The Purgatory Demon King roared in fury, his immense aura crushing down upon Lei Dong, intending to kill instantly, but he managed to restrain himself at the final moment. This brat surnamed Lei was no ordinary character; not only was his strength formidable, but his ability to escape was also supreme. Even the Purgatory Demon King himself was not confident of killing him immediately. Once the fight began, things would instantly spiral out of control. Whether the kid escaped or, realizing he was outmatched, detonated the Flame Essence Soul—both outcomes were unacceptable to the Purgatory Demon King.

"Senior, please calm your anger. If you say my demands are steep, perhaps they are slightly so," Lei Dong stood with his hands clasped behind his back, appearing perfectly composed. "However, compared to what Senior has gained, what I ask for is merely scraps."

"Hmph, a mere Flame Essence Soul, it's not as precious as you imagine," the Purgatory Demon King snorted repeatedly, the favorable impression he had developed of Lei Dong dissolving completely. He tried hard to downplay the value of the Flame Essence Soul.

"To others, this Flame Essence Soul is certainly precious, but it truly isn't worth what I suggested," Lei Dong smiled lightly, leisurely and unhurried. "But for Senior, that might not be the case. If you successfully refine a Flame Monarch Clone, not only will the entire structure of the Purgatory Domain be rewritten, but the situations across all domains and prefectures will subtly shift due to Senior's immense power."

"What?" The Purgatory Demon King was deeply shocked. He had always assumed that the secret art he stumbled upon in the ruins of a destroyed High-Tier Demon race battlefield was known only to him in this world. He never imagined this obscure young man had not only taken his treasure but also knew of its existence. Instantly, his already displeased expression turned exceedingly grim. "Lei brat, just how much do you know?"

"Senior need not worry about it. What this junior knows is limited, only learning of this item's effects from ancient texts," Lei Dong's tone was sincere as he explained. "After all, the High-Tier Demon race conducted experiments by capturing so many Nascent Soul stage Flame Elements; it caused quite a stir. This junior dares to bet that Senior’s clone secret art likely originated from the High-Tier Demon race. But Senior can rest assured, though this junior knows this secret, I absolutely do not possess the genuine secret art itself. Furthermore, I am merely a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator; my cultivation and strength are far insufficient to support the division of my soul to refine a clone. The only thing that slightly piques my curiosity is that although Senior is a super expert at the mid-stage Soul Transformation level, theoretically, your primordial spirit is still not mature enough to bear the burden of division, correct?"

The Purgatory Demon King was simultaneously shocked and slightly relieved. He stared at Lei Dong with an extremely grave expression. "That is outside the scope of your negotiation. However, your repeated ability to exceed my expectations truly makes this King both love and hate you. This King can agree to your terms, but although I am the patriarch of the Purgatory Demon Race, it is difficult for me to gather one hundred or eighty Celestial Spirit Stones. Are you willing to reduce the amount?" Ever since Lei Dong mentioned the Flame Monarch Clone, he knew that trying to fool the boy into handing over the Flame Essence Soul for a small price would be harder than ascending to heaven. This kid couldn't refine the Flame Clone himself, nor did he have the means. It was clear he was holding a rare treasure and intended to extort a large sum from the King.

The situation was indeed as such: no matter how precious the Celestial Spirit Stones were, they were external possessions, far less valuable than a massive boost to his strength and a significant increase in lifespan.

"Then Senior should name your price. This junior will accept the absolute limit of Celestial Spirit Stones Senior can produce," Lei Dong said solemnly, displaying the cunning of an old fox. "It is said that Senior is a person of great integrity and respect. As long as Senior names the maximum amount they can offer, this junior will certainly believe you."

The Purgatory Demon King felt a sharp pang in his heart, cursing internally, Go ahead and flatter me, you brat! He appeared so honest, constantly using "Senior" respectfully in his words. Who knew that the whetstone he was using was too sharp, and the cutting too severe?

However, having already prepared himself for a major financial bleeding, and with the time that had passed—Chi Gui King and Yan Mo King were about to break through the blockade and escape. If they learned of the Flame Monarch Clone secret art, more complications might arise.

With this psychological readiness, the Purgatory Demon King lost the inclination to haggle over a few more Celestial Spirit Stones. Annoyed, he stated, "I can tell you clearly, the maximum number of Celestial Spirit Stones this King can produce is exactly seventy-three. Not one more."

Seventy-three stones? Lei Dong was overjoyed internally. The Purgatory Demon Race was indeed an established, powerful race in the Purgatory Domain, and the Purgatory Demon King truly lived up to his reputation as a supreme expert, managing to produce seventy-three Celestial Spirit Stones in one go?

After all, even the relatively wealthy Evil Phoenix Clan possessed merely twenty or thirty Celestial Spirit Stones in their treasury. The Underworld Phoenix Clan was significantly weaker than the Purgatory Demon Race in overall strength.

