"It's mostly fine now, though the loss of vital energy and spiritual sense is something that won't recover overnight," the Corpse Bone Demon Lord stated calmly. "Your spiritual sense is indeed not weak; it seems your ancestors bestowed many advantages upon you. That was a Three-Tailed Spirit Fox at the peak of the early Golden Core stage—quite valuable. However, it is injured now. With your abilities, you should be able to handle it yourself."

An injured Three-Tailed Spirit Fox? Lei Dong blinked, a flicker of joy surfacing in his heart. Three-tailed demon foxes were treasures, very rare demonic beasts. Even among Golden Core demonic beasts, their value could vary wildly depending on the materials they possessed or their unique applications. Naturally, Golden Core demonic beasts with special uses were typically rarer, and this Three-Tailed Spirit Fox was a prime example. The stronger the fox, the more tails it possessed. And a three-tailed spirit fox would develop a crystal-clear jade bead on its forehead—a treasure for nourishing and strengthening the divine soul. At the rare auctions where such items appeared, they often sparked desperate bidding wars among powerful cultivators, sometimes soaring to prices in the tens of millions of spirit stones.

Though Lei Dong possessed many spirit stones, tens of millions was still a significant sum. Moreover, even if he wished to buy one, opportunity was required; such items were exceedingly rare. Knowing this was such a treasure, Lei Dong could no longer sit still. He stood up, cupped his hands toward the Corpse Bone Demon Lord, and said, "Thank you for yielding, My Lord. I shall return shortly."

With that, Lei Dong transformed into a faint shadow, employing the proficient Ghost Shadow Evasion Technique to stealthily approach the location of the spiritual sense fluctuation. The Ghost Shadow Evasion was unlike ordinary escape arts, appearing even more bizarre under the augmentation of the Netherworld Ghost Qi. Not only was its speed exceptional, but its greatest strengths lay in its concealment and elusiveness. If mastered, this technique could become incredibly formidable. As the crimson spiritual energy surged beneath his blood-red cloak, Lei Dong's swift movements left behind faint streaks of scarlet.

However, the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox was a descendant of the ancient great demon, the Celestial Fox. The Celestial Fox specialized in spiritual sense attacks and a bewildering array of illusions. Inheriting even a trace of that bloodline, the Spirit Fox was naturally adept at matters of the divine sense, its intensity far surpassing ordinary demonic beasts of the same rank. Lei Dong had barely made his move—only a few miles in—when the injured Spirit Fox grew alert. Its form blurred into a streak of white light, bolting deep into the mountain range.

Lei Dong certainly could not allow such an exotic treasure to escape easily. The Asura Wings unfurled, tearing space itself as he gave chase. Over the years, Lei Dong had used the Asura Wings with such frequency that his control over them had grown increasingly masterful. A mere burst of speed launched him directly a hundred zhang ahead of the Spirit Fox.

Unlike common Golden Core beasts, the Spirit Fox, much like the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, possessed the residual bloodline of an ancient mighty being, and its intelligence was remarkably high. Though its divine sense perceived that the aura emanating from the enemy before it was weaker than its own, the Spirit Fox sensed a distinct, looming danger.

It began to turn with extreme agility to flee.

"Trying to leave?" Lei Dong chuckled, unhurriedly beginning to summon his Ghost Generals and the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, along with the Five Ghosts from the Myriad Ghost Banner. Those five ghosts were all refined from the souls of Golden Core cultivators. While they fell far short of their strength in life, each, empowered by the Netherworld Ghost Qi, could contend with a Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator without yielding ground. With the Five Ghosts attacking in concert, their mutual understanding allowed them to barely hold off a cultivator at the first layer of the Golden Core stage.

This level of summoned strength caused even the leisurely Corpse Bone Demon Lord, who had been "observing the battle," to pause momentarily, cursing inwardly at how monstrous this young man was among Foundation Establishment cultivators. His conviction solidified that Lei Dong was heavily favored by a powerful backer. To an Nascent Soul cultivator, both high-grade spectral ghosts and a pet like the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger were rare treasures. High-grade spectral ghosts were manageable; in the many years the Corpse Bone Demon Lord had roamed Zhao Prefecture, he had gathered just under twenty. But quality combat pets were extremely difficult to acquire, and he currently only possessed two. As for whether the Ghost General was a supreme-grade spectral ghost, the Demon Lord hadn't even considered it—the entirety of Zhao Prefecture likely held no more than five supreme-grade spectral ghosts in total. Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator got lucky enough to obtain one, they would never bestow it upon a junior, as such a being, if cultivated properly, held a high chance of advancing to Ghost King, far surpassing a mere high-grade spectral ghost.

Even ignoring Lei Dong's own cultivation base, with the power of these summoned entities, an ordinary early Golden Core cultivator would likely struggle against him.

The Netherworld Ghost Qi permeated the area, enveloping his servants. With another flash, they intercepted the terrified Spirit Fox. With a mental command, the Shadow Tiger, Ghost General, and the Five Ghosts all converged on the Spirit Fox. Simultaneously, Lei Dong unleashed his Netherworld Grand Art to its absolute limit. Dense black energy enveloped a radius of several dozen zhang; dark clouds roiled, and the oppressive chill of the Ghost Qi made one's spine tingle.

