With the bare palm strike from Ding Wanyan, the Yin Sha congealed into the shape of a colossal, malevolent ghost, constantly writhing and twisting, hurtling toward Baili Yun amid a piercing shriek.

"The Great Yin Sha Art, Ghost Sha Palm!?"

As Baili Yun shrieked out in sheer terror, the heaven-and-earth-obscuring Yin Sha Qi had already formed a massive vortex spanning dozens of zhang. And the Ghost Sha Palm, wielding formidable momentum and peerless dominance, opened the massive maw of the Yin Sha-formed specter, seemingly intent on swallowing Baili Yun whole.

The Spirit Slaughtering Finger that Baili Yun unleashed was far beyond what Zhou Minghua could match, yet the Ghost Sha Palm wielded by Ding Wanyan, utilizing the Great Yin Sha Art, was vastly superior to anything Wu Qianqiu could conjure.

In desperation, Baili Yun swallowed several pills in one gulp, forcibly sustaining a Profound Yin Shield, his hand seals positioned to block almost all the shield’s defensive power directly ahead.

Boom~

The Ghost Sha Palm slammed violently against the Profound Yin Shield. Logically, both spells were signature techniques of the Yin Sha Sect—one offensive, one defensive—both extraordinary. However, Ding Wanyan had already deployed the Great Yin Sha Art beforehand; the surrounding area was saturated with thick, somber Yin Sha Qi, which she had steeped the Ghost Sha Palm in for years. Its might was naturally beyond compare.

Yin Sha Qi and Profound Yin True Qi erupted, spraying out in torrents in all directions, even as the Profound Yin Shield instantly detonated.

The lingering force of the Ghost Sha Palm, mixed with Yin Sha, struck Baili Yun heavily in the chest.

Ptoo!

The violent impact nearly ruptured his internal organs; a mouthful of fresh blood erupted uncontrollably, sending his figure hurtling backward.

The three pursuing Ghost Soldiers, upon entering the thick Yin Sha, were like fish returning to water. Their somewhat dim forms seemed instantly solidified and energized. Joyfully, they swarmed Baili Yun, unleashing their attacks upon him.

A dense chorus of ghostly wails, sounding like infant cries, rose up. Unhindered by the Soul-Devouring Blood Mist, the Hundred Ghosts roared, darted, and weaved within the Yin Sha, circling Baili Yun’s flanks. Like ants gnawing at an elephant, they tore at his flesh and soul with phantom teeth, bite after bite.

"Ah~" Baili Yun let out a scream of absolute agony, a cry that seemed to tremble from his very soul. The torment of the Ten Thousand Ghosts—no, the Hundred Ghosts Devouring the Soul—was enough to shatter the sanity of even the most steadfast individual.

"Explode!"

Baili Yun grit his teeth against the pain and roared the single word "Explode!" His left arm violently ruptured, its flesh and blood transforming into a burst of mist that instantly enveloped him. Almost simultaneously, enveloped by this blood mist, he shot backward in a technique of Blood Evasion.

"Blood Evasion Technique," Ding Wanyan gasped, hastily urging her Green Cloud Shuttle forward, blasting out a streak of green light in immediate pursuit without a second thought. Countless vortex-like currents of Yin Sha coiled around her body; aided by this Yin Sha, Ding Wanyan’s burst of speed was more than double her usual rate.

In fact, as soon as Baili Yun self-detonated his arm, Lei Dong felt a sudden alarm and hurled a Nether Ghost Claw toward him. But the Blood Evasion Technique, being a desperate, self-mutilating escape method, initiated with extraordinary speed. As fast as Lei Dong’s reaction was, he only managed to snag the tail end of the vanishing blood mist.

Without needing Ding Wanyan’s summons, Lei Dong also furiously spurred his Ghost Banner, transforming into a cloud of menacing, surging black mist and chasing after the blood mist.

However, although Lei Dong’s Ghost Banner was respectable, before it was fully matured, it was slightly inferior to Ding Wanyan’s Green Cloud Shuttle, especially since she was leveraging the power of the Yin Sha to achieve maximum velocity. Even so, after chasing for several li, Ding Wanyan, unable to sustain the Great Yin Sha Art for long, finally became exhausted. The blood mist, moving at nearly the same speed as her, slipped away into the distance, vanishing without a trace. Her face was pale with frustration.

Moments later, Lei Dong arrived, urging the Ghost Banner. Upon hearing that Ding Wanyan had ultimately failed to catch Baili Yun, his expression also shifted slightly. After exchanging glances, Lei Dong apologized sheepishly, "Senior Sister, it’s all my fault for being greedy, trying to seize that Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger; otherwise, we wouldn't have clashed with Baili Yun."

