"Senior Brother Yinsha, a Nascent Soul stage puppet is indeed an exceedingly rare treasure. If we could obtain one, our strength would increase by seventy to eighty percent overnight." The Black Fiend Demon Lord, now over four hundred years old, bulky in stature but with a sinister face, frowned deeply. "However, the Tianji Sect has always treated their Nascent Soul puppets as if they were their own lives. I fear they won't agree to trade. Given the current situation, our sect cannot resort to force either."

"Under normal circumstances, even if the Tianji Sect were willing to trade a Nascent Soul puppet to our sect, the other righteous and demonic sects would intervene," Senior Demon Lord Yinsha stated slowly. "But in the two years the Eight Sons of Lingxiao have been in Kangzhou, they have stirred up chaos, causing widespread resentment across both paths. In secret, they are viewed as a massive crisis. Under this pressure, if our Tianmo were to lose a one-on-one duel against Fan Quqing, it would only fuel the arrogance of the Eight Sons of Lingxiao, leading them to hold Kangzhou in even less regard. Anyone with true insight would not undermine the Tianmo at such a critical juncture."

"Precisely. If the Tianmo wins as an equal-ranked cultivator, it will significantly deflate the domineering arrogance of the Eight Sons of Lingxiao." Madam Xuangu, another renowned female cultivator of the Yinsha Sect, showed a flicker of disgust in her beautiful, alluring eyes. "The people from the Taishang Sect truly look down upon our Yinsha Sect too much. They come demanding the culprit without any evidence, as if they have already counted on our compliance. Just as Junior Sister Tianmo said, this slight is simply unbearable." After a pause, Madam Xuangu added, "Senior Brother Yinsha, I happen to have some acquaintance with the Elder of Tianji. Perhaps I could go and probe the situation, try to purchase a Nascent Soul puppet."

"Junior Sister Xuangu, even if you hadn't brought it up, your foolish elder brother would have asked you to handle it." Senior Demon Lord Yinsha now sported a pleasant, genial smile. "Who in the sect doesn't know that the Elder of Tianji spent years relentlessly grinding down a young expert from the Asura Path just to court you back then?" "Senior Brother, that was so many years ago; why bring it up again?" Madam Xuangu was not young, being over five hundred years old, yet she still possessed the presence of a distinguished, charming noblewoman. The only striking feature was Madam Xuangu's hair, as white and silky as snow, which lent her an air of ancient sorrow and hardship.

Every Nascent Soul cultivator was a figure of hundreds or thousands of years; the journey they had taken must have been filled with countless stories. It could even be said that the entire life of any Nascent Soul cultivator, taken as a blueprint, would form a voluminous saga brimming with ups and downs, enmities and affections, and thrilling exploits.

"Even if the Tianji Sect is willing to sell a third Nascent Soul puppet, the price surely won't be low?" Black Fiend Demon Lord sounded somewhat hesitant. "Although our sect has some reserves, we shouldn't be this extravagant, should we?"

"Black Fiend, what are you implying?" Madam Xuangu snorted in disapproval, pointing a finger at him. "The situation has escalated this far, and you're still haggling over the sect's treasury? In my view, if we fail to crush the arrogance of the Eight Sons of Lingxiao this time, it's entirely possible those arrogant bastards will commit some unscrupulous act. For instance, fabricating false evidence to pin Li Yao’s death on our Yinsha Sect and then coercing us into submission. By then... with the proud style of the Taishang Sect, even if you, Black Fiend, wanted to sell your soul for glory, they wouldn't want you."

"Indeed, we must crush their arrogance and make the Eight Sons of Lingxiao sober up. The cultivators of our Kangzhou are not to be trifled with." Several other Nascent Soul cultivators expressed their agreement. On matters of fundamental importance, Nascent Soul cultivators possessed broader vision and would not fixate on temporary gains or losses. Moreover, if Tianmo won the solitary battle against the cultivators from the Great Qian Continent this time, it would significantly advance the prospects of the Yinsha Sect, allowing the sect to reap greater benefits.

Just as the Black Fiend Demon Lord was about to speak, Senior Demon Lord Yinsha waved a hand to stop him. "Enough. The life-and-death contract is signed; further internal debate is meaningless. This matter is settled. Madam Xuangu, you will handle the negotiations with the Elder of Tianji. The rest of the senior brothers will proceed to the major sects and invite the Grand Elders from every faction to witness the battle at the Yinsha Sect. Furthermore, the sect will allocate an additional resource equivalent to five hundred million spirit stones to purchase top-tier elixirs and talismans from the various sects. Tianmo, for this battle, victory is mandatory, defeat is unacceptable. This concerns the very survival of our Yinsha Sect. Anyone who opposes this decision, I can similarly arrange for them to engage in a life-and-death duel with one of the Eight Sons of Lingxiao."

Five hundred million spirit stones in resources caused everyone to gasp again. An ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator's net worth, reaching one hundred million spirit stones, was already quite good. Five hundred million spirit stones was wealth that a Nascent Soul cultivator might struggle to accumulate in an entire lifetime. Coupled with a Nascent Soul stage puppet, even if they were willing to sell, the price the Yinsha Sect would pay would definitely not be less than that figure.

