For the better part of the next month, Lei Dong spent his free time reuniting with his family. They hadn’t aged much, looking even a bit younger, their health robust. After all, life in the Myriad Ghost City was comfortable, with no significant worries to trouble them. Moreover, given Lei Dong’s standing in the Myriad Ghost Cave, no one dared to casually oppress them.

Of course, the most crucial factor was Ding Wanyan’s frequent visits, bringing rare elixirs and tonics that even nobles in the mortal realm could rarely procure. These items were immensely beneficial for longevity. Hearing his parents constantly praise Ding Wanyan, Lei Dong felt a touch of shame, mixed with renewed gratitude for his Senior Sister.

He also met up with several fellow disciples, sharing drinks to deepen their camaraderie. From them, Lei Dong learned about the major events that had transpired within the Sect over the past four years.

The biggest news, undoubtedly, was a moment of great rejoicing for the entire Yinsha Sect. Three years prior, the mysterious Heavenly Demon Lord from the Heavenly Demon Palace emerged from years of secluded cultivation, having achieved the Undying Nascent Soul. This was an earth-shattering event. For any sect, even a top-tier one like the Yinsha Sect with its ten-thousand-year lineage, the emergence of a Nascent Soul cultivator was far more than just a cause for celebration.

It presented an excellent opportunity for the Yinsha Sect to boost its prestige and expand its influence externally. Naturally, no sect would forgo a grand ceremony when a cultivator reached the Undying Nascent Soul stage.

Less than three years ago, the Sect began sending out wedding invitations, broadly summoning fellow Daoists from across the realm to attend the Nascent Soul Enthronement Ceremony. This naturally included powerful figures from other notorious Daoist sects, as well as families, sects, and rogue cultivators possessing at least Golden Core stage expertise. Due to the immense distances involved, even Golden Core cultivators required several months to traverse the farthest regions.

Consequently, the Enthronement Ceremony was set for three years after the invitations were issued—just over two months from the present day. This provided ample time for Golden Core cultivators to arrive from distant locales and prepare generous congratulatory gifts. The Nascent Soul Ceremony was not merely a chance to broadcast the Sect's might across the land; it was also an exceptional means of accumulating wealth. The Yinsha Sect intended to profit handsomely from this event. Especially for the subordinate sects and families under the Yinsha Sect’s banner, they were expected to bleed heavily for the occasion—otherwise, it would be deemed disrespectful to the Heavenly Demon and the Yinsha Sect itself.

When discussing the Heavenly Demon's promotion to the Nascent Soul stage, even the usually composed Chen Ge couldn't help but speak animatedly, his face flushed with excitement, as if the achievement of the Undying Nascent Soul belonged to him rather than his Master. In his words, he expressed profound reverence for the Heavenly Demon Lord, recounting several famous battles he had participated in.

One anecdote, in particular, detailed a fierce clash between the Yinsha Sect and the righteous giant, Mount Langya. The Heavenly Demon Lord, single-handedly, took on three Golden Core cultivators, killing them one by one before retreating completely unharmed. This was heralded as the battle that cemented his fearsome reputation. Chen Ge spoke with such fervor, spitting as he described the enemy’s feigned retreat, heavy ambushes set to doom the Heavenly Demon Lord, and the final, magnificent counterattack that swept away the opposition like an autumn gale—as if he had personally witnessed the entire engagement.

Lei Dong was deeply skeptical of this account. Internal propaganda always highlighted the positive. While he might grudgingly believe the figure from the Heavenly Demon Palace could take on three Golden Cores simultaneously, the part about him retreating completely unscathed was pure fabrication. His opponent was Mount Langya, not some minor power. Their overall strength was in no way inferior to the Yinsha Sect. Could the Golden Core cultivators of Mount Langya, one of the Eight Great Sects of the world, truly be mere shrimp soldiers and crab generals? To challenge three at once, the Heavenly Demon surviving at all would be fortunate. Furthermore, Lei Dong had heard whispers of that campaign; the Yinsha Sect had only managed to snag a small advantage at the very end, failing to secure an absolute victory.

Seeing Lei Dong’s unconvinced expression, Chen Ge, despite Lei Dong now being a Foundation Establishment cultivator himself, got bold with the liquor, his face red and neck thick as he retorted, "Old Lei, just because you can't do something doesn't mean others can't."

