It shrieked, and Lei Dong was startled as well. The inheritance of the Ancient Demon Emperor’s Di Mo Seed was one of his greatest secrets, one unknown even to his wife, Ding Wanyan. How did this Winged God Clan member know about it?

Before he could react, the Winged God Clan member with the black wings underwent another massive shift in expression: "No, no, you are not the Demon Emperor, merely some mere kid at the Foundation Establishment stage." He looked overwhelmingly relieved, as if he had narrowly escaped death. Immediately after, his expression turned savage as he glared at Lei Dong, letting out a weird, cackling laugh: "Boy, hand over your living soul obediently. This Venerable One hasn't consumed a living soul for a very, very long time."

Venerable One? A slight tremor went through Lei Dong’s heart as he narrowed his eyes and glanced at the being. He sneered repeatedly, "With your meager strength, you dare call yourself Venerable One?" In the Cultivation World, the manner of self-addressing usually followed strict rules. Only Nascent Soul stage cultivators typically referred to themselves as Ben Zun; claiming it randomly would obviously invite ridicule.

"Arrogant." The Winged God person seemed severely provoked, his emotions becoming extremely unstable. He clapped his hands together, and a pillar of white light shot forth from his palms, blasting toward Lei Dong with extraordinary momentum.

Even though this fellow was not at the Nascent Soul realm, appearing to be only at the late Golden Core stage, Lei Dong was certain he could not match him. He fiercely activated the Asura Wings, and due to the environmental restrictions, Lei Dong only managed a short-distance teleport of about ten zhang. But that small distance was enough. The light pillar slammed into the gravel, kicking up a storm of sand and dust as it gouged out a massive pit.

Lei Dong dared not pause for an instant, urging the Evil Ghost Shroud and flying backward immediately. The Evil Ghost Shroud was one of the most famous flying artifacts of the Yin Sha Sect; as long as it was continuously refined, this item held immense potential for growth. After Lei Dong’s years of constant refinement, the Evil Ghost Shroud was now superior to an ordinary top-grade flying spirit artifact.

The living souls refined within the Evil Ghost Shroud manifested as hideous, grotesque faces, radiating overwhelming malevolence and fiendish intent. Their resentment and ghostly howls condensed into a shockwave that swept backward wildly. Simultaneously, Lei Dong transformed into a black streak of meteor, desperately fleeing into the distance.

The accumulated resentment was so potent that it forced the Winged God person back a few steps, causing his expression to momentarily falter.

However, it seemed only to have enraged him further. He flapped his wings and madly chased after Lei Dong. The Winged God Clan was inherently a powerful race, particularly skilled in flight techniques. Although this fellow appeared much weaker than his former self, he still possessed the terrifying combat strength of the late Golden Core stage.

The hundred zhang lead Lei Dong held was closed in just a dozen breaths, startling Lei Dong to his core. What was going on with this Winged God Clan member? Why was he appearing in this Ancient Divine Temple?

Regardless of the reason, facing an opponent with such overwhelming speed, Lei Dong felt almost no desire to flee. He reversed course, planted his feet on the Evil Ghost Shroud, and summoned two Golden Core level fierce ghosts using the Myriad Ghost Banner. The moment those two chillingly dark entities appeared, they swirled around Lei Dong, darting about wildly, baring their teeth, their faces ferocious and cruel, their entire bodies wreathed in distorted and constantly shifting ghostly energy.

A knot tightened in Lei Dong’s chest, and he cursed inwardly. His spirit was strained and weak. Clearly, with his current strength, commanding the two Golden Core fierce ghosts from the Myriad Ghost Banner stretched him thin. One wrong move, and he could suffer a backlash from the fierce ghosts. One had to remember that these fierce ghosts were created by Lei Dong personally killing people, extracting their living souls, and refining them while they were still alive; their inherent resentment was naturally not to be trifled with. If suppression failed even momentarily, a backlash was inevitable.

Lei Dong hastily stabilized his mind, forcefully manifesting the Di Mo Seed on his forehead, maximizing its boost to his divine sense. As soon as the Di Mo Seed appeared, Lei Dong’s already considerable soul power increased slightly, finally allowing him to barely suppress them. With a complex hand seal, the two fierce ghosts, riding waves of chilling spectral energy, lunged directly at the Winged God person.

At this moment, the Di Mo Seed, emitting an eerie aura and resembling the most perfect jewel in the world, manifested in the center of Lei Dong's forehead. His entire being exuded a cold and sinister charm.

"A Demon Seed? And the most perfect Di Mo Seed?"

Even though the Winged God person was at the late Golden Core stage, he dared not ignore the two Golden Core fierce ghosts. He struck out with two rapid palms, attempting to force them back. However, the fierce ghosts were formless; as the palm strikes connected, they merely distorted slightly before surging forward again, claws extended, ready to tear. Their speed and durability were far beyond what Foundation Establishment level fierce ghosts could compare to.

