The cultivator named Shangguan looked quite young, possessing sharp, handsome features—a true picture of dashing elegance. His background must have been significant; standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he eyed Lei Dong with a measure of arrogance flickering between his brows. Of course, his cultivation was not insignificant; like Lei Dong, he was already at the eighth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. As everyone else retreated, leaving him directly facing Lei Dong mid-air, the captain added, “Brother Lei, Shangguan hails from the Shangguan family deep within Beilan Mountain. His strength is considerable. Please be careful.”

Beilan Mountain? Lei Dong pondered for a moment and recalled faint traces of that power. It was something glimpsed accidentally from the memories of a soul-searched Foundation Establishment cultivator—likely one of the top forces in Zhaozhou. A slight wariness naturally arose within him. Although Lei Dong was confident this man was no match for him, Lei Dong still intended to conceal his true power. However, hiding strength didn't mean deliberately appearing as useless as trash. No one liked a teammate whose strength was clearly inadequate.

But what did it matter if he was a disciple of a top sect? More than one such individual had already met their end by his hand. After nodding slightly to the captain, Lei Dong cupped his fists toward Shangguan. “Brother Shangguan, I ask you to go easy on me.”

“Make your move,” Shangguan stated coldly to Lei Dong.

Lei Dong muttered internally about the sheer arrogance, resolving to teach the youngster a lesson or two, lest this fellow constantly put on airs when they were together later. Raising his right hand, the Netherworld Ghost Qi swirling around him drilled fiercely into his palm. Lei Dong unleashed a Black Dragon Roar—a spectral, inky-black dragon, vividly rendered, roaring with life, sweeping toward Shangguan like a consuming tempest.

Such exquisite and powerfully imposing sorcery instantly caused more than just Shangguan’s expression to shift; the others also grew grave. Shangguan hastily summoned a shield, gleaming silver and overflowing with spiritual light. The shield grew as it met the wind, expanding to nearly ten feet wide just as the Black Dragon Roar struck.

With a deafening roar, the force of the Black Dragon Roar coalesced into a sphere of black, blazing sun, which then scattered in all directions. Shangguan himself was violently thrown backward by the crushing impact. Simultaneously, Lei Dong’s Scarlet Refining Flying Sword shot out from his Sea of Consciousness, transforming into a streak of scarlet light, darting like a fish, graceful as a startled swan, pressing relentlessly forward. Clang, clang, clang! Shangguan was reduced to mere defense, utterly incapable of counterattack. Several times, he narrowly failed to evade the Scarlet Refining Flying Sword, almost being skewered through and through.

Seeing that Shangguan’s high-grade spirit shield was on the verge of collapse, the captain quickly shouted, “Enough! Brother Lei, you win.” If he were suppressed further, Shangguan’s high-grade spirit shield would surely be ruined. That would be too costly.

Hearing this, Lei Dong retracted his Scarlet Refining Sword, offered a slight bow, and smiled, “I yield, Brother Shangguan.”

“Hmph.” Shangguan’s face was somewhat pale, and his expression suggested lingering dissatisfaction. He blamed his own overconfidence for allowing Lei Dong to seize the initiative; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have ended up so distressed. Furthermore, if he had unleashed his ultimate trump card...

“Shangguan, don’t be unconvinced. Although your ultimate technique is powerful,” the captain, noticing Shangguan’s budding resentment, cautioned, “I thought Brother Lei’s Black Dragon spell and that top-tier flying sword spirit artifact were both quite formidable. The ease with which he deployed them just now—how can you be certain he doesn't possess other killing moves? Anything surpassing those two items would certainly be beyond what you could handle.” While speaking, he kept glancing toward Lei Dong. Seeing that Lei Dong offered no objection, he inwardly confirmed his guess. After all, someone willing to pay above market price for the flesh and blood of a Golden Core demonic beast couldn't possibly be poor?

Shangguan’s expression sharpened, and his arrogance subsided. He cupped his hands toward Lei Dong. “Brother Lei, I am utterly convinced by this defeat.”

“I merely took advantage of the situation, Brother Shangguan. Otherwise, with your skills, the outcome would have been hard to predict,” Lei Dong replied politely.

“Not at all, it was my fault for underestimating you earlier. Please do not hold it against me,” Shangguan became even more courteous.

“Alright, stop with the pleasantries, both of you.” The captain was secretly delighted. Gaining Lei Dong, an expert whose strength surpassed Shangguan’s, gave him renewed confidence for the upcoming venture. He became increasingly courteous toward Lei Dong, formally acknowledging him as a member of the squad and introducing everyone in turn. For privacy, they only shared surnames. The captain was surnamed Qian and was naturally called Captain Qian. He was the acknowledged "top expert" in the team, stuck at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage for a full fifteen years. This was why he dared to venture to the Outer Sea to accumulate spirit stones, hoping to purchase top-tier breakthrough pills for another attempt.

