Even Lei Dong, a man of considerable experience, was taken aback by the scene his senses perceived from dozens of miles away. Though Lei Dong had not yet reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, the intensity of his divine sense already surpassed that of an ordinary early-stage Soul Transformation cultivator, second only to the mid-stage.

Focusing his divine sense toward the distant scene, what unfolded before him, rendered with minute clarity as if he were witnessing it firsthand, was utterly astonishing. Two extremely battered women were fleeing desperately, their wings beating furiously, covering dozens of zhang in the blink of an eye, like bolts of lightning. Chasing them was a horde clad in grey-black armor—tall, robust, and fiercely visaged Abyss Demons, riding on Blood Kites armored with metallic scales and covered in sharp spines.

The Abyss Demon leading the pack was exceptionally built, his armor a magnificent, inky black. His aura was profound, exuding a powerfully oppressive presence, clearly marking him as no ordinary foe. As he pursued, he sneered, "Two little beauties, you can't escape! Surrender obediently now, let Bai Luo dote on you properly. I promise, once you’ve tasted me once, you’ll never be able to leave me."

Lei Dong’s divine sense had reached a remarkably fine and penetrating degree. Especially when concentrated on a specific scene, all fluctuations and reactions would transform into sensory information, presenting themselves perfectly and faithfully within his mind at the speed of perception.

With cultivation and strength at Lei Dong’s level, the difference from mortals was already immense, and the marvelous uses of divine sense were inexhaustible.

Bai Luo? Lei Dong frowned slightly. He had long ago memorized all available intelligence regarding the Abyss Domain, and its overt powerhouses were familiar names. This Abyss Demon, Bai Luo, was also well-known to him—a somewhat capable expert, though he was originally a powerful Great Lord within the Abyss Domain. Yet, for some reason, he was now commanding such a formidable Blood Kite Legion?

What truly surprised Lei Dong was not Bai Luo or the Blood Kite Legion. It was the fact that these were members of two races that logically should never be together. The Succubus race was highly peculiar; their exterior closely resembled that of human females, with enchanting and alluring figures, but they possessed a pair of short, broad, membranous wings on their backs.

They also had a notoriously terrible reputation, being inherently licentious and surviving by pleasing powerful male vassals. Within their own race, males held a position so low it was almost unimaginable, and they were scarce, existing purely as tools for reproduction. This led the vast majority to believe the Succubus race consisted only of females.

The Aether Wing race, however, both male and female, possessed incredibly proud dispositions and were, to some degree, afflicted with spiritual cleanliness. Theoretically, a proud and fastidious race like the Aether Wings should be utterly disgusted by the cunning, filthy, and promiscuous races of the Abyss, especially the Succubi. Female Aether Wings typically held extreme revulsion for them. The reason was simple: aside from their wings, they shared a high degree of physical similarity, and the Succubi were notoriously born lewd.

What caused Lei Dong to rub his eyes in disbelief was that the Succubus's wing seemed injured, making flight difficult. And the female Aether Wing, who was herself nearly depleted of energy, resolutely turned back, supported the Succubus, and then struggled to flee with greater effort.

A situation where escape was difficult even when alone had now become a desperate plight with an injured burden slowing them down. The pursuing Bai Luo relentlessly directed a string of evil, sinister laughter into her ears.

Both parties were powerful; covering dozens of li while one chased and the other fled, they rapidly closed the distance. Lei Dong’s several flying vessels, though stationary in the air, had drawn attention. These vessels, clearly not in the style of the Abyss Domain and appearing quite formidable, had attracted the notice of the Aether Wing woman. She was dragging her Succubus companion, desperately flying toward them, clearly hoping to try their luck with any benevolent souls. After all, that was infinitely better than falling into the hands of that sinister and wicked Abyss Demon.

Lei Dong’s direct military force, the Hidden Dragon Army, bolstered by Lei Dong’s abundant resources and the support of the Grotto-Heavens, had now formed an army of considerable combat strength. The earliest cohort had undergone at least two and a half cycles of Grotto-Heaven cultivation, meaning the first members had cultivated in seclusion for 250 years, in addition to their training outside the Grotto-Heavens. Many others had also undergone over two centuries of cultivation and tempering. The third batch was still the nascent force.

This ensured that the current Hidden Dragon Army was no longer to be trifled with. The few with the best aptitude had already reached the mid-stage, even high-stage, of the Nascent Soul realm. A significant number, supported by rich resources, had broken through to the early Nascent Soul stage.

