To Li Chuchu’s eyes, Lei Dong, disguised as Gongsun Dong, had always been a humble, polite, and gentle gentleman. Hearing him now seemingly incandescent with rage, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and she subconsciously reined in her divine sense. However, Zhao Wu was not intimidated by Lei Dong; far from reducing his psychic assault, he condensed his divine sense even more fiercely into an invisible sword, stabbing viciously toward Li Chuchu.

For cultivators, battles between divine senses were often perilous. Injuries to the body, even those damaging meridians or the dantian, could be healed. But damage to the soul was frequently difficult to mend. And if the soul suffered a severe blow, the recovery difficulty would multiply, potentially causing a cultivator’s progress to stagnate for a long time.

The two shared no deep-seated enmity; theoretically, they even held the bond of fellow disciples. Zhao Wu’s reckless behavior truly managed to provoke Lei Dong. If he didn't intervene, his own angry rebuke might harm Li Chuchu. In an instant, his figure shifted, his bearing ethereal as he blocked Li Chuchu like a phantom, his divine sense coalescing into a substantial longsword, engaging with Zhao Wu's in combat. Of course, even now, Lei Dong acted with extreme caution. The divine sense he displayed was merely his current, normal operational level. After all, there was a Golden Core steward nearby, and hidden away, a Nascent Soul powerhouse. Should he reveal even a sliver of his true capability, the cunning old demon would surely notice. If that happened, the only viable option would be immediate flight.

But if he fled, all the hardship and forbearance of these past years would turn to dust. Lacking the Deity Transformation stage puppet, the difficulty of the mission to the Bright Sanctuary would increase exponentially. If he failed to secure the Water of Life, it would directly endanger the Heavenly Demon’s existence. Such severe consequences were unacceptable and unaffordable for Lei Dong, leaving no room for anything less than meticulous vigilance.

Lei Dong himself was a Nascent Soul level powerhouse, and among them, a truly terrifying existence. Even without deploying his full divine sense sweep, the acuity of his perception far surpassed that of ordinary individuals. He "observed" the leading Golden Core steward, who had initially moved to resolve this absurd dispute, suddenly halt his actions, seemingly upon receiving some unspoken instruction. Without any apparent hesitation, the steward settled in to watch the spectacle unfold.

Lei Dong saw clearly in his heart that the only one capable of issuing such a directive was likely the Nascent Soul demon guarding the secret chamber. His guard immediately heightened; he dared not employ divine sense power exceeding his current manifested realm, responding to Zhao Wu steadily and conservatively. To outside observers, Zhao Wu’s divine sense, befitting a top contender in the championship contest, was nimble and filled with relentless sharpness, as if capable of cleaving through any obstacle before it.

In contrast, "Gongsun Dong" seemed significantly inferior, wielding his divine sense in a rigid, by-the-book manner, utterly lacking any distinctive flair. He was almost constantly suppressed by Zhao Wu.

Yet, in the eyes of the Nascent Soul powerhouse and Li Chuchu, the situation was entirely different. For the old demon, witnessing the clash of divine senses between Li Chuchu and Zhao Wu had brought a surge of pleasant surprise; he felt that the Myriad Puppet Sect had produced two exceptionally gifted new disciples this time. The Myriad Puppet Sect, renowned for its puppetry, required more than just the simple crafting of puppets. To unleash a puppet’s maximum power, or to control stronger ones, one’s divine sense had to be superior to that of other cultivators. This meant that most affiliated with the Myriad Puppet Sect possessed weaker divine senses.

But with Lei Dong’s intervention, even the old demon felt astonishment. Though the technique used by the young man called Gongsun Dong was simple, archaic, and defensively passive in the divine sense confrontation, his mental energy was inexplicably stable—so stable that even the old demon himself found it remarkable. Furthermore, it carried an aura of great proficiency attained through simplicity, the heavy strength of a massive, unsharpened blade.

This stability led the Nascent Soul demon to faintly sense a unique insight he had long pondered and sought, yet one that remained just beyond his grasp. This discovery filled him with overwhelming elation, prompting him to immediately halt the Golden Core steward’s actions, lest he interrupt this rare moment of profound realization.

Lei Dong’s display did not arouse much suspicion in the Nascent Soul demon. Insight is not exclusively gained from observing those superior to oneself. Perhaps seeing a bird fly, a humble fish swim, a sunrise or sunset, or viewing a painting or listening to music could trigger a sudden spark of understanding. The Nascent Soul demon gaining some novel perception from Lei Dong’s divine sense exchange was his own serendipitous fortune. It would not make him doubt Lei Dong much, only conclude that this young man "Gongsun Dong" possessed a peculiar method for tempering and utilizing his divine sense.

