The moment that familiar voice reached his ears, Lei Dong hastily rose to his feet. Before him, as if summoned by the spirits, the Celestial Demon appeared out of thin air—a tall, slender figure clad in black robes, her lustrous, dark hair swaying faintly in the unseen breeze.

"Why are you here?" Lei Dong shot a nervous glance around, demanding in a low voice.

"Relax. I'm just passing through. Thought I'd stop by to visit you and your wife and have a cup of tea before leaving." The Celestial Demon drifted to the coffee table and slowly sat down. "Bodhi Heart-Cleansing Tea. You managed to find such a rare spiritual brew; you have decent luck. Even I only get an allocation of two liang of this grade of tea per year. Your Master only receives a mere pinch to taste first. What are you dawdling for? A guest has arrived; won't you brew some tea?"

Lei Dong swept his spiritual sense around and confirmed that Ding Wanyan had already departed. He muttered inwardly, What sort of guest is this ancestor? Purely an unwelcome disaster. However, Lei Dong dared not voice such sentiments aloud, or this formidable woman would certainly throw a fit, turning a simple cup of tea into an extended stay of several nights—a massive headache for him.

He could only obediently prepare a fresh pot of tea for the Celestial Demon, his expression mirroring that of Ouyang Rong'er just moments before. He grumbled internally: falling into her clutches was the greatest misfortune of his life. Yet, to avoid provoking her ire, Lei Dong served her with utmost caution.

The Celestial Demon seemed to relish Lei Dong's attentive service—pouring tea and offering refreshments. Half-closing her eyes, she delicately pinched the teacup between her jade-white fingers, slowly savoring the spiritual brew at a leisurely pace. "That young girl just now was quite remarkable. To successfully cultivate wild Bodhi Heart-Cleansing Tea... such insight and talent are exceedingly rare." Finishing the tea, she extended the cup toward Lei Dong.

Afraid to give this formidable, broad-shouldered lady any pretext for an outburst, Lei Dong respectfully refilled her cup, forcing a smile. "She's just a wild thing I picked up."

"Hmph. Then go pick up a few more for me," the Celestial Demon snorted coldly, then surveyed the area again. "Wanyan has decent taste. Although the spiritual meridian here is weak, the location is excellent, with abundant spiritual energy seeping in from the surroundings. Generally speaking, this should be a nascent nexus of spiritual gathering. However, that peak to the northwest, the Cui Ping, blocks the seasonal winds, preventing the formation of an air vortex, thus weakening the local meridian. You merely need to erase that peak, and given time, the spiritual energy in this valley will accumulate more and more."

Lei Dong was deeply astonished. He glanced toward the seemingly pleasant, jade-green rock face in the distance. He had never imagined that a single mountain blocking the monsoon could so severely impede the collection of spiritual energy. Such theory was utterly new to him, yet the Celestial Demon spoke of it casually. His perception of her immediately shifted. Nascent Soul cultivators were indeed Nascent Soul cultivators; the sheer depth of their accumulated knowledge far surpassed anything a Foundation Establishment practitioner like himself could compare to.

"You don't need to be so impressed," the Celestial Demon said languidly. "When you live long enough, and after cultivation, you run out of things to do, you start learning all sorts of miscellaneous subjects. The path you are currently taking isn't wrong. With your mediocre aptitude, scattering your focus on too many trifles would surely hinder your path to the Great Dao. However, when you have leisure time... you can also read more miscellaneous records and anecdotes to broaden your horizons. This will help you open your mind and break through bottlenecks. Here are some records I've read and rather enjoyed; feel free to peruse them when you have a moment."

As she spoke, she gracefully waved her slender hand, and a row of jade slips materialized on the table.

Lei Dong accepted them without pretense. He understood her temperament well enough; being polite or deferential to her would only incite her anger.

"Also, since you married Wanyan, this venerable one hasn't given you a wedding gift," the Celestial Demon glanced around, her expression serene. "Given your status and Wanyan's, living in this place is somewhat beneath you. I shall bestow upon you two formations. One is the Grand Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array... and the other is the Celestial Demon Bewitching Soul Array."

Just as Lei Dong was about to refuse, he heard the words Grand Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array and immediately swallowed his polite rejection. His eyes widened in disbelief. The Grand Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array was one of the top formations of the Yin Sha Sect, capable of altering the spiritual energy distribution across an entire area, gathering it into one spot to gradually form a spiritual nexus, which in turn nourished the meridian. It was a heaven-defying formation. For any Yin Sha Sect disciple to request the sect to fund and deploy such a grand array was not something easily achieved. Lei Dong would need to slowly earn massive contribution points for a chance to use it. If he were to exchange for it using spirit stones, he would likely have to empty his entire fortune just to barely afford it.

As for the Celestial Demon Bewitching Soul Array, Lei Dong had never heard of it, but judging by the name, it was likely a personal secret formation of the Celestial Demon herself.

