A surge of excitement swelled in Lei Dong's heart. From his early days as a trembling novice, easily bullied, he had now gradually approached the upper echelons of this world’s hierarchy, though he still couldn't claim to dominate the scene. Only Lei Dong himself knew the hardships endured on this step-by-step ascent. Even Ding Wanyan, the one closest to him, was unaware of how desperately Lei Dong pushed himself during cultivation, just to accelerate his progress by even a fraction.

Of course, for someone of the Netherworld Ghost Emperor’s stature, Lei Dong's insistence on refusing favors was seen as respect. How could he truly not owe Lei Dong a massive favor? This brief exchange had secured Lei Dong a debt of gratitude from the Netherworld Ghost Emperor that a mere one or two casual interventions could never repay—a truly substantial favor. While the Hidden Dragon Pendant was precious, an ancient marvel, it ultimately paled in value compared to this significant debt owed by the Ghost Emperor. Moreover, the Ghost Emperor would eventually return it to Xiao You after use. What real difference was there between returning it to Xiao You and returning it to Lei Dong? Under these circumstances, Lei Dong refusing would have been the height of foolishness.

The Netherworld Ghost Emperor was now even more pleased with Lei Dong's conduct. He nodded. "Originally, I intended to invite you to the Netherworld Palace for an extended stay, but as you know, the Netherworld Domain is experiencing a tumultuous time. I shall not detain you further. Lei Dong, take this Netherworld Token and keep it safe. If you encounter any insurmountable difficulties, you may activate the token, and I will personally come to your aid."

For the venerable Ghost Emperor to say such a thing was indeed a high estimation of Lei Dong. Clearly, Lei Dong’s offering of a favor had been executed so brilliantly that it left the Ghost Emperor feeling somewhat indebted. When one considered that he had given away Xiao You so readily, given the Hidden Dragon Pendant without hesitation, and even indirectly saved the Ghost Emperor’s life, it was understandable. With the Ghost Emperor’s current state of mind, cultivation, and status, how could he be lesser than Lei Dong, merely a Golden Core cultivator among humans?

Lei Dong accepted the token, maintaining his outward sincerity and reverence. "Thank you, Senior, for this generous gift. Your juniors have been away from home for quite some time and are starting to miss it. Though it may seem presumptuous, if you have any tasks for us, Senior, just send word, and this junior will gladly go through fire and water without hesitation."

The Netherworld Ghost Emperor did not dismiss Lei Dong’s promise. Instead, he turned to Xiao You. "Xiao You, you will stay with me for a while to learn. You also need to start practicing commanding the armies. As for lifting the Blood Sacrifice Vow, it is rather complicated and not an immediate concern. Once matters settle down, I will naturally handle it for you."

"Yes, Father," Xiao You replied obediently, though she felt reluctant to part with Lei Dong. Having been with Lei Dong for so long, Xiao You naturally knew he was not someone who would settle for a mundane existence. Nor was she content to remain merely her master’s pet or beloved slave. The gentle words from Sister Wanyan not long ago had solidified her resolve to achieve something significant to bring greater help to her master. However, deep in Xiao You’s heart, even if she eventually became the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld Domain, even if she unified the entire realm, she would forever remain the most cherished little ghost slave in Lei Dong’s heart.

Following this, the Netherworld Ghost Emperor presented another teleportation token. This was exclusive to the Ghost Emperor, allowing instantaneous travel to any critical junction on any level of the Netherworld Ghost Domain.

Controlling the teleportation array was, naturally, one of the keys to the Netherworld Ghost Emperor’s rule over the domain. Imagine: the Ghost Emperor had managed the domain for thousands of years, commanded legions of elite troops, and could appear anywhere instantly across its layers, enabling rapid suppression of any rebellion.

Those nine teleportation arrays astonished Lei Dong. He had certainly heard of such long-distance teleportation arrays; historically, in ancient times, they were quite numerous. However, due to warfare and the passage of time, the ancient and even archaic arrays had largely fallen into disuse. The materials required to construct them were long depleted, making the assembly of a functional bidirectional array as rare as finding the stars on the ground. The fact that the Netherworld Ghost Emperor possessed nine demonstrated the sheer opulence of his wealth.

Under the personal escort of the Netherworld Ghost Emperor, they arrived at the first array, situated in an extremely secluded spot within the Nine Hells. After some time spent bidding farewell to Xiao You—even the peak Ghost General Ah Chou managed a rare, heartfelt "Take care"—Lei Dong and his company proceeded.

Then, Lei Dong and his group traversed the teleportation networks, quickly arriving at a secluded Netherworld location outside the Yinsha Sect in Kangzhou. Their expedition into the Netherworld Domain was thus concluded.

Lei Dong briefly bid farewell to Wanyan and the other women, instructing them to return to the sect for proper recuperation and to quietly contemplate their recent experiences. The Netherworld journey had been full of twists, turns, and peril. Such an adventure would certainly yield deep insights for everyone involved, and capitalizing on that momentum, even without breakthroughs in cultivation realms, could significantly enhance their mental fortitude.

