A vicious claw, radiating an inky black glow, had somehow seized the injured Wu Ji, then with a swift pull and yank, deposited him lightly beside Lei Dong. Wu Ji knew well that without surrender, death was his fate this day; yet, he held no grudge against the former comrades swayed by Chi Wei. They, after all, were merely pathetic souls desperately struggling for their lives under the might of the powerful.

Wu Ji also believed Chi Wei was perfectly right: everyone must pay the price for their choices. They had chosen the path of endurance, while he, Wu Ji, chose the path of confrontation. As for that path of confrontation, he understood it clearly—it was merely about seeking a swift end. He could manage to flatter the serpent demoness Yi, but bowing and scraping to call someone master was absolutely unacceptable to Wu Ji.

But just as he intended to desperately strike at Chi Wei, willing to accept any injury in return, the unexpected occurred. Eyes wide open, staring in disbelief at Ding Dong, the one he called brother, that claw had come from him. The speed seemed unremarkable, yet it left him with no room to dodge or evade.

The Murong sisters, too, stared fixedly at Lei Dong, their pair of almond eyes wide. The former teammates who had been attacking Wu Ji froze on the spot, suddenly losing their target.

Time seemed to halt in that instant; no one knew what had transpired.

However, the three Purgatory powerhouses appeared to grasp something. Their pupils contracted sharply, and they instinctively moved closer to each other, gravely assuming a fighting stance as their divine senses surged towards Lei Dong.

Lei Dong snorted coldly but remained outwardly calm, also fully deploying his divine sense to engage the three. A clash of divine senses is the most perilous affair; a slight misstep can shatter the Nascent Soul within the Zifu, damaging the very foundation. Yet, Lei Dong, facing three alone, showed no fear, responding calmly and effortlessly countering their attacks. This was unsurprising; although Lei Dong’s cultivation was only at the mid-stage Nascent Soul, roughly on par with the three Purgatory Demon Generals, his most outstanding feature was undoubtedly his divine sense. Since the initial stage of Qi Refining, Lei Dong had paid great attention to cultivating his divine sense, later benefiting from numerous fortuitous encounters that continuously tempered its strength.

Theoretically, perhaps there existed cultivators, demonic beasts, or foreign races at the same level as Lei Dong whose divine sense strength surpassed his, but even such beings, if they truly existed, would be exceedingly rare—so few as to be nearly untraceable.

His divine sense strength still lagged somewhat behind that of the early Transformation God stage. However, it already surpassed that of an ordinary peak Nascent Soul expert. While these three Purgatory Demon Generals were strong, they were significantly behind Lei Dong in terms of divine sense. Despite the three-to-one advantage, they found themselves unable to gain the upper hand and, more terrifyingly, were gradually being suppressed by him alone. Fear instantly welled up within them. What level of being was this opponent? High-stage Nascent Soul? Unlikely, for even a high-stage Nascent Soul expert’s divine sense would struggle to contend with three opponents, let alone gain the advantage.

Could it be—could this person have reached the peak of Nascent Soul? The moment this thought surfaced, the three Purgatory Demon Generals could no longer remain composed. If the opponent was a powerhouse at the peak Nascent Soul stage, he alone would be more than sufficient to deal with the three of them. Of course, the three dared not speculate any higher, as the mere thought of the word 'Transformation God' instinctively made them recoil. Because once those two words were invoked, none of the three would stand a sliver of a chance of survival.

The three Demon Generals, belonging to different factions, exchanged glances. Though their races differed, causing variations in their pupils, they all saw seriousness in the other’s eyes. Simultaneously, they halted their divine sense offensive and gravely saluted Lei Dong: "May we ask which powerhouse among the humans graces the Purgatory Domain? I am Kanpal, Huo Ling, and Chi Wei pay our respects to the senior."

Senior?

All the comrades present stared at Lei Dong in stupefied silence. It was known that any one of these three Demon Generals from the Purgatory Domain could easily eliminate an entire small team without facing any resistance. Yet now, the three combined were showing such profound respect, repeatedly addressing their former teammate, Ding Dong, as 'Senior.' Heavens, what was happening to the world?

Especially Li Xianxian, who had just erupted in an attempt to kill, her mind must have been a blank, on the verge of fainting. Foolish, truly foolish. How could this be? Why was she so blind as to have a living Buddha right in front of her, not only failing to recognize him but also offending him to the point of death? If she had known, she should have used every trick in the book to seduce him—even engaging in the most shameful acts, striking the most shameless poses, she would have done so without hesitation. A senior of this caliber, even a mere crumb falling from his fingertips would be enough to sustain her for a lifetime. Li Xianxian’s eyes were filled with vacant awe.

The others displayed expressions of disbelief and extreme shock. The Murong sisters covered their mouths, their matching exquisite eyes filled with astonishment. The sudden reversal had impacted and stimulated them too profoundly; for a moment, they couldn't process it.

