(Just a few days to let this little brother recover his state, everyone please vote and comment to encourage me, I read the reviews too!) ... “Good. This grudge is between us, and it has nothing to do with Young Master,” Lan Qisi said, echoing Lei Dong’s words with a sharp gaze. Simultaneously, she tossed out a small banner which instantly swelled in the wind. As the flag flapped, hundreds of ferocious Swift Shadow Insects surged forth, darting toward Tantai Bingyun with the speed of fleeting light.

Tantai Bingyun’s pupils constricted in shock. “Weren’t all your Swift Shadow Insects dead?” Her wings beat twice, propelling her away dozens of feet. However, trapped within this Spatial Sacred Artifact, even treasures refined from the Wings of the Light King could not fully exert their spatial capabilities. By this alone, escape from the onslaught of the insects was impossible.

Yet, Tantai Bingyun’s repertoire of tricks was inexhaustible. As she leaped with the swiftness of a gale, she summoned a melee puppet possessing the combat strength of an early Golden Core cultivator. The puppet barreled forward, blocking the hundred-plus Swift Shadow Insects with clanging impacts. For an ordinary early Golden Core cultivator, dealing with such a massive swarm would be arduous. But a puppet, despite its inherent flaws, was perfectly suited for such a situation: fearless, possessing extreme defense, and immune to being torn apart by bites. After all, a puppet’s body was not flesh and blood, making it immune to injuries from minor wounds.

“The Insect Control Arts inherited from the Demon Realm are not that simple,” the Saintess Lan Qisi formed another hand seal. As her long hair scattered in the wind, a ball of crimson light exploded, instantly splitting into over a hundred streams that, with uncanny agility, burrowed into the bodies of the Swift Shadow Insects. Absorbing the scarlet radiance, the insects shrieked violently, malevolent Qi swirling around them, their dark carapaces turning blood-red.

Every single Swift Shadow Insect became extraordinarily savage and brutal, as if injected with a powerful stimulant. They threw themselves recklessly at the puppet, struggling desperately with their sharp claws, sacrificing their lives to entangle the Golden Core puppet. For a time, the exceedingly powerful Golden Core puppet was severely suppressed beneath the swarm. Catalyzed by Lan Qisi’s spell, the Swift Shadow Insects surpassed their original might and madness by far.

This sudden transformation caused Lei Dong’s eyes to gleam in observation. Indeed, the Saintess of the ancient Guardian Clan was no ordinary figure. These berserk swarms, even his own Ghost Generals at the mid-stage would suffer losses against them. The Saintess's power was beyond his initial estimation.

What Lei Dong did not know was that while the heritage of the Guardian Clan’s Saintess was extraordinary, ordinary Saintesses were far inferior to this generation’s Lan Qisi. Otherwise, with an unbroken lineage of Saintesses, the Guardian Clan would not have withered and fractured over the generations. Rather, after Lan Qisi’s sudden rise, she unexpectedly gained the support of the Prophet Cukas and, through various means, unified the splintered barbarian tribes, making the overall strength of the Guardians now several times greater than before.

As for aptitude, Lan Qisi’s talent was unquestionably top-tier. In fact, the aptitudes of past Saintesses were never poor. Despite the Guardian Clan’s weakened state, they still numbered in the tens of millions thriving across the vast, boundless Great Desert. A Saintess selected from such a vast pool could not possibly have mediocre talent.

However, Tantai Bingyun was ultimately no weakling. As the most outstanding figure among the new generation of disciples of the esteemed Tianyin Palace, she received immense favor and cultivation, and her techniques were naturally exceptional. Especially since she specialized in the Azure Lotus Sword Chant—a set of cultivation methods considered among the most formidable in all known sorceries. The zither music drifted softly, and amidst the aura of slaughter, azure sword qi traversed the sky, aiding the puppet in annihilating the Swift Shadow Insects.

“Hmph~” Having just received acknowledgment from the Holy Master and wishing to display her abilities before Lei Dong, Lan Qisi could not help but snort upon witnessing Tantai Bingyun’s might. While simultaneously diverting her attention to control the Thunder Beast Hongluan and manage the two battlefronts—the insects and the puppet—she unleashed the most crucial and potent technique inherited by the Saintess lineage: Saintess Aegis.

Innumerable white rays of light, mixed with faint, swirling water vapor, cascaded across the battlefield. Wherever the transparent vapor touched a Swift Shadow Insect or the Thunder Beast, it healed their injuries at a visible rate. The white light, meanwhile, formed magical shields, significantly enhancing the defensive capabilities of her subordinates. Even Tantai Bingyun’s Azure Lotus Sword Qi could not pierce those light shields in a short time.

A full stick of incense passed, and the two women remained locked in fierce combat, virtually evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand. Tantai Bingyun’s offense was indeed formidable; even Lei Dong would need to reconsider before facing it head-on. But Saintess Lan Qisi’s defense was equally spectacular, opening Lei Dong’s eyes wide.

