Lei Dong was quite speechless regarding this fellow. While it was true that most cultivators feared death, one as utterly terrified as Wan Liyang was truly a rarity. After all, he was a figure at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage; cultivators at this level usually possessed incredibly firm wills after enduring the tribulation of the Inner Demon, and rarely would they beg for mercy so shamelessly, even when genuinely afraid.

Unlike Wan Liyang, Lei Dong always dealt with matters plainly and directly. Having already decided to eliminate Wan Liyang, there was no way he would offer false promises of leniency in exchange for all the treasures only to kill him afterward. Moreover, Lei Dong was now a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with immensely powerful divine sense; erasing the spiritual imprints on the man's treasures would be a simple task.

Ignoring him, Lei Dong continued by summoning the Big-Bellied Cannon Ghost. Instantly, the sky spanning dozens of miles became overcast with dense clouds, filled with the howls of ghosts. Wan Liyang, seeing that begging was useless and that the ruthless individual was unmoved, dared not delay any longer. He immediately tossed out a life-saving talisman: the Space Teleportation Art.

This treasure was incredibly valuable, capable of tearing open space to instantly transport one hundreds or even thousands of miles away—a truly rare item for survival. However, Lei Dong was not seeing such talismans for the first time. He already had a sequence of countermeasures ready. With a cold voice, he merely rebuked, "The space is frozen."

The moment Wan Liyang threw the talisman, the spatial rift it attempted to tear open instantly solidified on the spot. Including Wan Liyang himself, he was trapped by the coagulated space, finding movement difficult.

As time passed, Lei Dong's mastery over the True Word Art grew stronger. His command, if he didn't fear the backlash, could freeze even a Soul Transformation stage expert for half a breath, let alone a peak Nascent Soul cultivator. Thus, Lei Dong effortlessly locked the space around Wan Liyang for three full breaths, without suffering any backlash.

"Boom!" The Big-Bellied Cannon Ghost unleashed its power concurrently. Amidst the roaring sounds, Wan Liyang could not evade and could only focus on defense. But once the Big-Bellied Cannon Ghost managed to form a proper formation, the power of its coordinated barrage was something even a Soul Transformation expert could not easily withstand.

After successfully blocking just a hundred cannonballs, Wan Liyang's physical body was blasted into a mist of blood by the most potent Nether Fire cannonball. When the others, who had easily slain early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, arrived, Ghost Nether was somewhat vexed, chuckling wryly, "Master, must you be so violent? This entire area is just a bloody mess; how am I supposed to consume anything? I am, after all, an elegant Ghost King."

Lei Dong was stunned and turned back to glare fiercely at Ghost Thorn in the illusory shadow: "I told you to properly tutor Ghost Nether, yet you teach him such frivolous things."

Ghost Thorn laughed helplessly. "Master, I am wronged! Ghost Nether possesses half a Nether Ghost Body and exceptional innate talent; those words were entirely his own realization."

"Hmph, are you quite envious of its half Nether Ghost Body?" Lei Dong scoffed coldly, hands clasped behind his back, displaying a stern yet warm-hearted demeanor. "Once this matter concerning the Soul Transformation puppet is concluded, we will conduct another Blood Sacrifice. If you truly manifest a Nether Ghost Body, that is good, but if not, do not be too disheartened. Among Ghost Kings of the same rank, there are few who surpass you."

Ghost Thorn immediately became ecstatic, repeatedly voicing his thanks, "Thank you, Master, for granting this favor." Truthfully, Ghost Thorn had been deeply envious of the newly arrived brother Ghost Nether possessing the Nether Ghost Body. Yet, he also knew that for Ghost Thorn at his current cultivation level, another Blood Sacrifice would demand more than just a month of the Master’s weakened vitality. Therefore, he never dared to mention it, keeping it locked in his heart.

"Enough, quickly gather the spoils. We must withdraw immediately," Lei Dong's expression grew serious. "The commotion our group has caused recently has been too significant. News has likely spread by now. If we alert some old demon at the Soul Transformation stage, we will be in a very difficult position."

"Yes, Master." Ghost Thorn had followed Lei Dong through life and death for many years and immediately snapped into focus. He swiftly collected all the battle spoils, planning to erase the soul imprints left by the original owners later. After this successful operation, the group silently shifted towards their next destination.

It must be said, Wan Liyang was absolutely not an ordinary character. He was thoroughly terrified because Lei Dong handled spatial laws with such practiced ease, mistakenly believing Lei Dong was a Soul Transformation stage expert. This caused him to lose all composure. Otherwise, had he fought Lei Dong with full strength from the start, his defeat would not have been so swift or his end so tragic. At the very least, he could have fought Lei Dong to a standstill through a desperate struggle. What a pity; perhaps this man had lived too comfortably for too long, losing the spirit for fierce advancement.

