Lei Dong had long anticipated that Xuan Yuanzi would use spatial translocation, so seeing him resort to it right at the start didn't surprise him; rather, it delighted him. Instantaneous movement by tearing through space was a hallmark of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, yet each such leap consumed a considerable amount of power.

For this battle, Lei Dong had clearly opted for a war of attrition. The more Xuan Yuanzi's True Essence was depleted, the more at ease Lei Dong became.

Centering his attack around the Netherworld Black Fiend Formation, wherever Xuan Yuanzi blinked to, Lei Dong mirrored the action by dispatching another wave of Suicide Ghosts to close in, supplemented by assaults from hundreds of Fat Belly Cannon Ghosts. Within dozens of breaths, after blasting away several Suicide Ghosts, Xuan Yuanzi was compelled to teleport again.

After several rounds of such evasive maneuvers, Xuan Yuanzi grimly realized he had nowhere left to hide. The mere ten-mile expanse of the arena was saturated with the presence of Suicide Ghosts. The moment he materialized, hundreds of feet around him erupted with an endless surge of them rushing toward him.

Boom, boom, boom...

The ceaseless stream of Suicide Ghosts were either obliterated by Xuan Yuanzi or succeeded in breaking through to surround him, happily detonating themselves. Bursts of shockwaves caused Xuan Yuanzi’s vital energy to surge slightly, and the semi-transparent white shield around his body rippled like water.

Ants can kill an elephant, especially when those ants pack a considerable explosive punch. Furthermore, spectral green nether-fire cannonballs rained down upon him like a deluge. Under such a dense formation, even with superior agility and evasion skills, he could not entirely evade every strike.

Xuan Yuanzi’s vast and boundless True Essence was steadily drained by his continuous movements. His face began to pale, not from injury, but from the boundless terror welling up in his heart.

The sheer number of those monsters was overwhelming; Xuan Yuanzi felt they were inexhaustible. He understood perfectly that if his True Essence was spent, the only fate awaiting him was utter ruin. Gritting his teeth with grim resolve, he snatched out a crystal-clear, flawless Spirit Stone. The spiritual energy radiating from it was incomparably pure, and as he absorbed it, his True Essence recovered at an astonishing speed. Priceless medicinal pills were subsequently stuffed into his mouth as if they cost nothing.

“Heavenly Spirit Stone?”

Lei Dong, watching from within the Netherworld Black Fiend Formation, felt a shift in his expression. He had yet to obtain a Heavenly Spirit Stone. But just contemplating it revealed the terrifying speed at which it could replenish True Essence.

If Lei Dong had unlimited time, he was certain he could grind Xuan Yuanzi down slowly.

However, the Netherworld Black Fiend Formation could only be sustained for about a month or so. If Xuan Yuanzi’s supply of elixirs and Heavenly Spirit Stones was abundant, who knew how long the attrition would last?

Lei Dong dared not delay, because if the Netherworld Black Fiend Formation were broken, Xuan Yuanzi executing a decapitation strike was a certainty.

He could not risk that outcome; without the formation’s protection, who knew what horrors might ensue? His gaze sharpened, and Lei Dong decided to switch to a high-risk strategy, preparing for a violent, decisive end to Xuan Yuanzi.

Although this plan was risky, if everything went smoothly, Xuan Yuanzi would have absolutely no chance of escaping.

First, he commanded the Suicide Ghosts to intensify their dense assault, gradually pushing the Fat Belly Cannon Ghosts back. The fierce, concentrated artillery bombardment made it extremely difficult for Xuan Yuanzi to cope. Simultaneously, Lei Dong executed the Grand Cycle Breath Concealment Technique, shrinking his aura to almost nothingness.

Next, like a faint shadow of a ghost, he clung to the rear of a Suicide Ghost, moving silently toward Xuan Yuanzi. The number of Suicide Ghosts flying within a few hundred feet of Xuan Yuanzi now numbered in the hundreds; even if Xuan Yuanzi had three heads and six arms, he lacked the capacity to destroy them all individually. His only recourse was to prevent them from closing within ten feet, even though doing so rapidly depleted his True Essence. But he had no choice, as any Suicide Ghost explosion would cost him far more True Essence to replenish his Grand Unity Shield.

Even so, stragglers continually managed to break through and detonate near him. This demonstrated that hiding behind the vanguard posed a very low threat. On a battlefield of this caliber, it was even more improbable for Xuan Yuanzi to detect Lei Dong. Lei Dong had complete faith in his Grand Cycle Breath Concealment Art.

Approaching slowly, once within a hundred feet, the Suicide Ghost Lei Dong was shadowing charged forward, and Lei Dong unfurled his wings, tearing through space.

A faint spatial ripple materialized about twenty feet behind Xuan Yuanzi, and at the same moment, Lei Dong’s figure appeared behind him. His hands formed a mystical seal, his expression stern, the Demonic Seed on his forehead pulsing with a bewitching energy like a third eye.

In that single instant, Lei Dong entered a profound, mysterious state, feeling as if he stood firmly on the earth while his head touched the highest heavens—everything was within his grasp. A subdued yet innate arrogance surfaced in his heart.

