Whether it was Lei Dong’s cultivation technique, the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, or his actual cultivation level, neither would allow him to personally manifest the Vajra Indestructible Shield. The golden talisman he had just tossed out, therefore, must naturally be the Vajra Indestructible Talisman. The old monsters present were all acutely aware of how difficult and how immensely valuable such a talisman was. For Lei Dong to casually discard one right at the start made everyone gasp in shock.

Especially Old Ancestor Withered Bones; his heart skipped a beat, and his expression immediately soured. Could this brat surnamed Lei have been fully prepared? Was that fellow Wan Gui colluding with his disciple to play the wolf in sheep’s clothing? But things had reached this point; no amount of regret from Old Ancestor Withered Bones would help now. He could only settle down and watch silently.

Although Huangfu Ce didn't comprehend the defensive energy shield, he continued to urge the Blood God Saber—a weapon shrouded in crimson mist and spanning seven to eight zhang—to cleave down fiercely upon Lei Dong. With a resounding boom, the blood-colored great saber struck the Vajra Indestructible Shield directly. It was worthy of being called a supreme-grade spiritual artifact, consecrated by the blood of a million people; its power was certainly not trivial. Even the Vajra Indestructible Shield rippled, and the golden light noticeably dimmed by several shades.

One had to remember that the Vajra Indestructible Shield was a potent energy shield capable of resisting the attacks of a first or second-layer Golden Core cultivator for nearly ten breaths. Under the impact of these two energies, waves of air ceaselessly blasted outward. Since the Blood God Saber was a weapon personally refined by Huangfu Ce, intrinsically linked to his soul, the massive recoil nearly forced him to spit a mouthful of blood.

Yet, Lei Dong’s face remained utterly impassive. This was because the power defending him came entirely from the talisman; his soul and body were not involved in the slightest. He, meanwhile, continued to calmly form hand seals, summoning a Spectral Ghost Guard that had already reached the Eighth Level.

As soon as the Spectral Ghost Guard materialized, its form wavered slightly before vanishing from sight. He continued summoning, and in the blink of an eye, a second Eighth-Level Ghost Guard appeared.

Huangfu Ce’s expression grew extremely grim. Two Eighth-Level Ghost Guards were already deployed; wasn't Lei Dong's strength just too exaggerated? Still, with the situation as it was, he could only continue the fight, especially since he held absolute confidence in the Blood God Saber—an object slightly superior to an ordinary supreme-grade spiritual artifact. Once he shattered Lei Dong’s turtle shell, slaying him would not be difficult.

Directing the Blood God Saber from afar, he made it whirl in mid-air and struck Lei Dong again with savage force. Lei Dong didn't even bother to evade; as he was struck, he proceeded to summon a third Eighth-Level Ghost Guard. Both the Vajra Indestructible Shield and the Blood God Saber dimmed in unison once more.

“This is impossible—” Old Ancestor Withered Bones sprang to his feet, shouting with extreme agitation. “With his level of cultivation, how can he possibly command three Eighth-Level Ghost Guards?”

It wasn't just Old Ancestor Withered Bones; the expressions of the other ancestors also became wonderfully complex, each one looking as if they had swallowed a fly. Three Eighth-Level Ghost Guards—what did that imply? Not only them, but even Old Ancestor Ten Thousand Ghosts sucked in a sharp breath. Although he already knew Lei Dong possessed one high-grade ghost servant, he hadn't anticipated two more appearing. Furthermore, in terms of pure command over Ghost Guards, a normal sixth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator likely couldn't even manage three Sixth-Level Ghost Guards.

Even if Lei Dong diligently practiced the Divine Forging Art and consumed the Heart-Washing Fruit, managing three Seventh-Level Ghost Guards would already be his absolute limit. Could it be that this brat had encountered unbelievable fortuitous encounters during his years wandering outside? Regardless, Lei Dong becoming this formidable was a blessing for Old Ancestor Ten Thousand Ghosts. If his disciple achieved great success [Great Demon Lord Updates Beauty], would his master be jealous?

Seeing this, the odds were clearly tipping in his favor, causing a surge of elation in Old Ancestor Ten Thousand Ghosts' heart. He temporarily set aside his doubts, planning to probe the extent of the brat's lucky breaks later.

Huangfu Ce's face flickered rapidly. Even for him, handling three Eighth-Level Ghost Guards would be immensely taxing, let alone the swarm of malevolent ghosts dancing everywhere. As the words failed to materialize, the hundreds of elite fierce ghosts had already encircled him completely. Huangfu Ce had seized an opportunity to cast the Profound Yin Shield. With his cultivation, the defense projected by his Profound Yin Shield was naturally extraordinary.

However, the horde of fierce ghosts proved unexpectedly formidable. Every shredding attack launched by those elite ghosts caused the Profound Yin Shield to ripple, its gentle light constantly dimming. It seemed likely that the Profound Yin Shield would shatter in less than ten breaths. But Huangfu Ce hesitated not; he knew that only a desperate, all-out clash from Lei Dong offered a chance of victory. Otherwise, if the fight devolved into a war of attrition, the three Eighth-Level Ghost Guards would make him suffer dearly.

For his third strike, Huangfu Ce endured the strain on his soul, driving the Blood God Saber to its absolute limit. As dense blood qi churned, the saber elongated to ten zhang, surrounded by an ocean of crimson, emitting a foul, sickening stench. But the saber's edge, as it inhaled and exhaled, was incredibly fierce, showing faint signs of tearing the very space around it.

