It was likely due to Lei Dong's clean work during the previous incident in the Sea of Chaos that the White Bone Demon Lord himself did not make a personal appearance. Not a single lingering soul from the White Bone Hall, save for the surrendered Black Iron Tower, had managed to escape. They didn't truly grasp the core of their own actual strength. Nevertheless, the White Bone Hall was truly formidable; as expected of one of the overlords in the Zhao State territory, they had managed to lock onto this group in such a short time.

With his hands clasped behind his back, standing at the stern of the flying boat, Lei Dong calmly contemplated the ensuing battle. Since the flying boats were all shielded by large protective barriers, these offered a degree of obstruction against divine sense intrusion, making it difficult to discern the opponent's true strength. Should he rush into battle out of impetuousness, it would be too careless and might lead to irreparable mistakes.

Both his past experience leading teams in combat and his innate sense of logic dictated that knowing the enemy and knowing oneself leads to a hundred victories in a hundred battles. Lei Dong admitted their side was not weak: Black Iron Tower and Qian Luo, both Golden Core experts, possessed formidable combat prowess. He and Tantai Bingyun were also 'terrorists' whose strength in no way paled in comparison to early-stage Golden Core cultivators. The remaining three Foundation Establishment cultivators—Shangguan, Old Zhao, and Qing Niangzi—were fully equipped with spirit artifacts, making them elites among their peers; while dealing with Golden Core cultivators would still require effort, handling Foundation Establishment cultivators would be effortless.

It was only regrettable that although everyone had successfully blood-bound their upper-grade spirit ghosts, they had not yet had time to nurture them, meaning the ghost servants could not provide much assistance. Otherwise, their strength would have reached a terrifying level.

Lei Dong’s potent divine sense remained, subtly hovering over the enemy’s large flying boat. Perhaps because their tracks had been discovered, the three enemy flying boats were now beginning to form a wide encirclement around them. At this moment, Lei Dong and his group had no recourse but to fly forward.

Suddenly, Lei Dong glanced slightly to the side. Within the high-altitude hurricane, a faint ripple of fluctuation was concealed. Perhaps in sheer divine sense intensity, Lei Dong was still slightly inferior to Qian Luo and Black Iron Tower. However, due to the Emperor Demon Seed and his long-standing focus on his divine sense, Lei Dong's perception was far more delicate and acute than the average person’s, allowing him to detect nuances that others could not penetrate. With a slight cold snort, he raised his hand and shot out a Nether Fire Bomb. The emerald green flame, emanating a chilling aura that made the soul tremble, carved an arc through the air, striking with precision and speed against the strange fluctuation hidden within the hurricane.

The Nether Fire Bomb spell, though simple to learn and seemingly an introductory technique of the Yin Sha Sect, was in fact one of their signature arts—easy to learn but difficult to master. Theoretically, the Yin Sha Sect had stood as a top-tier sect in Kang State for over ten thousand years, producing countless brilliant talents who had refined this spell to near perfection. As disciples grasped the Nether Fire Bomb and their cultivation rose, they would increasingly recognize it as an extremely practical technique. Although Lei Dong had spent time thoroughly studying the Nether Fire Bomb, he remained only at its superficial level. Yet, even so, this kind of flame that could directly scorch the soul could not simply be endured without consequence.

Boom! Where the fluctuation was, a burst of ghastly white light erupted, intercepting the Nether Fire Bomb. The green flames scattered like fireworks, all being repelled by the white shield. Lacking the soul as an accelerant, the nether fire quickly extinguished in the air.

Everyone under Lei Dong’s command tensed as if facing a great enemy, concentrating near the edges of the flying boat. Even Tantai Bingyun’s cold, beautiful eyes focused vigilantly on that white light.

“Hmph!~”

A grim and slightly annoyed snort sounded. His (Dùnshù - Evasion Technique) broken, a figure gradually materialized behind the white light. The person was gaunt and slender, with a pallid, bloodless face, wearing a black cloak on his back naturally adorned with a ferocious white jade skull. His eyes, like a hawk’s, stared fiercely and somewhat surprisedly at Lei Dong.

In his view, Lei Dong ranked near the bottom in cultivation among this group. Yet, he was the first, and the only one, to discover his presence. He had been extremely confident in his evasion technique, believing even early-stage Golden Core cultivators could not detect him in this high-altitude hurricane environment.

“Boy, do you carry some extraordinary treasure?” His voice was somewhat hoarse and sinister, sending a chill down the spine.

“Young Lord White Bone.” Upon clearly seeing the newcomer, Black Iron Tower’s expression darkened, and he sucked in a cold breath, his gaze showing extreme vigilance.

