The group understood perfectly that their lives hung by a thread; to strike was to draw the deadly ire of the White Bone Palace. Yet, within the small team, Lei Dong was now the undisputed leader. If he commanded a killing blow, they would deliver it, even if it cost them their very lives. Shangguan and Old Zhao unleashed their strongest spells, "Spirit Artifacts," toward the Amorous Scholar. Meanwhile, Lei Dong and Qian Luo also began exerting their full might to execute their techniques.

Qian Luo, steeling his resolve, hurled a pale-green jade talisman toward the Black Iron Pagoda. Under the surge of his potent true energy, the talisman shot forward with blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, it reached the Black Iron Pagoda’s rear.

These two—they were indeed Golden Core experts. The moment Lei Dong’s side initiated their assault, they reacted instantly, first encasing themselves in semi-transparent protective shields. Simultaneously, their treasured shields flared with spiritual light, whirling rapidly around them. The Amorous Scholar’s ancient treasure shield crackled and sputtered, parrying Shangguan and Old Zhao’s attacks one by one. At the same time, his expression instantly darkened; he had never expected this group, seemingly weaker than his own side, to dare launch a surprise attack at such a juncture. Were they suicidal?

But the Black Iron Pagoda seemed less fortunate, for his opponent was directly Qian Luo. With ruthless resolve, Qian Luo cast forth his life-saving talisman. This talisman was named the Demon-Binding Curse, an exceedingly rare and precious item. Rumor held that it could even restrain a Nascent Soul cultivator for several breaths, and a Golden Core cultivator for a hundred beats of the heart.

The Demon-Binding Curse talisman erupted, releasing the sealed spell within. It manifested as a series of luminous rings that connected to one another, instantly ensnaring the Black Iron Pagoda. Intricate, ancient runes shimmered with golden light, revolving ceaselessly around the trapped figure. It was as if those rings and runes possessed some inexplicable power, holding the Black Iron Pagoda fast. Even as his face contorted in shock and he launched furious blows against the rings, it was utterly useless. It seemed certain he would not escape anytime soon.

Of course, the Demon-Binding Curse was not without its flaw: while it imprisoned the enemy, it also formed an absolute defense around them. Those trapped could not exit, and those outside could not strike the captive. Therefore, despite its terrifying power, the Demon-Binding Curse spell could only be employed as a crowd-control tactic in specific scenarios. Even so, the mere price of this talisman spell was enough to bankrupt a less affluent cultivator.

Had the situation not been so dire, Qian Luo would never have consented to discard this talisman, reserved as his ultimate means of self-preservation. After temporarily sealing the Black Iron Pagoda, Qian Luo redirected his attention to the Amorous Scholar. He threw forth a golden seal, and as he enacted the required hand seals, the seal swelled against the wind, transforming instantly into something the size of a small mountain, crushing down violently toward the Amorous Scholar.

The Amorous Scholar’s expression flickered rapidly. He recognized the Demon-Binding Curse talisman, never dreaming that the seemingly rustic Qian Luo possessed such a potent artifact. This meant he would have to face Qian Luo and three Foundation Establishment cultivators alone for a short time. However, after his initial shock, seeing the ten-odd Foundation Establishment cultivators from his side speeding toward him, his heart settled. He felt confident he would not fall in the short term. Once reinforcements arrived, he wondered how these attackers would survive. What use was temporarily trapping one Black Iron Pagoda?

But before his expression could fully stabilize, his heart jolted once more. The Foundation Establishment cultivator, previously unremarkable and hidden within the crowd, had suddenly summoned a dark-hued fierce tiger, over two zhang long, possessing the cultivation base of an early Golden Core cultivator.

After managing to fend off Qian Luo’s incoming seal and taking a careful measure of the situation, his heart gave another involuntary shudder. This beast seemed to be the renowned innate demonic beast, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger—its strength should not be underestimated.

With this development, the Amorous Scholar’s resolve wavered. Though he couldn't immediately fathom how a mere tenth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator could summon this Golden Core-level Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, facing Qian Luo alongside the tiger left him with little confidence. He had no choice but to discard his arrogant disdain and focus entirely on defense.

Yet, an even greater surprise was swift in coming. Lei Dong summoned yet another creature: a second-grade Ghost General. The imposing Ghost General, immediately upon appearing, entered a state of bloodlust. Its form dissolved into a faint mist, brandishing its Soul Blade as it launched a fierce assault against the Amorous Scholar. Now, it was a Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, a Ghost General, a Golden Core cultivator with a formidable magic artifact, plus two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators wielding superb spirit artifacts. The Amorous Scholar was suddenly in grave peril. Although his folding fan was also immensely powerful, flashing once to send out a wave of white light that forced back the Shadow Tiger or the Ghost General, he was nonetheless driven into a state of utter disarray.

