The baleful aura, thick almost to blackness, struck the extraordinary flying sword like condensed fog. The collision erupted in a fierce gale that whipped hair and garments wildly. The flying sword hesitated, shuddered violently, and was sent reeling back. The figure on the escaping light seemed to have suffered a spiritual injury, trembling and nearly falling from the magical beam. Struck by this blow, the person on the escape light dared not lash out again, remaining instead at a distance, quietly observing the unfolding scene.

Simultaneously, the combined attacks of the group slammed into Li Chang'an, who had just managed to break free from the ice. Under such numerous and potent assaults, even if he were forged of solid iron, he would have been reduced to dust. Much less so, as he was still merely flesh and blood. In an instant, his body was ripped into pieces, though the blood did not splatter far due to the preceding deep freeze.

The nascent soul of a Foundation Establishment cultivator possesses a degree of condensation and vitality far surpassing that of a Qi Refining cultivator. A wisp of nascent soul, neither truly smoke nor mist, chirped and attempted to flee. Lei Dong let out a cold snort, raised a hand to snatch, and a green light escaped his palm, morphing into a terrifying, chillingly ghostly claw imbued with Yin energy. It shot through the air with lightning speed, scooped, squeezed, and captured the soul within his grasp.

Withdrawing the Netherworld Ghost Claw, he then unfurled the Myriad Ghosts Banner. Ghostly mists surged forth, transforming into vengeful spirits and ghostly hands reaching out as if from the very depths of hell. They seized the willingly presented nascent soul, and amidst wails and shrieks, dragged it bodily toward the Myriad Ghosts Banner.

The nascent soul flickered, sometimes vaporous, sometimes forming into the image of Li Chang'an’s face, contorted in terror and pleading. It struggled fiercely, trying to break free from the countless spectral hands. It was, after all, the nascent soul of a third-level Foundation Establishment cultivator; even the refining mist of the high-grade Myriad Ghosts Banner could not immediately subdue it, resulting in a stalemate. To prevent further complications, Lei Dong immediately bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of essence blood onto the ghost mist with a poof.

Amplified by the master's vital blood, the ghost mist’s malevolence surged instantly, transforming into countless black vines that tightly bound Li Chang’an's nascent soul. In a flash, it was dragged into the pitch-black and sinister Myriad Ghosts Banner. The ghost mist churned for a while longer; Li Chang'an's anguished cries grew fainter until, after a long moment, they ceased entirely. The mist then gradually receded, vanishing from sight. Henceforth, the Myriad Ghosts Banner gained one more trapped spirit.

And it was a spirit of the third level of Foundation Establishment. Once Lei Dong had the leisure to refine it further, this soul would surely become a rare and formidable general within the Myriad Ghosts Banner, capable of serving as a primary soul for the time being, commanding the hundred ghosts and making the banner’s might even greater. Lei Dong was somewhat satisfied with this outcome. How could the nascent soul of a third-level Foundation Establishment cultivator be dealt with by him alone? If the three who struck hadn't been exceptional individuals among the Qi Refining realm, they would never have managed to subdue this Li Chang'an.

Any one of the three, fighting him solo, would not have been his match. Even if two ganged up, they would, at best, fight him to a standstill.

Thus, Lei Dong acquiring this soul was considered no small gain.

“Brothers from the Myriad Ghosts Den, surely this is going too far?” The last arrival slowly descended, a middle-aged man whose face was grim, unclear whether from injury or inherent disposition: “Li Chang’an has served the sect diligently for many years as an elder; he deserves some consideration for his efforts. Even if he erred in this matter, a mere lesson would suffice; why resort to destroying his body and refining his soul?”

Lei Dong surmised this man to be Liu Wanshan, the branch master from Wu State. Though he couldn't discern his cultivation level, the clash with Second Martial Uncle Wang Kang clearly showed Liu Wanshan suffered a significant disadvantage. Already annoyed that this wretch favored the other side, Lei Dong smirked sinisterly: “Branch Master Liu, destroying a body and refining a soul is excessive?” Turning back, he roared: “Brothers, make haste! Wipe out his entire clan; we must cut the weeds by the roots to leave no future trouble. Loot everything valuable, then burn this dilapidated manor to the ground.”

“You junior…!” Liu Wanshan’s face turned ashen with anger, his eyebrows sharply raised: “How dare you.”

Chen Ge and the other two, under the support and intimidation of Wu Di, had already slain about a dozen scattered cultivators whose morale had collapsed. Hearing Lei Dong’s command, they responded in unison and intensified their assault.

“Liu, stop being so arrogant here. Out of respect for your seniority, I call you Branch Master.” Lei Dong harbored intense ill will toward this man. If not for Liu’s scheming and protection behind the scenes, no matter how powerful Li Chang’an was, he wouldn't have dared to violate sect rules by abducting Lei Dong’s sister and harming his father. Since they were now enemies, Lei Dong hoped to take this opportunity, while his own power was peaking, to eliminate Liu as well: “You and I both know exactly what role you played in the middle of this. In your eyes, my Myriad Ghosts Den amounts to nothing? Are the siblings and parents of my Myriad Ghosts Den disciples worth so little that they can be casually abducted and humiliated?”

