"Huh?" Lei Dong was even more puzzled. With a casual wave of his hand, he dispelled the Nether Ghost Claws dancing in mid-air. He then clasped his hands behind his back, fixing his cold gaze on the figure. Standing there was a girl resembling a maiden of sixteen or seventeen, radiating an air of pure, innocent loveliness, yet unintentionally, she exuded a startling power of enchantment. But this enchanting quality wasn't something she deliberately displayed; it seemed innate.

Cultivators possess excellent memories; even if not naturally gifted, their recall becomes astonishing with continuous evolution. Things like perfect memory are trivial matters. Yet, Lei Dong couldn't recall where he had seen this woman, though she felt strangely familiar.

Fortunately, the girl did not provoke Lei Dong's anger. Instead, she gracefully flew forward, kneeling and bowing elegantly: "Linghu Qianqian pays her respects to Brother Lei. Hello, Brother Lei, you are truly formidable. It hasn't even been two hundred years since we last parted, and you've already ascended to the Deity Transformation stage. That strike just now truly terrified Qianqian." Linghu Qianqian maintained an expression of lingering fright and vulnerable appeal.

"Linghu Qianqian?" Lei Dong remained unmoved by her beauty, although he admitted that this girl, who embodied both greenness and allure, might be the most charming woman he had ever encountered. He frowned slightly in thought; Linghu? Spirit Fox...

"So it is you, you little Three-Tailed Spirit Fox." Lei Dong suddenly understood, letting down his guard. He looked at her faintly: "You've cultivated quite fast; you're already at the mid-stage of Nascent Soul, aren't you?" Lei Dong observed her aura, confirming the mid-stage Nascent Soul presence. However, Lei Dong was somewhat surprised that this little fox had achieved physical transformation at the Nascent Soul stage; her bloodline seemed extraordinarily noble.

It was known that only those from top-tier Divine Beast lineages, or those with diluted collateral bloodlines, might be able to transform during the Nascent Soul stage.

Of course, transformation at the Nascent Soul level wasn't unheard of. In the Nether Ghost Realm, even the Nether Phoenix and Demon Dragon clans each boasted tens of thousands of beings with such bloodlines. They were the direct descendants with the richest Divine Beast lineage.

"That’s wonderful. Brother Lei, you actually didn't forget me." The little Spirit Fox laughed joyfully, innocently and livelily twisting her delicate hips, puffing her backside out to manifest five fluffy red fox tails. They swayed back and forth, as if proudly showing off: "But Brother, I'm no longer just a Three-Tailed Spirit Fox; I now have five tails. You should call me Five-Tailed Spirit Fox now." She didn't seem to realize how alluring this gesture was.

Perhaps it was precisely this purely natural movement, untainted by any charm techniques, that stirred an unusual feeling within Lei Dong. But he was more astonished. While Three-Tailed Spirit Foxes were rare, some could still be found in the world. However, to sprout two more tails after reaching the Nascent Soul stage was extremely rare.

Could this once pitiful little Three-Tailed Spirit Fox actually be the legendary...? Ah, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox? Of course, the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox was historically a descendant of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox bloodline. However, such a thin bloodline would almost never allow a Three-Tailed Spirit Fox to advance to the level of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. And even if by sheer fortune one cultivated to the Nascent Soul level, sprouting two extra tails was unheard of. Furthermore, the vast majority of Three-Tailed Spirit Foxes remained only at the Golden Core stage their entire lives.

But this little fox was clearly an exception. Moreover, Lei Dong's previous strike had contained significant Spatial Laws; in his estimation, even a high-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to evade it in such haste. Yet, this little fox had dodged it perfectly.

Could it be that the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox bloodline within this little fox was exceptionally dense? Did she truly have a chance to ascend to the level of a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox in this lifetime? It was important to remember that Nine-Tailed Celestial Foxes were extraordinary beings, fully capable of reaching the Body Integration stage.

The cultivation of demonic beasts differs from humans; demonic beasts rely heavily on their bloodline for advancement. If the bloodline is rich, progression is easy. But if the bloodline is insufficient, it becomes an insurmountable chasm, no matter how hard they try to cross it.

Lei Dong's Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, now Lei Hu, was a living example. If Lei Dong hadn't performed heaven-defying means to improve its bloodline, followed by using the incomparably precious Primordial Chaos Essence to purify its blood and enhance its aptitude, it would have struggled to break through to its current Deity Transformation strength even if it lived to death.

But Lei Long was different. Lei Long was an ancient Lesser Divine Beast with an extremely pure bloodline; his innate aptitude could support him to cultivate normally up to the Void Refinement stage, and with ample resources, reaching the peak of the high-stage Void Refinement was not out of the question.

Admittedly, even for Divine Beasts, the leap from Deity Transformation to Void Refinement was a massive barrier, and Void Refinement was the endpoint for the majority of Divine Beasts. Unless there was a unique convergence of fortune and colossal resource support, even Divine Beasts found it difficult to breach Void Refinement and advance to Body Integration.

