Captain Qian nearly fainted. What did he mean, "not many people"? There were clearly ten of them! And among those ten, there were no fewer than three cultivators at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Late Foundation Establishment! His side only had two—how could they fight this? Captain Qian calculated again and again, finding no chance of victory.

"I, Lei, will take on the seven mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators," Lei Dong transmitted telepathically with a strangely calm expression. "The remaining three late-stage ones, the four of you just need to stall them. Is that still a problem? However, since I am the main combatant, I get half the spoils of war."

Taking on seven mid-stage cultivators? Captain Qian nearly collapsed, swaying precariously. With his peak Foundation Establishment strength, handling two mid-stage cultivators was the limit; three meant almost certain defeat. And this young man was claiming seven in one go. As for half the spoils, Captain Qian had absolutely no objection. If Lei Dong could genuinely handle seven mid-stage cultivators, let alone half, even seventy or eighty percent, or even letting him have it all, would be fine.

Captain Qian was a ruthless man; he understood that surrendering now might only embolden the enemy to demand more. Even if the opponent took their loot and let them go, this team's days were likely numbered—without morale, how could they continue fighting together? A brief thought was all it took for him to decide to gamble. He sent a fierce transmission to Lei Dong: "Brother Lei, if you truly can handle all seven, then let's do it." He then rapidly messaged the rest of his teammates.

Truthfully, their side's fighting strength was not to be underestimated. His teammates were clearly no pushovers. While they found Lei Dong’s claim of taking on seven almost unbelievable, they knew that if they won this battle, the wealth and rewards would be staggering. Not to mention, that large flying ship alone was worth a fortune.

Lei Dong’s group was rapidly conferring via telepathy. Among the ten enemy cultivators, their lips were also moving constantly, clearly discussing their next move. The other side was weighing the cost: against ten opponents, how many casualties would their six sustain? Not a single one of them wanted to be the one who died, even if they held the advantage. The spoils were tempting, but without life, what good were treasures? Therefore, despite their superior strength, they couldn't rush in recklessly. If the enemy would just back down and hand over the loot, that would be best.

Unfortunately, because of Lei Dong’s involvement, a situation that frequently occurred in the Endless Sea had taken a dramatic turn. The roles of wolf and sheep seemed to be reversing.

To Lei Dong’s slight surprise, one teammate trusted him implicitly: that was Madam Qing. As soon as she heard he could handle seven, her eyes lit up, and she began urging the captain to fight. The other two, though hesitant, ultimately agreed to the fight under Captain Qian’s persuasion, fueled by their usual trust in him. However, the prerequisite was that Lei Dong must take on the seven. As for Shangguan, he was currently combat-ineffective and held no right to vote.

After achieving internal consensus, the opposing side also seemed to reach a unified decision: they would fight. That young man with wings did look capable of putting up a decent show. But just like their side, if they chose retreat despite holding a clear advantage, the team's cohesion would plummet.

With both sides now harboring the intent to battle, the glances exchanged between them were charged with explosive tension. Lei Dong decisively made the first move, raising his hand and launching a Nether Fireball that struck the energy shield of the enemy's flying vessel, erupting in eerie, glowing green smoke.

While this attack caused no actual harm, it served as the lighting of the fuse. The enemy captain exploded in rage, his face ashen as he cursed, "You brat, you're asking for death! Brothers, kill them!"

As his command rang out, the captain and his nine companions charged toward Qian’s ship, unleashing a barrage of spiritual artifacts and spells simultaneously, aiming to shatter the shield in the shortest time possible.

"Lei Dong—" Captain Qian felt the ship vibrate violently under the enemy's ferocious assault. Given the vessel's defensive capabilities, facing ten ferocious Foundation Establishment cultivators, the energy shield would likely fail in just a few dozen breaths.

"Don't panic. Fall back, gain some distance," Lei Dong commanded, whipping out the Myriad Ghost Banner. The black mist surrounding his body rapidly intensified, filling the immediate vicinity within a few breaths with an incredibly dense wave of netherworld ghostly energy, so thick that sight was obscured beyond a few feet. Only then did he leisurely begin summoning three Ghost Guards, the puppet, and the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger.

Upon hearing Lei Dong, Captain Qian immediately reversed the flight path of the ship. At the same time, he roared warnings for everyone to prepare for battle and hurried Shangguan back into the cabin to avoid being caught in the ensuing clash.

The flying ship steadily retreated. The ten enemies acted as if they had these people dead to rights, unleashing their flying artifacts and pursuing with relentless bombardment. The ship had only fallen back a few hundred zhang before the energy shield showed signs of strain; the enemy's combined firepower was simply too fierce. They believed it wouldn't be long before the shield broke, forcing both sides into close-quarters combat.

