"Netherworld Ghost Claws!?" The Foundation Establishment cultivator's face instantly darkened, his gaze fixed on Lei Dong, his voice somewhat hoarse, "Brother, are you a disciple of the Yin Sha Sect?"

"Indeed!" Lei Dong let out a low roar. The moment the word left his lips, dark energy rolled outward from his body, engulfing an area spanning dozens of zhang almost in the blink of an eye. The originally delicate and beautiful secluded valley was instantly transformed into a nether realm saturated with ghostly aura and chilling, desolate winds.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator was struck with alarm and quickly called out, "Brother, please restrain your hand! We can discuss this civilly." As he spoke, he encased himself in a transparent shield, abandoned his two descendants, and fled outward like a sudden gust of wind. He knew too well the might of disciples from top-tier sects. He felt that if he faced a Yin Sha Sect disciple at the first layer of the Foundation Establishment stage, he might still have a fight in him, but facing someone of the same rank already filled him with dread before the battle even began. Whether it was their cultivation methods or their spirit artifacts, they simply couldn't compare to disciples hailing from the premier sects.

Lei Dong moved, his form blurring into a faint shadow, translucent and dark with an underlying thread of bloody crimson energy. His speed was simply staggering. In less than twenty zhang, he overtook the fleeing Foundation Establishment cultivator, blocking his path. The blood-colored cloak on his back billowed as if in a strong wind, radiating absolute dominance and murderous intent. Seeing the cultivator’s expression of utter horror, a mocking smile curled at Lei Dong's lips: "Trying to run?"

He was also inwardly amazed. A top-grade spirit artifact was truly a top-grade spirit artifact. This cloak had boosted his speed by at least thirty percent. Considering that Lei Dong was already highly proficient in the Ghost Shadow Evasion technique and possessed immense natural swiftness, adding over thirty percent more speed significantly enhanced both his combat power and survivability.

As the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s fear peaked, he raised his hand and sent a streak of white light flashing toward Lei Dong. Before Lei Dong, the space warped slightly, and amidst the distortion, a Ghost Guard—clad in soul armor, wielding a blade and shield, with ferocious fangs—materialized out of thin air. It casually raised its shield, blocking the white light with a resounding clang. With a spectral howl, a bloodthirsty red mist enveloped it, and it lunged violently toward the Foundation Establishment cultivator. Cornered, the cultivator had no choice but to fight with all his might against the Level Four Ghost Guard, engaging it in fierce combat.

The two Qi Refining stage cultivators, faced with this sudden turn of events, exchanged glances before splitting to either side, employing movement techniques as they bolted toward the valley entrance. Lei Dong’s divine sense had already locked onto them. He sneered and manifested the Myriad Ghost Banner in his hand.

With a slight upward flick, hundreds of fierce ghosts surged out, splitting into two torrents, each pursuing one of the Qi Refining cultivators.

One was entangled by a hundred ghosts after chasing only twenty zhang, while the other managed to flee over thirty zhang before being completely encircled by over two hundred ghosts. The quality of Lei Dong's current fierce ghost horde had long surpassed the pure soul worm ghosts he used during his Qi Refining days. The two Qi Refining cultivators had also conjured light barriers and desperately launched counter-spells. However, the ghost horde was overwhelmingly formidable. Before long, heart-piercing screams echoed, and in an instant, both Qi Refining cultivators were entirely consumed by the two masses of fierce ghosts, leaving not a single bone behind.

Those screams and the sight of two clan disciples perishing before his eyes severely shook the Foundation Establishment cultivator's confidence. Unable to break free from the relentless assault of the Ghost Guard, he was a mixture of grief, anger, and terror. Lei Dong, however, stood with his hands crossed, watching with detached interest as the Level Four Ghost Guard fought its duel. The exchange was incredibly fierce, a near stalemate.

The hundreds of fierce ghosts, having finished devouring the two Qi Refining cultivators, flew back and began dancing around Lei Dong. Their ferocious forms, complete with phantom fangs and claws, made Lei Dong appear like an unparalleled, monstrous entity crawled out of the Ninth Hell. Tired of playing games with the Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lei Dong clenched the Myriad Ghost Banner loosely and pointed forward from a distance.

The hundreds of fierce souls chirped excitedly, baring their teeth and claws as they surged toward the Foundation Establishment cultivator. Desolate winds howled, and ghostly cries pierced the heart.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator, already fighting evenly with the Ghost Guard due to his psychological state, quickly collapsed under the addition of hundreds of fierce ghosts. He burst forth with a streak of escaping light, attempting to flee using a secret technique. Lei Dong had anticipated this move; his Netherworld Ghost Qi surged, desperately wrapping around the fleeing cultivator. As his sudden flight stalled, the Crushing Ghost Guard caught up and dealt a vicious blow to his back, after which the hundreds of fierce ghosts completely submerged him. All he could hear were unending screams. The terrifying agony of the Myriad Ghosts Devouring the Soul was no laughing matter. However, the nascent soul of a Foundation Establishment cultivator could not be wasted on the ghosts. Lei Dong had many uses for Foundation Establishment-level nascent souls: feeding the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, fueling the Evil Ghost Canopy, and maintaining the item itself. Especially the Evil Ghost Canopy, which Lei Dong had possessed but never properly refined since acquiring it. While its handling speed increased somewhat as his cultivation grew, it no longer matched his current level. He needed either to acquire a superior mount or refine excellent nascent souls into the Evil Ghost Canopy.

