Watching the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger devour the beast soul of the Frost Giant Bear, its pitch-black fur shimmered with an ominous, dark light, punctuated by resounding tiger roars. A surge of joy went through Little Lei Dong. "It looks like" this Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger will reach the Foundation Establishment level soon. Once it reaches the Foundation Establishment level, it won't just be on the sidelines anymore; it will be a truly formidable fighting force. For the next few days, Lei Dong continued his journey through the dense forest, searching. Although there weren't as many Foundation Establishment level demon beasts here as he had initially expected, he still encountered several over those few days. While the Frost Giant Bear was comparatively the most powerful, having such gains in just a few days far exceeded Lei Dong's expectations. The Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, already at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, finally reached its critical point after successively devouring several Foundation Establishment level beast souls and went into slumber in the Spirit Returning Pouch to advance. He believed that before long, this Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger would become his right and left arm. His Natal Ghost Servants also received substantial nourishment, especially the high-grade Critical Strike Ghost Guard, which Lei Dong was grooming as his main combat guard. Most of the demon beast flesh and blood were fed to it, solidifying its soul body until it was as robust as a physical entity. Soon, its strength would catch up to the Phantom Ghost Guard.

The dense forest gradually thinned, and through the gaps, Lei Dong could vaguely make out a towering black silhouette standing several miles away. A joy welled up in his heart. "After searching for days, I've finally found the first Black Tower described by Li Yijian." It wasn't that Lei Dong was a coward; having crossed over once, he knew that the chance to live again was hard-won. In a world full of danger everywhere, recklessness and impetuousness would cost him no matter how many lives he possessed. Moreover, Lei Dong was certain he only had one life. Commanding his ghosts, Lei Dong cautiously and fearfully approached the periphery of the Black Tower, expanding his divine sense to its maximum, probing in all directions. He detected no danger.

Only then did he allow the Ghost Guards to surround him in the center as he began to carefully examine the Black Tower. The tower was entirely dark, its structure strangely and bizarrely formed, carved and inscribed with all sorts of patterns and beasts that Lei Dong could not comprehend, making it appear extremely mysterious and demonic. The Heaven's Dao Alliance discovered the Heart Demon Hall over a millennium ago, and presumably, over a hundred people have passed through it since, yet to this day, they have been unable to ascertain which era the "Heart Demon Hall" originated from or which ancient, powerful sect constructed it. At the very least, none of the current Eight Great Supreme Sects possessed the means or capability to build such an independent space specifically designed for testing young disciples, especially one that could still function normally after all these years.

The entrance to the Black Tower was situated several zhang above the ground—a dark, rectangular opening that held nothing particularly remarkable. After observing for a while without discerning any issues, Lei Dong commanded the Shadow Ghost Soldiers to scout ahead by stealthily infiltrating the opening.

The Shadow Ghost Soldier flickered, its semi-transparent body vanishing and diffusing into the air. If one observed closely, only slight fluctuations in the air could be seen. Under Lei Dong's command, it lightly drifted to the mouth of the cave and cautiously began to probe inward. Simultaneously, Lei Dong's divine sense locked firmly onto it, gradually feeling as if he himself were the shadow, and the shadow was Lei Dong. This was a specialized application of the Ghost Controlling Art: by concentrating his divine sense, he achieved a feeling of merging with his Natal Ghost Servant. With more familiarity and a stronger divine sense, he could even perceive the world through the Ghost Servant's senses.

Of course, Lei Dong had not yet reached that level. Being able to attach his divine sense to his Natal Ghost Servant like this was already quite proficient.

As soon as the Shadow Ghost Soldier entered the cave, it seemed to trigger some formation or restriction. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—several shadow spears shot out. Lei Dong, feeling a slight "sympathetic sensation," immediately ordered the Shadow Ghost Soldier to retreat quickly, but he was still half a beat too slow. Only three out of seven or eight shadow spears were dodged. Two of them pierced directly through the Shadow Ghost Soldier. As the Shadow Ghost Soldier sustained heavy damage, Lei Dong's soul was violently shaken, nearly causing him to spit blood. He cursed himself for underestimating the Black Tower. Although his command of the Shadow Ghost Soldier was quick, the servant's current strength was too low; no matter how fast the command, the speed was insufficient. Fortunately, the Shadow Ghost Soldier was an ethereal body, possessing strong resistance to piercing damage. Despite being severely wounded, its life was not in immediate danger. Its form shifted from solid to ethereal, transforming into a wisp of ghost fog as it fled in disarray. With a pang of heartache, Lei Dong collected it into the Soul Nurturing Pagoda. With the nourishment provided by the high-grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda, it would soon recover completely. People are often more fearful of the unknown. Once Lei Dong confirmed that the entrance area only contained simple mechanisms, he breathed a sigh of relief. This time, he sent the Critical Strike Ghost Guard, which was already at the peak of the second level, to take the lead, conjuring a shield with its ethereal body, one in each hand. The ghost body, appearing misty yet not entirely formless, remained in a semi-solid state, allowing for an immediate retreat strategy.

