It was said that Lei Dong tracked the Demon King all the way to the periphery of the Vajra Temple's territory, near the East Sea. Influenced by the residual veins of the Hengduan Mountains, this area was also densely forested with soaring peaks and precipitous cliffs. Earthquakes, tides, and the onslaught of damp, fierce winds had sculpted this landscape into something bizarrely mutable, displaying nature's raw, masterful artistry. High in the air, moisture saturated the space, coiling and tumbling like dense fog. Jagged peaks and sheer ridges materialized and vanished, even severely affecting the reach of one's spiritual sense. Those with weaker cultivation would find themselves utterly lost, unable to discern east from west, as if plunged into an endless maze. It was, truly, an excellent place to hide.

During the process of taking over a host body, the Black-Winged Demon King had absorbed a considerable amount of the Silver Fox’s fragmented memories, thus becoming aware of this deadly locale—a place exceptionally perilous even for cultivators. Despite the immense power of the Black-Winged Demon King’s bloodline, it was still a life form subject to pain, bleeding, and exhaustion.

A cultivator at the Soul Transformation (Huà Shén) level was indeed unmatched in this world. However, being unmatched did not equate to immortality. The saying that even an ant colony can kill an elephant held true; throughout history, instances of Soul Transformation powerhouses being overwhelmed and slain by vast numbers of cultivators were no rare exception. In this brutal world, merely relying on individual strength was insufficient to survive, let alone to thrive. Even gods and demons, if standing alone, might eventually be wiped out.

Though powerful, the Black-Winged Demon King had been grievously wounded in his battle with the Vajra Temple’s supreme experts, leaving his physical body severely depleted. After narrowly escaping their pursuit, he dared not wander aimlessly. One more confrontation with a powerful faction, and it might well be his final end.

This forbidden ground was named the East Sea Labyrinthine Valley (Dōng Hǎi Mí Gǔ). Due to its distinct features and the powerful demonic beasts that dwelled within, it served as a graveyard for low-tier cultivators. Nevertheless, because it remained remote and rich in heavenly materials and earthly treasures, Nascent Soul (Yuán Yīng) cultivators would occasionally venture here at great risk.

Rumor had it that deep within the Valley, there existed a passage leading directly to a specific area within the Purgatory Domain (Liàn Yù Yù). This passage, however, traversed long and dangerous subterranean lava flows inhabited by terrifying creatures. Nascent Soul cultivators, lacking the advantage of native terrain, ran a real risk of being instantly annihilated by swarms of suddenly emerging Fire Spirits.

Fire Spirits, also known as Fire Elementals, were a general term for a special class of life forms possessing the Fire element in the Five Elements. Unlike living beings of flesh and blood such as humans or demons, Fire Spirits were entities evolved purely from the most refined flames in the cosmos. While newly born Fire Spirits might be weak, over vast stretches of time, their strength would gradually increase until they became extraordinarily formidable. In a sense, the Nine Nether Ghost Flame (Jiǔ Yōu Guǐ Yàn) that Lei Dong had once acquired was also a form of Fire Spirit.

According to ancient records from the Desolate Era (Huāng Gǔ Shí Qī), besides the Divine Beasts born from the primordial Chaos Spiritual Qi, various elemental spirits were also incredibly active. For instance, the documented Ancestor of Flame was a supreme powerhouse whose might was comparable to the very highest-tier gods and demons. Furthermore, the Yaksha Clan’s inherited treasure, the Soul of Separated Water (Lí Shuǐ Zhī Pò), seemed to have been refined from the essence spirit of an exceedingly powerful Water Spirit slain by a Yaksha supreme being, fused with various precious primordial materials.

Naturally, although these various spirit bodies were potent, they were generally excluded from the ranks of intelligent races by sentient beings. This was because such specialized lives possessed weak intellects, acting predominantly on the instincts of slaughter and predation. Only the leaders of immense power would exhibit something akin to human-like intelligence.

The Black-Winged Demon King chose this location to evade pursuit for a sound reason. Humans were communal, intelligent beings; hunting one often alerted a whole group. But here, he could quickly recover his strength by preying on the local demonic beasts, or by descending deep underground to hunt the magma Fire Spirits. In the direst circumstance, if all other escapes were cut off, he could enter the Purgatory Domain via the subterranean tunnel.

Of course, the Purgatory Domain was no sanctuary. The Black-Winged Demon King merely regarded it as one of his last resorts. Once his strength was restored, the Demon King decided he had one priority: slaying Lei Dong, who clung to his back like a persistent maggot. It was that brat who had ruined two of his grand feeding opportunities and lured him into a fight with the Vajra Temple. Not only had he gained nothing, but his cultivation realm had also dropped a full level. Dropping a cultivation level was no trivial matter that could be fixed merely by consuming flesh and blood; it necessitated complete re-cultivation. While with his experience, power, and innate talent, rebuilding to the Soul Transformation level was merely a matter of time, how could he settle his mind for cultivation without vengeance?

Given the brat’s endless array of uncanny abilities, the Black-Winged Demon King felt compelled to deal with him, even apart from revenge, for the sake of his own survival. As a demon lord existing since the distant past of the Nine Provinces, he possessed esoteric methods incomprehensible to mortals; for example, he could sense Lei Dong trailing him relentlessly. Since their intentions now aligned, there was nothing more to discuss.

