To the Netherworld Ghost Emperor’s understanding, even if Lei Dong had managed to bring forth a Nascent Soul stage backer, that would have been the absolute pinnacle of his achievements. Who could have foreseen that this Nascent Soul expert would repeatedly address Lei Dong as "Big Brother"? This single fact utterly shattered the worldview the Netherworld Ghost Emperor had painstakingly cultivated over thousands of years. Furthermore, although this two-winged flying dragon’s cultivation was only at the early Nascent Soul stage, the pressure and power emanating from its primordial spirit caused even the Netherworld Ghost Emperor a faint sense of dread. It was important to remember that the Ghost Emperor himself was a peak existence at the mid-Nascent Soul stage; while he could not claim absolute invincibility across the Six Domains and Nine Continents, true rivals were exceedingly rare. Yet, this casually appearing Nascent Soul-level dragon possessed a primordial spirit pressure that slightly surpassed the Ghost Emperor's own.

In this world, strength dictated everything. The Netherworld Ghost Emperor immediately accorded Lei Long the respect due to him, simultaneously elevating his estimation of Lei Dong several notches higher. A backer, after all, constituted a significant portion of one’s strength. Moreover, the various factors Lei Dong had displayed were already deeply satisfying to the Ghost Emperor, particularly his youth paired with his Nascent Soul cultivation—his future potential seemed limitless.

Lei Long’s appearance thoroughly reassured the Netherworld Ghost Emperor, allowing him to focus his primary attention on healing and restraining the Nascent Soul experts from the other three races of the Nether Domain. Although the movements of Lei Dong, Xiao You, and their party were extremely secretive—known only to a handful of the Ghost Emperor’s most trusted confidants—caution was always the better part of valor, especially since the Ghost Emperor had previously suffered devastating losses in this regard, nearly costing him his life.

Among their group, aside from Lei Long and Xiao You, there was only a squad of about ten elite personal guards under the Netherworld Ghost Emperor’s command. The Emperor lived up to his title; the strength of his subordinates was exceptionally high. The lowest-ranking member among his most elite guard detail possessed the cultivation of an early Ghost King. This level of power was almost unimaginable among the sects of Kangzhou. Even in Kangzhou’s top sects, cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage were figures of immense prestige, treated like grand lords; the idea of them serving as mere personal guards was ludicrous.

Thinking it over, however, it made a certain kind of sense. Though the Netherworld Ghost Emperor was not an overlord of an entire Domain, within the Netherworld Ghost Territory, he reigned as a supreme hegemon. The territories occupied by the other three most powerful races combined were smaller than his own domain. The expanse he ruled was countless times larger than Kangzhou itself. Therefore, his guard detail possessing such formidable strength was entirely understandable.

Lei Dong himself was unremarkable in comparison, but Lei Long watched with intense envy. He, too, was a Nascent Soul entity, yet his status stood in stark contrast to the Netherworld Ghost Emperor’s. The reason was simple: influence and territory. Whatever the Ghost Emperor required, a single command would send countless subordinates scrambling to complete it, even risking their lives in the process. When it came to combat, he could summon armies numbering in the tens of thousands. Some individuals, no matter how powerful, if denied a chance at a one-on-one duel, could only sigh in helplessness.

Generally speaking, while a Nascent Soul cultivator might be strong, their true power lay in the forces they commanded. It could be said that behind every Nascent Soul existence stood an extraordinarily vast support network. A lone wolf found it nearly impossible to acquire the necessary resources to advance to the Nascent Soul stage, and often, without sufficient backing, they would meet their end before ever reaching it.

Consequently, the future for rogue cultivators in this world was exceptionally bleak, unless they banded together in some kind of Loose Cultivator Alliance. Otherwise, they were nothing more than easy prey in the eyes of sect disciples.

The game of chess involving Lei Long and Lei Dong concluded quickly. On the board, Lei Long was utterly decimated. Despite having lived for tens of thousands of years, he was completely clueless when it came to chess. Yet, the worse a player is, the more stubbornly they insist on playing. Lei Dong, out of sheer desperation, could only appeal to Xiao You, asking her to take his place.

Relieved of the overly excited Lei Long, Lei Dong retreated to his chamber aboard the "Harem" vessel. Setting aside the exquisitely unique, ancient, and intricate design of the bedroom, the porthole was particularly noteworthy. Utilizing specialized formations, it allowed for the comfortable and exceptionally clear viewing of the scenery outside. It was likely that only someone like the Netherworld Ghost Emperor, who had lived so long and reached such a zenith of boredom, would devise a formation specifically tailored for sightseeing.

Gazing out at the myriad of floating mountains, large and small, drifting through the void beyond the viewport, Lei Dong’s mood gradually calmed. Despite having Lei Long accompanying and guarding him on this journey, an unsettling premonition lingered—that this trip might not proceed entirely smoothly. In moments of heart-straining intuition, he would feel a subtle unease. This feeling was not overly mystical or abstract.

