Bai Luo, far from being angered, actually laughed, his formidable aura manifesting. He pointed at Lei Dong from afar and roared, "You, Lei! Butting in here, snatching my prey—and you still have the audacity to talk back? Heh, good, very good. This general will let you know whose territory this is, you damned fool."

"Insolent! Scoundrel!"

Angry shouts erupted. The men of the Submerged Dragon Army, unwilling to watch their commander insulted, flushed crimson, drawing their weapons, ready to attack at any moment.

"Hey, hey, ugly giant, who are you calling names?" Xiao You also flashed to Lei Dong's side, her eyes blazing with killing intent.

At the same time, Tian Mo, Ding Wanyan, and Dongfang Fu, who had been staying within the starship's protective shield, all emerged. Each of them cast hostile glares toward Bai Luo, while Bai Luo's Blood Fiend Army men were equally unyielding, displaying their fighting spirit. The two sides immediately became dangerously tense, blades drawn.

Four Soul Transformation cultivators? The subordinates couldn't comprehend it, but how could Bai Luo fail to see it? The powerful aura emanating from those four women clearly indicated they were all at the Soul Transformation level. Although he had some prior knowledge of Lei Dong's underlying strength, seeing it firsthand, he couldn't help but curse inwardly: A damned bastard who got lucky, living off a pretty face and soft rice.

It was rumored that this fellow also had two sworn brothers: one was a Netherworld Dark Serpent, and the other was even more remarkable—an Ancient Desolation Sub-God Beast, a Flying Dragon, both at the Soul Transformation level.

However, such strength was expected. Otherwise, how could this fellow have caused such a stir in the Dawn Continent of the Bright Holy Domain, even managing to eliminate the Lord’s former ally, the Dawn King?

Bai Luo knew that with his current forces, he stood no chance against the opponent. His rear guard, the Blood Army, was far from elite; only one-tenth of the thousand-strong force was at the Nascent Soul level. If a real battle broke out, his entire group would likely perish here. His previous outburst was partly due to being cornered, and partly because this was the Abyss Domain—their home turf.

Guided by the principle that a wise man avoids immediate conflict, Bai Luo’s expression flickered with uncertainty as he restrained his anger. "Commander Lei, what is the meaning of this? Are you intending to make an enemy of our Abyss Domain and my Lord?" With inferior strength, he could only resort to leveraging his superior’s name.

"Bai Luo, I have already established myself as a formal ally with your Lord through the communication array," Lei Dong said with a playful smile. "Is this how the Abyss Domain treats its allies? If so, what's the point of me staying in the Abyss Domain? Brothers, prepare yourselves—we're heading home!"

"Yes, Commander!" the Submerged Dragon Army roared back.

Bai Luo started, his Lord placing immense importance on this alliance and specifically dispatching him over a million miles to welcome and guide the newcomer. If he let Lei Dong leave just like that, ruining his Lord's major undertaking, even Bai Luo, being one of the Lord’s confidants, would face severe consequences—ShuShu.net

"What is it?" Lei Dong stood with his hands behind his back, projecting an untamable arrogance. "Is your Abyss Domain some sort of dragon's den or tiger's lair? Once I arrive, I can't even think of leaving?"

"Heh, Commander Lei, you misunderstand," Bai Luo responded with a fawning smile. "I just wanted to ask, regarding the two prizes you just captured, Commander Lei, are you willing to trade them?"

"Since they are prizes, of course they can be traded," Lei Dong replied with a smirk, his tone somewhat sarcastic. "However, these two prizes are both beautiful women at the Soul Transformation level. What kind of price can you offer?"

"This?" Bai Luo felt a surge of frustration. This mission to welcome the supposed ally was originally an unpleasant chore. But unexpectedly, along the way, he had encountered a pair of truly prime, injured, and weakened Soul Transformation level beauties. Bai Luo instantly treated them as rare treasures, even temporarily setting aside the duty of greeting the ally to pursue them madly. He never expected, however, to watch such precious prey slip through his fingers only to be intercepted by the very ally he was meant to welcome.

Intercepting prey—according to the rules of the Abyss Domain, it was no issue; where power reigns, so does truth, and one simply uses force to seize it. However, this opponent was someone worthy of the Abyss Lord's attention and alliance.

His current troops were entirely insufficient to deal with them. This outcome truly threatened to make Bai Luo vomit a mouthful of foul blood. If he had known, he should have simply fought desperately to catch up earlier, rather than indulging in the cat-and-mouse game!

"How about various resources worth fifty billion spirit stones in exchange for these two little things?" Bai Luo gritted his teeth, offering nearly half of the wealth he had accumulated over the years. He inwardly mused that as long as he could secure these two girls, everything would be worth it. After all, his Lord was currently desperate for cultivators at the Soul Transformation level, especially two rare female cultivators of that rank.

