The old man’s face was deathly pale, though not entirely due to his continuous injuries. He had just seen his son and daughter-in-law on the verge of escape, and just as relief was about to surface, hope was utterly shattered. This person was truly terrifying; with a single move, he had destroyed the flying boat. Furthermore, he possessed two incredibly potent Ghost Guards whose momentum in pursuit suggested they were no less formidable than the ones that had overwhelmed the old man into a state of defenselessness. He feared his son and daughter-in-law would both perish.

"Senior, Senior. This humble one is willing to lead my entire family to surrender to you, to serve you. I beg you, please spare our lives." The old man suddenly conceived this stratagem, and a sliver of hope flickered anew. He frantically tried to fend off the onslaught of the Raging Ghost Guard while desperately pleading.

"Lei has no interest in sparing those he defines as enemies," Lei Dong replied, his expression utterly cold. Seeing that while the Raging Ghost Guard was completely suppressing the old man, the man’s array of spiritual artifacts prevented a swift victory, Lei Dong frowned slightly and summoned another silver War Puppet with a raised hand. This puppet had originally been given as a betrothal gift to his Master, who then passed it on to Wanyan. Wanyan, feeling that Lei Dong needed such items more due to his frequent (going out to handle affairs), ended up shoving them all back to him.

Though Lei Dong said nothing aloud, the memory of Wanyan's expression at the time sent a flow of warmth through him.

"I curse you, you fiend!" The old man was a mixture of terror and rage, his face shifting from white to green. A War Puppet—it was another War Puppet. The old man’s heart trembled to its absolute limit.

Heavens above, what kind of person had he provoked? He must have been truly blind, acting on wicked thoughts simply because he possessed a full complement of high-grade spiritual artifacts. If given a second choice, the moment he glimpsed this terrifying demon, he would flee, run as far as possible, and never have any dealings with him.

But what was done could not be undone. The silver puppet’s mask was cold and severe. The higher the rank of a War Puppet, the harder it was to forge. A Golden Core level War Puppet was exceedingly rare. Lei Dong’s silver puppet was already quite a fine specimen, fetching a staggering price of a million spiritual stones—and that was only after Qi Feifei pulled a few strings to acquire it.

Lei Dong felt absolutely nothing toward such verbal curses. With a flick of his divine sense, the silver puppet swung its blade and shield and charged forward. With a deafening clang, the long saber violently struck the grayish spiritual shield. The immense shockwave instantly shattered the shield, sending bursts of air billowing and fragments scattering everywhere. It wasn't that the puppet’s strike was earth-shattering; rather, the spiritual shield had already been pushed to the brink by numerous attacks from Lei Dong and the Raging Ghost Guard. The puppet’s blow was merely the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

Deprived of the formidable spiritual shield’s defense, even though the old man desperately dodged, he could no longer block the combined assault of the Ghost Guards. In mere moments, he was hacked into a pulp of minced meat. Lei Dong acted swiftly, seizing the old man’s storage bracelet; simultaneously, an intact Dharma Seal and a pair of Spirit Boots erupted from his soul.

These two items were also high-grade spiritual artifacts and were the very reason the old man had been so difficult to deal with. The shield, seal, and boots—all three were of the high-grade spiritual artifact tier. It was simply a pity that the gray spiritual shield had already exploded. However, both the Dharma Seal and the Spirit Boots had been fused into his very soul using his meticulous refinement techniques. Erasing the imprints left by him would not be easy, significantly diminishing the value of these two high-grade spiritual artifacts.

The Netherworld Ghost Claw whistled out, accurately ensnaring the old man’s nascent soul. It was prepared to draw in the nascent souls of the man and woman as well, refining them into the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner to further enhance its power.

There was no time to examine the storage bracelet; after securing all the spoils, Lei Dong turned his attention to the flying boat, which had burst apart and was now plummeting downwards. He mused it was a slight pity, as even the most dilapidated flying boat could fetch some value. However, Lei Dong’s sharp eyes noticed several large leather bags tumbling down amidst the wreckage of the boat, seemingly containing something struggling fiercely within. Lei Dong shot over, grabbed one, and upon inspection, found several bags filled with Horned Scale Fish—approximately seventy or eighty in total. It counted as a small windfall.

Almost simultaneously, several miles to his left in the mid-air, the son desperately urged his escape light forward, but that terrifying Ghost Guard grew closer and closer, its piercing, ghastly shrieks incessant. He had exhausted every trick, yet he could not shake the shadow-swift Ghost Guard. Two precious talismans, two streaks of deadly lightning, and a mountain-grade spiritual artifact—all were effortlessly neutralized by the Ghost Guard one by one.

“Hiss, hiss~” The Ghost Guard shrieked, flashing forward to block his path. Its dual spikes stabbed out viciously, sparks of dark light flying. Its vague, blurred phantom face revealed fangs, its hissing cries never ceasing, as if savoring a grim smile.

