It was only natural, after all; what Golden Core level cultivator would dare venture into the human world? That would be pure suicide. These alien races were extremely valuable commodities to humans, equivalent to demonic beasts of the same tier, and sometimes even the corpses of these powerful races fetched a slightly higher price. The struggle between species was always a back-and-forth affair of killing and being killed.

Having grasped this, Lei Dong politely took his leave from Wu Ji and headed towards his private room. At that moment, Wu Ji called out again, "Brother, we hit it off immediately. If you don't mind, would you accompany me to the auction three days from now? Even if you don't plan to buy anything, just seeing it firsthand would be beneficial, giving you a baseline understanding of which spoils from the Purgatory are truly worth more."

Three days? Having already lost so much time over the years, Lei Dong certainly didn't mind delaying a few more days here. Moreover, this Scorching City served as an outpost to the Purgatory Domain, offering a chance to better understand its unique characteristics. Previously, Lei Dong had only skimmed through geographical and astronomical data, various species, and other details about the Purgatory Domain in various magazines and ancient texts, never delving too deeply. Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting; taking this opportunity to learn more was a good thing, so he sent back an affirmative reply.

Subsequently, Lei Dong returned to his designated Xuan-character room. The décor was quite grand, featuring cleverly placed soundproofing and array formations designed to block scrying. It seemed the inn's management wasn't entirely focused on squeezing every last penny; the service was quite thoughtful.

Under the tutelage of the Phoenix Emperor, Evil Phoenix, Lei Dong had gradually begun dabbling in array formations and talismans. Following the common practice of Golden Core cultivators, he set up a standard, simple defensive formation, then began regulating his breath and spirit for some much-needed rest.

Simultaneously, Lei Dong’s prized subordinate, Ghost Thorn, materialized within a cloud of black mist. Shrouded in shadow, it began to drift outward, helping Lei Dong familiarize himself with the terrain. Ghost Thorn’s current strength was formidable—peak Ghost King level. With just one more step, it could achieve a miracle and become a Ghost Emperor. Of course, that final step was far from easy.

Even so, it was believed that nothing in Scorching City could currently threaten him. Especially when Ghost Thorn concealed its presence, it became even harder to detect, making it the perfect candidate for intelligence gathering.

In less than half a day, just as Lei Dong was slowly regaining his composure, Ghost Thorn transmitted the entire topography and layout of Scorching City into his mind via psychic wave fluctuations.

This gave Lei Dong the feeling of having personally traversed the city. It was precisely as Ghost Thorn was returning, vaulting over a wall and passing by a courtyard marked with the Tian-character, that it noticed something interesting.

The three Nascent Soul-level Purgatory beings Lei Dong had observed in the main hall were now gathered together, seemingly discussing something important. Upon receiving this intelligence, Lei Dong immediately commanded Ghost Thorn to sneak closer and listen in on what the three were discussing.

Conspiracies usually involved something significant, and Lei Dong, being idle, decided to indulge this curiosity.

Upon receiving the order, Ghost Thorn dissolved into a gentle wisp of smoke and drifted inside. Though the defensive arrays were not weak, and the three individuals were all roughly mid-stage Nascent Soul entities, they were utterly incapable of stopping Ghost Thorn’s advance. After finding an extremely concealed spot to hide, it began transmitting everything it heard and perceived back to Lei Dong in faint psychic waves in real-time.

This scenario felt remarkably similar to the live broadcasts Lei Dong had witnessed in his previous life. The only difference was that in his former world, such transmissions relied on technology, whereas now, it was a pure demonstration of self-mastery and powerful personal strength.

"The three Purgatory visitors were observed sitting in their respective corners within the courtyard, appearing to harbor mutual distrust. Each had erected a simple isolating barrier before commencing their discussion." The first to speak was the physically robust Purgatory demon, whose body seemed clad in scarlet scales and bore a pair of wings: "Though we belong to different factions, here on human soil, we share one common designation: Purgatory beings. Therefore, I, Kampaer, implore both Demon Generals to set aside past grievances and cooperate sincerely, lest we invite ridicule from the humans."

"A joke, Demon General Kampaer. Aren't your Hellfire Demons accustomed to dominating within Purgatory? Aren't you always proclaiming yourselves the best under heaven? Why the sudden subservience upon entering human territory? Hmph, sincere cooperation? We are discussing matters here, yet you insist on imposing some petty rule forbidding private vocal transmissions? Such vigilance and mutual suspicion—how can you speak of sincere cooperation?" the beautiful crimson serpent hissed, its crimson, scaled tail swaying scornfully.