Fifty billion—the mere mention of the price made Bai Luo's heart bleed. How many years had he toiled to amass such assets? Those two detestable girls should have surrendered earlier.

Bai Luo resolved that after obtaining these two prizes, he would thoroughly savor them before sharing the pleasure with some loyal subordinates, and then finally hand them over to the Abyss Lord. One way or another, he needed to recoup his investment.

"Fifty billion?" Lei Dong laughed heartily and nodded. "Your offer shows some sincerity. Fine, once I’ve had my fill of fun, I’ll trade them with you."

Bai Luo froze. Damn it, this brat Lei has the exact same idea I do! A spark of rage ignited in his chest. The bastard wants to play with these two girls until they’re ruined before handing them over to me? Never mind, the situation dictates his actions. Besides, these two women were Soul Transformation experts; they wouldn't be easily broken. Still, he found it peculiar: how did the usually lower-ranked Succubus race suddenly produce a Soul Transformation expert? It had been thousands of years without word of such a breakthrough in that race.

"General Bai Luo, please lead the way. We mustn't waste this perfect, beautiful scene," Lei Dong chuckled wickedly a few times before returning inside his airship.

Bai Luo, utterly dejected, had no chance to turn the tables now and began leading the way sullenly. Yet, he was already sneering internally: Kid, just you wait. My Lord will eventually show you what it means to eat someone without spitting out the bones.

As a trusted confidant of the Abyss Lord, Bai Luo was well aware of his master's methods and principles. Entering into an alliance with this brat, humbling himself to welcome him, was certainly a tactic to counter those detestable Feathered Bird folk. Once their utility expired, the Lord would strip Lei Dong down to the bone, devouring all his power, skin and all. At that time, Bai Luo was certain he would exact revenge for today’s insult upon Lei Dong. And those other human women—they all seemed beautiful, powerful, and possessed extraordinary temperaments. This kid truly had immense romantic fortune. Heh, by then, don't blame me, Bai Luo; I will certainly let you all know what the rules of the Abyss Domain truly are.

While Bai Luo led the way ahead, lost in his dark musings, Lei Dong escorted his two captives back into the ship's cabin.

Lei Dong’s vessel was his flagship, the "Harem Number One." Though small on the outside, it contained an inner universe, utilizing various spatial formations to carve out an interior courtyard reminiscent of the graceful, delicate water towns of Jiangnan.

Living here was comfortable, and it also afforded plenty of time for cultivation during transit.

Surrounded by a throng of watchful women, Lei Dong tossed the captured spoils into a side chamber, then partially lifted some of their restraints, at least enabling them to speak.

"Human, if you release us, I will give you resources worth twenty billion, plus five bottles of Life Divine Water," the tattered white-robed winged woman, apparently a figure of some standing, stated. At this point, she understood that threats and tantrums were utterly childish moves. Instead, she calmly began to tempt Lei Dong.

"Life Divine Water?" Lei Dong smiled. "That is indeed a fine item. Your Winged Race treasures it and never sells it to outsiders, correct? You are quite generous, offering five bottles at once. Good, very good. Give me the goods, and I will let you go immediately."

Such a straightforward answer caught the winged woman off guard, sparking a flicker of hope. She spoke gently, "I don't have that on me right now. You can send a few subordinates to escort me back to the Bright Holy Domain. I promise whatever I say, I won't cheat you out of a single bit."

"Fine, I'll lend you ten female Submerged Dragon soldiers to escort you back to the Bright Holy Domain," Lei Dong agreed instantly without hesitation, pulling out some pills from his storage bracelet. "Here are some medicinal pills, for you."

Saying that, he even cheerfully began to remove their remaining restraints.

The succubus woman and the winged woman, suddenly regaining their freedom, exchanged bewildered glances. In all their lives, they had never witnessed anything so strange. Was this fellow so naive that he believed whatever they said?

Even Xiao You looked slightly dizzy. She tugged Lei Dong’s arm and blinked, asking, "Brother, you’re just letting them go?"

"Hey, hey, didn't you just pity them and ask me to save them?" Lei Dong rubbed her hair playfully. "Now that they're saved, of course, we let them leave. Are you expecting your big brother to be a great demon, to ravage and torment them to his heart's content?"

"Hehe, I didn't mean that," Xiao You stuck out her tongue, blushing. "I mean, aren't you curious? A succubus and a winged woman, both at Soul Transformation level, being hunted in the Abyss Domain. Can't you ask them what happened?"

"Come on, are you asking me to save people or satisfy your curiosity?" Lei Dong shook his head with a wry smile. "You little girl, you really are hard to please. This is their private matter; why are you being so gossipy?"