Although Lei Dong had inherited the Divine Temple, he was unaware of the finer details of the Saintess’s cultivation. He could not have predicted that in ancient times, Saintesses, serving as attendants, seldom needed to fight personally. Conversely, in a sense, they were required to serve a protective role. This is what led the Saintess inheritance to focus primarily on defense. As for the Thunder Beast and the Swift Shadow Insects, they were things Lan Qisi, the current Saintess, had acquired herself, having nothing to do with the core inheritance.

The battle raged on between the two women, resulting in a stalemate. Given Lan Qisi’s methods, this fight could continue for another three days and three nights without her losing. Of course, winning would not be easy either, as Tantai Bingyun’s attacks were like water—a continuous, surging tide.

Lei Dong’s expression barely changed. Knowing Tantai Bingyun’s prowess, he hadn't expected Lan Qisi to defeat her. Her intervention was merely a show of force. In truth, Tantai Bingyun understood clearly that even if she managed to subdue Lan Qisi, this obstacle would remain difficult. Not only was there the extremely troublesome Lei Dong, who might directly tear up their alliance and strike her, but even if he honored the pact, a mere hint from him to that terrifying ancient flying dragon would ensure Tantai Bingyun’s demise. That entity could crush even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator flat. Should it act, Tantai admitted she had no hope of survival.

“Big Brother, I never realized you yourself were a descendant of the Emperor-Demon Seed. You must look after your little brother from now on!” Lei Long finished wiping the spirit imprints from two spiritual artifacts and handed them to Lei Dong. His expression was now far more subservient and ingratiating than before. Although his current strength was immense, he was still an ancient remnant. He had some understanding of the power held by the Demon Emperor lineage.

“Between you and me as brothers, speaking of such things is too formal,” Lei Dong clapped Lei Long’s shoulder with an air of righteous indignation and deep brotherhood. “We are brothers; naturally, we should share hardships and enjoy prosperity together. If anyone dares to harm you in the slightest, this Lei will risk my life before letting them off easy.” Lei Dong possessed the advantage of knowing exactly what to say to whom.

As expected, the inexperienced Lei Long looked moved. He only considered how glorious it would be to receive such care from a descendant of the Emperor-Demon Seed, who held such a noble status in ancient times. Filled with excitement, he failed to realize that he was now a peak Soul Transformation expert, while Lei Dong, despite being an Emperor-Demon Seed descendant, was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage. If he truly encountered trouble, what good would Lei Dong’s willingness to risk his life do?

“Big Brother, since this woman is your enemy, this little brother will help you crush her.” Lei Long felt indebted and believed he should do something for Lei Dong.

Under such life-threatening pressure, Tantai Bingyun had been closely watching Lei Dong. She had known Lei Dong for over a year or two and understood that he was by no means soft-hearted, nor would he show a shred of mercy simply because she was beautiful. She knew that if she didn't act now, Lei Dong would only need a slight signal, and that Soul Transformation level ancient divine dragon would happily carry out the killing for him.

“Lei Dong, I, Tantai Bingyun, swear that I will never reveal your secret. If I violate this oath, may I be struck by heavenly lightning and die a horrible death.” Despite the critical juncture, Tantai Bingyun’s speech remained measured and calm. She had accurately analyzed that Lei Dong’s greatest fear was the exposure of his secret.

In this world, oaths were highly valued. Unfortunately, Lei Dong was a transmigrator from another world and only placed a fraction of his trust in such vows. He looked coldly at Tantai Bingyun and said in a deep voice, “Tantai, in this world, the only person I can completely trust is one person.”

Tantai Bingyun naturally knew whom Lei Dong referred to, and a silent sigh escaped her—it seemed today was unavoidable doom. She retreated a dozen feet, retracting Hongluan and the Golden Core puppet. Turning to Lan Qisi, she said, “Saintess Sister, since things cannot be reversed, Bingyun would rather die by your hand. I beg Sister to grant me a whole corpse, so my death is not so unsightly.”

“Young Master, if your only concern is keeping the secret from leaking, then your servant has a solution that satisfies both parties.” Lan Qisi had only ever met one woman in her life comparable to herself in strength as Tantai Bingyun, and she already felt a sense of mutual admiration, reluctant to strike. If not for Lei Dong’s subtle indication, she would never have killed Tantai Bingyun.

During their exchange, Lan Qisi grasped some of the underlying context. As the Saintess of the Guardian Clan and a professional attendant to the Demon Emperor, her perspective was different. At this moment, she was thinking from Lei Dong’s standpoint. Deliberately attempting to ease the rising tension, she couldn’t help but offer Lei Dong a charming smile: “Young Master is the successor of the Emperor-Demon Seed, certainly no ordinary figure. It is inevitable that you will command the world and traverse the cosmos in the future. Given your status, you cannot possibly handle everything yourself. And Bingyun is truly a rare, singular talent, a beauty whose aptitude and heart are rarely seen in a century. Rather than killing her and wasting a celestial gift, why not take her into your service?”

“Impossible!”

Lei Dong and Tantai Bingyun spoke the word almost simultaneously. ...