Certainly, should the Thunder Dragon's near-monstrous divine sense not have formed a shield, its outer hide alone would never have withstood the Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens. Despite its colossal frame, the beast was far from clumsy; a single beat of its wings repelled the surging Styx water. Like a gigantic warship, it shimmered into existence before the Evil Phoenix and brought its massive foreclaws down with brutal force.

Even in the primeval era, the Flying Dragon was an undisputed overlord of that vast expanse of land, perched atop the food chain. Its savage strength and razor-sharp talons ensured no thick-skinned prey could escape its hunt. In this moment, the Thunder Dragon seemed hurled back to that desolate, majestic age when the law of the jungle reigned supreme and most nakedly apparent. And he, too, hunted everything with the same arrogant dominance as his ancestors.

The aura of slaughter made the Evil Phoenix's own presence falter; its mountain-like bulk and gigantic claws pressed down upon her with unbearable weight. Having no time to shift the forms of the Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens, she immediately let out a sharp cry. Her slender body rapidly sprouted feathers, dark and etched with mysterious hua patterns. Simultaneously, her form swelled, instantly transforming into a black phoenix, forty to fifty zhang long from beak to tail, its plumage deep and black as solidified ink, exuding a faint, spectral gloom. With a nimble flash, she evaded the fatal claw and spewed forth a dense mist of Nether Ice breath, enveloping an area several hundred zhang across. All the surrounding moisture was instantly frozen into fluttering sheets of cold snow, creating an astonishing spectacle. Deep within the sunless Styx, the clash between these two supreme experts caused the water within hundreds of zhang to ceaselessly vaporize, creating a unique pocket of space, where the evaporated steam then re-condensed into snowflakes under the influence of the Nether Ice.

One was an Ancient Flying Dragon, a purebred Sub-Divine Beast and one of the overlords. The other was a direct descendant branch of the Divine Beast Phoenix. Both had transformed into terrifying, peerless beasts, neither willing to yield to the other, battling fiercely at the bottom of the Styx Valley—a spectacle seeming to recreate the primal collisions of power between mighty demon beasts of the ancient times. The Thunder Dragon held the advantage in both sheer strength and divine sense. The Evil Phoenix, however, benefited from the aid of the Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens. For a time, the battle raged, churning the Styx into chaos and affecting countless innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. The dragon and the phoenix seemed genuinely enraged; any pretense of mere sparring was gone. One claw strike sent feathers flying, while a sharp peck ripped a wound the size of a water vat into the other’s hide.

If one had not witnessed it firsthand, such a bizarre scene would have been utterly unimaginable.

Lei Dong and his group, stationed far to the sides and watching, were completely captivated by the spectacle. Even the Insect Emperor wore an expression of shock. Though he too was a Divine Transformation stage expert, he was never known for brute strength or melee combat. Back in the desolate ancient world of the Nine Provinces, countless ferocious beasts abounded, and they battled amongst themselves just like this—with earth-shattering roars and skies filled with flying blood, feathers, and scales. After an untold number of years since that ancient era, this bloody tableau of species fighting for dominance had reappeared, each striving to prove who the true king was. Just as in the ancient world, a Divine Beast or Emperor was not a title earned by words, but by claws and beaks. What species achieved the status of Divine Beast had not done so without wading through endless rivers of blood and treading upon the corpses of countless powerful beings.

Except for Lei Dong and Xiao You, the two took advantage of the fact that the Insect Emperor and his retinue were utterly absorbed in the battle. They began to covertly enact their plans. First, Xiao You quietly set up her Nether Black Fiend Formation, though she kept it dormant for the moment. Meanwhile, Lei Dong used the pressure from the two combatants' clash to mask his movements, stealthily drawing forth the Netherflame Ghost Banner and summoning ranks of Belly Cannon Ghosts, arraying them into a formidable artillery formation.

The current Belly Cannon Ghosts were significantly different from before. Previously, those refined by the Undying Demon Venerable were the strongest, but now that position had been ceded. Because this journey into the Styx had given Lei Dong a sudden, cold premonition of danger, he had gritted his teeth and made a ruthless decision: he had refined his only reserve of Nascent Soul—the soul of the Divine Transformation expert, Xuan Yuanzi—into a Belly Cannon Ghost.

As Lei Dong had anticipated, after being refined by the Netherflame Ghost Banner, the Nascent Soul successfully transformed into a Nascent Soul-level Belly Cannon Ghost. Lei Dong had tested a single blast, and its power directly surpassed that of the Undying Demon Venerable's by several times. The previous version was a step shy of the Nascent Soul level, capable only of injuring an unsuspecting Divine Transformation expert, its power barely equaling a casual strike from such a cultivator.

However, the Thunder Dragon’s own power assessment concluded that the Nascent Soul-level Belly Cannon Ghost’s full power was equivalent to the Thunder Dragon’s own strongest attack. Any Divine Transformation expert facing the full might of another expert at the same level would, if unable to dodge or defend in time, be crippled if not killed outright.

