Ghost Thorn, gripping Lei Dong, fled wildly. With its extraordinarily high speed, even burdened with two individuals, it quickly escaped the vast, open area and plunged back into the labyrinthine network of subterranean tunnels. Yet, barely the time it took to steep half a cup of tea, Lei Dong, still only semi-conscious, felt a violent tremor deep within his Nascent Soul, as if a piece of him had been brutally gouged out by a blade. The intense, searing pain shocked him instantly awake; his face was ghastly pale, and a mouthful of bright red blood sprayed forth. His Nascent Soul, already frail, was instantly damaged, becoming even more translucent, flickering uncertainly like a candle flame in the wind. Just then, the faint, almost imperceptible spiritual connection he shared with A Chou abruptly severed.

"Nine Nether Soul Devouring Worm King, I, Lei, swear I will not rest until I have killed you. And the Corpse Worm Clan—I will absolutely not let that race off lightly," Lei Dong hissed the vow through gritted teeth, his eyes blazing with bottomless hatred. He understood with absolute clarity that at that very moment, A Chou, who had guarded him faithfully for so long and saved him from disaster countless times, had fallen in battle. Given his strength as a High-tier Ghost King, the fact that he managed to hold off the Soul Devouring Worm King for so long clearly indicated he had resolved to sacrifice his life.

Ghost Thorn seemed to sense the demise of its comrade who had covered their retreat. Its already savage face, marked by its blue-green complexion and long fangs, contorted into an expression of extreme ferocity and horror. Following Lei Dong, it let out a low, dangerous growl, profoundly agreeing with its master’s words. Pushing itself to the limit, it spurred its power, desperately fleeing forward.

The instant A Chou moved to sacrifice himself as the rearguard, a strange shift occurred in Ghost Thorn's consciousness, tempering the somewhat rash spirit of the ghost, making it suddenly appear more mature. Ghost Thorn understood perfectly: turning back now to fight would only mean offering up its life in vain. The only course now was to escape—to flee far away, build up strength, and then return to annihilate that Nine Nether Soul Devouring Worm King and the Corpse Worm Clan to which the Worm Emperor belonged.

Neither Lei Dong nor Ghost Thorn ever considered it inhumane to transfer their wrath for the Worm Emperor’s actions onto the entire Corpse Worm Clan. This world, after all, had always operated on the principle that might makes right.

When strength fails, and one is beaten, killed, or insulted—what use is righteous indignation? What use is heartbroken grief? Anger cannot kill. And strength is not achieved through some explosive surge born merely from fury.

Often, when wronged or humiliated, it is better to grind one's teeth and swallow the bitterness, silently accumulating power, only to reclaim what was lost later. Acting rashly based on fleeting emotion only hastens one's end.

Following Lei Dong’s fierce declaration, and because A Chou’s death had already caused significant trauma to Lei Dong's Nascent Soul, which was closely tied to his spiritual body, Lei Dong could bear no further injury. He finally succumbed, just like Xie Feng, and lost consciousness. Only Ghost Thorn remained, relentlessly, tirelessly driving them deeper and further into the secluded darkness.

Clearly, A Chou’s sacrifice had served its positive and active purpose; Ghost Thorn had already carried its master clear of the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Worm King’s tracking range. Yet, it continued to run, daring not to pause for even a moment. After an unknown span of time, Xie Feng was the first to stir, waking groggily. Opening her bright, maiden-like eyes, she found herself being rapidly carried by Lei Dong’s short Ghost King. Just as she instinctively raised a palm to strike, she suddenly recalled something. Changing the strike into a shove, she sent Ghost Thorn flying away. She tumbled several times in mid-air before her feet hovered weightlessly, touching the void. With a faint hostility, she glanced at the still-unconscious Lei Dong, then fixed a cold stare back at Ghost Thorn: "What happened here?"

Ghost Thorn, still raw from the pain of its brother’s sacrifice and bordering on utter despair, showed no fear of the High-tier Cultivator in its demeanor. It replied dully, "My Master sustained severe spiritual damage saving you and is currently unconscious."

"Tell me the process in detail." Xie Feng was startled. Glancing again at the unconscious Lei Dong, the hostility left her eyes, and her tone toward Ghost Thorn softened.

Ghost Thorn was inclined not to answer her, but after a brief hesitation, deciding it was better to earn favor for its Master, it took a deep breath and recounted the entire sequence of events, without deliberately embellishing anything.

Xie Feng closed her eyes, listening intently to Ghost Thorn’s words. The sequence of events replayed clearly in her mind. Her brow furrowed at times, relaxed at others, and finally, she let out a sigh. "I didn't expect this Fellow Daoist Lei to be a man of such profound promises. I believe had he ignored me at that critical moment, he wouldn't have needlessly lost a Blood-Sacrificed Ghost Servant, nor would he have suffered such grave injuries himself." Xie Feng was truly a person of strong feeling; she dealt with matters plainly, without ambiguity. Losing a Blood-Sacrificed Ghost Servant originating from a Supreme Spirit Ghost was a devastating loss for anyone. Yet, Lei Dong had paid such a terrible price, nearly sacrificing his own life, simply to honor the promise he made to her before the battle. In that moment, Xie Feng’s regard for the unconscious Lei Dong increased dramatically.

