Was it coincidence? Or was this female Asura plotting against him? Lei Dong couldn't be entirely certain. Logically, only a few trusted people knew about this trip to the Nether Domain, so leaks were unlikely. Could it truly be such a stroke of luck? One of the objectives for this Nether Domain expedition was the Profound Nether Ice Silkworm, and now that an opportunity lay directly before him, Lei Dong certainly wasn't going to let it pass.

Under the female Asura's gaze, Lei Dong paused for a moment, not immediately agreeing, merely stating he needed a few days to consider it.

Hearing that there might be room for negotiation, the female Asura began to introduce herself. Her name was Bei Ye Na, and she immediately offered to provide Lei Dong and his companions with superior lodging, free of charge. Fortunately, although the building's exterior appeared gloomy and cold, this female Asura Bei Ye Na was not some kind of psycho. The rooms inside were quite clean and surprisingly warm. After the four secured separate rooms, Lei Dong sat cross-legged to meditate, taking a moment to regulate his breath. Meanwhile, the alien woman sat fearfully on a chair, daring not to speak for a long time.

Lei Dong slowly opened his eyes, unfolding his divine sense to cover the entire room. He fixed his gaze on the alien woman and began inquiring about the customs and local conditions of this Ghost City. The alien woman adopted the deference due to a powerful figure, answering respectfully. Although Ghost City had its rules, no one would step forward to defend a courtesan who dared to casually offend a strong individual and subsequently met her end. Respect for the powerful was a universal consensus in every corner of this world.

After listening for a while, Lei Dong gradually steered the conversation toward the major figures in the city, such as the Ghost King and the powerful Ghost Generals and subordinates under him. Upon hearing the mention of the Ghost King, the alien woman’s eyes lit up, and she began detailing the many virtues of the Ghost King. From her expression and demeanor, Lei Dong could judge that her reverence for the Ghost King was genuine and not feigned.

Subsequently, Lei Dong inquired about the proprietress of the inn, Bei Ye Na. The alien woman also praised her profusely, noting that Bei Ye Na enjoyed a good reputation in the city, especially for taking care of the sisters living at the bottom tier. It was precisely for this reason that she was willing to bring guests to this inn.

With this information secured, Lei Dong finally dismissed her, informing her that their transaction was concluded and she didn't need to return. He tossed her a top-grade spirit stone, urging her to cultivate diligently. Lei Dong’s gentle demeanor made the alien woman reluctant to leave; she tried every seductive means to please him. This caused Lei Dong’s brow to furrow, and he harshly chased her out.

Once she was gone, Lei Dong moved his divine sense, calling out, "Xiao You, come out."

A phantom figure drifted forth from the purple mansion between Lei Dong’s eyebrows, transforming into a charming, green-skirted young maiden with cascading hair, pale and rosy skin, bright eyes, and crimson lips. Her trembling eyelashes made her appear particularly delicate and lovely. Hovering mid-air before Lei Dong, she executed a perfect curtsy: "Young Master, what are your commands?"

"Xiao You, how has your cultivation been recently?" Lei Dong asked casually. When Lei Dong first saw Xiao You in this form over two years ago, he was greatly shocked. Accustomed to the fierce appearance of his ghost servants, he never imagined that the ghost servant refined through the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Blood Sacrifice would look like this—a perfect image of a pure, classical beauty.

Moreover, the moment Xiao You materialized, she was already at the Ghost General level. He had repeatedly fed her high-quality beast souls and living souls for absorption. After two years of strengthening, she had reached the peak of the Ghost General stage. If Lei Dong’s own cultivation hadn't been merely Nascent Soul Initial Stage, she might even have advanced to become a Ghost King. Most importantly, even at peak Ghost General cultivation, she never imposed an excessive burden on Lei Dong; at most, summoning her only consumed the soul power required to maintain a high-ranking Ghost General.

This meant that Lei Dong could now easily command a high-ranking Ghost General while simultaneously summoning Xiao You to fight. This added several measures of power compared to commanding two peak high-ranking Ghost Generals simultaneously. Despite her delicate appearance, her actual combat strength was quite terrifying. Lei Dong once pitted Xiao You against the two high-ranking Ghost Generals belonging to Wan Yan. Xiao You defeated them in just fifteen minutes.

It was worth noting that Wan Yan's two Ghost Generals were also refined through the extreme Spirit Ghost Blood Sacrifice, and aside from being taciturn, their intelligence was not inferior to that of most humans.

The Heavenly Spirit Ghost truly lived up to its name; Lei Dong felt deeply impressed.

Furthermore, there were several significant differences between Xiao You and the peak Spirit Ghosts. While peak Spirit Ghosts would not refuse or protest being placed in the Soul Nurturing Tower, Xiao You vehemently refused to enter. Instead, she chose to adhere to Lei Dong’s soul spirit, just as Yi Kong had before her, residing within his purple mansion. Secondly, Xiao You not only possessed several world-defying innate divine abilities but could also cultivate spells like a human.

