A tall, mature woman clad in ink-black, exquisite battle armor wore an expression of profound displeasure. A potent, domineering divine sense searched wildly, as if some vital boundary had been crossed, her eyes blazing with barely contained fury.

Not long ago, Tianmo had received word from an informant that Lei Dong had appeared. Favoring subtlety, Tianmo had refrained from greeting him personally. However, soon after, she shockingly heard that Qi Feifei had openly acknowledged her identity. Fearing that the people of the Hehuan Sect might cause trouble for Qi Feifei and subsequently implicate Lei Dong, Tianmo immediately led her followers, piloting a flying vessel in haste. Who knew that shortly after setting out, another report arrived from her spies: the Old Monster of Yin-Yang had suddenly appeared to harass Lei Dong.

This news struck Tianmo with compounding rage; how dare a mere Old Monster of Yin-Yang presume to bully Lei Dong. Although she was well aware of Lei Dong’s own capabilities, the Old Monster of Yin-Yang was, after all, a figure of some renown. Fearing her beloved might be overpowered, Tianmo pushed the battle-ark to its absolute limit. By the time she arrived, the Old Monster of Yin-Yang had vanished without a trace.

Accompanying Tianmo were Wan Yan, Dongfang Fu, and a contingent of masters from the Tianmo Palace. Lei Dong, fearing Tianmo might reveal their relationship in her agitation, maintained a proper demeanor, cupping his hands in a respectful salute: "Disciple Lei Dong pays respects to Lord Tianmo. The Old Monster of Yin-Yang must have heard news of our Nascent Soul cultivators coming to reinforce the sect and, unable to subdue this disciple and the others immediately, retreated first."

Tianmo, caught up in the moment, had indeed been somewhat overzealous. Lei Dong’s words brought her back to her senses, realizing she had overplayed her hand, inviting suspicion. While others might not notice, her own reputation, Tianmo’s dignity, made facing Ding Wanyan and her cherished disciple awkward. She could only cough lightly, feigning anger: "Hmph, a mere Old Monster of Yin-Yang dares to cause trouble on the grounds of our Yinsha Sect. Do they truly believe our Yinsha Sect is at its last breath? Guards! Issue an order: place the Old Monster of Yin-Yang on the wanted list—dead or alive, bring me his corpse."

"Yes, Lord Tianmo," the accompanying Yinsha Sect experts immediately affirmed, efficiently relaying the command downward.

In truth, Tianmo’s prestige was currently at its zenith. Not only did many juniors within the Yinsha Sect view her as an idol, but even many disciples of the righteous path held her in deep admiration. To possess the terrifying cultivation of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator at such a young age, and furthermore, to boldly challenge an expert from the overbearing Taishang Sect—regardless of the outcome, this feat alone had elevated Tianmo’s reputation to an astonishing degree.

Consequently, Tianmo’s status within the Yinsha Sect had steadily ascended.

Lei Dong offered no objection to Tianmo’s decree. The reason he had spared Yin-Yang was not some stratagem of playing hard to get. It was genuinely out of consideration for the old man’s lifelong misery and somewhat stubborn pride that he had shown leniency. Whether the man could evade the pursuit of the Yinsha Sect experts was something Lei Dong had no intention of wasting thought on.

For Lei Dong, the most pressing matter now was Tianmo's upcoming one-on-one duel with Fan Quqing of the Taishang Sect. After handling the formalities, Lei Dong eagerly sent a private transmission: "Meimei, regarding this duel, are you absolutely certain of victory?" His tone was notably serious. Lei Dong had already resolved that if Tianmo lacked supreme confidence, he would find a way to eliminate this Fan Quqing first. The concept of taking undue risks was usually filtered out entirely by Lei Dong's internal code of conduct.

A flicker of warmth crossed Tianmo’s stern, coolly seductive eyes; it seemed her little paramour genuinely cared for her well-being. Thinking of this, Tianmo softly transmitted back: "Lei Dong, rest assured. I have refined the two supreme Ghost Souls you gave me to the level of a low-level Ghost King, and I also acquired a mechanical puppet from the Mechanism Sect equivalent to the combat power of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Coupled with countless top-tier elixirs, Fan Quqing, whose cultivation is only marginally higher than mine, will certainly be unable to handle such a formidable array."

Hearing this, Lei Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected the Mechanism Sect to possess such capability as to sell a Nascent Soul-level mechanical puppet. In this world, Gold Core stage combat strength was manageable—such as battle pets with potential for Gold Core advancement, or high-grade Ghost Souls, or Gold Core mechanical puppets. While valuable, they were still obtainable.

However, in any corner of this world, once an item touched the Nascent Soul level, it was rarely a matter solvable by spirit stones alone. This applied to supreme Ghost Souls, battle pets possessing rich, ancient bloodlines, or Nascent Soul puppets. Even offering sums in the hundreds of millions of spirit stones would likely not compel a sale.

Historical transactions involving such items were exceedingly rare and often sparked violent, large-scale conflicts. This was why Gold Core cultivators could usually bring one or two Gold Core-level aids, but Nascent Soul cultivators generally lacked significant supplementary forces; only a tiny fraction of the lucky possessed Nascent Soul-level auxiliary combat power.

