That was certainly not what the young monk Jichen said. Not far from Lei Dong, within the void. A ripple distorted the air. A young man, a scholar in a flowing, elegant robe, holding a folding fan, materialized before everyone—it was Wang Hui of the Carefree Dao. His gaze swept back and forth between Dongfang Fu and Tao Tai Bingyun, the folding fan lightly swaying in his hand as he chuckled, “Indeed, you two are worthy of being the top talents among the younger generation of the Demonic and Righteous Paths. Even fighting together, you managed to shatter my puppet, one whose strength was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and even tear open space to seal me inside. Remarkable, truly remarkable. What a pity, what a shame. If your strength had been even slightly greater, perhaps sealing me for several days, then when your injuries healed, everything would be different…”

As he spoke, Dongfang Fu and Tao Tai Bingyun remained seated, meditating and healing, their faces utterly impassive. It was as if his words held no weight whatsoever.

“Spit out your nonsense…” The young monk stepped forward again, letting loose a curse, “What’s so great about that puppet controlled by a mere wisp of your ancestor’s soul?”

“You are free to show your disdain…” Wang Hui fanned himself, maintaining an air of effortless grace, “But a victor is a victor. Sooner or later, you will become like those dried corpses, merely relics for future generations to observe. No matter how much genius you possess, how brilliant your reputations. In ten or eight years, the vast majority will forget you; after a century, few will still remember your names…”

“Did you forget about me?” Lei Dong, after a brief moment of stunned silence, though not entirely grasping Wang Hui of the Carefree Dao’s ultimate objective, had begun to understand from their exchange that everything unfolding, including Dongfang Fu’s injury, was orchestrated by this Wang Hui.

“You…” Wang Hui gave Lei Dong a theatrical glance, unable to suppress a smirk, “Though my puppet is destroyed, do you truly believe you can stop me? Oh my, it seems you’ve advanced—to the third layer of the Foundation Establishment stage, tsk tsk. How impressive…”

Lei Dong narrowed his eyes, meeting Wang Hui’s gaze with an equally smiling expression, “Impressive it is not, but seeing as your supposedly formidable puppet is ruined, I imagine killing you presents no significant issue…”

“Kill me? Hahaha, you really intend to kill me…” Wang Hui paused, his laughter erupting wildly. After a long moment, he gradually ceased, looking at Jichen, “Jichen, did that puppet damage your brain? Wasting the strength you painstakingly gathered just to save this simpleton? You would have been far better off saving Wu Peng, even if you managed to pull him out. Ah, what a pity, what a shame. How amusing, how amusing. Besides that puppet, am I really that fragile for you, Wang Hui…”

“Don’t be careless. Although I know you are powerful, this Wang Hui is not weak either…” Tao Tai Bingyun’s voice drifted faintly into Lei Dong’s ears.

Lei Dong looked at the pale Tao Tai Bingyun, her brow furrowed slightly, and sent a mental inquiry, “How do you compare to him…”

“Fifty-fifty, perhaps,” though her cultivation was one level lower than mine, he is excessively favored by his ancestor…” Tao Tai Bingyun replied after a brief consideration.

Lei Dong understood. Tao Tai Bingyun’s meaning was clear: this Wang Hui was a true silver spoon kid, undoubtedly possessing no shortage of precious items. This realization made Lei Dong wary of him. Simultaneously, he transmitted to Tao Tai Bingyun, “I, Lei Dong, repay kindness and vengeance clearly. Given that little monk’s temper, he would sooner die than save me. This matter, I consider this debt settled between us. Should we meet again in the future, I, Lei Dong, will certainly still intend to destroy you…”

“Mutually understood…” Tao Tai Bingyun’s cool voice returned, “You know I only allowed Jichen to save you for mutual benefit…”

“Heh heh, aren’t you afraid that once I’m free, I’ll turn around and kill you? You know, in your current state, killing you would be as easy as turning my hand for me…” Lei Dong’s telepathic message carried a distinct, sinister edge.

“Dongfang mentioned not long ago that you are the beloved of Ding Wanyan…” Tao Tai Bingyun responded without hesitation, “I didn’t trust you initially, but I trust Ding Wanyan. Although she and I have been mortal enemies, entangled for a year, I deeply respect her. I believe that any man she favors cannot be utterly worthless. However, Dongfang Fu is also excellent—worthy of being one of the Yin Sha Twin Heroes. It’s a shame they both hail from the Yin Sha Sect…”

Hmph. Lei Dong sent back a sharp mental reply showing his displeasure, “You women certainly share a deep appreciation for one another…” Dongfang Fu telling Tao Tai Bingyun about this clearly indicated a significant degree of trust. Otherwise, given Dongfang Fu’s disposition, she would never be so gossipy. The fact that Wang Hui mentioned their joint attack, which managed to utterly destroy his Foundation Establishment peak combat puppet, actually made Lei Dong sweat a little. It seemed that among the peers from the major top sects this time, several of the most outstanding individuals were women.

Of course, Lei Dong’s desire to kill Tao Tai Bingyun had not diminished. However, as a person, he believed in absolute clarity regarding gratitude and grievance; one must be true to one’s word.

