Just as a flicker of fear and the thought of retreat began to surface in the trio's minds, the Purgatory Fiend, Campal, made his move.

With a powerful beat of the pair of crimson wings on his back, his massive, sinewy form lunged toward Chen Yun at astonishing speed. He thrust out a claw, his arm swelling manifold, as he cackled menacingly and reached to seize Chen Yun. Though momentarily intimidated by the cultivator named Ding Dong, he was confident in his ability to escape; after all, before setting out, the Purgatory Demon King had bestowed upon him a spatial treasure capable of boosting his speed severalfold for a short duration.

His plan was simple: capture Chen Yun, and then immediately flee. Once he rejoined the main legion of his kin, he would fear nothing.

But in this world, plans often painted a beautiful picture while reality proved crushingly harsh. Just as he was about to seize the petrified, defenseless Chen Yun, a nearly inaudible sound of a weapon piercing the air erupted behind him.

The Purgatory Demons were, by all accounts, a superior and formidable species, naturally adapted to harsh environments and gifted in combat. In that instant, Campal felt a sharp, piercing alarm resonate in his core, and the heavy yet acutely sensitive crimson scales covering his body abruptly stood erect. He inwardly cursed his misfortune, realizing it was too late to activate the spatial treasure for escape.

What kind of entity was Ghost-Thorn? A peak-level Ghost King, specializing in stealth, concealment, and assassination. Even a Divine Transformation stage expert, if caught off guard, could fall victim to his backstab. What hope did a mere mid-Nascent Soul stage Purgatory Demon General have? Even in a direct confrontation, Ghost-Thorn could grievously wound, or even slay, this general within twenty exchanges.

The dagger, materialized from Ghost-Thorn's ethereal form, plunged deep into Campal's back. A torrential surge of energy exploded within the demon's body along the blade. With a deafening boom, the wretched General Campal's internal organs were pulverized. Just as his Nascent Soul was about to depart, Ghost-Thorn snatched it with a swift grab and crush.

Having followed Lei Dong for so long, Ghost-Thorn had long grown accustomed to ensuring not even the soul escaped after a kill. This sequence of actions was executed with effortless, practiced ease.

"Bang~" The Purgatory Demon General's several-zhang-tall body crashed heavily to the ground, landing near Chen Yun. The pale-faced swordsman, Chen Yun, was now completely blank; in a fight of this magnitude, he hadn't even had time to react. Before his eyes, such a powerful and terrifying Purgatory Demon General had been instantly executed by a single blow.

Ghost-Thorn licked the gore from his dagger, offering Chen Yun a grim, sinister smile. The dagger flashed, cleanly severing Chen Yun's head, granting him no chance to utter a single word.

This scene sent the surrounding Core Formation cultivators scrambling backward in terror, crowding into a corner, deploying every shield and defensive artifact they possessed—though to little avail.

Similarly, this sight struck Tie Ling and Chi Wei with such shock that their Nascent Souls nearly flew out of their bodies. Campal, ambushed and killed in one strike? Their prior confidence shattered into pieces in that moment, dissipating like smoke. All that remained in their minds was the singular impulse to flee. Surprisingly, the Fire Giant was the first to react.

After enduring several explosions from the self-detonating ghosts, his body curled in on itself, instantly transforming into a crimson stone sphere perhaps two to three zhang in diameter, blazing with intense flames, rocketing into the distance like a meteorite. The cavern walls offered no resistance to his escape; his speed was astonishingly fast.

Such a method of evasion? Lei Dong paused briefly, but then sneered, "Trying to leave? Too late." He personally intervened, his form dissolving into a wisp of ghostly mist, seeming to traverse through space itself. In a few swift movements, he closed the distance on Qiu Ling. "Snap," "Snap," "Snap." He flicked his fingers three times.

The vibrating finger force manifested as three entwined flood dragons moving forward, instantly tearing through Qiu Ling's heavy defenses and blasting the "meteorite" into fragments. A fatal blow, another instant kill. Lei Dong’s Nether Finger contained a sliver of the Law of Destruction—the most destructive principle in the cosmos, utterly invincible. No matter in the world could survive the crushing grip of the Law of Destruction intact.

Although Lei Dong could only harness a mere trace of this law, it was already immensely powerful, capable of wounding even Divine Transformation experts. The Fire Giant, however, was only a mid-Nascent Soul existence; even with robust defenses, resisting the full force of Lei Dong's Destructive Nether Finger was impossible.

Naturally, deploying the Law of Destruction demanded an astronomical expenditure of true essence. Even with Lei Dong’s mid-Nascent Soul strength, after three successive blasts, his internal true essence was depleted by eighty or ninety percent, causing his spirit to momentarily weaken. But in Chi Wei’s eyes, the effect was nothing short of terrifying shock. Was this man named Ding a Divine Transformation expert?

Intense fear spread through her, but after several attempts to retreat, her path was blocked by the ferocious Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, its low growls and roars making her soul tremble violently. Furthermore, from an unknown location nearby, a mere early-stage Ghost King appeared, joining forces with the Shadow Tiger to attack her.

