Sev... "Lei Dong, help me save Xuan She. I'll tie up that wicked woman." Xie Feng spoke, darting toward Mei She with lightning speed. As the feathers of her Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens spun and flew, a breath of pure, bone-chilling Nether Ice erupted from the phoenix's beak, freezing everything in its wake. Even the formidable Crimson Refining Divine Serpent sensed the extraordinary nature of this innate Nether Ice. It dared not meet the attack head-on, instead calmly drifting backward, covering its mouth with a delicate, tinkling laugh: "So, a Spirit Transformation Nether Phoenix. Truly black and ugly. No wonder you aren't acknowledged by the Phoenix Clan, abandoned to the Nether Ghost Moths."

The contest between true masters often hinges on the narrowest of margins; a battle of tongues can frequently yield unexpected results. Clearly, the Crimson Refining Divine Serpent was a venomous shrew, targeting vulnerabilities to provoke Xie Feng’s rage, hoping to trick her into making a fatal misstep...

The Nether Phoenix Clan truly detested such remarks the most. An angry surge immediately ignited within Xie Feng’s heart. Just as she prepared to pursue, a figure flickered into existence beside her, sending a spiritual message wave: "Senior Xie Feng, let this junior intercept this enchantress. You go save Xuan She."

A warmth spread through Xie Feng’s heart, immediately dispelling her agitation. She sent back a message: "Lei Dong, be cautious. This wicked woman is extremely difficult to deal with." Only then did she turn to rush to Xuan She’s aid.

Lei Dong, however, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, floating in mid-air. His expression betrayed neither joy nor sorrow as he gazed upon the alluring, dangerous woman. He nodded lightly, with the air of a carefree cloud: "Senior need not worry. This junior has always been extremely cautious about his own life."

Lei Dong’s sudden appearance, however, drew considerable attention from Mei She. A pair of seductive eyes, like peach blossoms, kept darting toward him, accompanied by ceaseless, delicate laughter: "Little boy, I noticed you earlier. Not simple, not simple at all. To command those incredibly strange self-detonating weapons, utterly ruining the years of effort invested by Blood Child. A mere middle-stage Nascent Soul human, yet one who cannot be underestimated. I suspect even a cautious Spirit Transformation cultivator might perish by your hand."

"Senior Divine Serpent flatters me," Lei Dong cupped his hands from afar. "This junior merely stumbled upon some disposable exotic treasures by sheer coincidence. In terms of true cultivation, it is truly not worth mentioning."

"Heh heh, you possess considerable audacity," Mei She giggled incessantly, her pair of eyes rippling like autumn water. "Understand this, in the Spirit Realm, beings of your cultivation level don't even qualify to clean my toenails. By what virtue or ability do you presume to intercept this big black bird's paramour?"

Lei Dong, for a moment, almost wished she would ramble on longer. He did not show anger, merely shook his head calmly. "Senior's true essence skills are indeed profound, but alas, this is not the Demon Spirit Realm, and your true self is not present. This junior has a small proposal: seeing as all seniors have already lost the initial advantage, why don't we cease this conflict, sit down peacefully, and enjoy some tea and conversation?"

"Insolent child," Mei She’s smiling face vanished abruptly, replaced by an expression like cold frost. With a whoosh, she retracted the Soul-Snatching Whip that had been ensnaring Xuan She, and with a sharp crack, layers upon layers of whip shadows toward Lei Dong. The whip technique was swift as lightning, offering seemingly no room for evasion. For an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, dodging it would likely prove extremely difficult.

But Lei Dong was no ordinary figure, nor was this his first encounter with Spirit Transformation level power; he held the lives of several such experts in his hand. With vast experience, his mind remained as still as water. He immediately executed the Ghost Shadow Evasion Technique, retreating backward in an elusive manner. He weaved through the dense whip shadows like a lone skiff navigating monstrous waves, or perhaps like wisps of ink-wash smoke, ethereal, drifting, and formless.

The Ghost Shadow Evasion technique had been honed by Lei Dong through repeated life-and-death trials, reaching its zenith and even achieving innovation. Having integrated a trace of spatial law intent, it was now several times stronger than before, placing it far beyond the reach of same-level cultivators.

"Well done, boy. Such distinction for a mere Nascent Soul stage!" Mei She had intended the strike as casual, assuming dealing with a Nascent Soul cultivator would be effortless, a matter of seizing the moment. Capturing his Nascent Soul would allow for leisurely torture. Yet, she had not anticipated the boy’s movement technique being so bizarre and unique. Nether-system movement arts were inherently known for being formless, elusive, and hard to decipher, but he had managed to weave a thread of spatial law power into it! Her strike landed empty, causing her to be both astonished and impressed. She contained her initial underestimation, chuckling brightly: "In time, you will become extraordinary. Therefore, you cannot be allowed to live. Hand over your Nascent Soul obediently; this grandmother is feeling a bit hungry."

With a snap, another whip sound echoed. The myriad layers of whip shadows suddenly retracted, twisting into a single, dense form. Amidst swirling black mist, it transformed into an exceptionally agile Crimson Serpent, its tongue like fire and its fangs gleaming sharply. It sprang forward, the serpent's mouth lunging toward Lei Dong with lightning speed to bite.

