... The Evil Phoenix was already a powerhouse at the peak of the initial stage of Soul Transformation. Back when Thunder Dragon fought her, he was severely battered. However, thanks to the bottle of Divine Life Water given to her by Lei Dong, she, much like the Yaksha King, smoothly advanced to the middle stage of Soul Transformation. This placed her a slight notch above the Demonic Dragon Emperor. Consequently, when she barked orders at the Demonic Dragon Emperor, with whom she was on relatively good terms, he, accustomed to being put in his place by her, could only scratch his nose, concede with a dry chuckle, and fall silent.

The others, however, began to survey Lei Dong and the Evil Phoenix with gazes laden with extreme, suggestive warmth. This made the Evil Phoenix’s heart skip a beat, and she retorted sharply, “What are you all looking at? Did I say something wrong? Lei Dong is, in fact, an extremely trustworthy person.”

“Indeed, indeed, Lei Dong is very trustworthy,” the Yaksha King laughed heartily. “But Emperor Feng, it seems you are also quite loyal, speaking up for Lei Dong so readily.” (BookHouse)

The gathering of old foxes burst into laughter. None present were fools; how could they fail to see the Evil Phoenix’s rather girlish affection and her unusual regard for Lei Dong? They all felt a fresh surge of admiration for the young man. This kid truly possessed remarkable capabilities to have managed to capture the interest of even the notoriously ill-tempered Evil Phoenix. Several of those who were close with him winked conspiratorially at Lei Dong, displaying a shared, silent, knowing grin between men.

“Husband, when are we bringing Sister Evil Phoenix home to reunite? Leaving her to wander alone outside is hardly a commendable act,” Lei Dong’s wife, Ding Wanyan, having also noticed the subtle currents, transmitted her message to Lei Dong with a sweet, unreadable smile.

Good heavens, Lei Dong felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. They were in a meeting! What kind of undisciplined, unruly group were these people? Lei Dong knew well that this was not the time to engage with such banter, so he hurriedly diverted the focus: “Brother Dragon’s question was excellent. I too was utterly shocked back then, unable to believe that he could command an organized Nascent Soul army. To amass a force of that scale—I believe among everyone present, only Senior Purgatory Demon King could barely manage it; the rest of us could not.”

No one refuted Lei Dong’s words, as they were simply stating facts. Even the Purgatory Demon King frowned. “To gather a thousand Nascent Soul subordinates to form an army, I could only achieve it with great strain. However, doing so would gut the backbone of my other forces. Lei Dong, continue with your account.”

Lei Dong did not conceal anything, relaying the entire sequence of events, detailing how he used cunning strategy to execute what was essentially a decapitation strike. Furthermore, the intelligence he extracted from the Dawn King was also shared without reservation: “From this, I deduce that the current Lord of the Abyss Domain must possess items of immense significance. Based on some of Dawn King’s own speculations, we can boldly surmise that the Lord of the Abyss controls at least two categories of assets. First, rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures capable of significantly boosting a cultivator’s strength. Second, objects capable of controlling the minds and spirits of Nascent Soul level experts. I obtained this second item after dissecting a White Armored Soldier corpse and extracting it from its Nascent Soul.”

Saying this, Lei Dong produced a small, inky-black, extremely grotesque creature covered in fine, thread-like tendrils from his storage ring. Pointing at it, he continued, “All you esteemed seniors and fellow Daoists are exceptionally knowledgeable; you should recognize this thing.”

“A Mind-Snatching Demon?” The Purgatory Demon King was the first to gasp sharply. As for the Netherworld Ghost Emperor, he was already aware of the full background and was not particularly surprised.

The others who possessed insight also instantly changed color, their faces becoming tinged with fear and apprehension.

The Mind-Snatching Demon—that terrifying and awe-inspiring entity—had long been extinct in the Six Realms and Nine Continents. In truth, this creature was not indigenous to the Six Realms and Nine Continents; it was brought by the Higher Demons. Historically, this thing held an utterly infamous reputation, used exclusively to control powerhouses.

When they first hatch, Mind-Snatching Demons are egg-shaped. They can be refined using certain specific items, such as a small banner or a token. Once refined, this object is implanted into the soul of a living being, whereupon it immediately begins to feed on spiritual energy, nesting deep within the soul.

This creature does not control its victim through death or pain. Instead, the Mind-Snatching Demon itself invades the thoughts and soul of the host, usurping the right to control the body on behalf of the original owner. Most terrifyingly, after the body and soul are usurped, the original spirit remains painfully lucid but utterly powerless, forced to watch helplessly as their body and soul commit acts against their will—unable even to take their own life. This fundamentally distinguishes it from the Nine Hells Soul-Devouring Worm or Lei Dong’s Ghost Gu.

The latter two fall into the category of restrictive threats. If one were determined enough or unafraid of death, those could be resisted.

Thus, the Mind-Snatching Demon is rightfully regarded as a taboo technique, universally condemned. After all, no one wishes to become a puppet body housing a conscious mind yet possessing no autonomy. The mere thought of such an outcome was enough to raise goosebumps.

