In the ensuing moments, the two battle groups were awash in crimson light and shrouded in dense black mist. Though the fighting appeared evenly matched, Lei Dong knew the Ghost Guards held a slight edge in raw power. After all, both the Phantom and the Frost entities were peak Third-Level existences, merely a hair's breadth from the Fourth Level. The current deadlock was only due to Lei Dong's subtle command, preventing them from engaging with their full strength. Otherwise, even if they won, the two Ghost Guards would be injured, putting him at a disadvantage for the battles to come. Lei Dong was not unfamiliar with Spirit Beast Talismans. Though he didn't know the exact crafting process, he now understood they involved the Spirit Talisman Sect sealing various Beast Souls within talismans using arcane methods, burning the very soul-power of the Beast Soul itself for combat. At most, within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they would dissipate once the Spirit Beast Soul Power was depleted.

The remaining Fourth-Level Critical Hit Ghost Guard now possessed a Soul Armor that seemed far more substantial, resembling the imposing presence of an ancient junior officer or centurion. However, its armor exuded a darker, colder aura, much like a Ghost Clan commander ascending from the Nine Hells, treading upon legions of bleached bones onto the battlefield. At its level, equipping it with common Artifact Refining materials from the Qi Refining stage would only weigh it down. Yet, Lei Dong lacked the time and resources to forge an entire set of weaponry and armor for it using materials from the Foundation Establishment stage. Fortunately, as the Ghost Guard improved in power, the Soul Armor and Soul Blades it manifested using its own soul power were formidable in both offense and defense. Furthermore, these self-formed armaments were virtually weightless, granting it an even greater advantage in elusive speed.

The Fourth-Level Ghost Guard was not only much more solid and grounded in its overall demeanor, but the agility in its eyes seemed to have sharpened noticeably. Under Lei Dong’s command, it faithfully and swiftly executed a harassment strategy, darting around Wang Hui—above, below, left, and right—with extraordinary speed. It avoided direct confrontation, merely pressing forward and retreating unpredictably, which forced Wang Hui’s tension to spike intermittently, causing him to slow his long-range attacks against Lei Dong.

Meanwhile, Lei Dong continuously evaded the repeated claw strikes whipped up by Wang Hui’s folding fan. Seeing this maneuver prove ineffective against Lei Dong’s impossibly elusive movements, Wang Hui sneered, snapped his fan shut, and struck repeatedly. A dazzling cyan light erupted from the fan tips, manifesting as razor-sharp, nearly tangible beams of cyan energy.

Lei Dong seemed to push the Shadow Evasion technique to its absolute limit, weaving back and forth through the torrent of cyan beams, narrowly dodging each one with breathtaking peril. These cyan beams either struck the ground, blasting deep fissures into the heavy black earth, or slammed into the massive support pillars several yards wide, punching out holes the size of bowls. This display made Lei Dong inwardly gasp, realizing just how formidable Wang Hui was, and how extraordinary the Carefree Fan truly was. After all, the materials used to construct the Heart Demon Palace could hardly be common stone or wood.

Suddenly, one cyan beam grazed Lei Dong and shot straight toward Wu Peng, who was still unconscious within his protective light shield. Just as Lei Dong thought Wu Peng was surely finished, the cyan beam struck the light shield, causing nothing more than a brief ripple of energy. Wu Peng remained completely unharmed, his eyes still shut, his face a complex tableau of expressions—anger, sorrow, and even joy shifting across his features.

Lei Dong then grasped the truth: the reason no one could harm him even while he was trapped in the Heart Demon state was the Heart Demon Palace's inherent protective measure for disciples undergoing this tribulation. With a thought, Lei Dong instantly dissolved his form into a faint wisp of ghostly mist and zipped behind several others still lost in their own heart demons and yet to awaken: Xi Donglai, Qi Feifei, and Wu Peng. Wait, there seemed to be one more. There, wrapped in a sphere of flickering flame, Li Huntian abruptly materialized inside the Heart Demon Palace. But before he could do anything, a light shield enveloped him, and his tightly shut eyes held an expression of utter bewilderment.

Seeing Li Huntian in such a state, Lei Dong understood this fellow had also been immediately sucked into his own heart demon. However, judging by the scorching, explosive aura radiating from him—even if his cultivation hadn't advanced much—which was more intense than the last time they met, Lei Dong deduced Li Huntian must have been secluded somewhere, ceaselessly cultivating his Heavenly Fire Grand Technique using the Purgatory Red Lotus until he broke through some bottleneck. His arrival at the Heart Demon Palace was even better; Lei Dong now had another natural barrier. Lei Dong pushed his Nether Ghost Qi to its maximum intensity, cloaking an area dozens of yards around in an oppressive blanket of ghostly darkness. Although these qi streams were held back by the individual light shields, Lei Dong used these energy 'stakes' to fashion a natural battlefield advantageous for guerrilla tactics.