Although Chi Wei's strength was not insignificant—she ranked among the top tier of mid-Nascent Soul experts—if she had been able to calm herself and fight the equally mid-stage Soul-Devouring Shadow Tiger, her chances of victory would have been high. But at this critical juncture, under such chaotic circumstances, how could she possibly wish to fight? Moreover, the early-stage Ghost King’s combat power was unexpectedly formidable; despite only being low-stage, the spells it cast possessed immense might, even surpassing ordinary mid-Nascent Soul experts. It was yet another formidable foe. Fighting two enemies was inherently a disadvantage, compounded by her panic, and with the composed, soul-slaying Ghost King who had executed Campal watching menacingly from the side.

Cornered in this impossible situation, Chi Wei immediately turned toward Lei Dong in the distance, her voice soft and pitifully pleading, "Brother Ding, this little sister was wrong. It was I who failed to recognize true greatness. That 'Supreme Fire Spirit Jade'—take it. Just spare this little sister’s life, and I vow to repay you handsomely one day." Her words were laced with delicate helplessness, as if she were a lost, vulnerable young girl who had suffered countless injustices, a complete contrast to the arrogant, commanding queen she had presented moments before.

But Lei Dong was hardly a soft-hearted man. Even if she hadn't been so brutally aggressive earlier, there was no possibility he would spare her life this time.

Seeing Lei Dong remain coldly silent, Chi Wei fought and retreated simultaneously, attempting intimidation: "You, surnamed Ding, I am the direct daughter of King Chi Ni of the Scarlet Refining Fire Snake Clan. If you dare kill me, my mother will surely avenge me."

"Heh heh," Lei Dong remained completely unmoved, shaking his head with a cold laugh. "Ghost-Thorn, what are you waiting for? Get on with it." He mused internally that even if she were King Chi Ni’s own mother, not just her daughter, she wouldn't leave here alive today.

Ghost-Thorn had originally considered using this opportunity to train Gui Ming’s practical combat skills, but when his master commanded, obedience was paramount. His form flickered, seeming to vanish from the world. His specialty was tracking, stealth, and assassination; he would never engage in open combat unless absolutely necessary.

"Ah~" Even for a powerhouse like Chi Wei, facing the ultimate terror of life and death, maintaining composure was impossible. A serpentine cry involuntarily escaped her lips, and her eyes flashed with a chilling, maniacal light: "You, surnamed Ding, if you want this old hag's life, I swear, even in death, I will not let you off easily." As she spoke, she spat a crimson fire pill from her mouth.

Lei Dong recognized the pill's extraordinary nature at a glance. The thin layer of flame dancing upon it seemed to contain a powerful potential energy. Being a veteran of countless battles, Lei Dong immediately swallowed a handful of spirit pills to replenish his true essence and clutched a top-grade spirit stone in his hand. His Ghost Shadow Evasion, enhanced by the Law of Space, transformed him into near nothingness, drifting away.

"Surnamed Ding, die for me!"

Chi Wei seemed to hate Lei Dong intensely. Relying on her outstanding protective spirit treasure, she endured the combined attack from the Shadow Tiger and Gui Ming, managing to propel the fire pill toward Lei Dong.

The fire pill seemed imbued with a trace of sentience; it locked onto Lei Dong from afar, refusing to let go, trailing a long tail of flame as it sped toward him with lethal intent. Lei Dong unleashed two successive Profound Yin Fingers, but the highly spiritual fire pill managed to evade both.

Lei Dong was unaware that this fire pill was no ordinary object. It was the Six Seal Blazing Sun Pearl, refined by King Chi Ni using various essence fires from the Purgatory Domain, centered around the essence of the Six Yin Yang Fire, and incorporating numerous precious materials, with a trace of her own soul merged within. This Six Seal Blazing Sun Pearl possessed terrifying power; any Nascent Soul cultivator caught at the epicenter of its explosion would almost certainly perish. Even a powerful Divine Transformation expert, if directly struck, would suffer significant injury. In a contest between two equally matched Divine Transformation experts, the presence of such a pearl would greatly enhance the winning probability.

The sole drawback of this item was the difficulty in acquiring its materials, even in this region overflowing with intense Yang Fire. Gathering everything needed to refine one was no easy feat. Furthermore, there were likely no more than ten such pearls in the entire Purgatory Domain. That one rested with Chi Wei indicated her extremely high standing within her clan, likely close to being King Chi Ni's direct daughter.

"Hiss~" Chi Wei let out a serpentine, miserable scream. Her head, which was rather charmingly seductive, flew high under the strike of Ghost-Thorn's dagger, blood spraying violently.

However, the Six Seal Blazing Sun Pearl did not fall upon its master's death but clung stubbornly to Lei Dong like a parasitic shadow. Any ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator facing such imminent danger would surely perish. But Lei Dong was, after all, an extraordinary being, having survived countless crises to reach this point.

His state of mind remained steady and calm. He sent a remote fluctuation of his divine sense, signaling Ghost-Thorn and the others not to approach for aid. Simultaneously, he activated the Demon Emperor Transformation Heart Method, instantly advancing to its second stage: Sovereign Descent. His entire demeanor underwent an unimaginable transformation.