What was even more terrifying was that Mei She had secretly manipulated something; the space around Lei Dong seemed to solidify, making his Ghost Shadow Evasion Technique move as if trapped in a muddy mire, completely unable to drift freely. At that moment, Lei Dong remained exceptionally composed. Facing the crimson serpent that had grown several feet long, Lei Dong brought his two fingers together, concentrating all his true essence into a single point.

The finger strike shone a dazzling white, intensely luminous in the gloomy void, piercing directly into the serpent's head like a sharp sword. The crimson serpent immediately shrieked as if alive; the illusionary form shattered under the force of that one strike, reverting instantly to a black whip covered in barbs. Mei She’s face changed drastically in shock, and she hastily withdrew the whip, her pale face filled with pain: "Good boy! You dare injure my spirit treasure!" Mei She also wore an expression of disbelief. The reason she hadn't dodged that last attack was her absolute certainty that, given Lei Dong's cultivation and power, he could not possibly break her spirit treasure. But she never imagined that Lei Dong's seemingly casual point could strike the Soul-Snatching Whip back to its original form, leaving it appearing spiritually damaged.

This situation was unheard of, unseen by Mei She. Even though she was currently only at the early stage of Spirit Transformation, she couldn't believe that a mere middle-stage Nascent Soul human cultivator could achieve this. No, this was not just something a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't accomplish; even Spirit Transformation experts might struggle. Innate spirit treasures required at least one primary material derived from Chaos essence, and her Soul-Snatching Whip was famous even within the Demon Spirit Realm.

"Annihilation Law? Immortal-Slaying Finger?"

Before Mei She could recover her composure, Blood Child—who hated Lei Dong to the bone and had been preparing a silent ambush—cried out in horror. His eyes, usually cold and profound, stared fixedly at the expressionless Lei Dong with his hands clasped behind his back, wide with terror: "Devil... It is the Demon Emperor."

The utterance of "Demon Emperor" caused Mei She’s anger to momentarily subside, replaced by a flicker of awe: "Blood Child, are you daft? How—how could this brat possibly be the Demon Emperor? The Demon Emperor was smashed into dust tens of thousands of years ago."

After being chastised by the wicked serpent, Blood Child gradually regained some composure, but the terror in his eyes had not entirely faded: "But the finger energy this brat used seems to contain a trace of the Annihilation Law. Since antiquity, only three individuals have grasped the Annihilation Law. The other two perished in the Desolate Age and the Ancient Age, respectively. The most recent one was the Demon Emperor Yan Chixing! Could it be... could it be..." As Blood Child spoke, he subconsciously began to retreat, attempting to withdraw through the hole in the protective shield.

However, the Artifact Spirit of the Pluto Hall had sealed that shield aperture the moment they entered, effectively trapping them like turtles in a jar. Originally, based on their intelligence, Blood Child and the other two believed only a few Spirit Transformation puppets remained in the Pluto Hall. They had never considered that after fighting their way in, they would need to prevent their escape route from being sealed.

Unexpectedly, that Nascent Soul brat and the Nether Phoenix proved exceedingly troublesome. The remaining Blood Puppets had all been cleanly slaughtered by the two bronze and two silver puppets. Even so, Blood Child and the other two still maintained some confidence in securing the treasure for their Master. The reason was simple: the three of them were merely split-off clones; only a small portion of their primal spirit could ever return to the Spirit Realm.

When one discards the need to preserve life, the chance of completing the mission remains significant. But now, Blood Child was overwhelmed by fear. Lei Dong’s Immortal-Slaying Finger had dredged up a memory long suppressed and avoided—a memory from tens of thousands of years ago. Back then, he was merely a minor Blood Spirit under the command of the Blood River Ancestor in the Spirit Realm. He had personally witnessed the Demon Emperor carving a path into the Spirit Realm; countless powerful entities were as fragile as mud chickens and pottery dogs before him. Even his idol, the Blood River Ancestor—one of the giants of the Spirit Realm, second only to the Mother of All Spirits—seemed like a lamb awaiting slaughter in the Demon Emperor's presence.

The Demon Emperor of that era used a single Immortal-Slaying Finger, infused with the Annihilation Law, to completely erase the Blood River Ancestor from existence, leaving not even a trace of divine soul behind. Who was the Blood River Ancestor? His Blood River Divine Art was unparalleled; he could manifest tens of thousands of Spirit Transformation avatars, formless and without shape. While he couldn't match the supreme status of the Mother of All Spirits, who was immortal alongside heaven and earth, his lifespan was nearly boundless.

Even the Mother of All Spirits had publicly praised the Blood River Ancestor, calling him the most promising demon spirit in the Spirit Realm to potentially reach the Supreme level. Even if one of the two Supremes, the Immortal or the Demon, attacked him, defeating him might be possible, but utterly killing him would likely be impossible. With his Blood River Divine Art, he could transform into countless avatars, each capable of becoming the main body, rendering him virtually immortal.

Yet, such an entity was utterly annihilated by a single Immortal-Slaying Finger, including all his avatars. This left an indelible, terrifying memory deep within the heart of the young Blood Spirit, Blood Child. Even after tens of thousands of years, evolving from a mere blood spirit to a great entity at the Integration Mid-stage, the horrifying scene and memory remained, utterly impossible to erase.