It wasn't that Lei Dong and Xie Feng were foolish; it was simply that they had always heard that the people of the Three Realms considered themselves superior and conducted themselves with extreme arrogance. They would either not descend to the lower realms to act, or once they did, their actions often stirred up a storm of blood and chaos, inevitably dragging in bystanders and onlookers. This served two purposes: first, to obscure their tracks and actions; second, anyone using a clone to descend to the lower realm paid an immense price. The portion of divine soul and power used by the clone could never be reclaimed by the main body in the upper realm, which would, at best, suffer a severe depletion of vitality, or at worst, might plummet an entire cultivation realm.

Under such heavy losses, anyone descending to the lower realms to conduct business often harbored an indescribable surge of tyranny, acting recklessly to ensure their mission's completion.

Therefore, once these three powerhouses from the Demon Spirit Realm broke through the Underworld King's Palace, whether to silence witnesses or merely to vent their rage, they absolutely would not spare Lei Dong, Xie Feng, and the others. Faced with such a threat to their lives, joining forces became an entirely natural course of action.

In just a brief span of ten breaths, Xie Feng reached an agreement with the Artifact Spirit of the Underworld King's Palace to jointly defend against the enemy. The Underworld Artifact Spirit seemed exceptionally generous this time, personally directing a bronze-colored puppet to retrieve several bottles of elixirs from the treasury, granting two bottles each to Lei Dong and Xie Feng. Xie Feng uncorked a bottle, took a gentle sniff, and her delicate features immediately broke into an expression of satisfaction and delight as she softly exclaimed, "These are actually Innate Spiritual Elixirs."

"Innate" referred to Chaos-grade Innate Spiritual Elixirs, meaning that at least one primary ingredient used in their refinement was a Chaos Spiritual Material. Currently, resources in the Six Domains and Nine Continents were extremely scarce; unless one stumbled upon immense fortune, trying to specifically locate a Chaos Material was harder than climbing to heaven.

Compared to Innate Spiritual Treasures, Innate Spiritual Elixirs were even rarer. The logic was simple: Innate Spiritual Treasures could be passed down through generations, and even if damaged, there was always some hope or chance for repair. But treasures like Innate Spiritual Elixirs were consumed one by one, gone forever. Over time, Innate Spiritual Elixirs had practically vanished within the Six Domains and Nine Continents, rendering them sights rarely seen in the world.

The only thing that caused Xie Feng slight regret was that the two bottles of Innate Spiritual Elixirs she received contained only one pill each—meaning they only had two pills in total for each person.

The puppet spoke on behalf of the Artifact Spirit: "Our two sides have temporarily reached an agreement to jointly resist the enemy, forming an alliance. Within my authority, I can voluntarily share certain resources with allies who contribute to the defense of the Underworld King's Palace. This type of elixir is called the Innate Spirit Gathering Pill. For someone at the Divine Transformation (Huà Shén) level, consuming just one pill can completely restore their True Essence and also aid in breaking through bottlenecks. Even in the ancient era, this was an extremely precious elixir. The Underworld King's Palace does not have many in stock."

This was the truth. Although resources were abundant in ancient times, it wasn't to the extent people imagined, where Chaos Spiritual Herbs were found everywhere. In reality, in any era, Chaos-grade products could never achieve an overwhelming abundance; after all, they remained relatively rare, and only the truly powerful could secure larger shares.

"It even aids in breaking breakthroughs?" Even with Xie Feng's status and standing, she couldn't help but be astonished, musing that Innate Spiritual Elixirs truly lived up to their name, incomparably superior to ordinary elixirs. As a Divine Transformation level expert, the Empress of a race, Xie Feng sometimes felt deeply wronged. At her level of strength, common spiritual treasures and ordinary elixirs were no longer suitable for her use. Spiritual treasures were manageable; after all, her clan possessed profound heritage, and some intact relics had passed into her hands. But elixirs were a source of great frustration. Spiritual elixirs suitable for enhancing the cultivation of a Divine Transformation expert were nonexistent, and even if they did exist, various Divine Transformation experts would fight tooth and nail for them.

Thus, most Divine Transformation experts had no choice but to cultivate steadily, step by painstaking step, yet the environment suffered from a scarcity of Spiritual Qi, with almost no Chaos Spiritual Qi remaining. This meant that after reaching the Divine Transformation level, advancing further, even by a tiny fraction, became exceptionally difficult.

Even with Xie Feng's peerlessly rare aptitude, she was tormented to the brink of life and death by the Divine Transformation bottleneck. Seeing her willingness to risk everything for the Chaos Golden Lotus and Lei Dong revealed just how agonizing that bottleneck was. It was no wonder Xie Feng couldn't suppress the look of sheer joy upon receiving those two Innate Spiritual Elixirs.

Since a fierce battle was imminent, Xie Feng immediately swallowed one. The elixir dissolved upon entering her mouth, transforming into a nectar-like medicinal power that flowed straight through her veins to her internal organs and the tips of her meridians. With a slight circulation, the elixir's power transformed into incomparably pure True Essence, rapidly replenishing her depleted and languishing Dantian and meridians.

In just a moment, Xie Feng managed to stand up. Her previously pale complexion had regained a delicate, jade-like luster, and her eyes sparkled with vitality, her aura even stronger than at her absolute peak.

"Congratulations, Senior," Lei Dong said with a sincere clasp of his hands. "I congratulate Senior on eliminating the chronic ailment and loosening the bottleneck. Likely, you will soon be able to break through the constraints and see a great increase in your cultivation."

