Ding Wanyan accepted with thanks, feeling a slight surprise in her heart. Chaos Crystal? No, it was far inferior to the Chaos Crystals that Lei Dong had condensed using the Soul Devouring Tower, yet it still contained a considerable amount of Chaos Spiritual Energy. Approximately, it held about one-tenth of the Chaos Spiritual Energy found in the crystals provided by Lei Dong.

However, one should not underestimate this one-tenth portion of crystal’s Chaos Spiritual Energy. In the Six Domains and Nine Continents, finding even this small trace of Chaos Spiritual Energy is harder than ascending to heaven. If a high-tier powerhouse with decent aptitude has been stuck at some critical bottleneck for many years, perhaps, relying on the Chaos Spiritual Energy within this single small Chaos Crystal, there might be a slight possibility to break through the fetters and impact a higher realm.

Of course, this item is not world-shattering; generally, it is far from enough to support a Nascent Soul Peak master in breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage. Unless, all four small Chaos Crystals were pooled together for one person’s use.

Even so, it was evident that the Abyss Lord was rather generous in his actions, not letting Wanyan and the others’ pretense of calling him ‘Big Brother’ go unrewarded. It was a pity that this Big Brother clearly harbored malicious intent and was not someone truly easy to get along with.

This item was insufficient for attempting a breakthrough to the Soul Transformation stage, but if given to someone at the Golden Core pinnacle, it would be more than enough to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. Perhaps the Chaos Spiritual Energy within this single small Chaos Crystal could support twenty to thirty exceptionally gifted Golden Core pinnacle experts in their ascent to Nascent Soul, helping them break past their limits.

If estimated for use within the Hidden Dragon Army, it could likely add about a hundred Nascent Soul level combat strengths—a very worthwhile transaction. This was only because Lei Dong was well-traveled and had seen too many exotic treasures. Any ordinary Soul Transformation expert who obtained this small Chaos Crystal would absolutely treasure it, making it perfectly reasonable to fight fiercely against peers for it.

“Big Brother shows great generosity indeed,” Lei Dong laughed. “Regarding Chaos Spiritual Energy, this little brother has only obtained small traces deep within the Nine Nether Abyss, within the intricate labyrinth at the bottom of the Styx River.”

He deliberately leaked a bit of information to dispel the other party's doubt about why he was so powerful (ShuShuWu).

“Oh? The Styx? I have heard of that place. It seems to be an exceedingly dangerous area, where even Soul Transformation experts risk danger if they wander carelessly. I hadn't realized that some Chaos Spiritual Energy remained there?” The Abyss Lord, Udis, was also slightly surprised.

“There is some, but the quantity is too small; it has all been absorbed by a Chaos Golden Lotus,” Lei Dong answered truthfully.

“Chaos Golden Lotus?” The Abyss Lord seemed slightly dazed again. “Brother, your luck is incredibly good! To find a Chaos Golden Lotus at the bottom of the Mire Valley?” After speaking, he glanced at the women, suddenly realizing. “No wonder, you sisters-in-law have achieved such cultivation at such a young age; if it were a mature Chaos Golden Lotus, it would be entirely expected. Brother, what you said earlier about accumulating destiny and fortune was certainly not an exaggeration. I am jealous, truly jealous.”

“Big Brother, the secret realm you obtained seems even more exceptional, doesn’t it?” Lei Dong chuckled, lowering his voice. “You can even hand out Chaos Crystals.”

“That, that is true. Since I invited Brother here, there certainly won't be a shortage of a great benefit for you.” The Abyss Lord hadn’t expected Lei Dong to have already deduced that he had acquired a secret realm. A fleeting shadow of gloom crossed his eyes before he burst into hearty laughter. Yet, in his heart, he mused: My good Brother, although your fortune is good, and you have established a massive foundation at such a young age, alas, alas, you, like that damnable old ghost of the Shadow Demon Clan, can only serve to make wedding clothes for your Big Brother.

“Damn it, only Lei Kid could manage acting brotherly and exchanging pleasantries with this hypocritical Abyss Demon. If it were me, I probably couldn’t suppress the disgust in my heart and would have ended up making a pointed remark,” a burly man, clad in standard black armor, rugged and valiant, muttered to a slender soldier next to him within the impeccably arrayed Hidden Dragon Army, communicating via divine sense. “Old Ghost, your son-in-law has considerable skill. In such a short time, he has cultivated such an outstanding army. Even I, Old Devil, if I faced them without retreating, would face a great risk of death.”

The man beside him, slender even beneath his armor, yet unable to completely conceal the faint aura of scholarly elegance about him, responded through divine sense fluctuations: “Old Devil, that’s why you are merely a hero of one generation, not a sovereign leader. With the aptitude and strength of your Purgatory Demon Clan, if you possessed enough capability, you would have unified the Purgatory Domain long ago.”

“Hey, hey, Old Ghost, you say that without blushing!” the burly man retorted in their private transmission. “You old fellow have been fighting the three Netherworld races for many years and haven't unified them either! Speaking factually, your son-in-law truly has means. What level will he ultimately reach?”