In truth, however, Lei Dong’s insight and strength regarding divine sense were far superior to the old demon’s. With the monstrous level of his current spiritual power, although still slightly inferior to the Deity Transformation stage, it was absolutely comparable to that of peak Nascent Soul experts who had spent their entire lives refining their mental faculties. This was something the Nascent Soul demon could never imagine. After all, Lei Dong employed the Circulating Heaven Breath Concealing Art, a technique derived from some incomparably powerful ancient master; such a miraculous art was exceedingly rare in the current world.

Of course, this did not mean Lei Dong’s divine sense was stronger than the old demon’s, nor that the old demon must have grasped something profound from Lei Dong’s actions. It was merely coincidence. The Nascent Soul demon’s contemplation of spiritual forces had reached a bottleneck; Lei Dong's appearance was merely a catalyst for him, an accidental breakthrough point.

Even so, this was enough to move the Nascent Soul demon deeply. To reach the level of the Nascent Soul realm, achieving even a single breakthrough was incredibly difficult.

In Li Chuchu’s eyes, however, the experience was entirely different. Having almost been caught off guard by Zhao Wu’s sneak attack moments ago, the sudden emergence of Lei Dong at that critical juncture warmed her heart and filled her with absolute security. Lei Dong’s broad back, calmly directing his divine sense against Zhao Wu’s assault—everything about the scene made her feel as if an imposing city wall stood before her, filling her inner world with boundless safety.

Zhao Wu grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. The man facing him felt truly monumental, remaining unmoving despite the insidious and sharp nature of his attacks. Growing more enraged, he quickly formed a hand seal and summoned his highly destructive puppet. He aimed the cannon barrel at Lei Dong and fired a blast. The barrel spat out a dark-red flame, launching a Heavenly Thunder of Yang Evil as the projectile.

The Nascent Soul demon, mostly still immersed in the insight Lei Dong had granted him, reacted with extreme speed upon seeing the situation. A furious roar echoed across the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion, making everyone’s ears tingle and souls tremble. His vast divine sense immediately coalesced into something tangible, surging out to envelop the projectile.

However, at this moment, Lei Dong’s eyes subtly brightened, as if grasping some crucial opportunity.

“Gongsun Dong, watch out!” Li Chuchu, hiding behind Lei Dong and seemingly basking in his protection, suddenly turned pale. She rushed forward, embracing Lei Dong from behind, her movements swift as she simultaneously lashed out with her divine sense like a whip toward the Heavenly Thunder of Yang Evil.

Lei Dong had perfectly timed the opportunity. He immediately feigned a look of utter panic and distress, moving faster than the Nascent Soul cultivator. He combined his divine sense with Li Chuchu’s in a joint attack, violently sweeping and throwing the Heavenly Thunder of Yang Evil to the side. The direction of the throw appeared arbitrary, but it was precisely calculated by Lei Dong. This maneuver was exceedingly difficult to execute: it required concealing his Nascent Soul level divine sense, beating the Nascent Soul old demon to the action, and precisely gauging Li Chuchu’s spiritual power and direction. The entire sequence had to appear like a complete accident.

The plan crystallized in an instant and was executed in the same breath. The second floor of the Scripture Pavilion was not vast, and Lei Dong dared not scan it with his full spiritual might. However, the artifact spirit possessed a unique method for sensing the world. In that short time, it had mapped the entire second-floor environment into Lei Dong’s mind without a single omission.

The entrance to the third floor was similar to the second, secured by another soul-lock. Therefore, theoretically, the possibility of it being opened by the same Nascent Soul demon’s divine sense was low—it defied logic. But how could Lei Dong determine the identity of the master who set the soul-lock? Even a sect like the Yin Evil Sect had nearly ten Nascent Soul experts. And the stronger Myriad Puppet Sect—how many Nascent Souls did they possess? Lei Dong was uncertain, but he was sure it was more than the Yin Evil Sect. This reality presented him with countless complications.

But in that very instant, Zhao Wu committed a colossal blunder; not only summoning his puppet, but also firing a Heavenly Thunder of Yang Evil, a substance considered nearly forbidden. The explosive power of this thing was immense; perhaps even a direct hit might not severely injure a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, this was the Scripture Pavilion, filled with precious ancient texts—how could they withstand an explosion? Under normal circumstances, protective formations might automatically activate. But today, to allow these core disciples to select texts, the various protective formations were clearly deactivated.

Whether the soul-lock could survive the blast, Lei Dong could not be sure.

But the result became clear in the ensuing moment. Amidst an explosion filled with the might of Yang Evil, the door to the third level, secured by a soul-lock, did not sustain complete destruction, but it was blown open with a massive rupture.

“Insolent!” the Nascent Soul cultivator roared in incandescent rage. That fury was clearly not directed at Lei Dong, but at Zhao Wu. His towering rage descended like a colossal pressure crushing down upon the younger disciple.

The Golden Core steward also snapped back to reality, crying out in horror, “Elder Xiao, restrain your hand! He is a junior relative of Elder Zhao.”