Here again were two full sectors, yet Lei Dong and his companion acquired no Heart Cleansing Fruits and encountered no one. It was not until the eleventh zone that Qi Feifei once again sensed that scoundrel Xi Donglai. This time, Lei Dong and his companion made no rash move, opting instead to wait for him to enter the Black Demon Tower first. Qi Feifei donned her Scrying Cloak, lurking dozens of zhang behind Lei Dong, just in case.

Lei Dong moved forward directly and launched a surprise attack on Xi Donglai. Seeing only Lei Dong, Xi Donglai initially thought about staging a counter-kill. But to his dismay, under Lei Dong's overwhelmingly fierce power, he was forced into a steady retreat, escaping several times without managing to shake Lei Dong off. The truly miserable part was that many of the escape secret arts used by various sects could only be deployed in wide-open spaces. Within the confines of the Black Demon Tower, attempting such a secret art would result in only one outcome: smashing headlong into a wall and dying.

Still, Xi Donglai was not entirely weak. After several desperate struggles, he actually managed to slip away from Lei Dong. However, what followed was a rather pitiful ambush by Qi Feifei, settling a small score for herself. Xi Donglai was also a ruthless individual; he immediately produced a pouch of jade vials, clutching one tightly, and begged for his life in exchange for the item, threatening to perish along with the Heart Cleansing Fruit otherwise.

Qi Feifei stepped forward to inspect the goods. The other vials on his person were all empty. The one he held did indeed contain a Heart Cleansing Fruit.

Lei Dong held a deep disdain for Xi Donglai. After a few moments of contemplation, he agreed to the exchange. Once Lei Dong and Qi Feifei had sworn solemn oaths, Xi Donglai set down the jade vial and fled desperately outward. Qi Feifei swiftly retrieved the vial and checked; seeing the Heart Cleansing Fruit inside, neither bothered to pursue him. For a man like that, breaking his word was a waste of credit.

When Qi Feifei sensed Mo Donglai receding further away, the pair stopped dwelling on him and pressed onward, slaying their way up. Only upon reaching the seventh layer, after they jointly annihilated the guardian beast, did a flash of white light appear, revealing yet another Heart Cleansing Fruit. Lei Dong was overjoyed; he now possessed three. He needed only one more to complete his objective.

Regrettably, Lei Dong had yet to encounter Dongfang Fu along this path. The reason was simple: Lei Dong’s frequent encounters with others so far were largely thanks to Qi Feifei’s ability. Without her, Lei Dong would have no way of knowing someone’s distant location. However, Qi Feifei’s Seeker’s Lure was ineffective against females. Perhaps Dongfang Fu had appeared in the same sector at one point, but they simply failed to cross paths in the end.

Upon being transported to the twelfth area, Lei Dong suddenly felt an intensely comfortable sensation, as if he had returned home.

The surroundings resembled a netherworld. A pale, lusterless moon hung in the sky, the ground was pitch-black, crisscrossed with ravines. The skeletal remains of various ferocious beasts lay scattered everywhere. A nearly desiccated Yin River snaked and coiled, its banks sparsely dotted with a few old trees, near death, without a single leaf. Amidst the pervasive, chilling gloom, wisps of black, masterless ghostly energy drifted by. When a few aimless specters floated past, Lei Dong raised his hand and unleashed a Nether Ghost Claw.

That ghastly, viridian claw, several chi wide, moved with far greater agility and grace under Lei Dong’s command than in other locales. It deftly seized the specter, which squeaked and shrieked incessantly. Lei Dong felt a surge of joy. Even without employing the Grand Nether Art to simulate the environment of the Netherworld, the Nether Ghost Claw received a significant boost within this naturally formed domain of gloom.

In this environment, with every breath, Lei Dong could feel his strength augmenting, leading him to secretly muse that if he were to fight Tantai Bingyun here, he might be able to hold an even match without resorting to his Demonic Transformation.

Of course, he understood this was merely environmental augmentation. Once he left, he would revert to his original form. It was the same principle as the young man from the Demonic Prison Sect who was certainly formidable in the Purgatory environment previously. Sadly, just like Purgatory, the true Netherworld was a place where beings like Lei Dong had absolutely no right to venture to their deaths. Yes, right. With his peak cultivation base, it was impossible for him to ever reach deep within the Netherworld; he would have been annihilated countless times on the path leading there.

Within the sphere of influence of the Yin Fiend Sect, there were several environments resembling the Netherworld, but even those places, Lei Dong dared not tread lightly, as the ghosts dwelling there were undeniably potent.

“Awoo~”

The Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, now having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, was released from Lei Dong’s spirit beast pouch. Like its master, the moment it appeared, it seemed overjoyed, sniffing this way and that, leaping up and down, as if a dragon had returned to the sea, utterly adoring the place. Suddenly, as if scenting something specific, the Shadow Tiger began to sprint away rapidly, its body seemingly enveloped by a shadow of black mist. After a few bounds, it was gliding effortlessly in mid-air. In this environment, the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger moved with exceptional swiftness and agility.

