For beings of that caliber, Lei Dong didn't even bother to spare them a glance, continuing his flight with a look of cold indifference. It was the Murong sisters who couldn't stand idly by; they began to needle Li Xianxian, trading barbs back and forth. Although Li Xianxian was sharp-tongued, the Murong sisters were no pushovers either, and with a two-against-one advantage, she was quickly refuted until she was left utterly exposed. It was fortunate that Li Xianxian was thick-skinned, likely accustomed to relying on the strong since her lower cultivation days; despite her intense hatred for the Murong sisters, she managed to restrain herself, not foolish enough to instigate Wu Ji against them. This was probably because she clearly understood that in the eyes of Captain Wu Ji, the Murong sisters held far greater value than she did.

Almost simultaneously, within those seemingly innocuous crimson cloud-bands, three figures radiating the aura of powerful experts were traversing on a bizarrely shaped flying vessel, trailing Lei Dong’s group from a distance. Among them, Huo Ling, the Fire Giant whose body was wreathed in a thin layer of flame, bared his fangs: “This group has already entered the Purgatory Domain. Which one of us three should strike now to annihilate these weaklings?”

“Heh heh, Huo Ling, don’t be in such a rush,” the Scarlet Refining Fire Serpent, Chi Wei, stretched languidly, smiling coquettishly. “The aura I left on the Flame Monarch’s essence spirit won't dissipate for quite some time. Since we are all bored, why not amuse ourselves a little longer? Especially that little fellow stepping on flying daggers, who seems to possess robust vital essence—a rare tonic. Wouldn't it be a waste to kill him so easily?”

“Hmph, Chi Wei, indulge your perversions on your own; I don't have the leisure to play games with you,” Huo Ling sounded extremely impatient, turning instead to the Purgatory Demon General, Kanpa’er. “You’re not also completely idle, are you?”

“Huo Ling, exercise some patience,” Purgatory Demon General Kanpa’er gazed distantly at the Golden Core human cultivators, then let out a dry laugh. “Those two sister cultivators look quite promising. Judging by their appearance, they should still be maidens—it would truly be a waste to kill them. Why not wait until they reach the Heart of the Molten Lake before we make a move? Acting here on the main thoroughfare, with people coming and going, how unsightly would that be? Oh right, Huo Ling, do you want the woman who looks so deeply alluring? Haha~”

Huo Ling felt a surge of frustration. These three Demon Generals from different factions, being roughly equal in power and cultivation, had long known each other. Huo Ling was well aware of their perverse reputation, yet he hadn't expected them to start this kind of banter at such a critical juncture. However, Huo Ling had absolutely no interest in such matters; his sole focus was battle—the blood-pumping combat with true experts was the best way to dispel the pressure within his heart.

“Alright, alright, Huo Ling, stop wearing that long face. At worst, we’ll compensate you,” Chi Wei chuckled ceaselessly. “We’ve all been quite suppressed lately due to our mission; a little relaxation won’t hurt. Moreover, the Flame Essence Spirit has now returned to the Purgatory Domain, making any major variables unlikely to arise. Besides, Kanpa’er is right; doing business in a busy area where people pass by is not ideal and only invites complications. Once we reach a remote location like the Heart of the Molten Lake, carrying out our business will be much easier.”

“Fine, do as you please,” Huo Ling’s crimson, deeply muscled face showed a hint of resignation. “But I must make myself clear: the moment the Flame Essence Spirit is secured, my mission is complete. At that time, the ten million Fire Spirit Jades promised to me by you Purgatory Demon Clan cannot be reneged upon.”

“Don’t worry. Although our three clans frequently fight tooth and nail, when have you ever seen our King go back on his word?” Purgatory Demon General Kanpa’er’s expression turned reverent and adoring the moment the King was mentioned.

Hearing this, they realized it was indeed true. The Purgatory Demon King was one of the supreme powers; while his style of action could sometimes be domineering and overbearing, it was never rumored that he failed to keep his word. Keeping the Flame Essence Spirit in the hands of those Golden Core cultivators was actually safer.

However, these three formidable Purgatory Demon Generals never imagined that just as they believed everything was settled and felt completely relaxed, a faint wisp of dark mist drifted not far above their heads. As the scorching heavenly winds swept the mist, a sinister and vicious face vaguely materialized within it—truly the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole lurking behind.

And this entire conversation was transmitted flawlessly into Lei Dong’s consciousness. He let out a faint, cold laugh, musing inwardly that if they wanted to play games, he would indulge them. Honestly, Lei Dong had been afraid that they might make their move in such a vast, open area; not only would they risk being seen, but the greatest concern was that one of these three might possess some terrifying secret technique to escape. They belonged to the Purgatory Domain and were familiar with the environment and terrain, whereas Lei Dong had only just arrived and was still in the process of exploring and adapting.