“A mere whelp from a low-grade race dares to covet this Demon King?” The Black-Winged Demon King darted into a valley shrouded in swirling mist, letting out a sinister, grating laugh. “This Demon King shall show you what a high-grade race truly is.” This fiend, in the ancient era, was not the strongest within his lineage, but he was already a peak Soul Transformation existence back then. Moreover, his lineage was considered a high-tier race within the entire Demon Clan, possessing exceptionally potent and rare innate talents. Terrifying strength and the ability to devour enemy flesh to restore power were just two among his many gifts.

Concurrently, Lei Dong plunged without hesitation into the East Sea Labyrinthine Valley—a place he had only heard of but never entered. Like the Black-Winged Demon King, he too had an undeniable reason to kill his pursuer. This Black-Winged Demon King was no mere descendant of the demonic remnants scattered across the world; he was an authentic Demon King possessing the purest, most ancient bloodline.

Lei Dong, having reviewed extensive files on such matters, knew that Demon Kings were immensely powerful, and those with pure bloodlines were inherently gifted with unimaginable, terrifying capabilities. Given the Demon King’s ability to devour Nascent Souls to restore his power, granting him time would allow him to reach his absolute peak state. If it weren't absolutely necessary, the cautious and life-cherishing Lei Dong would have preferred not to cross swords with this Demon King during such turbulent times. However, considering the vengeful, savage, and bloodthirsty nature of the Demon Clan, there was no possibility of reconciliation now. It was better to accelerate this decisive battle now than to wait until he recovered his peak strength and turned his attention toward Lei Dong and his family. At least, this was the Demon King’s weakest point. If he were allowed to recover, who knew if the Netherworld Ghost Emperor (Yōu Míng Guǐ Dì) could stand against him?

One must cut the weeds and pull out the roots; having begun this, there was no turning back.

The moment he entered the East Sea Labyrinthine Valley, Lei Dong sensed the distinct strangeness of the place—its peculiar topography wreathed in obscuring smoke. Lei Dong’s spiritual sense, which rivaled that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was suppressed to its absolute limit here. His divine sense could only extend perhaps ten li in any single direction. This was only thanks to the sheer power of his spiritual sense; a Golden Core (Jīn Dān) cultivator entering here would be rendered virtually blind. Moreover, upon entering, his sense of direction was thrown into chaos by an inexplicable force. Unable to see the sun or moon, surrounded by endless mist and myriad similar strange landforms, it was no wonder this place was dubbed a forbidden zone, clearly not meant for low-tier cultivators.

Fortunately, Lei Dong had maintained pursuit of the Black-Winged Demon King right up until entry. Whether the Demon King was careless or deliberately maneuvering, he had left behind a faint, flickering aura that guided Lei Dong's path. Did he sense me? Is he intentionally luring me into an ambush to turn the tables? Or is this trail merely an illusion? Lei Dong began to ponder, simultaneously summoning Ghost King Ah Chou to stand guard beside him. As for Ghost Thorn (Guǐ Cì), Lei Dong commanded it to become invisible, suppressing its aura completely, positioning it as a hidden shock troop. The Black-Winged Demon King was unaware that Lei Dong possessed another Ghost King skilled in stealth and infiltration.

With a shift of thought, Lei Dong’s Innate Spirit Treasure, the Nether Flame Ghost Banner (Míng Yàn Yōu Guǐ Fān), sprang forth from his soul, rapidly expanding in the wind. Tens of thousands of sufficiently powerful ghosts surged out like a tidal wave. Lei Dong was severely injured and far from recovered. To face the Black-Winged Demon King head-on with his physical strength would be suicidal. However, Lei Dong’s greatest advantage lay not in himself, but in the pair of Ghost Kings he commanded and his ghost-sea tactic.

The swarm of over ten thousand ghosts filled the air around him, enveloping Lei Dong and instantly bolstering his sense of security. He began cautiously probing forward, following the residual energy left by the Black-Winged Demon King. After a short while, a large concentration of enemies abruptly appeared within Lei Dong’s perception.

This group seemed to have burst forth from a cliff cave obscured by swirling fog; their numbers were vast, numbering in the thousands. As Lei Dong focused his spiritual sense for a closer look, he identified the enemy horde as a bat clan. These bats were not large, their wingspans only a few feet across, yet their eyes burned fiercely, and they possessed sharp fangs and claws. Their bodies shimmered with a blood-like dark red hue, and a wisp of flame coiled between their wing-claws. Most were not individually strong, their auras roughly equivalent to high-stage Qi Refining humans. A few, however, were as large as giant birds, with physiques suggesting strength at various stages of Foundation Establishment (Zhù Jī). At the rear loomed a force with an immensely powerful aura—definitely at the level of a high-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Flame-Claw Blood Bats (Yàn Zhuǎ Xuè Fú). Lei Dong’s mind instantly cross-referenced this sight with his stored demonic beast data, a look of profound gravity crossing his brow. Individually, these beasts were weak, but they were gregarious, typically appearing in swarms ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands. Generally, a swarm exceeding ten thousand posed such a severe threat that even Nascent Soul cultivators would avoid a direct confrontation. This group appeared to number over ten thousand, and in this environment, the primary thought of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would be immediate flight.