The pressure brought by that gigantic hand was immense, so powerful that even the morale of the strong, well-built Earth Giants faltered for a moment. That single slap landed on the ground, sending out a wave of scorching, unbearable fire shockwave that radiated outward in all directions from the giant hand.

The weaker Vespids, unable to withstand the might of such an attack, were either torn to shreds by the wave or burned into charcoal in the searing flames. This single slap alone claimed the lives of several hundred Vespids, halting the advance of the Vespids, who otherwise showed no fear of death.

“What, what is this thing?” The Blood Fiend, hidden within the dim clouds, stared with profound astonishment at the giant hand and the monstrous flame creature currently wrenching its massive body out of the spatial rift. Despite his strength at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, the sheer oppressive aura emanating from the flame creature caused his heart to tremble violently.

“Aooooo~”

In stark contrast to the dejection felt by Lei Dong’s strong subordinates, the beleaguered Guardian Army erupted into a cheer that shook the heavens: “Saint of Magic! Saint of Magic!”

With Lei Dong’s hearing, even from a great distance, he could catch the wild jubilation of those people, seemingly exhilarated by their Saint of Magic unleashing this technique. From the chaotic cheers, Lei Dong gathered that this move was called Summoning Hellfire.

In truth, Lei Dong was equally shocked. A Saint of Magic—no, more accurately, a hundred Archmages assisting one Saint of Magic—had executed a technique that astonished even him. Based on the principles, this move involved tearing open a spatial link to a distant, separate dimension, establishing a spatial passage, and temporarily inviting a demon from that other dimension to aid in the battle.

It was an extraordinarily creative and terrifying maneuver. However, for Lei Dong, who had begun to grasp and control the Laws of Space, the required level of understanding of those laws, and the sheer power needed, were acutely clear.

“Oh, great Flame Monarch, please help us vanquish our enemies! We are willing to offer you a tribute of our purest souls.” That Saint of Magic, possessing an extraordinary presence, seemed to have pushed his power to its absolute limit, his face pale, yet he chanted resonantly…

Boom! The “Flame Monarch” finally wrenched its entire body out of the spatial rift. Its body, towering over a hundred zhang tall, resembled a burning volcano. A pair of deep, blazing eyes swept across the scene, and it rumbled in a deep voice, “Insignificant ants, remember the promise you made to me.”

Although the Saint of Magic had summoned other Hellfires from the ‘Underworld’ in past battles—Hellfires that usually weren't very intelligent and could be easily placated—this “Flame Monarch” appeared disturbingly intelligent, causing the Saint’s heart to pound nervously. He had only learned of the existence of Flame Monarchs from other Hellfires. Now that the enemy was overwhelmingly strong, summoning mere regular Hellfires would do nothing to change the tide, so he had risked contacting the Flame Monarch, hoping for a decisive turnaround. However, the “Flame Monarch” was clearly demanding an exorbitant number of pure souls.

But now that the summoning was complete, there was no room for regret.

The Saint of Magic had no choice but to steel himself and declare, “Great Flame Monarch, I will absolutely honor my commitment, even if I must wager my own life upon it.”

“Ant, your life is worthless,” the “Flame Monarch” grumbled, then turned its attention to the battlefield, letting out a sinister, grating laugh. “A bunch of variant offspring of War Giants. Ants are just right to keep this King amused.” With that, it lifted its massive palm, preparing to strike at the Earth Giants.

That arrogant declaration instantly injected a surge of morale into the Guardian Army’s side. After all, those Earth Giants were notoriously difficult opponents, masters of Gravity Arts and Earth Evasion, possessing terrifying physical strength. The soldiers watched with eager anticipation, expecting the supremely powerful “Flame Monarch” to wreak havoc.

Lei Dong, standing nearby, was also momentarily stunned speechless. It wasn't that he was frightened, but rather that the moment the “Flame Monarch” fully emerged, Lei Dong experienced a brief system freeze. He had never expected that their Summoning Hellfire technique would summon a Flame Elemental—and this specific Flame Elemental was an ‘acquaintance.’

Seeing it prepare to slaughter his Earth Giants, Lei Dong could not hold back. He let out a cold snort, projecting his voice across the battlefield, “Lord of Flame, are you trying to make an enemy of me?”

“Who dares?” The Lord of Flame was also startled. He had assumed no one in this world could recognize him, yet here he was, immediately called out by name.

“A mere decade since our parting at the Molten Lake Core. Could it be that your memory, Lord of Flame, has deteriorated to this extent?” Lei Dong scoffed, clearly displeased.

The powerful Lord of Flame couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath, exclaiming, “So it’s you, little… uh. So it’s you.” He forcibly swallowed the word ‘brat.’ Unlike the previous Flame Monarch, the Lord of Flame had been navigating the world for a long time and had suffered many setbacks. He certainly understood the meaning of ‘disaster springs from the tongue.’

