The group quickly finished collecting the spoils, especially Qian Luo, who, holding the two Soul Refining artifacts that burst forth from the Golden Core cultivator's divine soul, along with the Soul Sealing Sphere and storage bracelets, grinned at Lei Dong, "Boss Lei, looks like we've struck it rich again." Ever since Lei Dong had "sacrificed himself" to save everyone, Qian Luo had felt immense gratitude, coupled with a persistent intuition that Lei Dong was destined for greatness. From that moment on, he insisted on calling Lei Dong 'Boss,' refusing to change his address.

Qian Luo first gathered everything, meticulously calculating the value before respectfully handing it over to Lei Dong: "Boss Lei, the haul from this venture is quite decent. The total value should be around thirty-one million Spirit Stones." Mentioning this number made Qian Luo beam with delight. Since partnering with their Boss Lei, opportunities for wealth had only increased. Over the past five or six years, they had achieved a haul like today's eleven times. The number of Golden Core cultivators they had personally slain had reached a full thirteen. The original Qian Luo never imagined he would ever have the chance in his lifetime to kill so many Golden Core experts.

Even Shangguan and Qing Niangzi, among others, had long since shed their fear of Golden Core cultivators. After all, anyone who witnessed so many Golden Core cultivators meeting their terrified end before their own eyes would, in time, cease to regard them with awe. With so many Golden Core experts defeated, the Foundation Establishment cultivators killed by the squad were countless.

Having felled so many powerful figures, combined with their inherent strength, the team had reached an impressive level. At this point, every member of Lei Dong's squad exuded the cold aura of the strong. Even upon returning to Canglan Island, the killing intent and authority radiating from them deterred casual provocation.

"That's about it. I'll ask one last time: are you willing to accompany me to Kang Prefecture for a bit of fun? But I must warn you beforehand, the road ahead is fraught with danger." Lei Dong's expression was calm as he took all the spoils before tossing them back to Qian Luo: "Handle the distribution later. Convert everything into Spirit Stones."

Qian Luo jumped out immediately to reply, stating seriously, "Boss Lei, to be frank, there is nothing left in Zhao Prefecture that I, Qian Luo, care to linger for. My former family members have long since passed away from old age. As for those sect fellows, hmph. As for the dangers on the road, if even Boss Lei isn't afraid, what reason does Qian Luo have to fear? Of course, if the day comes when Boss Lei achieves Nascent Soul, you must take little Luo along." Qian Luo's entire focus was on following Lei Dong—first, out of gratitude and respect; second, because he saw a real path toward better development.

"Nascent Soul? I haven't even reached Golden Core yet. Nascent Soul indeed." Lei Dong couldn't help but laugh at Qian Luo's fawning appearance, amused by his modest ambition.

"With your cultivation speed, Boss, Golden Core is not far off, and Nascent Soul is certain. I am also willing to follow Boss; wherever you go, I will go." Shangguan, though usually appearing incredibly arrogant, like a second-generation noble who achieved success too young, revealed a surprisingly servile core once one spent enough time with him. Once he acknowledged someone, he displayed a different facet of himself.

"Boss, we've said it before: we swear to follow you to the death," Zhao Ge stated with a solemn expression.

"That sounds good. I've only ever heard of Kang Prefecture before, never visited it," Qing Niangzi glanced lingeringly at Lei Dong, then flashed a charming smile, "A little trip might be nice."

"Very well. Since no one has any objections, we shall begin making preparations," Lei Dong glanced faintly at the group. "Before we depart, there are preparations to be made, some involving sensitive matters. If anyone chooses to leave during the execution of my plan, then do not blame me for being ruthless and merciless."

"We swear!" "We won't betray you..." "We will follow you to the end!"

The group acknowledged his words with serious expressions.

Lei Dong was very satisfied with their response. Over these years, the Foundation Establishment members had nearly maximized their augmentation through Spiritual Artifacts. As for rare treasures like Lei Dong's Asura Wings, those were almost impossible to obtain through individual effort. Now, the only way to significantly boost everyone's strength was through external resources.

Acquiring exceptionally high-quality puppets was nearly out of the question. This was because Zhao Prefecture seemed to have developed its alchemy aspects well, but in areas like puppetry and flying boat mechanics, it lagged far behind. A peak Foundation Establishment puppet often commanded an astronomical price, and even then, they were extremely difficult to acquire. The backwardness of the local flying boats was a clear indicator that the mechanical arts market here was ripe for development.

Under Lei Dong's leadership, the group bypassed Canglan Island this time, heading instead to the Chaotic Archipelago Sea area to chart a relatively safer route directly toward Zhao Prefecture.

