Lei Tianyu was also a Grandmaster-level Beast Tamer.
However, his strength was slightly inferior to Hu Maoxue.
He had contracted a King-level Nether Lion Hound.
This Nether Lion Hound was a mutated variant, possessing three heads and mastering an ultimate skill, Relentless Pursuit.
Relentless Pursuit allowed one to track and lock onto opponents through scent, sound, spirit, soul, and energy fluctuations.
Upon arriving at the City of Grudges, Lei Tianyu summoned his Nether Lion Hound.
The Nether Lion Hound quickly pinpointed the direction Zheng Dong and the others had departed, and then Hu Maoxue and the others quietly followed.
"Old Lei, you're still the best. You found Zheng Dong so quickly," Hu Maoxue said, walking and placing a hand on Lei Tianyu's shoulder.
"What's this? A mere trifle. Once we catch Zheng Dong, I'll personally question him about how my brother really died," Lei Tianyu replied.
Although he appeared nonchalant, he was inwardly quite pleased and enjoyed Hu Maoxue's praise.
As the two walked with their arms around each other's shoulders, Hu Maoxue's girlfriend, Ming Shuang, subtly left a marker.
The marker was left for Wei Yi, the saintess of the Fire God Sect.
About ten minutes after they left the City of Grudges, Wei Yi also entered the space of the Grudge Ruins.
Wei Yi was wearing a black tracksuit, a black hat, and black sunglasses.
She did not want to be recognized, and the face beneath the sunglasses had also been disguised.
She followed primarily out of concern that Zheng Dong might encounter some trouble.
If Zheng Dong died, it would be difficult for them to find another experimental subject like him.
She followed the marker left by Ming Shuang and pursued them.
However, she was not in a hurry, taking her time as if she were on a leisurely tour.
This also drew the attention of many Beast Tamers.
A burly man with a full beard blocked Wei Yi's path.
"Beautiful lady, all alone! Want this brother to protect you?"
The man said this with a lewd smile and reached out to remove Wei Yi's sunglasses.
Wei Yi did not dodge.
The corners of her lips curved upwards, revealing a cold smile.
She snapped her fingers.
The burly man's hand froze mid-air.
Immediately, his face contorted in pain, and he let out a series of miserable screams.
His skin rapidly shriveled, and soon blood uncontrollably flowed from his mouth and nose.
Within a minute, there was no moisture left in his body.
He also turned into a dried corpse and fell to the ground.
He didn't even have time to summon his pet before this happened.
This scene also terrified the several Beast Tamers passing by.
Their gazes towards Wei Yi became fearful.
They then hastened their steps, distancing themselves from Wei Yi.
Wei Yi, however, remained unfazed and continued her leisurely journey.
She was not only a Beast Tamer but also a mixed-blood, possessing the bloodline power of a Succubus.
By using the Succubus bloodline power, she could control and extract moisture or blood from any living being within a hundred meters.
In other words, the burly man's body fluids and blood were all extracted by her, turning him into a dried corpse.
This was not difficult for Wei Yi; she could do it with a flick of her wrist.
If she had acted against Zheng Dong that day at the Myriad Nations Hotel, she could have achieved the same result.
However, the Zheng Dong who went to see her then was merely a clone, not his true body.
Meanwhile, Zheng Dong and the others had arrived at the Mang Mountain Ghost Tomb.
In the darkness, everything here appeared eerie.
The moonlight was intermittently obscured by dark clouds.
It always felt as if something terrifying lurked in the shadows.
Especially when one looked back, one might catch sight of a figure.
It could be a Beast Tamer, or it could be some kind of undead.
Zheng Dong, however, felt no fear. With Youyou by his side, as long as it wasn't an Emperor-level undead, nothing was to be feared.
Zheng Dong, Shen Bing, and Shen Xue climbed to the summit of the Mang Mountain Ghost Tomb.
There were several large tombs here, and many Beast Tamers could be seen entering the tomb chambers to search for resources.
Zheng Dong, Shen Bing, and Shen Xue also entered a peculiar tomb.
These tombs occupied a large area, with countless vines forming numerous burial mounds.
Each burial mound was a tomb chamber, and many undead were hidden within.
Of course, there were also various resources.
Danger and reward coexisted.
Zheng Dong and the others arrived at a tomb chamber.
This tomb chamber was not very large.
Shen Xue's Purgatory Titan was too large to even enter the chamber.
Looking around the entire chamber, the walls and ceiling were all woven from vines.
It seemed like a naturally formed tomb chamber.
The chamber was in disarray, with traces of past battles on the ground and broken vines.
Clearly, many Beast Tamers had entered here before, and battles had even occurred.
This tomb chamber was also connected to other tomb chambers, forming a vast palace.
