The old man was also a veteran operator, skilled in the ways of the world. Seeing Lei Dong erupt in fury, though his heart fluttered with alarm, his courage was not entirely shattered. His eyes darted around, and he cupped his hands in a bow: “Esteemed sir from the Yin Sha Sect, I am but a humble cultivator from a minor family among the seventy-six southern islands of Qunxing Island. We are simple folk, generation after generation. This is precisely the time of the Jiao Lin fish tide, so we rented a skiff to bring family and offspring to try our luck, hoping to salvage enough to cover our costs. Just now, I observed the swiftness of your fishing, believing you must have caught quite a bounty. Thus, I took the liberty of approaching, hoping to inquire if you would be willing to sell some Jiao Lin fish. I am prepared to purchase them at six hundred spirit stones apiece.”

"Generation after generation, simple folk?" Lei Dong mused internally. "I don't see much simplicity in your appearance." He had long heard that the East Sea was chaotic, difficult to police and too easy to use as a hiding place among the vast expanse of water—where would anyone find you? Consequently, once one possessed greater strength than others, wicked thoughts could easily sprout. However, Lei Dong hadn't expected to encounter such a situation so soon upon arriving in the East Sea, before even reaching Qunxing Island.

Lei Dong had always lived by a simple creed: respect those who respect you; those who seek to kill you are enemies. These few individuals had made their malicious intent clear from the start. From the way the three of them dismounted their skiff, and the look in their eyes, Lei Dong could deduce they were sizing up his strength, perhaps even trying to feign familiarity to gauge his true capabilities before deciding on a course of action. Against such people, Lei Dong was never one to hold back. He let out a light chuckle: "Purchase? Very well."

Just as the old man’s face lit up with delight and relief flickered in his eyes, a flying sword engulfed in crimson flames instantly transformed into a streak of dazzling light, whistling forth with lightning speed toward the old man in a furious slash. The old man, after all, was a cultivator at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment. Perhaps because he remained wary, his reaction was indeed swift. A murky grey spirit shield materialized abruptly before him, as he bellowed in frustrated rage, "Kill—!" He had immense confidence in his spirit shield; it was, after all, a high-grade defensive spiritual artifact passed down through his family. For this trip to capture Jiao Lin fish, he had poured out his entire assets, equipping himself with a full set of high-grade spiritual artifacts. Even his son and daughter-in-law possessed complete sets of mid-grade artifacts, while their offensive artifacts were all high-grade. It was precisely because of this superior armament that the plan to rob a lone cultivator had been in their minds from the beginning. The reason he shouted the word "kill" was that the old man felt that while the battle disciples of the Yin Sha Sect were troublesome, he was only at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment; facing them three-on-one, victory was not entirely out of reach.

Boom—The moment his cry of "kill" escaped his lips, the Crimson Refining Flying Sword slammed hard into his high-grade spirit shield, scattering brilliant flames like fireworks in all directions. The tremendous impact sent the old man reeling back seven or eight zhang, and the violent shock within his soul caused him to spew a mouthful of blood, while several fissures appeared on the surface of his otherwise plain grey spirit shield.

"Father—!" The strong young man cried out tragically. His cultivation was not low, a full third level of Foundation Establishment. As the word "kill" was uttered, he unleashed his own spiritual artifact—an object resembling a small mountain. As it whistled toward them, it grew rapidly in the wind, soon becoming a small peak ten zhang high, intending to crush Lei Dong within it. The dark-skinned woman attacked Lei Dong with her strongest strike as well, wielding a dark blue, shuttle-shaped spiritual artifact. It was agile and razor-sharp, moving like a streak of cold, desolate blue light filled with murderous intent.

Lei Dong showed a slight surprise. This family's spiritual artifacts seemed quite formidable. It explained their initial idea of robbery. However, to think they could oppose him with just this was utterly naive. A cold sneer touched the corner of his lips as he calmly manipulated his techniques. His Soul Armor materialized majestically, and the imposing Aggressive Ghost Guard appeared before them. Upon manifesting, it ignored Lei Dong and immediately transformed into a mass of ghostly shadow, hurtling toward the old man. Red motes of light continuously flashed across its form, resembling a soul-reaping messenger rising from the Nine Hells below.

Clang—A crisp sound. The Indestructible Spirit Shield appeared out of thin air, blocking the blue shuttle. Simultaneously, the blood-colored cloak wrapped upward, continuously transforming into a crimson curtain, meeting the mountain artifact head-on with softness overcoming rigidity.

The faces of the man and woman instantly turned pale with horror. Although this person before them possessed the strength of a sixth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had neutralized their assault by the two of them wielding high-grade artifacts so effortlessly. This man was truly terrifying, unfathomably profound. The old man felt a nascent thought that resisting him further was futile. Especially that Ghost Guard lunging viciously; the old man could only vaguely sense that it was strong, incredibly strong. He immediately shot out a hand seal, which instantly swelled to the size of a zhang, slamming fiercely toward the Aggressive Ghost Guard.

The Aggressive Ghost Guard unleashed its Phantom Strike, imbued with a bloodthirsty effect, striking the hand seal heavily. With a thunderous crash, the two immense forces collided violently, sending shockwaves of explosive air billowing outward in every direction.

