... The Thunder Dragon was a Soul Transformation stage expert, possessing refined cultivation, especially in the intensity of his Divine Sense, which was in no way inferior to any mid-stage Soul Transformation expert. Coupled with the extremely formidable siege weapon, the Scarlet Flame Dragon Cannon, and his powerful, tyrannical aura, the morale of the desperately resisting defenders instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

Within the Sky City, the defending forces were comprised of both Humans and the Winged Folk. Yet, contrary to what one might expect from a city dominated by the Winged Folk, Humans actually constituted the vast majority of the defenders.

The reason was simple: the population of the Winged Folk was exceedingly sparse. Across the entire Bright Domain, the total number of Winged Folk amounted to only a million, each faction subservient to one of the various Kings. Among them, the Glorious Twin Kings were the strongest, commanding the largest number of their kin. In contrast, the Dawn King was comparatively weaker, possessing barely over twenty thousand Winged Folk, most of whom were stationed within the Dawn Main City.

Consequently, the contingent of Winged Folk in this Sky City, led by Xilus, numbered a mere five hundred—a fact largely attributed to Xilus being the Dawn King's brother. However, this airborne fortress, capable of suspension and flight, housed a population numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Although the overwhelming majority of these hundreds of thousands were logistics personnel, the number of elite Human troops possessing considerable fighting strength still reached over thirty thousand.

For a minority race to rule over a majority, beyond possessing outstanding and formidable individual strength, ensuring the loyalty and fearlessness of their subordinates was paramount. In maintaining Human loyalty, the Winged Folk had chosen a path of pacification education and faith brainwashing.

It could be said that any individual qualified to be selected to live and fight alongside the Winged Folk in the Sky City possessed a firm and fanatical heart of faith, ready to sacrifice their life, and even their soul, without hesitation for the great "Dawn God." Those chosen also viewed the honor of residing in the Sky City as the ultimate affirmation of their faith and the greatest glory of their lives.

To Lei Dong, these people were the most terrifying. Especially when those logistics personnel, whose faith was unwavering but strength was low, shouted mad slogans and fought desperately against the "invaders," even Lei Dong, hardened by constant exposure to life and death, felt a pang of emotion.

By comparison, those lofty Winged Folk were far more afraid of death. They considered themselves the superior race and pledged allegiance to the Dawn King only out of necessity to rely on a powerful entity. Deep down, they did not subscribe to the ignorant belief that the Dawn King was a great deity.

Enjoying a life of ease, constant adoration, and unimaginable luxury day after day had eroded the inherent ferocity and fighting spirit rooted in their bloodline.

If they encountered a battle going in their favor, they would not mind displaying a semblance of valor before the Humans they regarded as slaves and livestock, showcasing the nobility and power of the Winged God Race. However, the moment they faced adversity, or even utter despair, their already tattered warrior's heart would shatter like fragile glass.

The overwhelming strength and cruelty of the enemy forces, coupled with the supreme authority radiating from the Soul Transformation expert Lei Long, plunged the Winged Folk serving as officers among the defenders into a state of utter despair. Subsequently, the tyranny embodied by Lei Long's single shot from the Scarlet Flame Dragon Cannon and his booming address shattered the final psychological defenses of the Winged Folk officers.

Leading the troops under their command, they began to surrender. One followed by another, groups announced a cessation of resistance and accepted the custody of the enemy forces. Conversely, those Humans whose brainwashing had been overly successful, harboring extreme faith and loyalty towards the Dawn King, could not accept the fact of their 'heretical' surrender. After failing in their opposition, they spontaneously launched suicide charges against the invaders, the so-called heretics.

Yet, under the pressure of absolute power, this handful of fanatics could ultimately achieve nothing, and were swiftly torn to shreds by the Swift Worms. The few Winged Folk officers who still retained a warrior's heart and swore to never surrender were also quickly annihilated by the fierce assault of the Ghostly Fierce Army.

The unrest and warfare continued unabated.

Xilus, being the Dawn King's younger brother, also recognized that the tide had turned irrevocably. With a panicked expression, he submitted to capture. His late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation was respectable, but against such an overwhelming offensive led by an army numbering in the tens of thousands, resistance was futile. Even if he continued to resist, he would merely become rations for the Ghostly Fierce Army.

Following Xilus's surrender, the defense of the Sky City instantly collapsed. Even those most stubborn fanatics seemed to lose their souls and faith, becoming despairing, walking corpses. It was important to remember that Xilus was the brother of the Dawn God.

In that moment, the faith of many utterly shattered.

What followed was a series of post-battle procedures. Although Lei Dong's dismantling of the Sky City proceeded smoothly, considerable losses were incurred, which necessitated recouping through spoils of war. However, these matters no longer required Lei Dong's personal attention; a complete, organized team had been established within the Hidden Dragon Army to handle such trivialities effectively and orderly.

