Spirit Slaying Finger unleashed by someone of his cultivation far surpassed that of Zhou Minghua in terms of power, speed, and quantity. Perhaps this was the true application of the Spirit Slaying Finger, rather than firing them off one by one as others did.

The Shadow Tiger, taking the brunt of the attack, was struck by four pillars of pale-blue light. Already severely wounded, it managed to block three strikes with its demonic energy, but the fourth finger struck its head directly, piercing through. With a mournful cry, it suddenly collapsed to the ground.

The three ghost soldiers were also hit by two or three fingers each. Although ghost soldiers lacked true physical forms, having holes the size of bowls blasted through them definitely inflicted additional damage.

Perhaps Baili Yun intended only to delay them. He immediately summoned a flying artifact seemingly forged from bone, jumped onto it, and prepared to flee, only to hear Ding Wanyan's icy voice ring out: "Trying to leave? Not so easily."

In that instant, a dense surge of pure Yin Fiend energy swept over him like a tidal wave.