Having become enemies with the White Bone Hall, Lei Dong had naturally researched them. Thanks to Black Iron Tower and Tantai Bingyun, he understood the structure of the White Bone Hall quite thoroughly. Lei Dong had heard Black Iron Tower mention this White Bone Young Lord several times. In Black Iron Tower's description, this Young Lord was considered a top figure among the younger generation in all of Zhao State; he was the great-grandson of the White Bone Demon Lord and the only descendant with truly unparalleled talent, deeply favored by the Demon Lord who saw him as his successor.

Precisely because of this, the White Bone Young Lord, despite his relatively low cultivation due to his limited time cultivating, excelled in techniques and spirit artifacts compared to his peers—the reasons for which were self-evident. Furthermore, the boy proved worthy, making rapid progress thanks to the massive influx of resources. The reason Black Iron Tower was so wary of him was that, even at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, this individual could contend with Black Iron Tower without falling behind.

But now, his aura seemed...

“So, you are the renowned Young Lord White Bone.” Lei Dong stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze casually sweeping over him: “A pleasure to meet you, a pleasure. I hear you are quite good.”

“Insolent boy!” The Young Lord White Bone grew agitated by Lei Dong's condescending demeanor. He couldn't help but feel that the way this boy looked at him was like an elder regarding a junior. Yet, for some reason, he forcefully suppressed his rising temper and turned his attention to the silent Tantai Bingyun, his eyes revealing a complex emotion—perhaps a hint of tenderness, yet also tinged with shame and anger. After a few breaths, his aura settled slightly, and he spoke grimly: “Bingyun, neither my ancestor nor I have ever mistreated you, have we? Why did you leave without saying goodbye this time?”

“Hehe, Young Lord, long time no see. First, congratulations on breaking through to the Golden Core Dao.” Although Tantai Bingyun smiled politely, there was an indescribable cold indifference in her eyes: “However, whether we were mistreated or not, we both know the truth; why say more?”

These words made the face of Young Lord White Bone twitch in awkwardness. But immediately, he forced a wry smile: “Bingyun, my ancestor placing the Ghost Gu on you was a matter of necessity. You must understand, a single Ghost Gu is priceless. If my ancestor did not value you highly, why would he waste such an item?”

... “Hmph. How ridiculous.” What sort of person was Lei Dong? He saw through some of the White Bone Young Lord's intentions almost instantly. Someone of the Young Lord White Bone’s excellent background might develop some cunning due to wide exposure and early education. However, such individuals usually possess one fatal flaw: in matters of emotion, they easily sink into self-assured, one-sided infatuation, and they possess very weak resilience against genuine setbacks, especially emotional ones. With just a brief glance, Lei Dong understood his feelings for Tantai Bingyun. An idea sparked in his mind; he crossed his arms and stared at him arrogantly and disdainfully: “I also hold you in high regard. Why don't you hand over a wisp of your soul to me?”

A cold, savage glare shot towards Lei Dong, turning his pale face ashen. He seemed to be forcefully suppressing the rage stirred up by Lei Dong’s provocation: “What kind of thing are you, daring to compare yourself to my ancestor? You court death.”

“What kind of thing are you, Young Lord White Bone?” Lei Dong unfurled the wings on his back, the span of six or seven zhang making him look like a demon god general emerging from purgatory, imposing and fierce. A look of extreme pride flashed across his face, his eyes contemptuous and dismissive: “What is your status? Merely the great-grandson of the ancestor of a mere upper-tier power. How could you possibly be worthy of Bingyun?”

The Young Lord White Bone was nearly provoked into immediate violence.

However, he also seemed somewhat deterred by Lei Dong’s words. Suppressing the explosive temper within him, he stared intently at Lei Dong, squeezing out each word: “Who exactly are you?” Indeed, this made him hesitant to act rashly. With his level of perception, he could clearly see that the pair of wings on Lei Dong's back were certainly no ordinary item; it was something even a Golden Core cultivator could not possess, let alone a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Could it be that this boy had an extraordinary background?

Everyone under Lei Dong’s command swept their gazes over him, looking disbelieving. Their boss was... interested in Tantai Bingyun?

On the other hand, Tantai Bingyun, Lei Dong’s enemy in this scenario, understood him perfectly. She knew that adopting this posture meant he was plotting some mischief. Still, the way he carried himself truly depicted the image of an arrogant, spoiled young master to perfection.

“Who am I? You probably aren't qualified to know.” Lei Dong shifted his gaze to Tantai Bingyun, revealing an expression as gentle as water, as if she were the beloved of his life. Then, he turned cold and disdainful again: “Boy, here’s one chance: stay away from Bingyun. She is not someone you are qualified to covet.”