Meanwhile, Lei Dong had already settled into the main hall of the Sky City, seizing the lull to begin dealing with some of the captives.

Lei Dong had heard of the mages within the Bright Domain before, but only through hearsay. Regarding this cultivation method, which he considered fundamentally flawed, Lei Dong's attitude had always been dismissive and uninterested.

However, the battle against the Faxy Empire's Guardian force had allowed Lei Dong to witness the astonishing and marvelous capabilities of the mages. A so-called 'Magus Saint,' whose Divine Sense strength barely reached the Nascent Soul level, commanding a host of so-called 'Arch-Mages' whose Divine Sense was at the Golden Core level, had actually extended the reach of their Divine Sense into the Purgatory Domain and summoned that brute, the Flame Demon King.

This was both surprising and awe-inspiring to Lei Dong.

'Magus Saints' seemed to be exceedingly rare. On the Dawn Continent, there were purportedly only the Four Great Magus Saints. The vast Faxy Empire possessed only this single, invaluable Magus Saint, who held a lofty status domestically, subtly even above the monarch.

In that battle, besides capturing this Magus Saint, they also seized dozens of so-called 'Arch-Mages.' All of these individuals had their powers sealed, subjecting themselves to Lei Dong's interrogation and examination.

Lei Dong sat regally on the throne that originally belonged to Xilus, calmly surveying the gathered mages—some trembling in fear, others forcing a facade of pride—his heart remaining completely unmoved. In the minds of these mages, the man clad in black armor, his face hidden behind a green-fanged mask, emanating a cold and potent aura, was undeniably a terrifying great demon lord.

Powerful and dominant, he had even managed to subdue the Flame Monarch that had been summoned; this utterly overturned the established worldviews and understanding of the mages. Despite their varied expressions, the unified sentiment was one of profound awe toward this mysterious and terrifying man of unknown origin.

Lei Dong casually raised a hand, and an agonizingly fearful, middle-aged mage was seized by an invisible, massive hand and violently dragged before him. The mage was utterly horrified; his eyes nearly bulged out as his limbs thrashed desperately.

The Magus Saint, with his white hair and distinguished demeanor, rushed forward, roaring furiously, "Demon, what are you doing?"

He managed only two steps before seeming to collide with an invisible wall of energy, being violently thrown backward. Simultaneously, the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, whose cultivation had steadily advanced to the mid-stage Nascent Soul, blocked the path of the mages with echoing roars. Its colossal body, tens of feet tall, exuded an icy, suffocating aura that struck terror into the hearts of the observers, daring them not to move an inch further.

Lei Dong acted as if he heard nothing, focusing his attention instead on the middle-aged mage. With a thought of his Divine Sense, he released the controlling seal on the mage. At the same time, Lei Dong's Divine Sense infiltrated the mage's soul, beginning his study of the soul structure and physique.

After a short while, Lei Dong confirmed the solidity of the mage's soul, which was almost equivalent to a standard mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. However, his physique was excessively weak, comparable at best to a Human Foundation Establishment cultivator. Furthermore, there were no signs of True Qi or True Essence circulating within his body.

"Let this King see how you cultivate," Lei Dong stated coldly before tossing the mage onto the ground.

Although the seal on the middle-aged mage had been lifted, he dared not make the slightest move in the presence of Lei Dong. Hearing the command, he obediently sat down on the ground, trembling, and began to cultivate. However, due to the intense fear gripping him, he struggled for a long time to enter the state of serene meditation, merely wasting time.

As Lei Dong's killing intent flared, preparing to eliminate this useless specimen, the white-haired Magus Saint spoke up: "Demon King, if you do not mind, I can cloak the mage's cultivation process for you."

Lei Dong agreed, released the Saint's seal, and the Magus Saint immediately entered meditation.

Before long, Lei Dong's eyes gleamed slightly. This mage's meditation indeed differed significantly from the cultivation methods familiar to cultivators. They almost entirely neglected the tempering of the physical body, focusing all their attention on how to strengthen the soul and enhance the flexibility of their Divine Sense.

Among cultivators, Lei Dong often tempered his soul, resulting in extremely high soul flexibility. However, compared to this Magus Saint, whose Divine Sense strength was only equivalent to an early-stage Nascent Soul, the refinement and agility of his Divine Sense were marginally superior to Lei Dong's own.

Of course, this did not mean Lei Dong was inferior. It was merely that due to the limitations of the mage cultivation method, they were forced to dedicate the majority of their effort to maximizing the perfect output of their spiritual power, or Divine Sense. This was akin to a poor person who, lacking funds, must spend every single coin on essential needs rather than squandering it casually.

It was under these circumstances that generations of mages had developed a systematic approach entirely different from traditional cultivation. This caused Lei Dong to fall into deep contemplation, vaguely sensing its immense utility. This represented an opportunity—another pathway to enhance his own strength... Normal updates will resume starting on the 1st of the month... RQ