... Upon successfully acquiring the ten catties of Ice Silkworm Silk during the spoils division, Lei Dong and his party returned to Ghostly Heaven City.

With a host of local informants helping to scout for news regarding the Nascent Soul-level Netherworld Demon Dragon and the Netherworld Ghost Flame, there was no need for Lei Dong and the others to venture out personally. Their days were spent either meditating and cultivating in the inn or wandering through Ghostly Heaven City. This wandering, however, was far from a waste of time; it was a continuous process of deepening Lei Dong’s understanding of how to survive in the Netherworld.

Ghostly Heaven City was vast and possessed considerable strength. The permanent residents numbered no less than a million, belonging to various distinct races.

Long-term residents were provided accommodation by Ghostly Heaven City, with annual rents ranging from a minimum of ten Low-grade Spirit Stones to a maximum of ten High-grade Spirit Stones. This single source of income alone allowed the Ghostly Heaven King to amass tens of millions of Spirit Stones annually, not to mention various other taxes. The total yearly revenue for Ghostly Heaven City undoubtedly exceeded one hundred million. Of course, this figure needed to be offset by various expenditures: city repairs, maintenance of the guards and army, and the commission and tribute supplied to the Ghost Emperor.

Although precise figures were unavailable, it was estimated that the Ghostly Heaven King’s annual surplus hovered around twenty to thirty million Spirit Stones. Such a fixed and colossal income was enough to make anyone green with envy. However, in reality, no city could achieve such revenue without long-term management and maintenance. Sometimes, they even ran at a deficit, struggling to make ends meet. In the worst cases, they could be overrun and absorbed by others. Therefore, establishing such an enterprise within the Netherworld was no simple feat. Tu Lei had mentioned that the Ghostly Heaven King had reportedly extinguished three other Ghost Kings in recent years.

Furthermore, this relatively leisurely period allowed Lei Dong to gradually cultivate his own hidden network of allies and contacts. It also gave him a rough understanding of the Netherworld’s specialized and scarce products. As for Lei Dong’s Yin Sha Sect, they happened to possess a passage leading into the Netherworld—a passage that Lei Dong believed would become a crucial strategic piece in his future maneuvers.

Almost simultaneously, during this lull in Lei Dong’s activities...

On the shores of the East Sea in Kang Province.

A magnificent flying vessel, wreathed in white mist and possessing an aura of commanding artistry, abruptly pierced through a distortion in space. A monumental and overwhelmingly powerful divine sense swept outward in all directions without restraint. Several low-level sea demon beasts, unable to evade in time, simply succumbed to the terrifying pressure of the divine sense and exploded into gore.

Standing proudly on the vessel, hands clasped behind his back, was a Taoist in white robes, appearing to be in his late forties or early fifties, with a face as fair as jade and a long, three-strand black beard. His eyes were as deep as a ten-thousand-foot icy pool.

That incredibly potent divine sense originated from this robed cultivator. Behind him, arrayed in stepped formation, stood seven male and female cultivators. None appeared particularly old; the men were handsome and refined, the women ethereal and graceful. Each seemed like a dragon among men or a phoenix among women, radiating youthful vigor.

“Senior Brother, have we arrived at Kang Province?” a voice, sweet and slightly delicate, inquired from a woman who looked barely twenty, clad in magnificent, brightly colored feathered robes. Her delicate features suggested a hint of fragility, yet one should not underestimate her; this woman had cultivated for over three hundred years and had already reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Even in the vast and talent-rich Great Qian Continent, she was considered a prodigy of the third generation.

“Judging by the nearby island topography, we have left the Yaksha clan’s sphere of influence and reached the East Sea of Kang Province. Otherwise, those low-level cultivators wouldn't dare appear in these waters. However, to ensure we haven't mistransmitted our direction, it’s best to seize someone for questioning,” the middle-aged cultivator remarked, his brow shifting slightly. About three hundred miles away, a Golden Core cultivator was leading over a dozen low-level disciples in hunting sea beasts.

After speaking, the middle-aged cultivator, referred to as Senior Brother, made a slight gesture and recited, “Hasten as the law commands! Celestial soldiers and generals, heed my call, emerge quickly!” As he spoke, he tossed out a jade talisman.

As the jade talisman shattered, a surge of majestic golden power first exploded and then coalesced, subtly twisting and transforming until it formed the shape of a general clad entirely in glittering gold armor, radiating an imposing and powerful aura. He stood several dozen feet tall, and his voice boomed like cracking thunder: “I am Heavenly General Meng Chao. For what purpose does the Venerable one summon me?” Just this voice alone forced everyone except the middle-aged cultivator to involuntarily stagger back a few steps, their faces etched with alarm.

The middle-aged cultivator, however, remained utterly composed, his lips moving slightly a few times.

The Heavenly General Meng Chao then offered a slight bow. “Your subordinate receives the command.” With that, he transformed into a streak of blinding golden light and shot away, tearing through the void.

Once the Heavenly General departed, the mid-stage Nascent Soul woman finally relaxed her expression slightly, offering a subtly flattering remark: “Senior Brother, it seems your Supreme Soldier Arts have improved greatly. The Heavenly General projection you summoned this time might be capable of exerting the power of the late Nascent Soul stage, perhaps?”