"Forbidding private transmissions is only because of the inherent suspicion of you Crimson Fire Snakes!" the Fire Giant, who had shrunk considerably, retorted with an equally unfriendly tone. "If the three of us were discussing things here while freely communicating privately, you, Demon General Chiwei, would be the first to suspect betrayal."

"Demon General Tieling, since when did your proud Flame Giant clan become mere lackeys and running dogs for the Hellfire Demons?" Demon General Chiwei continued to unleash her sharp tongue. "If that's the case, I, Chiwei, would rather align with the humans than be sold out by the two of you colluding together."

"Enough!" Kampaer of the Hellfire Demons raised his voice in annoyance. "Chiwei, whatever grievances you have with my Hellfire Demon race, we can settle them when we return. But this is human territory; continuing this internal squabble will only make outsiders laugh at us!"

Hearing this, Lei Dong chuckled, but it wasn't a laugh prompted by human mockery. In this world, the greatest danger when forming a team wasn't having strong members versus weak ones, but when everyone’s power levels were too similar. Many individuals might appear respectful and docile when facing overwhelmingly powerful beings, but deep down, every one of them was fiercely arrogant. When dealing with those of lower cultivation, they tended to adopt a condescending attitude. If an opponent appeared to be of equal strength, they would often strive to dominate or adopt a fiercely rebellious demeanor. This was nearly an immutable, eternal truth.

Therefore, the biggest issue among these three was not ancient racial grudges or conflicts of interest. It was the lack of a clear disparity in strength. If that Hellfire Demon General were at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, Chiwei would undoubtedly adopt an attitude of respectful deference, naturally obeying orders. This had nothing to do with the racial relations between the three; it was virtually the same situation in the human world. Just like Lei Dong’s own team of companions—if Lei Dong suppressed his true power and merely projected the aura of a peak Golden Core cultivator, every one of them would behave as obediently as if he were their junior.

"It’s not exactly a grievance, but since you, Kampaer, advocate for sincere cooperation, fine, let me ask you first. The three of us have jointly obtained the Rebirth Essence of the Flame Monarch; how shall we divide it?" Demon General Chiwei sneered, staring intently at Demon General Kampaer.

"Chiwei’s point is well taken. The Flame Monarch’s essence is singular; how to allocate it must indeed be settled beforehand," the Fire Giant added. This one was clearly an anomaly within its clan, lacking the typical blunt honesty of the Giants. Its speech carried the calculated tone of a profit-driven merchant.

Lei Dong’s spirit immediately lifted upon hearing this—the Flame Monarch? Rebirth Essence? Information he had glimpsed long ago began surfacing in his mind. While Lei Dong was not deeply versed in the Purgatory Domain, he had certainly read up on the major races and historical events.

Among these, the Flame Monarch was a crucial point of focus that could not be ignored.

Legend held that at the dawn of Chaos and the rebirth of the cosmos, only one life form emerged: the current Mother of All Spirits. She was a marvel in the history of life, capable of commanding wind and rain and wielding immense divine power from birth. However, as the laws of the heavens and earth descended and the five elements separated from the Chaos, another wave of peculiar life forms was born from the essence of the Five Elements—beings such as the Progenitor of Flame and the Mother of Water. These beings were fundamentally different from all others, having been born directly from the purest foundational or mutated elements of heaven and earth. They possessed no bloodline naturally; even their descendants were formed through fission.

Although these elemental beings could not compare in overall strength to the lineage of the Mother of All Spirits, their divine abilities were vast. Each seemed to embody the most extreme foundational laws, and when a single law is pushed to its absolute limit, even the most basic one can unleash monumental power. It was rumored that even the Mother of All Spirits was reluctant to provoke these celestial spirits who seemed detached from worldly affairs.

However, laws and spells were mere instinct to these beings; in terms of intellect and creativity, they could not compare to the Mother of All Spirits, who was born from the primal essence of Chaos. These elemental beings simply resided quietly in environments suited to them, propagating their kind. This continued until they were swept up in the Desolate Ancient War.

The Desolate Ancient War was inescapable for every race and living creature, and the peace-loving elemental beings could not escape the ravages of conflict either. Ultimately, these elemental races, like most ancient races, nearly vanished from the surface of the world. Now, outside the Three Realms, within the Six Domains and Nine Continents, only inferior descendants of these beings remained.

The Flame Monarch within the Purgatory Domain was said to be a descendant many generations removed from the Progenitor of Flame. It was quite powerful, residing perpetually in the most intensely scorching core of the Purgatory Domain, as if it had carved out its own territory where it lived peacefully and contentedly. If undisturbed, it wouldn't bother others, but if provoked, the Flame Monarch was certainly not easy to handle.