The flesh and blood of the primeval exotic beast was substantial. Only after the fierce ghosts had feasted for a long time did they manage to consume it entirely. One by one, they emanated a crimson aura of blood energy, appearing immensely vigorous. Clearly, the primeval variant had provided them with significant benefits; it was no wonder, as an exotic beast whose power could contend with a Ghost General, despite possessing only the aura of a Foundation Establishment peak, must surely possess incredibly potent vital essence. Lei Dong did not recall them immediately, for as they were devouring the remains, he had already swept the surroundings with his divine sense.

Though this desert appeared tranquil, it was fraught with peril. Within the limits of Lei Dong’s scouting range—a radius of thirty li—he detected four or five other powerful entities, each of a different species. Nearly every one was no less formidable than the beast he had just encountered. Of course, this might be due to established territorial boundaries, or perhaps their divine senses were vastly inferior to Lei Dong’s own. In any case, they remained firmly rooted within their respective domains.

Having gained a clearer understanding of the immediate vicinity, Lei Dong began a meticulous investigation around the slain exotic beast. As the saying goes, a phoenix does not alight upon barren ground. The environment where any celestial exotic beast resides will invariably possess some unique characteristic. Either the spiritual energy is exceptionally dense, or they are guarding some singular treasure.

As expected, it took no time at all for Lei Dong to discover a Golden Ginseng within an oasis nestled beside a small earthen mound nearby. What delighted Lei Dong the most was that this stalk of Golden Ginseng had achieved an astonishing age of over ten thousand years.

The Golden Ginseng itself was not an exceptionally rare commodity. However, once any medicinal ingredient reaches the ten-thousand-year mark, its value skyrockets. It was precisely because this location was an ancient shrine that had gone undisturbed for countless years that such a situation could arise. In the outside world, merely stumbling upon a thousand-year Golden Ginseng was already a remarkable feat. Lei Dong, naturally ecstatic, carefully excavated and collected his prize.

Having made such an auspicious start, Lei Dong’s spirits soared. Yet, a slight curiosity pricked his mind: why had that primeval exotic beast not consumed this ten-thousand-year-old Ginseng? Given the beast’s lineage strength and its peak condition, consuming it should have offered a decent chance of advancement, considering it was a ten-millennia herb.

What Lei Dong did not know was that this divine temple, much like the Heart Demon Hall, served as a trial ground established by massive ancient sects for their Foundation Establishment disciples. While such trial grounds were designed to feel dangerous, forcing practitioners to elevate their cultivation, this did not mean the sects would permit their disciples to perish needlessly. Any exotic beasts nurtured and placed within these trial grounds, if they neared a breakthrough to the next major realm, would automatically face mechanisms like intensified lightning tribulations designed to annihilate them.

Certainly, in the ancient era, many exceptional Foundation Establishment disciples possessed pets capable of matching Golden Core strength. Consequently, such companions were permitted entry and considered part of the disciples’ overall power, thus avoiding the destructive lightning tribulations. The intricacies of this system were certainly beyond the comprehension of the current Lei Dong.

The exotic beasts within this temple had likely survived for countless generations. Because innumerable ancestors had been annihilated into ash under violent lightning tribulations upon attempting to ascend to the Golden Core realm, the terror and prohibition against such advancement had become ingrained in their very genetics. However, the instinct to guard and covet rare treasures remained etched in their bloodlines, leading to this strange paradox: guarding a precious ten-thousand-year spirit medicine while simultaneously fearing its consumption.

Moreover, this place differed greatly from the Heart Demon Hall. The latter had been discovered by cultivators from Kang Province long ago, resulting in periodic influxes of people. Thus, the number of overwhelmingly powerful demonic beasts there was limited. This temple, however, was different; who knew how many years had passed since anyone entered. Although the temple’s inherent mechanisms prevented the emergence of Golden Core beasts, Foundation Establishment peak-level exotic beasts were numerous beyond counting.

Any demonic beasts of lesser caliber essentially had no chance of survival here. Over time, only the most formidable beasts managed to escape elimination and persist, making them inherently superior to the Foundation Establishment peak beasts found in the outer world.

Of course, these details were of little concern to Lei Dong at the moment. After securing the ten-thousand-year Golden Ginseng, even his usually level-headed mind began to stir with excitement. A ten-millennia spirit medicine—he had never seen such a treasure in his life! Such an artifact, even if consumed raw, could instantly boost his cultivation significantly, let alone being refined into elixirs. He immediately set his sights on the other powerful creatures detected by his divine sense.

Under the scope of his divine sense, a three-dimensional map formed in Lei Dong’s mind. Simultaneously, he summoned the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger and his peak-level golden puppet. With this formidable force arrayed, Lei Dong swiftly dispatched the various exotic beasts, each different in appearance but uniformly potent in strength. Along the way, he gathered a trove of spiritual herbs that would be nigh impossible to obtain for millions of ling outside.

