Lei Dong had traveled extensively, north and south, visiting countless places, yet this style of architecture was entirely new to him. It certainly broadened his horizons; many of the structures, seemingly bizarre and unrestrained in their form, harbored intricate mechanisms and profound craftsmanship that, upon careful study, elicited nothing but admiration.

Noticing Lei Dong's appreciation for the city's architecture, Wu Ji elaborated, "Brother Ding, if you haven't visited the Purgatory Domain, the style of Scorch City would naturally be quite unfamiliar. In reality, this design imitates the architectural style of the Pyre Fiend Clan dwelling within the Purgatory Domain. Although the Pyre Fiends aren't renowned artists, they are nonetheless an ancient and formidable race, possessing a certain depth of historical and cultural accumulation."

"So that's how it is," Lei Dong realized with a sudden clarity. No wonder these buildings exuded such an exotic flavor, often deviating from the aesthetic preferences of most humans, yet undeniably imbued with a sense of deep-rooted culture. He mused that the Pyre Fiend race was indeed extraordinarily powerful. Within the Purgatory Domain, despite the multitude of species, only a few stood supreme, and the Pyre Fiend Clan was undeniably among the leaders—not necessarily reigning alone, but certainly capable of resisting a united front of the other major clans. Their strength was somewhat comparable to that of the Nether Ghost Clan in the Nether Ghost Realm.

Lei Dong had previously learned through various channels that the Purgatory Domain housed roughly seven well-known, powerful Nascent Soul stage existences. Two of these originated from the Pyre Fiend Clan, and their most powerful member was the Pyre Fiend King himself. This Demon King was immensely strong, a rare middle-stage Nascent Soul expert; even the Nether Ghost Emperor, when mentioning him, displayed a distinctly solemn and wary expression.

It was important to remember that the Nether Ghost Emperor was the most powerful being Lei Dong had ever encountered to date. Even the avatars descending from the three supreme masters of the Demon Spirit Realm, while formidable, would stand no chance against the Nether Ghost Emperor in a one-on-one fight.

Furthermore, the Nether Ghost Emperor had consistently provided monumental assistance to Lei Dong's personal growth, not just in terms of sheer power, but also in bearing, demeanor, and approach to handling affairs—all qualities Lei Dong deeply respected. Lei Dong had always maintained that only a figure possessing the bearing of the Nether Ghost Emperor could truly be called an Emperor.

Setting that aside for the moment, Wu Ji, now thoroughly familiar with the surroundings, began leading Lei Dong and their party to find lodging—specifically, an inn. Not just any inn, but a sprawling establishment reportedly backed by a powerful elder from the Northwestern Alliance. Its rates were astronomically high, but in return, it guaranteed absolute safety within its walls.

A Sky-ranked private courtyard cost one hundred thousand spirit stones per night. Lei Dong would have to be utterly foolish to stay there; maintaining his disguise while inhabiting such a conspicuous place would be akin to shouting, "I'm a walking fortune, come and rob me!" Unless, of course, Lei Dong intended to lure trouble, which was a different matter entirely.

Lei Dong opted to follow the sensible majority, securing a private room in the Earth-ranked section of the Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow hierarchy. Even at one thousand spirit stones a night, it was outrageously expensive. The others accompanying them also frowned at the cost when paying, but they certainly couldn't stoop to sharing a Yellow-ranked room with the Foundation Establishment cultivators for a mere hundred spirit stones each.

Truthfully, upon arriving in Scorch City, Lei Dong felt as though he had stepped into a foreign land. Not only did the architecture echo the style of the Purgatory Domain, but actual Purgatory race members were walking about on the streets.

Within the inn itself, Lei Dong spotted several Purgatory beings. There were the Pyre Fiends, relatively strong, stocky, entirely crimson-skinned, and bearing twin wings on their backs. There was also a member of the Flame Giant race, their bodies wreathed in faint fire, muscles like hardened stone—though this one had managed to shrink itself considerably to fit inside the inn.

In addition to these, there was another major Purgatory race: the Crimson Fire Serpent. The Crimson Fire Serpent was an exceptionally peculiar species; the males served merely as instruments for the females' reproduction. The entire clan's governance, control, and advancement were primarily driven by the females. From their name, it was clear that this lineage was a variant descendant of the Crimson Divine Serpent, one of the Ancient Desolate Sacred Beasts.

Lei Dong currently possessed the nascent soul of a pure-blooded Crimson Divine Serpent avatar—the soul of that demoness named Mei She. In the Six Domains and Nine Continents, a pure-blooded Crimson Divine Serpent was a rarity now. However, across the long evolutionary epoch of the Ancient Desolate Era, the Crimson Divine Serpent had left behind many variant descendants. The vast majority had been eliminated by history. Only this Crimson Fire Serpent lineage had survived within the Purgatory Domain, thriving and living quite comfortably. The reason was simple: the Crimson Fire Serpents favored extremely hot, magma-laden environments.

Of course, while the Crimson Divine Serpent was hailed as a Sacred Beast, it did possess a noticeable gap in power compared to the four ultimate Sacred Beasts. Essentially, a pure-blooded Crimson Divine Serpent was on par with a Flying Dragon—strictly speaking, they were considered Sub-Sacred Beasts. It was just that the Crimson Divine Serpent lineage always boasted of being true Sacred Beasts, a matter of self-aggrandizement.

