It took a couple of hours for Lei Dong to chart two routes, one for going and one for returning, based on the map showing the location of his old home. He absolutely had to make a trip back. Having transmigrated directly into his mother's womb, he keenly understood the hardships of a ten-month pregnancy. Furthermore, his parents in this life had cherished him like a precious gem. If he didn't go back now, when would he? Yet, Lei Dong didn't wish to unduly delay his cultivation.

Lei Dong’s old home was in the state of Wu, a mortal nation that wasn't overly large but was quite remote. According to the jade slip map, the straight-line distance from the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave to his home was approximately sixty thousand li. However, traveling in a straight line was impossible; it would require passing through several perilous and treacherous lands entirely beyond his current capabilities to handle.

Avoiding those areas would add about another twenty thousand li to the journey. Lei Dong’s maximum speed driving the Evil Ghost Banner was slightly over a thousand li per shichen, but for prolonged travel, he could only maintain a speed of about eight hundred li per shichen. This meant the eighty thousand li journey would take over a hundred shichen. While this didn't sound excessively long, Lei Dong knew that finishing the trip within twenty days would be considered quite good.

Thus, he devised this round-trip route, which allowed for taking a slightly longer path to potentially complete a mission or two along the way. Consequently, the total distance ended up being a bit longer than initially anticipated: about a hundred thousand li going there, and one hundred thirty thousand li on the return.

He could complete seven missions along the journey, and there were four market towns where he could sell mid-grade spirit ghosts. However, in any single market town, Lei Dong dared not sell too many.

After spending about a thousand contribution points, he exchanged them for a decent storage bracelet, significantly increasing his storage space. He also scavenged a batch of goods from the Myriad Ghost City that were unavailable back home, along with necessary supplies for the road. Only then, after registering his departure in the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, did he command the Evil Ghost Banner, billowing black miasma, to head in the direction of his ancestral home.

The Evil Ghost Banner was a fine flying artifact, signifying the status of its wielder. Within the territory of the Yinsha Sect, unless one had grave enmity or a particularly compelling reason, nobody would seek trouble with someone operating an Evil Ghost Banner.

On this journey, when leaving the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, the sky was clear and boundless. But barely an shichen into the flight, thunder roared and lightning flashed, bringing down a torrential downpour. Unwilling to waste time, he could only shield himself with a Profound Yin Shield and press on through the rain. Fortunately, after flying only a hundred or so li, he emerged from the storm area into clear, bright skies.

Flight was the dream of humanity. However, after the initial novelty wore off, long-distance travel was absolutely monotonous. Moreover, while traveling, one had to constantly drive the flying artifact, maintaining vigilance. Thus, it was not only tedious but also exhausting. One mountain gave way to another; one river flowed into the next. There were hills, swamps, and forests—a bit of everything imaginable.

Even with Lei Dong’s current cultivation at the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage, flying for several shichen would leave him utterly drained. He would find a safe spot, like a cave, release his spectral ghost soldiers to guard secretly, and then meditate to recover his true essence and energy.

Of course, there was always the possibility of some ferocious beast or malevolent ghost lurking in certain forests. But in reality, as long as he avoided the dangerous zones marked on the map, it was quite rare to encounter any truly formidable wild beasts in the desolate wilderness. Consider the vast Yinsha Sect: how many Foundation Establishment cultivators did they have? How many Golden Core Ancestors?

Within the Yinsha Sect’s sphere of influence, the number of wild Foundation Establishment beasts and ghost guards surely couldn't exceed the number of human Foundation Establishment cultivators. As for the various locations where Yin souls gathered near different caves and lairs, those were areas directly or indirectly cultivated to become deadly locales—like carving out a private patch in one's own backyard. This served two purposes: the chance to nurture spirit ghosts, and providing lower-tier disciples a place to train and gain wealth. If powerful beasts like high-tier ghost soldiers or ghost guards—creatures capable of harming ordinary disciples—appeared in those areas, they would normally be cleared out.

As for ordinary mountain ranges and wilderness areas, Foundation Establishment disciples of the Yinsha Sect conducted regular patrols. If they discovered any powerful wild beasts or wild ghost guards, they would either eliminate them or report them to the sect. These matters constituted missions issued by the sect, available for any sufficiently strong disciple to undertake for contribution points.