For a cultivator like Lei Dong, who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, he was already considered one who defied fate. Barring unforeseen circumstances, even if his cultivation stalled, living for another thousand years would be easily achievable. His comprehension of the world, his touch upon the fundamental Laws, and even a sliver of insight into the operational rules of the cosmos had elevated him far beyond the category of lesser beings limited to merely decades of life.

The things his intuition perceived were vague, fleeting glimpses into the future. Perhaps it was mere fantasy, and nothing would transpire. Or perhaps, he had inadvertently brushed against a genuine sliver of what was to come. Although Lei Dong could neither fully comprehend nor control Space and Time, he had already delved into and grasped the underlying principles to some extent. If Time itself could maintain different frequencies or even undergo localized reversals, it was not impossible to touch upon indistinct images of future events that had not yet occurred. The functioning of the universal cosmos often proceeded linearly; though its laws were complex, they were ultimately decipherable.

Among humanity, there were cultivators who specialized in the arcane arts of divination and prophecy, miraculously deducing future events. However, according to the rules governing the Law of Time, the future was mutable. Sometimes a single sentence, a specific action, or even an unintentional delay of a mere breath could completely alter what was to come, introducing an infinity of variables. Thus, the more powerful someone became, or the more complicated their interpersonal network, the more difficult it was to make accurate predictions, precisely because these individuals carried too many variables.

To give the simplest example: if in his past life, Lei Dong had been a complete shut-in who habitually ate dinner at home exactly at six o'clock, and he decided to do so tonight, then barring mishaps, he would likely be eating dinner at home at six this evening. At least that represented a high probability.

However, consider a Casanova-type friend with a network of acquaintances spanning the globe and countless lovers. If he decided to eat at home at six, variables could easily emerge during the process—perhaps a call from a mistress inviting him out, or buddies dragging him off for some pleasure-seeking venture. Hence, such individuals are hard to calculate; there are simply too many variables at play.

It could be said that every minute, every second, humanity constantly remakes its future and twists its destiny. Prophecy, in essence, is merely the result of deeply studying profound Laws, allowing one to glimpse slivers of future life milestones through the linear progression of time. This data is then combined with the subject’s inherent certainties, and through specialized arcane techniques, massive amounts of contingent conditions are factored in to deduce a potential future.

Regarding his own intuition, Lei Dong neither gave it undue attention that alerted everyone around him, nor did he completely ignore it. He simply became more vigilant than usual.

But regardless of all else, continuously increasing one’s own strength remained the ultimate path to solving problems. In reality, if Lei Dong himself possessed Nascent Soul stage power, augmented by his myriad of heaven-defying techniques, he would no longer need to live in constant fear within the Nine Nether Abyss, even if he couldn't claim absolute dominance. Against absolute strength, many dangers would naturally dissolve.

However, cultivation is something that requires time to accumulate. Lei Dong had only just entered the early Nascent Soul stage; advancing to the mid-stage in a short period, without some extremely rare opportunity, was simply out of the question. The fastest way to boost strength relied on external aids. Fortuitous encounters were a matter of chance; moreover, Lei Dong considered his own luck to be merely average—not bad, but not spectacular. Except for initially picking up the world-altering treasure, the Soul Devouring Pagoda, he hadn't experienced much subsequent good fortune. His current standing was achieved step by step, relying on the power boost provided by the Pagoda. It could be said that the Soul Devouring Pagoda was the fundamental reason he had reached his present status. Without this Pagoda in this lifetime, Lei Dong might still be fighting desperately over a few thousand spirit stones, worrying himself bald over the resources needed to advance from initial Foundation Establishment to the middle stage, let alone forming any connection with his current wife, Ding Wanyan. At best, he would simply have faded into obscurity.

“Senior Artifact Spirit, how is the research on my Ghost Soldiers progressing?” Lei Dong took out the Fair Competition Tower, a trophy obtained from battling Xuan Yuanzi, and summoned the Artifact Spirit residing within using spiritual intent. Killing Xuan Yuanzi naturally handed ownership of this competition tower, which dated back to an unknowable age, to Lei Dong. The only pity was that during the final bombardment, while the intense explosion instantly killed Xuan Yuanzi, it simultaneously shattered the tower, instantly nullifying its spatial and temporal formations. The only functional component left was the Artifact Spirit, which possessed an immense knowledge base regarding various subjects. Otherwise, if Lei Dong could exploit loopholes in the Fair Competition Arena’s rules, he could challenge anyone to a non-lethal duel and utilize the tower's time manipulation laws for his training.

“Your Ghost Soldiers are frankly mediocre; they haven't reached their limit. However, the power of that Big Belly Cannon Ghost was quite impressive—hmph, it even managed to blow up my home,” the Artifact Spirit, residing within the tower, responded in a cold, emotionless tone. It was clear he harbored some resentment toward Lei Dong for damaging the tower during the decisive battle.

“Heh heh, Senior, please don't be angry. Didn't you say yourself that it was because the Competition Tower was old and poorly maintained?” Lei Dong replied without a trace of guilt. “Didn't I promise you that I would find a way to repair the tower?” (To be continued)

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