The Critical Strike Ghost Guard flew into the tower entrance and scouted around, yet it triggered no restrictions at all. Evidently, the first layer of defense in this Black Tower had been neutralized by the Shadow Ghost Soldier. Only then did Lei Dong float in with the remaining Ghost Guards at the entrance. Upon entering, Lei Dong could finally see the scene inside clearly. Perhaps the triggering of the first restriction had activated the Black Tower, as the decorative lamps on the walls began emitting a soft glow. This was the first level at the tower's base, but it was not the boundless vista Lei Dong had imagined. In reality, before Lei Dong lay only two arc-shaped passages, one to the left and one to the right, each several zhang wide. As for which path to choose, Lei Dong had no clue. He simply guessed one and headed right.

Lei Dong believed the barrage of shadow spears triggered by the Shadow Ghost Soldier was merely an appetizer, and he dared not relax his guard. Initially, he intended to have the Critical Strike Ghost Guard lead the way. Although suffering a significant loss if the Critical Strike Ghost Guard were harmed would be devastating to him, he quickly reconsidered. Didn't he have plenty of cannon fodder within the Myriad Ghost Banner? Why risk a Natal Ghost Servant? Although the malevolent ghosts refined in the Myriad Ghost Banner were ferocious and violent with no other advantage besides sheer numbers, they were perfectly suited for scouting dangerous traps. No matter how many were lost, Lei Dong wouldn't feel the sting; extraneous spirits were easily replenished, excluding the primary souls. Realizing this, Lei Dong inwardly cursed himself for using the Shadow Ghost Soldier as cannon fodder earlier instead of the readily available disposable spirits. He immediately sought to remedy the mistake, taking out the Myriad Ghost Banner and murmuring an incantation. Several black spectral souls drifted out. Since they had not received an order to attack, they drifted around Lei Dong like schools of black fish, swimming continuously. "Go."

With a flick of his hand and a mental command, several black spectral (fierce ghosts) began to move erratically, lunging forward with bared fangs and claws, twisting and turning above and below to try and trigger any existing or potential traps. With them leading the way, Lei Dong and the Ghost Guards followed cautiously, keeping about ten zhang behind. At this distance, no matter what happened, Lei Dong was confident he could react. Over the short distance of a hundred zhang, they indeed triggered several restrictions. But to Lei Dong's surprise, using these black spirits as cannon fodder for scouting proved even better than using the Ghost Guards. They were small in size, mere wisps, and with slight maneuvering, they could dodge various traps like spear thrusts, fireballs, and ice shards. This use delighted Lei Dong; without exerting much effort, he could easily pass through these dangerous pitfalls. Although Lei Dong believed he could force his way through with his own strength, the cost would certainly be considerable, requiring him to sit and recover his spiritual energy after every short burst.

After winding through the corridor for a while, a large circular hall finally appeared ahead. Lei Dong sent a wandering spirit inside, but as soon as it floated into the hall, the space lit up brightly! In the blink of an eye, that spirit dissolved into ashes. Lei Dong's divine sense swept inward, and he immediately felt that in the previously empty circular hall, two half-human, half-snake monsters had materialized at some point, both possessing strength around the first level of Foundation Establishment.

Summoned phantom beasts. Lei Dong carefully analyzed the characteristics of these two monsters with his divine sense and let out a slight breath of relief. Phantom beasts formed purely through magical techniques could not exist indefinitely. Many sects studied the summoning of phantom beasts.

In Lei Dong's memory, there was a sect at the level of a superior power called the Phantom Beast Sect, which specialized in such things. In combat, they could often summon several phantom beasts of considerable strength, making them very formidable. However, those phantom beasts usually only lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and they lacked intelligence, behaving like mindless puppets. But their advantage was that even if they died, there was no heartache involved.

There was also a Talisman Sect that specialized in refining various spiritual talismans. They also possessed a type of talisman called a "Beast Talisman" that could achieve a similar effect. There were countless sects in the world, and all sorts of strange methods existed. But in the eyes of the Eight Great Supreme Sects of the world, these things were considered small-minded and lacking in grandeur. They were not the true path of immortal cultivation, but rather resembled unorthodox methods.

Any sect capable of standing among the supreme powers would generally possess cultivation techniques that were grand and expansive. Even the Yin Sha Sect, which was considered an evil sect by outsiders, had to admit that its primary technique, the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, was the most supremely pure and yin-aligned grand dao technique, and its various major arts also possessed imposing momentum and a sense of grandeur. Therefore, Lei Dong could wait outside the door for a while. Illusionary techniques would dissipate with time. Although dealing with these two Foundation Establishment level one strength phantom beasts was not a difficult task for him, killing these illusory objects yielded no spoils and was a waste of energy.

But after some time, Lei Dong's expression turned gloomy. He had underestimated the ancient, mysterious sect that built something as bizarre as the Heart Demon Hall. Those two half-snake phantom beasts, instead of vanishing as time passed, had gradually advanced from the first level to the peak of the first level, almost reaching the second.

... (To be continued)