“I don’t know, but he will certainly be stronger than both of us,” the tall soldier admitted with some emotion. “When this brat was only at the Golden Core stage, he dared to challenge me. Not only did he take more than half of my Nether Essence, but he even managed to kill an entire Ghost Emperor alive. Thinking about it now, this brat is truly incredible. Ambitious, and powerful.”

“Haha, so you suffered a loss at his hands when he was Golden Core?” The burly man’s spirits immediately balanced out. “Heh heh, good news, this is excellent news. When I suffered losses at his hands, he was already at the high-tier Nascent Soul stage. This proves that I am stronger than you.”

“What kind of nonsensical logic is that?”

“In short, I am stronger than you.”

No outsider would have suspected that hidden among the meticulously organized Hidden Dragon Army were some extraordinarily powerful beings.

And the two most powerful among them, whose strength was no less than the Abyss Lord’s—the Nether Ghost Emperor and the Purgatory Demon King—were willingly impersonating mere foot soldiers within the ranks. If this were to get out, the Abyss Lord would likely turn tail and flee immediately.

The most terrifying aspect was that these two entities, arguably the apex existences in the Six Domains and Nine Continents, were discussing how they had been tricked, swindled, and taken advantage of by Lei Dong. If that story spread, it would surely cause massive shock.

At this moment, the Abyss Lord was scanning Lei Dong’s Fierce Ghost Army and Hidden Dragon Army with his divine sense, a look of admiration on his face. He said happily, “Brother, I am truly convinced. You have managed to cultivate such a formidable army; not only is their power immense, but their training is exceptionally disciplined.” He was naturally delighted, as, in his future schemes, these well-drilled armies would all belong to him, Udis.

By this point, the Abyss Lord was even calculating whether he should spare this ‘Brother’s’ life, intending to coerce him with certain means to help train his armies. This ‘Brother’ was truly a talent, far surpassing that incompetent fool, the Dawn King, whom he couldn't control.

In fact, if it weren't for the pressing advance of the Saint Radiance King’s army right now, the Abyss Lord would have already decided how to absorb his ‘Brother.’ However, the current situation did not allow for excessive optimism. That detestable Shadow Demon Clan scoundrel had managed to help the Sky Main City enter the Abyss Domain and was now actively operating, rallying those Abyss races who were disloyal to him.

With the prestige and power of the former Abyss Lord, and the Saint Radiance King backing him, the Shadow Demon scoundrel had managed to gather a significant faction in a short period.

My dear Brother, don’t blame your Big Brother for using you as cannon fodder first, the Abyss Lord sneered inwardly.

And Lei Dong was smiling too, thinking secretly, Big Brother, Big Brother, this domain you left behind, this little brother will guard it well for you.

After Lei Dong introduced his army and core members to the Abyss Lord, the Abyss Lord began to showcase his own faction to Lei Dong—this was essential, otherwise, how could he assert his leading position in the alliance over Lei Dong’s formidable strength?

“Brother, this is my capable general, Berys of the Naga Clan. She possesses the most authentic bloodline of the Naga royalty.” The first person the Abyss Lord introduced was a serpent-woman, three to four zhang tall, with a human torso and a serpentine lower body, scantily and seductively clad.

The Naga Clan was a name Lei Dong had long been familiar with—one of the most famous warrior races in the Abyss Domain, second only to the Abyss Demons. What was peculiar was that when Naga are born, they possess only a human torso and a serpent tail, with two arms. However, as their cultivation breaks through successive levels until the Soul Transformation stage, they grow another pair of arms, becoming Four-Armed Nagas.

Four-Armed Nagas are exceedingly formidable, excelling in close-quarters combat and overwhelming when leading armies into battle. This Naga named Berys was originally one of the supreme powerhouses of the Naga Clan, reportedly possessing mid-tier Soul Transformation strength.

When Lei Dong looked at her, he felt a palpable aura of fierce suppression and slaughter wash over him; even Lei Dong’s powerful divine sense almost failed to resist it. He mused inwardly that the Naga Clan truly lived up to its reputation. Originally, the Naga Clan and the Abyss Demon Clan maintained an indifferent distance, but unexpectedly, this Naga Clan had also been subdued by the Abyss Lord. It was rumored that the Naga Clan possessed two Soul Transformation masters; Berys was clearly only one of them, and it remained unknown if the other had been subdued.

Furthermore, rumor had it that the Naga Clan numbered in the millions. Although the quality of these millions could not compare to the Winged Gods Clan, they were still considered a strong race. In the Abyss environment where every individual was a soldier and no idlers were tolerated, they could easily muster hundreds of thousands of troops—quite formidable.

After Lei Dong greeted her, the Abyss Lord continued his introductions: “These two are rising talents of my clan, Umu and Ushi. Like Bai Luo, they are now great generals among the Demon Clan serving me.”

Looking at these two Abyss Demons, both were at the initial stage of Soul Transformation, and their auras were not particularly ancient or stable. It was clear that, like Wanyan, they had only recently advanced.

…… (To be continued)