When they entered, Zheng Dong had surveyed it. This tomb occupied a large area, ranking among the top five in the Mang Mountain Ghost Tomb.
Zheng Dong and the others pressed onward.
They soon encountered several Phantom Tree Spirits.
Phantom Tree Spirits could absorb the aura emitted by other creatures and transform into them.
These Phantom Tree Spirits had transformed into the appearance of Beast Tamers, posing as an adventuring party.
Zheng Dong and the others did not detect anything amiss.
One of the leading Phantom Tree Spirits, disguised as a Beast Tamer, appeared to be a refined student.
He looked like a university student, a Master-level Beast Tamer.
"Three friends, could you help us? My companion is injured. Do you have any first-aid supplies, or pets with healing abilities?" the Phantom Tree Spirit disguised as a student said.
At this moment, there was no discernible flaw in its disguise.
The Phantom Tree Spirits not only transformed into the appearance of Beast Tamers but also possessed their memories and replicated their relevant abilities.
The Phantom Tree Spirits mastered a very special ultimate skill, "Complete Assimilation."
It could kill the person or extraordinary creature it wished to impersonate and acquire all of its abilities.
However, there was a limitation: using the Complete Assimilation skill could not exceed its own level.
In other words, a Phantom Tree Spirit could only use the Complete Assimilation skill on individuals of the same level or lower.
This leading Phantom Tree Spirit had reached the King level in its growth.
It was fully capable of acting against Zheng Dong and the others.
Its purpose in approaching Zheng Dong and the others was simple.
It wanted to replace Zheng Dong and the others and leave this relic space.
They were born within this relic space and were restricted from leaving.
Only by impersonating Beast Tamers could they leave.
After leaving, they could even continue to live as Beast Tamers.
As long as they did not reveal any flaws, they would be difficult to detect.
However, they also had a growth limit.
Even a Phantom Tree Spirit Emperor was only at the Emperor level.
There had never been a Hegemon-level or Totem-level Phantom Tree Spirit.
Facing the approaching Phantom Tree Spirits, Zheng Dong did not let down his guard.
He observed the group.
They appeared to be Beast Tamers, with no flaws.
It was just that Zheng Dong found it puzzling that the leading Master-level Beast Tamer seemed inexperienced, as if he had just graduated from school.
The other individuals, though all High-level Beast Tamers, were of considerable age and should have had rich experience, having participated in numerous adventures.
In such a situation, these Beast Tamers should have been quite talkative.
Yet, none of them spoke.
Of course, this only made Zheng Dong feel a bit strange.
If not for his precognitive sense skill warning him of danger, he might not have noticed this.
Therefore, Zheng Dong refused:
"I'm truly sorry, but we've used up all the first-aid supplies we brought. Why don't you go out and ask someone else? When I just came in, I saw a few adventuring teams resting outside. They should have some, and they also have pets with healing abilities."
Upon hearing Zheng Dong's words, Shen Bing, who had been about to speak, immediately fell silent.
She also tugged at Shen Xue, who was about to interject.
Shen Bing felt that since Zheng Dong said that, he must have discovered something to refuse them.
The leading Phantom Tree Spirit frowned.
It was momentarily unable to find a reason to refute Zheng Dong.
It had used this tactic before to approach several Beast Tamers and successfully tricked them, and it couldn't understand why Zheng Dong would refuse it.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn't people offer assistance?
It glanced at the other Phantom Tree Spirits it had impersonated.
One of them was feigning severe injury, continuously groaning in pain.
After a moment of hesitation, it spoke again:
"Thank you for the reminder. I'll take my companion out to seek help. I have a map of the Ghost Vine Graveyard here, which might be useful to you."
Saying this, it opened its phone and displayed an electronic map to Zheng Dong.
After using the Complete Assimilation skill, it had also acquired the memories of this Beast Tamer and knew that this map was very valuable.
It was a map that this Beast Tamer had purchased from an adventuring team at a high price.
It thought Zheng Dong would be tempted and moved its phone closer to Zheng Dong.
To its surprise, Zheng Dong said indifferently:
"We have this map as well. Thank you for your kindness. You should hurry and take your companion for treatment!"
Zheng Dong did not let the other party get close.
Because the closer the Phantom Tree Spirit got, the stronger his precognitive sense became, warning him of danger.
The leading Phantom Tree Spirit, having been thwarted repeatedly, became anxious.
Although they could impersonate others perfectly, their inherent bloodthirsty and impatient nature did not change.
Therefore, it cursed angrily:
"Damn it, I originally wanted you to die silently, but now I'll let you experience despair!"
Immediately, it no longer concealed itself.
It reverted to its Phantom Tree Spirit form.
The moment it reverted, a human skin fell from its body.
Seeing this, Shen Bing and Shen Xue trembled.
The other Phantom Tree Spirits also reverted to their original forms, and several human skins fluttered down.
