This is an open expanse, as if a massive plaza had been constructed in a cavern deep beneath an unseen riverbed, so vast that even with Lei Dong's exceptionally sharp vision, he could not see the end of it. A casual sweep of his divine sense revealed that even a hundred or so li away, the hall remained empty, offering no connecting web or side-cavern for him to slip into.

Lei Dong's bloodshot eyes were grim. Without a moment's hesitation, he unfurled the Wings of Asura, tore open the void, and instantly traversed forward.

Boom—mere moments later, Evil Phoenix crashed through a wall and entered. Her eyes immediately fixed upon this strategically advantageous terrain. With a wild burst of laughter, she unleashed her full speed in pursuit: "Good for you, boy! You ignored the open road to heaven and deliberately dove into this jar." Her speed did not abate as she flashed through space, tearing it open repeatedly, vanishing several li in the blink of an eye. "Stop running! Even if you fled to the ends of the sky, I would not let you go. This place will be your tomb."

Lei Dong’s divine sense felt successive ripples and waves distorting the space behind him, causing a bitter twist at the corner of his mouth.

While his cultivation realm allowed him to grasp a sliver of the laws of space and possess a spatial divine artifact like the Wings of Asura—which was quite an achievement—how could he possibly compare to Evil Phoenix?

Evil Phoenix hailed from the Nether Phoenix Clan, a collateral lineage of the true Phoenixes. The Phoenix race, in turn, was among the beastly races that placed the greatest emphasis on mastering the laws of space. Although the Nether Phoenixes were no longer entirely the same species as pure-blooded Phoenixes, they had largely retained the innate spatial talent derived from that sacred bloodline.

Evil Phoenix possessed innate comprehension and control over spatial laws. Lei Dong, however, could only teleport by relying on the trace amount of spatial law power contained within the Wings of Asura. The gap between them was truly as vast as the difference between the clouds and the mud. Never mind using the Wings of Asura; even a true Asura King possessing wings might not surpass Evil Phoenix in the mastery of spatial laws.

"Is it truly fate that intends to destroy me?" Lei Dong felt the space-warping sound behind him growing steadily closer. Though his demeanor remained calm, the crushing sense of crisis chilled his heart. He could not fathom how he could evade Evil Phoenix's pursuit in such an open area.

Yet, even as his heart grew cold, Lei Dong felt no regret. He knew that even if he had honestly divided the Chaos Golden Lotus equally with Evil Phoenix after consuming it, she would likely have refused. In this world governed by the law of the jungle, low-level cultivators never stood a chance of true equality against high-level powerhouses. Moreover, given Evil Phoenix's disposition, even if she had taken the Chaos Golden Lotus from Lei Dong, there was a high probability she would have murdered him to silence any witnesses afterward. Even a being as powerful as Evil Phoenix did not want to face harassment from cultivators of similar levels while she was still nurturing or cultivating such a treasure.

Thus, regardless of whether he consumed the Chaos Golden Lotus, once he encountered Evil Phoenix, the odds of survival were slim. Given that reality, Lei Dong felt it better to consume the Golden Lotus outright and enjoy himself. At least he had gained considerable benefits from this one he possessed. If death was inevitable, why not savor the moment before it arrived?

"Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens." Behind him came a voice that sounded light but carried fury ingrained to the very marrow of the bone. Ten thousand inky black feathers rained down upon Lei Dong like a furious storm.

A strike delivered with the lingering hatred of a Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse, utilizing an extremely renowned innate spiritual treasure—how could Lei Dong, at his current cultivation, possibly withstand it? Even his Profound Yin Shield or other defensive artifacts would likely be pierced through with a single touch from those feathers. A chilling cold, piercing bone-deep, washed over his back. He dared not delay another instant. His face set like frost, he bit down hard on his tongue, summoning a wisp of his vital essence blood, and roared out in a low, commanding tone: "I say, space is interconnected."

As the True Word Spell activated, Lei Dong's form dissolved into a blur, flickering indistinctly several li away. The myriad feathers sliced through the phantom afterimages Lei Dong had left behind like falling rain. Having narrowly evaded that attack, Lei Dong’s True Essence was severely depleted, and several weak meridians had ruptured under the strain, causing a gush of blood to spray from his mouth. His resolute face turned utterly ashen. Yet, a faint air of pride lingered around his brows, and his calm eyes suddenly held a deep, ancient quality—a profound gaze that seemed to survey all living things that had weathered countless epochs.

With his very life threatened by such a crisis, Lei Dong finally unleashed the second transformation of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation: Reigning Over All. Unlike the domineering force of the first stage, Unrivaled Under Heaven, Reigning Over All imbued Lei Dong with an aura of noble elegance mixed with effortless grace, making him appear composed and as if everything were precisely under control.

The True Word Spell was inherently a dark art designed to twist and alter the laws of the world. The version Lei Dong employed was naturally the Demon Emperor's True Word Spell, inherited from the Demon Emperor's legacy, and when combined with the Reigning Over All state, its power increased severalfold. Fortunately, casting the True Word Spell relied more on the strength of the will than on True Essence consumption. Otherwise, in his current near-exhausted state, executing such a spatial teleportation would have caused at least ten times the damage to his already severed meridians.