Naturally, the spiritual herbs varied in quality, but the lowest grade possessed several thousand years of maturity, with some reaching two or even three tens of thousands of years. The sheer volume of his haul made Lei Dong exclaim that he was rich beyond measure. A divine temple that had remained untouched for ages was truly a treasure trove! Lei Dong could even imagine the immense fortunes the people of Kang Province had accumulated after first discovering the Heart Demon Hall.

This stretch of desert spanned several thousand li. Lei Dong fought and killed for an indeterminate amount of time. His storage bracelet overflowed with all manner of rare and exotic herbs. If he were to sell these items, his wealth would soar to a level that would make even Nascent Soul cultivators feel ashamed.

What thrilled Lei Dong most was the dramatic increase in the power of his five fierce ghosts. Perhaps due to consuming the essence of so many peak-level exotic beasts, three of the ghosts had broken through to Golden Core level combat power. Although Lei Dong’s current divine sense could, at best, barely control two of them, the might of the Myriad Ghost Banner had nonetheless been amplified tremendously. Two fierce ghosts possessing Golden Core combat strength! To refine such entities normally required the living souls of Golden Core peak experts, something Lei Dong currently could only aspire to reach.

After spending considerable time eliminating every exotic beast in this desert region and accumulating a vast supply of top-tier herbs, the initial euphoria gripping Lei Dong began to settle. Undeniably, while these herbs were valuable, they paled in comparison to the legendary Soul Tree. After all, although these herbs were fully matured, they were mostly common varieties.

The Soul Tree, while perhaps more prevalent in ancient times, would certainly not have been found growing everywhere. Lei Dong had scanned this area spanning several thousand li and found no trace of Soul Fruits.

However, what slightly vexed Lei Dong was the fact that nearly a month had passed, and he had yet to find a path leading to the next area. This was no Heart Demon Hall; there was no black tower to facilitate his passage. The edges of the desert simply dissolved into an endless expanse of black void. Not to mention a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Lei Dong, even Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivators would hesitate to venture carelessly into the void. Furthermore, even if Lei Dong wished to leave, it was impossible. Separating the desert from the void was an invisible energy shield, capable of blocking his most powerful strikes. Even the soul blade of a Ghost General only managed to leave ripples upon impact.

Following the perimeter of the desert, Lei Dong circled repeatedly but found nothing out of the ordinary. At this point, he had no choice but to patiently employ his divine sense to search beneath the desert sands. Fortunately, the area was only a few thousand li across, and his divine sense was his greatest asset. After several days, he finally detected an anomaly beneath the gravel.

With a few strikes of the Nether Ghost Claws, he cleared the surrounding sand, revealing an altar emanating an ancient aura, mysterious and imbued with the breath of the primeval age.

Hmph, finding something was better than finding nothing. Lei Dong breathed a sigh of relief and began to study the altar closely. However, his research into formations and altars had never been extensive, let alone something dating back to unknowable antiquity. He resorted to trying various random approaches in an attempt to activate it.

It was only when Lei Dong allowed a drop of blood to fall onto the altar that the previously inert structure erupted with a bizarre black light. Almost simultaneously, a thousand li away, space twisted violently, and a teleportation formation materialized from thin air.

But on the altar's side, a new phenomenon unfolded. Amidst rippling waves and faint darkness, a grotesque humanoid figure coalesced. This figure possessed a pair of massive wings sprouting from its back—a structure strikingly similar to the pair on Tantai Bingyun’s back.

“Winged God Clan?”

Lei Dong frowned and gasped. He was no novice who had just entered the cultivation world. Though he had never truly encountered them, the name of the Winged God Clan resonated loudly in his ears. They were an immensely powerful race; upon reaching maturity, their combat strength was equivalent to that of a Golden Core expert. Of course, their extreme rarity was a major reason why they could not dominate the world.

Furthermore, Lei Dong had encountered the Winged God King in the illusionary heart demons within the Heart Demon Hall, and this humanoid bore a strong resemblance. The difference was that this figure’s wings were obsidian black. Moreover, its physique was significantly smaller than the Winged God King’s; otherwise, Lei Dong would have already fled. The black-winged being’s aura began to expand rapidly, surging from the Foundation Establishment stage to the pressure of early Golden Core in the blink of an eye, and it continued to climb until it stabilized at the late Golden Core stage.

It now seemed fully corporeal, its pair of crimson eyes blinking as it fixed its gaze upon Lei Dong. But then, it uttered a phrase that nearly made the wary Lei Dong collapse in shock. It shrieked with palpable terror: “Demon Emperor!”

(It’s the first of September, time to rally! Two updates today~)RO