... But at the same time, the Chi Gui King was also enraged by Zhen Mao's words, a fierce light flickering incessantly in her eyes: "Merely a mere Soul Transformation stage puppet, yet you dare to be arrogant before this King? You are the one courting death." That whip-tail transformed into a whip ablaze with roaring flames, whipping out violently from Zhen Mao's grasp. It slashed down towards his head with the force of cleaving mountains and splitting the earth.

"Jie jie, let this old man show you my true strength." Zhen Ye, who had always existed as an artifact spirit, finally possessed a physical form and could no longer restrain himself. Seeing Chi Ni King's fierce assault, he was even more delighted.

He didn't bother with a weapon, instead meeting the whip's shadow with his iron fists.

Zhen Ye was originally an artifact spirit, unsuited for combat. But one must not forget that the Nascent Soul he had invaded belonged to a fragment of an Ancient War Giant. Within it resided the combat experience and cultivation insights of that fragment, including some of the strength and experience of its true body. The Ancient Giant race was renowned for being fiercely brave, dominating, and overwhelmingly mighty.

For a powerful being who managed to cultivate to the Integration stage, the wealth of large and small battle experiences accumulated throughout their life was as vast and boundless as the sea. Even if Zhen Mao absorbed only a tiny fraction, it would undoubtedly be infinitely beneficial, transforming him from a combat-ignorant artifact spirit into a powerhouse brimming with battle acumen.

A fiery snake of crimson essence on one side, a body of puppet on the other. When the two clashed, the momentum was truly magnificent and ferociously powerful; every move carried immense might. With his power, Lei Dong flashed away to a safe distance, lest he be caught in the fray between the two. Initially, Zhen Mao could not fully master the combat techniques, being completely suppressed under Chi Ni King's overwhelming assault.

But as the fight progressed, those combat skills inherited from the Ancient War Giant Dana slowly began to truly integrate with him. Consequently, Zhen Mao fought with growing vigor, gradually starting to reverse the disadvantage. What kind of existence was War Giant Dana? He was a being who could fight two opponents to an advantage even at the early Soul Transformation stage; his combat experience and techniques were exceptionally formidable.

Although Zhen Mao could not absorb those experiences one hundred percent, it was only natural that he grew stronger as they merged. Moreover, Zhen Mao was the spirit of the Fair Arena; since the arena's forging, countless powerful entities had battled within it. Even if Zhen Mao hadn't eaten the pork, he had certainly seen the pigs run. The combat experiences of those experts had unknowingly existed within his memory for a long time, gradually being excavated by him bit by bit through actual combat. The more he fought, the more exhilarating it became.

However, while this change was beneficial for Zhen Mao, it was entirely different in the eyes of the Crimson Flame Serpent. She was inwardly shocked by the fight, wondering what kind of entity this Soul Transformation puppet truly was. At the start of the duel, he only possessed brute strength, his sense of battle exceedingly clumsy. Yet, in an extremely short period, he progressed with a speed akin to total rebirth. Such terrifying progress was unheard of by Chi Ni King; she couldn't fathom it.

Yet, Chi Gui King understood one thing clearly: if the fight continued, and this Soul Transformation puppet grew even more formidable, she would likely be the one to suffer. A powerhouse reaching her level was certainly no ordinary person. With a sweeping Divine Sense, she located Lei Dong leisurely observing the battle from afar. Without further hesitation or delay, she decided to eliminate this enemy first. Afterward, whether to fight or flee would be entirely at the whim of her, Chi Gui King!

Immediately, Chi Gui King used a powerful strike to force Zhen Mao back, her form flickering as she shot toward Lei Dong at top speed with her crimson escape technique. Her Divine Sense transformed into countless sharp blades, fiercely hacking toward Lei Dong, aiming to seize him through mental power. For one to capture another with Divine Sense, there had to be a significant disparity in mental strength. Under normal circumstances, an early Soul Transformation stage powerhouse could indeed completely suppress a middle Nascent Soul stage cultivator mentally.

But Chi Gui King was mistaken; she had gravely misjudged Lei Dong's Divine Sense strength. Perhaps Lei Dong's Divine Sense was still slightly inferior to hers, but Lei Dong had long surpassed ordinary cultivators. Seeing Chi Gui King's arrogance, a strange smile touched the corner of his lips. He merely diverted a portion of his Divine Sense to merge with the Undying Dark Yin Shield around his body, while the other portion silently drilled toward Chi Ni King from beneath the ground.

Chi Gui King's reaction was extremely keen; seeing Lei Dong's smile seemed peculiar from a distance. But she couldn't imagine what use a middle Nascent Soul stage cultivator's peculiar smile could possibly hold. Furthermore, she couldn't believe that under her mighty Divine Sense assault, he would dare to divert a portion of his Divine Sense to counterattack when he should be using all his mental energy for defense.