Lei Dong, however, sat cross-legged upon his Ghost Banner, enveloped by swirling black mist, soaring into the clouds toward the East Sea. The three items he sought on this journey were now secured. Recalling the formidable power of the Supreme Myriad Ghost Banner, Lei Dong could barely contain his excitement. According to his projections, with the Supreme Myriad Ghost Banner in hand and after upgrading Ah Chou to an Initial Ghost King, while he might not be guaranteed victory against an Initial Nascent Soul cultivator, he would no longer be utterly defenseless.

Such a crucial advancement was an earth-shattering matter for Lei Dong. He had initially expected to reach this level only after twenty more years. Unexpectedly, a trip to the Netherworld Domain had brought this momentous step within reach in such a short span.

As for Lei Dong’s Ghost Banner, it was one of the signature magical artifacts of the Yinsha Sect, its refining method a closely guarded secret, impossible for outsiders to duplicate. Remarkably, the Ghost Banner possessed the ability to continuously upgrade simply by devouring enough Yin Souls and Ghost Essence. Under normal circumstances, Lei Dong had never "neglected" the Banner. Now, after consuming countless Yin Souls, its quality already surpassed that of an average Mid-grade Flying Artifact, steadily moving toward the High-grade level.

Naturally, the higher the tier, the slower the Banner’s self-evolution became. Even the most ruthless cultivators within the Yinsha Sect generally managed to upgrade their Banner only to the High-grade Artifact level. Since the sect’s founding, few had succeeded in advancing it to the Supreme-grade.

The reason was simple: although the Ghost Banner held the potential to reach Supreme-grade, the quantity and quality of Yin Souls and Ghost Essence required to ascend from High-grade to Supreme-grade reached astronomical figures. Even Lei Dong found the prospect of a Supreme-grade Ghost Banner somewhat remote and ethereal.

Yet, even at its current near-High-grade state, the Banner’s speed was far from slow. Occasionally emerging from the clouds, its malevolent aura billowed out, making it resemble a black meteor trailing a long plume of flame as it glided forward. At its fastest, it covered nearly five thousand li in one hour, faster than the vast majority of flying boats. Lei Dong himself could achieve greater burst speeds over short distances, but for sustained flight, he was far inferior to the Ghost Banner. Even Lei Dong, who valued flight speed highly, remained quite satisfied with this artifact.

If it truly could advance to High-grade, the Ghost Banner’s speed would steadily surpass six thousand li.

Summoning Ah Chou, commanding it to devour some stored monster flesh and beast souls, Lei Dong began to contemplate whether to advance the Ghost Banner immediately. However, this was not an urgent matter. After feeding Ah Chou and ordering it to temporarily enter the Soul Nurturing Tower for cultivation, Lei Dong sat back down on the Ghost Banner and began tending to his wounds.

Everyone had suffered significant injuries during the earth-shattering battle with the Heavenly Ghost Emperor days prior, and there had been no time to heal while traversing the teleportation arrays. Even at the Ghost Banner's current velocity, reaching the East Sea would take at least ten to fifteen days. The journey provided an excellent opportunity for recuperation.

Time passed swiftly. Rushing towards the East Sea immediately upon return, Lei Dong could never have foreseen that an unprecedented crisis was already sweeping toward him and the entire Yinsha Sect.

The region of Kangzhou was currently in utter chaos due to the arrival of the Eight Sons of Lingxiao. While those Eight Sons were formidable, defeating them would have been difficult even for a combined force of any two local sects. But the crucial factor was their powerful background.

The Grand Supreme Sect, even in the realm of Daqian Continent, where experts abounded, was considered a major power. If the entire sect were to mobilize, perhaps the combined might of all of Kangzhou would barely suffice to contend with them. This alone showed the sheer scale of the Grand Supreme Sect’s power.

But paper can never truly contain fire.

Although Lei Dong and his group had seemingly eliminated Li Yao without a trace, under the relentless pursuit of the Eight Sons of Lingxiao, it was almost certain that Li Yao’s last known location was within the Yinsha Sect.

Currently, the senior-most of the Eight Sons of Lingxiao—Xuan Zhenzi, whose arrogance was matched only by his peak Nascent Soul cultivation—sat in the chief seat of the Yinsha Sect’s main hall, sipping rare tea as if no one else were present.

The other seven sons sat equally upright, their gazes filled with haughtiness.

Nearly all of the Yinsha Sect’s Nascent Soul high-ranking figures, those rarely seen, were gathered—save for those in deep seclusion or unable to return. The Grand Supreme Sect was not an entity the Yinsha Sect could afford to offend.

"Old Devil of Yinsha, I grant you one last chance. Hand over the murderer who slew my junior brother, and this Venerable One will use his discretion to settle this matter."