Lei Dong chose the refinement path, as the Evil Ghost Canopy was a signature flying artifact of the Yin Sha Sect. Continuously refining and upgrading it made it far superior to the flying artifacts purchased externally. Of course, various delays had kept him too busy until now. He tossed out a Soul Sealing Orb, temporarily trapping the Foundation Establishment cultivator's nascent soul, before turning his attention to Ouyang Rong'er.

At this moment, Ouyang Rong'er had collapsed to the ground in utter terror. From the moment she was born until now, she had never witnessed such a horrific and bloody scene. Those monstrous demons and spirits were all savage and brutal, with limbs flying and flesh splattering everywhere. Yet, these horrors were summoned by Young Master Ding to kill her detestable enemies. The psychological impact was overwhelming.

In a short while, the monstrous spirits had completely consumed the physical body of the Foundation Establishment cultivator. Lei Dong retracted the Netherworld Ghost Qi, and the various spirits returned to their respective domains. This allowed him to revert to his appearance as a graceful, well-mannered young master in white robes. With his hands behind his back, he descended before Ouyang Rong'er.

Ouyang Rong'er shrieked and stumbled back. Looking at Lei Dong, she saw him as if he were the most terrifying monster. She leaped up from the ground, retreating in stark panic: "Don't come closer! If you come closer, I won't be polite to you."

Lei Dong chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Come now, Rong'er, haven't I just helped you eliminate your enemies? Why look at me like I’m a demon?"

His words startled Ouyang Rong'er, and she looked at Lei Dong with a complicated expression. The Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Zhao was the leader of a rather powerful cultivation family nearby, possessing considerable strength and prestige; even her grandfather held him in great reverence. Yet, such a figure was utterly vulnerable before this Young Master Ding, unable to even escape. Thinking of her grandfather, Ouyang Rong'er couldn't help but burst into tears, sinking to the ground and weeping heartbrokenly.

Lei Dong made no move to stop or comfort her. Instead, he calmly took out the Evil Ghost Canopy and several Soul Sealing Orbs, each containing the nascent soul of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. There were four in total; the strongest was the nascent soul of that Demon Prison Sect cultivator, and the weakest was from this Foundation Establishment third-layer cultivator—the quality was excellent. As soon as the Evil Ghost Canopy was released, dense, ink-like black mist constantly writhed and manifested, occasionally taking the shape of human faces and ghostly claws, appearing both tormented and violent, seemingly struggling to break free, yet also yearning for release.

Seeing this, Lei Dong remained completely unmoved. Instead, he circulated the pure Primordial Yin True Qi within his body, enveloping the artifact entirely. Simultaneously, he retrieved one Soul Sealing Orb and chanted an incantation under his breath. In moments, a Foundation Establishment nascent soul emerged from the orb. Judging by the indistinct features, this was the procurement cultivator from the Demon Prison Sect.

Upon seeing Lei Dong, he was gripped by terror, his soul body attempting to flee as it drifted. However, he felt an irresistible force envelop him, propelling him toward the Evil Ghost Canopy. Some of the malevolent spirits within the canopy seemed thrilled at the prospect of another sharing their fate. They didn't feel sorrow but instead squealed with excitement, acting like fierce bullies. They manifested wispy, semi-solid skeletal hands that grabbed hold of the Demon Prison Sect cultivator's nascent soul, dragging it inch by inch toward the canopy. Seemingly aware of his impending doom, the procurement cultivator shrieked, but only high-pitched squeaks emerged. His expression clearly conveyed pleading, rage, and terror. But what use was all that now?

Witnessing this, Lei Dong sneered. He pierced his finger and flicked a drop of vital blood into the artifact. The Evil Ghost Canopy immediately churned and writhed like a tidal wave, instantly swallowing the Demon Prison Sect cultivator's nascent soul. Faintly, amid the rolling black mist, a thin wisp of crimson vapor could be seen. Soon, everything settled. The mist of the Evil Ghost Canopy once again morphed into various faces, one of which bore a slight resemblance to the Demon Prison Sect procurement cultivator.

Lei Dong repeated the process with the nascent souls of the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators, refining them one by one into the Evil Ghost Canopy. After all the refinements were complete, it was apparent that the Evil Ghost Canopy was significantly larger and its color somewhat deeper and blacker. One could sense from its aura that it had become extraordinary.

At some point, Ouyang Rong'er had stopped crying. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes wide as she watched this terrifying spectacle. He had actually fed human nascent souls into that black cloud of mist. Though utterly horrified, she could not tear her gaze away.

Suddenly, Lei Dong sharply turned back and gave Ouyang Rong'er a sinister grin: "Not crying anymore? Is it good viewing?"

Startled, Ouyang Rong'er staggered back several paces, her expression resembling that of a frightened rabbit. Lei Dong laughed heartily, mounted the Evil Ghost Canopy, and ascended into the sky, his body enveloped in a dense, chilling black fog. His speed was at least several times faster than before. Feeling the fierce wind rushing past his face, Lei Dong mused with satisfaction: the Evil Ghost Canopy truly lived up to its name; the more high-quality nascent souls it consumed, the greater the increase in its speed and power.