Lei Dong carried a tracking bead, so the Saintess could naturally know that he was nearby. Originally, she didn't much care if Lei Dong came out to help. However, she had ultimately underestimated these two Unicorne tribesmen, especially since the young master possessed one of the Unicorne lineage's ancestral magic artifacts, the Soul-Shattering Cone. This left her no room for complacency. Even fighting with all her might, she might only repel the two Unicorne tribesmen. But if she did, she would then have to face a more dangerous and perfectly intact Lei Dong. Compared to these two, she feared Lei Dong more.

“Saintess, do not be alarmed.” Lei Dong emerged into the fray, his eyes narrowed, hands clasped behind his back, accompanied by a wisp of ethereal black energy. Floating suspended in the air, his surrounding ghostly aura suddenly surged, rising skyward like rolling thick smoke. A Golden Core level fierce ghost from the Myriad Ghosts Banner let out a sharp, chilling shriek, launching itself at the Unicorne young master using the netherworld ghost energy.

The Unicorne young master’s expression turned extremely grim the moment Lei Dong appeared. He had never anticipated that Lei Dong would be lurking nearby. What made matters worse was that the Soul-Shattering Cone was currently absorbing his power, leaving him utterly immobilized. Seeing the Golden Core fierce ghost charging at him in the blink of an eye, ferociously reaching out, he could already feel the sinister, brutal aura emanating from it.

The Unicorne young master dared not hesitate any longer and immediately unleashed the Soul-Shattering Cone, which had only accumulated one-third of its potential power. The Soul-Shattering Cone blazed with dense black light, like an unparalleled deadly weapon, easily piercing through the Golden Core fierce ghost. The fierce ghost let out continuous, tearing shrieks of agony.

Its highly condensed form was almost scattered by that single strike.

Not only that, the weapon, transformed into a sharp black spike, did not cease its momentum and charged directly toward Lei Dong, tens of feet away. Sensing the piercing killing intent and pressure, Lei Dong’s expression grew solemn; he dared not show the slightest carelessness. The Asura Wings lifted high and then suddenly pressed downward. Forcibly tearing through space, in the next instant, he appeared precisely behind Ming Wuxie and the Thunder Beast.

This instant teleportation covered a distance of fully several dozen zhang. In this sort of space, such a distance even made Lei Dong feel a churning in his blood; his internal true qi instantly burned through more than half of his reserves. After all, this space was not the Greater World, but a sub-space opened up in the void by some great masters, reinforced by inexplicable formations, making it unusually solid.

Although the power of the Soul-Shattering Cone was extraordinary, Lei Dong could surmise that the Unicorne young master couldn't even unleash a tenth of its true might. To be able to barely activate it was already quite commendable, let alone perfectly control it. Even a low-grade artifact requires time to refine, familiarize oneself with, and establish a connection before it can be handled well.

As expected, although the Soul-Shattering Cone curved to pursue Lei Dong under the young master’s command, its trajectory was rigid and trembling, swaying precariously as it leaped through the air. After failing the initial strike, trying to accurately kill Lei Dong again was simply a pipe dream.

The Unicorne young master was so enraged he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. It was all Lei Dong’s fault for showing up; otherwise, once the Soul-Shattering Cone had absorbed his full power, its might would have been several times greater than it was now. His original plan was to eliminate both beasts and the human before him. What a pity. Moreover, that brat Lei Dong’s movement was so agile, capable of instantaneous movement. The Unicorne young master admitted he could no longer kill him. He gave up on the original plan and redirected his target toward the Thunder Beast.

The Thunder Beast possessed immense power, but due to its size, its movements were clumsy—the perfect target to waste the Soul-Shattering Cone on. The Soul-Shattering Cone proved its worth; its flying speed was extreme. In almost an instant, it slammed into the Thunder Beast’s chest. No one could intervene in time. The terrifying impact and tearing ability violently ripped a large hole in its chest.

The Thunder Beast roared once before crashing backward. The Saintess’s white figure appeared beside the Thunder Beast, her eyes showing a flicker of panic. She immediately parted her scarlet lips and spat out a crystal, dewy bead. That bead, emitting a faint, hazy radiance, spun above the Thunder Beast’s chest.

A marvelous thing occurred: the wound on the Thunder Beast began to slowly heal. The blood stopped flowing.

Although the Soul-Shattering Cone’s strike was ferociously powerful, it likely couldn't take the Thunder Beast’s life in one go. However, the Saintess’s healing method greatly surprised Lei Dong. The Saintesses appearing from ancient races truly possessed their unique methods; their treasures seemed endless.

Just as Lei Dong felt a stir of desire, his eyes flickering unpredictably, thinking he should deal with the Saintess first, a familiar sound transmission reached his ears: “Lei Dong, don’t act rashly. The Saintess has agreed to allow us to leave the Great Barren Desert. Without her help, it will be very difficult for us to leave.”

It was Tantai Bingyun.