It was precisely for this reason that the Old Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts, possessing supreme Ghost Souls, received the backing and high expectations of his sect. Because once the Old Ancestor ascended to early-stage Nascent Soul, possessing a low-level Ghost King would place him in a remarkably high echelon among cultivators of the same stage.

Now, with Tianmo possessing three early-stage Nascent Soul auxiliary combatants at once, she likely had no match among cultivators of the same tier, unless they were truly heaven-defying entities. With her mid-stage Nascent Soul strength, she need not fear even facing some ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, there were always exceptions, a slim possibility of the unforeseen. Tianmo's opponent, Fan Quqing, hailed from the Taishang Sect of the Daqian Continent. The Daqian Continent was the foremost sacred ground for cultivation in the human world, teeming with countless powerful cultivators and sects, and possessing inexhaustible resources. And that Taishang Sect, even within the Daqian Continent, was regarded as immensely formidable. Rumor had it the sect existed since the Primordial Era.

Who knew what special methods such an ancient, profoundly established, powerful sect might possess? Otherwise, why would they so readily agree to Tianmo’s challenge? Thus, the usually cautious Lei Dong remained somewhat uneasy. With a solemn expression, he transmitted privately: "Given resources of that caliber, defeat should be nearly impossible. But one must always account for the 'what if.' Meimei, order your subordinates to set up defenses everywhere; I have something to give you."

Tianmo obeyed, dismissing everyone. Even Wan Yan and the others obediently moved to patrol and stand guard in the periphery. Although Wan Yan guessed this was Lei Dong's idea, likely related to the crucial upcoming decisive battle, she could not possibly fathom what means Lei Dong intended to employ.

In a short while, within the area spanning several dozen li, only Lei Dong and Tianmo remained.

Lei Dong formed a hand seal, and the ancient, bizarrely shaped Ghostly Flame Nether Banner flew out from his divine soul. Starting as a small flag barely an inch long, it rapidly grew in the wind, soon manifesting as a dark black banner several zhang long.

Even someone as powerful as Tianmo could sense a dense, potent aura radiating from this flag, accompanied by a faint sense of primal danger. She asked, slightly surprised: "What is this? A Myriad Ghost Banner?"

"Indeed, but this is a Primordial Spirit Treasure-grade Myriad Ghost Banner." Lei Dong presented his peerless treasure without a hint of reluctance, his expression open.

"A Primordial Spirit Treasure? Could this be the legendary Nether King Banner?" Tianmo was greatly astonished. In the current world, Primordial Spirit Treasures were exceedingly rare artifacts, mostly passed down from the Primordial or Ancient Eras, and simply could not appear on the market. Tianmo had once seen one such treasure—the Soul of Separating Water, the ancestral treasure of the Yaksha Clan—a Primordial Spirit Treasure passed down from ancient times. It was thanks to that very artifact that Tianmo's cultivation had surged rapidly, breaking through to mid-stage Nascent Soul.

The Nether King Banner? The template from which all other Myriad Ghost Banners were imitated? Lei Dong blinked, a slight relaxation in his tense mind brought on by her question: "Of course not. The Primordial Spirit Treasure Nether King Banner disappeared long ago. This one, the Ghostly Flame Nether Banner, I refined from materials gathered during my journey to the Nether Domain, augmented with Chaos Essence Iron. While its quality surpasses that of ordinary Primordial Spirit Treasures, it likely cannot compare to the Nether King Banner." The Nether King Banner was a legend, famous and ranked exceptionally high even among all Primordial Spirit Treasures.

"Even so, it is a remarkable Myriad Ghost Banner," Tianmo felt genuinely happy for her beloved for obtaining such a supreme treasure, recognizing it meant a further enhancement of Lei Dong’s strength.

"I only recently finished purifying this Ghostly Flame Nether Banner. Take it first and erase the divine soul imprint I left on it," Lei Dong stated matter-of-factly.

Tianmo had never anticipated that Lei Dong would produce this banner only to give it to her. Such a precious item was far more valuable than a supreme Ghost Soul. Overwhelmed with emotion, she immediately refused: "No, this is your life-saving artifact; I cannot just take it. Furthermore, once I refine it, it might take you a considerable time to erase my soul imprint. If you seek out the Yaksha King, who knows if he won't covet this absolute treasure."

"If I say take it, you take it," Lei Dong raised an eyebrow and said sternly, "The cultivators of the Taishang Sect are mysterious and unfathomable; who knows what methods they might employ. Meimei, never mind that I might be unable to use it for a short time—even if I gave it to you permanently, it would be of no consequence. How could this mere external possession be more important than your life?"

Though Lei Dong’s tone was fiercely insistent, it sounded sweeter to Tianmo than any words of love. Realizing that further stubbornness might provoke Lei Dong, she did something rare and nodded obediently: "Since you are uneasy, I will use it for now. As long as I don't refine it too deeply, I can erase the soul imprint given enough time."

Lei Dong, meanwhile, began calculating. With this treasure, Tianmo’s chances of winning were now overwhelmingly high. Perhaps it was time to seize an opportunity to profit?