With a slight curl of his finger, the iron whip, weighing over a thousand catties, instantly shattered into pieces, fragments shooting backward. The Black King was instantly smashed into a pulp by the shards of the weapon, blood and pulverized flesh spraying backward onto Liu Sanniang. Poor Black King, let alone resist, didn't even have time for a scream before his soul was utterly annihilated.

Liu Sanniang had also been out in the world for a long time, a well-traveled individual who had seen every manner of horror and bloodshed, encountered every kind of danger. She had even faced a Golden Core stage expert before and counted surviving that encounter as a point of pride. But in that instant, she froze mid-air, her face drained of color, her pair of lips painted a vivid crimson appearing startlingly bright at that moment.

Fear, never before had a fear so absolute, so boundless, filled her, paralyzing her so she dared not move a muscle. She could hardly imagine that Black King would die so easily, dispatched with a casual flick of a finger from that person. What kind of being was that man? Killing a peak Qi Refining stage cultivator, one of her own rank, was like brushing dust off a sleeve.

It wasn't just Liu Sanniang; the other six were equally dumbstruck, the sheer contrast momentarily wiping their minds blank. The tremors in their hearts left them sweating profusely, the cold drops trickling unconsciously down their faces. Silence descended, not a whisper or a sound remaining.

After easily dispatching one enemy, Lei Dong remained with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the low-level rogue cultivators with a touch of pity. Hunting others for profit wasn't a great sin in itself; the mistake was choosing the wrong targets, having the absolute worst luck.

The black-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator was ultimately stronger than the rest and possessed a slightly tougher resolve. Mustering his courage, he landed, dropping to his knees with a thud. His voice trembled uncontrollably as he stammered, "S-Senior... your junior has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. We unintentionally offended Your Esteemed Presence; please be magnanimous and spare us this time. Your juniors will repay your great kindness, even if we must serve as oxen and horses."

Lei Dong glanced at him coolly and casually remarked, "Execute yourself. I will leave you an intact corpse."

The black-robed cultivator instantly felt as if plunged into an ice cellar, coldness permeating his entire being. He wanted to resist but dared not, left kneeling with a bitter smile, begging for mercy. "Senior’s cultivation is vast as the sea; in your eyes, this junior is merely an ant. I beg Your Mercy, loosen your grip and spare this junior this once. I am willing to reveal everything that led to this—who sought to harm Senior—in full detail."

The others, having just snapped back to reality, quickly descended and knelt, pleading desperately. Only Liu Sanniang seemed somewhat more resolute; though her face was deathly pale, she gritted her teeth. "Everyone, it is clear we have stumbled upon this old monster's scheme. If we wish to live, begging is useless! We either fight to the death or scatter and flee. If even one escapes, it is a victory. Being groveling insects for nothing will still end with our heads lost."

Regardless of their display, Lei Dong remained utterly unmoved, merely stating coldly, "Three breaths of time. End it yourselves, or every soul will be annihilated."

"Everyone, run!" the black-robed Foundation Establishment man roared.

As if waking from a dream, the group transformed into streaks of escaping light, darting off in different directions without coordination. The black-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood that transformed into a cloud of crimson mist, rapidly fleeing outward. His warning to run wasn't born of any kindness; it was purely to draw some of Lei Dong’s attention. Though he knew he was no match for this mysterious and powerful cultivator, even an ant clings to life, let alone a dignified cultivator. Self-execution was absolutely impossible; a desperate final struggle might offer that minuscule chance of escape.

"Foolish," Lei Dong sighed softly, casually flicking out several strands of wind pressure from his finger. The finger-winds whistled forth, arriving sooner than the fleeing cultivators, blasting the Qi Refining cultivators apart, Liu Sanniang included without exception.

Only the Foundation Establishment cultivator saw a flash of golden light around his body, which seemed to block one of Lei Dong's casual finger-winds. This caused Lei Dong to utter a slight "Yi?" He raised his hand and unleashed a Nether Ghost Claw. Black mist instantly condensed into a lifelike giant black claw, several yards wide, appearing out of thin air before the blood mist. With a scoop and a grasp, it captured the entire cloud of mist within its spectral grip.

Smack—The black-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator dropped to the ground like a dead dog, his eyes wide with terror, screaming desperately, "Y-Yuan... Nascent Soul Old Monster? Why? Why would a supreme expert of your stature, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, why?" Facing a Golden Core expert, despair would exist, but there would still be that one-in-a-million chance to flee. But against a Nascent Soul expert, forget one in a million; there wasn't even a one-in-a-hundred-million chance.

"You have bad luck," Lei Dong said without even lifting his eyelids, casually flicking out a standard Profound Yin Finger. The finger force burrowed into the cultivator’s body and exploded. A Foundation Establishment cultivator was thus obliterated, soul and essence vanishing completely. It was indeed his bad luck; he thought he had a sure victory, yet he accidentally ran into a Nascent Soul-level cultivator who was pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, harboring hidden motives. What a catastrophic encounter.

