Seeing that Lei Long showed absolutely no fear of battle, the Insect Emperor hesitated for a moment, quickly saying, "Wait a moment, both of you, we can discuss this peacefully. Why resort to outright conflict?" As he spoke, he rapidly transmitted a message to Xie Feng: "Miss Xie Feng, please do not act rashly. This Thunder Dragon seems to have some background. We cannot ascertain his details for now; it's best to avoid conflict. Otherwise, the repercussions will be endless. Remember, although our two clans might possess some strength within the Underworld, when placed within the Six Domains and Nine Continents, we are merely mid-to-lower tier. If we carelessly provoke a powerful enemy, it could lead to the extermination of our entire clan. Let's probe his background further; we absolutely must not lose our reason over a single Chaos Golden Lotus. Both of us are clan leaders, not solitary individuals."

Xie Feng was startled. Although the Insect Emperor was not as ancient as the Nether Ghost Emperor, he was indeed much older than her, and at this critical juncture, he was significantly more cautious. Xie Feng mused to herself that her frame of mind just now had indeed been unbalanced. Things were exactly as the Insect Emperor said: being a clan leader brought countless benefits and authority—the clansmen looked to them for guidance, and all good things were prioritized for their use. But the responsibility was equally immense. If they incurred trouble that should have been avoided simply for some minor gain, leading to the clan's destruction, then being called derelict in duty would be an understatement. In an instant, Xie Feng calmed down, secretly pondering the person before her. He appeared somewhat young and reckless, and his temperament lacked the seasoned composure of someone long experienced in worldly affairs; he indeed had the air of a spoiled second-generation heir.

"Hey, hey, are you fighting or not?" Lei Long looked quite impatient, sneering, "Do the powerhouses of the Underworld always act so wishy-washy? This Chaos Golden Lotus is a fine treasure. If you don't want it, let me take it back to pay respects to my Imperial Father." Every word Lei Long spoke was relayed by Xiao You. If Lei Long were to speak according to his true nature, he would merely utter these words. Xiao You calculated the baseline: the Insect Emperor and Xie Feng, though powerful, were not solitary figures but leaders of entire clans. They absolutely could not afford to offend someone rashly when they couldn't grasp the opponent's true strength. If they didn't possess the ability to firmly hold Lei Long and the others there through cooperation, they would have reservations. Once there were reservations, they would overthink, and the more they thought, the more hesitant they would become. Having never experienced much hardship since childhood, Lei Long's mind was relatively simple, making him the perfect candidate to play the part of a seemingly unsteady second-generation heir. Furthermore, Lei Long felt no aversion to Xiao You's directives; rather, he respected her greatly. Even a simpleton knew that between Xiao You and Lei Dong, their relationship was superficially master-servant, but in reality, it held the affection of a married couple. Lei Long treated Xiao You like a half-sister-in-law. This was not just due to her status, but also because he knew Xiao You originated from the rare Celestial Spirit Ghost lineage. Unless something unexpected happened, reaching the Ghost Emperor level in cultivation was a certainty, and it wouldn't take long. Therefore, in terms of both status and personal potential, Xiao You possessed qualities worthy of Lei Long's respect.

"Insect Emperor, if this continues, I fear it will tarnish the reputation of our two clans," Xie Feng transmitted to the Insect Emperor, her eyes still closed, yet her lovely jade nose wrinkled, "Why don't we fight first, just a brief bout to test their depth?" "That works too, but the cultivation technique I practice is better suited for group combat," the Insect Emperor demurred, "You should lead this fight." "Old fox," Xie Feng muttered inwardly, then, without further hesitation, she raised an eyebrow at Lei Long, "We in the Underworld are merely hospitable. Since you wish to fight, this young lady will oblige you with a bout. However, the environment here is too confined to fully unleash our powers; perhaps we should move to the Stygian River outside." "Heh heh, you little lady know what's proper and understand my temperament. But fighting requires a wager; otherwise, it doesn't feel right," Lei Long pretended, waving his hand, "Lei Dong."

"Yes, Young Master." Lei Dong also stepped forward with forced solemnity, respectfully taking out a batch of jade bottles from his storage bracelet, along with no less than a thousand high-grade spirit stones. Ignoring the bottles for a moment, the sight of fully one thousand high-grade spirit stones stacked neatly on the ground was quite impactful. High-grade spirit stones were valuable commodities. Although everyone present possessed some degree of strength and were not low-level cultivators who had never seen large quantities of them—most would have ten or twenty on hand—seeing purely over a thousand stacked together was exceedingly rare. Even Xie Feng and the Insect Emperor, as clan leaders with Soul Transformation stage cultivation, were slightly shaken by the display, causing them to view Lei Long with increased regard.

"Just a small token wager. These ten jade bottles contain Chaos Spiritual Qi collected along the way using the Chaos Spirit Gathering Array. Tsk, tsk, I didn't expect Chaos Spiritual Qi to exist in such a wretched place. You should know, back where we come from, this is quite... Heh, never mind that. Little lady, if you win against this crown prince, all of this is yours." As he spoke, Lei Long's gaze swept over Xie Feng with a touch of insolence.

