... Li Yao paused, then burst into wild laughter, staring at Lei Dong with the look one reserves for an imbecile. "Kid, have you swallowed something poisonous? A mere Foundation Establishment brat dares to claim he’ll kill this venerable one?" With that, his figure flickered, instantly closing the distance at a speed invisible to the naked eye. He intended to use his bare hands to crush this arrogant Foundation Establishment youth alive—no, to shatter his bones one by one, just to let Ding Wanyan see clearly that a weak man cannot protect her.

"Lei Dong, watch out." Although Ding Wanyan was still enveloped in the sweet happiness, even a daze, following Lei Dong's return, the danger posed by Li Yao kept a thread of vigilance taut in her mind. Seeing Li Yao strike, she immediately moved to shield Lei Dong, unleashing hundreds of wisps of Yin Sha blades, which surged forth like an overwhelming tide.

Perhaps, relying on her Yin Sha physique and the Mark of Blood, Ding Wanyan could contend with an ordinary late-stage Golden Core cultivator even without the aid of her battle pets. However, Li Yao possessed Nascent Soul cultivation. With his guard up, there was no way Ding Wanyan’s attack would land successfully.

The folding fan was repeatedly waved, sending streams of scorching blue flame shooting out against the wind. These flames easily vaporized the Yin Sha blades that could ordinarily slice through refined steel, turning them into swirling mists that drifted skyward.

Just as Ding Wanyan’s expression hardened, preparing for a desperate struggle, a brilliant white light shot out from Lei Dong’s Sea of Consciousness—the nexus where his soul was nurtured. It transformed into a winged figure, blasting forth a 'Cannon of Light' with hands sealed in a mudra, illuminating the grim surroundings with blinding clarity. Li Yao was struck with great alarm, and a crystalline jade shield materialized before him.

Boom~

The resulting clash sent Li Yao, shield and all, flying back dozens of feet before he managed to stabilize himself. Hovering in mid-air, his face was ashen, his gaze wary as he stared at Yi Kong: "Winged God Race?"

Lei Dong remained perfectly still, suspended in place, tightly gripping Ding Wanyan's hand. He chuckled lightly towards Li Yao: "Who told you that you must always strike the killing blow yourself?"

"Brat, though this venerable one has no idea where you colluded with this Winged God Race member," Li Yao’s eye twitched from the sarcasm as he spoke fiercely, "but to think you could dispatch this mere early Nascent Soul Winged God Race member to kill me—isn't that too whimsical?"

"Then, how about adding us?"

The Heavenly Demon and Blood Demon, lurking in the distance, simultaneously emerged. Each took up a corner, forming a triangular formation that locked onto Li Yao from afar. No matter which direction he tried to flee, he would be assaulted by attacks from two Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Heavenly Demon? Blood Demon?" Li Yao cried out in shock, his expression ugly as he scrutinized the newcomers. He could understand the Heavenly Demon seeking trouble with him, but the Blood Demon...

Faced with Li Yao’s look of disbelief, the Blood Demon merely sneered a few times, stating righteously, "Li Yao, did you really think that I, the dignified Supreme Elder of the Yin Sha Sect, would actually conspire with you to plot against my own disciple? You think too little of me."

"With time comes complication. Elder Xue, please, stop wasting breath with a dead man," Lei Dong’s lips curled into a cold smile. "Kill without mercy."

"Good!"

Having witnessed the terrifying power of the Ghost Gu, the Blood Demon was now considerably apprehensive of Lei Dong; that kind of torment was no less painful than the agony of ten thousand ghosts devouring the soul. Perhaps seeking to atone for his earlier misjudgment, the Blood Demon struck first. His Blood Fiend Qi transformed into sharp arrows, shooting towards Li Yao like a swarm of locusts. Simultaneously, the Blood Puppets nurtured within his fiend energy also manifested. A single Blood Puppet might not pose much threat, but twenty of them together would give even a Nascent Soul cultivator a headache, as they are virtually immortal unless their Blood Crystal core is destroyed.

The Heavenly Demon disdained wasting words with Li Yao. Her demonic energy surged, unleashing a Heaven Demon Fist of extraordinary might. Though the Heavenly Demon had killed countless people and never valued human life highly, her actions were always upright and forthright. She utterly despised this sort of despicable, shameless treachery.

Yi Kong, gradually sensing Lei Dong's extraordinary nature, began calculating his own possibilities. Perhaps following this master would not be a bad thing after all. Of course, whether Yi Kong would truly dedicate his service sincerely depended on Lei Dong's future conduct. Because of this thought, Yi Kong fought with exceptional effort, even offering a conditional request—a non-condition, really—to strike for Lei Dong one more time. Based on his growing understanding of Lei Dong, he knew that although this person was outwardly cold and ruthless, that ruthlessness was reserved only for enemies. Toward his allies, Lei Dong generally spared no effort, treating them incomparably well. Especially since Lei Dong carried the Demon Emperor's inheritance, he might indeed become an astonishing figure.

Facing any one of these three opponents, Li Yao would struggle immensely. Especially against the Heavenly Demon and Blood Demon, both approaching the mid-stage Nascent Soul level, he was clearly inferior. How could he withstand the combined assault of three? After only a few exchanges, he resorted to using a precious Spatial Talisman, intending to escape via instant movement.

