"Hmph, brat Lei, you think inheriting the legacy of the Ancient Demon Emperor makes you capable of slaughtering gods and Buddhas, unstoppable under heaven?" The Heavenly Ghost Emperor, after his initial shock, quickly composed himself, echoing back disdainfully, "A gap is a gap. Daring to speak so brazenly before this Emperor, I will teach you what reality is."

Lei Dong remained silent. His wings twisted in the air, his form becoming a hazy mass of overlapping spectral shadows as he lunged toward the Heavenly Ghost Emperor. The speed far surpassed the limits conceivable for a Golden Core realm cultivator, momentarily making it hard to believe. Bolstered by the immense power granted by the Demon Emperor Transformation, and utilizing the spatial laws contained within the Asura Wings, Lei Dong’s control over spatial power reached its absolute peak. Coupled with the circulation of his Zhou Tian Concealed Sun Art, his movements were phantom-like and fluid.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Both Lei Dong and the Heavenly Ghost Emperor moved like phantoms. After two exchanges, they would vanish from normal space. Their colliding, immense power caused the surrounding space to ripple like waves. However, it was clear that even though Lei Dong was mastering the Netherworld Great Art and employing the Demon Emperor Transformation within the Nine Nether Abyss, with countless external energies flooding into his body for support, he was ultimately no match for the Heavenly Ghost Emperor, even though the latter was severely wounded and could only exert less than one-tenth of his true strength.

In the midst of the battle, Lei Dong was still clearly at a disadvantage.

"Young Master, Xiao You is here to lend you a hand." Although the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Xiao You was only a High-Tier Ghost General, due to her unique innate talent, she had gained some comprehension of spatial laws early on, barely managing to keep pace with their battle rhythm. With a flicker of her form, she joined the fray.

Dongfang Fu, Wanyan, and Qi Feifei, though temporarily safe, were all injured to varying degrees. They could only stand together, directing the army of vengeful spirits, doing their utmost to defend while offering minimal support. For a battle involving cultivators who commanded spatial laws, they truly couldn't intervene for the moment. All they could do was avoid dragging Lei Dong down. Wanyan had taken a sneak attack from the Heavenly Ghost Emperor earlier, and while wounded, it wasn't fatal. After all, although Wanyan was only a Mid-Stage Golden Core cultivator, she was no ordinary person, and the Heavenly Ghost Emperor was certainly not at his peak.

With Xiao You's assistance, Lei Dong immediately felt a great deal lighter. Xiao You, as a Heavenly Spirit Ghost-level High-Tier General who grasped some spatial laws, was not to be underestimated either. Her only apparent lack was experience. After the Blood Sacrifice, master and servant shared a telepathic connection, making their combined strength far greater than the simple sum of one plus one. Although still on the back foot, they could now barely manage the Heavenly Ghost Emperor, who had lost over ninety percent of his strength.

Unable to quickly conclude the fight, the Heavenly Ghost Emperor finally turned his attention toward Wanyan and Dongfang Fu. However, the three women were far from simple characters. Gathering their injured Ghost General battle pets, they gave the Heavenly Ghost Emperor no opportunity to exploit weaknesses. The snarling Heavenly Ghost Emperor, failing repeatedly to find an opening, instead allowed Lei Dong and Xiao You to seize chances and strike hard blows.

Sensing the situation turning unfavorable, the Heavenly Ghost Emperor’s weakened form flickered backward, tearing open space as he attempted to flee. However, Lei Dong knew that allowing the Heavenly Ghost Emperor to escape would likely lead to endless future troubles, leaving him living perpetually under the Emperor’s shadow. Without hesitation, he and Xiao You pursued, consuming massive amounts of medicine and absorbing the energy from top-grade spirit stones to sustain the Demon Emperor Transformation.

It was only thanks to Lei Dong's monstrous constitution—frequently draining all internal power while practicing the Demon Emperor Transformation to achieve the goal of his extreme cultivation method—that he could barely maintain the fight without a complete collapse.

The chase extended over a hundred li in short order.

"Jie jie, Lei Dong, your understanding of spatial laws is far too superficial." The Heavenly Ghost Emperor suddenly appeared behind Lei Dong and slammed a fist into his back.

Lei Dong spat blood and plummeted forward, the power erupting from his body largely dissipated after absorbing that blow. Just then, an incomparably immense pulling force dragged violently toward Lei Dong. A scan with his divine sense revealed a swirling vortex. He immediately thought ill of it; the power capturing him was clearly a Netherworld Vortex.

Lei Dong had previously witnessed the terror of the Netherworld Vortex. He knew that with his current cultivation and remaining strength, once sucked in, escape would be impossible, leading to utter annihilation of both form and spirit. He instantly flashed his wings, attempting to use spatial instantaneous movement to escape the vortex. However, something bizarre occurred: the Netherworld Vortex possessed such strong gravity that it forcefully yanked his body, which was only halfway through teleporting into space, back out and continued pulling him toward the vortex.

