The King of the Yakshas was thoroughly pleased with Lei Dong’s compliance; in truth, he had already devised methods to force their submission had the two humans refused. But because Lei Dong had been so understanding, the King’s gratitude toward him deepened—avoiding the sacrifice of two elders was a blessing. Tao Tai Bing Yun, initially feeling a sting of indignation, ultimately had no choice but to nod in agreement after a moment’s thought.

“Do not be disheartened. This King will do his utmost to ensure your safety.” The King of the Yakshas handed each of them a pearl the size of an egg. To prevent discontent from souring their efforts, he put on a benevolent expression: “In reality, if this spatial vortex is not dealt with, it will soon enter a phase of rampant expansion. At that point, given your cultivation levels, your chances of survival will be slim. Consider this a personal debt this King owes each of you. You will surely have need of the Yaksha Clan in the future.”

“Senior overthinks things,” Lei Dong replied with earnest sincerity. “Favors are irrelevant. As I stated before, there is no reason to decline. Senior, time is pressing; please instruct us on the procedure so we can get straight to the main task.” Lei Dong mused privately that if he was going to grant a favor, he might as well do so thoroughly. Better to be brisk and satisfying than dilatory and irritating. Even if the King of the Yakshas intended them harm, there was little they could do about it now—they couldn't just rush toward certain death. Fortunately, while the Yaksha clan was renowned for being warlike and brutal, they were relatively poor liars, generally not skilled in deceit. This provided Lei Dong a degree of psychological comfort.

“The pearls I have given you are the Heaven-Splitting Thunders; their explosive power is extraordinary. Each contains a wisp of this King’s divine sense; you do not need to control the detonation yourselves.” The King of the Yakshas, sensing the preciousness of the time, began to explain the details meticulously. As he laid out the plan, all Lei Dong needed to do was carry the pearl to the designated spot and, upon the King of the Yakshas’ signal, bolt immediately. The King would allow them a small head start to escape.

“Here are two supreme-grade spirit stones for each of you, to rapidly restore your true Qi,” the King of the Yakshas tossed out the spirit stones first, then handed each of them a talisman forged from black crystal. “This talisman is one of the few in our clan—the Grand Protective Art. You two should refine the talismans first. If danger arises, you can use them in a desperate situation. Although using a talisman of this caliber above your actual level will certainly inflict severe damage upon your divine souls, it is better than having no chance of survival at all.”

Lei Dong showed a look of gratitude and thanked the King of the Yakshas again. Holding the three items, he observed the Heaven-Splitting Thunder—it was black and perfectly spherical, yet Lei Dong could sense a world-destroying power emanating from it. As for the supreme-grade spirit stones, Lei Dong had always been reluctant to acquire them. They were immensely precious, and they were consumables. Even for him, cultivating or replenishing true Qi with supreme-grade spirit stones felt excessively extravagant.

Finally, holding the talisman, a chill permeated Lei Dong’s hand. He could feel the colossal power sealed within; clearly, this was no common trinket. Following the King of the Yakshas’ instructions, Lei Dong refined it with all speed, confident that he could activate the Grand Protective Art talisman at the critical moment. During the refinement, he distinctly sensed the artifact’s authenticity, confirming a vastly powerful protective shield spell was sealed within. This settled his heart further; if the King of the Yakshas truly intended for them to perish, he would hardly have bothered bestowing such a valuable treasure.

“We must act now. If we wait for this thing to grow larger, destroying it will become far more difficult,” the King of the Yakshas urged. “To conserve your true Qi for the escape, this King will give you a push first.”

Without waiting for a reply, a plume of black vapor erupted from the King of the Yakshas’ body, engulfing the two of them. Lei Dong’s vision went black as an intense pressure suddenly mounted. He could feel himself hurtling forward at an astonishing speed. He couldn't gauge the exact velocity, but one thing was certain: it was much faster than flying with his own Asura Wings, as the Asura King’s strength was, at best, equivalent to the King of the Yakshas.

In a mere moment, as the dense, rolling black mist dissipated, Lei Dong regained his sight. He found himself surrounded by a spectacle of distorted, vibrant, multicolored light. Perhaps due to the twisting and swirling of space, the scenery before his eyes was profoundly bizarre and beautiful—a sight Lei Dong had never witnessed in his life. Yet, Lei Dong also felt a powerful suction dragging him forcefully toward the center.

He hastily mobilized his true Qi to resist, simultaneously retracting his Asura Wings to shield himself from the ceaselessly swirling, distorted air currents. Indeed, as the Asura Wings enveloped him, the immense pulling force was largely negated, offering considerable relief. This gave him a moment to assess the others: three Yakshas, one being the King of the Yakshas, and the other two standing about three zhang tall, exuding equally imposing auras. They were clad entirely in jet-black armor and wielded black battle-forks, with a light shield circulating around their bodies, clearly a sacred artifact of their clan. Looking at Tao Tai Bing Yun, she too was using her pair of sleek, radiant wings to protect herself.

