... Yet, in the presence of the highest authorities of the Purgatory Domain, the Demon King of Purgatory found himself too ashamed to go back on his word. He grumbled, “Indeed, this King agreed to it. But before that, you should first ask for Queen Chigui’s opinion.” “Her opinion is irrelevant, because…” Lei Dong’s words were startling, infuriating Queen Chigui to no end.

He, however, maintained a detached, leisurely air. “Farewell.” As the word ‘farewell’ left his lips, the hundreds of Suicide Ghosts floating around Lei Dong let out piercing, ear-splitting screams—eerie, terrifying wails. With a swish, they collectively accelerated, charging forth like a tide of locusts. When operating at full speed, the Suicide Ghosts were terrifyingly fast over short distances.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The continuous explosions rocked the air, already thick with sulfur and searing heat, sending rolling waves across it, punctuated by bursts of dense crimson smoke. Countless broken stones and debris flew everywhere.

Simultaneously, Lei Dong planted his feet on Zhen Mao’s shoulder, and Zhen Mao, instantly understanding his intent, darted rapidly toward another exit. Thirty feet tall, the figure still spanned several dozen feet horizontally, yet its flight through the air possessed an almost uncanny agility. The straight-line acceleration, the turns, even the abrupt halts, were executed with a distinct aesthetic grace. The bronze puppet body exuded an ancient, commanding presence.

Who was the Nether King? He was a transcendent being whose immense fame was etched into history, still revered by subsequent generations tens of millions of years later. And the puppets he personally designed and refined could hardly be ordinary objects. Their capabilities in all aspects were astonishing.

Although their overall combat prowess couldn't match the three Great Power Avatars from the Demonic Spirit Realm, they still slightly surpassed ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul experts. “Flame Demon King, as long as you catch that brat, this Queen absolutely won’t fight you for the Flame Essence,” Queen Chigui had initially intended to win over the Flame Demon King, but she never expected the boy to simply bolt without the slightest hesitation. Those violent explosions severely hampered her judgment and pursuit. It took a good dozen breaths before she finally shook off her daze and managed to discern Lei Dong’s escape vector.

“Hahaha, Demon King of Purgatory, the deal between you and I was already accepted. As for the Flame Essence, let’s each rely on our own abilities,” the Flame Demon King was ecstatic upon hearing Queen Chigui concede the Flame Essence. He transformed into a giant fireball and sped away, not forgetting to roar back at the Demon King of Purgatory. In essence, the Flame Essence attracted the Flame Demon King no less than it did the Demon King of Purgatory.

If he could devour the Flame Essence left by the Flame Monarch, he might just find the necessary spark to break through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. The Demon King of Purgatory, his form indistinct and shadowy, remained with his arms crossed, observing the scene and coldly sneering at the Flame Demon King’s attitude, dismissing him as an idiot. He understood perfectly well why Queen Chigui wasn't contesting the prize. No wonder this fellow was used and betrayed in the past; truly an imbecile who couldn't grasp the situation.

With a slight flicker, the Demon King of Purgatory vanished from the spot. The gap between peak mid-stage Nascent Soul and early-stage Nascent Soul experts was vast. At the very least, he could completely overwhelm two early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators simultaneously. Even facing three, he could fight them to a standstill.

This was precisely why the Demon King of Purgatory was heralded as the foremost powerhouse in the Purgatory Domain. It was for the very same reason that the Nether Ghost Emperor of the Nether Ghost Realm could single-handedly contend against three great experts. Meanwhile, Lei Dong was making a desperate escape. Whenever he encountered narrow passages, he blasted straight through them, heading with pinpoint accuracy toward the alternate exit.

It was as if he were intimately familiar with the route. The reason was simple: Gui Ming and the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger had been dispatched by Lei Dong to ferry Wu Ji and the others to the surface. Along that path, the routes had been scouted and mapped out in advance. Gui Ming and Lei Dong were intrinsically linked by blood sacrifice—the principle being a form of bloodline fusion technique.

Even separated by great distances, they could sense each other. Through simple secret arts, they could share information. Consequently, Lei Dong navigated this route as if it were an old friend’s home, the subsequent paths flashing clearly in his mind in advance. Of course, this was also thanks to Lei Dong being a Nascent Soul cultivator now.

His memory, reaction speed, and cognitive abilities had reached a level far beyond mortal comprehension. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to grasp such complex routes instantly. Now, not only was Zhen Mao carrying Lei Dong in flight, but Lei Dong himself was playing a massive role during the escape. At critical geographical points, he utilized the True Word Spell to fold the space from point A to point B, allowing him to zip through in an instant-teleportation effect.

Combined, their escape speed far outstripped the speed of Lei Dong or Zhen Mao individually. However, Queen Chigui and the Flame Demon King were by no means weaklings. Their massive spiritual consciousness locked onto Lei Dong from afar. No matter if he climbed mountains, traversed seas, or fled across the sky, escape from their tracking seemed impossible.

Following Lei Dong’s planned route, they kept pace relentlessly, showing every indication they would never give up. As for the power of spatial law, any expert at the Nascent Soul level had mastered some degree of it. Queen Chigui, for instance, had a grasp of spatial law no inferior to Lei Dong’s. The only thing she lacked was a powerful and bizarre command-law technique like the True Word Spell.

