Sensing the wrath of the Demon Dragon King, the Royal Guard, who had been severely suppressed, erupted with unprecedented power. A few managed to break through Tu Lei's relentless interceptions and reach the battlefield where Lei Dong and the others fought, adding considerable pressure to their side.

Time was of the essence; if the Demon Dragon King were allowed to continue its rampage, the arrival of its reinforcements would spell absolute failure for this decapitation mission.

Under Lei Dong's command, all the top-tier Ghost General battle pets abandoned guerrilla tactics, pivoting instead to a forceful suppression of the Demon Dragon King. This strategy proved effective, with the most outstanding performances coming from Dongfang Fu's Profound Ice Dragon and Lei Dong's own Ghost Servant, Little You, who unleashed a barrage of potent spells. The Heavenly Fire Dragon Lord, provided by the Qihang Update Group, coordinated with a ceaseless torrent of vengeful spirits, inflicting continuous new wounds upon the Demon Dragon King until it began to falter. However, this aggressive tactic came at a significant cost in casualties. Even with extreme caution, all the women suffered injuries.

As the commander, Lei Dong bore the brunt of the suffering. The Demon Dragon King possessed intelligence comparable to that of a human, and several fierce attacks were specifically targeted at him. It was only thanks to the defensive efforts of Ah Chou and Little You that Lei Dong avoided being struck down by the Demon Dragon King.

It was only slightly regrettable that when the Demon Dragon King finally roared and crashed to the ground, ending the battle swiftly, Lei Dong's top-tier Ghost General, Ah Chou, was critically wounded, becoming translucent. Even Lei Dong's own Divine Soul had suffered deep trauma from repeated assaults by the Demon Dragon King.

"Hah, hah~"

Having fought with every ounce of strength, Lei Dong floated suspended in the air, his face pale and weak. He managed to collect Ah Chou into the Soul Nurturing Tower for recuperation. The most tragic figure was Qi Feifei; because her Ghost Generals were the weakest, they were destroyed one after another during this life-or-death struggle. Suffering successive heavy blows to her Divine Soul, she had fallen into a coma. Even the powerful Dongfang Fu and Ding Wanyan looked pale and utterly spent. The final burst of power from the Demon Dragon King had been terrifying beyond measure, leaving a lingering chill.

It was fortunate that their primary objective had been secured; Little You had managed to capture the Demon Dragon King's Beast Soul as it attempted to flee, sealing it within the Soul Sealing Orb at the critical moment.

Just as everyone prepared to quickly dispose of the slain Demon Dragon King's corpse, the space ahead abruptly warped with noticeable intensity. Another Demon Dragon King, equally massive at several dozen feet long, tore through space and materialized. Before anyone could react, the second Demon Dragon King roared in terror and fury: "You killed my husband; I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!" The Heavenly Fire Dragon Lord, provided by the Qihang Update Group, declared, "A Spatial Holy Artifact? We retreat—"

Lei Dong's face changed drastically. He hurriedly gathered the unconscious Qi Feifei, swept up the other women, and with a beat of his wings, fled toward Tu Lei's battlefield, not even having time to collect the corpse of the first Demon Dragon King. At this point, they were little more than remnants; engaging an intact Demon Dragon King would surely lead to disaster. Moreover, the main Demon Dragon King army was certainly en route. Whether the female Demon Dragon King utilized a Spatial Holy Artifact or a single-use talisman was no longer relevant.

"Tu Lei, mission accomplished; let's pull out quickly." Lei Dong's sole objective for this venture had been the Demon Dragon King's Beast Soul. Since that goal was met, there was nothing to linger for.

As Tu Lei acknowledged the order and began commanding his troops aboard their vessels for withdrawal, the surrounding space experienced another violent fluctuation. The massive, alluring frame of the female Demon Dragon King tore through space, manifesting behind them with unparalleled dominance.

"Slap~"

A claw slammed down viciously, crushing a small warship whose occupants had failed to evade in time. The survivors fled in all directions using their light escapes.

It truly was a Spatial Holy Artifact, Lei Dong's pupils contracted slightly. He could not believe that the female dragon, with her level of cultivation, could master such profound spatial teleportation techniques. Lei Dong had previously managed to defeat a Nascent Soul stage opponent by gathering allies and leveraging superior strength, thanks to the Asura Wings, a Spatial Holy Artifact.

However, if a Nascent Soul cultivator possessed such an artifact, terrifying possibilities arose. Lei Dong dared not consider whether continuing the fight would lead to their total annihilation, especially given the vengeance-driven Demon Dragon King Royal Guard pressing behind them.

The situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous. If that grief-stricken female Demon Dragon King managed to delay them even briefly, the arrival of the main Demon Dragon King army meant absolute destruction awaited Lei Dong and his company.

The only viable option was...

Lei Dong summoned the Heavenly Ghost Token. A stream of black light writhed around it as the token grew larger and more illusory. As it spun violently, corresponding vortices formed in space. The vortexes spun faster and faster, the pulling force nearly strong enough to swallow people whole. The female Demon Dragon King seemed to recognize Lei Dong on the warship from a distance, suddenly extending a claw; a giant black claw shadow ripped across the sky and slammed down.