Indeed, this fellow seemed to have some inexplicable connection to that mysterious demonic sect. Otherwise, even if he could recognize the Demon Seed, he certainly shouldn't have identified it as the Di Mo Seed immediately. But now was absolutely not the time to be distracted.

After suppressing the fierce ghosts' backlash, Lei Dong immediately summoned his Natal Ghost General and the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger. Once they both pounced, they formed a four-on-one scenario. Although the combat power of Lei Dong’s four subordinates was only equivalent to the early Golden Core stage, their sheer numbers provided formidable fighting prowess.

The moment the two sides clashed, Lei Dong's previously tense and uneasy heart relaxed considerably. It turned out that although the Winged God person exuded the imposing aura of a late Golden Core expert, under the siege of Lei Dong's four Golden Core level combatants, he clearly struggled, and the fight was barely a stalemate. Inferring from this, the fellow’s true fighting strength topped out at the mid-Golden Core stage. This realization made Lei Dong inwardly curse—it was all an act.

The Winged God person had a tale of woe. He had once been a renowned expert among the Winged God Clan, his strength comparable to Nascent Soul stage human cultivators. However, he had been imprisoned in the sealed altar by members of the Demon Emperor Sect. Not only was his body stripped away, forcing him to exist only as lingering energy, but his power had also been suppressed to around the early Golden Core stage, serving as mere training fodder for the unorthodox disciples of the Demon Emperor Sect year after year.

Then came a period of dormancy lasting fifty thousand years. Given his cultivation level, such a long stretch of time should have been a near-certain death sentence. Fortunately, the seal was incredibly potent, even repelling time itself. Thus, these fifty thousand years were merely an instant for him—a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. Perhaps his imposing aura had reverted to that of the late Golden Core stage due to the seal’s decay. Yet, the power within his body had not fully caught up; at best, he was only slightly stronger than an early Golden Core cultivator.

If that were all, as a powerful Winged God Clan member, he was confident in defeating four early Golden Core cultivators, even relying only on mid-Golden Core strength. The tragedy was that after being controlled by the Demon Emperor Sect's evil methods, his soul had been polluted and corrupted. Even the color of his crucial wings had turned black. Consequently, he could not deploy many of the clan’s potent magical arts. Furthermore, lacking a physical body, he could only fight as pure energy, let alone use equipment.

These various changes and circumstances resulted in his tragedy: being pinned down by four demonic, ghostly entities at the early Golden Core stage. What was most detestable was that Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, being the natural nemesis of all soul bodies. In his corporeal form, the Winged God person would not have feared it in the slightest. But now, existing as a soul-energy construct, he was completely suppressed by the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger; its oppressive aura caused him to tremble from the depths of his soul, as if encountering his natural predator.

"Nothing more than this." Lei Dong then summoned the two puppets, Gold and Silver. Although their individual strengths were ordinary, they were late Foundation Establishment artifacts and could contribute some combat power. The Gold and Silver Puppets were like the final straw that broke the camel's back. The Winged God person, who had been barely holding on, immediately began to buckle under the pressure. He tried repeatedly to break through and directly attack Lei Dong.

However, two of Lei Dong’s four Golden Core retainers were his natal ghost servants and beloved pets. Even if they weren't completely telepathically linked, they could obey an immediate command. Lei Dong began employing the traditional combat style of Ghost Control cultivators, circling around his four Golden Core subordinates. If the Winged God person wanted to attack Lei Dong, he first had to endure the relentless assault from the four Golden Core monsters.

Moreover, Lei Dong's own speed was not slow. At worst, when danger loomed, he could use the Asura Wings to teleport a dozen zhang. The already disadvantaged Winged God person was thus suppressed until he was spitting blood in sheer rage. After all, he had once been a legendary expert of the Winged God Clan, yet now he was forced into such a humiliating situation by a junior upstart.

The standoff lasted less than half an hour before the Winged God person finally could not endure. His true combat strength plummeted from the mid-Golden Core stage all the way down to the early Golden Core stage. At that point, he was no match for the four Golden Core entities. They were unlike the Winged God person; they received a continuous supply of Netherworld Ghost Qi replenishment from Lei Dong, growing stronger the longer they fought. Lei Dong himself could continuously restore his vital energy by consuming pills.

Under this vicious cycle, it was enough to wear the Winged God person down until he died. Just as Lei Dong was preparing to push harder and obliterate the Winged God person, the being began to defend with all his might, shouting, "Heir of the Di Mo Seed, I surrender! I surrender! I am willing to become your slave."

"Slave?" Lei Dong was momentarily stunned, but his heart was pounding with excitement. This was an extremely powerful fellow! If he could be subjugated as a slave, wouldn't that mean...? But immediately, Lei Dong's brow furrowed, and he coldly scoffed, "Slave? You say that nicely, but who knows if you might suddenly betray me?"

Hearing this, the Winged God person was dumbfounded and nearly fell out of the air: "Heir of the Di Mo Seed, you have a high probability of becoming the next Demon Emperor! How can you ask such a foolish question? Having been defeated by you in the trial grounds, of course, I choose to become your slave."