“A mere trivial skill, unworthy of mention. For those of our kind, achieving the Divine Transformation realm through the Celestial Dao is the true goal,” the middle-aged cultivator stated, seemingly offering a mild reprimand, yet his eyes betrayed no attempt to hide a certain smug satisfaction. Clearly, he took immense pride in the progress he had made cultivating the Supreme Soldier Arts.

His junior brothers and sisters, having been acquainted with him for a long time, knew his temperament well. They immediately launched into a chorus of effusive praise, saying how Senior Brother was already in the late Nascent Soul stage, and that tempering the nascent soul for the Divine Transformation was just around the corner. Once achieved, they gushed, he could go anywhere under heaven and earth. Such words caused the middle-aged cultivator, who possessed an air of refined Taoist bearing, to flush slightly with pleasure, as if achieving the Divine Transformation realm was already within his grasp.

However, despite their flattering words, none of his junior disciples could deny the truth: although their Senior Brother was currently in the late Nascent Soul stage, tempering his nascent soul for Divine Transformation remained a distant, faint hope. Especially after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, every tiny step forward was fraught with hardship and often required a measure of luck. The Divine Transformation stage represented the pinnacle existence in this world. Countless genius cultivators had struggled their way to the Nascent Soul realm, even reaching the late stage, only to remain eternally trapped by some bottleneck, eventually dying in frustrated gloom as their lifespans waned. Among these were many geniuses hailed as once-in-a-century or once-in-a-millennium talents.

This demonstrated that achieving the Divine Transformation realm was far from easy; it demanded not only innate talent but also fortune.

Amidst the compliments and flattery, it wasn't long before the streak of golden light returned, currently holding captive a Golden Core cultivator dressed in black tight-fitting attire. Dark demonic energy billowed around him, marking him immediately as someone not of the righteous path. It was his bad luck that he belonged to an ordinary demonic sect; desperate for Spirit Stones, he had brought his disciples to the East Sea during the fish migration season to try their luck and earn a little wealth. He never expected to be seized from the sky by that powerful golden warrior. Having lived for two hundred years, he had never encountered a cultivator of this race before.

“Subordinate’s mission complete. I await the Venerable One’s instruction.” “So, a mere demonic brat,” the middle-aged cultivator sneered slightly, extending a hand and seizing the Golden Core cultivator, who was on the verge of fainting from terror, suspended in mid-air. Under the man’s frantic pleas, the cultivator skipped the interrogation entirely and simply reached out, pressing his hand above the man’s head from a distance.

Intense agony immediately contorted the Golden Core cultivator’s face, twisting it into agonizing grimaces.

This technique was clearly reminiscent of the Soul Searching Great Method used by demonic sects.

After a short while, the middle-aged cultivator tossed aside the now-dead Golden Core cultivator—who had died from the pain—as if discarding a loathed, dead fish, his expression cold. “It seems my judgment was correct; this is indeed the East Sea within Kang Province territory. Hmph, this trip was truly troublesome. The Yaksha clan—humph, this Venerable One will remember you.”

“Senior Brother, if the Yaksha clan is so detestable and shows no respect to us human cultivators, why don't the righteous cultivators of the Great Qian Continent organize to wipe out that hideous, antiquated race?” a young cultivator inquired, his face showing clear indignation. Clearly, he had suffered considerable hardship and humiliation at the hands of the Yaksha clan on their journey here.

“Hmph, do you think the Yaksha clan is a minor race?” The middle-aged cultivator’s face hardened. “There are many matters you have little insight into and do not comprehend. The Yaksha clans in these waters, while insignificant, could certainly all be wiped out by our Supreme Sect. But in truth, across the Three Realms and Six Domains, there are many powerful Yaksha experts and major clans. Moreover, the Yaksha clan is a remarkably unified and vengeful race. Their retaliation, should it come, would be hard even for my Supreme Sect to withstand. Since humans have no need for the sea, let us concede it to them.” “Senior Brother, do we have any news of Seventh Junior Brother?” “None. I doubt that despicable demonic brat would have any information regarding Li Yao. Never mind. Since Kang Province is a small place, we can inquire at the major sects; we will surely find clues.” The middle-aged cultivator’s expression soured at the thought. Though the Nine Sons of the Soaring Heavens were not perfectly harmonious internally, they presented a united front externally. With Li Yao now dead, he, as the Senior Brother, naturally felt a loss of face.

Waving away the Golden Light Heavenly General, he steered the strangely shaped flying vessel directly toward the coast.

That very day, just as Lei Dong concluded his meditation and cultivation, the Ghost General Tu Lei strode in, laughing cheerfully while both delivering good news and reporting: “Brother Lei, good news! Excellent news!” He then transmitted telepathically: “The Ghost King, through an acquaintance, has located a derelict Nascent Soul Demon Dragon for you.” Lei Dong immediately stood up, a clear hint of joy on his face, and cupped his hands toward Tu Lei: “Brother Tu, I appreciate your trouble in this matter.” “What trouble have I had?” Tu Lei tossed over a token, crudely fashioned from some unknown material, bearing a ferocious design: “Take this. The Ghost King asked me to bring this to you.”

The touch was icy cold, and Lei Dong asked strangely, “What is this thing?”