“A word of caution: Wang Hui’s fan is called the Carefree Fan. It was used by his ancestor back when he was at the late Golden Core stage, nurtured over countless years, its power is immense, equivalent to a top-grade spirit artifact. His primary cultivation technique, the Taiji Carefree Art, is inherited directly from that ancestor, allowing him to wield the Carefree Fan with absolute mastery. He also possesses a top-grade Taiji Diagram defensive spirit artifact, and his inner armor appears to be top-grade as well. You must also be wary of the expensive single-use talismans he carries. But don't worry too much; in the previous engagement, he expended a great deal, so he likely doesn’t have much left…” Tao Tai Bingyun began listing Wang Hui’s treasures as if reading from an inventory.

Hearing this made Lei Dong break out in a cold sweat. Did this fellow not possess a single mid-grade spirit artifact? And single-use consumable talismans—any consumables that could capture his interest certainly wouldn't be low-tier goods. Lei Dong’s heart immediately grew solemn; this was going to be a fierce battle.

“Are you done chatting?” Wang Hui sounded impatient, shaking his fan, his brow deeply furrowed, “While I would enjoy letting you converse a bit longer before your deaths, I strongly dislike it when enemies stage a comeback at the final moment. Bingyun, my apologies…”

“Wang, come here and accept death. I, Lei Dong, also seem to be growing impatient…” Lei Dong raised his hand, extended his middle finger, and hooked it toward Wang Hui with an air of arrogance and disdain. Of course, Lei Dong was not inherently so brazen. But he understood that someone of Wang Hui’s noble birth and exceptional talent, no matter how much they concealed their arrogance with feigned humility or gentleness in front of others, possessed extreme pride deep down. Especially looking at Wang Hui, who seemed never to have suffered any real hardship, unlike himself, who possessed only middle-to-upper-tier aptitude, having climbed up from the very bottom, enduring countless trials. Being outwardly arrogant toward people like them often caused them to lose control of their emotions.

“Lei, you are courting death…” Wang Hui’s face instantly turned ashen. With a sweep of his folding fan, several sharp beams of cyan light flashed out, like claw marks slicing through the air toward Lei Dong.

The claw marks moved with terrifying speed; even Lei Dong, who was prepared, was nearly grazed. A shroud of black ghostly energy enveloped him, and the Ghostly Shadow Evasion maneuver allowed him to drift away like a phantom amidst the Qi. Sssshhhrrrrippp, the cyan claw marks tore through the ground, which was cast from some unknown, yet exceptionally durable material, carving several furrows several feet deep. This level of destructive power made Lei Dong’s heart clench. If those marks had grazed his body, even if he survived, he would undoubtedly be permanently crippled.

He immediately became even more focused, raising his mental concentration to its absolute peak. His movement was elusive and unstable, resembling only a faint shadow of a ghost enveloped in black mist. Without careful observation, it would be difficult to distinguish his true body from the numerous afterimages. Simultaneously, Lei Dong ceaselessly formed hand seals, summoning his Ghost Guards one by one.

The first to appear, the Critical Strike Ghost Guard, caused Lei Dong to pause momentarily before a wave of joy washed over him. He had expected the guard to be at the peak of the King rank, but it had actually reached the fourth level. Ah yes, when Lei Dong last recalled his Ghost Guards, the Critical Strike Guard had been right on the verge of promotion. Furthermore, it was an exceedingly rare, high-grade spirit ghost, possessing extraordinary potential, and it had consumed the most flesh and blood. Lei Dong also recalled Jichen mentioning that he seemed to have spent several months inside the Heart Demon Palace. Nourished slowly by the high-grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda, it had automatically advanced to level four. One should not underestimate this single level; its combat strength increased exponentially.

It was only slightly disappointing that the Frost Ghost Guard and the Phantom Ghost Guard remained at the peak of the third level, though they were likely not far from promotion either.

Three Ghost Guards—two at the peak of the third level and one at the fourth. This astonishing development made Wang Hui’s expression instantly complicated. Even Tao Tai Bingyun and Dongfang Fu were momentarily stunned. Dongfang Fu was unaware of Lei Dong’s true strength, and Tao Tai Bingyun had only brought out two guards when they fought previously. This sudden reveal provided at least some measure of relief to Tao Tai Bingyun, who had not been entirely confident in Lei Dong.

“Good lad, I underestimated you…” Wang Hui sneered repeatedly, “You certainly hide your depth well, three formidable Ghost Guards, tsk tsk… you certainly have the capital to be arrogant. What a pity, what a shame. Do you think these three guards are enough to destroy me?”

Saying this, he produced two crystalline, intensely radiant talismans, flicking them out with a cold smile.

Snap~

Following two crisp shattering sounds, two intense beams of red light illuminated the area, revealing two incredibly radiant, crimson exotic birds before everyone.

“Red Luan Spirit Beast Talismans? Strength equivalent to the third layer of the Foundation Establishment stage…” Lei Dong sucked in a sharp breath. What in the world was this? Although they were single-use consumables, the value of such beast talismans must be astronomical, yet this man tossed them out so casually. What extravagance, such blatant wastefulness.

The two Red Luans engaged the two peak third-level Ghost Guards respectively. With their piercing cries echoing against the ghosts’ wails, they fiercely battled each other.

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