It might be due to this temple, abandoned for tens of thousands of years, harboring countless rare and exotic fruits that have matured over immense spans of time. As the group fought their way through, they managed to acquire quite a few precious fruits that even cultivators at the Golden Core stage would desperately vie for outside. Lei Dong’s storage bracelet was also overflowing with rare treasures. However, the most crucial item, the Soul Fruit, remained undiscovered.

Furthermore, they managed to break several Soul Slave Seals, but without exception, those seals were empty. Yi Kong pondered for a long time and, based on the available information, deduced that the Soul Slaves had vanished into the vast expanse of time. Back when the Demon Emperor Sect captured Soul Slaves, there were no restrictions on race. And Yi An’s Winged God Clan was one of the few long-lived races, possessing a lifespan of several thousand years even without cultivation.

Coupled with the fact that Soul Slaves, once freed from the constraints of the physical body, would have their lifespan greatly extended—though advancement became extremely difficult—and factoring in the sealing effect, this was just enough for Yi Kong to barely survive. Unfortunately, the other Soul Slaves hadn't been so fortunate.

As for the various demonic beasts roaming the area, they were merely descendants of earlier beasts. The batch from fifty thousand years ago was long dead. This realization, however, brought a slight sense of joy to Lei Dong. After all, as Yi Kong had stated, each person could only possess one Soul Slave. Even if there were countless Soul Slaves sealed away, they would only benefit Tantai or the Saintess.

With the three of them joining forces, even the countless demonic beasts at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage within the temple could not halt their progress.

Finally, after traversing a teleportation nexus that resembled a cluster of stars, the group arrived outside a majestic hall towering into the clouds. Ancient and profound, vast and imposing, it had stood in this alien space for untold years, yet it appeared untouched by the ravages of time, as pristine as a new temple. The moment Lei Dong laid eyes on the structure, an overwhelmingly powerful pressure washed over him. A feeling of reverence, trembling, and sheer terror welled up from the depths of his heart.

In the face of that complex and magnificent edifice, the form of a human was no more than a speck of dust beneath the heavens. Lei Dong was shaken to his core. Having lived two lives and seen much, especially in his previous existence where technology was advanced and many buildings were colossal, the difference between those structures and the temple before him was akin to comparing grand skyscrapers to a dilapidated shack.

Lei Dong could scarcely imagine the sheer power required to carve out this space and erect such a magnificent, miraculous scene. What was hardest for Lei Dong to accept was that this temple, emanating such boundless might, was merely a branch of the Demon Emperor Sect, designed to deceive the barbarian tribes.

Tantai Bingyun and the Saintess gazed at the temple, momentarily stunned. Tantai was more composed, but the Saintess, having originated from the Guardian Clan—whose very purpose was to protect this temple—was overwhelmed. The ancient traditions, the precepts passed down through generations, all revolved around this grand and long-lost temple. Perhaps before, having seen much of the world, the Saintess might have scoffed at the ancient legends, perhaps seeking only to exploit the powerful treasures within. But now, beneath the profound shock, the cultural inheritance ingrained since childhood ignited an intense fervor within her. She slowly sank to her knees: "The Seventy-Eighth Generation Saintess of the Guardian Clan pays respects to the Holy Lord."

Alas, this temple was long since a ruin; no one was there to answer her.

After calling out several times, she finally lost hope, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. According to the ancient rules, the Saintess existed solely to serve the Holy Lord. Every generation’s Saintess of the Guardian Clan was the most outstanding and the most loyal servant to the Holy Lord. But five millennia ago, during the great catastrophe, the Holy Lord vanished. Accompanying this disappearance was the decline of the Guardian Clan, until they could no longer even defend their territories, forced to retreat into the desolate and resource-scarce Great Desert to survive in hardship.

Yet, the ancient precepts and traditions had never been broken within the Guardian Clan. Generation after generation, the Saintesses passed down their mission, their purpose, and their destiny to the next. To restore the Guardian Clan, and further, to restore the Holy Clan. Tragically, through the years, every Saintess died in sorrow, unable to find the Holy Lord no matter how far they searched the world.

In truth, all the Guardians knew that the Holy Clan they served was extinct, yet they were powerless to change it. This lasted until the current Saintess, who displayed exceptional talent and grand strategy from a young age, managed to rally the scattered, tribal Guardian factions into a unified whole. Even she, however, could not entirely escape the destiny of the Guardian Saintess. For the Saintess’s inheritance contained not only teachings but also constraints.

The three flew toward the temple with reverent hearts. Just short of the entrance, they felt a heavy gravitational force yanking them downward with great intensity.

"It's the Anti-Flight Formation," Lei Dong exclaimed, not out of surprise that such a formation existed, but in shock that it could still operate flawlessly after running for so long.