The Netherworld Vortex was also known as the Death Vortex in the Nether Domain. Firstly, cultivators referred to Nether Ghost Qi as the power of death. Secondly, countless creatures and cultivators in the Nether Domain were sucked into the unpredictable Netherworld Vortices every year, resulting in the complete annihilation of their form and spirit.

After several failed attempts, Lei Dong could not break free from the vortex; instead, he was dragged deeper and deeper. A hint of grim irony touched his lips; was this the end of his life, to be terminated by a Netherworld Vortex? He also tried using the Netherworld Great Art he cultivated to absorb and control the highly condensed vortex. But that proved useless. Firstly, the condensed Nether Ghost Qi within the vortex was far too potent for him to absorb completely—even if he absorbed until full, it wouldn't amount to one part in a hundred million, or even a trillion. Secondly, this Nether Ghost Qi was incredibly savage; absorbing it without proper refinement would surely lead to demonic corruption at best.

"Young Master, this servant is here." Xiao You's delicate form flickered and appeared several dozen zhang away from Lei Dong. However, it was clear that once she entered the vortex, she too would be unable to leave. The tremendous pulling force viciously dragged her toward the vortex's interior as well.

Bu Po Bu You, however, paid it no mind. She desperately employed her escape arts, resisting the vortex’s power, moving like someone wading through thick mud, inching her way toward Lei Dong. A mere few dozen zhang was usually a distance crossed in a single step for them. But here, it felt like an insurmountable chasm, every movement fraught with difficulty.

By the time only a few zhang separated them, both Lei Dong and Xiao You were already being spun and dragged to a depth of thirty percent into the vortex. The incredibly fierce tearing forces within the vortex had already shattered Lei Dong’s protective aura, tearing at his body. Xiao You, too, was unsteady, fighting desperately to approach Lei Dong. Most terrifyingly, Lei Dong's Demon Emperor Transformation had completely drained him of all power, even the strength within every single cell had vanished.

Lei Dong’s body, like a fallen leaf, was swept rapidly toward the vortex’s depths.

"Young Master!" Xiao You cried out in panic, calculating the direction regardless of the danger, and attempted to flash-teleport into the vortex's interior. However, Xiao You’s mastery of spatial power was merely superficial. In such a unique and treacherous place as the vortex, she could not teleport with precision.

At that critical juncture, a gentle and benevolent voice echoed in Xiao You's ear: "Alas, foolish girl. I said, you will reach your destination."

A mysterious force gently supported her, dropping her beside the nearly unconscious Lei Dong, whose body was already a bloody mess.

Xiao You, shocked and overjoyed, immediately embraced Lei Dong, circulating her power to protect him. Otherwise, within moments, the vortex would completely tear Lei Dong's body apart. While the body of a Golden Core cultivator was formidable, it was far too weak to withstand such violent tearing forces.

"Thank you for saving us, Your Majesty," Xiao You said, opening her arms wide, clinging tightly to Lei Dong, and speaking joyfully toward the void.

"Hmph, I didn't save him; I saved you," the voice of the Netherworld Ghost Emperor sounded, seemingly extremely displeased with Lei Dong, speaking dismissively, "A mere human at the Golden Core stage, daring to Blood Sacrifice a great Heavenly Spirit Ghost as his servant? Never mind, never mind. If he dies, you cannot live alone. I say, go to the center of the vortex."

The mysterious power tore open space for the master and servant and tossed them into the very core of the vortex. Then, the Netherworld Ghost Emperor’s voice sounded again: "Xiao You, the center of this vortex contains a rare mass of Netherworld Essence. I have only absorbed one-third of it. I will pass you a cultivation technique; use several months to absorb it. From then on, your Netherworld physique will be greatly enhanced and transformed, and you can seize the opportunity to break free from the influence of the Blood Sacrifice." Without waiting for Xiao You to reply, a technique called the 'Nether King Body Tempering Art' was imprinted into her memory. As for breaking free from the Blood Sacrifice's influence, the Netherworld Ghost Emperor did not lie.

The entire process was equivalent to completely deconstructing Xiao You's body and refining an entirely new one. Naturally, while her innate aptitude and physique evolved significantly, she would also escape the Blood Sacrifice’s bonds. This demonstrated how highly the Netherworld Ghost Emperor valued Xiao You. The reason he had Xiao You save Lei Dong earlier was twofold: first, until her body tempering was complete, the master-servant Blood Sacrifice bond remained, and if Lei Dong died, Xiao You would instantly perish according to the laws of Blood Sacrifice. Second, by having Xiao You save him once, it made it natural for her to later sever the master-servant relationship.

However, the Netherworld Ghost Emperor’s meticulous plan missed one crucial factor: Xiao You's own intentions. Xiao You was also a clever and astute spirit, and she spoke to the Netherworld Ghost Emperor: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generosity. However, to repay the Young Master's great kindness, and the debt of saving Xiao You at his most critical moment, I request Your Majesty to also protect my master's wife and companions."

"This?" The Netherworld Ghost Emperor hesitated. The fate of those humans held no sway over him whatsoever. Moreover, he was in a state of extreme weakness after using the Demonic Fruit.