"There is one thing I must tell you first, this matter of Ding requires me to finish my business in this marketplace before I can kill anyone," Lei Dong said flatly. "If you cannot accept this, I will not press you."

"This is as it should be. Senior, please attend to your affairs first. Otherwise, after that man is killed, the marketplace will likely descend into chaos for a time." The elder surnamed Zhou stifled his agitation, calmed his mind, and said solemnly, "Senior, please wait a moment. This junior will immediately retrieve the high-grade spiritual artifact and present it to you. Please wait here." The elder surnamed Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that whether he wanted to give it or not, he had no choice now. Whether he could truly exact his great revenge next depended entirely on this man's disposition.

Lei Dong did not stop him, allowing him to leave. However, he was not foolish enough to wait there idly. Instead, he floated away, finding a hidden spot nearby to conceal himself, while extending his divine sense in all directions, cautiously observing everything.

After a long while, a slight ripple stirred within Lei Dong’s calm divine sense. The elder he had "seen" reappeared at the alley entrance and entered the stone house. Only after confirming no one else followed did Lei Dong employ the Ghost Shadow Passage, moving with several swift, ethereal steps until he appeared behind the elder like a phantom.

With the elder's cultivation and strength, how could he possibly detect Lei Dong? He was still nervously murmuring, "Senior, Senior."

"Stop calling out. Ding is here," Lei Dong said, his hands clasped behind his back, transmitting his voice.

The elder quickly turned around. Seeing that it was indeed him, he let out a great sigh of relief and, without hesitation, took out an object shrouded in faint dark light from his storage belt, holding it in both hands respectfully. "The high-grade spiritual artifact is here. I request Senior to accept it with a smile."

Lei Dong gestured, and his divine sense swept out, seizing the item. He examined it closely. The object was shaped like a small, pitch-black flag, exquisitely crafted in design, made from an unknown material. Etched upon the flag was a coiled, dark-colored flood dragon, lifelike and seeming ready to leap forth. Black, misty vapors constantly surged around the small flag, displaying its extraordinary nature.

Seeing Lei Dong scrutinize it, the elder surnamed Zhou explained from the side, "Senior, this item is called the Black Dragon Banner. It requires refinement before it can be used. In combat, it can summon a black dragon condensed from mist to aid in battle, possessing extraordinary power. However, after each summoning, it must be nourished for a period under normal circumstances before it can be used again. The dragon's power depends on Senior's cultivation and divine sense strength. This means that the stronger Senior is, the more power the Black Dragon Banner can unleash after being nourished by your soul energy and true qi. However, its peak power is still limited. According to the ancestral teachings of this humble one, the power of the black flood dragon cannot exceed the twelfth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. Alas, this Black Dragon Banner can only be used by cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. My humble family has not produced a Foundation Establishment cultivator in over seven hundred years."

After listening, Lei Dong was somewhat moved. As expected of a high-grade spiritual artifact, its power and efficacy exceeded his imagination. The strongest black flood dragon it could summon actually possessed the might of the twelfth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. Of course, Lei Dong knew his current cultivation was far from being able to nourish a twelfth-layer Foundation Establishment black dragon. But overall, its value was much greater than his Senior Sister's Vermillion Bird Mirror. After all, the red bird summoned by that Vermillion Bird Mirror topped out at the power level of the first or second layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. The Vermillion Bird Mirror was precious because it was a technique that Qi Refining cultivators could use. This Black Dragon Banner, however, required a Foundation Establishment cultivator to even barely manage it.

Lei Dong silently put away the Black Dragon Banner and became somewhat warmer toward the elder. "Since that is the case, grant Ding ten days to handle personal matters. We shall meet here in ten days to discuss eliminating that Wu Liao."

The elder surnamed Zhou knew that since he had decided from the start to rely on this Senior, he understood that what followed could only be a gamble on this Senior's character. He nodded obediently, "Please take your time, Senior. This junior will not go anywhere; I will await your good news right here."

Lei Dong was not overly polite. Since he had decided to help him kill someone, he felt at ease. After a slight hesitation, he instructed, "First, go and do something for me—purchase some clothing and accessories." As he spoke, Lei Dong took out a handful of low-grade spirit stones.

The elder surnamed Ran chuckled awkwardly and shamelessly accepted the spirit stones. "This junior should not accept the benefactor's spirit stones, but this is for gathering information..."

"Stop the nonsense. Go and..." Lei Dong transmitted his voice, giving detailed instructions.

The elder listened carefully, then went out the door. Lei Dong stayed there to rest and meditate. In less than an hour, the elder returned, taking a large pile of items from his storage belt. Inside the small stone house, Lei Dong changed his appearance anew.

In less than an hour, he transformed from a dangerous figure wrapped in black robes and dark energy, clearly not to be trifled with, into someone wearing white robes—a picture of elegance and grace, holding a folding fan, resembling a young master from a noble family. Originally, Lei Dong intended to wear a human skin mask, but the elder surnamed Zhou eagerly volunteered, producing a stack of cosmetic materials and personally applying makeup for Lei Dong.