"Chen Ge, you're defending the Demon Lord too fiercely. Have you even figured out yet if the Heavenly Demon Lord is male or female?" Wei Hua chimed in support.

Chen Ge faltered, his retort choked back. It was true; he still hadn't clarified whether the Heavenly Demon was a man or a woman. Some claimed he was male, while rumors suggested she was actually a woman. But no one had a definitive answer, as the Heavenly Demon remained elusive, rarely seen. And those who knew powerhouses of the Heavenly Demon’s caliber were far beyond Chen Ge’s reach, though this fact in no way diminished his adoration.

To be honest, the others present shared an almost inexpressible surge of excitement about the Heavenly Demon achieving Nascent Soul status. After all, the Yinsha Sect gaining another Nascent Soul ancestor meant a massive leap in its overall strength. As disciples of the Yinsha Sect, they naturally felt a sense of pride.

Moving past that topic, they discussed the recent conflict between Black Tiger Stronghold and the Ouyang Family. In truth, to a behemoth like the Yinsha Sect, both the Black Tiger Stronghold and the Ouyang Family were mere third-rate players. These two minor factions were significantly weaker than even the Myriad Ghost Cave, with both leaders being cultivators only in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The Black Tiger Stronghold nominally submitted to the Yinsha Sect. As for the Ouyang Family, it was established hundreds of years ago by an elder from the Heavenly Sound Palace.

In reality, no matter how bloody and terrifying the battles raged between the two houses, such trivial affairs happening tens of thousands of miles away held little bearing on Lei Dong and his peers. The world was vast; small sects and families were wiped out or rose up daily. To focus on these matters would be inviting boredom.

The reason Chen Ge and the others brought it up was simple: profit was involved.

The fierce fighting between the two factions stemmed from the detection of a Spirit Stone mine in an unremarkable mountain range where their territories overlapped. Exactly who discovered it first was a matter of dispute, dragging on until no one could tell anymore. According to the old rules of the Cultivation World, survival of the fittest prevailed; might made right.

However, the matter soon entangled the Myriad Ghost Cave. The leader of the Black Tiger Stronghold apparently shared a slight acquaintance with the Myriad Ghost Ancestor during his youth, and he was nominally subservient to the Yinsha Sect. After suffering losses in several skirmishes, he came to the Myriad Ghost Cave seeking aid. He knew requesting the Myriad Ghost Cave to intervene based on that faint connection was laughable.

The Stronghold Leader made a ruthless calculation: if the Spirit Stone mine fell entirely to the Ouyang Family, he would gain nothing. So, he offered the Myriad Ghost Ancestor sixty percent of the mine's future net revenue in exchange for assistance in seizing the mineral rights.

The vein wasn't large; once depleted, it was estimated to be worth only about ten million spirit stones, meaning a mere few million low-grade spirit stones in net profit. The Myriad Ghost Ancestor, having recently won a large sum, wasn't particularly motivated. Having him intervene personally was out of the question. He was, after all, a Golden Core Ancestor of status; bullying the brats of the Ouyang Family wouldn't enhance his reputation.

Nevertheless, the Myriad Ghost Ancestor appreciated the Stronghold Leader traveling so far. He delegated the matter to his disciples: the Ouyang Family wasn't strong, so dispatching three Foundation Establishment disciples, gathering a cohort of Qi Refining disciples eager to earn money, plus the Black Tiger Stronghold’s own strength, should be more than enough to handle them.

But the Ouyang Family proved they weren't pushovers either. After learning through an inside source that the Black Tiger Stronghold sought help from the Yinsha Sect, their Patriarch traveled night and day to the Heavenly Sound Palace. Relying on the reputation and favor of their deceased Ancestor, they successfully enlisted several Foundation Establishment experts from the Heavenly Sound Palace.

This complicated matters considerably. After one of their members was injured by Wang Kang's strike, the situation escalated rapidly, prompting an immediate retreat to summon reinforcements. Wang Kang, fearing the deployment of a Golden Core Ancestor, took the opportunity of Lei Dong's advancement to Foundation Establishment and his impending Disciple-Acceptance Ceremony to return with his junior disciples and nephews. This served two purposes: to offer respects at the ceremony, and secondarily, to subtly request aid from the Ancestor.

... (Scheduled to go live around midnight on May 1st. Brothers and sisters, please stop by then. Also, please reserve your monthly tickets, ^_^, let me keep topping the dual charts~)