Looking down, his very aura was suffocating, inspiring instant self-reproach.

This was the second transformation of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation: Reigning Over All. At this moment, the laws of the Heavenly Dao seemed astonishingly clear and natural before his eyes, as if they were tangible and could be commanded at will.

“Boom.” From the distant Netherworld Black Fiend Formation, a heaven-shaking roar erupted. Simultaneously, fully ten thousand cannon blasts streaked across the sky like a meteor shower, carving perfect arcs toward their target. The central projectile’s flame tail alone was as thick as a water vat, radiating a chilling and suffocating menace. That nether-fire cannonball traveled with terrifying speed, arriving in the blink of an eye.

Clearly, that shot was fired by a Fat Belly Cannon Ghost refined by the Nascent Soul of the Ageless Demon Venerable. Even Lei Dong felt a tremor in his own heart. But he dared not waste a moment; while unfolding his wings to tear space and flee, he spoke with the casual authority of a supreme sovereign: “I declare, time shall cease.”

The True Word Art.

A miraculous spell that required no profound comprehension of various laws from the caster; one only needed to exert power to activate the True Word. The inscrutable True Word Art would automatically manipulate the laws.

Success and duration depended entirely on the opponent’s strength and Lei Dong’s own expenditure. For this desperate move, Lei Dong reserved only enough True Essence for a single teleport; all remaining essence was instantly drained by the True Word Art to forcefully bind the law of time. His opponent was a peak Nascent Soul stage expert; Lei Dong dared not be the least bit careless.

Fortune seemed to favor Lei Dong. Xuan Yuanzi, who was struggling fiercely, subconsciously sensed something wrong upon hearing that deafening roar of artillery. He frantically tore through space, intending only to escape.

However, the instant he attempted to teleport, the time surrounding him seemed to freeze solid. Everything—the incoming Suicide Ghosts, the cannonballs—froze instantly in mid-air, unable to pierce this pocket of temporal stillness spanning a dozen feet around him. Xuan Yuanzi’s expression was filled with disbelief and horror.

One breath. Lei Dong’s power could only sustain this for a single breath.

But that single breath was sufficient. The spatial aperture Xuan Yuanzi had just opened, assaulted by the law of time, ruptured like a primed explosive, forming a black vortex threatening to swallow everything.

Having achieved his goal, Lei Dong seamlessly reappeared inside the Netherworld Black Fiend Formation via spatial translocation.

The catastrophic explosion of the Super Nether Fire Cannon, combined with the torn spatial aperture, initiated some unknown reaction, generating spatial rifts that shot out like blades in every direction. This was immediately followed by the barrage of countless meteor-like nether-fire cannonballs hammering the western sector.

“Roar!”

The Nascent Soul stage expert Xuan Yuanzi unleashed a furious, savage bellow. But it was useless. Even as a peak Nascent Soul expert, at this moment, he was like a lone skiff lost in a raging ocean, completely out of control. His Grand Unity Shield and various esoteric defensive measures were ruthlessly shredded by the chaotic onslaught.

Even if Xuan Yuanzi’s body was as hard as dark iron, there was no possibility of survival; he could not evade this catastrophe. His physical form was utterly pulverized into dust by the spatial blades and the shockwaves generated by the explosions.

Yet, his Primordial Spirit seized the opportunity to flee, darting out like a fleeting shadow, just managing to clear the most dangerous epicenter of the blast by a mere li.

The explosion lasted only a single breath. The entire western quadrant of space was utterly annihilated.

Annihilated.

Lei Dong didn't have time to celebrate before the Arena Spirit cried out, “Bad! The space formed by the arena has shattered. Xuan Yuanzi’s Primordial Spirit could escape at any moment. Beware of endless future troubles!” Having spent so much time with Lei Dong and witnessed countless surprises, the presumably impartial Arena Spirit had shed its original neutrality. When assessing the problem, it now considered matters from Lei Dong’s perspective.

Lei Dong certainly understood the gravity of the situation. A Primordial Spirit was far more complex than a Nascent Soul. Unlike a Nascent Soul, which was almost defenseless, a Primordial Spirit contained the entirety of a cultivator’s spirit, essence, and vitality. It could survive, cultivate, and even fight independently, all at incredible speed.

But even so, within the confines of the arena space, he was a turtle trapped in a jar.

He hadn't anticipated that the preceding events would cause the arena’s impenetrable space to break. If Xuan Yuanzi escaped, it would spell endless future trouble. Lei Dong immediately commanded mentally, “Ah Chou, Gui Ci, do not let him escape, even if you die trying.”

By this point, Lei Dong’s True Essence was completely exhausted; he lacked the strength even to participate. All he could do was pray that Xuan Yuanzi hadn’t yet detected the spatial breach. However, what manner of person was Xuan Yuanzi? Even without his body, he remained a being of the Nascent Soul stage, possessing a far deeper understanding of spatial laws than Lei Dong’s amateur grasp. He detected the situation almost simultaneously with the space shattering.

Like a wraith, he immediately began drilling his way out of the arena. As he fled, he couldn't resist sending a chilling threat back: “Brat, this venerable master will make you regret this. Wait, I will return!”