Under such bombardment, the Thunderous God Crocodile felt extreme pain, and the instinctive fear of the Black Dragon vanished instantly from its genes. It immediately revealed the ferocity of an ancient overlord. When its jaws opened, the ferocious teeth exposed were each several feet long, capable of easily hooking, biting, and tearing apart any powerful creature. Moreover, this Thunderous God Crocodile was the sovereign of the region spanning tens of thousands of miles around and had never suffered such a massive loss. Unable to contain itself any longer, its massive tail, tens of feet long, swept towards Lei Dong with a whistling sound.

The sheer momentum created a vast surge of air, whipping up a frenzy of wind, its tail like a sharp giant whip, seemingly capable of shattering mountains with a single strike.

"Smack~"

Even though Lei Dong retreated swiftly enough, the resulting surge of power from that sweep easily shattered his Profound Yin Shield as if puncturing an air balloon. Following closely was a violent surge and churning of his own blood and vitality.

It truly lived up to its reputation as one of the residual species of the Desolate Ancient Era, a once utterly unrestrained overlord. From the might of this single whip strike, Lei Dong could feel the inherent savagery and power embedded deep within its bones. This initial exchange, a mere probe, made it clear to Lei Dong that a gap still existed between them. The Thunderous God Crocodile unleashed all manner of hunting maneuvers; its movements appeared clumsy, but its speed was astonishingly fast. If he hadn't utilized the Asura Wings, Lei Dong estimated his overall speed would be a notch or two inferior to the beast, and this was despite fighting in an area where the creature was less adept in the air. Clearly, the Thunderous God Crocodile's reputation was well-earned.

Lei Dong repeatedly evaded, causing the Thunderous God Crocodile’s attacks to miss time and again. This only provoked the beast into a greater frenzy, with arcs of lightning light dancing like silver serpents, obscuring the entire sky. Had Lei Dong’s escape capabilities not been so extreme, he would have surely been injured by the lightning by now. He dared not continue to show off his half-baked solo combat skills anymore. Though Lei Dong’s fighting strength among cultivators of the same rank was considered monstrous, that applied only to his comprehensive combat power, not strictly his solo capacity.

Fundamentally, if Lei Dong fought without relying on external aids, his actual strength was merely a shade or two stronger than an ordinary Nascent Soul stage early-stage cultivator. While the power of the Black Dragon's Chant was considerable, relying on this spell to obliterate a Thunderous God Crocodile whose physical defense was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage was sheer fantasy. It was likely that before the Thunderous God Crocodile was blasted to death, Lei Dong himself would be exhausted to death.

After all, while the Thunderous God Crocodile lacked high intelligence, it was not utterly devoid of sense. In fact, its combat instincts and experience surpassed those of some common demonic beasts; having suffered one loss, why would it fall for the same trick twice? It conjured a semi-transparent shield of crackling lightning around its body, which appeared astonishingly defensive.

By this point, Lei Dong dared not be overconfident. He flapped his wings several times, moving dozens of miles away before rapidly executing a hand seal and first summoning Ghost King Ah Chou. Beneath a haze of black ethereal mist, Ah Chou, ten feet tall, slowly revealed his sturdy and fierce form. Beneath his green face and protruding tusks, a pair of cold eyes seemed to flash with a distinct intelligence. His black soul armor, condensed from Netherworld ghostly energy, and a massive blade only served to accentuate his heroic bearing.

"Ah Chou pays respects to Master." Ghost King Ah Chou was never one for many words, but under Lei Dong's deliberate nurturing over the years, he had gradually developed wisdom and knowledge comparable to humans, becoming a true Ghost King. Furthermore, with his intellect and experience, he had studied Lei Dong's Great Netherworld Art for a long time, mastering numerous Netherworld series spells.

Lei Dong had no fear that gaining wisdom would lead to a sudden betrayal. Ah Chou and Ghost Thorn were the earliest followers of Lei Dong, having shared life and death for years, establishing an exceptionally deep bond. Moreover, the Blood Sacrifice Art was one of the core laws of heaven and earth; attempting to defy it and suffer a backlash would likely be exceedingly difficult. Otherwise, wouldn't every cultivator who raised ghosts live in constant fear? The price of a top-tier Spirit Ghost wouldn't be so terrifyingly high.

Since they had reached the Ghost King rank, Lei Dong generally did not casually store them in the Soul Nurturing Pagoda. However, because Lei Dong himself had advanced to the Nascent Soul early stage, his spiritual sense had soared, rivaling that of a Nascent Soul high-stage cultivator. Theoretically, he could now control one high-stage Ghost King and one mid-stage Ghost King simultaneously.

This was one of the reasons Lei Dong had been fleeing in straight lines, seeking demonic beasts. The advancement of Ah Chou and Ghost Thorn required consuming vast amounts of flesh, blood, and Nascent Souls. Although the Ghost Clan possessed inherent talents, relying on devouring flesh, blood, and souls to nourish themselves and advance rapidly, they were also the most demanding race regarding innate aptitude. Few ghosts could break the shackles of their innate potential to reach higher tiers; the higher the tier, the more arduous the climb.

Both Ah Chou and Ghost Thorn had their aptitudes continuously enhanced by Lei Dong using Soul Beads, elevating them to the level of top-tier Spirit Ghosts. Theoretically, both were qualified to advance to Peak Ghost King status. But in reality, advancing from Early Ghost King to Peak Ghost King required not only an astronomical amount of resources but also depended on their luck and individual effort.