Wang Hui let out a cold snort, igniting a burst of white flame around his body, and darted into the ghost mist with graceful movements. These flames immediately began consuming the chilling ghost qi upon contact. As the tendrils of ghost qi brushed against the white flames, they burned into nothingness. Simultaneously, the flames would also diminish slightly, as if meeting water. For the time being, Lei Dong chose not to engage in a direct clash, deliberately controlling his ghosts to avoid direct confrontation with Wang Hui. Only the Critical Hit Ghost Guard [Updated by Pò Xiǎo Měi], however, followed closely behind, drawing in the surrounding ghost qi, its violent aura surging, making its flight and maneuvers even swifter. After setting up this localized battle array, Lei Dong covertly directed the remaining two Ghost Guards to retreat slowly while fighting, gradually luring them into the range of the Netherworld Grand Art. Those two Red Luan Beast Souls, simple-minded and relying only on residual combat instinct, followed blindly, plunging straight into the ghost qi that resembled a giant, dark cloud. Even with continuous mental commands from Wang Hui, they paid no heed, governed only by their primal combat drive.

Lei Dong secretly rejoiced. While those Spirit Beast Talismans seemed powerful, they were ultimately too restrictive—inferior to Lei Dong’s own core, high-grade Ghost Guards in terms of intelligence and the nuance with which they received commands. These were Ghost Guards bound by blood ties; often, within a single thought from Lei Dong, they could perfectly comprehend their master’s will and execute it with absolute loyalty.

Once inside the Netherworld Grand Art, the two Ghost Guards experienced a substantial surge in power. Meanwhile, the two Red Luan Beast Souls moved sluggishly, as if trapped in deep mud. While evading Wang Hui’s persistent pursuit, beams of cyan light flashing intermittently, Lei Dong extended his divine sense into the Spirit Beast Pouch. The moment he entered, a wave of intense comfort and joy washed over him. His treasured pet, the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, had quietly advanced to the second layer of the Foundation Establishment stage.

The Spirit Beast Pouch had such benefits; provided the necessary food was placed inside beforehand, it would automatically feed the pet for the master every so often. Previously, the food Lei Dong provided consisted mostly of low-grade ghosts. But recently, he had stopped feeding them Qi Refining-level souls altogether, opting exclusively for Foundation Establishment-level Beast Souls. These provided sustenance for the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, causing its growth to accelerate rapidly until it reached the second layer of the Foundation Establishment stage in a short time. This realization made Lei Dong sigh in admiration; truly worthy of being a congenital spirit beast possessing a trace of ancient divine beast bloodline, its potential for growth was terrifying.

As if sensing Lei Dong’s divine sense brushing over it, the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, which had been lounging lazily asleep in the pouch’s internal world, suddenly stood up, emitting low, rumbling growls, as if communicating something to Lei Dong. Clearly, the little creature had grown overly frustrated and stifled in the pouch and desperately wanted to stretch its legs outside.

Since it had advanced another level, Lei Dong felt even more assured. With a flicker of his divine sense, he summoned it forth.

"Roar!"

A deafening tiger's roar echoed. The majestic form of the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, now half a zhang larger, materialized in the midst of the netherworld ghost qi. Its faintly discernible striped form seemed naturally delighted by this shadowy environment, roaring out in satisfaction and excitement.

Lei Dong directly commanded it mentally to assist the two Red Luan beasts. Earlier, Lei Dong had overestimated the two Red Luan beasts, only intending to wear them down. But now that the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger was so formidable, he naturally needed to adjust his tactics. Since they were Beast Souls, there was no reason the Tiger shouldn't enjoy them. Indeed, upon receiving Lei Dong’s order, the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger’s eyes glowed fiercely upon seeing the two Red Luan Beast Souls. With a fierce roar, it lunged. At that precise moment, Lei Dong retracted a portion of the Netherworld Ghost Qi; the movement of one Red Luan immediately tightened, and the Frost Curse struck simultaneously. That Red Luan was virtually frozen in place, entangled by the icy aura and the netherworld qi, unable to move.

The Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger flashed past like a gust of wind, sinking its teeth into the Red Luan’s neck, swallowing it whole in two or three gulps. It seemed unsatisfied and immediately set its sights on the other one...

Wang Hui watched, fury rising in his chest. One summoned creature after another from this man! Though Wang Hui didn't know the name or origin of this shadowy tiger, he immediately recognized it as no ordinary entity. He realized that if the battle continued like this, trouble was brewing. The white flames around his body intensified, and he hurtled towards Lei Dong. His folding fan relentlessly lashed out with cyan light, shooting beam after cyan beam, while his left hand lifted into a palm strike. The palm flared with brilliant white light, unleashing a powerful blast of white flame energy—a column as thick as a water bucket—that violently scattered the netherworld ghost qi and rocketed toward Lei Dong.

Facing this fierce onslaught, Lei Dong remained unhurried, executing an aerial side-step to float behind Xi Donglai.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The cyan light and the white flame pillar collided squarely against the protective shield surrounding Xi Donglai’s body. Energy erupted, sweeping away the surrounding netherworld ghost qi. However, the light shield protecting Xi Donglai actually shone brighter, painfully dazzling to the eye.

This result only fueled Wang Hui’s rage repeatedly. Lei Dong’s evasive footwork was superb, making him slippery and impossible to catch within the netherworld environment, like an eel. Yet, Wang Hui was not only forced to endure constant harassment from the Fourth-Level Ghost Guard, but the powerful attacks he launched were all negated by the protective shields activated by Lei Dong's use of the Heart Demon state.

Left with immense power but nowhere to direct it, Wang Hui felt so frustrated he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.