Honestly, Lei Dong was furious upon receiving the dispatch from Wan Yan via the ghost messenger. Holding back a Nascent Soul-level demonic insect entirely on his own seemed easy on the surface, but what a tremendous, perilous burden it truly was. A single misstep, a slight accident, and the result would be utter annihilation of the soul. And here these utterly bizarre people show up to stir up trouble. It was ridiculous that Tu Lei, their commander, was still trying to reason with them. Did these fellows from the Nether Realm not understand that sheer brute force and overwhelming power are the only true logic?

Lei Dong’s sudden appearance and explosive display stunned everyone into silence. This was because Lei Dong usually gave them the impression of being polite and rigidly professional. No one expected that when provoked, his imposing aura would be so overwhelming.

“You, you, you…” Lei Dong’s initial punch and kicks wouldn't quite end the Demon Lord Hu Yan’s life. But now, he finally revealed his gaunt, hideous face, smeared with blood, struggling desperately to stand. Filled with shock and rage, he pointed a finger at Lei Dong: “A mere early-stage brat dares to strike this venerable one?”

“Unsatisfied?” Lei Dong stood with his hands clasped behind his back, glancing sideways at Hu Yan with disdain: “You thing that is neither man nor ghost, if you’re not satisfied, feel free to hit back.”

“Well said.” The black bull roared happily: “Little Lei, this old ox is going to be your friend.” He felt an immense surge of relief; he had almost fallen prey to Demon Lord Hu Yan just moments ago. While he considered his own strength considerable, the thought of those small, mysterious Gu worms sent shivers down his spine. Lei Dong’s timely arrival had vented his pent-up frustration and, indirectly, saved him. How could he not be grateful? After all, given the Black Ox’s nature, he absolutely would not have retreated, even if it meant dying in battle right there.

“Arrogant junior, this venerable one shall slay you.” Finally seeing Lei Dong’s true cultivation—still only at the initial stage of the Golden Core realm—Demon Lord Hu Yan’s ghost-like, withered face twisted into a vicious and sinister expression: “Rest assured, this venerable one will not let you die so easily. I will let you savor the exquisite torment of ten thousand insects gnawing at your bones, making you scream for years before allowing you to die slowly in agony.”

With a flick of his sleeve, Demon Lord Hu Yan unleashed a green cloud that buzzed and swirled toward Lei Dong. Upon closer inspection, one could see the cloud was entirely composed of insects, each no larger than a honeybee, yet possessing a ferocious appearance that could not be underestimated. This green cloud likely contained no fewer than ten thousand Gu worms. Based on Demon Lord Hu Yan’s experience, even late-stage Golden Core cultivators would struggle to escape once entangled by his Gu.

“Boom. Boom. Boom.”

Several muffled explosions, deep as thunder, echoed. At the various points of detonation within the vast green cloud, fierce and violent Yin Sha energy surged outward in waves. This chilling malevolent energy acted like countless microscopic, invisible blades, shredding every living thing within the blast radius. Although these green Gu worms were meticulously cultivated by Demon Lord Hu Yan and possessed formidable power and excellent defense—often capable of withstanding major area-of-effect spells like fire or ice—which was essential for maintaining a swarm—the destructive mechanism of the Yin Sha Heavenly Thunder was almost purely physical attrition. The violent explosions created shockwaves of Yin Sha that tore apart anything capable of being torn. Even Golden Core cultivators would have a terrible time fully defending within the range of such blasts. Let alone these Gu worms; even if their exteriors were like gold and iron, they could not escape destruction.

The overly confident Demon Lord Hu Yan had positioned his swarm a little too densely. Merely three strikes from the Yin Sha Heavenly Thunder wiped out over half the swarm. To the utter astonishment of all onlookers, Ding Wan Yan, whose form had almost dissolved into a gust of Yin Sha breeze, drifted gracefully before Lei Dong. The gaze behind her veil was chillingly fixed upon Demon Lord Hu Yan. Before her, Yin Sha energy writhed incessantly, and individual Yin Sha Heavenly Thunders were slowly taking shape.

“Yin Sha Heavenly Thunder?”

Demon Lord Hu Yan was also a man of wide experience; seeing this, his face turned extremely grim. He hastily controlled his sorcery, whipping his sleeve to draw the swarm back in, lest the woman opposite him toss a few more Yin Sha Heavenly Thunders and annihilate the rest of his bone-gnawing ants. After all, how easy was it for him, the Demon Lord, to cultivate these vicious insects? They often required feeding with his own vital blood to be commanded as if they were part of his limb.

“Who are you? How dare you oppose me, Demon Lord Hu Yan? Do you not know we have superior numbers?” Demon Lord Hu Yan, realizing his opponent was also a powerhouse capable of neutralizing his Gu techniques, could not help but sound outwardly fierce while inwardly fearful, relying only on their superior numbers to bolster his courage.

“This humble one is Ding Wan Yan of the Yin Sha Sect. Since you insist on bullying this humble one’s husband, are you suggesting I should stand idly by?” Ding Wan Yan spoke, her gentle eyes drifting toward Lei Dong with a tenderness as soft as water: “Husband, you won’t blame me for meddling, will you? I was simply worried you might fall for this old demon’s tricks.” Having been meticulously tutored by the Princess of Zhennan, Ding Wan Yan naturally understood the necessity of giving her husband full face in public settings.