Seeing Ah Chou, Lei Dong smiled easily: "Ah Chou, you seem quite diligent in your cultivation within the Soul Nurturing Pagoda. You are already an Early Peak Ghost King; I believe it won't be long before you advance to Mid Ghost King."

Ah Chou slowly shook his head: "This is not due to Ah Chou's merit, Master. Although your current Soul Nurturing Pagoda is not a peak innate spirit treasure, it is still a rare high-grade spirit artifact. Ghost Thorn and I have advanced rapidly within it. Furthermore, the flesh and Nascent Soul of the two-headed demonic wolf Master gave me were great tonics, benefiting Ah Chou immensely."

While they spoke, Lei Dong summoned Ghost Thorn as well. Ghost Thorn's form was significantly smaller than Ah Chou’s, thin and slight, yet possessing an indescribable agility. His recent cultivation had also reached the Early Peak stage, just one step shy of the Mid stage.

"Kill that Nascent Soul peak-level Thunderous God Crocodile, and after you devour its flesh and blood, you should both be able to advance to the Mid stage," Lei Dong remotely pointed at the Thunderous God Crocodile, which was roaring and swiftly approaching. Judging by its posture, it seemed intent on a fight to the death with Lei Dong. Unfortunately, although the Thunderous God Crocodile was an ancient residual species, it had little comprehension of spatial laws. Its speed, while fast, could not compare to directly tearing space for instantaneous movement.

Excitement flashed almost simultaneously in the pupils of Ghost Thorn and Ah Chou as they stared intently at the Thunderous God Crocodile, which was still a tiny black speck in the distance. For most living beings, even those lacking true intelligence, there is an instinctive pursuit of greater strength, let alone two Ghost Kings with intelligence comparable to humans.

In terms of personality, Ghost Thorn was always more agile and cunning than Ah Chou. He humanly licked his lips, which sported two small tusks, and said with a wry smile: "That is a Nascent Soul peak-level demonic beast. Even if this subordinate and Ah Chou join forces, we cannot defeat it. We request Master to summon the Ghost Army."

"Hmph, keeping two gluttons, what use are you?" Lei Dong feigned anger, then deployed the Nether Flame Ghost Banner. He had never intended for his two Blood Sacrifice Ghost Kings to engage in a direct confrontation; losing one would be an immense loss. Of course, he couldn't let them only benefit without contributing. He then commanded: "Ah Chou, Ghost Thorn, you two are responsible for drawing the Thunderous God Crocodile's attention. If my Ghost Army loses even half its numbers, you two will be held accountable."

"This subordinate obeys the order." After receiving Lei Dong's formal command, Ah Chou and Ghost Thorn solemnly responded. With a flicker of their forms, they each shot out tens of feet. The Ghost Clan's advantage in speed was quite evident, faster than most demonic beasts and cultivators of the same rank, and comparable even to some ordinary avian demonic beasts.

Ah Chou was somewhat lacking in raw speed, but Ghost Thorn possessed a natural talent for velocity. Especially after cultivating Netherworld series spells, he particularly favored Lei Dong's signature escape technique, the Ghost Shadow Evasion, which, when used, manifested countless phantom images, making it impossible to discern his true body—he was even more proficient than Lei Dong.

It was hardly surprising that Ah Chou and Ghost Thorn could cultivate the Great Netherworld Art.

The Great Netherworld Art within the Yin Sha Sect was a technique passed down from an unknown era, but its essence was learned from the Ghost Clan. In fact, it was the humans who had essentially pirated the Ghost Clan's superior cultivation methods. Particularly, some of the Netherworld series spells within the Great Netherworld Art were copied directly from the Ghost Clan.

The only thing the Ghost Clan could not learn was the Blood Sacrifice Art, for a simple reason: the physiological structure of a ghost contained no blood, so how could they perform a blood sacrifice? Other than that, almost all Netherworld series spells could be cultivated by any Ghost Clan member possessing a decent level of sentience. Ah Chou and Ghost Thorn were already in the body of top-tier Spirit Ghosts, making their aptitude among the Ghost Clan exceptionally outstanding; mastering the Netherworld series spells was twice the result with half the effort, achieving mastery with great ease.

In the time that followed, the Thunderous God Crocodile was miserable. Although its speed was fast, the speed of Ah Chou and Ghost Thorn was not slow either. Especially since the Thunderous God Crocodile was massive and could not take human form, it spent its time being toyed with. Ghost Thorn, in particular, utilized his innate spells combined with Netherworld spells, appearing ethereal and unpredictable, occasionally appearing suddenly behind the Thunderous God Crocodile to deliver a vicious strike, drawing a massive amount of its enmity.

Soon, Lei Dong's Great Cannon Ghost Array was fully arrayed. Using the Great Cannon Ghost refined from the Nascent Soul of the Undying Demon Venerable as the main cannon, hundreds of cannon ghosts fired in unison. Such power would make even a Spirit Transformation stage cultivator retreat in deference. The Thunderous God Crocodile’s lightning shield was instantly annihilated amidst the barrage, and its body, tens of feet long, was blasted with numerous severe wounds. It truly lived up to being an ancient residual species; its defense was astonishing, as it was heavily injured but not killed under such destructive power.

The utterly horrified Thunderous God Crocodile dragged its mangled body and frantically tried to fly back toward the swamp, intending to burrow into the bottomless mire to evade its enemies. But under Lei Dong's focused attention, how could it possibly escape? Under the combined siege of the Master and his two subordinates, the Thunderous God Crocodile soon became Lei Dong's trophy, causing the eyes of the two Ghost Kings to flash with excitement.