As the Three Ghost Guards unleashed their might, the effects of Lei Dong's assault immediately became apparent. Caught between the two Ghost Guards and the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, the opponent’s spirit shield and protective aura were battered to the brink of shattering. Then, like a phantom, Lei Dong materialized directly behind him, sweeping his hand up sharply. The Scarlet Refining Flying Sword transformed into a flash of crimson light, cleaving through man and shield in a single, swift arc.

In that brief confrontation, Lei Dong had instantly dispatched two enemies. This terrifying power didn't just shock the opposing side into utter fear; it left his own comrades stunned and momentarily paralyzed. Lei Dong himself appeared to be only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, yet he had achieved a swift kill against two peers in a single exchange. What did this signify? What was happening?

Captain Qian, a veteran of many battles, felt his spirit surge upon witnessing this. His eyes gleamed as he roared, "Brothers, stop gawking! Kill, kill, kill!"

His shout galvanized his teammates, setting their hearts ablaze with fervor. They had been at a disadvantage, and even the rumors of Lei Dong being able to take on seven opponents were met with skepticism. This was supposed to be a desperate counterattack, and morale was already low. But watching Lei Dong demonstrate such divine power, wiping out two enemies at the outset, turned their eyes blood-red. It was as if victory was already secured, and their morale exploded into ferocity. Each person desperately urged their true essence, driving their spirit tools and spells toward the enemy. If they won this battle, the spoils would likely far exceed those from a Golden Core demonic beast; the lure of such immense wealth burned like fire in their chests.

Having seized the initiative by instantly killing two foes, Lei Dong showed no pause. He directed his subordinates and the Scarlet Refining Flying Sword, instantly encircling the remaining five mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators. Lei Dong understood that while he was undeniably powerful, his combat effectiveness reached its peak when dealing with enemies at or slightly below his own level. Against two or three late-Foundation Establishment cultivators, the impact would be less pronounced. Hence, this strategy: use the four teammates to tie down the three late-Foundation Establishment enemies.

Morale, by its nature, often shifted like tides. Lei Dong's squad was soaring, their emotions overflowing. The enemy, however, after having two members instantly wiped out, felt not just terror and rage, but a creeping fear. They had initially sized up Lei Dong’s outlandish appearance, wondering if he was some kind of powerhouse. But at that time, it was impossible to say; dress could be deceiving. This world was full of those who looked arrogant and dominant but possessed the fighting prowess of straw dolls. Flashy spirit tools didn't guarantee strength.

Yet, Lei Dong had delivered a resounding slap to their faces with undeniable action, simultaneously dragging their morale into the abyss. Under the influence of the potent Netherworld Ghost Qi, the combat power of his planted specters and the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger had significantly increased—they were now vibrant, snarling, and constantly shrieking. The five enemy cultivators trapped within Lei Dong’s Netherworld Ghost Qi circle were demoralized and trembling, the gruesome fate of their two comrades indelibly etched in their minds. As the three late-Foundation Establishment enemies prepared to join the fray and focus on eliminating Lei Dong with their teammates, Captain Qian led the charge, engaging the trio with his four-man formation.

Lei Dong’s allies had already begun to abandon thoughts of fighting, focusing instead on escape. Lei Dong was fully aware of their intentions and deliberately focused his attention on one unlucky target. The Ghost Guards and puppets swarmed the man. Though he was prepared, darting and defending desperately, he could not contend with so many ferocious ghost puppets. His defenses were systematically dismantled before he was utterly destroyed.

The others, seeing Lei Dong’s focus elsewhere, needed no second word: they began to retreat. They were afraid—terrified of Lei Dong’s horrifying methods and the devastating combat power of his spectral horde. The battle had only just begun, and this man had already eliminated three cultivators. Instead of pressing an attack on Lei Dong, they erupted in streams of light, fleeing in all directions.

"Hee hee." Lei Dong let out a sinister chuckle. Their flight played perfectly into his trap. In truth, if those five enemies had fought cohesively and coordinated their efforts from the start, Lei Dong might have struggled to deal with them quickly. But once morale fractured, they became scattered sand. Picking them off one by one was precisely what Lei Dong desired.

With a wave of his hand, black mist rolled out, enveloping the ghost puppets. Simultaneously, the Asura Wings rose high and swept downward with tremendous force.

Boom! A wave of black energy erupted, and he vanished from the spot. He reappeared ahead of the next fleeing victim. Faced with the utterly terrifying speed of the Asura Wings, escape was likely the most foolish plan imaginable. Those who fled would pay for such rash decisions with their lives.