However, having wiped out so many people in the blink of an eye, Lei Dong showed no reaction whatsoever. Cultivators of this caliber were no different from ants in his eyes. Furthermore, they were the ones who actively sought trouble; who could they blame? Those who come out to kill must be prepared to be killed themselves.

Now, the only one left alive was Luo Hongqing. His face was ghastly pale, his legs trembling uncontrollably as he stared at Lei Dong in panic, forcing himself to speak clearly. "F-Fourth Uncle. I d-didn't realize you were a Yuan... Nascent Soul stage cultivator."

"Are you disappointed?" Lei Dong narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"N-No, I'm ve-very happy." Luo Hongqing forced a smile uglier than a cry. "F-Fourth Uncle is incredible. I, as your nephew, a-am also..."

"Sigh..." Lei Dong sighed again, and with a thought, his spiritual sense spread out over a li away, solidifying almost physically to envelop a person, drawing her before him. He looked at her with some pity. "I shall continue to call you Second Sister. Why did you go through such trouble? I can see that you genuinely considered me a younger brother. Back then, you even expressed sympathy for my origins."

"F-Fourth Brother." Gongsun Rong’s face was miserably tragic; she couldn't believe things had escalated to this point, leaving her speechless for a time, only sobbing. After a long while, she finally wept uncontrollably, "Now that matters have come to this, I, Gongsun Rong, have nothing to say. Senior, I... I don't know who you are. But, given that I called you Fourth Brother, and you acknowledged that bond, I won't beg for my own life. I only ask for your great magnanimity to spare Qing'er's small life. We were wrong, terribly wrong. It was me, all my greed clouded my judgment and led to this wicked idea. It has nothing to do with Qing'er."

"I said earlier, there is no right or wrong in this matter; it is simply a matter of insufficient strength and poor luck," Lei Dong swept his gaze past Luo Hongqing. "Our world is inherently one where the weak are prey to the strong. Had my strength been lacking today and you managed to plot against me, I could only blame my own misfortune. Since this child, Luo Hongqing, decided to undertake this matter, he must have the courage to bear the consequences. Luo Hongqing, do not say I won't give you a chance. If you have any integrity and are willing to execute yourself to atone for your crime, I shall spare your mother’s life today."

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, this has nothing to do with me!" Luo Hongqing was so terrified he nearly wet himself, collapsing completely, shouting anxiously and fiercely, "It was all my mother instigating! She even said it was her idea. It truly, truly has nothing to do with me. F-Fourth Uncle, spare, spare me this once!" He immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed.

Gongsun Rong, hearing these words, suddenly felt as if the sky was collapsing. Her face was frantic, drained of all spirit. To raise a son to this state, to have taught him this way, only to meet such an end. Biting her lip, she murmured, "Fourth Brother, it was indeed all my idea. It is my fault; please lay all blame upon me."

"When I do things, I always like to settle matters clearly. Revenge for grievances, gratitude for favors," Lei Dong’s expression remained unmoved. "When that black-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator spoke of shattering my Qi Sea Dantian and completely crippling me, you flew over from a li away, risking exposure, and anxiously sent a voice transmission saying that as long as I couldn't get out of bed for two years, I must not cripple Fourth Brother. I heard that transmission. Based on those words just now, and in consideration of you sincerely calling me Fourth Brother, I will spare your life. I will only ensure you cannot rise from bed for three years. As for your son, what use is there keeping such a disloyal, unrighteous, and cowardly thing alive in this world?" With that, Lei Dong casually flicked a finger, hitting Luo Hongqing directly between the brows, taking both his soul and his life away instantly.

"Ah—"

Gongsun Rong, hearing the devastating news, was simultaneously shocked and grief-stricken, fainting from excessive sorrow. However, Lei Dong thrust his spiritual sense into her soul in the center of her forehead, sealing it. Thus, unless Lei Dong actively released it, she would remain in a vegetative state for three years before awakening.

After dealing with the situation, Lei Dong enveloped Gongsun Rong and Gongsun Qing, flying them high into the air, and brought his palm down. The small valley where the gruesome tragedy had just occurred was silently razed to the ground. On his return to Myriad Flower Valley, he handed the two women over to the old man Gongsun, briefly explaining the cause and effect. This left Old Man Gongsun both shocked, angry, and terrified. That damned maternal grandson and foolish daughter had nearly ruined everything and brought about catastrophe. Fortunately, this Senior was relatively reasonable; besides the primary culprit Luo Hongqing and the riffraff being eliminated, he spared his daughter's life and did not extend his wrath to the entire Gongsun family. This left him raging at his descendants’ filial impiety while constantly expressing deep gratitude to Lei Dong.

... (To be continued)