This was an utterly ordinary day. As usual, Ding Wanyan concluded her cultivation of the Yin Sha Great Art in that chillingly desolate place, achieving a minor improvement. Then, employing the Yin Sha Evasion Technique, she flew toward the nearest Yin Soul aggregation point, barely a thousand li away. Utilizing the Yin Sha Great Art, she drove and gathered the Yin Souls, subsequently taking them one by one into the Soul Nurturing Pagoda for individual appraisal. She was exceptionally diligent, not forgetting to continuously practice the various wondrous applications of the Yin Sha Great Art, striving to master the control of the Yin Sha Qi through the minutest details, even under these circumstances. Simultaneously, roars of tigers echoed. The female Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, cultivated meticulously by Ding Wanyan and having also advanced to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, bounded about excitedly, terrifying the scattered stray ghosts—both the low-ranking Zuzhu and the guards. Occasionally, a Ghost General, catching the Shadow Tiger’s scent from afar, would flee for its life. Over these years, Ding Wanyan had earned herself the moniker 'Blood Asura,' and quite a few Golden Core cultivators had perished by her hand. Golden Core level living souls, and all similar entities, were merely easy sustenance for this female Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger.

The Shadow Tiger possessed a noble bloodline and high intelligence; even when amusing itself, it never forgot to help its master drive batches of Yin Souls toward her.

This had been Ding Wanyan's daily ritual for the past few months. It wasn't that she genuinely hoped to capture a top-tier Spirit Ghost; rather, because Lei Dong specialized in the Ghost Controlling Art, this process of capturing and appraising Yin Souls constantly brought back memories of all the moments spent growing up, cultivating together, and passing time with Lei Dong.

She was acutely aware that even capturing a high-grade Spirit Ghost within half a year or so would be an exceptional stroke of luck. In reality, over these past few months, she had only managed to seize six mid-grade Spirit Ghosts and a couple of hundred ordinary Spirit Ghosts. They were of little use, destined only to be given to junior martial brothers and sisters just starting out, so they could sell them for spirit stones or use them personally.

Consequently, she didn't pay much attention to the fact that the appraisals consistently yielded only low-grade ghosts. Even in this so-called Yin Sha Ghost Domain, a place rumored to have a higher probability of yielding high-quality Spirit Ghosts, Ding Wanyan held no real expectations.

Yet, sometimes, fortune works in the strangest ways. When one stops deliberately seeking it, when one stops longing for it, luck often descends unexpectedly.

As always, Ding Wanyan appraised the Yin Souls while reminiscing about some amusing memories with Lei Dong. Even though they were all low-grade ghosts, her patience never waned.

Suddenly, within the Soul Nurturing Pagoda, a flash of golden light momentarily blinded her eyes. That unremarkable Yin Soul, which appeared utterly ordinary, now shone with a pure and dazzling golden radiance under the Pagoda’s appraisal technique. Tiny specks of pure white spiritual light continuously circled around it, setting it off as noble and mysterious.

Initially, Ding Wanyan suspected she was hallucinating. After steadying herself and performing another appraisal, the golden light remained just as brilliant and dazzling, the entire entity seemingly flawless, shining beautifully.

"Is this a high-grade Spirit Ghost?" was Ding Wanyan’s first thought, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Even a high-grade Spirit Ghost could not be entirely enveloped in a flawless golden glow. Having reached this conclusion, even for someone of Ding Wanyan’s cultivation and strength, her heart began to pound violently—a top-tier Spirit Ghost.

A look of joy and anticipation broke across Ding Wanyan's usually frostily cold, beautiful face, as if she were imagining how happy Lei Dong would be upon receiving this gift. Across the entirety of Kangzhou, the known number of top-tier Spirit Ghosts was only five. And the Yin Sha Sect originally claimed three of those. Ding Wanyan’s own master, the Old Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts, possessed one top-tier Spirit Ghost.

The remaining two top-tier Spirit Ghosts were held by two Nascent Soul stage Grand Elders, rumored to have both originated from this very Yin Sha Ghost Domain.

From beginning to end, Ding Wanyan never considered keeping this top-tier Spirit Ghost for herself; her mind was completely filled with thoughts of Lei Dong’s various reactions upon acquiring it. The Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger seemed to sense its master’s joy, trotting over to nuzzle against her, demanding affection. Even though this tiger was female, its size now exceeded four zhang, weighing several thousand jin, yet it remained as intimately affectionate with Ding Wanyan as it had been in its cub days.

However, Ding Wanyan was unaware that Lei Dong had already returned and had significantly increased the number of top-tier Spirit Ghosts in Kangzhou.

“Something doesn't seem right.” Ding Wanyan frowned. She recalled the jade slip data regarding Spirit Ghosts; the illustration for a top-tier Spirit Ghost didn't seem to show swirling white spiritual light. To avoid celebrating prematurely, Ding Wanyan retrieved another jade slip, sinking her divine sense into it, and meticulously reviewed the details on top-tier Spirit Ghosts. The more she read, the more discrepancies she found; the image in the jade slip seemed considerably inferior to the one she held. First, although both were covered in golden light, hers far surpassed the description. Second, there was the circling, swirling white fluorescence. After repeated checks, the standard description of a top-tier Spirit Ghost indeed lacked this enveloping spiritual glow.

