Almost simultaneously, among the four Nascent Soul stage cultivators guarding the exterior, the Prophet Kucas was the first to snap his eyes open, his face etched with utter disbelief. The others followed suit, glints of fierce light erupting in their eyes. Several immense and incomparably potent divine senses transformed into invisible shockwaves, causing the very air to tremble in successive bursts. At the entrance of the shrine, a humanoid silhouette began to vaguely appear.

“Seniors, I beg your indulgence for any offense caused. And, Demon Lord, thank you for your care over these years.” As she fully manifested, a pair of vast, brightly glowing white wings sprouted from her back. Her icy expression was entirely unperturbed, seemingly untouched by the oppressive might of the Nascent Soul cultivators' divine senses. With a single flap of her wings, her delicate form vanished from the shrine's doorway.

“Tantai Bingyun.” The White Bone Demon Lord, having spent significant time with her, was utterly astonished. He had truly not expected Tantai Bingyun to possess such formidable powers of stealth, nearly managing to keep them, several Nascent Soul cultivators, completely in the dark.

The powerful Nascent Soul cultivators, almost in perfect unison, shot forward on their streaks of escape light, rushing into the main hall of the shrine with extreme speed, but they were one step too late. They saw Tantai Bingyun’s figure already disappearing into the teleportation array. Her speed surpassed even that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. This left the four cultivators, who were normally antagonistic toward each other, exchanging baffled glances. What in the world was happening? Why were Foundation Establishment cultivators suddenly becoming so incredibly potent?

“Vile girl,” Elder Tianluo’s expression turned extremely sour. He glared menacingly at the White Bone Demon Lord and the Prophet Kucas: “You two were behind this, weren’t you? Otherwise, how could a mere peak Foundation Establishment brat trailing us for so long manage to hide from us?”

“Nonsense!” The White Bone Demon Lord flared up in anger: “If this venerable one possessed such ability, I would have crushed you with a single slap ages ago. This young woman clearly possesses some kind of heaven and earth rare treasure that allows her to conceal her aura and track.”

“Hmph, Tantai Bingyun, is it? Clearly, you know the Demon Lord, and your relationship is not shallow.” The Shadow Elder of the Unicron Clan, although typically at odds with Tianluo, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him now, presenting a united front against the perceived outside threat.

Since the White Bone Demon Lord’s injuries had not fully healed, dealing with one opponent would be a near match. Facing two, even in his prime, he likely wouldn't possess the capacity. At this juncture, he could only turn his displeased gaze toward the Prophet Kucas and say coldly, “Kucas, do you not trust this venerable one either?”

“This likely has nothing to do with the Demon Lord,” the Prophet Kucas’s demeanor had calmed, his brow furrowed slightly: “This girl must have followed me and the Saintess here. No wonder I felt something faintly observing us from behind. It seems the rare treasure this girl possesses is no simple item. Its origins must be significant.”

‘Perhaps people from the Heavenly Sound Palace of Kang Province,’ the White Bone Demon Lord sighed softly. ‘Though she has always concealed her background, how could she truly hide it from this venerable one?’

Heavenly Sound Palace? The moment these words were uttered, the brows of the other Nascent Soul cultivators furrowed deeply. While Kang Province was not close, the name Heavenly Sound Palace was thunderous among those of their standing—it was a powerful, top-tier sect. It appeared the girl’s status within that sect must not be low, otherwise, she wouldn't have acquired such a rare treasure capable of hiding and tracking Nascent Soul cultivators.

“Forget it, forget it,” the Prophet Kucas sighed. “Since she has already entered, further discussion is pointless. We can only wait outside and pray for good news.”

The White Bone Demon Lord, however, was somewhat unwilling to let go. He stared toward the teleportation array, which resembled a cosmic vortex, feeling an urge to test whether he could force his way through.

If he succeeded, it would certainly be better than pinning all his hopes on that boy, Lei Dong. That kid was no simple character; even though White Bone had secretly tampered with things, there was no guarantee against unforeseen circumstances.

However, every time the White Bone Demon Lord tentatively tried to enter, he was repelled by an incredibly powerful force. No matter how much he suppressed his aura, or even used secret arts to disguise his presence as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was useless. After repeated failures, he could only give up in frustration. Nevertheless, after this incident, the group dispersed and stationed themselves within the hall.

Since there was absolutely no trust among them, they maintained their separate positions, only taking turns guarding the entrance. The White Bone Demon Lord was certain that if there were no other exits, it wouldn't be easy for Lei Dong to escape his grasp.

Setting aside the unexpected incident involving the Nascent Soul cultivators for a moment.

Over where Lei Dong was, he pushed the Ghost Shadow Evasion Technique to its absolute limit, tracing arcs of afterimages in the air as he desperately dodged the colossal monster. The monster possessed the aura and strength of only a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet its sheer physical power was immense; one stomp created a massive pit ten-some feet deep. Even with Lei Dong’s full defense active, he would certainly have been crushed into a paste.