This left Lei Dong utterly dumbfounded. Was the gap between a Heavenly Spirit Ghost and a peak Spirit Ghost truly this vast? Lei Dong didn't fully understand it. After all, Heavenly Spirit Ghosts were exceedingly rare existences. Even across the entire Kang Province, no one could be found who possessed a Heavenly Spirit Ghost as a servant. Rumor had it that throughout the entire Nether Domain, perhaps only one Heavenly Spirit Ghost appeared every thousand years, with a high probability of eventually becoming a Ghost Emperor.

Of course, Xiao You couldn't just cultivate any spell. She could easily learn and quickly master certain spells, such as some of Lei Dong’s Nether series spells. However, spells like the Five Elements spells were extremely difficult for her to grasp; she repeatedly failed to grasp the essential points of cultivation. Lei Dong secretly procured some sect spells for her to practice. Even more exaggeratedly, this young lady could also wield certain Nether attribute magical artifacts, compelling Lei Dong to spend a massive fortune acquiring several mid-grade Nether-related artifacts for her.

This greatly boosted Xiao You’s combat power, making defeating the combined strength of two high-ranking Ghost Generals suddenly quite effortless. Although he hadn't tested it thoroughly, Lei Dong estimated that she could handle four or five high-ranking Ghost Generals solo without much trouble.

After all, her few innate spells were truly potent. Combined with the Nether series spells from the Yin Sha Sect, their power was considerable, and with the artifacts prepared for her, her fighting style became fiercely aggressive.

It was precisely because of her ferocity that Lei Dong kept her temporarily concealed. Unless absolutely necessary, he would not let her participate in battle. Normally, the two peak Ghost Generals in combat were sufficient.

"Young Master, in peacetime, Xiao You can only quietly comprehend things, so the spells I have learned so far are only theoretically mastered and require a certain amount of practice to be fully controlled," Xiao You said, sounding slightly aggrieved. "With the Young Master's soul power, you cannot yet advance Xiao You to become a Ghost King. Therefore, please prepare several more types of spells for Xiao You to study."

Lei Dong felt a touch of awkwardness. Just those few spells were already risky enough. Although his status in the Yin Sha Sect was no longer low, he hadn't reached the point where he could ignore sect rules. He could only promise her that if he had the chance in the Nether Domain, he would find more spells for her to practice. As for increasing soul power, that was not something achievable overnight, so Lei Dong didn't dwell on it.

Instead, he discussed the news about the Profound Nether Ice Silkworm, mentioned by the female Asura Bei Ye Na, with Xiao You. "Young Master, since the Yin Sha Sect has some ties with the Ghost King, why don't you visit him under the guise of a junior? Perhaps you might gain something," Xiao You advised.

Lei Dong deeply agreed. Brute force would never solve every problem. Since the relationship with the Ghost King was available, wouldn't it be a waste not to utilize it?

The next day, Lei Dong led his wife Ding Wan Yan, Dong Fang Fu, and Qi Fei Fei to the City Lord's Mansion. They formally submitted their visiting cards. Moments later, two Ghost Generals escorted the group directly to the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion. While sipping some unique local Nether Domain beverages, they didn't wait long before a hearty, booming laugh echoed: "Who could it be? It turns out to be the young talents from the Yin Sha Sect. To think you graced me with your presence! Ghost has failed to welcome you properly, please forgive me, forgive me."

As he spoke, a tall figure appeared before them. Looking closely, they saw a Ghost King wearing a bronze mask and shrouded in a pitch-black cloak.

Unlike Ghost Generals or Ghost Kings controlled by humans since their Spirit Ghost stage, the Ghost Generals and Ghost Kings of the Nether Domain evolved slowly over vast stretches of time, possessing considerable intelligence. Especially those Ghost Kings that had lived long enough—they were all extremely cunning, their capabilities in every aspect not inferior to Nascent Soul stage cultivators among humans.

"Your junior, Lei Dong of the Myriad Ghost Cave in the Yin Sha Sect, presents my wife Ding Wan Yan, Martial Sister Dong Fang Fu, and friend Qi Fei Fei, to pay respects to Senior Ghost King," Lei Dong said with sincere respect, adopting the full posture of a junior greeting a senior, moving to kneel.

"Rise, rise. Nephew Lei is being too formal," the Ghost King laughed, using a gentle, unseen force of Yin energy to lift the four. Though his face was hidden, they could feel the warmth radiating from him. "My friendship with your Yin Sha Sect has always been deep. There is no need for excessive ceremony. Moreover, the fact that you worthy nephews took the trouble to pass through my humble city to visit this old bone, Ghost, already deeply gratifies me."

Lei Dong was no inexperienced fledgling. He naturally exchanged a few polite pleasantries with the Ghost King according to junior etiquette, then presented his ceremonial gifts. This led to the Ghost King, who was even more ceremonious than humans, pushing back a few times before accepting them. After everyone was seated and conversing, upon learning that Dong Fang Fu was a disciple of the Heavenly Demon, and that Ding Wan Yan’s master was the Yin Sha Demon Lord, the Ghost King inquired about the Heavenly Demon, then smiled at Ding Wan Yan: "So, Nephew Wan Yan is actually the disciple of the Old Demon Yin Sha. I haven't seen that old devil in a hundred years. I wonder if the old devil has already advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage?"

"Replying to Senior, my Master advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage over ten years ago."

"That old devil is faster than me," the Ghost King remarked, giving the impression of having a long and close history with the Yin Sha Demon Lord.