Even with every advantage in timing, location, and personnel, it took Lei Dong and the others a full few days to finally grind down that Crimson Laced Divine Serpent and the Ancient Desolate War Giant, a reality that was quite unexpected. This experience was the first time Lei Dong and his allies truly witnessed the terrifying might of powerhouses descending from the Upper Realm; each one possessed several life-saving techniques, cultivated immensely powerful cultivation methods, and harbored incomparably rich combat experience.

Moreover, during any engagement, extreme caution was paramount, for these ancient monsters, having lived for untold years, invariably held one or two devastating killing moves that left opponents utterly defenseless. After the grueling battle, two of the four War Puppets from the Underworld Hall—the bronze-colored, initial-stage ones—were largely destroyed, and the two silver puppets, possessing cultivation at the mid-stage of Nascent Soul Transformation, had also sustained considerable damage.

Looking at Lei Dong’s group, they too were in a wretched state. It was only thanks to the innate spirit elixirs provided by the Underworld Hall that they managed to hold on; otherwise, facing the berserk rage of that savage and terrifying giant in the final moments, the victor could easily have been the other side.

Yet, the spoils of war were immensely gratifying. Apart from the Blood Child, who was utterly annihilated, leaving behind only a single Blood Spirit Pearl, both the Crimson Laced Divine Serpent and the War Giant yielded treasures of considerable worth. Although the clone of the Venomous Serpent had suffered heavy damage, the remaining snakeskin, flesh, and serpent gall were all valuable commodities, top-tier materials unobtainable even with limitless wealth, perfect for refining artifacts or elixirs. Similarly, the War Giant, even in death, was a body full of treasures, especially in the Six Realms and Nine Continents where pure-blooded Ancient Desolate Giants were almost impossible to find, making its material value astonishing.

Beyond these, the most precious gains were fragments of the primordial spirits successfully captured from the two final avatars. These were portions of a spirit left by a cultivator at the Integration stage; though only at the level of early-stage Nascent Soul Transformation, they were incredibly pure. Once the residual consciousness within was slowly refined, they would become peerless materials.

This world is inherently cruel. The victor invariably utilizes every last shred of the vanquished, wasting not even a sliver.

The only slight regret was that during this arduous, close-quarters battle, the three innate spirit treasures belonging to the Venomous Serpent and the Giant were completely destroyed beyond any possibility of salvage, not even the base materials remaining. If not for the methods Lei Dong employed, they might not have secured even the final spoils like the primordial spirits; both the Venomous Serpent and the Ancient Desolate Giant had intended to self-detonate in their final moments.

These spoils of war, the spirit artifact of the Underworld Hall generously ceded entirely to Lei Dong’s group. Lei Dong, not standing on ceremony with the wealthy spirit artifact, divided the spoils into three portions: one for Xuan She, one for Evil Phoenix, and one for himself. Xuan She, beaten to the brink of death, was overjoyed; he never imagined he would actually receive spoils. These were exceedingly rare materials that, if taken back to the Human World, could be exchanged for many valuable assets.

Unexpectedly, before he could even claim them, they were confiscated by Evil Phoenix. "Xuan She, I will personally equip you with some high-grade and top-grade spirit treasures later, and teach you various cultivation techniques. Consider your share of the spoils as partial compensation for those future treasures." This almost made Xuan She faint, and he once again felt the advantage of Lei Dong’s patronage. As a favored servant, serving Evil Phoenix truly seemed less appealing than defecting to Lei Dong.

Although Lei Dong was only a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, after this recent campaign, Xuan She absolutely dared not look down upon him in the slightest. This human cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage was terrifying—truly terrifying. Had it not been for him, the fate of the Underworld Hall today might have been entirely reversed.

Not only Xuan She thought this way; the demeanor of the entire Underworld Hall contingent towards Lei Dong had abruptly shifted. Previously, although Lei Dong had shown infinite potential, the members of the Underworld Hall maintained a somewhat condescending attitude. However, at this moment, not a single person dared to slight him. Their bearing became exceedingly respectful.

Lei Dong did not fault them for their sudden change from arrogance to deference; strength was the ultimate principle and the foundation of respect. Now that he had demonstrated formidable combat prowess, receiving due respect was only right. And without strength, even enduring sidelong glances required no bitterness or indignation—this was the expected realization for anyone who embarked on the path of cultivation.

"Lei Dong, you excel in ghost-controlling arts. Let us exchange spoils: you give me that flesh and hide, and I will give you the primordial spirit of this War Giant avatar." After confiscating Xuan She's share, Evil Phoenix tossed the Spirit Sealing Sphere containing the Giant’s primordial spirit over to Lei Dong, her tone entirely devoid of its usual queenly imperiousness.

Lei Dong slowly shook his head. "Thank you for the senior's kindness, but that would cause you too great a loss. Furthermore, this junior already possesses the primordial spirit of the Venomous Serpent; how could I be so insatiably greedy?"

"Just take it," Evil Phoenix replied, her delicate brows rising as her tone hardened. "If not for you this time, how could we have killed the three from the Spirit Realm? You deserve a greater share of the spoils. Besides, the foundation of my Nether Phoenix Clan is inherently richer than yours; we shouldn't take advantage of you."

