He effortlessly extinguished them, refining their nascent souls into the Myriad Ghost Banner. As for the spoils, the equipment of these two minor cultivators consisted of low-grade spirit artifacts, along with a meager collection of spirit stones and sundry items. Their haul was considerably less impressive than what Lei Dong had managed during his Qi Condensation stage. He tossed everything to the Mute Girl for safekeeping; once she began cultivating, she could use it as she saw fit. As for the divine sense imprints affixed to these items, for a cultivator of Lei Dong's caliber,

it took only a slight effort to completely erase them.

After ascertaining the strength level on Wohing Island, Lei Dong did not immediately storm the stronghold. While he felt no fear of a lone Foundation Establishment cultivator, three acting in concert might possess some unique capabilities; moreover, his injuries had not yet fully healed, making a cautious approach prudent. He dispatched his Ghost Guards to begin patrolling the circumference of the island. Lei Dong, meanwhile, remained on Fisherman's Isle to recuperate, intending to play the long game of patient waiting. The ideal scenario would be to lure out and slay the Foundation Establishment cultivators one by one.

Another seven or eight days passed in this manner. Perhaps the Mute Girl possessed inherent intelligence, or perhaps she recognized this rare opportunity, but having experienced hardship, she attacked her studies with ferocious intensity. In merely a month or so, she had managed to recognize quite a few characters, enough that she should now be able to tentatively comprehend the cultivation method contained within the jade slip.

The technique Lei Dong provided her was named the Ice Soul Art, belonging to the Ice and Frost lineage. Speaking of the Ice Soul Heart Sutra, it was one of the spoils Lei Dong had acquired during his campaign on the Eastern Sea Star Islands. Cultivation methods, in particular, are difficult to obtain during combat because every sect inscribes countless unbreakable restrictions onto their personal jade slips to prevent their dissemination. Furthermore, any technique purchased externally would have the seller’s personal imprint affixed before it could be used, meaning only the purchaser could activate the technique’s jade slip.

Moreover, those commercially available or sect-specific techniques were usually imbued with immense complexity within their jade slip instructions. They were designed to allow easy learning while simultaneously being maddeningly convoluted. Of course, completely preventing leakage was impossible. Sects typically employed extremely severe punitive measures to stop cultivation methods from spreading. For sold techniques, every purchaser was comprehensively recorded, and immediate investigation and tracking would follow if unauthorized use was detected.

Even so, despite all these measures, some techniques inevitably managed to circulate in highly discreet ways—it was simply unavoidable. Major sects collaborated closely on preventing the spread of their techniques; after all, no one wanted their private arts disseminated across the globe. Even enemies, such as the Yin Sha Sect, did not wish to see the methods of the Heavenly Sound Palace spread everywhere. For every sect, maintaining the superiority and distinction of their own arts against the vast majority of cultivators was paramount. If everyone could practice top-tier cultivation methods, what advantage would the Yin Sha Sect possess?

Consequently, the number of unclaimed cultivation methods Lei Dong had obtained was small, and the vast majority were utterly worthless. Only this Ice Soul Art appeared to be a superior technique, and crucially, it was not a commercial method sold by some alliance. Lei Dong kept it precisely to deal with situations like the present one, since, although the Ice Soul Art fell short of the techniques possessed by top sects, it was still quite potent.

Lei Dong felt he possessed absolutely no aptitude or patience for being a teacher. He simply tossed the Ice Soul Art jade slip, along with some jade slips containing foundational cultivation knowledge and a few minor items he had seized, directly to the Mute Girl, letting her decipher them on her own.

One day, Lei Dong suddenly felt a prickle of alarm, receiving a message from a Ghost Guard. Without a second thought, he immediately set off in the direction the Ghost Guard had indicated for the incoming enemy. The Evil Ghost Shroud flared, casting waves of black mist that swirled around Lei Dong. As he ripped through the sky, he resembled a bizarre gale, howling past. From a distance, the escaping light was black, with noxious energy soaring heavenward—clearly someone from the heretical path.

He had already learned from the Ghost Guards that the attackers numbered only three: one Foundation Establishment cultivator and two Qi Condensation cultivators. Faced with this configuration, Lei Dong felt virtually no pressure, not even the urge to summon the other patrolling Ghost Guards back.

“Uncle, do we need to be this tense? Perhaps the two elder brothers were just delayed by something,” a young Qi Condensation cultivator declared, his face youthful and somewhat arrogant. “Send me out; I can drag them back.” He certainly had grounds for his self-regard; despite his age, he was already at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, giving him a decent chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage in his lifetime.

“Hmph, what do you know? This world is full of eccentrics and strange individuals,” the Foundation Establishment cultivator shot him a displeased glance. “Be cautious in everything; haste makes waste.” He thought privately that his brother spoiled the boy too much; while the child might have the potential to reach the Golden Core stage, excessive doting was not a blessing.

The Qi Condensation cultivator showed his displeasure but ultimately held his tongue.