Lei Dong himself had only managed to collect eight Celestial Spirit Stones from his various operations in the Great Qian Continent. This brought his total to eighty-one stones. If he scraped together a bit more, he could gather enough to activate his Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land once more.

And the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land would buy him the maximum amount of time, perhaps allowing his cultivation to advance another tier before he ventured to the Bright Domain. As for more Celestial Spirit Stones, Lei Dong shared the Demon King's sentiment—he didn't want to jeopardize the main objective over a few extra stones. Moreover, this haul far exceeded Lei Dong's initial expectations; he had only dared to hope for thirty or forty stones to satisfy his bottom line.

"Good." Lei Dong said with utmost seriousness, "The terms of the exchange are agreed upon: seventy-three Celestial Spirit Stones, plus one Spirit Treasure capable of emitting Six Extreme Yang Fire. As for the location, for the sake of my safety, it must be set at the border between the Purgatory Domain and the Nether Ghost Realm, with the Nether Ghost Emperor and the Evil Phoenix—both Soul Transformation experts—invited to act as witnesses. Senior, please consider it from my perspective; without these conditions, this junior would never dare to trade with you."

"You..." Seeing that Lei Dong showed such distrust, the Purgatory Demon King was instinctively annoyed. But then, he calmed down. Just as the kid said, if the King turned hostile after the exchange, this brat would truly have cause to weep without tears. He carefully considered whether he would indeed try to cause trouble for the kid after the deal. Thinking it over and over, he couldn't be certain himself; perhaps a fifty-fifty chance.

"Fine." The Purgatory Demon King took a deep breath. "I can agree to this condition, but this King also has a small condition: when the Nether Old Ghost acts as the guarantor, you must remain within this King's controllable range, otherwise, this King fears you might go back on your word." Once the Flame Essence Soul was secured, everything else could be discussed.

"Agreed. Senior, please rest assured, although I am not as high in status or as powerful in cultivation as Senior," Lei Dong also replied earnestly, "I have always been a person who honors his promises. Moreover, whether it is this junior or Senior Nether, the need for the Flame Essence Soul is not urgent."

This point held water. The Purgatory Demon King considered it repeatedly and concluded there were no issues with the arrangement.

Almost simultaneously with their agreement, Chi Gui King and Yan Mo King, who had disguised themselves as neighboring maidens, crawled out of the cave, both looking extremely enraged and battered.

The Purgatory Demon King was half an incense stick's time later than Lei Dong, but these two were a full one and a half incense sticks late. Furthermore, unlike the Purgatory Demon King who emerged looking composed and completely dust-free, these two were extraordinarily disheveled, clearly having suffered significantly under Lei Dong's cave-destroying assault. As soon as she appeared, Chi Gui King glared ferociously at Lei Dong like a shrew. "Brat, this King won't kill you—"

"Chi Gui King, shut up." The Purgatory Demon King stood with his hands behind his back and sharply interrupted her vow of vengeance. Some words, once spoken, were difficult to take back.

"Demon King~" Chi Gui King looked extremely surprised, her face showing displeasure as she looked towards the Purgatory Demon King. "This brat killed my daughter and stole your Flame Essence Soul. If we don't kill him, our reputations in the Purgatory Domain will suffer a massive blow." The Purgatory Demon King was an absolute expert within the Purgatory Domain, causing immense awe among beings like Chi Gui King. However, when facing external threats, the Purgatory Demon King was the stabilizing pillar.

Within a domain, an existence at the Demon King's level was often indispensable; otherwise, the entire region's status would fall, leaving them open to bullying. This was a matter of shared glory and shared loss.

Therefore, Chi Gui King inherently held both respect and fear towards the Purgatory Demon King. His words carried considerable weight.

"Hmph, kill him? Chi Gui King, if you dare to kill Lei Dong alone without bringing the Yan Mo King with you, this King will yield to you and grant you ten cities of your choosing," the Purgatory Demon King stated with overwhelming aura and supreme dominance.

"This..." Chi Gui King felt a sudden lack of confidence. The previous battle had already proven that this brat surnamed Lei possessed not only a Soul Transformation-level puppet of considerable fighting strength but also endless tricks, making him extremely powerful and cunning. In a one-on-one fight, Chi Gui King admitted she truly didn't have the ability to kill the boy. Yet, she was unwilling to concede, angrily snorting, "Demon King, this brat is merely a mere Nascent Soul human. Isn't he just relying on a Soul Transformation puppet?"

"Relying on a Soul Transformation puppet?" The Purgatory Demon King sneered repeatedly. "Puppet war beasts, clone ghost servants, spirit treasures, talismans—these are all parts of one's strength. If you don't even understand this, how can you be the king of a race? In the Six Domains and Nine Prefectures, is Lei Dong the only one who has ascended to the ranks of peak experts by relying on Soul Transformation combat power? Chi Gui King, it's not that this King looks down on you, but if you don't correct your petty, small-minded habits, sooner or later, the Scarlet Refining Fire Serpent Clan will suffer a great loss because of it..."