“Jie jie, young whelp, what sharp teeth you have, stirring up trouble so skillfully.” Liu Wanshan saw the Myriad Ghosts Den members knitting their brows and knew that if he allowed Lei Dong to continue speaking, he wouldn’t fare well today: “If you have an issue with this Liu, feel free to use the sect’s rules to challenge me on the Life and Death Arena. However, today you defied my counsel and proceeded to destroy the body and refine the soul of Li Chang’an, a man with merit in the sect. This matter must be reported to the sect headquarters for the Elders to arbitrate.”

“Hmph, Liu, have you no shame?” Ding Wanyan’s expression turned cold, and she cursed fiercely: “To think you are a Branch Master, yet you cannot distinguish right from wrong, colluding with that corrupt villain. Life and Death Duel? Why don't you pick someone formidable to show off against? Like my Second Martial Uncle. A dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator bullying a Qi Refining one—what sort of contest is that?”

Wang Kang also held this man in utter contempt. But he was different from Li Chang’an; in a sense, Li Chang’an was no longer truly a member of the Yin Sha Sect but the head of an affiliated family. However, Liu Wanshan was still the Branch Master of Wu State. If they were to kill him just like that, the consequences would escalate too severely. He let out a cold snort: “Liu, stop being presumptuous. As Lei Dong said, everyone here knows the truth. If you want to make a fuss, our Myriad Ghosts Den is not to be trifled with, and we will absolutely fight you to the end. As for you, Liu Wanshan, Great Branch Master Liu, my master will come to settle accounts with you personally.”

Liu Wanshan was only trying to save face. As a Branch Master, he didn't even have the authority to save one person, leaving him deeply aggrieved. But this matter was fundamentally his fault. If it blew up, even if the sect punished this brat Lei Dong, wouldn't that old devil Wan Gui still hold him accountable? Although situated in a remote area with infrequent communication with the sect headquarters, he had vaguely heard that the Myriad Ghosts lineage had produced an outstanding female disciple in recent years. Could it be this young woman, at the peak of the twelfth layer of Qi Refining?

But retreating now left him unwilling. He snorted coldly: “This Branch Master is loyal to the sect. Even if Li Chang’an acted improperly, the proper channel was to report it to the sect for Elder adjudication. You group from the Myriad Ghosts Den, gathering people privately to commit violence and massacre a whole family—you won’t escape unscathed either, will you?”

“Heh heh, Liu Wanshan, you refuse the face I offer you, do you not?” Wang Kang, having the highest cultivation among them, stood with his hands behind his back, grinning hideously: “Allow me, Wang, to introduce you. This is my Junior Sister Ding Wanyan, this competition’s champion, highly valued by the Nascent Soul Ancestor. I suspect you’ve stayed in your backwater too long and are ignorant of the currents at the sect’s headquarters.”

Liu Wanshan’s expression drastically changed. The status of Grand Competition Champion alone garnered significant attention, but being valued by a Nascent Soul Ancestor was the crucial issue. He felt a pang of fear and began to waver in his resolve.

Unexpectedly, Wang Kang did not relent, striking at his already fragile spirit: “And this is Dongfang Fu, the Heavenly Demon Inheritor from the Heavenly Demon Palace, Junior Sister Dongfang. She tied for first place with my Junior Sister in this competition.” Although Wang Kang held a higher seniority, he truly dared not put on airs with the Yin Sha Twin Stars.

Liu Wanshan was profoundly shaken. The four words ‘Heavenly Demon Inheritor’ were enough to chill him to the bone. Relying on his status and connections, he could manage some friction with the Myriad Ghosts Den group. But against the master of the Heavenly Demon, Liu Wanshan couldn't muster the slightest will to resist. His face stiffened, and he forced a smile: “Wanshan pays his respects to Miss Ding, Miss Dongfang. It turns out it is the renowned Yin Sha Twin Stars gracing us with their presence. My apologies, my apologies. This was all a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding. Li Chang’an acted criminally, deliberately breaking sect rules; he deserved to die. Destroying his body and refining his soul—it was far too lenient a punishment for him.”

Lei Dong felt a degree of disdain for such a fickle opportunist. However, his current strength prevented him from settling scores with Liu. But this did not stop him from marking it in his heart, intending to make Liu pay the price for this behavior when the opportunity arose. Since his sister, Lei Qing'er, was still on his mind, he summoned his escape light and sped toward the rear garden.

…… (Going live in six days; this is the last week of hope. I have one small wish: I hope The Great Devil can climb to the number one spot on both charts this week. Even if only for a day, an hour, a fleeting moment, it would be enough. Vote, give me your recommendation tickets! If today is missed, the book may never have this chance again~)M

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