And the Body Integration stage was precisely the pinnacle of power just below Supremacy. How could such a level be easily attained? Consequently, even if this Spirit Fox possessed an exceptionally rich bloodline—a completely pure Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox lineage—and was supplied with abundant Primordial Chaos Spiritual Qi, her lifetime achievement would basically cap at the Void Refinement stage, similar to Lei Long.

It was no wonder that when this little fox had the fortune to enter the Demonic Emperor Palace, she was able to form a beneficial bond with Lei Long. Clearly, the young and naïve Lei Long had already sensed the unusual quality of this little fox’s bloodline.

Despite his inner stirrings, Lei Dong could not simply accept every Divine Beast he encountered. He waved his hand and said with a slight smile: "Mm, I see. A Five-Tailed Spirit Fox now. Since you are fine, you should withdraw. I have matters to attend to in the Demonic Emperor Palace."

"Brother, I want to be your War Pet." Linghu Qianqian quickly spoke up as Lei Dong prepared to leave, her eyes blinking rapidly, staring pitifully at him.

"Uh." Even having lived this long, Lei Dong had never encountered a demonic beast voluntarily offering itself as a War Pet. He stared at the little fox with utter surprise: "Hey, hey, do you know what a War Pet is? Do you know that War Pets require the Blood Sacrifice Art to merge bloodlines? At that point, your life and death will be completely controlled by me."

"I know, I asked someone," Linghu Qianqian replied with an expression of innocent cuteness. "I wanted to be your War Pet back then, but you refused and let me go. It was truly so disappointing." As Linghu Qianqian spoke, her brows indeed adopted a pitiful appearance, resembling a lost kitten.

Lei Dong felt a black line forming on his forehead. Back then, how could he rashly choose a random demonic beast to sacrifice and turn into a War Pet? Capturing demonic beasts for this purpose carried many taboos. Most people would never choose an adult demonic beast as a pet, as it implied enormous risk of backlash. Especially during the most critical junctures, if the pet held resentment and suddenly revolted out of ambition, the consequences would be dire.

Adult demonic beasts were extremely difficult to tame and suppress. This was why people usually chose beasts that hadn't even opened their eyes for taming. War Pets cultivated under such circumstances were not only spiritually connected to their masters but also possessed extremely high loyalty, usually achieving devotion unto death.

Of course, that applied to ordinary people. The current Lei Dong was no longer ordinary. Due to absolute strength and various benefits, it would be generally hard for the reasonably intelligent Linghu Qianqian to betray him. Furthermore, emotional bonds were things that could be cultivated.

"Have you thought this through?" Lei Dong asked with serious gravity. "You also know that once you become my War Pet, betrayal is impossible, or I will personally kill you. Also, there is one thing I must understand: why must you become my War Pet?"

"Brother, I will never betray you. I want to be your War Pet because back then, you could have killed me and taken my inner core. My fate was entirely in your hands, to be shaped as you wished," Linghu Qianqian said, blinking her extremely alluring eyes. "But, Brother, you kept your promise, ignored that old fiend's instigation, and insisted on letting me go. Therefore, I trust that even as your War Pet, Brother, you will never betray Qianqian in this lifetime. Brother, I have actually been searching for you for many years, but I could never find you. So, I could only frequently come to the entrance of this Divine Temple, hoping to run into you by chance. I've been here many times; this is the first time I've met you."

Lei Dong suddenly understood. It turned out that his keeping his promise, refusing to take her as his War Pet, and not coveting her inner core by letting her go, had earned him the little fox's gratitude. Perhaps she trusted him deeply, leading her to eagerly seek to become his War Pet. Of course, Lei Dong was more inclined to believe that this little fox was somewhat cunning; while much of what she said was true, the decision to become his War Pet was definitely spurred by seeing his terrifying Deity Transformation level strength.

Otherwise, imagine the scenario. The little fox finally waited for him here, only to find that he was just a Golden Core stage little cultivator, someone she could easily swat dead with one palm. While she might offer repayment for a favor, begging so earnestly to be taken as a War Pet would have been impossible.

In the world of demonic beasts, the law of the jungle is far more naked. It was entirely reasonable for the little fox, seeing how powerful he was, to seek a safe and reliable backer.

Lei Dong pondered briefly, then said: "Fine, I will accept you, but I will not use Blood Sacrifice with you. Nor will you be my War Pet; you will be my subordinate. From today onward, you can receive my protection, but you must absolutely not disobey my commands. Otherwise, I will personally execute you."

"Brother, this is wonderful!" Linghu Qianqian exclaimed happily, flying over and intimately linking her arm through Lei Dong's. She chirped sweetly and flirtatiously, "Qianqian pays respects to Master."

Lei Dong was speechless. This little fox really called him 'Brother' and 'Master' interchangeably? What kind of strange behavior was this? However, her talent was likely good; if cultivated properly, she would become a capable general.

……(To be continued)RQ