The middle-aged cultivator who was overtaken skidded to a sudden halt, his face ashen and bloodless. He had been supremely confident in his escape speed, relying on both his exceptional movement technique and a top-grade flying artifact. He never anticipated that the opponent could reach him in the blink of an eye.

"Please, spare this insignificant one!" Threatened by the prospect of death, the middle-aged cultivator abandoned all pretense. Knowing he was no match for this terrifying powerhouse, he begged ceaselessly with tearful eyes, "This minor one is willing to serve as an ox or horse, even surrender a sliver of my spirit soul."

"Who wants your spirit soul? Trash like you only deserves to feed the ghost servants." Lei Dong was genuinely loath to waste words on him. He had many bad habits in life, but the worst was that he never spared anyone he defined as an enemy. The sole exception was Qi Feifei.

His summoned minions lunged forward as one. In just two or three breaths, they completely overwhelmed the man. Three twelfth-level Ghost Guards, one twelfth-level Foundation Establishment puppet, one tenth-level Foundation Establishment puppet, plus the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger and hundreds of elite fierce ghosts. They required no command; surging forward, they could easily annihilate many Foundation Establishment cultivators. Weaker opponents stood no chance of resisting. Even Lei Dong himself, facing such a massive contingent of summoned creatures, would have no choice but to flee, as far as possible.

After dispatching this man, Lei Dong flapped his wings and sped toward another direction. Under the Asura Wings, escape was a joke. Especially over this vast ocean—where could one flee? Into the water? For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, plunging into deep water was essentially a death sentence.

Of the remaining three, two were women. Yet, Lei Dong hunted them down one by one, killing them without the slightest hint of mercy. To be lenient toward an enemy often meant disaster for oneself.

From the moment Lei Dong took wing to pursue, until he returned, less than half an incense stick's time had passed. Notably, for the four he hunted down later, Lei Dong deliberately brought back their corpses. The purpose, naturally, was to shatter the morale of the remaining three late-Foundation Establishment.

In this exchange, the fighting between the two sides was quite evenly matched. After all, Captain Qian’s four members, combined with the enemy's three, possessed nearly equal overall strength. They fought with firelight and ice shards spraying everywhere, engaging in thrilling, back-and-forth combat. However, in a certain sense, the three late-Foundation Establishment enemies were slightly inferior, as their morale had been crushed. At that moment, they repeatedly considered fleeing. But they were consistently intercepted by the veteran tactics of Captain Qian.

When Lei Dong reappeared, his presence caused the complexions of the three late-Foundation Establishment cultivators to turn deathly pale with terror. Based on their own strength, holding off three mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators was already a struggle. A terrorist like Lei Dong, while not unheard of, was exceptionally rare. By estimation, his strength allowed him to challenge two or three ordinary late-Foundation Establishment cultivators single-handedly.

Lei Dong’s face was expressionless, showing only cold indifference as he tossed the corpses out. He sneered, "Fleeing before this Lord Lei is simply laughable. The four who fled? Not one remains; they are all here." This act dashed the enemy's morale to the lowest point. The three of them had already begun considering using secret techniques to force a retreat—escaping regardless of the life-threatening consequences, which was preferable to being butchered here. But the four mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators had scattered in four different directions, and he had managed to hunt them down individually and return within half an incense stick’s time. Any escape secret technique, they realized, would likely be useless against him.

Captain Qian and his group, though awestruck, felt their spirits soar. Lei Dong had not only backed up his boast of taking on seven mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, but he had already executed them one by one. It was somewhat humiliating that none of them had managed to kill even one so far. To avoid looking too incompetent in front of Lei Dong, Captain Qian signaled to Lady Qing.

She understood, and a fierce aura flashed across her beautiful features. Opening her crimson lips, she spat out a sharp beam of cyan light. In an instant, the light expanded, nearly forming a giant sword, which she brought down upon one of the late-Foundation Establishment cultivators. The enemy, his morale broken and his mind fixed on survival, merely offered a perfunctory defense against Lady Qing’s attack, underestimating her, as she was only a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Clang! A terrifying and unbelievable event unfolded: his high-grade spirit shield cracked and shattered under the single cyan beam, its fragments spraying outward like meteors. As he recoiled in shock, Captain Qian, already prepared, unleashed his killing move. He thrust out a palm, energy shimmering, and an explosive pillar of brilliant light shot forth like a cannon. With his spirit shield gone, the blast struck the unfortunate cultivator’s chest, ripping through his protective aura and instantly shattering all his internal organs. The man was flung backward, a gaping hole marring his chest. (To be continued; for what happens next, please log on to Qidian for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)