Lei Dong looked closely in the mirror. His face was still his own, but it had become sharp-browed and bright-eyed, with rosy cheeks and white teeth, completely different from Lei Dong’s original stern features. Even someone familiar with him would not recognize that this was the original Lei Dong. He couldn't help but feel slightly surprised. "Elder Zhou, your disguise skills are quite good. Doing it this way is indeed much better than wearing a human skin mask. After all, normal people can spot a human skin mask at a glance. This makeup, which still uses Lei Dong's real face, actually makes it harder to expose his tracks. However, if his whereabouts were to be exposed in the end, it wouldn't be the end of the world. After all, I am not some helpless rogue cultivator; I am the disciple of the Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave of the Yin Fiend Sect. My background and connections are very strong." It was just that Lei Dong preferred to avoid trouble if possible, hence his caution.

The elder surnamed Zhou had initially estimated this Senior to be at least fifty years old, never expecting him to be so young. He became even more respectful and humble. "Senior, you wouldn't know, but for a small figure like me with poor aptitude and no background, one cannot survive in this world without some special skill."

"Having struggled for a long time, one picks up all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge."

Lei Dong stood with one hand behind his back, fanning himself with the other, truly resembling a refined young master. However, Lei Dong still found this attire a bit too effeminate. But for the sake of concealing his tracks, he could accept it for now. He inwardly sighed, realizing that there truly is a path for dragons and a path for rats. Many rogue cultivators, perhaps unremarkable in cultivation, often possessed unique skills in their possession.

He ceased chatting further; time was precious. Stepping out of the stone door, in just a few flashes, he was back on the main thoroughfare. Dressed this way, his cultivation appearing quite formidable, Lei Dong looked exactly like a young master out for experience from a powerful, established family. This was a completely different reception compared to when he walked the streets in his black robes before.

Hardly anyone avoided him now. All sorts of small vendors—selling low-level talismans, Strength Enhancing Pills, or various exquisite ornaments—eagerly pulled at him, pushing their wares. More numerous were the female rogue cultivators; among them, quite a few, regardless of whether they were attractive or not, would offer timid, affectionate glances, or, if bolder, would directly grab at him or deliberately bump into him.

Lei Dong was somewhat exasperated, not using his movement techniques but relying on his inherent agility to dodge and weave. He half-regretted dressing so attractively, which attracted butterflies. However, he did not look down upon these female rogue cultivators. After all, in this world, while cultivators appear more glorious than mortals, like deities from the heavens,

the reality is that this is an extremely dangerous world where one’s spirit and soul can be annihilated at any moment. The living conditions for cultivators, especially low-level rogue cultivators, are a bitter struggle at the very bottom, lacking strength and spirit stones, merely seeking a chance to climb upward. Lei Dong’s attire, regardless of his appearance, signaled that he was a noble young master from a powerful family with seemingly considerable cultivation—enough to ignite the ambition in the hearts of those struggling low-level female rogue cultivators for a chance to cling to a powerful connection. If they could win the favor of this seemingly well-connected young master, wouldn't they soar to become a phoenix?

Lei Dong was no lecherous fiend and was truly too lazy to entertain these flirtatious women. He darted straight into a shop that looked quite well-decorated and large, named the Myriad Treasure Pavilion, with smaller characters underneath reading, Kangzhou Zhao Country Hedong Ward Branch.

This shop indeed had substance; even the clerks soliciting customers outside were young male and female cultivators, none below the fifth layer of Qi Refining. Upon seeing Lei Dong, their eyes lit up, but ultimately, the most delicate-looking young woman stepped forward to greet him. Clearly well-trained, she entertained him with a gentle demeanor, neither overly familiar nor subservient. "This humble girl is named Bu Man. If the young master likes it, he may call me Man'er. May I ask what the young master desires upon visiting our humble pavilion—talismans, elixirs, or spiritual artifacts?"

"Elixirs, cultivation pills suitable for the early stage of Foundation Establishment," Lei Dong stated his purpose, fanning himself.

"Young Master, please follow Man'er upstairs. Our pavilion has many kinds of pills suitable for the early Foundation Establishment stage, such as the common Great Origin Replenishing Pills, and the more precious Lesser Five Elements Pills." The delicate girl named Man'er led Lei Dong upstairs, introducing them clearly as she went. "Man'er suggests the young master use the Lesser Five Elements Pills; this pill has excellent efficacy and a reasonable price. Many inner disciples of major sects at the Foundation Establishment stage use the Lesser Five Elements Pills. Our pavilion just received a batch of Lesser Five Elements Pills; if the young master buys a large quantity, there can be a discount."

"Mmm, then let's start with one thousand Lesser Five Elements Pills," Lei Dong said lightly, waving his folding fan.

The delicate girl named Man'er stumbled, nearly falling down the stairs. One thousand pills? Was this fellow trying to show off his wealth and seduce her, or did he intend to eat them like candy? But alright, she admitted, she had been successfully intrigued. The gaze of the woman named Man'er toward Lei Dong couldn't help but carry a trace of tender affection.