“It’s over.” The son’s heart turned icy cold. Although he frantically blocked with his mid-grade spiritual shield and threw every spell he knew at the creature, the eighth-level Ghost Guard was five entire layers above him in cultivation. The disparity in strength was too vast. Moreover, he was no Lei Dong, lacking the heaven-defying means to turn the tide in desperation. A high-grade spiritual artifact and several mid-grade ones made him slightly stronger than ordinary folk, but against the Netherworld Ghost Guard, he was utterly helpless.

After several dozen breaths, his mid-grade spiritual shield and defensive spells were all broken by the Netherworld Ghost Guard. A single spike pierced his heart. Instinctively, it lunged to devour his nascent soul, but the Master's command arrived, forcing it to dissolve into mist, enveloping his nascent soul and some spoils, before drifting back.

On the other side, the situation was almost identical. However, the Frost Ghost Guard completed its pursuit mission several dozen breaths faster than the Netherworld Ghost Guard.

In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, both Ghost Guards returned, each bearing spoils. Lei Dong first collected the loot, and the Ghost Guards retreated into the Soul Nurturing Pagoda. He then summoned the Evil Ghost Shroud and, with minimal effort, refined the three Nascent Soul cultivators’ souls into it, one by one, to further empower the Shroud.

Having completed this, Lei Dong mounted the Evil Ghost Shroud and sped toward his own flying ship. His pace was slightly slower than before, but this was due to hauling several large leather bags. A small wave of satisfaction washed over him. Although the Evil Ghost Shroud required more nascent souls to be refined into it before its true power manifested, he had to admit it was a rather interesting item. However, turning it into a flying artifact comparable to a top-tier spiritual artifact would likely require a series of bloody massacres. Of course, possessing a Golden Core level nascent soul would expedite the process significantly.

As is widely known, among all magical artifacts, flying artifacts are the most expensive, and this holds true for spiritual artifacts as well. Lei Dong could casually afford a top-tier spiritual artifact, but he never harbored grand hopes for a top-tier flying spiritual artifact. Though he greatly desired one, its price and rarity made it exceptionally difficult to obtain. Coupled with the fact that Lei Dong already possessed a growing, developing flying artifact of his own, he hadn't seriously considered purchasing a top-tier spiritual one.

Over the distance of several hundred miles, Lei Dong was too lazy to bother capturing any more Horned Scale Fish along the way. These few large bags, combined with what he had caught himself, already totaled ninety fish. The smallest of these Horned Scale Fish measured just over two feet, while the longest approached four feet. Averaging about thirty catties per fish, lugging two to three thousand catties of still-floundering fish while controlling the Evil Ghost Shroud started to feel somewhat taxing even for Lei Dong.

It took some effort for Lei Dong to return to the Netherworld Nine. Several members of his crew had already returned by this time, each with a large bag placed beside them. Seeing Lei Dong arriving with several massive leather bags, however, they widened their eyes in confusion. Had Member One gone out carrying several bags?

Lei Dong offered no explanation, merely chuckling before tossing the large bags onto the deck. Soon after, those who had gone fishing also returned. Zhang Heng, for instance, carried back two large bags, containing over thirty fish in total, and was feeling quite pleased with himself until he saw the multitude of bags by Lei Dong’s feet and was instantly dumbfounded: “Number One, I recall you only took one leather bag when you left…”

“Indeed, just one. But earlier, a few heedless members of a minor family tried to rob me in their flying boat,” Lei Dong replied, hands crossed over his chest, shrugging with a smile. “I simply had no choice but to accept their offering.”

Zhang Heng was momentarily speechless; someone had attempted robbery only to be robbed instead. However, his expression hardened slightly, tinged with anger: “Number One, do you know which clueless family that was? They are absolute scoundrels to dare attack a member of the Yin Sha Sect’s Battle Hall! We’ll wipe out all nine generations of them later.”

“I only know they were from the Southern Seventy-Six Islands. It hardly matters now; they are all dead, and I profited besides. After all, the goal of our Yin Sha Sect is to control this region, not exterminate everyone,” Lei Dong said dismissively with a laugh. “However, Captain, I’ve noticed that the people out here at sea, whether in terms of combat experience or the spiritual artifacts they carry, are significantly better equipped than some members within our inland families?”

Zhang Heng’s face softened slightly, though he still seemed a little aggrieved. “Consider it a cheap lesson for those reckless fools. You are right. Because the East Sea is so chaotic, the feuds between family powers here far surpass those in the direct jurisdiction of the Yin Sha Sect. Those who can survive long enough to reach the Foundation Establishment stage here must have considerable combat experience. Those you killed were likely specialized fish harvesters, sent out to catch the seasonal runs.”

“Don’t let the apparent safety fool you; anything can happen on the vast ocean. Therefore, any cultivator daring to venture out to earn this money must have some substantial backing. So, be careful in the future, and call for backup if you encounter trouble.”