The Blood God Saber—truly worthy of its name. After the third strike connected with the Vajra Indestructible Shield, a violent explosion radiated outward in all directions.

At this moment, the shield was destroyed. And the Blood God Saber, too, seemed severely depleted; much of its blood qi had dissipated, and it hovered precariously near Lei Dong. In the distance, Huangfu Ce could be seen spitting blood, clearly suffering internal injuries to his soul and organs from the backlash. But what thrilled him was that after expending such immense effort, he had finally broken the tortoise shell. Next, one final, desperate push, and he would send his opponent on his way, Huangfu Ce thought with a surge of fierce resolve, his expression turning particularly savage.

However, just then, an unforeseen event occurred. One of the Ghost Guards suddenly unleashed an ice-elemental spell, but its target was not Huangfu Ce. It was the Blood God Saber, which was preparing to fly back. High-intensity cold air instantly enveloped the Blood God Saber, causing much of the blood mist to congeal into blood frost. A thin layer of pale, blood-colored ice formed on the surface of the weapon.

Whoosh—With a muffled sound of tearing air, an arrogant flying sword, blazing with furious flames, materialized before Lei Dong. Following Lei Dong's gesture, the sword transformed into a streak of raging fire, striking directly toward the Blood God Saber.

“Not good.” Huangfu Ce’s face changed drastically; it turned out Lei Dong’s goal and plan were to destroy his Blood God Saber. Just as he commanded his divine sense to recall the saber, the vanished Spectral Ghost Guard abruptly reappeared. A red light flickered across its ethereal body, mixed with an irresistible aura, exploding into a ball of spectral light that slammed heavily into the Blood God Saber.

The effect of the Blood Thirst Technique combined with the Ghostly Strike, further amplified by Lei Dong's Nether Ghost Qi field, caused the Spectral Ghost Guard to unleash immense impact force in this blow. It not only halted the Blood God Saber's retreat but also caused its originally dim blood qi to weaken by several more degrees.

Simultaneously, Lei Dong’s Blazing Refinement Sword, burning fiercely, cleaved down without flourish onto the spine of the blood-colored blade.

Zheng—

A clear yet deafening sound echoed, as if two supreme-grade spiritual artifacts were simultaneously wailing in agony. As the sound waves spread, the turbulent energy buffeted the surroundings, forcing the onlookers to retreat further back. The flames engulfing the Blazing Refinement Sword dimmed significantly, though the Blood God Saber fared far more miserably. A gash nearly a chi deep had been carved into its spine by the Refinement Sword. Even if the Blood God Saber was not entirely destroyed, the blood qi contained within it seemed to have been drastically reduced—it was heavily "injured." The violent shaking almost severed Huangfu Ce’s spiritual connection to it, leaving him momentarily unable to control the Blood God Saber.

Of course, this direct confrontation had not left Lei Dong unscathed either. After all, the Blood God Saber was Huangfu Ce’s personally refined object, and the Blazing Refinement Sword was equally precious to Lei Dong. Consequently, due to the recoil, Lei Dong was forced back several steps with staggered steps.

Almost simultaneously, the two units of elite fierce ghosts, having received their orders, gnawed through the last vestiges of the Profound Yin Shield's power. Just as they prepared to sink their teeth into Huangfu Ce’s body, he abruptly darted forward, utilizing the formidable strength of a ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator to quickly shake off the ghost swarm.

But during this time, Lei Dong did not ease his offensive in the slightest. Ordering the Ghost Guards to fall back, he suddenly flung a Blazing Flame Bomb talisman, which instantly transformed into a highly condensed, yet powerfully destructive blast of fire. That object struck the Blood God Saber, producing a powerful effect: not only did intense flames dissipate the bloody mist, but the impact sent the saber flying backward violently.

At this juncture, Lei Dong focused the majority of his offensive power onto the Blood God Saber, attempting to break it completely. With a roar, the collision of ice and fire generated immense corrosive damage to the metal. The Blood God Saber instantly became slightly warped. The power of the Blazing Flame Talisman was far from trivial; moreover, Lei Dong followed up with a Thunderous Malice Bomb, striking the Blood God Saber as it tried to flee.

Not even then did he spare the Blood God Saber. After being pushed back several steps by the shockwave, he brought his already dimmed Blazing Refinement Sword down again. The poor Blood God Saber now resembled a gasping, dying fish. After wasting most of its power battling the Vajra Indestructible Shield, it suffered one continuous heavy blow after another.

Entangled by the fierce ghosts, Huangfu Ce struggled in vain to recall the Blood God Saber. With nowhere to evade, the two forces clashed. Lei Dong struck with pinpoint accuracy, hitting the exact same massive wound left by the previous blow on the Blood God Saber. Thus, even though the blood-colored blade was forged from superior material and consecrated by the blood of a million people, it could not withstand this barrage.

Boom—Amidst an exchange of energy, the Blood God Saber snapped cleanly in two. Naturally, the Blazing Refinement Flying Sword did not fare well either, now heavily scarred.

The destruction of his soul-bound artifact sent Huangfu Ce spiraling toward madness. Successive injuries to his soul caused his face to turn almost ghostly pale.

“Brother Huangfu, it seems your Blood God Saber was not sufficiently refined,” Lei Dong taunted, letting out a sinister cackle. “Were you still planning to send Old Lei on his way?”