It was called a bottleneck precisely because it reached a state where it nearly suffocated the cultivator; no matter how hard they tried to cultivate, their progress remained nonexistent. Now, Xie Feng's cultivation had advanced slightly—even if only a hairline fracture—it was a sign that the bottleneck was loosening. Once a bottleneck showed a crack, like a crack in an eggshell, with gradual effort, it could eventually be broken through. Once broken, cultivation often entered a period of explosive advancement in a short time until the next bottleneck was encountered.

"I owe this benefit to you," Xie Feng remarked, in an excellent mood, finding Lei Dong increasingly pleasing to the eye. Although the days spent with Lei Dong had been fraught with peril, opportunities seemed to follow one after another. First, the Chaos Golden Lotus, then subduing the Black Serpent, followed by stumbling into the Underworld King's Palace where, just as disaster loomed, Lei Dong saved her life again and wheedled out Innate Spiritual Elixirs that even she had never seen, helping her break through her bottleneck. It truly was a case of fortune following misfortune.

Rather than being stuck at a bottleneck forever, unable to advance in cultivation and suffering endless mental torment, Xie Feng preferred this life full of ups and downs, punctuated by miracles.

"Senior is too kind. If not for Senior's inherently peerless aptitude and the many years spent grinding against this bottleneck, even if others encountered such a fortuitous encounter, breaking through would be impossible. I dare not claim the credit," Lei Dong politely deflected, then smoothly shifted the topic. "Since Senior's cultivation has recovered, we must now properly strategize."

As Lei Dong finished speaking, a bronze puppet returned, escorting the pitiful Black Serpent. Although the Black Serpent had sustained some minor injuries and lost some True Essence, he had certainly not reached the state of near total exhaustion that Xie Feng displayed in her final struggle; most of that miserable appearance was feigned. Seeing his unmanly display, Xie Feng pulled out her own healing medicine and tossed it to the Black Serpent, coldly admonishing, "Useless thing, go and heal yourself properly." Xie Feng certainly wasn't about to feed the remaining Innate Spiritual Elixir to the Black Serpent; she gave him a pill she carried, which, while offering some benefit to a Divine Transformation expert's recovery, was as different from an Innate Spirit Gathering Pill as heaven from earth.

The Black Serpent pitifully accepted the medicine. Just as he was about to retreat to a corner to heal alone, Lei Dong called out, "Wait a moment."

"Senior Xie Feng, I only need one Innate Spiritual Elixir for myself; please give this remaining one to Senior Black Serpent." Lei Dong, showing no stinginess, activated his divine sense and gently passed an Innate Spiritual Elixir to the Black Serpent.

"Lei Dong, how can this be?" Xie Feng asked with great surprise. "Innate Spiritual Elixirs are incredibly precious. At your cultivation level, consuming one guarantees breaking through a bottleneck if you hit one. Furthermore, this elixir is a supreme item for self-preservation in battle."

Lei Dong actually had long-held plans concerning the Black Serpent. While Innate Spiritual Elixirs were precious, compared to the tangible combat power of a Divine Transformation level expert, the latter was infinitely more practical. Giving away an elixir was an investment in goodwill; it would earn Xie Feng's gratitude and instill gratitude in the Black Serpent. How could Lei Dong refuse a transaction that earned him two favors with one gift?

Later, if he needed to borrow the Black Serpent from Xie Feng, given their current relationship plus this favor, how could Xie Feng refuse? Moreover, the crisis posed by the visitors from the Demon Spirit Realm was imminent; if the immediate threat wasn't dealt with, no one would benefit. Although the Black Serpent's combat strength was slightly diminished due to a lack of various spiritual treasures and techniques, he was, after all, a Divine Transformation level combatant whose assistance in the coming fight would be significant.

Lei Dong then spoke in a light, carefree tone: "Senior Xie Feng, you guarded and healed me without abandoning me for ten years while I was severely injured. Never mind a mere Innate Spiritual Elixir; even if you asked for my life, I wouldn't bat an eye. The visitors from the Demon Spirit Realm are likely extraordinarily powerful. Later, Senior fighting one alone will be extremely dangerous; having Senior Black Serpent assist nearby will increase safety manifold."

Although the constant addressing of her as "Senior" grated on Xie Feng's ears, Lei Dong's sincere and caring words warmed her heart, and she no longer stopped the Black Serpent from taking the elixir. A hint of watery tenderness bloomed in her eyes.

The Black Serpent hadn't known how precious the item was, but he gathered from the conversation that the elixir was extraordinary. He hurriedly took it and swallowed it, sitting cross-legged to begin his healing. Feeling the surging medicinal power and the surge in his strength, the simple-minded Black Serpent's gratitude towards Lei Dong welled up spontaneously. This pretty boy seemed infinitely better than his Master. Poor Black Serpent, a dignified Divine Transformation level Netherworld Black Serpent, had been subjected to such harsh abuse by Xie Feng that he had almost lost the dignity of a master expert.

Lei Dong coughed lightly: "Regarding the three visitors from the Demon Spirit Realm outside, I do have a slight plan. The cultivation technique I primarily practice is the Netherworld Grand Art, specializing in the Ghost Soldier techniques passed down by the Underworld King. After some minor modifications by me, the instantaneous burst power of my Ghost Soldiers is extremely strong; even a Divine Transformation expert caught off guard could be severely injured or even killed."