The Netherworld Demon Venerable was, in truth, a rather mysterious figure within the Yin Sha Sect, occupying a position akin to the status of the Ageless Demon Venerable within the Yin Yang Harmony Sect—a true pillar of support. Not only was his cultivation profound, but his seniority and age were also unquestionable. However, it had been an indeterminate length of time since he had appeared in any formal or private gathering. The Netherworld Demon Venerable had remained in seclusion, striving to achieve that incredibly difficult path toward the Spirit Transformation stage.

To Lei Dong, the Netherworld Demon Venerable was simultaneously familiar and strange. Familiarity stemmed from knowing his name; strangeness arose because Lei Dong had never actually seen him. Generally, the duties of representing the Yin Sha Sect in various affairs fell to the Yin Sha Demon Venerable.

Just as Lei Dong was sizing him up, the Netherworld Demon Venerable seemed to sense something. He turned his head, glancing fleetingly toward the cloud layer where Lei Dong was concealed. Suddenly, the immense pressure emanating from him surged skyward, engulfing the heavens. Simultaneously, he sneered, “Which Daoist friend dares to spy upon my Yin Sha Sect? Reveal yourself at once, or do not blame me for showing no mercy.”

Lei Dong’s pupils constricted instantly as he fixed his gaze upon the Netherworld Demon Venerable. The aura radiating from him was profoundly deep and unfathomable, like a vast, boundless ocean.

A Spirit Transformation stage expert.

That was Lei Dong’s immediate assessment. Although he hadn't fully unleashed his own formidable aura, Lei Dong had encountered numerous beings at the Spirit Transformation level. He could certainly distinguish clearly between a true Spirit Transformation expert and one merely at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

While Lei Dong was indeed puzzled as to when the Netherworld Demon Venerable had broken through the bottleneck to achieve Spirit Transformation, to avoid conflict, he manifested himself from the clouds immediately. Utilizing the power of Spatial Laws, his figure flickered, arriving at a safe distance of a few hundred zhang from the assembled group. He cupped his hands in a distant salute. “Disciple Lei Dong pays respects to the Netherworld Demon Venerable.”

“Buzz~”

A murmur swept through the crowd. Some recognized Lei Dong; others had never seen him. But that did not prevent Lei Dong’s name from being widely circulated among the Supreme Elders. Furthermore, Lei Dong not only possessed exceptional strength but also an incredibly powerful backing, maintaining deep ties with the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld Ghost Domain.

In the battle against the Three Great Evil Sects, he had not only shouldered a major part of the offensive but had also incidentally annihilated Xuan Yuanzi of the Taiyi Sect. Now, even though Lei Dong was currently traveling on behalf of the Heavenly Demon, within the sect’s internal structure, the members of the Yin Sha Sect had long since listed Lei Dong among the ranks of the Supreme Elders.

It was simply that, with the Netherworld Demon Venerable present, no one dared to speak first.

On the gaunt, rigid face of the Netherworld Demon Venerable, a look of pleasure and appreciation suddenly appeared. “So, you have returned. I had thought an enemy was spying on our sect. Your Breath Concealment Art is truly miraculous. If your aura hadn't become slightly unstable earlier, I might not have detected you. As for your mastery of Spatial Laws—heh, we’ll discuss that later. Attend to your business first, and when you are done, we shall converse.” Although the Netherworld Demon Venerable had been in seclusion, it didn't mean he was unaware of the many major events unfolding within the sect, especially Lei Dong’s name, which truly resonated like thunder in his ears.

Lei Dong acknowledged him, then shifted his body like a phantom, instantly appearing before the Myriad Ghost Demon Venerable. He knelt down with profound respect, his voice slightly choked, “Your unfilial disciple, Lei Dong, greets Master.”

On the aged face of the Myriad Ghost Demon Venerable, excitement also flared intensely. He hurried forward to personally help Lei Dong up, examining him from head to toe. “Good, good, it’s good that you’ve returned. Your journey to the Daqian Continent must have been taxing. Tell me, did you encounter any dangers?” In truth, Lei Dong’s trip was supposed to take only five or six years. Who knew that this venture to the Daqian Continent would stretch into more than a decade? It was bound to cause great concern.

“Reporting to Master, although the journey was not entirely smooth, the matter was resolved perfectly.” The Myriad Ghost Demon Venerable certainly knew the purpose of his disciple’s trip to the Daqian Continent. Hearing this, he became somewhat agitated. “You say it was perfectly resolved? Could it be that…” But halfway through his words, he forcibly swallowed them back, letting out a soft laugh. “It’s all my fault for being old and senile. Now is not the time for reminiscing. Hurry and speak with Wan Yan first.”

Seeing Lei Dong return safely, a significant portion of the anxiety weighing on Myriad Ghost’s spirit lifted. If one were to name the proudest moments of his life, it wasn't finding a supreme spirit ghost at the fifth layer of artifact refining, nor achieving the Nascent Soul stage. It was, most fortunately, having taken on several outstanding disciples. Especially Lei Dong and Wan Yan, both exceptionally talented. However, even as the Myriad Ghost Demon Venerable felt immense pride, he also felt enormous pressure. After all, having a lower cultivation than one's disciple was truly an awkward situation.

Lei Dong had long since directed his attention toward Wan Yan, but both etiquette and filial piety demanded he greet his master first. Upon receiving the Myriad Ghost Demon Venerable’s directive, Lei Dong finally turned his head and gazed deeply at his wife, whom he had been separated from for so long. For years, she had maintained that same gentle and captivating appearance, though compared to their early days, she had transformed from an innocent young girl into a tender, young matron.

