... Hearing Lei Dong's explosive exclamation, even someone like Ding Wanyan couldn't help but feel her heart accelerate, hurrying forward to take a quick look. Sure enough, just as Lei Dong had said, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger showed distinct signs of having just given birth. After exchanging a look, the senior sister and junior brother swiftly put away the Shadow Tiger carcass. Then, spreading their spiritual senses, they began searching separately.

In less than a moment, Ding Wanyan was the first to succeed, finding two Shadow Tiger cubs deep within a mossy, crumbling cave eroded by the cold wind—they were still attached to their placentas and umbilical cords. Fortunately, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger bloodline was excellent, and their vitality was tenacious. These two semi-transparent, filthy little beasts were barely clinging to life.

Quickly producing some Lingfeng Honey she usually consumed herself and feeding each cub about half a small bottle, Ding Wanyan gently wrapped them in her True Qi, summoned Lei Dong using her Green Cloud Shuttle, and hurried back to the Myriad Ghost Cave.

It was Lei Dong's first time entering Ding Wanyan's residence. It was indeed vastly different from a man's dwelling—far more refined and stylish. It was nothing like the empty space where Lei Dong lived.

However, with the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger cubs in hand, they couldn't afford to dwell on such matters. Lei Dong consulted some of the ancient bestiaries on the bookshelf and found passages detailing the proper care for newly born demon beasts. Following the instructions to the letter, he bathed them, wrapped them in quilts, and fed them flower nectar. Only then did the two little beasts improve slightly, settling into a deep sleep, no longer shivering uncontrollably.

There were only two reasons for placing such importance on these two Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger cubs. Firstly, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger was a Congenital Demon Beast. A Congenital Demon Beast is defined as one that falls within the category of demon beasts from the moment of birth, distinguishing them from ordinary demon beasts. Those others typically started as common wild animals that, after existing for a long time under the nourishment of spiritual energy, slowly evolved into demon beasts.

Secondly, even among Congenital Demon Beasts, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger was a rare entity, its bloodline seemingly carrying a faint trace of the legendary Ancient True Spirit Blood. This was a momentous discovery; even a mere trace set them apart from common Congenital Demon Beasts, making them beasts of the highest caliber. It was precisely due to that sliver of Ancient True Spirit Blood that materials derived from the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger were exceptionally valuable, serving as prime components for both pill refinement and artifact forging. Otherwise, Lei Dong wouldn't have coveted the adult Shadow Tiger carcass. Though the adult Shadow Tiger's cultivation base wasn't high, barely at the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

But the most valuable aspect of the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger was the creature itself. Unfortunately, any demon beast whose sentience had awakened was exceedingly difficult to tame; even with endless effort, they remained rebellious and might bite their master one day. Only newborn cubs, those that hadn't yet opened their eyes. The first person they see upon opening their eyes, nurtured meticulously—ideally using Blood Sacrifice techniques—would become a cultivator's lifelong asset, loyal and never betraying.

In a sense, the value of each of these two Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger cubs was no less than that of a High-Grade Spirit Ghost—no, perhaps even better than a Supreme-Grade Spirit Ghost. Because Supreme-Grade Spirit Ghosts were only truly useful to the heretical cultivators who practiced the Ghost Controlling Arts. But a Supreme-Grade pet cub like the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger could be utilized by any cultivator.

"Let's perform the Blood Sacrifice first, one for each, to avoid covetousness," Lei Dong suggested. He genuinely wanted to hoard both cubs for himself, but that thought vanished instantly. Unless he planned to abandon his standing in the Myriad Ghost Cave and betray his sect, which he certainly did not. Moreover, Ding Wanyan had truly treated him well. She was the one who found the cubs first, yet she still called Lei Dong to leave together. Furthermore, if Ding Wanyan hadn't been there, what would have happened if he had encountered Baili Yun while fighting the Shadow Tiger? Their actual combat strength was at best evenly matched, perhaps even slightly favoring Lei Dong.

"Good."

Let alone Ding Wanyan, even the Myriad Ghost Ancestor would look upon such treasures with extreme envy. Without a second thought, she agreed. Her thinking, however, was simpler than Lei Dong's; she had never considered keeping them for herself from the start. Perhaps this stemmed from the Ancestor's constant favoritism since she joined the sect, ensuring she never lacked cultivation resources or suffered hardship. This contrasted with Lei Dong, who had nothing when he first joined, haggling over a few bottles of Minor Qi Condensing Pills before achieving success.