The Saint of Magic instantly froze upon hearing this. Summoning Hellfire was a powerful technique developed by human mages of the Light Domain after years of exploration, inadvertently entering a region filled with flames through a meditative trance. They had always believed they were dealing with the Underworld. How could a Flame Monarch from the Underworld possibly know the enemy? The Lord of Flame, who was now being called the Lord of Flame by the enemy?

Witnessing the ten Archmage friends and disciples who had exhausted their spiritual power to maintain the summoning channel and died in the process, the Saint of Magic could bear it no longer and cried out, “Lord Yan Mo, we cannot sustain the summoning channel for long, please…” His unspoken meaning was clear: we summoned you here not for you to catch up with the enemy. Sustaining that spatial passage consumed the mages’ spiritual power every moment.

“Ant, silence,” the Lord of Flame snapped back, annoyed and embarrassed. But within his heart, regret festered. He had assumed he was summoned by a group of ants to deal with another group of ants. He never imagined that upon arrival, the enemy before him would be…

The Lord of Flame remembered Lei Dong with profound clarity. That brat was a monster; even Chi Ni Wang, whose strength was nearly equal to his own, had nearly fallen to this boy. Later, even the Purgatory Demon King couldn't forcefully take the Flame Essence from him. This showed how ruthless the boy was. He had even heard that the Purgatory Demon King held this boy in high regard, showing signs of treating him as a confidant. Damn it, after having something stolen and being severely extorted, the boy still spoke well of the thief… Although the Lord of Flame scorned this, he had to admit the boy was formidable.

In short, the Lord of Flame knew that with his own strength, if this boy's puppets were present, his chances of winning a one-on-one fight would be slim.

The rule of this world was simple: whoever has the biggest fist rules. The Lord of Flame, having suffered greatly because of this principle, remembered this adage vividly, taking it as his creed. Immediately, he turned his expression into a forced smile: “Oh, it’s brother you! That truly is a case of the Dragon King’s temple being flooded by its own water—one family not recognizing another. Had I known you were here, I wouldn’t have come to stir up trouble. Alright, alright, you carry on; I’ll be taking my leave now.”

This declaration nearly made the Saint of Magic spew blood. He had paid such a heavy price to summon the Lord of Flame, and before the Demon Lord had even accomplished a single feat, he was already fearing the enemy and trying to leave. Firstly, the enemy’s terrifying strength had shocked him, and secondly, the Lord of Flame was being far too polite—did he not understand the concept of contractual obligation? If he were allowed to leave just like that, the blow to their morale would be catastrophic.

However, the sight of this seemingly overwhelmingly powerful Lord of Flame showing deference and submission to their master caused Lei Dong's followers to experience an explosive surge in morale. They were all thrilled, realizing they hadn't followed the wrong person.

Just as the Saint of Magic was about to intervene, Lei Dong preempted him with a cold sneer: “Trying to leave? Hmph, Lord of Flame, you think you can come and go as you please, showing so little respect for me?”

“Lei, what do you mean by this?” The Lord of Flame’s temper flared, and he cursed out in exasperation, “I’m merely showing you respect; don't assume I’m afraid of you.” Yet, the words sounded more like bluster covering fear.

“Hmph,” Lei Dong sneered disdainfully. “You arrived and immediately slaughtered several hundred of my subordinates. You owe me an explanation before you even think of leaving! Do you take Lei to be made of mud?”

Ugh. The Lord of Flame suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He had indeed killed several hundred of those… insects, just to intimidate the field upon arrival. Although the Lord of Flame in no way considered those swarming bugs to be Lei Dong’s subordinates, when one is under another’s roof, one must bow one’s head. His imposing aura weakened slightly, and he forced a few dry chuckles, “Hehe, this was my fault. How about this: I will compensate you. I’ll give you ten million Fire Spirit Jades. After you’re done here, come find me in the Purgatory Domain, and I won't short you by half a piece.” The Lord of Flame’s words were deeply cunning; while he feigned weakness verbally, if Lei Dong actually dared to seek him out in the heartland of the Flame Elementals in the Purgatory Domain, the tables would be turned, and the Lord of Flame would certainly make Lei Dong regret it.

The Blood Fiend, the White Bone general, and their retinue were ecstatic. That apparent Soul Transformation level powerhouse was actually so fearful of Lei Dong—what unmatched glory was this?

“Heh heh, compensation?” Lei Dong scoffed repeatedly. “That’s right; you killed several hundred of my subordinates; compensation is due. How about this: If you, Lord of Flame, submit to my command for three hundred years, I will let you go. Otherwise, now that you’re here, don’t even think about leaving.”