Phantom Tree Spirits themselves had no physical form.
At this moment, they appeared as a mass of dark green mist.
In the dim tomb chamber, they were invisible to the naked eye.
Only by using abilities like psychic perception could their presence be detected.
Seeing the Phantom Tree Spirits, Zheng Dong was somewhat surprised.
These extraordinary creatures were extinct on Blue Star.
It was said that the last Phantom Tree Spirit had died during the Totem Era.
He never expected there to be any here.
And it seemed no one had discovered them.
Perhaps someone had discovered them but had not publicized it.
Could it be that many of the Beast Tamers who had left were also transformed Phantom Tree Spirits?
At this moment, several Phantom Tree Spirits launched an attack.
Except for the leader, who was King-level, the remaining ones were all General-level.
Undead of this level were not even of interest to Youyou as undead puppets.
Zheng Dong and the others did not fear their attacks.
They unleashed their ultimate skill, Soul Devour.
This was an area-of-effect skill.
It could instantly turn someone into an idiot.
Zheng Dong's mental power had reached the advanced level, making him fully capable of resisting.
However, Shen Bing and Shen Xue found it difficult to resist.
A piercing pain spread throughout their bodies.
Shen Xue let out a pained groan, and large beads of sweat continuously flowed from her forehead, indicating great suffering.
This exposed the weakness of Beast Tamers.
Most Beast Tamers themselves were quite weak.
Shen Bing's condition was much better than Shen Xue's. She possessed the bloodline power of the Undying Nether Phoenix, and her mental power was significantly stronger than Shen Xue's.
Fortunately, Youyou counterattacked in time, releasing the Karma Fire of Reincarnation.
The Karma Fire of Reincarnation spread outwards. To avoid destroying the tomb chamber, Youyou was very cautious, controlling the Karma Fire of Reincarnation with great care.
However, this also gave the Phantom Tree Spirits an opportunity to evade the Karma Fire of Reincarnation.
The Phantom Tree Spirits seemed to fear the Karma Fire of Reincarnation greatly and dared not touch it.
However, this also made the Phantom Tree Spirits even more resentful towards Zheng Dong.
Seeing that the mental storm had not significantly affected Zheng Dong, the leading Phantom Tree Spirit let out a strange cry towards the other Phantom Tree Spirits.
The other Phantom Tree Spirits quickly responded to the leading Phantom Tree Spirit and gathered around it.
Soon, a scene that shocked Zheng Dong occurred: these Phantom Tree Spirits merged together, forming a brand new Phantom Tree Spirit.
The strength of this Phantom Tree Spirit increased to the peak of the King level.
It knew it was still no match for Zheng Dong and the others.
It continued to emit strange cries.
Before long, more Phantom Tree Spirits emerged from other tomb chambers.
These Phantom Tree Spirits were also General-level, but they had the advantage of numbers, forming a dense mass.
They were very united and quickly merged together.
Soon, the strength of the Phantom Tree Spirits rose to the Emperor level and continued to increase.
Until all the Phantom Tree Spirits had fully merged, their strength had reached the peak of the Emperor level.
This Phantom Tree Spirit could now be called a Phantom Tree Spirit Emperor.
This also made Zheng Dong and the others feel a great sense of crisis.
If the Phantom Tree Spirit Emperor unleashed its ultimate skill, Soul Devour, it would likely be terrifying.
Even with Zheng Dong's advanced mental power, it would be difficult to resist.
Zheng Dong suddenly regretted not having Youyou use her Undead Sovereign ability to control the previously unmerged Phantom Tree Spirits.
After all, he did not know that Phantom Tree Spirits could merge with each other to increase their growth level.
This also made Youyou somewhat covetous. If she could transform the Phantom Tree Spirit Emperor into an undead puppet, she might be able to create a Phantom Tree Spirit army.
Thus, Youyou initiated the attack first, releasing the Karma Fire of Reincarnation.
Streams of Karma Fire of Reincarnation shot towards the Phantom Tree Spirit Emperor.
However, the Phantom Tree Spirit Emperor was extremely fast and dodged the Karma Fire of Reincarnation.
This also made Youyou anxious.
"Master, shall I burn this place down!"
Youyou said, and without waiting for Zheng Dong's reply, the Karma Fire of Reincarnation spread outwards like a tide.
Zheng Dong quickly took Shen Bing and Shen Xue and used spatial teleportation to leave the tomb chamber.
As the Karma Fire of Reincarnation came into contact with the vine-formed tomb chamber, it began to burn with crackling sounds.
However, to Zheng Dong's surprise, these vines seemed to be alive, writhing under the scorching flames of the Karma Fire of Reincarnation.
Then, the entire vine-formed great tomb began to move, and vines like tentacles swept towards Youyou.