Through repeated expansions, the Hidden Dragon Army now numbered over five thousand. At the base in the Great Desolation, reserve forces were continuously being trained. But among these current five thousand regular troops, those at the Nascent Soul level already exceeded three hundred; the rest were at the minimum of the mid-stage Golden Core, with the vast majority being high-stage Golden Core.

Following the dramatic rise in Lei Dong's status within the Yin Sha Sect, the threat and restraint the sect could impose on him had almost vanished. The Netherworld Grand Technique, originally a Yin Sha Sect inheritance skill, which Lei Dong had initially taught to the Hidden Dragon Army secretly, was now openly practiced.

Even the Netherworld Demon Venerable, if he saw it, could only remark, "Little Lei, your private army is shaping up nicely," and dare not accuse Lei Dong of teaching sect arts to outsiders. Of course, Lei Dong was not one to act rashly or without regard for rules. Although the Hidden Dragon Army was his private force, it was nominally registered within the Yin Sha Sect, its members technically disciples of the sect.

Consequently, the Netherworld Grand Technique had become a mandatory skill for nearly every member of the Hidden Dragon Army, as had the Ghost Controlling Art. The reason was simple: Lei Dong possessed a heaven-defying treasure capable of mass-producing top-grade Spirit Ghosts; how could he not use it for the army utterly loyal and devoted to him?

Every Hidden Dragon Army member had undergone Lei Dong’s personal training since childhood and was raised through continuous indoctrination—a purely military style of cultivation. This made the members of the Hidden Dragon Army fundamentally different from normal cultivators.

They were soldiers, pure and simple. They lacked the messy eccentricities of traditional cultivators. They obeyed orders instantly; their hearts held fervor, loyalty, ideals, and vengeance. Wherever Lei Dong’s sword pointed, they would follow without hesitation.

On this occasion, acting as Lei Dong’s personal guard contingent were three hundred Nascent Soul level experts drawn from the Hidden Dragon Army. These were usually the army’s generals, commanders, and core figures. But to provide a show of force, Lei Dong pulled them out to temporarily form the Personal Guard Brigade.

If a fierce battle erupted, Lei Dong could quickly pull the main force of the Hidden Dragon Army from the Grotto-Heavens, and integrating these core members would instantly form a powerful army.

Thus, when three hundred Hidden Dragon guards, exuding a chilling, murderous aura, stood with their hands clasped behind their backs beneath their stark black armor before Lei Dong’s flying vessel, the opposing Blood Kite Legion, numbering over a thousand, also hesitated to act rashly. Bai Luo shouted from a distance, "You are allied human forces from the Nine Provinces, I presume? I am General Bai Luo, serving under the Abyss Lord. I am pursuing two female fugitives from our domain. I ask for your assistance in intercepting them."

"Brother, those two sisters look so pitiful. Please save them," Little You tugged at Lei Dong's sleeve, pleading via sound transmission. Although she possessed the strength of an early-stage Ghost Emperor, mentally she still considered herself Lei Dong's sweet little maid. She dared not save anyone without his consent, even the little birds she rescued earlier required his approval.

"Hmm," Lei Dong nodded, then commanded coldly, "Move out. Capture those two women."

"Yes!" A subordinate, possessing the strength of a high-stage Nascent Soul expert and serving as the Hidden Dragon Army's Deputy Commander, roared in affirmation. He then led the three hundred Nascent Soul personal guards, with savage expressions, toward the two women who were clearly at their limit.

Because Lei Dong had long anticipated that the Hidden Dragon Army would often need to face super-experts on future battlefields, over their "several centuries" of training, the army possessed a full array of tactics for dealing with powerful individuals—at least seven or eight sets of battle formations and capture methods. Simply put, the Hidden Dragon Army were not street ruffians or loosely disciplined cultivators who acted independently. They were an army, and they were soldiers. While soldiers valued individual strength, they valued coordination even more.

These men did not simply rush forward haphazardly; they sealed off every possible avenue of escape. Hundreds of them activated the Netherworld Grand Technique simultaneously, filling the sky with Ghost Qi of the utmost density.

At the same time, it seemed as if each soldier condensed all their Netherworld Ghost Qi into a single rope. Interlaced and combined by the three hundred men, they formed a massive black net. As the giant net tightened, the Aether Wing woman attempted a desperate burst of resistance, but unfortunately, an overwhelmingly powerful wave of divine sense locked the two of them firmly in place, rendering them utterly immobile.

Divine Sense Linkage, also known as Mental Linkage, involved linking and condensing the divine senses of all three hundred Hidden Dragon soldiers into one unified force, creating a terrifyingly potent mental strength.