Ghost Thorn muttered internally, Good, my Master did not save a heartless wretch. It seems she has some conscience after all.

Xie Feng’s constitution was unique; the ancient divine beast bloodline within her Body was immensely concentrated, granting her outstanding innate talent, otherwise she would not have cultivated to the Soul Transformation stage at such a young age. Though her injuries had not recovered much during that period of unconsciousness, her physical strength and True Essence had mostly replenished by one or two tenths. Surveying their surroundings, she saw that Ghost Thorn had carried them an immeasurable distance.

They seemed to have left the stalactite caves at the bottom of the valley. The surroundings were vast and pitch-black, as if they were adrift in endless void. The only point of light was a faint glimmer visible far, far in the distance.

"It seems the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Worm King cannot pursue us here," Xie Feng stated, frowning. "But we have no idea where we are. Let's not move for now; we will heal and restore our True Essence here. You are Ghost Thorn, yes? I thank you for your vigilance. Once I recover some strength, I will personally tend to Lei Dong's injuries."

"Thank you, Emperor Feng." Seeing that Xie Feng harbored a heart of gratitude and was not despicable enough to seek revenge now that they were safe, Ghost Thorn's hostility gradually dissipated, regaining some of the respect due to a High-tier expert.

Such were the rules of the world: unless one possessed a special status, when two beings gathered, the demonstrably stronger one naturally held the position of honor and command.

Xie Feng said no more. Instead, she produced a small model of a flying ship and tossed it out. The object grew with the wind, transforming into a small vessel barely ten-odd Zhang long within two or three breaths. Though small, the ship bore a striking resemblance to Lei Dong's "Harem" vessel; spatial laws had been employed during its construction to integrate exquisite pavilions and terraces within. Unaffected, she personally lifted Lei Dong with her jade arms and settled him into a guest cabin. Then, as if remembering something else, she took out an exquisite jade bottle and tossed it to Ghost Thorn. "You worked hard just now. These are some trinkets I acquired unintentionally; they are useless to me, so they might as well benefit you."

Ghost Thorn accepted it casually, but upon opening it and inhaling lightly, its blue-faced, fanged visage shifted into an expression of utter shock. "This, this is Refined Soul Jade Nectar?"

Refined Soul Jade Nectar, though not as world-shatteringly rare or priceless as Chaos Spiritual Medicine, was still an extremely rare natural elixir. More importantly, it was an elixir with miraculous effects on the Ghost race, highly beneficial for breaking through bottlenecks, especially for Ghost Kings who originated from Supreme Spirit Ghosts—it held an immense attraction for them. Due to innate aptitude limitations, Ghost Kings born from Supreme Spirit Ghosts generally remained stuck at that level their entire lives. Achieving the Soul Transformation stage was not impossible, but perhaps one success in hundreds of thousands of years was rare.

However, Refined Soul Jade Nectar was a unique elixir that offered the possibility of elevating a peak Ghost King to the Ghost Emperor level. This illustrated just how crucial the Nectar was to the Ghost race. Of course, the substance also benefited other species in condensing their Nascent Souls or Primordial Spirits, but nowhere near as dramatically as it aided the Ghosts.

Because of this, the usually composed Ghost Thorn suddenly changed countenance, registering intense alarm. It hesitated, unsure whether to accept the gift or not. To accept might jeopardize its Master's affairs. But to refuse was too tempting to let go of desire.

As if seeing through Ghost Thorn's turmoil, Xie Feng waved her hand generously. "This is merely a thank-you gift for your hard work earlier; it has nothing to do with owing your Master. Besides, while Refined Soul Jade Nectar is indeed reputed to be highly effective for Supreme Spirit Ghosts aspiring to the Ghost Emperor level, records state the required amount is astronomical—enough to bathe in, and even then success isn't guaranteed. What I accidentally collected amounts to a mere few liang—at most, it can only refine your soul body slightly and improve your aptitude a bit. It’s not all that precious."

Even a few liang was incredibly precious; Ghost Thorn understood this perfectly. Although most Refined Soul Jade Nectar, once unearthed, flowed into the hands of the Ghost race, which Ghost would ever willingly sell it once obtained? Therefore, Refined Soul Jade Nectar was an extremely difficult elixir to collect. Even this tiny amount was priceless to Ghost Thorn, and its gratitude toward Xie Feng soared. It bowed respectfully: "Thank you for your Seniority’s grace. I will certainly inform my Master upon his awakening."

"Forget it, better not let him know," Xie Feng replied before hopping back onto the flying ship and entering the main cabin to begin meditating and healing.

Time seemed to freeze completely in this void-like place. Days passed, then years flew by like the wind. Truly, in cultivation, years meant nothing.

…