These two little beasts happened to be one male and one female. They each took one, beginning the Blood Sacrifice ritual.

Borrowing Ding Wanyan's cultivation chamber, Lei Dong held the swaddled Shadow Tiger cub. He sliced his finger and placed it into the cub’s mouth. Quickly, the little beast instinctively began to suckle, mistaking it for milk. Threads of fresh blood slowly flowed into its mouth. Simultaneously, Lei Dong executed the hand seals, slowly infusing his spiritual consciousness into the cub’s body...

Half a day later, Lei Dong finally completed everything, his face pale and indescribably exhausted, yet his spirit blazed with excitement. This male cub had benefited immensely from the initial Blood Sacrifice with Lei Dong. It fluttered open its sticky eyelids and gazed at Lei Dong with eyes of ultimate purity, quietly and curiously observing him. Vaguely visible was a sense of dependence and infantile affection. It poked its head out, occasionally licking Lei Dong's hand—a tingling sensation that sent ripples through Lei Dong’s firm state of mind. Through the Blood Sacrifice, the cultivator and the beast were now intrinsically bound by blood. Consequently, not only was the cub drawn to Lei Dong, but Lei Dong also instinctively felt a powerful kinship toward the little beast.

Upon exiting the cultivation chamber, he found that Ding Wanyan had already completed the Blood Sacrifice for her own cub. She too was beside herself with joy, refusing to let go of it in her arms.

However, while immense benefits had been gained, the attendant problems also needed to be addressed.

Following Lei Dong's suggestion, they first spent Contribution Points to acquire two Low-Grade Spirit Beast Pouches for immediate use. Spirit beasts, fundamentally, were no different from demon beasts. But once they were subjected to a cultivator's Blood Sacrifice and upbringing, they became Spirit Beasts. A Spirit Beast Pouch was a small space used for housing and storing Spirit Beasts during daily life. In a way, it was similar to Storage Waistbands or Soul Nurturing Towers, but with a fundamental difference.

Storage Waistbands and similar artifacts were designed to store various materials, artifacts, and miscellaneous items. Thus, when forging storage-type artifacts, the factor of living survival could be completely disregarded. But Spirit Beast Pouches required not only the creation of space but also consideration for the Spirit Beast's survival within it. Consequently, the difficulty of refinement and the materials required far surpassed that of a Storage Waistband.

It could be said that for an equivalent volume of space, a Spirit Beast Pouch cost over a hundred times more than a Storage Waistband.

This was why they first acquired two Low-Grade Spirit Beast Pouches. After all, High-Grade Spirit Beast Pouches weren't something that could be found in a moment; at least, none were visible on the exchange list.

They then placed some Spirit Stones, flower nectar, and even several Low-Grade Yin Souls into the Spirit Beast Pouches. The 'Soul-Devouring' part of their name was not in vain. This explained why such a rare Congenital Demon Beast could still be occasionally found within the scope of the Yin Sha Sect—because the local environment closely matched the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger's required habitat. Various soul-related items naturally constituted one of their main food sources. Of course, the Shadow Tiger also required normal sustenance to replenish physical energy and facilitate growth.

After resolving the matters concerning the two little beasts, the senior sister and junior brother conferred and then slowly proceeded to report to the Myriad Ghost Ancestor.

Both were dearly beloved disciples of the Ancestor, especially Ding Wanyan, who held exceedingly high expectations from him. Seeing both of them requesting an audience at once, the Ancestor graciously interrupted his cultivation to see them. However, after Lei Dong recounted every single detail of the event without the slightest concealment, the Myriad Ghost Ancestor's expression became complex. Initially, he felt a bit annoyed that Lei Dong had provoked Baili Yun over a Shadow Tiger and left behind trouble. Although the Tiger materials were indeed valuable, they amounted to a mere tens of thousands of Spirit Stones at most, something the Myriad Ghost Ancestor barely noticed. To risk a major conflict with the Dry Bone Peak for such trifles was utterly irrational.

But then, upon hearing that the Tiger had just given birth, the Ancestor's breathing suddenly grew ragged.

...