The Scorpion-Hearted Beauty (Part I)

A peculiar glint flickered within Yi Kong's eyes. Had it been anyone else, they would have undoubtedly treated him as a mere servant to be commanded at will. Yet, this master...

"The matter of the physical body will naturally require more of Master's assistance."

Yi Kong bowed from a distance and said, "If Master does not wish to break his promise, then please allow Yi Kong to state a few conditions. I hope that after I strike this time, Master will help me find a physical body—one born with a pure light constitution. Furthermore, its aptitude must meet my satisfaction."

"Deal!"

Lei Dong narrowed his eyes slightly. He thought to himself that from this moment on, that Li Yao—who dared to lust after Wan Yan—was as good as dead.

The conditions Yi Kong mentioned were practically non-existent to Lei Dong. Although they hadn't discussed this explicitly before, given Lei Dong's temperament and his plans for the future, how could he possibly find a trash body for Yi Kong's rebirth?

If possible, Lei Dong was even willing to find a body from the Winged God Race for him. Now that Yi Kong had agreed to act again, with three Nascent Soul cultivators to suppress one target, and with that Blood Demon acting as an internal spy—under a situation where the calculating mind met the unsuspecting—even if Li Yao possessed heaven-reaching abilities, he would find it difficult to escape even with wings.

Leaving that matter aside for the moment, Lei Dong took the time to earnestly console the injured Earth Giants. These giants possessed simple minds; having rarely encountered someone so kind to them, they gradually became increasingly loyal and devoted to Lei Dong.

Dealing with Li Yao was not the same as dealing with the Blood Demon. If even the slightest error occurred, it would surely invite the fierce retaliation of the Taishang Sect. This was not merely about Li Yao's status within the sect, but rather the reputation and face of the Taishang Sect itself. Compared to that colossus that bestrode the Daqian Province, the Yinsha Sect was undoubtedly like a fledgling standing beside a giant eagle.

Of course, it would not be easy for the Taishang Sect to deal with the Yinsha Sect either. After all, the distance between the two lands was too vast, separated by the boundless Wuhen Sea Region—a distance no less daunting than that to the Yaksha Race.

Various preparations were being conducted in secret. Lei Dong's strategic plans were also quietly unfolding. At the forefront was the plan to nurture the Ghost Gu army. Although these Ghost Gu could deal with Nascent Soul stage cultivators, their foundation was too thin. Regardless of Lei Dong's influence, reputation, or personal strength, it was difficult to make proud and firm-willed Nascent Soul cultivators surrender to him.

The Blood Demon was merely an exception. Had it not been for various external factors, even the Blood Demon would likely never have submitted to him.

Therefore, Lei Dong's primary attention was focused on Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stage cultivators. If these Ghost Gu had fallen into the hands of the Baigu Old Demon, he could at most refine ten of them to control a small group of Golden Core cultivators.

However, in Lei Dong's hands, they could produce unimaginably terrifying results. The reason was simple: Lei Dong did not lack Spirit Ghosts, even top-grade ones. Even if he used Ghost Gu on Foundation Establishment cultivators, he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of heartache.

***

The Tiandao Alliance did not belong to the eight major powers of Kang Province, yet the territory it occupied and the total number of cultivators it gathered far exceeded any single top-tier sect. This situation existed because the Tiandao Alliance was merely a confederation, not a unified sect.

Their goal was singular: a coalition formed by countless large and small sects and clans in the region for self-preservation. Furthermore, their neutral stance and diplomatic strategy of maintaining distance from the major sects ensured that no top-tier power could forcibly seize the massive "cake" that was the Tiandao Alliance.

But to Lei Dong, this was a fragrant and enticingly delicious cake.

Within the Tiandao Alliance, the Zheng Clan was a family of some renown. Their ancestor originated from a major sect and returned to his hometown as a Golden Core cultivator to establish a cultivation clan. He eventually took over a hundred wives—both with and without spiritual roots—to begin branching out and producing descendants.

This was a common occurrence throughout Kang Province, perfectly normal and causing no ripples.

Today, over a thousand years had passed.

The position of Zheng Clan Patriarch had been passed down through generations. The family tree was now lush with foliage and numerous clansmen. The current Zheng Clan boasted over a thousand disciples with spiritual roots alone. Those descended from the bloodline without spiritual roots numbered over a hundred thousand.

These people formed the solid foundation of the current Zheng Clan. With them, the clan would continuously produce those with spiritual roots. This was the survival tactic of any cultivation clan.

Recently, the Zheng Clan had been celebrating. An elder in the clan had finally broken through the shackles of the late Foundation Establishment stage and ascended to the Golden Core stage.

For anyone, ascending from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was a joyous occasion. Even in a powerful place like the Yinsha Sect, it would be celebrated as good news, let alone for a clan that hadn't seen a Golden Core cultivator in over a hundred years.

Having no Golden Core cultivator for over a century had naturally caused this clan—which originally possessed decent strength—to suffer suppression and bullying from all sides. Even the clan's disciples faced contempt and humiliation when traveling abroad. The clan's various industries had been encroached upon repeatedly over these hundred years, dwindling to less than a tenth of their peak prosperity.

While such things were common in the cultivation world—where the weak were prey to the strong—the Zheng clansmen still harbored a belly full of stifled resentment. Today, Elder Zheng Xiong's breakthrough to the Golden Core stage made the long-suffering Zheng clansmen feel that the day they could finally hold their heads high was no longer far off.