“Alright, everyone understands their assignment? Once we go in, this King can only wish you better luck,” the King of the Yakshas spoke with stark honesty, his expression serious. “Lei Dong, Bing Yun. Should anything untoward happen to you two, this King will personally go to the Yin Sha Sect and the Tian Yin Palace to offer apologies. Depart!”

The moment his words faded, he shot toward the area where the light was most intensely colored.

As per the earlier plan, Lei Dong knew the King of the Yakshas was heading for the most turbulent part of the vortex—the core. The other four were assigned to the four cardinal corners. Facing such a critical task, Lei Dong dared not slacken in the slightest.

At this juncture, Lei Dong spared a glance for Tao Tai Bing Yun, took a deep breath, spread his Asura Wings, aimed for his destination, and flapped mightily, shooting away like a black lightning bolt. From a distance, the vortex appeared small, but in reality, its diameter spanned dozens of li. From Lei Dong’s starting point to his target required at least ten li. After three successive bursts of wing power, he reached the designated goal set by the King of the Yakshas.

“Excellent, Lei Dong, you have reached the position. Stay put for now, catch your breath, and prepare to flee shortly,” the King of the Yakshas’ voice materialized eerily right beside Lei Dong’s ear. This level of power left Lei Dong momentarily stunned; the King of the Yakshas truly lived up to his title. In such a hostile environment and across such a distance, he could still pinpoint Lei Dong’s exact location and deliver the vocal message flawlessly.

Lei Dong hurriedly swallowed a Minor Profound Vitality Recovery Pill and, without hesitation or regret, grasped the supreme-grade spirit stone, absorbing its power to replenish his true Qi. This was more than just replenishment; upon absorption, he felt a cool, utterly pure spiritual energy pouring into his body. This Qi was the most pristine Lei Dong had ever encountered. After circulating briefly within him, his Profound Yin True Qi began to generate ceaselessly. The speed was more than twice as fast as using high-grade spirit stones.

Feeling the faint coolness and the rapid recovery of his true Qi, Lei Dong could only feel an intense satisfaction. Supreme-grade spirit stones truly deserved their name. They were vastly superior to high-grade ones. One should not underestimate the advantage of a recovery speed more than double that of high-grade stones, especially when true Qi is depleted during combat. How precious, how rare, was the ability to recover strength twice as fast? It made Lei Dong almost wish to hoard a couple of supreme-grade spirit stones for himself. Extravagant, yes, but undeniably effective.

Before long, with the aid of the Minor Profound Vitality Recovery Pill and the supreme-grade spirit stone, the two or three tenths of true Qi Lei Dong had consumed was fully restored. He then had the leisure to slightly spread his wings and examine his surroundings. He saw that he was situated within a distorted space, with air currents rotating at terrifying speeds. With Lei Dong’s eyesight, he could only vaguely discern objects a few dozen zhang away. When he extended his divine sense, it met with immense resistance, sputtering and disjointed; it could not travel far, maxing out at a hundred zhang, far weaker than normal. Most critically, in this environment, Lei Dong could barely maintain his posture, relying solely on the protection of his Asura Wings to remain stable.

Just as Lei Dong prepared to observe the environment more closely, the King of the Yakshas’ voice suddenly echoed in his ear: “Release the Heaven-Splitting Thunder and flee immediately.”

Hearing this, Lei Dong dared not hesitate for a second. He swiftly placed the Heaven-Splitting Thunder before him and, simultaneously, his body recoiled backward at great speed. The moment the thunder was released, it was swept away by the spatial forces. Seeing this, Lei Dong frantically flapped his wings, his form slicing through space like a black bolt of lightning, streaking far away.

As he fled, he witnessed the spatial forces swallowing the Heaven-Splitting Thunder into the rift. At this sight, Lei Dong’s heart clenched, realizing the danger. Just as expected, the King of the Yakshas’ sigh came through his ear: “Sorry, no time. Good luck.”

Before Lei Dong could even feel anger, he instantly cast a Profound Yin Shield upon himself and, without hesitation, crushed the talisman the King of the Yakshas had given him. A shadowy, dark energy barrier materialized out of thin air, enveloping Lei Dong. At that precise moment, the Heaven-Splitting Thunder, which was about to be consumed by the spatial fissure, erupted with a terrifying black shockwave; streaks of black ripples swept outward like a storm consuming everything, blotting out the heavens and the earth.