One would assume such a massive beast would be slow, yet its agility far exceeded imagination. It was only because Lei Dong had studied the Ghost Shadow Evasion Technique extensively and practiced it diligently—achieving a decent level of mastery—that he could barely manage to entangle with this giant beast. Internally, he cursed; in his memory, he had never encountered such a monster; it must be an ancient variant species. It had been a long time since he was made to look so ragged by a demonic beast with only a peak Foundation Establishment aura.

Unlike the present, in ancient times, many residual ancient species still roamed the world.

What disgusted Lei Dong the most was that this space seemed to impose a certain degree of sealing and repulsion against spatial power. His pair of wings in the back could not exert much effect. Even when Lei Dong flapped them with all his might, he could only manage a meager ten-odd feet of instantaneous movement, which did nothing for the overall situation. The cause, he suspected, was related to the fact that this was not part of the Great World but a space independently carved out. Although the Asura Wings were powerful, they executed escapes akin to teleportation by tearing space. Within this carved-out independent space, tearing space again proved exceedingly difficult.

Naturally, this was merely Lei Dong’s conjecture. After all, at his current cultivation level, his understanding of spatial power remained extremely superficial. Only upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage could one begin to touch upon spatial power, and even then, not deeply.

However, no matter how powerful the monstrous beast, Lei Dong was not entirely without means of resistance even without deploying the Asura Wings. The Ghost Shadow Evasion Technique was, after all, one of the signature escape arts of the infamous Yin Sha Sect.

After several afterimages, Lei Dong managed to create some distance. He whipped out the Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner, summoning five leader-level fierce ghosts. These ghosts immediately swelled in size after absorbing the ghostly energy from the Netherworld Grand Art, their fangs and claws bared, their bodies pitch-black yet radiating savage intent. With sharp screeches, they lunged toward the beast. Compared to the behemoth, each fierce ghost was merely a fly buzzing near an elephant.

Yet, the aura intensity displayed by each fierce ghost was absolutely not inferior to that of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. Moreover, their smaller size had its advantages. The beast’s attacks struggled to land on them. Relying on the ghosts' speed and agility, they easily tore open gash after gash on the beast’s tough hide. This sent the beast into furious, violent roars of pain.

With the fierce ghosts assisting, Lei Dong felt considerably more at ease. Cloaked in a cloud of eerie black mist, he drifted backward. Simultaneously, while forming hand seals, he summoned the Critical Strike Ghost General from the Soul Nurturing Tower. This Ghost General had now reached the second level. In a sense, this made it equivalent to a cultivator at the second layer of the Golden Core stage. However, because Golden Core cultivators possessed various powerful magic tools, most ordinary Level Two Ghost Generals were not a match for them. But Lei Dong's Ghost General was somewhat exceptional; after all, Lei Dong practiced the Netherworld Grand Art, and the more proficient he became, the more powerful the ghosts he summoned.

Upon emergence, this brute immediately displayed the imposing aura of a Ghost General, its body swelling several yards high. Especially after absorbing Lei Dong’s pure Netherworld ghostly energy, it became exceptionally savage. Wielding a blade and shield, it charged forward to clash head-on with the monstrous beast.

The beast fought back just as fiercely. Its fists and feet met the Ghost General, sending shockwaves and ripples through the air as the two sides seemed evenly matched in raw strength. This astonished Lei Dong. This ancient variant species was truly formidable; a mere beast with the aura of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator could match the Ghost General in sheer power. While the Ghost General was not primarily known for strength, this was still excessive.

Alas, no matter how powerful this variant beast was, Lei Dong had no way to subdue it.

The Ghost General was extremely proud; with its increased cultivation, its intelligence had also improved significantly. Seeing that a mere peak Foundation Establishment beast could fight it to a standstill in terms of power, it automatically activated the Blood Thirst Art. Its body turned scarlet, countless wisps of blood energy intertwined menacingly with the Netherworld ghostly energy, causing profound terror.

Ultimately, there was a gap of an entire major realm. This beast, despite its might, was still only at the peak Foundation Establishment aura level. In a short time, it was overwhelmingly defeated by the combined efforts of the Ghost General and the five invisible fierce ghosts. The fierce ghosts and the General immediately dissolved into clouds of mist, beginning to devour the beast's flesh and blood. For them, this was extremely nourishing, especially after a battle; consuming flesh and blood helped restore their strength. Though both fierce ghosts and the General were products of vengeful spirits, strength was not conjured from thin air; it needed replenishment. While the Soul Nurturing Tower or the Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner could restore them, flesh and blood remained the best source.

Lei Dong was not stingy, allowing them to devour instinctually. Although the difficulty of promoting fierce ghosts was far greater than that of a Lifebound Ghost Servant, there was still a sliver of hope, wasn't there? Lei Dong also hoped that among them, one might eventually emerge that could rival a Golden Core level powerhouse.