“Junior Brother, let me accompany you then,” Ding Wanyan said, stepping onto her Green Cloud Shuttle and rapidly following. She added with a charming smile, “With that murderous aura still clinging to you and that fearsome appearance, you might frighten Qing’er.”

Lei Dong’s speed faltered. Fearsome appearance? Did he truly look that terrifying? Nevertheless, he retracted the Evil Ghost Drape, relying solely on the Ghost Shadow Evasion technique to keep close behind.

Neither of them was slow, and in only about ten breaths, they landed in the rear garden one after the other. The guards who should have been there had clearly fled. However, they wouldn’t get far; Wei Hua was already taking the long way around, grinning menacingly while clutching the Poison Blood Banner he had recently acquired. Even minor rogue cultivators would struggle against the Poison Blood Banner, let alone mere mortals who had only mastered basic martial arts. Since the order was to exterminate the entire clan, not even a dog or chicken could be left alive.

Ding Wanyan spread her divine sense and immediately located a small girl and five or six women inside the small villa at the center of the garden.

When they approached, they found one fierce-looking woman holding a sharp, pointed knife pressed against the neck of a delicately carved little girl. Trembling with terror, she stared fixedly at Lei Dong and Ding Wanyan: “You’ve come for Lei Qing’er, haven’t you? Swear to leave us alone, or else…”

Before she could finish speaking, Ding Wanyan casually flicked out a wisp of malevolent energy, striking the woman’s vital points and freezing her instantly on the spot. The sharp knife clattered to the ground with a continuous ringing sound. Before anyone could react, there was a blur before their eyes, and the little girl was already in Ding Wanyan’s embrace. She spoke softly, reassuringly, “Lei Qing’er, don’t be afraid. Big Sister was sent by your parents to save you.”

Perhaps it was because Ding Wanyan was far more approachable than Lei Dong, but eight-year-old Lei Qing’er no longer seemed frightened. Instead, she said in a childlike voice, “Immortal Big Sister, thank you. You are so beautiful.” She then glanced toward Lei Dong, who was attempting to draw closer, and her small face instantly changed; she shrank back into Ding Wanyan’s arms, clearly scared.

Lei Dong felt a surge of embarrassment under Ding Wanyan’s mocking gaze. He glanced at the vicious women who had been constantly instigating Lei Qing’er day after day. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes: “Senior Sister, take Qing’er and go first. I will handle the aftermath.”

Although Ding Wanyan possessed a degree of kindness and felt a faint reluctance, she knew Lei Dong was consumed by rage and would not stop until the entire Li family, including Li Chang’an, was destroyed today. Thus, she dared not try to dissuade him. Unable to bear witnessing the situation, she transformed into a wisp of faint mist, enveloping Lei Qing’er and flying out.

Once they were gone, Lei Dong drew the Myriad Ghost Banner. With a flick of his wrist, about a dozen lucky ghosts poured out. Whether sensing the scent of fresh blood or not, they chirped excitedly, spinning around the banner before baring their fangs and claws, letting out endless ghostly cries as they lunged toward the group of wicked women.

Lei Dong didn’t spare them another glance, walking straight out the door. Behind him echoed the excited, piercing shrieks of the ghosts, mixed with the miserable wails and ceaseless begging of the wicked women.

Ding Wanyan and Dongfang Fu took the children back to their temporary home in the mountain hollow first. As for the two Martial Uncles, seeing that there was nothing left for them to do, and unwilling to lower themselves to fight over spoils with a group of junior disciples, they took their leave swiftly. They had only been summoned by the Myriad Ghost Token to observe the battle and hadn't fought desperately. Their departure was largely influenced by the desire to save face for Ding Wanyan and Dongfang Fu.

Meanwhile, Lei Dong and the other Qi Refining stage cultivators scoured the entire Wanxi Li family. In a few secret chambers and on the battlefield, they managed to confiscate quite a few valuable items. After spending two or three days tallying things up, they estimated the loot to be worth over a million spirit stones. Naturally, the vast majority of this came from Li Chang’an’s assets. Lei Dong, having witnessed large sums before, was somewhat unfazed by the number. He knew that for an old demon in the third layer of the Foundation Establishment stage, who had lived for over a hundred years and served as an overseer under a behemoth like the Yin Sha Sect, such wealth was understandable. If he didn’t possess this much, how could he even maintain a cultivation family?

But Chen Ge and Wei Hua, who were accustomed to poverty, finally found themselves breathless. They had never dreamed that helping Lei Dong eliminate this enemy, purely out of loyalty, would result in such a massive windfall. They asked Lei Dong how he planned to distribute the spoils of war.