Could it be…

Ding Wanyan dared not trust the fleeting thought that crossed her mind, and hastily flipped to the section on Celestial Spirit Ghosts, which she had previously never paid much attention to. But perhaps Celestial Spirit Ghosts were too rare—none had appeared in Kangzhou for a thousand years—because the description in this document was exceptionally vague and brief. It merely stated that a Celestial Spirit Ghost was a favored child of Heaven, possessing not only immense potential but also an intelligence comparable to the cleverest human. The document simply noted that upon appraisal, the golden light of a Celestial Spirit Ghost surpassed even that of a top-tier Spirit Ghost, further accentuated by enveloping, shimmering light that denoted supreme nobility.

What followed were long passages detailing the legends surrounding Celestial Spirit Ghosts. Almost every owner of a Celestial Spirit Ghost eventually became an awe-inspiring figure renowned throughout the land.

Just reading the appraisal description for a Celestial Spirit Ghost stunned Ding Wanyan into immobility. She could hardly believe that her luck was so incredible that she had directly captured a Celestial Spirit Ghost, something only spoken of in legends. Even for a cultivator of her standing, her body trembled slightly from excitement. The fierce resentment accumulated from years of slaughter was partially washed away by this surge of joy.

Ding Wanyan was delighted, not purely because she was lucky enough to capture a Celestial Spirit Ghost. Merely imagining Lei Dong’s reaction upon seeing the Celestial Spirit Ghost made her unable to stop smiling—a truly happy smile. If anyone familiar with the Blood Asura’s reputation saw this pure, girlish smile, they would surely drop their jaws in shock.

“Wanyan, what has you smiling so happily?”

A male voice, rich with magnetic charm and gentleness, sounded out. Simultaneously, Li Yao, dressed in the attire of a wealthy young master, appeared silently about ten zhang away from Ding Wanyan, fanning himself with a folding fan, a perpetual smile fixed on his face, radiating elegant composure.

The smile on Ding Wanyan’s face instantly froze. All the joy from accidentally capturing the Celestial Spirit Ghost shattered and vanished without a trace, replaced instead by a profound sense of gloom. This fellow truly was like a persistent shadow. To avoid his ceaseless harassment, Ding Wanyan had told no one about entering the Yin Sha Ghost Domain to cultivate, hoping that after several years here, he might have returned to Qianzhou. At the very least, Ding Wanyan knew he had pressing business elsewhere and couldn't remain in Kangzhou indefinitely.

Perhaps, in the eyes of some young maidens, Li Yao was a prince charming: young, handsome, well-mannered, exceptionally powerful, supremely talented, and hailing from a dominant sect in Qianzhou.

But Ding Wanyan detested him intensely. This aversion wasn't entirely baseless. Initially, when facing his pursuit, out of politeness and propriety, Ding Wanyan had gently refused him, clearly informing him that she was already married. Normally, this would be enough for anyone with sense to retreat gracefully, saving face and dignity.

Who knew that this fellow would continue his relentless, maggot-like clinging? This caused Ding Wanyan’s dislike to fester, making her suspect that beneath his outwardly cultivated appearance lay a sinister heart. Despite her efforts to hide and evade, she had still been found.

This discovery confirmed Ding Wanyan's suspicion: this man must have placed some secret tracking mark on her. Otherwise, how could he know her location when even her own master was unaware she had come here?

The thought put Ding Wanyan on high alert, and she began covertly planning how to handle the current situation. With her intelligence and current understanding, she quickly deduced his possible intentions. Since he dared to track her down here, he must have relied on something, especially in this desolate region. It was likely he intended to drop all pretense, relying on his Nascent Soul cultivation to forcefully impose his will.

A direct confrontation was out of the question. Although Ding Wanyan was confident she could defeat an ordinary late-stage Golden Core cultivator, she wasn't arrogant enough to fight a Nascent Soul stage expert head-on. However, Ding Wanyan was not without means of self-preservation. If she could find an opportunity to reach the Ghost King's Palace within the Yin Sha Ghost Domain, she might have a slim chance of survival. At the very least, the Yin Sha Ghost King maintained some connection with the Yin Sha Sect, and their relationship was harmonious.

“Heh heh, Wanyan is thinking of running to the Ghost King's Palace?” Li Yao was no fool; seeing Ding Wanyan’s guarded expression and fleeting glance, he guessed her intentions. He narrowed his eyes, chuckled while shaking his fan, “I advise Wanyan not to waste her effort. Just come back to Qianzhou obediently with me. I, Li Yao, guarantee you will receive the best treatment; advancing to Nascent Soul will be no issue. What's the point of staying with this dead-end Yin Sha Sect and clinging to that Lei Dong who’s long gone?”

Ding Wanyan’s almond eyes narrowed slightly, the surrounding Yin Sha Qi slowly flowing, and her voice turned icy cold, “What if I refuse?”

“Then, don't blame Li for using force.” Li Yao finally dropped his facade, revealing a fierce expression on his face.

…… (^.^, December is here, and starting this month, we’ll aim for three updates every two days. Today, as the first day, I will certainly set an example with two updates. Your humble servant woke up at 7:30 AM, wrote until 9:50 AM, and finished the first chapter. Everyone, please help by casting your recommendation votes. I hope this month we can break into the top fifty on the charts! Thank you all~) IO

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