At the same time, Lei Dong’s Crimson Refining Sword slashed toward the old man once more. The old man countered with his spirit shield, only to be violently repelled seven or eight zhang again. The old man suppressed the churning turmoil in his soul from repeated severe blows, his face deathly pale, and he shrieked tragically: "Go—!"

The couple seemed utterly terrified by Lei Dong’s sudden, fierce methods. Seeing their father call the retreat, they immediately turned and sped away, their target naturally being the skiff.

Regardless of the reason for killing, Lei Dong preferred to cut weeds and dig out the roots. In the past, allowing Baili Yun to escape after killing him had almost led to disaster later on. Since he had already struck, he had no intention of letting them escape now. A cold smile played on his lips as black energy billowed around him like eclipsing dark clouds, his form gliding like a phantom toward the fleeing couple.

The old man's expression tightened again, showing a look of sorrowful indignation and resolve. Disregarding the Ghost Guard charging toward him, his body flashed, and he positioned himself in front of Lei Dong, manipulating his techniques to launch a large fireball blazing with red light directly at Lei Dong. The flame's brilliance shifted from red to white, its power surprisingly not weak. He had no expectation of killing this fearsome enemy with this single strike. His goal was merely to delay him for a moment. Because, with just a little time, they could reach the skiff. With the skiff’s speed, even if this person were stronger, he wouldn't be able to catch up. His heart filled with regret for letting greed stir and provoking this baleful star, this fiend.

Lei Dong snorted coldly in his heart. He used the Ghost Shadow Evasion to drift to the side, attempting to bypass the large fireball through speed. However, the old man was extraordinarily adept with this spell. With a flick of his wrist, the massive fireball agilely changed course, continuing to block Lei Dong’s path. Lei Dong no longer had time to change direction and had to meet the attack head-on with the Indestructible Spirit Shield.

With a deafening roar, flames burst forth. The considerable power actually managed to halt Lei Dong’s momentum. At this critical juncture, the Aggressive Ghost Guard caught up, its Soul Blade hacking down at the old man. The old man desperately parried with his high-grade spirit shield, but under the Ghost Guard's flurry of attacks, resembling a sudden downpour of pear blossoms, his defense was extremely strained. Even the robust high-grade spirit shield showed accelerating signs of impending rupture; it was clear he couldn't hold out much longer.

However, Lei Dong’s expression shifted slightly. It was precisely because the old man used his life to block that single attack that the couple managed to scramble onto the skiff. After all, they were extremely close to the vessel.

Though his face was pale, the old man now showed a look of relief. He knew he could not survive this day. He shouted to his son who had just boarded: "Feng'er, hurry and leave! Otherwise, none of us will survive."

"Father, I will certainly avenge you! Yin Sha Sect—I remember you!" The sturdy man shouted tragically while simultaneously activating the skiff.

"Trying to leave?" Lei Dong let out a cold, continuous laugh. Simultaneously, the swirling black energy around him condensed into his hand. Feeling a stinging pain in his right palm like an explosion, Lei Dong thrust his palm forward heavily. A piercing, air-tearing shriek echoed sharply. A 'Black Pillar,' a foot wide and several zhang long, formed from explosive Nether Ghost Qi, roared toward the skiff that had just begun to move slowly.

The skiff did possess a rudimentary energy shield, emitting a faint, pale glow. However, the ultimate technique taught to Lei Dong by his master, the 'Black Dragon Roar,' was anything but ordinary! Even though Lei Dong was still unpracticed in its use, a direct hit was almost certain. Moreover, such a massive skiff left no excuse for missing.

The Black Pillar, twisting awkwardly in flight, was extremely ugly, yet its power was not insignificant. Amidst a sharp howl, it smashed viciously into the light shield.

With a bang, the shield, having just started and not yet reached peak condition, was instantly shattered. The Black Pillar’s momentum slowed only slightly before it slammed into the side hull of the damaged skiff again. The highly condensed Nether Ghost Qi, catalyzed by the Profound Yin True Qi, possessed intense destructive and explosive power. Coupled with its pillar shape, its penetration capability was equally formidable.

Following a violent explosion, a massive, two-zhang-wide hole was blasted through the skiff. The Black Pillar pierced completely through the vessel, creating a clear, gaping maw. The skiff, which had been slowly gliding into motion, could not withstand the powerful impact, and it began to break apart with loud creaks. This skiff was of extremely poor quality, worlds apart from the Netherworld Number Nine.

The couple tumbled out of the skiff in disarray.

However, Lei Dong knew this one strike could destroy the ship but not kill the two of them. As long as they couldn't escape by skiff, Lei Dong had plenty of ways to finish them off. He immediately summoned them both: the Frost Ghost Guard and the Ghostly Ghost Guard deployed simultaneously. The couple had just managed to manipulate their spiritual artifacts, preparing to flee. As the two Ghost Guards swiftly lunged forward, they each transformed into a streak of light and began fleeing in different directions.

Their intention was clearly to escape one by one, leaving the other behind. Lei Dong understood their calculation perfectly. But flying artifacts, while fast for long-distance travel, were less swift than personal evasion arts over short distances, especially at the start of a flight. Unless their flying artifacts were truly top-tier treasures, they wouldn't escape pursuit from an eighth-rank Ghost Guard each.

Only then did Lei Dong’s expression darken, and he turned his attention to the old man, who was still making a futile, desperate resistance.

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