From this, it was clear that Senior Demon Lord Yinsha had staked everything on the Tianmo's life-and-death fight. Pumping in resources worth nearly a billion spirit stones—even for a wealthy, major sect like the Yinsha Sect—was a blow that would significantly wound its vitality.

Do not be mistaken; although the Yinsha Sect received substantial yearly revenues, its expenditures were equally high. Accumulating ten billion in resources was not an easy feat. Furthermore, the Yinsha Sect had been engaged in continuous warfare for the past few decades, causing rapid resource depletion and a somewhat tight situation.

Although many coveted that immense sum of capital, Senior Demon Lord Yinsha’s words made everyone swallow their objections. It was no joke to face a life-and-death duel against one of the Eight Sons of Lingxiao; it was an extremely risky undertaking. While the Eight Sons of Lingxiao were arrogant, they possessed genuine reasons for their pride. The reputation of the Taishang Sect in the Great Qian Continent was not merely proclaimed but forged in battle.

Senior Demon Lord Yinsha had managed the high-level affairs of the Yinsha Sect for many years and held considerable prestige among the Grand Elders. As his orders were issued, the various Grand Elders did not offer much resistance and began their respective tasks.

Tianmo, throughout this process, remained silent. While possessing two beginner-stage Ghost Kings gave her great confidence, she would never refuse further preparation, especially regarding that Nascent Soul stage puppet. If she had that puppet, her strength as Tianmo would ascend another level, enabling her to better protect her young lover in this world.

When she thought of Lei Dong, a rare trace of faint tenderness appeared in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Lei Dong rode his Evil Ghost Camphor tree without incident or danger. In truth, with his current cultivation and strength, as long as he didn't encounter a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, there was generally little significant peril. Though Kangzhou seemed to have many Nascent Soul cultivators, in reality, every single one was a top-tier existence in the region, spending their time either in seclusion or adventuring in extremely dangerous locales to seek treasures. Given Kangzhou’s vast size, running into one or two was not an easy task. For ordinary cultivators, it was entirely normal to live a lifetime without ever seeing a Nascent Soul cultivator.

In fact, even encountering a Golden Core cultivator was not particularly easy. Moreover, most Golden Core cultivators, upon seeing Lei Dong's Evil Ghost Camphor trailing wisps of black energy, would steer clear out of caution and dare not approach.

On the insignificant, barren island beyond the East Sea, Lei Dong was quite familiar with the route. He landed the Evil Ghost Camphor directly, descending like a black meteorite onto the barren island, which possessed almost no spiritual energy. He called out cheerfully, "Senior Wang, hurry out! Look what I've found this time!"

In a simple thatched hut tucked away in a secluded corner of the barren island, Wang Lei, whose face was covered in thick stubble, lazily flew over and squinted at Lei Dong. "Lei Kid, you've already reached the initial stage of Golden Core. Eh?" His eyes suddenly widened, staring at Lei Dong with intense shock. "This can't be, can it? Only a few years? You've advanced again?" His expression suggested he wasn't looking at a human, but a monster.

It was understandable why Wang Lei was so shocked. Even with exceptional talent, advancing from the initial to the later stage of Golden Core usually required at least a decade plus good fortune. It was extremely common for even uniquely gifted individuals to be stuck at the initial Golden Core stage for their entire lives. This boy, however, had effortlessly jumped to the middle stage.

"Just a few fortunate encounters," Lei Dong replied, showing no intent to boast. Noticing Wang Lei’s beard looked like it hadn't been trimmed in ages, he chuckled, "It seems Senior has been quite busy lately."

"This is all thanks to your trouble!" Wang Lei grumbled with mock annoyance. "In this day and age, primeval materials are virtually extinct. You got lucky and found a piece of Chaos Refined Iron; you can't just waste it, right? So, I have to meticulously conceive the structure of your Myriad Ghost Banner, striving to enhance its quality and succeed in one go. Alright, enough chatter, Kid. You've only been in the Nether Domain for just over two years, haven't you? Don't tell me you've already found all three required items?" Wang Lei's doubt was reasonable; the Nether Domain was vast, and for a cultivator, just over two years was barely enough time for a quick trip there and back.

"Brother Wang, take a look at what this is?" Lei Dong first presented the Nascent Soul stage Ice Silkworm Silk—a large pile of whitish strands, weighing over ten catties.

Wang Lei's eyes lit up. He picked up a bone-chillingly cold strand of silk to examine it, nodding as he inspected it. He praised heartily, "Good, good stuff. It is indeed Nascent Soul stage Profound Nether Ice Silkworm Silk." He immediately began anticipating Lei Dong’s acquisition of the other three items. "Quickly, hand over the Demonic Dragon Beast Soul and the Nether Ghost Flame."

Lei Dong saw no need to keep him in suspense any longer and directly produced the Demonic Dragon Beast Soul and the Nine Nether Ghost Flame. "Brother Wang, you must refine that peak-grade Myriad Ghost Banner for me properly. I risked my life countless times to obtain these things."

"Who said I was going to refine a peak-grade Myriad Ghost Banner?" Wang Lei shot back irritably. "I was just teasing you before. No matter how amazing a peak-grade magical treasure is, it’s still just a magical treasure. To use primeval material to refine a mere magical treasure? Even if my brain were flawed, I wouldn't waste it like that!"