The Spirit Fox was exceptionally intelligent and knew that no matter how much it ran, escaping this person’s clutches would be difficult. Its own strength was not insignificant, so it chose to conserve its demonic power and fight back fiercely. In its perception, Lei Dong, as the master of the ghosts, appeared to be the weakest link. Instantly, its three tails fanned out like a peacock’s display, each unleashing a wave of chilling white energy that shot toward Lei Dong in a spinning barrage.

Lei Dong had been cultivating for decades. From childhood, he had intensely focused on reading and memorizing various texts from the 'Mountains and Seas' records. After achieving minor success in his cultivation, his memory had become even more astonishing, allowing him to retain a vast amount of knowledge. Especially after obtaining the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, which carried the bloodline of an ancient divine beast, he had paid particular attention to the classification systems of such demonic beasts. He might not know every detail about the Three-Tailed Demon Fox, but he was well-informed. He knew that while they excelled at ice-elemental magic, their true killing blows lay in spiritual sense attacks and illusions. He dared not be careless.

The Profound Yin Shield, the Indestructible Spirit Shield, and the bloody afterimage all manifested. His figure weaved and darted within the environment of the Netherworld Ghost Qi, appearing and vanishing unpredictably. Most notably, his own spiritual sense surged to its peak, forming faint, black vortices around him—though spiritual sense should have been invisible, here it manifested as palpable energy. The Three-Tailed Spirit Fox was a formidable beast, especially this one at the peak of the early Golden Core stage; even injured, it could not be underestimated.

As expected, concealed beneath the cover of the three icy blasts, a silent spiritual sense assault bypassed his defenses like a secret envoy. By the time it was noticed, it was already upon him.

Devious indeed, Lei Dong felt the powerful spiritual sense impact, but thankfully, he had prepared for it.

He dared not show any complacency. His own spiritual sense channeled through the Emperor Demon Seed manifesting on his forehead, reinforcing itself and condensing before him to form a thick shield.

Spiritual sense, formless and colorless, was a tangible, peculiar force. Where the two powers collided, ripples of air burst forth with loud, roaring explosions. Although Lei Dong’s cultivation was only in the late Foundation Establishment stage, his obsessive focus on nurturing his divine sense had made his soul exceptionally robust. After augmentation by the Emperor Demon Seed, the intensity of his spiritual sense was already comparable to a cultivator in the first or second layer of the Golden Core stage.

Yet, even with his full defense, the shield he had manifested seemed impenetrable but was fiercely battered by the Spirit Fox's spiritual impact, causing it to shatter repeatedly. Fortunately, defenses like the Profound Yin Shield and the Indestructible Spirit Shield, while unable to fully block a pure spiritual sense strike, could absorb some of the force. This only caused Lei Dong’s soul to waver slightly, while the power of the Spirit Fox’s attack dissipated entirely.

However, at the same moment, the three streams of icy energy were closing in on Lei Dong with incredible speed. Their potential power against such an attack was considerable, but Lei Dong felt no fear. He gave his wings a slight beat and reappeared dozens of zhang away. The three icy blasts missed their mark entirely, slamming into the forest floor. Trees spanning hundreds of zhang instantly transformed into an icy realm, frozen into crystalline structures.

Lei Dong gasped in astonishment, realizing just how unusual the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox was. The Spirit Fox was equally stunned. Both attacks were its ultimate maneuvers, unleashed at the cost of worsening its own injuries. It was certain that the human with the deceptively weak aura could not possibly evade both the spiritual attack and the ice blast, interwoven as one attack hidden behind the other. The result was completely unexpected.

The more formidable the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox proved, the greater Lei Dong's anticipation became for the spiritual bead gestating within it. Almost simultaneously, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, the critical-striking Ghost General, and the Five Ghosts descended. Fighting individually, these three forces would likely be no match for the Three-Tailed Demon Fox. However, combined in an encirclement, and with the fox already injured, the clash immediately forced the Spirit Fox onto the defensive, scrambling to evade. Although it frequently deployed illusions, occasionally transforming itself into various forms to deceive them, illusions were utterly useless against soul-based entities like the Ghost General. As for the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, its bloodline was not weak, and its origins were extraordinary; it too saw minimal effect.

The Spirit Fox attempted several breakouts but was consistently penned in by the group, whose power was greatly amplified by the Netherworld Ghost Qi. Lei Dong felt a measure of relief and began to employ a special technique of the Netherworld Ghost Qi—a maneuver he had practiced rigorously over the years.

Under Lei Dong's direction, the cloud-like, misty ghost Qi immediately transformed into fine, thread-like strands, weaving and darting up and down, constantly contracting toward the center. In a mere ten breaths, these strands wove themselves into black nets, covering all directions—above, below, left, and right—blocking every escape route for the Spirit Fox. It was like an inescapable net cast by the heavens, forcing the fox’s range of motion to shrink relentlessly.

The Spirit Fox possessed considerable intelligence and knew that the net was likely not to be trifled with. But under the siege of the assembled ghosts, it grew panicked and lost its comprehensive awareness. It finally stumbled blindly into a net concealed within the black mist. The resilient and elastic ghost net instantly ensnared it. Simultaneously, several other nets deployed elsewhere wrapped around it tightly.