Though Lei Dong’s cultivation was only at the first level of the Foundation Establishment stage, few people could confidently handle the move he just executed. In fact, even if someone could defeat Lei Dong, they wouldn't dare challenge an elite disciple on the territory of the Yin Sha Sect. Killing him was impossible, and what use was a victory? The next thing to follow would surely be the furious retaliation of the Yin Sha Sect. Such a behemoth could crush any minor cultivation family or small sect as easily as squashing an ant.

For a moment, the field was dead silent; no one dared to question Lei Dong. Especially those in the Foundation Establishment stage—they looked at Lei Dong beneath the black mist, seeing how young he was. How could someone so young, yet already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, be an ordinary person? That rolling mass of black mist and ghostly energy must be the Evil Ghost Shroud, right?

Lei Dong seemed quite satisfied with their reaction. He retracted the Evil Ghost Shroud, gradually suppressing the fierce, malevolent energy on his face. With a flash of the Ghost Shadow Evasion technique, his figure blurred amidst afterimages, landing in the central position. With his hands clasped behind his back, a hint of arrogance played on his face: “Please forgive my behavior, esteemed seniors. As the appointed steward for this area, and with Lord Heavenly Demon’s Nascent Soul celebration approaching, I naturally cannot tolerate bloodshed, lest it bring ill fortune. My action just now was born of necessity. I ask for your understanding, senior brothers.”

He delivered a sharp blow, then offered a concession. This effectively stunned the members of those minor sects and families. One by one, they showed forced, insincere smiles and hurriedly greeted him: “Oh, Senior Brother Lei has arrived! We were merely joking around earlier, just a bit of friendly sparring.”

“If you want to spar, let’s find another time,” Lei Dong waved his hand. “I am new here and need to register everyone for the roster. I request that all senior brothers from every clan and sect enter one by one for registration.”

With that, Lei Dong took the lead into the central room. Soon, disciples in the Qi Refining stage under his command brought paper and brush, standing by obediently.

Lei Dong’s true intention was simply to separate the crowd so he could scan each one individually with the Soul Devouring Tower. He needed to find out which of them possessed that inexplicable, mysterious object. With so many people clustered together, the sensation wasn't clear enough for Lei Dong to distinguish.

Unexpectedly, the group outside misinterpreted his intentions. They exchanged glances, each showing difficulty on their faces. Clearly, they mistook Lei Dong’s request for individual entry as an attempt to extort bribes. After all, he was an elite disciple of the Sect Master’s lineage and currently held authority. If he wished to trouble those families with shallow foundations, it would be trivially easy. Paying meant depleting their resources, especially with the gifts for the Heavenly Demon’s celebration already straining them. But refusing—what if he decided to cause trouble?

The eight Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged hushed words, communicating via sound transmission. They quickly agreed upon a standardized amount for bribes.

Lei Dong waited inside for a long time. A sweep of his divine sense showed the group was still murmuring outside. He couldn't help but let out a cold snort of dissatisfaction: “Seniors, do you take my words as mere wind in your ears?”

Only then did those Foundation Establishment cultivators enter one by one to register. The first one clearly hadn't grasped the situation. However, before leaving, he quietly slipped a storage bag, unmarked by any divine sense imprint, to Lei Dong. Lei Dong was momentarily stunned, instinctively taking it and scanning it. He was shocked to find three thousand spirit stones inside.

Perhaps these three thousand spirit stones were not much in Lei Dong’s eyes. But for a small family, this was already a considerable fortune, given their heavy expenses.

Although Lei Dong pitied the precarious survival circumstances of those small families living in the cracks, refusing money offered to him did not align with his style. He collected the bag without showing any change in expression, secretly musing that this was why Foundation Establishment cultivators who saw no hope of reaching the Golden Core stage joined the headquarters as stewards. It turned out that holding an office in the Yin Sha Sect came with considerable perks.

One by one they entered, and each offered the same bribe, which Lei Dong accepted without hesitation. Refusing money offered on a silver platter would bring divine retribution.

The seventh person was one of the elders who had been arguing earlier. As he entered, the missing ripple of sensation slowly began to throb again. Lei Dong was thrilled internally but maintained a calm exterior, registering him and accepting his spirit stone bribe just like the others. However, he firmly committed this family to memory—the Chen Family of the Houchen Kingdom.