Suddenly, the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s expression shifted slightly, and he bellowed, “Bad! Everyone scatter!” His pupils were filled with sheer terror as he stared at the encroaching black miasma sweeping across the sky. Its speed was so extreme it almost suffocated him, and the immense pressure extinguished any desire to fight within him. Any person commanding a spirit artifact of such velocity was certainly not someone to trifle with.

“Uncle, why? Are there some hidden masters on Fisherman’s Isle?” the Qi Condensation cultivator asked, bewildered, clearly unable to perceive Lei Dong’s rapid approach.

“Run!” The Foundation Establishment cultivator’s face was utterly ashen. After shouting the command, he completely abandoned his reckless nephew. Even facing the fury of his brother and the wrath of his father back home would be better than being annihilated here. A family with three Foundation Establishment cultivators—it was certainly something to boast about in the eyes of lesser families, making Wohing Island seem like a holy beacon. However, to major families and powerful sects, a family boasting three Foundation Establishment cultivators was equivalent to playing house. The Foundation Establishment cultivator understood this clearly.

He unleashed a burst of green light, rocketing outward like a shooting star.

“Jie jie jie,” Lei Dong let out two eerie laughs, his voice chillingly exploding beside the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s ear: “Trying to flee? If you manage to escape, I’ll write my name backward from this day forward.” Lei? He couldn't recall any enemy family bearing that surname. Furthermore, what was the situation with his flying spirit artifact? He thought he had seen something like it before. A myriad of thoughts flashed through the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s mind. Despite the overwhelming terror, surrendering to fate was not an option. While flying at top speed, he swiftly formed a hand seal, launching a spirit artifact resembling a golden brick directly at Lei Dong. It rapidly expanded in mid-air, reaching the length of several meters in an instant, its dense golden light seemingly intent on crushing him. From his left hand, a stream of icy-blue flame erupted, causing the air to warp from the intense heat—this was clearly one of his signature lethal spells.

“Hmph. A mere firefly dares to shine so brightly,” Lei Dong scoffed, summoning the Red Refining Flying Sword. It transformed instantly into a streak of dark red light, meeting the golden brick artifact with a deafening crash. The might of a high-grade spirit artifact was no trivial matter! Not only did it send the golden brick careening backward, but it also carved a visible groove nearly a foot long into its surface.

As for the ice-blue flame, Lei Dong’s crimson cloak fluttered slightly, shielding him. Upon contact with the cloak, the ice-blue flame could advance no further, instead rapidly sputtering out.

Faced with such a formidable and terrifying enemy, the Foundation Establishment cultivator fled even faster, shouting desperately as he did so: “Senior, Senior, please spare me! I am from the Wang Family of Wohing Island. If you have grievances, I am willing to act on behalf of the Family Head to offer compensation—any amount!”

“You are astute, and I am tempted,” Lei Dong sneered, not allowing the Foundation Establishment cultivator the chance to look relieved. Then, Lei Dong sighed softly, “Pity. Once I designate an enemy, I never relent out of mercy. Even if I kill you, I can still obtain anything I desire.”

As he spoke, Lei Dong brought out the Myriad Ghost Banner. Hundreds of vengeful spirits surged forth, splitting into three waves. Two of these waves barreled toward the two Qi Condensation cultivators, who had been momentarily stunned and were only now realizing they needed to escape. One of them appeared to be a favored junior within the family, likely a genius figure rumored to have the potential to reach the Golden Core stage.

Unfortunately, a fallen genius is no genius at all. Over a hundred elite vengeful spirits, along with several of the higher-ranking ones, would be difficult for even a newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator to handle, let alone a mere seventh-layer Qi Condensation minor cultivator. Even if the youth possessed a top-tier magical artifact, in Lei Dong’s eyes, he was still just an ant. How many geniuses had already perished beneath his hand?

“Senior, let’s discuss this, we can negotiate,” the Foundation Establishment cultivator, only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, was completely unable to discern Lei Dong’s actual cultivation level. He cried out, his face devoid of color, “Even if Wang must die, I beg Senior to let me die as an enlightened ghost.” Internally, he groaned ceaselessly: Heavens, from where has this devil emerged? How could our family have offended him?

For an opponent of this level, Lei Dong lacked the desire to even make a second move himself. He directly summoned the silver puppet, which possessed the strength of a tenth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. Wielding its blade and shield, it lunged toward the man. Lei Dong stood with his hands behind his back, floating motionlessly in the air, and said with a cold smile, “You might as well die while still confused.”

The third-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator was simply too weak for Lei Dong. Especially since the silver puppet, formidable as it was, appeared as a mere silver streak flashing past Lei Dong’s eyes. The puppet brought its blade down, carving a crescent-shaped streak of silver light, desolate and brimming with killing intent.

One strike. Just one. It utterly demolished the man’s spirit shield and defensive barrier in a single blow. At this moment, the Foundation Establishment cultivator was like an utterly naked girl, stripped of any defensive capability. Lei Dong’s figure blurred, appearing behind him with ghostly swiftness, his hand settling upon the crown of the man’s head.