The eight remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators on the enemy side were instantly dumbfounded, halting their escaping lights tens of feet away, suspended in the air, daring not to advance further, yet unwilling to retreat outright. Lei Dong and the others, however, did not press the attack; instead, they focused all their attention on the Romantic Scholar. Top-tier, immensely powerful spirit artifacts and spells rained down upon the Romantic Scholar simultaneously.

Boom, boom—various flames danced across the sky, their clashing forces generating ripples that burst outward in every direction. Clearly, the Romantic Scholar, already straining to hold on, could not withstand this assault. Just as Qing Niangzi's Soul-Breaking Needle nearly pierced his temple, Lei Dong's Black Dragon Roar slammed directly into his chest, which had already lost its shield.

For Golden Core stage cultivators, unless they had rigorously tempered their physical bodies, it was impossible to be impervious to blades and spears without defensive measures like shields or protective gangqi. Moreover, the spirit artifacts and spells wielded by Lei Dong and his group of Foundation Establishment cultivators were far from ordinary. Fueled by a massive accumulation of spirit stones, their overall strength undoubtedly surpassed that of typical Foundation Establishment practitioners.

The Romantic Scholar could only muster a layer of gangqi around his skin to resist Lei Dong’s Black Dragon Roar. Under the immense impact, he was blasted backward, spitting blood. At the same time, he roared in fury, "If you don't advance now, you'll face the Palace Edicts!" His face instantly turned deathly pale, revealing that several ribs had been broken.

Ordinarily, the Romantic Scholar held these Foundation Establishment cultivators in slight disdain, yet at such a critical juncture, he was utterly dependent on them for survival.

Intimidated by the terrifying Palace Edicts of the White Bone Palace, the hesitant Foundation Establishment cultivators reluctantly continued to advance their escaping lights. However, their speed lagged noticeably; a mere distance of a few dozen feet felt as vast and unreachable as the ends of the earth. The Romantic Scholar was so enraged he nearly vomited blood, but the subsequent onslaught of surging attacks forced him to engage in the battle with grim focus. Being clever, he fought while retreating, aiming to link up with his main force.

After only one or two exchanges, the two factions were completely entangled in battle. Even though fear permeated the ranks of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, facing mortal peril compelled them to fight with all their might. With the pressure somewhat mitigated by his subordinates, the Romantic Scholar finally managed to catch a brief breath. He summoned a white skull, which transformed into a streak of light and shot straight toward the heavens.

Lei Dong was momentarily stunned, sensing something was amiss in his heart. This object was either for communication or would generate a massive disturbance to summon aid. Yet, just as he prepared to unfurl his Asura Wings to intercept the white skull, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators focusing on him simultaneously launched their attacks. Flames, ice cones, and a constantly spinning wheel-like spirit artifact sealed off all his avenues of escape. If Lei Dong forced his wings open, he was certain to be struck squarely. He immediately calmed his spirit and activated the Ghost Shadow Evasion technique, trailing a succession of afterimages like a phantom shadow. As he leaped and darted, he dodged the menacing attacks; when avoidance was impossible, he used the Undying Spirit Shield to absorb the blow.

However, at that very moment, not far away, a beam of white light erupted from the two large flying vessels belonging to the White Bone Palace, shining like a brilliant meteor in the slightly dim sky. It caught up to the white skull at extreme speed, immediately followed by a streak of white aurora that shot straight toward the sea surface, forcefully tossing the white skull into the water below.

Within two or three breaths, the white skull suddenly exploded. By divine sense, although the destructive power was not immense, the resulting radiance enveloped several li of the sea area, nearly blinding anyone watching.

Everyone flinched. If this thing had detonated at a very high altitude, it could have extended for at least a dozen li, forming a gigantic ball of light. Furthermore, this was White Bone Palace territory. Who knew how many enemies that massive sphere of light would attract? Even Lei Dong's heart tightened, grateful that the person piloting the swift white light had intercepted the skull.

Still, the speed of that escaping light was truly astonishing, almost matching the velocity of his own Asura Wings. While carefully dealing with his opponents, Lei Dong pondered inwardly: why did this escaping light feel so familiar? Could it be...

"Tao Tai Bingyun, you're insane!" the Romantic Scholar shrieked, his face turning crimson, "Don't you know the severity of the Palace Edicts?"

The utterance of this name caused a stir in Lei Dong's heart. This was likely no coincidence; even if names were shared, this person could not possess such formidable evasive speed. It seemed Tao Tai Bingyun had experienced a fate similar to his own, having been thrown into this chaotic archipelago by the Sea God's Wrath. Their subsequent experiences, however, must have differed.

But precisely in the shock and distraction caused by betrayal, Qian Luo, who had long fought without success and feared the Black Iron Tower escaping, finally seized an opportunity. He flicked out one of his treasured Iron Mother Gallbladders. This gall was spherical, only about the size of a fist, yet it weighed over a thousand jin. Refined through a special technique, its power was boundless, ranking between a high-grade and a top-grade magical treasure. With a sudden whoosh, the Iron Mother Gallbladder, moving at high velocity like a black rainbow, struck the Romantic Scholar squarely in the chest again.

