Swallowing the life essence of a Demon King not only yielded direct, massive benefits, rapidly elevating one's cultivation level, but it also granted access to that Demon King's entire lifetime of comprehension, insights, and understanding of various Celestial and Earthly Laws.

This indirectly smoothed a significant path for Nascent Soul cultivators attempting the life leap to the Soul Transformation stage. Advancing from the Nascent Soul realm required more than mere accumulation of quantitative quality; it demanded a profound cosmic and universal enlightenment.

It could save at least a hundred years of arduous contemplation, couldn't it? Xuan Yuanzi, having lived for over six hundred years, had nearly driven himself mad during the last century of seeking enlightenment before breaking into the Soul Transformation stage. Xuan Yuanzi had always been regarded as a heaven's favored prodigy, yet now he genuinely envied the sheer luck of this brat, Lei Dong. Why should he have to toil through his own comprehension while that kid surnamed Lei could simply plunder the insights of a Demon King?

However, Xuan Yuanzi failed to consider: if he had been at the peak of the Core Formation stage, even if a Demon King's vital essence were placed right before his mouth, would he have dared to consume it? Furthermore, the Demon King's vital essence that Lei Dong obtained was not a gift, but a trophy earned through his own life-and-death struggle against the reincarnated Demon King.

The boons Lei Dong gained time and again, while appearing accidental in many instances, were actually the inevitable outcome nestled within the seeming randomness.

No matter how much envy, jealousy, and hatred Xuan Yuanzi harbored, he dared not directly confront the Netherworld Dark Evil Array, forced instead to watch helplessly as Lei Dong continuously condensed his Nascent Soul. Slowly, yet resolutely, he advanced step-by-step along the path toward the Nascent Soul realm.

The passage of time during this entire process was indeterminate. The semi-formed Nascent Soul, having undergone repeated baptisms of fire, had become solidified, emitting a light tinged with both gold and white. No matter how Lei Dong burned the Elixir Fire, the chubby, adorably pink Nascent Soul remained seated steadfastly within the flames; though still painful, it no longer scattered.

"Success!" Lei Dong’s consciousness had been observing this process internally, and upon witnessing this scene, even his firm willpower trembled with ecstatic joy.

The Nascent Soul was finally condensed successfully.

Having endured a long and painful ordeal, Lei Dong had finally stepped one foot into the long-sought Nascent Soul realm. His consciousness momentarily swam in a daze. He recalled the bewilderment and terror of just entering the Yin Sha Sect, the years spent cautiously accumulating meager strength and wealth, and the countless battles endured that forged his gradual ascent. Only he truly knew the immense hardship and effort invested throughout this journey.

Cultivation was fundamentally an act against the will of Heaven; one had to fight not only the decree of the cosmos but also navigate the deceit, treachery, and constant striving within the cultivation world. By now, Lei Dong couldn't recall how many people had sought his life and fortune, much less how many he had slain or how much resource territory he had seized.

Heavenly and Earthly spiritual resources were finite. If all resources were distributed equally among every cultivator, the result would be that no one could ever achieve true mastery in cultivation. To succeed, to stand above the Nine Heavens and gaze down upon the firmament,

one could only strive ceaselessly, seize relentlessly, hacking a bloody path out of the masses. If one refused to become an anonymous bone fragment on another's path to supremacy, then one had no choice but to be ruthless, employing every means necessary to amplify one's own power.

This unknown Black Winged Demon King was the perfect example: outwardly powerful and arrogant, yet ultimately serving only as a stepping stone on Lei Dong's ascent to the pinnacle.

The successfully condensed Nascent Soul of Lei Dong began to subtly ascend, gradually climbing out of the Danzhong acupoint and drilling into the Zifu (Purple Mansion) within his forehead. The Zifu was an extremely vital location for a cultivator; before the Nascent Soul formed, it housed the mortal soul. Now that the soul had undergone qualitative transformation into the Nascent Soul, the Zifu naturally became its home.

Upon entering the Zifu, the Nascent Soul immediately began to exert its function. At this stage, the Nascent Soul pulsed rhythmically, alternating between brightness and dimness, contracting and expanding.

The residual True Essence from Lei Dong’s breakthrough, the Demon King's life essence, various unconsumed medicinal residues, and all latent energies within his physical body were drawn in by the Nascent Soul’s throbbing. First, they converged into the meridians, then circulated orderly within them, flowing smoothly to the Zifu.

Cultivation before the Nascent Soul stage was largely centered on the Dantian, radiating outward. However, after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, things changed drastically. The focus shifted to the Zifu, pulsating outward to the entire body, and the storage center for True Essence transferred from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul itself.

As the Nascent Soul beat, it absorbed all manner of heterogeneous energies, and after a process of cycling and refinement, these diverse energies were purified and transformed into an entirely new energy flowing richly within the Nascent Soul body—pure, condensed, resembling white mercury.

This, this was the true power of True Essence. Compared to the tenuous True Essence of the Core Formation stage, which existed in a state between gas and liquid, the power refined and purified by the Nascent Soul could truly be called True Essence.