This observation further illustrated that the path of cultivation is like rowing against the current: advance or fall behind. Once the drive for progress is lost, one is bound to be eliminated eventually, dying in comfort.

This "fishing expedition" targeting Wan Liyang was the final action in Lei Dong's current series of maneuvers. Now, he had disguised himself as a Golden Core realm martial cultivator, sporting a thick beard and carrying a massive sword, freely journeying toward his next destination. As expected, the atmosphere across the Great Qian Continent suddenly tightened, and many sects and powerful figures became apprehensive. In the period that followed, those killed were all Nascent Soul experts, and the number of deceased Nascent Soul cultivators had reached nineteen. Even for the prosperous and vast Great Qian Continent, this was an earth-shattering series of crimes.

Under the organization of several highly reputable figures, an alliance formed to hunt the murderous maniac, spontaneously laying down a massive dragnet. The relatives, friends, and peers of the murdered individuals were all displaying utter grief and indignation, swearing to use the madman's head to mourn the dead. The outcry was considerable, and rumors even suggested that the matter had alerted certain old demons at the Soul Transformation stage. If any clues emerged, these Soul Transformation experts would personally move to capture and execute the fishing, murderous maniac.

However, quite a few people watched the proceedings with cold sneers, enjoying the show. Indeed, the victim was fishing—luring others with vast wealth to attempt robbery. But if one hadn't been consumed by greed and harbored evil intent, how could they have been counter-fished? Any person who managed to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage likely had blood on their hands; claiming otherwise was laughable. Consequently, those deceased Nascent Soul experts had numerous enemies, and those enemies were all clapping their hands in approval, shouting that the fishing maniac had done the world a service. Especially those who previously presented themselves as righteous paragons of virtue were now among the victims, suggesting they surely engaged in similar activities behind the scenes.

But the majority simply scoffed at the entire affair. In this world, the law of the jungle is the most fundamental rule. If the fishing maniac was killed, it was simply because his strength was insufficient, and he should count himself unlucky. As for those who failed to rob and were subsequently killed, their greatest fault was merely insufficient ability. Yet, even among this segment, many formed groups to actively search for the fishing maniac, as the bounty offered by the victims' families was incredibly enticing, and the immense wealth on the maniac himself represented an overwhelming prize.

Even though so many Nascent Soul experts had perished at the hands of this fishing maniac, there were still many skeptics who believed that as long as they worked in concert, they would be entirely safe.

Unfortunately, Lei Dong had planned everything meticulously. All his targets were completely unrelated to his ultimate objective, and there was no discernible pattern. He continued toward his destination at a leisurely pace, maintaining the identity he had prepared long ago. After covering a million miles, he encountered several teams along the way operating under the banner of the Demon Slaying Alliance, scouring the area.

These teams, however, varied wildly in quality. Some were genuinely searching for clues. But others were using the banner as a pretext to set up checkpoints in crucial locations, questioning every passing cultivator. While outwardly appearing to hunt the fishing maniac, they were, in reality, engaging in extortion and robbery. But how could such groups, led by only one or two Nascent Soul cultivators, possibly stop Lei Dong?

He refrained from directly eliminating them merely to avoid drawing attention to his movements. Under the Ghost Shadow Evasion Technique, Lei Dong silently slipped past the checkpoints and continued onward. In just two or three months, by the time Lei Dong reached his destination—a place called the Scorching Chasm—the entire Great Qian Continent had descended into chaos.

The reason was simple. Just as Lei Dong observed along the way, many teams operating under the name of the Demon Slaying Alliance, or falsely using its name, had become tyrannical and utterly unreasonable during their searches and interceptions. There were even incidents of arson, massacres, and plundering, with the perpetrator arbitrarily pinning the crime of harboring the fishing maniac afterward.

One or two such incidents could be smoothed over, easily suppressed by the immense influence of the Demon Slaying Alliance. But as these occurrences multiplied and happened across the entirety of the Great Qian Continent, under the manipulation of certain interested parties, damaging rhetoric began to circulate against the Alliance. Voices opposing the Alliance rose continuously, and even one or two Soul Transformation cultivators were stirred enough to issue statements demanding that the Alliance must self-investigate, lest it be used as a tool for illicit gain and murder by malicious individuals.

The once vibrant Demon Slaying Alliance, having been formed hastily, quickly fractured under external pressure and internal conflict, ultimately dissolving into dust.

The Scorching Chasm was located in the northwest region of the Great Qian Continent. This area was abundant with earth fires that erupted frequently, eventually creating a valley of magma where life—both human and beast—had long since vanished. However, this harsh environment had become a haven for certain species fond of fiery surroundings, allowing them to take root and thrive. Many cultivators were willing to travel vast distances here to try their luck, perhaps finding some fire-elemental heavenly materials or slaying a few fire-type demonic beasts...