"So, Brother Long, you are the famed Demon Dragon Emperor, one of the Four Emperors of the Underworld? I have long heard of your legendary status," Lei Dong said, showing a respectful expression of genuine surprise and admiration. "Truly, I have admired you for ages. Meeting you now, Brother Long, your bearing is indeed worthy of the title Demon Dragon Emperor—uncommon and commanding." Since the other party had deliberately shown humility to foster goodwill, Lei Dong certainly wouldn't refuse him the courtesy. After all, under the current circumstances, uniting every force that could be united was the only true path to supremacy.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Demon Dragon Emperor, Lei Dong proceeded to pay his respects to the others, such as the King of Yakshas, whom Lei Dong had always held in high regard. Upon first encountering the King of Yakshas, Lei Dong sensed that his aura had become even more unfathomable than before, causing him a slight startlement. "Senior Zhana, could it be...?"

The King of Yakshas was in an excellent mood, his white teeth gleaming across his dark face as he clapped Lei Dong on the shoulder and chuckled, "Your guess is correct. Thanks to you, I successfully broke through to the mid-stage of Spirit Transformation, and my realm is now completely stabilized." Ever since receiving that bottle of Divine Life Water from Lei Dong, he had begun utilizing some of the rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures he had collected previously, attempting a breakthrough during seclusion. Although the probability of success was only about thirty to forty percent, he had managed to ascend to the mid-stage of Spirit Transformation with remarkable ease and luck.

Do not underestimate this seemingly small advancement. Although both the mid-stage and the initial-stage Spirit Transformation experts are peak powerhouses, the difference in their status and strength is vast. Previously, he could, at best, hold a slight advantage over a newly advanced Spirit Transformation expert. But now, he could contend against one... //Fastest text update from Fan Lou

"Eh? Zhana, what benefit did you receive from Lei Dong that allowed you to advance to the mid-stage?" King Purgatory, having experienced this bottleneck himself in the past, clearly understood that crossing this threshold was no less difficult than advancing from the peak of Nascent Soul to the initial stage of Spirit Transformation. Thus, he asked with genuine curiosity.

"This?" The King of Yakshas hesitated, unsure whether to speak or remain silent. While the King of Yakshas was formidable, he was still considerably inferior to King Purgatory, the most powerful figure in the Purgatory Domain. He was reluctant to offend him easily. He looked toward Lei Dong for assistance.

"Heh heh, Senior Demon King," Lei Dong greeted with a smile. "It was nothing major, just a bottle of Divine Life Water."

Divine Life Water? Those who had not obtained it showed expressions of shock. This was indeed a marvelous substance, capable of tempering the primordial spirit and even assisting in breakthroughs. Naturally, its initial consumption yielded the best effect, with subsequent doses proving far less potent. However, this item was a specialty of the Winged God Clan. And the Winged God Clan’s xenophobia and stinginess were notoriously well-known. Obtaining a bottle of Divine Life Water from them was no simple feat.

Of course, some present had indeed acquired Divine Life Water. Lei Dong had initially obtained five bottles in total. He had given one to Tian Mo. Of the remaining four, one went to the King of Yakshas, one was given as promised to Elder Li, and another to the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld. The last bottle, Lei Dong had intended to give to Lei Long first. But Lei Long insisted that since he had consumed Soul Fruits like food in the past, there was no need to temper his primordial spirit further, and he voluntarily ceded it. Consequently, the final bottle went to Xuan She.

However, Xuan She dared not keep such a treasure to himself and gave it back to Xie Feng. He even spoke favorably on Lei Dong’s behalf, claiming they had only obtained three bottles in total, and one of those Lei Dong had instructed him to give to Xie Feng. He was undeniably shrewd; he knew that the optimal path was to follow Lei Dong, so he privately worked hard to foster closer ties between Lei Dong and Xie Feng. Furthermore, he earned a favor from Xie Feng while making Lei Dong feel that this junior brother was quite perceptive. Regarding the Divine Life Water, though precious, Xuan She trusted that with Lei Dong’s capabilities, obtaining more would only be a matter of time. When that day came, Lei Dong would surely replenish the bottle he had given to Xie Feng.

From this, it was clear that Xuan She, having spent considerable time under Lei Dong's wing, had learned a great deal of cunning.

As for why Lei Dong didn't use the water on his own kin, he felt that despite the miraculous nature of the Divine Life Water, it paled in comparison to Chaos Crystals. Using it to build rapport provided him with greater advantage than consuming it himself.

Since the Winged God Clan hadn't been annihilated, as long as his own power grew, where would the worry of lacking Divine Life Water be? Lei Dong believed that if he could secure it once, he could certainly secure it again.

"Damn, you still have Divine Life Water? Give me a bottle too, and I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the price. Didn't you need Heavenly Spirit Stones? I’ve gathered a new batch recently." King Purgatory became instantly agitated. He too had previously sought trade with the Winged God Clan for this substance, but their arrogance meant they wouldn't sell to him, leaving him helpless. Hearing that Lei Dong possessed some made him incredibly excited! This item could significantly aid in breaking through bottlenecks upon first use.

Lei Dong shook his head with a wry smile. "Senior Demon King, I only obtained three bottles of this item in total; I truly have none left. Otherwise, giving one to Your Excellency would be the natural course of action."