Lei Dong was not done yet; he continued summoning. A peak Foundation Establishment golden puppet, a tenth-level Foundation Establishment silver puppet, and a peak Foundation Establishment magical black dragon. The Amorous Scholar was managing to hold on, barely, under the barrage of Lei Dong’s ceaseless summons and the coordinated attack from everyone else. But his defense was already extremely ragged. If his Foundation Establishment subordinates were not almost upon him, the Amorous Scholar would surely have resorted to a quick escape using a light-fleeing technique.

Lei Dong’s expression remained calm as he next unfurled the Myriad Ghost Banner. With a flick of his hand seals, five massive, black-mist-shrouded fierce ghosts surged forth.

Though there were only five fierce ghosts, the power inherent in each one far surpassed that of the former leader-level fierce ghosts. A palpable aura of ghostly chill and murderous intent emanated from them. The reason was simple: the former leader-level fierce ghosts had been refined from Foundation Establishment cultivators or Foundation Establishment beast souls.

However, these five black-mist-shrouded fierce ghosts were refined from the nascent souls of five Golden Core cultivators. Although the strength of a Golden Core cultivator’s nascent soul was far inferior after being refined into a fierce ghost within the Myriad Ghost Banner, the raw material—a Golden Core cultivator’s nascent soul—meant that each fierce ghost possessed an astonishing ferocity.

Without the enhancement of the Netherworld Grand Art, each of these general-level fierce ghosts could potentially contend one-on-one with an ordinary mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Yet, once Lei Dong activated the Netherworld Grand Art, they absorbed vast quantities of ghostly energy, causing their strength to increase dramatically. Any single one of them possessed power comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. In essence, these five fierce ghosts were equivalent to five late-stage Foundation Establishment subordinates.

This was Lei Dong testing a new approach for the Myriad Ghost Banner, shifting from a strategy relying on sheer numbers toward one focused on elite forces. Naturally, both approaches likely had their merits and drawbacks. In terms of scale, the elite route might not match the massed approach. But the massed approach incurred far too heavy a cost; facing a slightly formidable opponent could see the majority wiped out by a single area-of-effect spell.

The benefits of the massed approach didn't seem to suit Lei Dong. The reason was quite straightforward: the only opponents capable of pushing Lei Dong to his absolute limit were Golden Core cultivators. This was unlike other Myriad Ghost Banner practitioners whose opponents were mostly of the same rank, perhaps slightly higher at best.

Therefore, after some testing, Lei Dong concluded that the elite-path doctrine was more reliable for him. With superior control, these five general-level fierce ghosts could still exert significant combat power. Most importantly, they were not so easily annihilated. Even if severely injured, they could simply be dragged back and healed using the Netherworld Ghostly Energy.

Lei Dong was a man who disliked unnecessary complication; reducing the burden of control was always preferable.

Simultaneously, Lei Dong’s Netherworld Grand Art spread outward, enveloping the area in a chilling, spectral atmosphere that instinctively made observers shiver. However, the Ghost General, the Shadow Tiger, and the fierce ghosts seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, becoming noticeably stronger. The ghostly entities, in particular, saw their forms swell, their ferocity escalating sharply.

The fastest two or three of the ten-odd Foundation Establishment cultivators finally lunged forward. Lei Dong saw them coming, a cold smile touching his lips, and commanded the five fierce ghosts to intercept. Ignoring everyone else, he focused solely on directing the five fierce ghosts to surround one late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Intensified by the Netherworld Ghostly Qi, the fierce ghosts became incredibly savage; a single one was capable of matching a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

With the five ghosts attacking in unison against one late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, the resulting power was almost unimaginable. In just two or three breaths, they tore through his protective shield and ripped the man to shreds with their sharp claws and teeth. Smelling the blood, the five ghosts grew even more frenzied, desperately tearing into his flesh, their forms turning crimson in the blink of an eye.

The two companions of the brutally slain cultivator had no time to render aid, as they were respectively pinned down by Shangguan and Old Zhao. Meanwhile, Lady Qing turned back, her every movement charged with explosive violence born from humiliation and rage. With a flap of her transparent wings, she flashed behind the Foundation Establishment cultivator fighting Shangguan, exhaled from her delicate mouth, and spat out white silk that wove into a net, forcefully enveloping him. Simultaneously, she unleashed a thin, swift needle, executing an extremely insidious strike when he least expected it—plunging directly into his temple. The Soul-Piercing Needle, this top-grade offensive spirit artifact, was not only powerfully destructive but also a weapon that often caught opponents completely off guard. Since acquiring it, Lady Qing had been thriving, achieving continuous feats. And so, in an instant, she had shattered one cultivator’s soul.

The comrades had perished in almost an instant. The Foundation Establishment cultivators rushing frantically from the rear slightly faltered in their flight; something seemed terribly wrong. It was merely this slight hesitation that cost another of the first wave of arriving Foundation Establishment cultivators his life. Lei Dong and the other three acted in unison, overwhelming and annihilating the last of the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.