It must be known that while Lei Dong didn't take these Purgatory Demon Generals seriously, behind each of them stood an extremely powerful and terrifying Nascent Soul stage expert. The Purgatory Demon General Kanpa’er even had two backing him. If one managed to escape, it would lead to considerable trouble. Lei Dong wanted to arrive quietly and leave silently, without alerting a single Nascent Soul expert.

With neither party intending to cause trouble on the road, Lei Dong’s party traveled intermittently, taking half a month to reach a place called the Heart of the Molten Lake. It was fortunate that Wu Ji had visited the Purgatory Domain at least seven or eight times and was familiar with many locations, including the Heart of the Molten Lake, thus avoiding unnecessary detours.

The so-called Molten Lake was a vast expanse formed entirely of magma. In the Purgatory Domain, magma was the most abundant resource, with various lava pools and rivers everywhere. Yet, this particular Molten Lake was exceptionally enormous, stretching for thousands of miles continuously, with lava churning like ocean waves—a truly spectacular sight.

Upon first approaching the Molten Lake, everyone felt a wave of scorching heat wash over their entire bodies. Compared to Scorching City, or their initial entry into Purgatory, this place felt like an ice cellar. Even the Murong sisters, whose cultivation reached the mid-stage Golden Core, were sweating profusely from the heat.

Golden Core cultivators naturally possessed physiques different from mortals. If a mortal were brought here, they would likely be cooked alive by the heat waves in less than a moment. Such an environment would be unbearable even for Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. It was only because everyone present was a Golden Core expert—who, in Lei Dong's previous life, would be considered invincible superheroes—that they could barely withstand the intense heat through their exceptionally superior physiques and the circulation of their true essence.

Of course, this was also because they had been in the Purgatory Domain for some time and had somewhat adapted to this fiery environment. If they had been teleported directly here, the majority of Golden Core cultivators would probably not have been able to endure it. With Lei Dong’s Nascent Soul stage physique, he naturally surpassed these individuals by a large margin; even without circulating his true essence, these fiery air currents couldn't force a single bead of sweat from him.

“Alright, we’re here. Everyone should have adapted by now,” seeing that everyone was suffering from the heat, Wu Ji said, “Go ahead and use the cooling magical treasures you prepared.”

The group, who had been barely holding on, immediately activated their ice-element artifacts to help them resist the heat waves. Only Lei Dong remained, drenched in sweat, making no move.

Li Xianxian had also prepared an Ice Soul Pendant in advance for the trip to the Purgatory Domain. Once its formation was activated, she immediately felt a refreshing coolness, and her slightly distressed expression from sweating profusely smoothed into one of relaxed contentment. Seeing Lei Dong standing there looking vacant, she couldn't help but mock him: “A rogue cultivator is just a rogue cultivator. Coming to the Purgatory Domain and not even preparing an ice-element artifact—what a pauper.”

“Li Xianxian, enough!” Wu Ji, who now had a very good relationship with Lei Dong, became slightly annoyed. “Dong has no flaws, and it is not your place to lecture him.” If Lei Dong hadn't stopped him from speaking out, and hadn't hidden the purchased maidservant right away, he would surely have cleared his brother’s name and let everyone know he was certainly no pauper. He then turned to Lei Dong, puzzled: “Brother? You really didn't prepare an ice-element artifact? If you truly didn’t, then take mine to use first. My cultivation is higher anyway, so I can tolerate the heat much better.” A top-grade ice-element pendant was not cheap, often costing millions of spirit stones, with some supreme grades demanding tens of millions. Usually, no one had that much surplus wealth to prepare two. If someone truly had that much spare cash, they wouldn't need to risk their luck in the Purgatory Domain due to a lack of spirit stones.

“Heh heh, I left in too much of a hurry and forgot about that,” Lei Dong shrugged nonchalantly. “It doesn't matter. This place is only slightly hot; I can manage without an ice-element artifact.” His words were quite honest; at his level of cultivation, he certainly wasn't afraid of these heat waves. In fact, as long as he maintained his true essence shield externally, bathing beneath this magma wouldn't pose much of a problem.

Just as Wu Ji was about to hand one of his ice-element jade pieces to Lei Dong, Murong Fu, one of the Murong sisters, acted first. She threw out a streak of snow-white material, and only after Lei Dong caught it did she calmly say, “Brother Ding is a rogue cultivator and it’s his first time in the Purgatory Domain, so it’s understandable he didn't prepare an ice-element artifact. Fortunately, we sisters prepared two; we can manage by sharing one. Please do not refuse, Brother Ding.”

When Lei Dong took it, he saw it was a piece of snow-white, lustrous jade ornamentation. Its formation was already active, constantly emanating a cool, comfortable aura. Seeing the Murong sisters act with such righteousness and valor, Lei Dong couldn't help but feel speculative. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and given his current rough ‘appearance’ and ordinary display of strength, it was unlikely the Murong sisters felt romantic affection for him. It was more probable that they had some scheme involving him.