"Is that so?" King Purgatory shook his head in disappointment, but he quickly rallied. "We have a grand gathering of powerhouses here! We might as well be idle. Why don't we all march to the territory of those birdmen and plunder more Divine Life Water to share?"

Lei Dong’s face darkened. He hadn't gathered these people to go robbing for Divine Life Water. To seize such things, such a large mobilization was unnecessary! However, King Purgatory’s suggestion prompted some others to seriously consider it, showing considerable interest.

To prevent needless complications, Lei Dong coughed twice and spoke seriously. "Senior Demon King, Divine Life Water is but a trivial matter. What we seek now is the grand strategy. Exposing our private alliance over minor gains would alert the enemy—it would be akin to abandoning the sesame seed to grasp the watermelon, not worth it. How about this: after we complete the necessary tasks, if Your Excellency is still interested, we can then enter the Bright Holy Domain and have a satisfying plunder?" King Purgatory wasn't a fool and clearly understood the priority. Especially upon hearing the latter half of Lei Dong's statement, his heart instantly soared. He slapped Lei Dong heartily on the shoulder and roared with laughter. "Good lad, I like your spirit! Once we finish the serious business, we'll go teach those arrogant, high-and-mighty birdmen a lesson. We'll plunder them until not a single feather remains! Splendid, truly splendid. Little brother, I have high hopes for you—you're worthy of being the one who dared rob Old Demon me of my treasures!"

Those unaware of the history were stunned again. Lei Dong actually dared to rob the old Devil of Purgatory? The most terrifying part was that he was alive and well afterward, discussing grand strategies as an equal with King Purgatory. Impressive, truly impressive.

"Enough of this idle chatter here in the middle of the sky. Let us return to my Netherworld Palace to discuss the grand strategy together," the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld said, his good impression of Lei Dong deepening further. He had initially assumed Lei Dong had hoarded many bottles of Divine Life Water, but hearing only three bottles now changed his perspective. One was used to save someone, one given to the King of Yakshas who had shown him kindness, and one given to the Ghost Emperor himself. Yet, neither he nor his wives and concubines had partaken. Ah, this was a considerable favor.

Xie Feng also rejoiced internally. Giving one bottle to her meant her standing in Lei Dong's eyes must not be low. Elder Li, too, felt moved, recognizing Lei Dong as a man of his word—having only obtained three bottles, he gifted one to him, significantly increasing his favorable opinion.

These figures were all peak powerhouses and understood the simple principle of keeping one's gains low-key. Thus, none of them would go around boasting about receiving Divine Life Water.

With everyone content, the group entered the Netherworld Palace.

The Ghost Emperor’s Netherworld Palace was also a vast structure. The central meeting hall was enormous and equipped with excellent formation arrays for isolation, ensuring that discussions of major affairs could not be overheard or breached. With so many Spirit Transformation experts gathered, anyone daring to eavesdrop would clearly be seeking their own demise. According to their status and seniority, everyone took their seats. Lei Dong humbly declined a prominent position, citing his cultivation as only high-stage Nascent Soul and his young age, choosing to sit at the very end. This action further increased the goodwill of the assembled magnates toward him.

"Lei Dong, start by explaining the specific situation," the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld and King Purgatory, the two most powerful, occupied the central seats. The Ghost Emperor spoke first: "Many fellow Daoists here are still unaware of the exact details."

"Yes, Senior Netherworld," Lei Dong replied, glancing around. Everyone present was a Spirit Transformation expert: the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld, King Purgatory, Xie Feng, the Demon Dragon Emperor, Xuan She, the King of Yakshas, King Yan Mo, Elder Li, Lei Long, Dongfang Fu, Ding Wanyan, Tian Mo, Xiao You, and the Demon Venerable of the Netherworld. Including himself, there were fifteen peak experts in total. Such a large assembly of Spirit Transformation cultivators meeting was exceedingly rare since the Great Depression. What made Lei Dong immensely proud was that apart from a small fraction categorized as outsiders, the rest were essentially his allies. Even pulling in King Purgatory, the Demon Dragon Emperor, Elder Li, and the Demon Venerable of the Netherworld was part of Lei Dong's strategy to unite all possible forces.

When everyone collaborated on a major undertaking and shared the profits upon its success, it was akin to a specialized method of forging unbreakable bonds through shared spoils. As for the Demon Venerable of the Netherworld, although he hailed from the Yin Sha Sect like Lei Dong and the others, he was an elder statesman whom they hadn't interacted with much, lacking deep emotional ties; thus, for now, he was categorized among the outsiders.

Lei Dong spoke clearly, recounting the battle against the White Armor Army on the Dawn Continent in detail. Before he had spoken two sentences, the Demon Dragon Emperor exclaimed in shock. "What? An army of a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators? The White Armor Army? Impossible! Your opponent was the King of Dawn, known as the biggest soft target—how could he possibly muster a thousand Nascent Soul troops?"

"Be quiet," Xie Feng sharply chided. "Old Dragon, speak less when it's not your turn to talk. I have interacted and cooperated with Lei Dong many times; he is never one to spout nonsense. If he says it exists, then it exists."

... (To be continued)