However, the most dramatic reaction came from Chen Yun, who was so terrified he collapsed onto the ground. His mind was filled with regret, fear, and a deep sense of resentment towards Lei Dong. If he was so strong, why did he wait so long to act, only moving after Chen Yun had lost all face and dignity?

Regardless of what the others were thinking, Lei Dong remained composed, hands clasped behind his back, letting out a soft chuckle. "Sirs Demon Generals, there is no need for such formality. I am Ding Dong, a mere itinerant cultivator. In terms of cultivation, I am only on par with you three; I hardly deserve the title of Senior."

The words 'on par with you three' sounded like celestial music to the ears of the three Demon Generals, as if a huge, heavy stone had been lifted from their hearts. But even though this mysterious fellow named Ding Dong had shown modesty, the three dared not slacken in the slightest. They were no fools; the fact that the other dared to casually state his cultivation level while subtly issuing a threat showed he disdained manipulation, and the opponent likely possessed special means to deal with all three of them. Having risen to their station, being dispatched by the three Transformation God Kings for critical entrance missions, it was indirectly clear that these three Demon Generals were all seasoned veterans possessing both courage and cunning.

"So, it is Brother Ding." Demon General Kanpal’s ugly face broke into a genuinely warm smile, and he cupped his hands in a human gesture of respect: "I am Kanpal, a Demon General under the command of Lord Purgatory King." His demeanor was humble and courteous, a complete contrast to the arrogant, domineering fiend who minutes before had vowed to toy with the Murong sisters.

This was the benefit that strength brought. If Lei Dong were truly a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, these people sparing him even a glance would have been a tremendous favor. But at this moment, even the arrogant Kanpal dared not act presumptuously before Lei Dong.

"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Ding truly possesses remarkable skill. Your method of concealing your aura is nothing short of divine. Little sister Chi Wei followed you for so long and detected not a single trace; I am truly impressed. However, Big Brother Ding, you are too mischievous, hiding among the Golden Core ranks pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, scaring my poor little heart into pounding wildly even now. Wait until I see Sister King Chi Gui, I will certainly lodge a small complaint with her." After her initial shock and anger, the Demon General Chi Wei quickly returned to her usual self, adopting an air of delicate innocence while even attempting to act coquettish. Her address to Lei Dong swiftly changed from 'kid' to 'Fellow Daoist Ding,' and before finishing her sentence, she escalated to 'Big Brother Ding,' rapidly trying to forge closeness. She subtly revealed her identity at the end, issuing a veiled threat to Lei Dong.

"I am Huo Ling, Demon General of the Fire Giant clan. Brother Ding’s combat power is formidable, and I greatly admire it. Earlier, I was arrogant, believing Brother Ding possessed only mid-stage Golden Core strength and merely had martial cultivation talent. I even thought of saving Brother Ding from Chi Wei’s clutches to personally guide and groom him as a brother. What a pity, what a pity; it was Huo Ling who was rash and mistaken." The Fire Giant Huo Ling was likely the most rational and wise among his clan. His words, spoken with apparent simple honesty, seemed to carry a hint of cunning. It appeared that although the Fire Giants and Earth Giants were both descendants of the War Giants, the Fire Giants, having grown up in the diverse Purgatory Domain, had undergone significant shifts in temperament.

However, in Lei Dong's view, the Fire Giants' transformation was both inevitable and necessary. Otherwise, no matter how strong the Fire Giant clan was, they could never be counted among the powerful races of the Purgatory Domain. They would very likely end up being used as tools, just like their ancestors, the War Giants, being discarded carelessly after their use.

All three Demon Generals were elites of their respective races. Even though Lei Dong claimed their cultivation was comparable, none dared to truly underestimate him. Merely witnessing his divine sense strength, comparable to a peak Nascent Soul expert, was enough to inspire shock and respect.

Lei Dong's Golden Core teammates finally snapped out of their shock. One by one, they respectfully bowed to Lei Dong, their senior. Under normal circumstances, they would only show polite deference. But in this extremely perilous place, this human senior was truly a lifeline.

"Junior Wu Ji of the Cloud Mountain Sect pays respects to the senior. If I have caused any offense, I ask the senior to forgive my shortcomings." While speaking respectfully, Wu Ji was nearly bursting with inner joy. What incredible luck! He had managed to establish a connection with an expert in the Nascent Soul stage. He believed this senior must have been quite satisfied with his performance thus far, otherwise, he wouldn't have intervened to save him at such a critical moment.

"Everyone, there is no need for ceremony. I, Ding, came to the Purgatory Domain merely for a small matter and did not intend to alarm anyone," Lei Dong replied, maintaining his air of detached calm, neither pleased nor saddened.

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