Lei Dong did see several patrol missions where disciples were tasked with inspecting a certain stretch of forest, but for him, those took too much time. Therefore, the missions he accepted were mostly centered on eliminating discovered beasts and wild ghost guards. Taking on such tasks earned contribution points, and furthermore, the remains and souls of slain beasts and ghost guards could be used to feed his ghost servants and pets, proving to be killing two birds with one stone.

Day after day, he continued his journey. Upon reaching a market town marked on the map, he would disguise himself, donning a black robe and black coverings, and sell one or two mid-grade spirit ghosts. Although mid-grade spirit ghosts held some value, the people in those markets were reluctant to provoke an expert at the eighth level of Qi Refining over a small amount of spirit stones.

Yes, an expert. Perhaps within the Yinsha Sect, Golden Core Ancestors seemed common, and Foundation Establishment cultivators were seen everywhere. But the crucial point was that the Yinsha Sect was a premier, top-tier major sect, one of the supreme powers in the world. Even so, between various caves and residences, a disciple at the eighth level of Qi Refining possessed a certain degree of influence.

In the market towns established in the wilderness, outside secular influence, the clientele mostly consisted of rogue cultivators, small sects, or immortal cultivation families. In a circle where Foundation Establishment cultivators were exceedingly rare, Lei Dong, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, naturally counted as a minor master in the eyes of others. Like those rogue cultivators who had the qualifications and strength to attend the auctions at the Yinsha Sect Grand Competition market last time—they were certainly the cream of the crop among rogue cultivators.

In this world, strength has always been the supreme measure. The Yinsha Sect, as the absolute ruler of this vast region and the apex of the food chain, naturally selected the more outstanding individuals when choosing disciples. Never mind that many disciples in Lei Dong's cohort who had cultivated for ten years were only at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining. Even these students were considered to possess decent aptitude.

The truly inferior ones were simply beneath the notice of a behemoth like the Yinsha Sect. Smaller sects and factions affiliated with the Yinsha Sect would pick up the children discarded by the major sect—those still deemed acceptable in their eyes—and take them as disciples. But for those with extremely poor spiritual roots, whom even the minor sects disdained, some might find fortuitous encounters and become rogue cultivators. This group often spent their entire lives failing to reach the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining.

Moreover, they would take on disciples—those with the worst spiritual roots, passed over by the minor sects. Perhaps out of sympathy, or perhaps harboring a glimmer of hope. Regardless, these rogue cultivators formed the absolute lowest stratum of the entire cultivation world, and they were numerous. It wasn't impossible for some among them to eventually rise above, perhaps due to misjudged aptitude, hidden potential, or a unique innate constitution. But the probability was slim. The appearance of high-level rogue cultivators was due to the sheer base quantity of rogue cultivators, far outnumbering sect disciples many times over.

Of course, some disciples from minor sects or immortal cultivation families might also become rogue cultivators due to various circumstances. And rogue cultivators could, in turn, establish small sects or cultivation families. The small sect or family he established might one day grow into a behemoth like the Yinsha Sect.

However, low-level rogue cultivators were not entirely insignificant ants. In fact, the opposite was often true; some low-level rogue cultivators lived more comfortably than direct disciples like Lei Dong. Even with only the second or third level of Qi Refining, possessing a couple of common spells and a low-grade magic tool, they could be treated as honored guests by wealthy mortal families and enjoy maintenance without lifting a finger. Thus, while they might be humble and deferential as dogs before high-level cultivators, they were often arrogant and called themselves Immortal Masters in front of mortals.

In a non-sect market town teeming with various social strata, Lei Dong’s eighth level of Qi Refining made him somewhat formidable, no matter how one calculated it. Furthermore, as a direct disciple of a super-sect, all his magic tools were at least high-grade. Compared to his first trip to a market town, when he was only at the second level of Qi Refining and not much better off than the lowest-tier rogue cultivators, his current standing was an immeasurable improvement. This realization filled Lei Dong with a wave of complex emotion.