In desperation, the Romantic Scholar could only protect himself with gangqi; his chest was directly smashed inward. Nevertheless, the vitality of a Golden Core cultivator is remarkably tenacious. Even at this point, he managed to unleash a streak of cyan light, escaping at a terrifying speed—almost two or three times faster than a normal Golden Core cultivator's maximum velocity.

Tao Tai Bingyun moved again, remotely flapping her Wings of the God King. She intercepted the Romantic Scholar, and from a distance, a massive cyan sword light was seen hacking the Romantic Scholar cleanly in two. Only as his corpse began to fall did Lei Dong and the others hear a sound of clashing zither strings.

Lei Dong knew this sound well; it was Tao Tai Bingyun’s ultimate technique, the Azure Lotus Sword Melody, whose power was extraordinary. He himself had nearly suffered a great loss against it in the past, barely managing to repel her using the Heavenly Demon Transformation.

With the Romantic Scholar dead, the Foundation Establishment cultivators dared not linger and immediately scattered like birds and beasts. However, Lei Dong and his party had already prepared several perfect strategies for dealing with escapees: pursuit and interception. The more they fled, the more Lei Dong enjoyed the chase. In a mere ten breaths, the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators were completely wiped out, not a single one managing to escape.

The unfortunate Black Iron Tower remained trapped within the Demon Binding Curse for a full hundred breaths. Only after his companions were systematically slaughtered did he reluctantly emerge from the seal. His pitch-black face looked at the group with a slight ashen tint. He was quite astute; he didn't attempt any tricks of escape because, while sealed, he had witnessed everything. These people possessed terrifying evasion speeds, especially the black-armored, black-winged man who could summon hordes of ghostly entities. Despite being only at the tenth layer of Foundation Establishment, he was terrifyingly effective, quickly slaying several Foundation Establishment cultivators relying on his speed. And then there was Tao Tai Bingyun; Black Iron Tower did not know why she betrayed them, nor did he realize she was capable of being so formidable—far more so than her usual demeanor suggested.

Since the chances of escape were so slim, it was better to stay put obediently. Black Iron Tower possessed a coarse exterior but a cautious mind, especially after observing for a hundred breaths that the black-armored, black-winged Foundation Establishment cultivator seemed to be the true leader of this group, rather than Qian Luo, the Golden Core cultivator. While being subjected to unfriendly gazes, Black Iron Tower feared they might attack and forced a bitter smile, raising his hands: "I surrender. Please, everyone, do not attack."

"Your storage bracelets and the magical artifacts within your spirit soul must be handed over," Qian Luo scolded sharply, following a glance from Lei Dong.

"Naturally, naturally," Black Iron Tower sighed internally, reflecting on the swift turn of fortune—thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. He had been the one robbing them moments ago, and now he was a captive. He couldn't help but curse the Romantic Scholar internally: why stir up trouble? This group had been prepared to pay the safety money quietly, but his meddling had enraged them, leading to this outcome. If he had known, he would have stopped the Romantic Scholar even at the cost of his life.

Qian Luo accepted his storage bracelet and three soul-refined magical artifacts: one for flying, one for attack, and one for defense. All appeared quite good, the defensive artifact being a high-grade treasure. As for the storage bracelet, Qian Luo left it untouched for now, awaiting Lei Dong’s decision.

"Little brother Lei, I still possess other assets, valued at around ten million spirit stones. I will use those assets to ransom myself, and I swear never to reveal today's events." Black Iron Tower was quite straightforward, addressing Lei Dong directly: "Of course, if you are uneasy, you can place some restrictions on me."

Lei Dong couldn't help but smile faintly. This Black Iron Tower, though rough in appearance, was quite sharp-minded. He chuckled, "Even if you return, how will you explain this to the White Bone Demon Lord? You might as well follow me; I guarantee it will be better than staying with the White Bone Demon Lord." Lei Dong genuinely admired such men and began to try and recruit him.

"Brother, I can tell you are no simple figure," Black Iron Tower glanced at Qian Luo, his face growing bitter. "It's not that I'm unwilling to follow you and seek a future. But the White Bone Demon Lord rules his subordinates with extreme strictness. He has implanted a Ghost Gu within me. If I don't take his specially prepared antidote within three years, the Gu inside me will devour my spirit soul, leading to death."

"Ghost Gu? Such a thing exists?" Lei Dong's expression shifted slightly, mixing doubt with belief. "How have I never heard of such a thing? Are you trying to trick me? Even if there were a Ghost Gu inside you, with your Golden Core cultivation, wouldn't refining it be simple?"

"He speaks the truth," a faint, cold, and clear voice sounded, laced with a hint of tremor. "Lei Dong, it has been a long time."