"That’s not your fault," Ding Wanyan replied softly, shaking her head. "I know that resources in the Cultivation World are scarce, and even with my limited means, it’s doubtful if I’ll ever reach the Golden Core stage. Furthermore, we both know your aptitude, Junior Brother. Without a massive influx of resources, you might struggle to even break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in this lifetime. Even if you hadn't said anything just now, I would have taken the initiative to fight for that Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger. After all, the various materials on it are worth far more than ordinary demonic beasts. Your actions against him, while perhaps heavy-handed, were understandable. Having such valuable beast materials stolen, Baili Yun certainly wouldn’t tolerate it forever. Rather than waiting for him to find an opportunity to destroy us, it was better to act first and cut off the potential danger. It’s just a pity that we were careless in our planning and didn't anticipate he possessed the Blood Evasion Technique."

Hearing this, Lei Dong knew that Ding Wanyan was not only absolving him of blame but was deliberately viewing the situation from his perspective. He felt a surge of emotion and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your understanding, Senior Sister. However, this trouble was ultimately stirred up by me. Regarding the Ancestor, I beg Senior Sister to remain uninvolved; I don't want you dragged into this matter." Ding Wanyan’s intervention this time was entirely to help him; otherwise, given her talent, she wouldn't need to snatch scraps from others to satisfy her cultivation needs.

"What kind of talk is that, Junior Brother?" Ding Wanyan raised an eyebrow, slightly displeased. "We committed the mistake together; how can I let you bear the consequences alone? Moreover, the Ancestor has high expectations for me; I believe he absolutely will not allow the Withered Bone Peak to retaliate against us."

Lei Dong considered the situation and realized she was right. Withered Bone Peak was not like the Ghost Sha Manor; it was ranked second among the thirteen Cave Mansions of the Yin Sha Sect. Otherwise, the Withered Bone Ancestor wouldn't have been able to secure a disciple as exceptionally gifted as Baili Yun. As for the Myriad Ghost Ancestor obtaining Ding Wanyan, that was purely an accident. During the testing, Ding Wanyan’s spirit root ranking was only eleventh. However, no one anticipated that Ding Wanyan possessed a hidden portion of her spirit roots that hadn't been detected. Only after she formally began cultivating did that hidden portion reveal its tremendous effect, enabling Ding Wanyan to be only slightly inferior to Dongfang Fu, yet slightly superior to the second-ranked Baili Yun.

Perhaps Heaven took pity on the Myriad Ghost Ancestor, allowing him to strike an immense bargain. This was precisely why he doted on Ding Wanyan, treasuring her like a jewel. Of course, in a sense, Lei Dong was the truly massive windfall the Myriad Ghost Ancestor had acquired.

The Myriad Ghost Ancestor’s comparatively low ninth-place ranking in the previous Grand Competition wasn't due to his own weakness, but because he achieved Golden Core much later, and his Myriad Ghost Cave mansion had only been established for a mere seventy years. When he took his first disciples, he received only those others had passed over. Later, due to this foundational disadvantage, he never climbed higher. However, this time he had struck gold by gaining two rare treasures: Ding Wanyan and Lei Dong.

After a brief consultation, they both agreed they had to report the matter truthfully and promptly to the Myriad Ghost Ancestor. Otherwise, if the escaped Baili Yun were to complain and bring the Withered Bone Ancestor calling for revenge, they would be caught entirely off guard.

Naturally, the spoils of war still needed to be collected first. After escalating matters this far over the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, how could their psychological balance be maintained without some tangible compensation?

Having partially restored their true energy, the two flew back. In a short time, they returned to the previous battlefield. The main prize this time, naturally, was the carcass of the adult Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger—a rare demonic beast whose various materials were all highly valuable. Fortunately, upon returning, they found that no one had visited the battlefield. Lei Dong was about to briefly inspect the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger and toss it into his storage belt to deal with later when his eye chanced upon something. He noticed this was a female beast. Not only that, but one area was swollen and bloody, the viscous dark blood still not completely coagulated. Feeling it strange, he couldn’t help but crouch down, frowning as he looked more closely.

Ding Wanyan intended to urge him along, but finding him staring intently at a certain part of the female beast, her face flushed. Just as she was about to erupt in annoyance, she heard Lei Dong cry out in a mix of shock and elation, "This might be a mother beast that just gave birth!"