"It truly is the Nether God's True Word Spell. It seems your connection to that old ghoul, Netherworld, is not insignificant." Evil Phoenix had not expected a mere early Nascent Soul cultivator to evade her vengeful strike. After a momentary surprise, she laughed instead of raging. "Good, very good. Killing you will likely be enough to send old Netherworld into utter despair."

Evidently, Evil Phoenix had mistaken Lei Dong's Demon Emperor's True Word Spell for the famous technique of the Nether Ghost Emperor lineage, the Nether God's True Word Spell. In truth, there was little essential difference between the two; both were arts of obscuring heavenly secrets, so the misidentification was understandable. Lei Dong's state of mind gradually acclimated to the imposing presence of Reigning Over All. Though his body was exhausted, his expression was majestic and serene. He floated in the air, hands clasped behind his back, projecting an image of composure that would remain unruffled even if Mount Tai crumbled before him, utterly unmoved by Evil Phoenix’s words.

He quietly retrieved a peak-grade spirit stone, gripping it in his palm. He slowly circulated his primary cultivation technique, the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, absorbing the pure, faintly cool spiritual energy from the stone to replenish his reserves. Immediately, the spirit energy flowed from the stone through the acupuncture points in his palm like a narrow, steady spring, trickling slowly into his meridians. Since his meridians were nearly depleted, the absorption had to be gradual; rapid consumption would be akin to binge-eating when starving—damaging the body.

Following this, he swallowed a peak-grade healing elixir. The warm medicinal power slowly diffused through his body, functioning like a gentle, warm massage to every cell in his meridians and body, repairing the damaged channels and tissues piece by piece, filament by filament.

"Oh, no longer running? And your temperament has shifted?" Evil Phoenix appeared not far from Lei Dong, her lively eyes reminiscent of a cat playing with a mouse, and sneered: "Weren't you quite adept at scuttling away like a rat? What, you can’t run anymore? Have you finally come to terms with it and decided to surrender?" Evil Phoenix realized her hatred for him was deeper than she imagined. Missing him with that vengeful strike had unexpectedly eased her mood slightly. Killing him now would be too easy for the brat. The thought that the Chaos Golden Lotus had been stolen by this fellow and then swallowed as easily as a piece of fruit made her feel as if her heart were being sliced open. She yearned to flay this scoundrel alive, inch by inch, and then use Nether Fire to burn his nascent soul.

Lei Dong laughed instead of growing angry, the corner of his mouth curving into a calm smile. "Miss Evil Phoenix is truly amusing. Did you plant that Chaos Golden Lotus? Or raise it? I have no intention of engaging in meaningless debate. If you wish to kill or torture me, do as you please. However, I am not a fish on your cutting board for you to do as you wish."

"Nonsense. With your half-baked Nether God's True Word Spell, you expect to escape with your life from Evil Phoenix?" Evil Phoenix sneered. "Do you think too highly of yourself?"

"I fear you are just a spent force yourself," Lei Dong retorted with a dry laugh. Despite being at a severe disadvantage, he took the initiative, flicking his fingers to release two wisps of finger force. The force, semi-transparent white, hissed as it pierced the air, exuding waves of coldness, wreathed in a constantly swirling mist.

After the Chaos, the world split into Yin and Yang. Among the Yin attribute, there were further divisions based on quality: Minor Yin, Second Yin, Third Yin, up to Ninth Yin, Extreme Yin, Grand Yin, and Profound Yin. Theoretically, Profound Yin was currently the highest known tier of the Yin attribute. The Profound Yin Heart Sutra that Lei Dong cultivated took its name from this concept.

In reality, although the Profound Yin Heart Sutra could be considered a top-tier orthodox Yin cultivation method, the term 'Profound Yin' merely represented an aspiration, containing an element of self-exaggeration. How could any Yin attribute power cultivated be instantly the highest tier of Profound Yin?

If one were forced to classify the quality of Lei Dong’s True Essence, it would probably only reach the level of Sixth Yin at most right now. However, the attribute of True Essence is one thing; the actual strength of that essence depends not just on its quality tier but also on its purity and density. It did not automatically mean that a cultivator practicing the Profound Yin Heart Sutra would achieve Sixth Yin quality upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Indeed, as cultivation increases, the Yin attribute level would naturally shift and improve. But without some extraordinary fortune, the quality of the Yin attribute would not change drastically. Lei Dong estimated that even if he cultivated the Profound Yin Heart Sutra to its peak, the Yin attribute rank would only reach Ninth Yin at most, perhaps not even Extreme Yin.

The Profound Yin Finger was the technique Lei Dong used to unleash the pure Yin attribute True Essence within his body as a direct attack. Its name was somewhat exaggerated; at best, it should be called the Sixth Yin Finger. But for the sake of sounding grand, it was still referred to as the Profound Yin Finger.