Lei Dong was surprised how she could be inside this Divine Temple when Ming Wuxie, transformed into the Unicorne berserker, had already finished dispatching all the insects and was roaring as he lunged at the Saintess. A crisp, melodious zither note rang out. The music was ancient and clear, like trickling water, seemingly capable of washing away the killing intent in one's heart. Even the Unicorne berserker, filled with murderous intent, paused momentarily. But immediately following, a series of high-pitched notes erupted, transforming into sharp swords that assailed him.

“Lei Dong, could you trouble yourself to deal with the Unicorne young master,” Tantai Bingyun transmitted.

When did this woman get involved with the Saintess? Various thoughts flashed through Lei Dong’s mind. Regardless, the most critical task now was returning to Kang Prefecture. If that Saintess was truly willing to help, sacrificing some profit was inconsequential. However, Lei Dong refused to let go of that Soul-Shattering Cone.

Slipping into a ghost shadow, Lei Dong moved toward the Unicorne young master like a wisp of black mist, an elusive shadow.

Having had most of his power absorbed by the Soul-Shattering Cone, the Unicorne young master lacked even the strength to flee quickly. Seeing Lei Dong charging, he could only beg desperately, “Brother, if you spare me and kill that vile woman, you will be honored guests of our Unicorne clan. We will give you whatever you desire.”

“Oh?” Lei Dong smiled, his eyes narrowed, “Then give me your life.”

Immediately, the other Golden Core fierce ghost, coordinated with the Ghost General, lunged at him. No matter how desperately he begged or resisted, he was ultimately cleaved in two by the Ghost General’s blade. His escaping soul was tightly grasped in Lei Dong’s Netherworld Ghost Claw, squeaking wildly in terror.

Lei Dong’s divine sense moved slightly, and the Golden Core fierce ghost, which had been nearly annihilated by the Soul-Shattering Cone, drifted before him. Its form was now utterly wretched; it hardly resembled a Golden Core level fierce ghost anymore. Perhaps even a slightly stronger gale could blow it apart. Lei Dong sneered coldly at the Unicorne young master’s trapped soul, “Since you severely wounded it, you are responsible for it.” With that, Lei Dong tossed it out. The Golden Core fierce ghost immediately cheered and enveloped the soul, greedily devouring it.

On the Saintess’s side, the Thunder Beast was also quickly treated and healed. Joining Tantai Bingyun’s fray, the two women, both possessing considerable strength, could not withstand the ferocious and powerful Unicorne berserker transformed by Ming Wuxie, who was forced into a steady retreat. Finally, his head was severed by the flying swords formed by Tantai Bingyun’s Azure Lotus Sword Melody.

Lei Dong discreetly retrieved the Unicorne young master’s storage bracelet and the Soul-Shattering Cone; the latter, in particular, appeared to be an extraordinarily formidable treasure.

“Thank you, Brother Lei, and Sister Tantai, for your assistance.” Seeing the Thunder Beast was safe and would recover with some rest, the Saintess’s expression relaxed. She recalled it into her spirit beast pouch and politely bowed to the two of them.

“Sister Saintess is too kind,” Tantai Bingyun returned the bow. “With Sister Saintess’s strength, if you disregarded the consequences, dealing with these mere two Unicorne tribesmen would have been manageable.”

“So you two already knew each other,” Lei Dong said with a smile, his eyes narrowed. “In that case, the three of us can sweep through this Divine Temple.”

“Lei Dong, don’t misunderstand. I only recently met the Saintess,” Tantai Bingyun said softly. “At that time, you were being pursued by the White Bone Old Demon, and I worried something might happen to you, so I followed closely. I didn't expect you could handle the Old Demon by yourself. It was at that time I met the Saintess.”

Lei Dong smiled faintly and didn’t press the matter further. Instead, he soothingly transmitted to Tantai Bingyun: “You did the right thing. Returning to Kang Prefecture is our greatest objective. Having a local expert from the Great Barren Desert willing to help significantly increases our chances of success.” However, what he was truly thinking, Tantai Bingyun could not know.

“You are both the most famous young talents in Kang Prefecture,” the Saintess said courteously. “With extraordinary strength such as yours assisting, this Divine Temple should pose little difficulty.”

“Saintess, from what you said earlier, you seem quite familiar with the Divine Temple?” Lei Dong inquired casually, his gaze distant.

“Our clan does have some ancient records concerning the Divine Temple, but as the Guardians, our existence is purely to safeguard the Holy Lord. The various matters inside the temple are forbidden to be recorded in documents,” the Saintess frowned slightly. “I do know that more than fifty thousand years ago, every few decades, a group of our clan’s youths would be selected to undergo trials in the Divine Temple. Once they successfully passed, they would rise swiftly in status to become the personal guards serving the Holy Lord. However, at that time, although our clan was very powerful under the Holy Lord’s protection, our intelligence…” Without the Saintess needing to elaborate, Lei Dong understood that the so-called Holy Lord of that era practiced a policy of keeping the populace ignorant. After a brief discussion among the three, they began to breach the passage and enter. Lei Dong and the other two were already extraordinary in strength. Although the great age of the Divine Temple added many variables, they managed to pass through safely, thanks to the combined efforts of the three.