This was Lei Dong's first time seeing a living Crimson Fire Serpent and a Pyre Fiend. The Flame Giant was still novel; back when Lei Dong was only in the Foundation Establishment stage, he’d had a fleeting glimpse of a Flame Giant during the Inner Demon Hall incident and had nearly been effortlessly dispatched by it—a memory that still sent a shiver down his spine. Seeing this shrunken Flame Giant now brought a host of emotions, reminding him of Qi Feifei, with whom he had shared that life-or-death moment.

Driven by curiosity, Lei Dong couldn't help but stare a little longer. The Pyre Fiend looked much like the illustrations in the compendiums, only possessing a far more imposing presence. Its features bore a slight resemblance to higher-grade demons but were distinctly different. It was clad in close-fitting armor resembling crimson scales, giving it a ferocious and savage appearance. Sensing Lei Dong's gaze, it immediately swiveled its scarlet eyes, fixing Lei Dong with a cold stare that sent a wave of oppressive aura washing over him. To avoid complications, Lei Dong quickly lowered his head.

The Crimson Fire Serpent was also exceptionally strange in appearance. Its upper half resembled a human female, save for a cascade of fiery red hair. Its features were symmetrical and alluringly beautiful; its skin was pale and delicate, its waist slender, adorned subtly only at crucial points, giving it a sexy and scorching look. But upon viewing the lower body, one would reel back in shock: it terminated in a massive, coiled crimson serpent tail, the gentle sway of its tip sending a chill down the spine.

As Lei Dong looked, the Crimson Fire Serpent darted a suggestive glance his way, laced with an almost palpable hint of seduction. Lei Dong then recalled the description from the Six Domains and Nine Continents Racial Compendium: the Crimson Fire Serpents inherited not only the excellent, powerful bloodline of the Divine Serpent but also its intensely carnal nature. They not only tolerated sexual congress with other races but actively enjoyed it. However, the Compendium detailed the fate awaiting those who succumbed to their allure. At minimum, the consequence was a severe depletion of vital energy; with a bit of bad luck, one might be completely drained of essence and perish.

As for such beings, Lei Dong had always been one to politely decline; he slowly turned his head away. Simultaneously, Wu Ji’s anxious warning sounded in his mind via voice transmission: "Brother, you must be extremely wary of the Crimson Fire Serpent race. Never mind that most of their exterior resembles humans; they devour their partners without spitting out the bones. Many cultivators have fallen due to the hypnotic charm of the Crimson Fire Serpents' arts, and few have ended well."

Wu Ji was certainly attentive. Lei Dong transmitted back, "Rest assured, Brother Wu, I am aware and will not fall for the schemes of such aberrant demonic beasts. By the way, Brother Wu, Scorch City is supposedly human territory; why are these Purgatory races allowed to roam here?"

"There are many reasons, but most come here to earn money by acquiring human goods. In Scorch City, the presence of Purgatory races is tolerated. However, if these Purgatory races dared to venture into the heartland of the Great Qian Continent, they would purely be seeking death; humans are far more xenophobic than the Purgatory races." Wu Ji's tone carried a hint of pride. "Our human race, since ancient times, was never considered a major power. But since the Ancient Era, we began to emerge gradually. In terms of overall strength, humans rank among the very powerful races in the Six Domains and Nine Continents. The combined number of Nascent Soul experts across the Nine Continents totals fourteen. Many other races view us humans with considerable apprehension."

Well, now it seems there are only thirteen, Lei Dong thought with a wry smile. At his current standing, he was privy to the structure of the human world. The Nine Continents were mostly human-dominated, supplemented by other races. Among these Nine Continents, the Great Desolation Continent where Lei Dong resided seemed the weakest, possessing not a single Nascent Soul expert. The other eight continents combined originally had fourteen Nascent Soul entities, which included puppets, domesticated demonic beasts, and that unfortunate Xuan Yuanzi.

However, Xuan Yuanzi had now been annihilated by Lei Dong following a chain of events. While this arguably weakened the overall strength of humanity, in reality, it was this arrogant Supreme Sect Master who provoked unnecessary strife. If Li Yao dared to covet and insult Lei Dong's wife, Ding Wanyan, even if given ten thousand more chances, and even if the consequence was the utter annihilation of the entire human race, Lei Dong would not hesitate for an instant before eradicating him.

And as for that Xuan Yuanzi, if he had dared to cause trouble, Lei Dong would have shown absolutely no mercy. Lei Dong might prefer not to stir up conflict, but once a matter reached his doorstep, he would never retreat.

With this thought, Lei Dong glanced coolly at the Crimson Fire Serpent, his eyes devoid of any fear. If this Crimson Fire Serpent dared to attempt anything untoward, Lei Dong wouldn't mind extinguishing her and using her Demon Infant to accompany the nascent soul of her ancestor. Yes, Demon Infant. Lei Dong had seen with crystal clarity in that first moment: all three Purgatory visitors were only at the Nascent Soul cultivation level.