Seeing the profound, starlit warmth and yearning in Ding Wan Yan’s eyes, Lei Dong stepped through the air, ignoring the charged atmosphere. He pulled her deeply into his embrace, his voice low as he spoke, “Senior Sister, it is my fault. These past years, I have been rushing about elsewhere, neglecting you.”

“Husband, we are both cultivators; many things are beyond our control,” Ding Wan Yan replied, a happy and gentle smile gracing her face. “Your travels were for the sake of righteousness and sentiment; how could Wan Yan possibly blame you? Wan Yan seeks nothing else; only your safe return is the greatest affection you can bestow upon me.”

Qi Fei Fei shot Lei Dong a rather resentful glance, but she refrained from saying much.

However, Dongfang Fu, who was equally outstanding, turned her head with a blush after hearing the exchange, letting out a soft scoff. “Lei Dong, Ding Wan Yan, can you two be any less sickeningly sweet? There are so many people here—aren’t you ashamed?”

“Jie jie, we don’t mind. Just treat the rest of us as invisible,” the Yin Sha Demon Venerable, who had always managed the sect’s major affairs, chuckled sinisterly. “Dongfang, are you perhaps envious of Wan Yan’s happiness? Since you Yin Sha Duo are like sisters, why not emulate Empress Ehuang and Empress Nüying and share one husband?” The Yin Sha Demon Venerable had also taken Ding Wan Yan as a disciple in the past, teaching her many highly specialized Yin Sha Divine Techniques, thus naturally feeling entitled to claim Wan Yan as ‘theirs.’

This remark caused Dongfang Fu’s cheeks to burn crimson, and she glared back indignantly. “Elder Yin Sha, must you lose all pretense of your age?”

The Yin Sha Demon Venerable, feeling playful, was about to deliver another jest when the Blood Demon, who had remained silent, had no choice but to cough. “Ahem, Elder Yin Sha, can we discuss this later? What was the situation that prompted the emergency alarm earlier?” Others might not know, but the Blood Demon was fully aware of the relationship between the Heavenly Demon and Lei Dong. If Dongfang Fu were drawn into the conversation, the whole matter might become messy.

The Blood Demon’s interjection immediately drew everyone’s attention back. Lei Dong’s sudden return had almost made everyone forget they had assembled because of an alarm.

The Yin Sha Demon Venerable instantly recalled the matter and hastily reported, “While I was handling sect trifles in the hall just now, the Silver Dragon on Evil Dragon Ridge sent an alarm message, reporting that a Demon Beast at the Spirit Transformation level had trespassed onto its territory.”

The faces of everyone present immediately turned grave. The words ‘Spirit Transformation Demon Beast’ carried considerable weight. Although Evil Dragon Ridge had been temporarily assigned to that Silver Dragon for residence, geographically and nominally, it belonged to the Yin Sha Sect, and it was not far from the headquarters.

This statement could be directly interpreted as: a Demon Beast at the Spirit Transformation level had appeared on Yin Sha Sect territory.

This was undeniably a monumental issue. A single Spirit Transformation Demon Beast could easily stir up chaos throughout the Yin Sha Sect’s domain.

“If that is the case, Elder Yin Sha, why aren't you swiftly assembling the Golden Core disciples of the sect into an army to surround Evil Dragon Ridge? I shall proceed first to engage that Spirit Transformation Demon Beast.” The Netherworld Demon Venerable was also startled. With such a massive event occurring, the Yin Sha Demon Venerable still had the leisure for jokes?

The reason for gathering the lower-level disciples into an army stemmed from the Netherworld Demon Venerable’s own lack of absolute confidence in his power. Although he had entered the Spirit Transformation level due to extreme pressure and remarkable luck, he had only achieved this breakthrough very recently. Faced with a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, there would be no debate; he could crush them with one hand. However, rushing to confront a Demon Beast of the same rank required careful consideration. Rather than risk it, it was better to rely on overwhelming numbers to bully the weak.

His calculation was reasonable enough: with more than ten Supreme Elders at the Nascent Soul stage, scores or hundreds of Golden Core cultivators, plus himself—a newly ascended peak Spirit Transformation master—they could completely suppress the beast, provided it was not mid-stage Spirit Transformation.

If it truly were mid-stage Spirit Transformation, they would simply have to accept their bad luck. But the probability of that was exceedingly small. How many peak experts were there in the world in total? How many mid-stage Spirit Transformation beings were there? A mere handful. The Netherworld Demon Venerable had never even heard of a mid-stage Spirit Transformation Demon Beast.

Just as the Yin Sha Demon Venerable was about to continue issuing orders to gather the disciples, Lei Dong frowned and intervened, “Elder Yin Sha, please wait a moment while this junior confirms the situation.”

Lei Dong’s immense divine sense immediately swept out, accompanied by sharp shrieks as it violently pierced the sky, soaring into the clouds.

The Yin Sha Demon Venerable was stunned; all those unfamiliar with Lei Dong were equally astounded. Lei Dong’s divine sense was powerful to the point of suffocation. Even the Netherworld Demon Venerable’s coffin-like face registered a look of utter astonishment. Given Lei Dong’s cultivation, how could his divine sense be this potent? It was only slightly inferior to his own.

“Hiss, hiss~” A sharper fluctuation of divine sense followed Lei Dong’s wave, transmitted back.

As expected, Lei Dong let out a wry smile and shook his head. “Elders, I fear this is a misunderstanding. That Spirit Transformation Demon Beast is a Spirit Transformation level Netherworld Profound Serpent. It is not an enemy of our sect, but rather an ally I borrowed from Evil Phoenix.”

“What?”