But the Heavenly Demon, who had been fully prepared, tossed out a valuable Space Solidification Talisman, instantly freezing the spatial barriers. For a moment, the Spatial Talisman could not tear open space for Li Yao to escape. Li Yao, his face contorted in terror, finally realized that the others had prepared long in advance; they truly intended to leave him here. With a furious roar, his body nearly dissolved into a mass of blue flame, attempting a direct breakthrough.

The Earth Giants, having repeatedly achieved miraculous feats and having just arrived via their innate Earth Evasion technique, simultaneously activated their innate Gravity Spell. They forcibly dragged Li Yao to a halt. Having lost his speed, Li Yao possessed absolutely no power to resist the combined offensive of the three Nascent Soul cultivators. In less than sixty breaths, his treasured shield was shattered, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

At this point, Li Yao considered escaping by allowing his Nascent Soul to leave his body, but he was reluctant. Even if he found a suitable vessel to possess, it would take decades, perhaps a century, of hard cultivation to regain his peak strength. Seemingly clinging to a sliver of hope, he roared, "Stop! Are you not afraid of retaliation from the Grand Sect?"

"Heh heh heh, out here in the desolate wilds, destroying your body and soul completely, even if the Grand Sect is mighty, they won't find us to retaliate," the Blood Demon cackled maliciously, his face ferocious.

"I can offer benefits, massive benefits," Li Yao began begging shamefully. "If you spare this junior's life, I will offer all my wealth for my ransom, and I swear this entire incident never happened."

The Blood Demon heard this and glanced towards Lei Dong.

Lei Dong knew exactly what the Blood Demon meant: perhaps extort some benefits, humiliate him further, and then kill him. However, Lei Dong was not so shallow. He understood the gravity of the situation demanded zero mistakes. He stated coldly, "Elder Xue, I repeat: with time comes complication. Let's finish this quickly."

The Blood Demon sobered at his words and, while resuming his attack, let out a series of strange laughs: "Li boy, if you have any complaints, blame your own blindness for provoking someone you shouldn't have."

Li Yao was filled with remorse. Having cultivated to this level, he was certainly no fool. From the previous exchanges, he had vaguely perceived that the Blood Demon seemed to be taking orders from this youngster. A terrifying shock rippled through his heart—what exactly was this boy?

But regretting it now was useless. Seeing his pleas for life failed, he resorted to his last trick: Nascent Soul leaving the body. Without the drag of the physical shell, the speed of the Nascent Soul is far greater than normal escape velocity. Thus, many Nascent Soul cultivators, when truly cornered, choose this method, even though it causes severe self-harm; at least it preserves their life force.

Unfortunately, the moment Li Yao’s Nascent Soul separated, the three Nascent Soul cultivators stopped attacking, devoid of any desire to strike. Lei Dong’s Asura Wings truly were a heaven-defying treasure, granting unmatched speed within a range of several thousand miles. If he were still in the Foundation Establishment stage, he might not have kept up with the Nascent Soul. But now that he was Golden Core, his true essence was several times thicker than before, allowing him to wield the Asura Wings with effortless grace. Of course, the Asura Wings were not without weakness; over extremely long distances, their effectiveness diminished significantly.

As expected, after Li Yao's Nascent Soul had fled perhaps ten miles in an incredibly short time, Lei Dong, who had been observing the battle, made his move. His figure flashed, covering dozens of miles in an instant. In the span of a few dozen breaths, he had seized Li Yao's Nascent Soul and reappeared back among the group.

"Lei Dong, no, Lord Lei, I was wrong." Unlike the divine soul of a Golden Core cultivator, a Nascent Soul holds all of a cultivator’s life imprints, including memories. When that Nascent Soul was grasped by Lei Dong, it was virtually an infant Li Yao, pleading frantically with a terrified expression: "Your Lordship is magnanimous, please spare my life."

This air of cowardice and desperate clinging to life caused both the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon to show undisguised contempt. Especially the Blood Demon; he considered himself wicked in many ways, but he possessed a degree of integrity. His eventual submission to Lei Dong was due to other factors, not mere fear of death.

"Hmph~" Lei Dong was truly too weary to waste words with him. He brought out the Myriad Ghosts Banner. As it fluttered in the wind, the six Golden Core vengeful spirits within seemed to sense a new companion arriving, their ghostly hands reaching out, emitting chilling, eerie cries.

"Wanyan, Wanyan, I was wrong. Please, I beg you, speak a good word for me. If you spare my life, I will serve you like an ox or a horse." Li Yao’s Nascent Soul was already seized by the claws of the vengeful spirits, desperately being dragged towards the Myriad Ghosts Banner. This fate and scene terrified him so much that he completely disregarded his pride, weeping and begging Ding Wanyan for mercy.

Although Ding Wanyan was not as decisively ruthless as Lei Dong, she had committed her share of ruthless deeds over the years. Furthermore, this man had dared to use her parents to threaten her. There was no way she would nurture a threat for the future. She leaned against Lei Dong, gazing scornfully at Li Yao's Nascent Soul.

"Aaaah~" Li Yao finally could not resist the six vengeful spirits and was forcibly dragged into the Myriad Ghosts Banner, the piercing ghost howls erupting in excitement.

...