Lei Dong pondered silently for a moment before stating, “First, we will divide it into ten shares. Every Qi Refining disciple from our Myriad Ghost Cave will receive one share. The remaining four and one-quarter shares will be further divided into three portions, given separately to Dongfang Fu, Second Martial Uncle, and Fifth Martial Uncle.” The million-strong cache of spirit stones was certainly tempting to Lei Dong, who had experienced severe shortages. However, he understood that if the distribution was unfair this time, the newly unified group would fracture later. Even though the two Foundation Establishment Martial Uncles repeatedly claimed they wanted nothing and quickly departed to avoid suspicion, spirit stones are desired by all, even Ancestors. If he slighted or overlooked them now due to a moment of greed, they might refuse to be called upon for future matters, perhaps even harboring secret resentment, leaving behind future trouble.

But if, after their repeated refusals, he proactively offered them a generous allocation of the spoils, their perception of him would become entirely positive—regarding him as sensible, socially adept, and someone who wouldn’t let them suffer losses if they worked with him. In the future, if any insurmountable trouble arose, they would be much more likely to offer help if asked privately. While there would be an immediate loss of wealth, the long-term returns would be enormous, securing two valuable patrons. After all, he couldn’t run to the Ancestor for every minor issue, could he?

As for distributing benefits to his junior brothers, although it caused him some pangs of reluctance, Lei Dong had his own reasons. If he gave them too little and it caused imbalance, it would be better not to give anything at all. Moreover, his junior brothers had contributed significantly this time.

What’s more, after today’s events, Lei Dong began to understand that no matter how strong one person was, they would be overwhelmed when besieged by numerous enemies—two fists are no match for four hands. Take Li Chang’an, for instance; if he had a group of capable brothers, or if he had scattered some of his wealth to arm and train rogue cultivators with mid to high-grade magic tools, the situation might have been quite different. At least their resistance capability would have greatly increased, unlike those rogue cultivators using broken magic tools without powerful spells, collapsing at the first touch and dying pointlessly.

His three junior brothers—Chen Ge and Wei Hua, despite slightly inferior aptitude, were far superior to ordinary rogue cultivators. Furthermore, both were meticulous and ruthless when fighting, executing tasks cleanly and efficiently—truly good material. As for Zuo Chao, while somewhat simple and honest, his excellent natural talent meant that once he improved, he would certainly be a fierce general.

And giving Dongfang Fu a large ‘red envelope’ was entirely appropriate. If one wasn't quick to flatter and establish a connection with the Chief Disciple of the Heavenly Demon Palace and inheritor of the Heavenly Demon arts, when would be the time?

Lei Dong admitted his own aptitude was mediocre and doubted he could soar miles ahead of everyone else in cultivation. This world was fraught with peril, ruled by the law of the jungle. If he couldn't gather a force around him that could swarm forward in times of need, Lei Dong simply wouldn't feel secure.

Having a rock-solid backing above and loyal, capable subordinates below—only then could he live with a modicum of peace. He wouldn’t have to suffer a loss after a conflict only to find himself utterly alone when seeking help; that would be too tragic.

Hearing Lei Dong’s proposed distribution, Chen Ge pondered carefully and said seriously, “Brother Lei, we are brothers. I will speak plainly: this division is improper. I propose we divide it into twenty shares. Hua and I didn't contribute much, so we should each take one share. The rest, Brother Lei, you can distribute as you see fit.”

Wei Hua nodded immediately, and Zuo Chao added, “I only want one-twentieth as well.”

Lei Dong was somewhat taken aback. Chen Ge was indeed Chen Ge; while Lei Dong was calculating how to curry favor with his backers, Chen Ge was busy flattering him. However, Chen Ge was being too cautious, perhaps afraid that taking a full tenth would breed resentment. Lei Dong laughed, “Chen Ge, you don’t need to do that. Just…”

“Brother Lei, rules are rules. Hua and I have lower cultivation; we only fought small fry and acted as support. Li Chang’an, that formidable expert, was taken down by the three of you. If we take too much this time, what happens in the next similar situation? For the sake of long-term stability, it’s better to establish the rules early to avoid future issues,” Chen Ge insisted, his expression earnest and composed.

... (The goal of achieving first place on both charts has been realized. Today features three updates; this is the first. There are two more to come. I hope the recommendation fire from my brothers and sisters doesn’t stop—blast away~~ Let’s stay in first place a while longer~)