... After all, it was still the same saying: strength was the most important thing. If Lei Dong possessed the cultivation of the Soul Transformation stage now, his scruples would be far fewer, allowing him to prudently offload some goods to amass personal wealth.

After settling matters with Evil Phoenix, Lei Dong finally turned to converse with the silver puppet. His tone held no hint of arrogance, remaining respectful. "Senior, this matter here is concluded. Your junior and the others have pressing business, and we wish to return to the Nether Ghost Domain together with Senior Evil Phoenix."

After a series of exchanges, several months passed. Lei Dong and Evil Phoenix emerged, dusty and somewhat disheveled, from the depths of the Styx Valley aboard her flying vessel. Though weariness shadowed Lei Dong’s eyes, he wore an expression of deep satisfaction. The journey had been winding and fraught with hidden paths, yet miraculously, they had encountered no significant trouble. On the contrary, they had been extraordinarily lucky, locating the Myriad Year Nether Milk mentioned by the Nether Ghost Emperor. They had collected dozens of bottles, more than enough to counteract the blood sacrifice afflicting Xiao You.

This, however, was not Lei Dong’s greatest haul. His accidental entry into the King of Hell’s Palace, though involving immense risk, yielded substantial rewards. Setting aside the two nascent souls for a moment, the five battle-damaged Soul Transformation puppets he acquired were sufficient to assemble two intact Soul Transformation puppets. Much of this repair work had been preemptively completed by Evil Phoenix. What remained was finding a puppet master experienced in refining Soul Transformation puppets to recast them and integrate a nascent soul into each.

Although Evil Phoenix was brilliant, she was less adept in this specific area. Fortunately, she maintained close ties with a sect in Great Qian Continent called the Myriad Puppet Sect, possessing connections that could allow Lei Dong to seek their assistance. Unlike the Heaven's Mystery Sect in Kangzhou, the lineage of mechanical puppet techniques held by the Myriad Puppet Sect was at least several tiers superior—exceptionally specialized and powerful.

According to Evil Phoenix, that sect actually possessed two Soul Transformation level puppets. This alone indicated that the sect ranked among the first-rate powers in Great Qian Continent, certainly not much weaker than sects like the Celestial Unity Sect.

However, within this Styx territory, Lei Dong still had unfinished business. Previously, in the Outer Void, Lei Dong had attempted to contact the separated Xiao You but found the connection severed, unable to reach her at all. Only upon exiting the Styx did Lei Dong try again, faintly sensing the direction of Xiao You's location. The immense distance prevented him from establishing contact via divine sense.

Upon emerging, Evil Phoenix had also utilized a secret art to contact her kin, only to discover they were heading in the very same direction as Xiao You. Since their destinations aligned, there was no immediate need to part ways. They thus piloted the flying vessel together toward that distant point. This journey took another several months. During his spare time, Lei Dong diligently learned various aspects of artifact refinement, alchemy, and even mechanics and array talismans from Evil Phoenix.

Now having reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, Lei Dong’s memory had become astonishing. Most things, once reviewed, were deeply etched into his mind. The only variable remaining was comprehension. While Lei Dong’s innate talent was only above average, his capacity for insight was quite formidable. In a short time, his gains were profound. This also prompted him to marvel at the sheer breadth of Evil Phoenix’s knowledge, which was almost all-encompassing.

As Evil Phoenix explained, the more powerful a cultivator became, the broader their knowledge base ought to be; otherwise, intelligent races would be no different from monstrous beasts. Only low-level cultivators emphasized division of labor. High-level cultivators should be comprehensive because mastering one path often illuminates a hundred others. Many disciplines shared profound commonalities. Learning techniques such as alchemy and artifact refinement could lead to tangential insights, deepening one’s understanding of the cultivation path itself and potentially triggering breakthroughs in one’s own cultivation.

Lei Dong found this reasoning entirely compelling. Indeed, with his current memory and comprehension skills, grasping introductory technical knowledge was effortless, coming as naturally as breathing. A single day of study surpassed a low-level cultivator’s month. The higher the cultivation, the better the memory—even if intelligence wasn't strictly higher—the disparity was vast. Furthermore, their control over themselves and understanding of the world's essence far surpassed that of low-level cultivators. Moreover, high-level cultivators enjoyed extended lifespans, granting them ample time to study esoteric arts. Low-level cultivators had limited time and often missed the optimal age or physical condition for cultivation if they hesitated.

Thus, for low-level cultivators, dedicating too much time to ancillary arts was a waste of life; specializing in one field to gather resources was advisable, but delving too broadly was self-destructive. For high-level cultivators, however, studying and comprehending these peripheral arts aided in verifying the principles of the main cultivation path and techniques. In just a few months of study, Lei Dong not only saw his knowledge in these supplementary skills advance significantly but also gained many insights into his primary cultivation and techniques, leading to a more comprehensive and profound understanding.

Just as Lei Dong neared Xiao You’s location, feeling the connection strengthen, yet unable to summon her through the blood sacrifice even as he tried repeatedly...

Xiao You found herself in the most perilous moment of her existence.