However, by this time, Lei Dong had summoned everything he needed and used the netherworld energy to conceal them. The yet-to-be-breached hull of the shield perfectly blocked the enemy’s divine sense probes. Combined, the opponents had no idea that Lei Dong had amassed such powerful assets.

It was Lei Dong’s teammates, however, who were left utterly dumbfounded. While outsiders couldn't sense the terror emanating from Lei Dong's entourage, they could clearly feel the sheer dread these things inspired. What were those semi-transparent entities that their divine senses detected? They looked like Ghost Guards—Level Twelve Ghost Guards. Three of them! Any single one of these would strain a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, perhaps even leading to defeat. Yet, Lei Dong had three. And that tiger, several zhang long? It appeared to possess the strength of a tenth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, its aura of authority even surpassing the Ghost Guards, as the three guards visibly kept their distance from it. A puppet, another puppet! And this one was a tenth-layer Foundation Establishment puppet!

Beyond that, hundreds of fierce, malevolent ghosts swirled around Lei Dong, constantly flying about. Yet, under Lei Dong’s suppression, not a single spirit dared to utter a sound. To Lei Dong’s teammates, any single ghost wasn't particularly formidable; anyone could dispatch them easily. But the sheer number was enough to induce a mental breakdown.

This guy was a cultivator who specialized in summoning ghosts? In Zhaozhou, there were quite a few sects that favored employing spirits to fight, like the Fierce Ghost Sect, masters of ghost furnace techniques. Though not a top-tier force, they were masters of their domain. But a Foundation Establishment eighth-layer cultivator possessing such numerous and potent ghosts? That had never been heard of.

Seeing the multitude of ghost pets and puppets amassed around Lei Dong, the morale of the team soared, as if they had suddenly grasped the hope of victory. What they didn't know was that Lei Dong’s true trump card lay in the pair of wings on his back—the Asura Wings, an item that struck terror into countless hearts on the Eastern Sea's Star Island. No enemy marked by Lei Dong ever escaped. This was precisely why the Heavenly Sound Palace was willing to pay any price to equip Tantai Bingyun with a pair of wings no less formidable than his own.

Once Lei Dong was fully prepared, he took out the remaining half of the high-grade spirit stone and greedily sucked in its spiritual energy to replenish his reserves. Simultaneously, he shouted a command via telepathy: "Go!"

With Lei Dong’s shout, he initiated the attack. The netherworld ghostly energy around him surged outward like thick fog, spreading out by several zhang, ten zhang, even dozens of zhang. The Netherworld Grand Technique took effect almost instantaneously, covering an area spanning dozens of zhang. The air was heavy with chilling, eerie energy. He targeted the two nearest mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators first. The Ghostly Spirit Guard lurked, emerging first, followed closely by the other two guards. Behind them, the army of hundreds of fierce ghosts arrived like a tidal wave, charging toward the seventh-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, simultaneously providing cover for the two main guards.

Lei Dong himself, leading the two puppets and the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, aimed for the other eighth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This tactic was about concentrating force for a decisive, heavy blow, preparing to annihilate two enemies with absolute certainty. The Ghost Guards struck first. The distance between them and the target was short, barely a dozen zhang. The enemy cultivator, perhaps eager for merit, had pursued too closely. Facing a mass of fierce ghosts charging at him, his expression twisted in shock as he attempted to retreat, but he was a fraction of a step too slow. The Level Twelve Ghostly Spirit Guard, whose power was immense, had materialized silently behind him and unleashed a burst of spectral force.

That cultivator proved quick-witted. Sensing danger from his back, a spiritual shield instantly appeared, blocking the Ghostly Spirit Guard's powerful strike. The mid-grade spiritual shield barely withstood the blow, but the immense impact shockwave sent him flying forward. The Brutal Strike Ghost Guard, lurking within the throng of fierce ghosts, unleashed its freezing attack alongside the Frost Ghost Guard. As icy mist swirled, it instantly froze the cultivator, instantly solidifying the blood in his body. The Brutal Strike Ghost Guard followed up immediately, activating its Bloodthirsty Art and unleashing a cloud of black mist, striking the man's spiritual shield with its strongest assault.

Under such overwhelming force, the shield was shattered, and the impact struck the cultivator’s chest. He and his shield were utterly pulverized into dust. Alone, the attack likely wouldn't have achieved such a result. But combined with the freezing paralysis from the Frost Ghost Guard, it achieved an extraordinarily potent effect.

The enemy didn't last even a single breath from start to finish before being obliterated.

Instant kill. (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please visit Qidian, for more chapters, support the author, and read the legitimate version!)