“How could I?” Lei Dong flashed over, placing an arm around her delicate shoulder, and laughed: “Wan Yan, I am grateful you are protecting me; how could I possibly blame you?”

The sight of the handsome, perfectly matched young couple displaying such affection agitated the psychologically tormented Demon Lord Hu Yan, who had been ugly since childhood and suffered endless scorn. He inwardly grumbled, When will I ever encounter a woman as beautiful, nobly tempered, and tenderly devoted to me? He immediately retaliated with vile insults: “Boy, weren’t you quite arrogant just a moment ago? What, so you’re just a coward who hides behind a woman’s skirt? Relying on a woman for protection is worse than going home to drink milk. Hahahaha~” As he spoke, he looked toward his companions and trusted subordinates, seeking verbal affirmation.

Several of them understood immediately and began to mock Lei Dong loudly, seemingly trying to provoke him into challenging Demon Lord Hu Yan to a one-on-one duel. Among the several hundred people present, many harbored envy and jealousy toward Lei Dong, and vulgarities erupted incessantly.

The support generated by sheer numbers caused Demon Lord Hu Yan’s morale to soar once more. His withered old face showed disdain toward Lei Dong: “In my opinion, you should just go home and drink milk sooner. Hiding behind a woman, what kind of skill is that?”

With Lei Dong’s temperament, he could hardly be goaded by such words. Instead, he smiled at Demon Lord Hu Yan: “Upset, are you? I enjoy being covered by my wife, so what? If you’re not happy, you have the nerve to challenge my wife first. Also, old demon, if you have any ability, you could find a wife more powerful than you to cover you. However, given your visage… tsk tsk, I’m afraid—apologies, my literary skills are too poor; I truly cannot find a suitable adjective to describe your ugliness…”

“Heh heh, Lei Dong, I’m starting to like your mouth,” Bei Ye Na, who had been clearly displeased, suddenly chuckled upon hearing this: “Demon Lord Hu Yan, this grandma suggests you crawl back into the womb and try again, lest you continue to make such a spectacle of yourself.”

Demon Lord Hu Yan had been disliked by everyone since childhood due to his appearance, never receiving affection from his maternal relatives or uncles. This had always been a deep-seated trauma for him. After mastering the art of controlling Gu worms, he became neither truly human nor truly ghost. Previously, with his perverse nature, even if someone dared to glance at him with a strange look, he would erupt in murderous rage. Now, Lei Dong openly and brazenly called him ugly—how could he endure it? Especially with Bei Ye Na fanning the flames beside him.

“Boy, you seek death.” Demon Lord Hu Yan’s face cycled rapidly from red to pale. He disregarded the losses and repeatedly waved his sleeves, sending out endless swarms of green, bone-gnawing ants. At least he had learned a lesson from his previous setback; he had arranged his army of Shi Gu Fei Yi (Bone-Gnawing Flying Ants) in an orderly fashion to mitigate the impact of area-of-effect spells and minimize casualties. The woman’s Yin Sha Heavenly Thunder was indeed potent, but given her mid-stage Golden Core strength, she could not possibly generate an endless supply.

Yet, he had ultimately underestimated Ding Wan Yan. Ding Wan Yan had cultivated the Great Yin Sha Art for decades, coupled with the rare Yin Sha physique, and possessed the Blood Mark, a top-tier magical treasure that enhanced the power of her Yin Sha techniques. Her mastery over Yin Sha spells could hardly be measured by a typical mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Even though Demon Lord Hu Yan arranged the ant swarm very sparsely, under the seemingly inexhaustible barrage of exploding Yin Sha Heavenly Thunders, they were still being decimated over large areas. This turned Demon Lord Hu Yan’s face ashen, his heart bleeding profusely. He summoned a red cloud next, chanting incantations as he performed a spell. The red cloud grew rapidly upon meeting the wind, churning relentlessly. This was Demon Lord Hu Yan’s other famous artifact, the Poison Cloud Miasma. Even a minuscule touch from this would cause ordinary people to rot away completely, their very souls unable to escape the miasma’s corrosion.

Furthermore, he had cunningly hidden something potent within the Poison Cloud Miasma. Several golden glints, each the size of a fist, flickered intermittently within the red cloud. These were Demon Lord Hu Yan’s true trump cards: the Golden Gu Kings. These creatures were as hard as gold and iron, impervious to wind, fire, lightning, and electricity, utterly invulnerable to blades and spears. Coupled with their small size, even a single one would give a common Golden Core cultivator a severe headache.

But what sort of person was Lei Dong? He had long expected Demon Lord Hu Yan to have a secret weapon. He sneered, gripping the Myriad Ghost Banner, and his surrounding Nether Ghost Qi surged violently. Countless clawing, ferocious ghosts charged out; empowered by the Great Nether Art, they became exceptionally brutal and frenzied: “Old demon, didn’t you want a one-on-one fight with Lei? Lei will grant you the opportunity. Xiao You, A Chou, advance.”

Xiao You, who had been suppressed by Lei Dong and kept silent for a long time, could barely contain her rage toward Demon Lord Hu Yan. She immediately flashed forward with A Chou, plunging directly into the Poison Cloud Miasma. They located the several Golden Gu Kings, and Xiao You casually scooped one up, tossing it to A Chou: “This Golden Gu King tastes very good. A Chou, keep it safe; it will be good for replenishing Young Master’s energy later.”

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