They were now an unknown distance from the Styx, in a secluded corner of the Nine Nether Abyss world. Unlike many abyssal voids, this region was densely packed with countless floating mountains, large and small, resembling scattered stars in the sky. Occasionally, two floating mountains would collide, causing violent spatial tremors that sent dust billowing everywhere.

On one ordinary suspended mountain, several hundred feet in diameter, dense black mist swirled, within which twelve tottering flags could be faintly discerned, revolving slowly. The flag formation was heavy with black vapor, obscuring clear vision, though one could vaguely perceive the fleeting, indistinct shadows of monstrous entities circling restlessly.

Outside the formation lay a dark-patterned fierce tiger, its body fifty to sixty feet long. The most peculiar thing was that the tiger’s form flickered in and out of visibility, as if it were a spectral entity. Any knowledgeable observer would have whispered that this beast was one of the rare Nether-type demonic beasts specific to the Nine Nether, a Nether Ghost Tiger.

The Nether Ghost Tiger, despite its peculiar appearance, inherited a rich lineage from the divine beast White Tiger, being a distant relative of the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger. In terms of pure bloodline purity, it stood a notch higher. Lei Dong’s beloved pet, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, was limited by its bloodline such that reaching the Core Formation stage was normally its absolute peak, with only a minuscule fraction managing to advance to the Nascent Soul level.

However, once a Nether Ghost Tiger matured, advancing to Nascent Soul was relatively easy; only the Soul Transformation level presented a major bottleneck. This particular Nether Ghost Tiger was exceptionally massive, possessing an imposing and majestic aura while lying coiled, exuding an unmistakable kingly presence. It was clearly an exceedingly rare Soul Transformation level Nether Ghost Tiger King.

Nether Ghost Tigers were already rare beasts, and a Soul Transformation level King was scarce to the extreme. Even within the perilous Nine Nether Abyss, such a creature would undoubtedly be a reigning overlord. For unknown reasons, it remained coiled here, its gaze fixed upon the Nether Black Evil Formation with fierce animosity.

Xiao You and her entourage were naturally inside the Nether Black Evil Formation. After more than a decade, Xiao You still retained the appearance of a delicate, sweet-looking girl in a green dress, but her expression suggested deep exhaustion; clearly, her recent times had been difficult. Surrounding her were not only five peak Ghost Kings but also four Nether Phoenixes. The aura she herself emitted had reached the pinnacle of the Ghost King stage, indicating that despite suffering hardships, she must have experienced some fortunate encounters.

Besides this group, also lying within the Nether Black Evil Formation was a flying dragon the size of a small mountain—undoubtedly Lei Long, Lei Dong’s sworn brother. Perhaps gravely injured, Lei Long lay weakly upon a stone, appearing on the verge of breathlessness.

For some reason, while Lei Dong could sense Xiao You’s direction, Xiao You could not sense her master, Lei Dong. Unaware that Lei Dong was rapidly approaching, her face showed weakness and fatigue. "Esteemed sirs, I apologize. I have done my utmost. The Nether Black Evil Formation was already damaged from the battle with the Insect Emperor; my true essence can only sustain it for three more days at most."

"Princess, while you still have strength, we will hold off this Nether Ghost Tiger King for you. You must flee immediately," a loyal Ghost King guard stated. "Do not hesitate any longer. You are the future hope of our Ghost Clan; we give our lives without complaint to protect you."

"Nether Princess, thank you for saving us," the several Nascent Soul level Nether Phoenixes, who had assumed human form, also spoke up. "Please leave quickly; we and your Ghost Clan guards will help hold back the Ghost Tiger King. We only hope that if you ascend to the Ghost Clan throne, you will grant our Nether Phoenix Clan some aid."

"Do not speak of such things again," Xiao You declared, shaking her head with absolute resolve. "As the Ghost Clan Princess, I, Xiao You, can never abandon my guards and allies to escape alone. Otherwise, how could I face my Imperial Father? What face would I have to inherit the Ghost Clan legacy? Alas, perhaps this is fate. Rather than wait until my true essence is depleted and I am killed humiliatingly by this Ghost Tiger King, let us use the last vestiges of our strength to fight it. Even if we only injure it slightly, we must make it know that we are not easily provoked."

"Aooooow~"

Lei Long seemed to agree profoundly. It struggled to lift its head and let out a roar like a dragon’s bellow, its eyes shining with immense pride. The Flying Dragon had once been a powerful life form dominating the great lands; even in death, it would be a warrior’s death, never a humiliating one.

"Kill!"

Xiao You dismantled the precarious Nether Black Evil Formation and took the lead, her form dissolving into faint smoke as she sped toward the Ghost Tiger King. Those behind followed suit, preparing to fight the Ghost Tiger King to the death.

Unexpectedly, the Ghost Tiger King was supremely arrogant. A cold sneer touched its face; it did not even bother to rise, merely flicking a tiger claw out in a sweeping blow. This Ghost Tiger King possessed immense power; its single strike conjured countless overlapping shadows of tiger claws, truly possessing extraordinary might.

..., (To be continued)