Nevertheless, even so, it was far from easy for Lei Dong to shake them off using these methods. Yet, Lei Dong naturally possessed his own unique arsenal; otherwise, he wouldn't have fled with such apparent confidence. The Daqian Continent was abundant in resources and engaged in extensive trade with other domains, yielding countless materials. Lei Dong was particularly fond of the disposable Heavenly Thunders—simple, convenient, and not overly expensive.

As for talismans, firstly, high-tier talismans were rare. Secondly, they required channeling a portion of one’s vital essence to activate, which was not entirely convenient. Lei Dong hadn't focused much effort on that area for the time being. Heaven and Earth possess spiritual energy, but also Malevolent Qi (Sha Qi).

Since ancient times, Malevolent Qi has been harnessed by various races and cultivators, either to refine magical artifacts or to forge explosive consumables of considerable power. Like all things in the universe, Sha Qi possessed Yin and Yang. The Yin aspect was called Yin Sha; the Yang aspect was called Yang Sha. Lei Dong’s wife, Ding Wanyan, possessed a Yin Sha Body, making her adept at absorbing Yin Sha energy.

It integrated quickly with her body, rather than being rejected, making it an excellent constitution for cultivating Yin Sha-based spells. Yin Sha Heavenly Thunder was another consumable Lei Dong greatly favored. Unlike the low-level Yin Sha Lightning played with by lesser cultivators, Yin Sha Heavenly Thunder packed a serious punch. A single bolt could instantly kill a Golden Core cultivator.

A Nascent Soul cultivator caught unprepared could still be wounded or killed by the blast. Against Nascent Soul powerhouses, one or two Yin Sha Heavenly Thunders were naturally ineffective. But if hundreds were unleashed simultaneously, even a Nascent Soul expert’s only option would be a desperate retreat. Otherwise, they would be maimed if not killed.

Furthermore, once Yin Sha and Yang Sha infiltrated the body, they corroded flesh, blood, and spirit, forcing the victim to expend massive amounts of vital essence just to suppress and expel them. In fact, the Yin Sha Heavenly Thunders had proven immensely helpful to Lei Dong along this path, even playing decisive roles. Thus, whenever Lei Dong scoured resources at auction houses or marketplaces on the Daqian Continent, he never passed up the Yin and Yang Heavenly Thunders, hoarding a total of over a thousand bolts, costing hundreds of millions of spirit stones. One by one, the Sha Thunders shot backward at extreme speed—not aimed at people, but at destroying structural supports within the tunnels or the supports beneath subterranean magma rivers.

For a time, the pathways that human explorers had spent considerable effort opening up were violently ruptured and pulverized by the barrage of Heavenly Thunders. The two pursuing Nascent Soul experts had a miserable time, constantly subjected to massive collapses of crimson rock or having rivers of magma violently cascade downward upon them. This left Queen Chigui and the Flame Demon King utterly disheveled. Although both were Nascent Soul grade and possessed fire affinities, they could not withstand the impact of thousands of tons of material pouring down upon them.

The distance between them steadily increased. Queen Chigui stamped her feet in frustration, shouting curses at Lei Dong from afar, privately vowing that once they reached open ground, the brat would regret it. She failed to realize that if not for the presence of the Demon King of Purgatory—whom Lei Dong deeply feared—Lei Dong wouldn't be planning an escape right now, but rather how to counterattack Queen Chigui and the Flame Demon King. That was not an impossible feat, especially considering Lei Dong’s most formidable weapons—the numerous Great Belly Cannon Ghosts—whose combined power was terrifying.

Executed correctly, they could launch a magnificent engagement. But currently, Lei Dong was unwilling to risk a major loss for a minor gain; if he provoked the Demon King of Purgatory into hostility, escaping the Purgatory Domain altogether would become exceedingly difficult. In just under an hour, Zhen Mao, carrying Lei Dong, burst out of a crimson canyon like a cannonball and shot into the open air amid a thunderous roar. At this point, he ceased fleeing and instead summoned his personal vessel, the Harem.

This vessel originally belonged to the Nether Ghost Emperor and was gifted to Little Nether Queen, who subsequently entrusted it to Lei Dong for self-defense. This was the Nether Ghost Emperor’s cherished masterpiece; not only was it comfortable and luxurious to ride in, but it was also incredibly fast and fiercely armed. Although it couldn't challenge a Nascent Soul powerhouse directly, it could provide extremely powerful fire support to its companions. Afterward, Lei Dong folded his arms, concurrently meditating to regulate his internal energy while waiting.

About half an incense stick’s time later, the first to emerge from underground were not Queen Chigui and the Flame Demon King, but the Demon King of Purgatory. His crimson wings were fully spread, clad in magnificent scarlet armor, radiating a majestic yet fiercely untamed aura. With a slight shift of his body, he arrived near Lei Dong, showing a trace of surprise, though mostly admiration. “Good boy, your means are indeed impressive; you managed to achieve such speed.

However, your reckless deployment of Yin and Yang Heavenly Thunders almost buried this King beneath the surface.”