Lei Dong was not worried about losing it; this Shadow Tiger had been through Blood Sacrifice and was long bound to his very essence. No matter the distance, he could sense its presence. After drawing a few more deep breaths, he calmly gave chase, his Ghost Shadow Escape Technique fluid and elegant, like a single fish swimming freely and contentedly in the vast river of Jianghu.

Qi Feifei, however, seemed unfazed by the location. Being part of the Demonic Path, she had witnessed countless grim and terrifying things. While this place was certainly chilling, it failed to scare her. Her expression remained placid as she transformed into a plume of peach-colored mist and followed closely behind.

“Awa-awa-awa~”

The Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger roared in the distance, a sound mixed with both excitement and fury. When Lei Dong and Qi Feifei drifted near, they saw it locked in fierce combat with a wild Ghost Guard. Lei Dong glanced over and noted that the wild specter was using soul power to condense a set of armor around itself—a green face, fangs, and wielding a long halberd, moving with impressive martial might. Based on experience, this wild Ghost Guard was likely around the second level, slightly superior in raw cultivation to the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger.

Yet, in this current fight, it was clearly at a disadvantage. The reason was simple: the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger naturally fed on all manner of souls, making it a nemesis to the ghostly lineage. And although this wild Ghost Guard became considerably stronger within the ambient energy of the Nether domain, the Shadow Tiger was undoubtedly benefiting from the same ghostly augmentation.

During the fight, the Shadow Tiger let out continuous, low growls, seemingly complaining that this spirit was not meekly allowing itself to be devoured and was putting up resistance. In a fit of anger, it spat out a beam of white light that struck the Ghost Guard squarely, blasting it backward. The poor Ghost Guard had been diligently cultivating here when this harbinger of doom suddenly appeared.

Before the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Lei Dong hadn't even needed to lift a finger. The Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger tore the Ghost Guard in two and ravenously devoured its still-struggling soul-body. In barely ten breaths, it was completely consumed. The Shadow Tiger then continued sniffing around, clearly unsatisfied. At its current level, it had lost all interest in minor specters or low-ranking ghost soldiers. The only things that truly stirred its appetite were wild Ghost Guards, followed by the living souls of Foundation Establishment cultivators or monstrous beasts. It paid no heed to the low-tier specters fleeing around the area.

Lei Dong, in turn, took out his Soul Nurturing Pagoda and began capturing the wandering specters. First, the density of the specters here was exceedingly high; it would be a waste not to capture them. Second, the Myriad Ghost Banner had suffered significant attrition from continuous battles, especially the last engagement with Tantai Bingyun, and was in dire need of replenishment. In this Nether domain, Lei Dong and Qi Feifei split up. She specialized in using Soul Sealing Beads to capture Ghost Guards.

Meanwhile, Lei Dong swept up the lone specters. With his current cultivation, provided the supply of specters was ample, the capture speed was incredibly fast. Upon encountering a specter, there was no need to injure it first; he merely needed to form a hand seal, and the specter would be irresistibly drawn into the Soul Nurturing Pagoda.

He spent a full two days on this task, and even with his cultivation, he was left utterly exhausted.

However, the harvest was incredibly substantial: several thousand specters, over a hundred low-ranking Ghost Soldiers, and four wild Ghost Guards captured. It was a pity that none of the several thousand specters were Spirit Ghosts—not even a low-grade Spirit Ghost was caught, let alone a high-grade one.

Of course, Lei Dong’s primary goal this time wasn't to capture Spirit Ghosts, but to resupply the ranks of the Myriad Ghost Banner. Those low-grade spirits, once refined and disciplined by the Banner, would transform into Vengeful Ghosts. Though individually weak, in large swarms, their might was boundless. Lei Dong was now at the third layer of Foundation Establishment. Although his divine sense was somewhat suppressed due to the integration with Qi Feifei’s soul, the presence of the Emperor Demon Seed on his forehead, coupled with his relentless focus on strengthening his divine sense, meant his spiritual perception was now comparable to some cultivators at the fifth, or even near the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment.

After meeting up with Qi Feifei again, she reported capturing three wild Ghost Guards, which was a decent haul in itself.

Lei Dong calmed his mind and began to use the Myriad Ghost Banner to refine the captured wild Ghost Guards first. Naturally, once refined into battle souls within the Banner, their individual combat power would be far less than their current state. But it was the sheer quantity that would make their collective power limitless. From previous battles, Lei Dong had gained some insight into the Banner: while numerous numbers were an advantage, if the vast majority of the Vengeful Ghosts were of poor quality, large formations could be wiped out by area-of-effect spells.

The three main souls refined using the living souls of Foundation Establishment cultivators had not perished once so far; in fact, by occasionally consuming flesh and blood, they had become even fiercer and more violent. One such main soul could often match the power of dozens, even hundreds, of ordinary Vengeful Ghosts. Thus, after careful consideration, Lei Dong concluded that the Myriad Ghost Banner could not neglect powerful main souls, or Battle Souls.

Once the seven captured wild Ghost Guards were successively refined into the Myriad Ghost Banner, the number of Foundation Establishment-level main souls in the Banner reached a total of ten. He was confident that these ten main Battle Souls alone would significantly boost the Banner's overall might.