"Boom~"

A figure in a black robe, wearing a mask, the Heavenly Ghost King, drilled out of the vortex, issuing a mighty roar, and struck out with a fierce punch. The fist shadow and the claw shadow collided violently in mid-air, generating deafening explosions as shockwaves rolled outward. The smaller warships jostled violently, swaying away like fallen leaves.

"You all go first; I will handle this," the Heavenly Ghost King declared after his punch connected, hovering behind Lei Dong's warship with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the Demon Dragon King with arrogant disdain.

"Senior, this Demon Dragon seems to possess a Spatial Holy Artifact," Lei Dong said, finally breathing a small sigh of relief, sending a telepathic message to the Heavenly Ghost King.

"I am already aware. You may withdraw now; the sooner the better," the Heavenly Ghost King replied, appearing calm and completely in control.

Lei Dong was never one to linger unnecessarily. Knowing the Heavenly Ghost King's decision was the best course of action, lingering on enemy ground while expecting a counter-kill was pure folly. He called out, his voice slightly hoarse, "We continue our retreat." What gave him some peace of mind was the deduction that the Heavenly Ghost King's seclusion must have been successful, finally reaching the mid-tier. While the Demon Dragon King was formidable, there was still a level difference between them. Furthermore, given his relationship with the Heavenly Ghost King, the latter would not sacrifice his own life to save Lei Dong. Based on this, Lei Dong felt confident the Heavenly Ghost King had a viable plan.

Tu Lei also gritted his teeth and commanded the fleet to rapidly retreat into the clouds. Simultaneously, the enraged roar of the female Demon Dragon King echoed from behind, followed by the Heavenly Ghost King's scornful cold laugh, and then the terrifying collision that shook the heavens.

Soon, the warships vanished into the clouds. Only after fleeing for several hours did they finally dissipate the danger. They slumped onto the deck as if suddenly weakened.

Tu Lei looked somewhat dejected. "Wasn't that female dragon out looking for herbs? How could she return so coincidentally? Fortunately, Lord Ghost King provided a Heavenly Ghost Token, arriving just in time to save everyone. I wonder if Lord Ghost King is alright?"

"Don't worry, Senior Heavenly Ghost is not reckless; he surely has a way to extricate himself," Lei Dong stated, though this was not without basis. However, inwardly, he felt immense gratitude toward the Heavenly Ghost King. His repeated, almost selfless assistance on several occasions was significant. Especially this time; without the Heavenly Ghost King keeping his promise and blocking the female Demon Dragon King, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Given Lei Dong's disposition, he had carefully considered whether the Heavenly Ghost King had ulterior motives. But in reality, Lei Dong felt he possessed nothing worthy of the Heavenly Ghost King plotting for. It was likely that the old man simply had a good nature and enjoyed mentoring juniors. If he ever had the chance, Lei Dong intended to repay him handsomely. Lei Dong had always operated this way: repaying kindness tenfold, and exacting vengeance a hundredfold upon those who sought to harm him.

Tu Lei was sharp enough to reach a similar conclusion as Lei Dong. His expression improved slightly but remained sullen, as he was the commander of the Royal Guard and had suffered significant losses. After Lei Dong spent a considerable time consoling him, Tu Lei's mood finally lightened.

At the same moment, Ding Wanyan succeeded in waking Qi Feifei. Unfortunately, losing her vital Ghost Generals twice in succession meant that even awake, Qi Feifei's vital essence was severely depleted. Without prolonged recovery, restoring her strength would be difficult. Fortunately, she was young, and Lei Dong happened to have an abundance of top-grade elixirs, which were enough to save her life.

Seeing her pathetic, pleading gaze, Lei Dong felt a pang of guilt. Wanyan, however, displayed a rare generosity, allowing Lei Dong a moment alone with Qi Feifei.

In truth, during the several months since entering the Nether Domain, Lei Dong had been extremely cautious, spending most of his time only with Wanyan and somewhat neglecting Qi Feifei. Yet, Qi Feifei never seemed to mind; instead, she got along splendidly with Ding Wanyan, affectionately calling her "Sister Wanyan" and acting like a well-behaved follower looking to Wanyan for guidance.

Alone with her, Lei Dong gazed deeply into Qi Feifei's eyes. After a long silence, he sighed softly. "Feifei, do you regret it?"

Qi Feifei’s face was pale and bloodless, her lips stark white, making her look terribly weak from the severe soul damage. Hearing the question, a glimmer of resolute light appeared in her eyes, and she murmured softly, "Lei Dong, perhaps I regretted it when you first subdued me. But the longer I spend with you, the more I understand you, the more I sense how different you are from everyone else. I don't know when it happened, but Feifei has been completely conquered by you. All I think of, all I long for, is you, Lei Dong. Falling in love with you is just that—I've fallen in love. Even if you cast me aside, even if you despise me, I, Qi Feifei, have no regrets."

Lei Dong fell silent for a moment, but the expression on his face slowly softened considerably. He sighed again, bent down, and grasped her cold, delicate hand, murmuring, "Feifei, I'm not good with emotions, I..."

"Lei Dong~" Qi Feifei reached out a hand, covering Lei Dong's mouth, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. She whispered, "You don't need to say anything; I understand. I just want you to know that you don't need to feel guilty. For you, even if I were to die in battle, I would be content."

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