Chit-chit-chit, Chi Gui King's Divine Sense attacks, like ten thousand sharp arrows, struck Lei Dong, yet they only managed to ripple the surface of the Undying Dark Yin Shield, much like raindrops hitting a lake—incapable of harming him in the least.

The power of Divine Sense holds infinite marvels; when refined properly, it can transform the mundane into the miraculous. However, Divine Sense, in essence, is formless and intangible, resembling a kind of ethereal power. You can utilize it to achieve many unbelievable feats, but using it to directly injure or capture an enemy is unwise. Firstly, the efficacy is poor, and secondly, it is easy to be countered. This only works if the difference between the two parties is truly immense, such as when Lei Dong occasionally used his Divine Sense to snatch a Golden Core cultivator over, because his mental strength was so powerful as to create a chasm between them.

But even with Lei Dong's current Divine Sense strength, he wouldn't carelessly use it to grab an early Nascent Soul cultivator; not only would the force be insufficient to hold them, but it could also endanger his own Nascent Soul.

In the moment Chi Gui King was stunned that this Nascent Soul boy’s defense was so robust, and as she tried to withdraw her Divine Sense attack, it was already too late. The boy had, without anyone noticing, thrown out a handful of crimson pellets. Boom-boom-boom, a continuous barrage of explosions sounded like firecrackers.

The violent air waves nearly ripped space apart as they churned.

Yang Sha Heavenly Thunder? Chi Gui King’s expression shifted slightly. Her Nascent Soul clearly felt an intense vibration. The powerful shockwave shattered the Divine Sense she had condensed into sharp arrows. Moreover, it traced back along the spiritual pathways she had projected outwards, disturbing her internal Nascent Soul and inflicting injury upon it. While Divine Sense appears formless, in reality, nothing in this world is truly without form. Divine Sense can be understood as intangible feelers extending outward from the soul in particle form. They can shift in countless ways according to the master's will, solidify into substance, or thin out to near nothingness. Furthermore, these feelers are extremely "sensitive!" Once touched, they transmit "sensation" rapidly back to the soul.

Theoretically, these seemingly intangible "feelers" are extensions of the soul and simultaneously part of it; thus, injury to them also injures the soul. However, this power is resistant to heat, cold, and complex terrain, only vulnerable to intense shock and vibration. If the Divine Sense is in a thin, dispersed state, it fares better; if it is condensed into a mass and suffers a strong shock, it is asking for trouble.

The soul is the most delicate object within the human body, the very foundation of a living being's existence. Once severely damaged, healing it can be arduous. Although Chi Ni King was an early Soul Transformation stage expert whose soul had evolved into a Nascent Soul, she was still only in the early stages; her Nascent Soul was merely embryonic, far from mature, and thus unable to withstand such violent agitation unscathed.

Instantly, the injury not only agitated and damaged her Nascent Soul but also affected her physical body, causing her face to turn deathly pale and blood to spew from her mouth. Clearly, the impact from the nearly space-shattering blast caused by that mass of Yang Sha Heavenly Thunder had inflicted no minor harm upon her. However, she couldn't blame anyone but herself for her overconfidence; she never expected Lei Dong to be so sharp concerning Divine Sense. If she were fighting an opponent of the same rank, she wouldn't dare take such a risk even if threatened with death. Condensing Divine Sense into a single mass for attack—was that something to be done so lightly?

But the result was not over yet. The portion of spiritual energy that Lei Dong sent from within the red rock had already arrived stealthily. Taking advantage of the violent agitation within her own Nascent Soul, it condensed into a needle and thrust directly toward her forehead.

Chi Ni King sensed the nearby assault immediately, her face turning shocked and horrified. It is common knowledge that Divine Sense, being formless, possesses incredibly exaggerated speed—if not a thousand miles in an instant, then certainly several miles. If the distance is great, a strong practitioner has time to defend. But the source of the attack was merely a few yards away, emanating from within the rock.

Chi Gui King had absolutely no time to mobilize the vast true essence within her body for defense. The only recourse was to hastily use her violently agitated soul to counterattack. Almost without thinking, instinctively, she drew out a portion of her soul power, condensing it into a shield, attempting to block that strike.

But an extremely bizarre scene unfolded. Lei Dong's needle-condensed Divine Sense pierced through her spiritual shield with a light pop, embedding itself fiercely into her Purple Mansion between her eyebrows, then flying out from the back of her skull to disappear into the rock.

"Ah~" Chi Ni King screamed wildly from the intense pain.

The blood that began to flow from her pierced forehead and the back of her skull was instantly sealed by her powerful bodily functions. But having her Purple Mansion pierced, her vital spiritual core stabbed—what an injury and what pain! Even a peerless powerhouse like Chi Ni King could not withstand such agony for a moment.

Injury piled upon injury. Because she was overconfident and tried to suppress Lei Dong with overwhelming Divine Sense, she was instead countered by Lei Dong and had her soul severely wounded.