Suddenly, a white light shone from the Saintess, and simultaneously, she formed hand seals, sending two beams of white light clinging to Lei Dong and Tantai, making them feel lighter and allowing them to hover in the air. Otherwise, being forcibly pulled down from several hundred feet high would have severely injured even a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Of course, this didn't account for Lei Dong and Tantai, who possessed means to temporarily resist the Anti-Flight Formation.

What intrigued them was the Saintess’s possession of a technique to counter the Anti-Flight Formation. Facing their curiosity, the Saintess offered no explanation, merely stating calmly, "According to the decaying records passed down through generations, there is a Soul Tree planted in the plaza outside the main gate. In the past, the most outstanding youths of our Guardian Clan, if they reached this point first and defeated the Soul Tree Guardian, would be awarded the current period’s Soul Fruit and receive the Holy Lord’s commendation, becoming a member of the Holy Lord’s personal guard. I believe both of you understand the function of the Soul Fruit. However, there is usually only one..." The meaning behind the Saintess's words was clear to Lei Dong and the other.

"Regardless, I must have that Soul Fruit," Lei Dong stated, his voice flat yet filled with resolution.

Tantai had initially intended to speak, but after glancing at Lei Dong, she conceded, "Since Brother Lei desires it, I will not contend. The haul this time has already been substantial." This was indeed true; they had harvested many ten-thousand-year spirit medicines along the way, including some matured for tens of thousands of years. Some of the most precious among these were definitely comparable in value to the Soul Fruit. It was no wonder that this place had seen no visitors for at least fifty thousand years. In previous trials, participants were lucky to acquire medicines a few hundred or a thousand years old. Thus, the Soul Fruit had seemed exceedingly precious, serving as the ultimate reward.

"Indeed, Brother Lei’s cultivation techniques place a great emphasis on the strength of the nascent soul; it is perfectly reasonable for you to require the Soul Fruit," the Saintess nodded slowly. "Since that is the case, the Soul Fruit shall go to you, Brother Lei. I mentioned it beforehand only to prevent discord among us later. However, there is one small complication: the guardian of the Soul Fruit is a variant Flying Dragon with the strength of an early Golden Core stage beast, possessing the bloodline of an ancient divine beast, making it exceptionally fierce."

"A mere early Golden Core species; no matter how powerful its bloodline, it's still only early Golden Core," Lei Dong dismissed the concern. "With the three of us, eliminating it should be quite straightforward."

"That’s true, if it were truly early Golden Core, it would be easy," the Saintess’s delicate brows arched slightly. "But I fear it might no longer be early Golden Core. This is because it is the sole demonic beast within the temple zone. The violent celestial lightning that triggers advancement to the Golden Core stage in the Trial Grounds does not occur within the temple area."

Lei Dong’s expression froze. "Are you suggesting it can advance without being repelled?" It was precisely due to the repulsion system against Golden Core beasts within the entire temple structure that everyone had only encountered Foundation Establishment level beasts. Otherwise, fifty thousand years would certainly have spawned powerful demonic beasts.

"Does that mean we don't know its current strength?" Tantai Bingyun’s face also grew grim. "Given tens of thousands of years, if it could advance..."

"Not necessarily, because it is a trial beast. Those participating in the trial were Guardians at the Foundation Establishment level. Therefore, that variant Flying Dragon has always had a restrictive seal placed within its body, preventing it from advancing. But after so long, no one knows what might have happened. Perhaps it has long perished, or perhaps it..." The Saintess sighed, "If it has truly advanced, then obtaining the Soul Fruit will be very difficult for us. The only good news is that the variant Flying Dragon is only programmed to defeat challengers, not kill them. This can be considered a grace bestowed by the Holy Lord upon the Guardian Clan long ago."

"No matter what, so many years have passed," Lei Dong gazed into the distance. "Anything is possible; we should test the waters first." Lei Dong activated his Myriad Ghost Banner, summoning an ordinary fierce ghost, and directed it to fly ahead as a scout.

After flying barely twenty or thirty li, they reached the plaza the Saintess had mentioned. Suddenly, a strand of Lei Dong’s divine sense, attached to the fierce ghost, registered a tyrannical and insurmountable pressure, but immediately afterward, that strand of divine sense vanished completely. Lei Dong’s main consciousness snapped back to his body, his expression turning grim. "It is stronger than White Bone Demon Lord, much stronger, unfathomably so."

The Saintess and Tantai exchanged uneasy glances. Stronger than White Bone Demon Lord—would that not mean at least the mid-stage Nascent Soul strength?

However, before the three could react, they were struck dumb. Before their eyes, tens of li away, a giant Flying Dragon of terrifying proportions slowly unfurled its wings and ascended, stretching at least ten li from head to tail.