For those whose bodies and control have been seized by a Mind-Snatching Demon, death would likely be viewed as a release, a longed-for escape. As for the usurped soul, even if the physical body perishes, there is absolutely no possibility of recovery, restoration, or reincarnation. In essence, once the soul is claimed by a Mind-Snatching Demon, it is practically a sentence of utter annihilation of both form and spirit.

This entity poses the greatest threat to three tiers of cultivators: the Nascent Soul level, the Soul Transformation level, and the Void Refining level.

This is because different varieties of Mind-Snatching Demons are perfectly suited to control experts at these three respective levels. The Higher Demons originally used this very method to establish a Mind-Snatching Demon Army, which swept across territories, instilling terror and cementing the item’s notorious reputation.

Everyone present had learned of this creature through ancient texts; this was the first time they had seen the actual thing in the flesh.

“Were all one thousand White Armored Soldiers controlled via Mind-Snatching Demons?” the Purgatory Demon King asked with extreme gravity.

“Precisely,” Lei Dong confirmed, his expression solemn and serious. “Those Mind-Snatching Demons were controlled through a single military banner, which I have now refined into my Nascent Soul.”

Good heavens, didn’t this mean Lei Dong had effortlessly acquired an entire organized army of Nascent Soul cultivators? Everyone’s gaze toward Lei Dong shifted again. Even the Purgatory Demon King had stated that assembling such an army would severely weaken his own forces.

The sheer might of an organized Nascent Soul army, even just imagining it, felt terrifying. Even an expert on the level of the Purgatory Demon King, if cornered by such a force, would have no choice but to retreat swiftly; otherwise, being surrounded would not guarantee death, but escaping would demand a staggering price.

Many felt an instinctive revulsion toward the infamous Mind-Snatching Demon. Yet, they were intensely envious that Lei Dong had acquired such an army, wishing that fortune had fallen upon themselves. However, Lei Dong had made it clear: that banner was refined by him; no one could obtain it unless he willingly surrendered it.

But Lei Dong was no longer a rookie to be pushed around. He was now a figure wielding both immense personal strength and powerful factional backing. Even those contemplating murder and theft for the strange treasure would have to seriously weigh the cost to their own lives.

Even someone as formidable as the Purgatory Demon King dared not harbor any greedy thoughts towards the current Lei Dong. This showed that as Lei Dong gradually displayed his power, his standing in the minds of these peak experts had soared. They could only feel envy and jealousy regarding his acquisition of the treasure, but they dared not scheme for it; he possessed the status and strength to rightfully own such a marvel.

“Lei Dong, these Mind-Snatching Demons are all low-grade, I presume?” the Purgatory Demon King inquired, a hint of worry in his tone. “Have you encountered any mid-grade ones?”

Mind-Snatching Demons were indeed graded by potency. The lowest tier could only control Nascent Soul experts. Mid-grade ones posed a threat to Soul Transformation cultivators. As for the high-grade ones, they were considered priceless commodities in ancient times, capable of controlling those at the Void Refining stage.

“No,” Lei Dong replied calmly. “However, the fact that the Lord of the Abyss could effortlessly produce a thousand Mind-Snatching Demons to help the Dawn King forge the White Armored Army allows us to infer that the current Lord of the Abyss certainly possesses many more. And among such a large number, mid-grade ones must exist, perhaps even high-grade ones cannot be ruled out.”

Instantly, many felt both dread and a secret flicker of delight. Dread stemmed from their inherent fear of things like the Mind-Snatching Demon. Secret delight arose from the thought: if they obtained a Mind-Snatching Demon, perhaps even a mid-grade one, wouldn’t that mean...

Indeed, although the item was supremely evil and notoriously infamous, inciting fear—that fear applied when it was used against oneself. If one were to wield it against others, it tasted entirely different. Few in this world were true saints who would immediately destroy a Mind-Snatching Demon egg upon acquiring it without using it.

Silence descended, a deep, prolonged silence. Then, the Evil Phoenix spoke with concern, “Lei Dong, since the Lord of the Abyss possesses both vast quantities of unknown rare treasures and soul-controlling artifacts like the Mind-Snatching Demon, I fear he has already accumulated significant power? He will be difficult to deal with.”

The Evil Phoenix’s words echoed the sentiments held by many others.

Lei Dong chuckled, sweeping his gaze across the room before stating calmly, “Everyone, I know the current Lord of the Abyss is likely formidable. But if we fail to deal with him now, the issue won’t just be difficulty later on. It will become a question of how we can fend off the Lord of the Abyss as he moves against us?”

Many trembled. Indeed, if one were the Lord of the Abyss, having acquired these assets and increased one’s power, what would be the first thing one would do? They dared not dwell on the most profound possibilities, but one thing was certain: one would not let an elite army stagnate at home.

“This situation is a crisis, but it is also an opportunity,” Lei Dong’s expression grew stern. “If handled correctly, every member of this temporary alliance can experience a massive surge in strength.”

... (To be continued)