Lei Dong indeed had a great need for primordial spirits. He had previously obtained one from Xuan Yuanzi but had been reluctant to experiment with it. Having two more spirit materials would significantly ease his situation. Thus, he ceased his polite refusal, handed the various materials over to Evil Phoenix, and accepted the Spirit Sealing Sphere. With this, Lei Dong now possessed three primordial spirits from Nascent Soul Transformation stage powerhouses—a near miracle for a Nascent Soul cultivator. After a brief pause, Lei Dong, overcoming his hesitation, asked with a veneer of boldness, "May I inquire if the senior’s clan has any stock of Celestial Spirit Stones? If so, this junior is willing to purchase some at a high price."

This was because Lei Dong remembered his dimensional micro-world, which was incredibly useful but had one crucial flaw: it required vast quantities of Celestial Spirit Stones to sustain. Perhaps in ancient times, the reserves of Celestial Spirit Stones were plentiful, but this commodity was becoming increasingly rare and difficult to find. Theoretically, one Celestial Spirit Stone could be exchanged for one hundred top-grade spirit stones.

In reality, however, no one was willing to trade one Celestial Spirit Stone for one hundred top-grade ones.

"Celestial Spirit Stones?" Evil Phoenix frowned. "The clan still has some in stock, but the total is less than one hundred, all reserved for clan members with exceptionally high aptitude attempting to break through bottlenecks. If the amount you require is small, I can make the decision to gift you ten."

Evil Phoenix's generosity was truly exceptional; she offered ten of such exceedingly precious Celestial Spirit Stones freely. Based on the standard market rate, this equated to at least fifteen billion low-grade spirit stones—an unimaginably vast fortune.

"Hoo~" Lei Dong sighed softly and shook his head helplessly. "Senior, perhaps we should discuss this matter later." While he knew Celestial Spirit Stones were scarce, he hadn't realized they were so rare that even the deeply established ancient race of the Nether Phoenix Clan possessed fewer than a hundred in their reserves.

"Just how much do you need?" Evil Phoenix’s eyes widened in surprise. "If the quantity is too large, we can exchange other items for them. Without exaggeration, within the Six Realms and Nine Continents, we can certainly find some Nascent Soul Transformation experts willing to trade."

"Trade?" Lei Dong looked momentarily tempted but hesitated. "I presume the items required by those Nascent Soul Transformation experts would also be far from ordinary?"

"That is correct. Once cultivation reaches the Nascent Soul Transformation stage, the utility of top-grade spirit stones diminishes greatly. Every expert at that level treasures their Celestial Spirit Stones. Unless moved by a spirit treasure or material, an exchange is unlikely," Evil Phoenix nodded. "Besides that, one can collect them at major auction houses. Occasionally, some Celestial Spirit Stones are released, which can be purchased with spirit stones. However, the quantity is very limited, and the price is exorbitant—at least one hundred and fifty top-grade spirit stones for a single Celestial Spirit Stone, and you might not acquire even one in a year."

This valuation was roughly consistent with the intelligence Lei Dong had gathered. The price of Celestial Spirit Stones was simply too steep. And Lei Dong needed one hundred and eight of them—a cost he could not bear. He calculated his assets, setting aside treasures he could never sell, estimating he could muster three to four thousand top-grade spirit stones, but he was still far from his goal.

"In that case, I request the senior utilize the Nether Phoenix Clan's channels to help accumulate some Celestial Spirit Stones. This junior is willing to offer a ten percent commission. Please do not refuse, Senior; even as the head of a clan, you cannot act entirely without restraint. Otherwise, this junior would rather not trouble you," Lei Dong stated with extreme sincerity. Utilizing the Nether Phoenix channels was an excellent choice for Lei Dong. Although the Nether Phoenix Clan was currently less powerful than the Ghost Clan, they were an established ancient power with countless years of operation, their connections spanning the Six Realms and Nine Continents. The Ghost Clan, being more ostracized, lacked the broad network of the Nether Phoenix Clan.

Lei Dong’s own Yin Sha Sect, despite its recent rise, only held influence in smaller regions like Kangzhou. Forget other great continents; even in Zhouzhou, separated by the Great Desolate Desert, they wouldn't be granted much deference. The Nether Phoenix Clan was different; although their numbers were under ten thousand, they comprised elites, capable of easily fielding a thousand Nascent Soul level combatants, and they were well-received everywhere.

His words warmed Evil Phoenix’s heart. Indeed, as Lei Dong stated, there were difficulties for a leader, and if he appeared to favor outsiders, it would cause his own clan members to resist. Unable to dismiss Lei Dong's goodwill, she nodded in agreement. "Do not worry. Upon our return, I will instruct my subordinates to handle the arrangements."

Lei Dong was not concerned that Evil Phoenix might collect too many for him to pay for. After all, in possession of the heaven-defying spirit treasure, the Chaos Soul Devouring Pagoda, he couldn't refine Celestial-grade spirit ghosts, but top-grade spirit ghosts could be mass-produced. Based on market price and demand, one top-grade spirit ghost could fetch three to four Celestial Spirit Stones. However, unless absolutely necessary, Lei Dong was reluctant to flood the market with top-grade spirit ghosts. Firstly, a large outflow would diminish their rarity and price; secondly, if bought by enemies, it could cause trouble. Most importantly, mass-producing top-grade spirit ghosts was inherently dangerous. If noticed by interested parties, the repercussions and ensuing trouble would be endless.