Here, Lei Dong absolutely would not make a move. Once the target was confirmed, Lei Dong wasn't afraid that the person could fly to the heavens. If he had to blame anyone, it was them for carrying a treasure that invited disaster. Lei Dong knew that if anyone discovered he possessed an heaven-defying, rare treasure, he would have died countless times over.

In the following days, minor sects and factions arrived one after another. After Lei Dong had asserted his dominance, his managed area remained exceptionally quiet. He welcomed the peace, spending his days cultivating until the day of the Heavenly Demon’s Nascent Soul celebration arrived.

Early in the morning, countless people gathered in the vast plaza at the center of the Yin Sha Sect. By this time, the Qi Refining cultivators who had followed their elders to witness the event were no longer qualified to pay homage to the Heavenly Demon.

Lei Dong couldn't even estimate how many people were gathered in that magnificent square, awaiting the Heavenly Demon’s descent.

From morning until just before noon, not a single person dared to show any dissatisfaction. This was because the Golden Core Ancestors and Elders of the Yin Sha Sect were also standing respectfully on the main platform, eagerly awaiting her.

In truth, despite Lei Dong having refuted Chen Ge—a devout admirer of the Heavenly Demon—some time ago, Lei Dong himself held a measure of profound respect for the Heavenly Demon. Killing three Golden Core peers of the same rank might be slightly exaggerated, but at least the ability to contend with them should be real. He harbored a slight expectation, eager to see what kind of incredible power or form the Heavenly Demon possessed that made her so formidable.

Suddenly, a surge ran through the crowd as all eyes turned toward the distant sky.

Standing amidst thousands of people, Lei Dong stared intently at the increasingly clear horizon, his heart filled with anticipation and a touch of pride. He recalled the genuine terror and respect he heard in the voices of the leaders from the minor sects and families. He thought that if he could live to reach her level, it would be worth it even if he died immediately afterward.

As thousands craned their necks in anticipation, a mass of black clouds, spanning dozens of miles and covering the entire sky, suddenly appeared from afar, rapidly approaching. In an instant, they were overhead, accompanied by sharp gasps of astonishment. Like a tsunami in the deep sea, the demonic energy clouds rolled and roared.

The clear sky vanished, replaced by black clouds formed from vast, seemingly endless demonic energy, stretching over the entire Yin Sha Sect. It was both domineering and terrifying. The churning demonic clouds occasionally materialized into ancient demonic statues, so clear they seemed right before one's eyes, pressing down so heavily that breathing became difficult.

The surrounding crowd trembled and knelt in worship. Even the Golden Core cultivators could not withstand the immense and unparalleled pressure, bending their knees and lowering their proud heads.

Lei Dong’s breath hitched at that moment. Was this the true power of the Heavenly Demon’s Demonic Manifestation? Lei Dong had seen Dongfang Fu perform the Demonic Manifestation before, but in terms of quality and the scope of the display, it was as childish and rudimentary as a child playing with mud.

In the next instant, the apocalyptic black clouds of demonic energy suddenly vanished. With his sight, Lei Dong could only glimpse a figure in a black robe, face veiled, descending from the sky. Without the overwhelming expanse of demonic energy, the pressure emanating from the black-robed figure was even more intense, as if a true Heavenly Demon had descended. The figure floated toward the central throne.

Just as Lei Dong was involuntarily preparing to kneel, he suddenly felt a thread of divine sense fall upon him. It was cold, carrying an indescribable sense of familiarity. Although the divine sense lingered only for a few breaths before withdrawing silently, Lei Dong’s body trembled instantly. He raised his head, gazing intently at the approaching Heavenly Demon.

His half-bent legs, under the force of his intense willpower, slowly straightened.

“It really is her!” When Lei Dong finally saw her features clearly, his heart shook violently. Even though her face was covered, even though she was at least several dozen zhang away from him, his eyesight, coupled with the deep imprint she had carved onto his soul, allowed him to recognize her instantly. He could even sense the fiery passion beneath her cold black robe.

How could this be? How could it be? How could she be the Heavenly Demon? How could the Heavenly Demon be her? Lei Dong never would have imagined that the woman with whom he had shared a night of frantic pleasure, the woman who had yielded to his every desire, would be—(The book will be put on sale shortly after twelve o'clock; please do not leave. At the beginning of the sale, please support it as much as possible, at least by subscribing to the first chapter to help boost the numbers. Thank you~) X