Chaos Spirit Gathering Array? The Insect Emperor and Xie Feng were both slightly stunned. Indeed, this other party was someone with a profound background. The Chaos Spirit Gathering Array was rumored to be lost within the Six Domains and Nine Continents. However, among clans with extremely deep foundations, some lineages still possessed this knowledge. But it certainly wasn't a technique accessible to just any random group. In the Underworld, major clans like the Ghost Clan, despite their strength, lacked such deep foundations and did not understand the Chaos Spirit Gathering Art.

Xie Feng’s clan, the Nether Phoenix Clan, were descendants of the divine beast Phoenix, possessing pure and noble bloodlines. The Nether Phoenix lineage had been passed down through an extremely long history, possessing an exceptionally deep heritage. Hearing the other party mention the Chaos Spirit Gathering Array so casually clearly indicated that he too came from a lineage with profound foundations. This elaborate performance led the Insect Emperor and Xie Feng to speculate further about Lei Long's powerful background, making them believe his claims more strongly. Never mind the recently collected Chaos Spiritual Qi, the sheer sight of over a thousand high-grade spirit stones stacked in such an impressive mound demonstrated the youth's astonishing wealth. Although both of them were clan leaders and could easily produce a thousand high-grade spirit stones, they absolutely could not do so as casually as Lei Long appeared to be pulling out pocket change. Moreover, who travels carrying a thousand high-grade spirit stones?

"I don't have a full thousand high-grade spirit stones on me," Xie Feng frowned slightly, "If you don't mind, I can offer goods equivalent in value, and as for this Chaos Spiritual Qi, I happen to have ten bottles as well." Her tone toward Lei Long already held less hostility. She realized the probability of him being a second-generation heir with a deep background was extremely high. Furthermore, she inferred from his words that his family likely possessed Chaos Spiritual Qi. Although Chaos Spiritual Qi was supposedly extinct in the Six Domains and Nine Continents, it was possible some powerful entity possessed a resource and kept it secret. Xie Feng's ability to gather Chaos Spiritual Qi was also part of Xiao You's scheme. After all, although the Nether Phoenix Clan's current strength might be average, they possessed heritage, unlike the Corpse Insect Clan and the Ghost Clan, who were politely 'new money' and bluntly 'nouveau riche.' Races with established foundations, regardless of their outward appearance, held an inherent disdain for such upstarts, viewing themselves as nobility. Simultaneously, however, they felt a sense of camaraderie with other races possessing equally deep foundations.

But no matter how Xie Feng and the others speculated, they could not deduce which powerful faction Lei Long originated from. They had largely discerned a strong aura of the Flying Dragon emanating from him. But Flying Dragons, within the Six Domains and Nine Continents, were not extinct, yet they were extremely scarce and rare; how could such a creature form a clan and establish a vast power? Could it be that he came from a place—perhaps only that place—could produce a crown prince acting like a spoiled heir who could reach the Soul Transformation stage relying solely on piled-up spiritual materials? The Insect Emperor and Xie Feng exchanged glances, pausing briefly. If he truly hailed from that region, the situation would become immensely serious. After all, the Demon Realm, teeming with various fierce beasts, had long been sealed off, isolated from the Six Domains and Nine Continents. If it was merely an accidental arrival in the Nether Ghost Domain, that would be one thing; but if a true connecting passage had formed between the two realms, what would the Nether Ghost Domain rely on to resist a large-scale invasion from the Demon Realm? The Corpse Insect Clan and the Nether Phoenix Clan could claim dominance in the Nether Ghost Domain, but placed within the Demon Realm, one of the Three Realms, they would be insignificant, ranking as mere small families.

Relying on Xiao You's understanding of the Nether Phoenix and Corpse Insect Clans, she laid out various linguistic traps, gradually guiding them toward the conclusions she desired. No one feared the Demon Realm, and no one could ignore it. Especially the Nether Phoenix Clan, who once qualified for entry into the Demon Realm but were rejected by the main Phoenix Clan, thus being cast out. Consequently, the Nether Phoenix Clan was perpetually both proud and insecure, displaying particular aversion toward pure-blooded Phoenixes. Their attitude toward the Demon Realm was a mixture of disdain and yearning. With this mindset, and given these numerous reservations, the safety of Xiao You and Lei Dong was basically secured. The reason for such elaborate maneuvering was simple: self-preservation. The opponents' strength was clearly superior to their own. If one of the two Soul Transformation experts could tie down Lei Long, the others could coordinate with subordinates to directly eliminate everyone else, leaving even Lei Dong with little chance of escape. In the two instances Lei Dong faced Soul Transformation experts, the Black Winged Demon King was already severely wounded, its strength diminished by over eighty percent. His confrontation with Xuan Yuanzi relied on the fair competition arena and the Nether Black Evil Array.