Lei Dong harbored one persistent concern: the Mute Girl. It was fair to say that without her, he, Lei Dong, might have perished at sea. Honestly, to this day, he remained overwhelmingly grateful to her. The initial reason for not taking her along was that his original plan involved moving alone; bringing her would have been both a burden and a potential danger to her life. However, now, the entire squad was moving together, and they possessed a flying boat of decent quality. Because of this, Lei Dong decided to detour and check on her. More importantly, Lei Dong had not realized how incredibly arduous the path to Kang Prefecture truly was. He feared that if the Mute Girl were to perish on that road in the future, it would be too great a loss. After all, her aptitude was excellent, and she possessed some special constitution that he couldn't comprehend. Such talent was exceedingly rare.

The flying boat silently materialized near the sea region surrounding the mortal island, Cuckold Island. As Lei Dong predicted, the Mute Girl remained in that dilapidated hut, still fishing daily. However, she no longer used a boat to fish. Instead, she flew directly by mastering artifact control, covering the short distance of ten-odd li of sea in an extremely brief time.

After cultivating, she had gradually come to understand the importance of the Golden Spirit Fish to her. Although Lei Dong had left behind many elixirs and Spirit Stones suitable for Qi Refining cultivators, she found the Golden Spirit Fish to be the most beneficial after experimentation. Having become a cultivator, combined with her unique bloodline, catching Golden Spirit Fish was now an effortless task.

Furthermore, her resources were abundant, her mind was uncluttered, and she carried a goal: to find Lei Dong in the place called Kang Prefecture once she became powerful. Yet, what she never anticipated was that after only six years, the man who had brought about a complete change in her life would quietly reappear before her.

Lei Dong stood with his hands clasped behind his back and swept his divine sense over her, expressing slight surprise, "You're already at the eighth layer of Qi Refining."

His sudden appearance initially left the Mute Girl momentarily flustered. But very quickly, her heart filled with joy. In her life, her parents had died early; now, the only person she trusted completely was Lei Dong. When individuals possess a deficiency in certain areas, they often become exceptionally sharp in others. Whether due to a life of hardship or a particularly acute intuition, she could instantly discern whether someone held hostility or goodwill toward her.

The Mute Girl swiftly fetched paper and pen, writing in elegant script, "Thank you. Why have you returned suddenly?" Her handwriting was excellent, clearly indicating she had not abandoned her studies over the years. The old scholar, who had initially feared Lei Dong, now feared the 'Immortal Superior,' the Mute Girl. However, the Mute Girl was different from Lei Dong, and she did ensure the scholar enjoyed some prosperity.

Lei Dong smiled wryly. He had spent a considerable amount of time with the Mute Girl before, but this was the first time they had achieved such precise communication. Previously, she had simply followed whatever Lei Dong said. He glanced at the writing and then spoke, "I am returning to Kang Prefecture. I ask if you wish to leave with me? Of course, if there is anything here you are attached to, you may choose to stay."

The Mute Girl's pair of clear eyes lit up, and she quickly scribbled, "I am willing to leave with you." The words conveyed an ineffable joy. She had thought it would take her a very long time before she had another chance to see Lei Dong. But now that such a perfect opportunity was presented—him willing to take her directly—how could she refuse?

When Lei Dong brought the Mute Girl back onto the flying boat, the others found the sudden appearance of a mute, plain-looking girl quite strange. Lei Dong briefly explained her background and their connection. The group immediately understood: this Mute Girl was Lei Dong's savior. They felt their loyalty to Lei Dong was justified—a leader who understood gratitude and possessed deep affection.

Learning of the Mute Girl's pitiable background and seeing she was favored by Lei Dong, everyone showed her considerable care, showering her with the excellent items they had accumulated over the years suitable for Qi Refining and early Foundation Establishment stages. Spirit Stones and elixirs were given without counting.

The journey from Fisherman's Island to the coast of Zhao Prefecture covered roughly over one hundred thousand li of island clusters and tens of thousands of li of vacuum strait—totaling about two hundred thousand li. However, the name Chaotic Archipelago was not given in vain. The entire region was carved up by warlords, segmented into countless factions of varying sizes. Furthermore, the major sects would always send representatives to intervene.

Some of these factions welcomed passage or settlement, but others, brutal in nature, would extort exorbitant tolls from passing travelers and flying boats.

Qian Luo had already briefed Lei Dong on these matters. For areas they passed through, they preferred taking a slightly longer route to avoid such trouble, but trouble proved unavoidable. Two large flying boats had somehow managed to surround Lei Dong and his party.

Qian Luo looked genuinely helpless. This had initially been a safe passage. However, the controlling powers within the Chaotic Archipelago changed too rapidly.

...