Being stuck for fifteen years made Lei Dong suck in a cold breath. Although he had anticipated the difficulty of breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and knew some might be permanently stuck at the peak, hearing that shocking number firsthand made him empathize. Fifteen years of zero progress in cultivation was enough to drive anyone mad. It was no wonder Foundation Establishment cultivators were willing to do anything to achieve that breakthrough.

As for Shangguan, he had already been introduced. His reason for being there wasn't solely to earn spirit stones; it was primarily for tempering his skills, though earning extra spirit stones was naturally a bonus.

The only female in the six-person team appeared like a mature, seductive married woman, possessing a captivating charm and inherent alluring grace in her eyes. Especially after Lei Dong displayed his power, she began frequently sending him seductive glances. She was also at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, surnamed Qing, and everyone called her Madam Qing. The captain secretly transmitted a message to Lei Dong, warning him not to get involved with Madam Qing, whispering that the heart of a woman is the most venomous. This woman was most skilled in all manner of tricky and malicious cultivation methods and artifacts. Though she usually smiled like a blooming peony, once she turned hostile, she was crueler than anyone.

Naturally, Lei Dong kept a respectful distance from such a woman.

The other two were surnamed Zhao and Zhang. The former was at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, and the latter at the ninth. Both were middle-aged men, and their strength was considered decent. Captain Qian had also given Lei Dong a brief rundown of their unique cultivation specialties and favored artifacts.

Because Lei Dong had revealed his considerable strength and "financial means," the others welcomed him warmly. After all, who wouldn't appreciate a teammate who didn't demand a share of spoils but was willing to pay cash for entry?

The group momentarily separated to handle personal preparations.

Three days later, they gathered again outside the island. They boarded a small flying boat belonging to Captain Qian, which headed directly into the Outer Sea. As they traveled, Captain Qian said to Lei Dong, “This flying boat is a private collection of mine, which I’m offering freely for use. However, all consumables incurred during collective activities must be borne by the entire squad.”

Lei Dong surveyed the small vessel; it was vastly inferior to some of the smaller warships used by the Yinsha Sect. Flying boats, in truth, were an area where Lei Dong’s home region of Kangzhou seemed more developed. In a sense, this object was a creation pioneered by the Tianji Sect. While places like Zhaozhou couldn't possibly have failed to acquire the technology for manufacturing flying boats, their level of development certainly wouldn't match Kangzhou’s. Thus, even though this small boat looked dilapidated, it was actually quite valuable—a fact one could gather from the slight air of pride on Captain Qian’s face whenever he mentioned it.

The boat’s speed was not fast—at most a thousand li per hour—slower than the speed the others could achieve while flying. But the advantage was that it required no expenditure of personal energy. Furthermore, if others didn't mind, one could sit cross-legged in a corner of the boat to rest and recuperate, or perhaps meditate on one’s cultivation techniques or artifacts. Moreover, as long as spirit stones were constantly fed into the boat, it could fly indefinitely with virtually no need for breaks. It also offered shelter from wind and rain, making a flying boat essential for deep-sea voyages.

Everyone present were cultivators and understood the precious nature of time. While they wouldn't enter deep seclusion during such a journey, lightly closing their eyes to contemplate techniques or spells was highly beneficial. They exchanged only a few words unless necessary. Lei Dong followed suit, sitting cross-legged in a corner, beginning to contemplate his own cultivation methods.

The usual Lei Dong dedicated the vast majority of his time to direct cultivation, rarely having surplus time to deeply analyze his techniques. The Profound Yin Heart Sutra was foundational, the very source of all his power, a legitimate supreme-grade pure Yin attribute technique; it required only methodical practice. The Netherworld Great Method was the most suitable spell for him. A Great Method differed from a Heart Sutra. The latter was the method of cultivation, the path to advancement, and the way to accumulate foundational power. The Great Method, however, was a complex integration of functions.

If the Heart Sutra was the core power, then the Great Method was about transforming and deriving that core power to yield all manner of wondrous effects.

From his master, Wan Gui, Lei Dong had partially understood that Netherworld Ghost Qi was, in reality, a form of vital life energy. And this life energy could generate endless marvelous applications, such as the Black Dragon Roar. However, expecting Lei Dong to immediately devise an application superior and more monstrous than the Black Dragon Roar was unrealistic. In terms of raw attack, the Black Dragon Roar was already quite excellent, capable of killing opponents a level higher if used skillfully.

What Lei Dong now intended to do was research a novel application for the Netherworld Ghost Qi. In fact, he had already used this to some extent in previous battles: twisting the Ghost Qi into fine threads to entangle and bind enemies. But previously, Lei Dong had used this method semi-instinctively, semi-creatively, without further theoretical exploration or expansion. Its utility wasn't vast; it had little effect on slightly stronger opponents.

What Lei Dong aimed for was a deep, analytical experimentation with this function, transforming it into an extraordinarily potent control-type spell.