Thus, this Belly Cannon Ghost naturally became one of Lei Dong's trump cards and one of his crucial lifelines against Divine Transformation stage experts. The only slight regret was that the Belly Cannon Ghost could only unleash one strike in a short period.

The only reason Xiao You had asked the Thunder Dragon to stall and deceive the enemy for so long was to secure a tactical advantage for a surprise strike. Divine Transformation experts were no mere pawns; they were ancient devils who had lived for ages, and any lie would eventually be exposed. An encounter between these two factions had already destined a massive battle, as neither would willingly surrender the Chaos Golden Lotus. Indeed, if Lei Dong were to actively yield the lotus, the result would still be utter annihilation. Showing weakness was never a path to peace. To survive in this dog-eat-dog world, the only course was to become stronger and seize control of the initiative, rather than passively accepting someone else's judgment over one’s life or death. Controlling one's own destiny had been the goal Lei Dong relentlessly pursued since he first emerged onto the stage.

Since neither side could possibly give up a heaven-defying treasure like the Chaos Golden Lotus, a battle to the death was inevitable. Lei Dong did not know how long the enemy would remain fooled by the deception, but he knew the quicker he acted, the better.

The grand, awe-inspiring battle quickly escalated. Although the Thunder Dragon held a slight overall advantage over the Evil Phoenix, it ultimately could not withstand the power of the Evil Phoenix's renowned Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens. Within moments, the dragon was covered in wounds, appearing far more disheveled than the dark-hued phoenix. As expected, the watching Insect Emperor’s expression suddenly shifted, as if a realization had struck him. According to the Thunder Dragon’s fabricated tale, he was clearly the heir of some major power, and judging by his tone, perhaps even someone who had descended from the Demon Realm.

But after a few moments of fighting, a contradiction arose. If he were the scion of such a distinguished lineage, why would he lack one or two powerful Innate Spiritual Treasures for self-defense? He wouldn't have to struggle so bitterly under the immense power of the Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens. Having grasped this, the Insect Emperor quickly sent a telepathic message to the Evil Phoenix, while simultaneously casting a somewhat hostile glance toward Lei Dong's party. If the opponent was not the heir of some obscure, massive power, the Insect Emperor had no need for caution. Even if these people had deep ties with the Netherworld Ghost Emperor, so what? They could be killed. After all, a war was already underway. Did the Ghost Emperor dare to charge headlong into their main base? If he did, the Insect Emperor would welcome him all the same.

The Evil Phoenix, fiercely engaged in combat, was initially stunned by the Insect Emperor’s words, but she immediately recovered, loudly proclaiming without reservation, “Insect Emperor, I will tie down this Flying Dragon; you go eliminate the underlings first.” The Evil Phoenix, having gained a slight edge, was fighting with exhilarating intensity, holding back somewhat due to the potential might of the Thunder Dragon's supposed lineage. But at this moment, she had only one thought: completely annihilate this Flying Dragon—first, to avenge the deception, and second, to savor the exquisite pleasure of slaying a fellow expert of her rank. Unlike cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage, most Divine Transformation experts might never have the chance to kill a peer in their entire lifespan.

The Insect Emperor immediately understood, letting out two sinister laughs: "Fine. You brats dare to fool us like this. This Emperor will make you taste what it means to be devoured by ten thousand insects!" With that, he shook his wide black robe; the sleeves seemed to function as spatial artifacts, unleashing a terrifying swarm of various insects that blanketed the sky as they lunged toward Lei Dong and his group.

In truth, upon realizing their opponent was the Insect Emperor, Lei Dong and Xiao You had already begun their maneuverings. The Insect Emperor differed from other Divine Transformation experts; while his combat power was formidable, it stemmed primarily from the insects he commanded. His solitary fighting capability was significantly weaker than other Divine Transformation experts.

And Lei Dong happened to be an expert in this very field. He couldn't resist the urge to test the Insect Emperor, fully aware that winning was unlikely, but hoping perhaps to inflict grievous harm or even achieve a kill. This relied on the Emperor becoming agitated and careless after realizing he had been duped. This possibility was quite high; even if the Emperor were normally cautious, facing a group of lower-level cultivators, a sliver of arrogance and underestimation might creep in unnoticed. It was the same mindset Lei Dong currently held toward the few Golden Core cultivators he encountered—no one took them seriously.

The primary insects commanded by the Insect Emperor resembled centipedes about a foot long, sporting six wings on each side and massive pincers on their mouths. Their pitch-black bodies radiated a chilling aura that instantly instilled dread.

Lei Dong focused his gaze; these were the legendary Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Insects. There were well over ten thousand of them densely filling the mid-air, and the weakest among them was already a Foundation Establishment stage demon insect.

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