Seeing Lei Dong appear as if his eyeballs might pop out, the Celestial Demon’s expression turned slightly cold. "What? Do you think I am that petty? Just offering two formations, and you make such a fuss?"

Lei Dong broke out in a sweat and managed a wry smile. "...I just think this is too extravagant for you to offer."

"That is the price the Sect sets for youngsters like you. I am merely taking some old, accumulated junk from the warehouse. Who would dare object?" The Celestial Demon raised an eyebrow, and a chill of bleak energy emanated from her.

Lei Dong paused. Damn, this ancestor is truly domineering. Could materials capable of forming the Grand Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array really be considered "junk"? Honestly, the pricing the Sect set for its disciples was quite fair if one exchanged hard-earned contribution points for the materials. Of course, converting spirit stones into contribution points to exchange for materials was less cost-effective. This structure was designed to prevent disciples from directly exchanging spirit stones for the Sect's low-priced materials and then reselling them outside for profit, which would eventually empty the Sect's coffers.

Lei Dong believed that Nascent Soul cultivators were top-tier existences within the Yin Sha Sect, wielding immense authority. They could certainly access the warehouse materials. However, there must be some restrictions, preventing them from emptying the storerooms entirely, as the Sect needed to endure for future generations. Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't do absolutely anything they pleased. Even so, this display filled Lei Dong with envy and intensified his desire to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage.

"However, setting up the formations will take a considerable time. If I personally handle it, both arrays will require approximately two years." the Celestial Demon stated calmly. "About a year for each. I almost forgot to tell you. The Celestial Demon Bewitching Soul Array is also one of the top-tier formations. It is a secret art inherited by the Celestial Demon lineage, outside the jurisdiction of the Sect. Even the Celestial Demon Palace currently uses it as its mountain-protecting array. Any intruder, even a Golden Core cultivator, has a chance of perishing within it. As for Nascent Soul cultivators, if they are unfamiliar with the array's variations, attempting to break it forcibly would take at least half a year to a year and a half. Therefore, with the Celestial Demon Bewitching Soul Array, your little valley will become one of the safest places on this earth. If a Nascent Soul cultivator from another sect dared to forcefully break your array here, they would be courting death."

Lei Dong was deeply moved. He hadn't expected the Celestial Demon Bewitching Soul Array to be another supreme formation, even serving as a mountain guardian. Once established, this valley—named Wenxiang Xiaozhu by Wanyan—would become one of his safest havens. The fact that even Golden Core cultivators might be destroyed by this guardian array testified to its immense power.

Supreme arrays truly deserved their moniker. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator required a full year to set up one array. It was no wonder the Sect priced the Grand Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array so highly; it wasn't just the cost of the materials, but the Nascent Soul cultivator's year-long service fee was likely a major contributor to the high price. Otherwise, if the price were lowered, everyone would rush to deploy such formations for their homes, which would surely exhaust or annoy the Nascent Soul Ancestors to death!

Lei Dong found himself utterly unable to refuse these two arrays. After all, this Hunxiang Xiaozhu was his and Wanyan's home; if it were breached, he would truly weep without tears. Even if the Celestial Demon hadn't arrived, Lei Dong had intended to select some relatively strong mountain-protecting arrays to deploy. But with the Celestial Demon Bewitching Soul Array offered, did he have any other options?

However, Lei Dong harbored a slight concern. "If you help me set up these grand arrays, and others find out, won't they...?"

"You are worried Wanyan might grow suspicious, aren't you?" As expected of the Celestial Demon, when not antagonizing Lei Dong, her reaction speed was quite fast. She shot him a cold, sidelong glance. "Don't worry. Over the years, I have met Wanyan several times through Fu'er. Our interactions have been quite amicable, and I’ve even guided her in several cultivation matters. If I gift her two formations in my capacity as an elder, it won't be too jarring. It won't expose the nature of our relationship..."

Lei Dong was speechless. This Celestial Demon was formidable indeed, managing to maintain such good relations with Wanyan. Still, it was fortunate she had laid the groundwork in advance; this way, Wanyan was unlikely to suspect any deeper connection between him and the Celestial Demon. As for everyone else, he didn't need to worry too much. Even if he loudly proclaimed he was intimately involved with the famous Celestial Demon, who would believe him?

"Wanyan is far superior to you. In terms of aptitude and temperament, you fall far short of her," the Celestial Demon stated bluntly. "She is a rather simple girl, and she is close friends with Fu'er. Though my heart must surely feel displeasure, I would not jeopardize her happiness for my own selfish desires. What I truly fail to understand is, why on earth did she take a liking to you?"

"..." Lei Dong felt a pang of shame and annoyance from her harsh critique, but he dared not offend her at this moment. Otherwise, given this ancestor's temperament, she might do something drastic. Especially considering the two supreme arrays, which touched Lei Dong greatly. Based on his current ability, obtaining arrays of this caliber would be extremely difficult. Lei Dong certainly committed this favor to memory, intending to repay her when he had the means. Of course, some grudges, some retaliations, still needed to be settled. ...