Upon careful sensing, although the sliver of True Essence within the Nascent Soul appeared small, it actually contained formidable power, brimming with explosive force. Due to the Demon King's life essence and thorough preparation, Lei Dong retained a substantial amount of residual Golden Core True Essence and medicinal power after condensing his Nascent Soul.

Yet, after the Nascent Soul purified and transformed these multitudinous energies of differing natures, only this slender wisp of Nascent Soul True Essence was formed—counting up, barely a dozen drops. This clearly demonstrated the exquisite purity of this energy.

This minute amount of True Essence merged into the Nascent Soul, spreading so thinly it barely seemed to make a difference. Lei Dong understood that while he had succeeded in forging his Nascent Soul, he had only placed one foot into the Nascent Soul realm. Next, he needed to temper his physical body so it too could reach the level of a Nascent Soul cultivator to truly complete the metamorphic breakthrough.

Immediately pushing aside all distracting thoughts, he stilled his breath and focused his spirit, consuming several exorbitantly expensive elixirs meant for Nascent Soul cultivators and grasping a half-used top-grade Spirit Stone. Absorbing the energy from these two sources, he subjected his body to continuous washing and his meridians to tempering, while the Nascent Soul continuously purified the inflow, replenishing the newly formed soul.

This method—the integration of the physical body and the Nascent Soul for mutual tempering—was a novel approach for the newly advanced Lei Dong, yet the results were superb. The Nascent Soul ceaselessly distilled and refined streams of True Essence power.

Unable to withstand Lei Dong’s ravenous consumption, the Spirit Stone was quickly depleted of its spiritual energy, crumbling into dust. But Lei Dong paid it no mind, immediately pulling out a brand-new top-grade Spirit Stone to continue the energy refinement.

The tempering effect of the Nascent Soul back onto the physical body was most potent the first time around. If all went smoothly, it could propel the body directly into the Nascent Soul cultivator tier in one go, making him a true Nascent Soul practitioner. Otherwise, it would require some time to slowly temper the flesh.

Thus, Lei Dong spared no expense on precious elixirs and top-grade Spirit Stones, employing a means that was utterly extravagant for the vast majority of Nascent Soul cultivators to achieve rapid replenishment. He shattered three full top-grade Spirit Stones and consumed over a dozen precious elixirs before the newly formed Nascent Soul managed to fully restore its True Essence. The abundant True Essence, like pale gold mercury, flowed into the Nascent Soul, causing it to grow stronger.

Then, a marvelous event occurred.

The Nascent Soul, now saturated with True Essence, began to contract violently with a distinct rhythm, followed by massive pulsations. The True Essence ignited into countless microscopic energy particles, which surged outward from the Zifu, traveling along the meridians to the entire body.

The rhythm of the Nascent Soul seemed to harmonize with the ultimate principles between Heaven and Earth, creating a unique oscillation within the body. This vibration permeated his entire circulation of Qi and Blood, reaching every single cell.

Each wave of vibration served as a refinement for the body: weak cells perished, their place taken by refreshed Qi and Blood generating stronger successors.

Nascent Soul Body Tempering—this was an enhancement method that every Nascent Soul cultivator instinctively knew. It bore some resemblance to the Netherworld Body Tempering Art Lei Dong had used previously, but in terms of sheer intensity, it was far less brutal and ferocious.

In truth, Lei Dong had already undergone repeated body tempering when absorbing the Demon King's life essence, pushing his physical robustness to the absolute limit of the Core Formation stage. This continuous tempering by the Nascent Soul naturally allowed his body to swiftly surpass that Golden Core ceiling.

A breakthrough meant shattering previous constraints and advancing to a higher echelon.

Once Lei Dong breached the limit, the newly generated cells frantically absorbed the True Essence particles, transforming into a novel type of cell. Unlike the cells he possessed during the Core Formation stage, these newborn cells were stronger and more tenacious.

Unconsciously, at least one-third of Lei Dong’s cells had completed their metamorphosis during this breakthrough. At this moment, he slowly opened his eyes, and the world that entered his vision was no longer on the same level as before.

Objects within dozens of zhang were revealed in minute detail; his eyes could easily capture the trajectory of a single dust mote drifting in the distance. The world itself seemed to slow down, allowing him to easily sense the rotation and flow of various air currents.

Lei Dong knew that a massive enhancement to his five senses would greatly increase his survival and combat capabilities. Beyond that, he felt an intense surge of power filling his newly refined body, giving him the illusion that a single punch could shatter the heavens and earth.

Of course, it was an illusion; it was simply that his physical constitution and senses were several times stronger than before following the promotion, naturally causing a brief period of adjustment.

The greatest gain, however, lay in his Divine Sense. His soul had now transformed into the Nascent Soul, but Lei Dong’s Nascent Soul was exceptionally robust compared to others. Feeling the palpable, almost substantial Divine Sense emanating from himself, Lei Dong roughly estimated it was nearly double his previous strength, certainly not inferior to some ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.