So, while the Chaos Crystal is undeniably important, the Chaos Origin is the very root of everything. Although possessing sufficient Chaos Crystals allows one to elevate even a pig to the Deity Transformation stage, the sheer amount required to push a pig from the mortal world to that realm would be astronomical.

Take Lei Dong, for instance, whose aptitude is considered above average. To have cultivated to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage is already a remarkable feat, surpassing anything someone with the exceptional talent of Dongfang Fu could imagine. To advance further would require several times, perhaps even ten times, the resources Dongfang Fu would need. The higher one ascends, the wider the disparity becomes.

Furthermore, if one's life essence is sufficiently high, perhaps advancement can be achieved without the need for Chaos Crystals at all.

Moreover, given Lei Dong's poor aptitude, his current stage is manageable by piling on immense resources. But what about the future? If he aims to become a Supreme Being? It is possible that even dedicating the entire world's resources might fail to achieve that ambition for Lei Dong.

But with the Chaos Origin in hand, all possibilities open up.

After briefly encouraging his assembled subordinates, Lei Dong decided not to let the currently activated Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land go to waste. He gathered his followers and entered secluded cultivation. Simultaneously, the majority of the Fierce Ghost Army and the Hidden Dragon Army were also drawn into the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land to cultivate desperately.

The remaining soldiers, along with the Heavenly Demons, Wan Yan, and others, were tasked with assisting Lei Dong in setting up more Chaos Spirit Gathering Formations throughout this Chaos Otherworld to collect resources aggressively. At the same time, they began eradicating the mining teams left behind in this Chaos Otherworld by the Abyss Lord. After all, Wan Yan and the others had already evolved to the Deity Transformation stage, and in the short term, even relying on Chaos Crystals, it would be difficult for them to easily break through to the mid-stage of Deity Transformation. Growth in strength requires steady progress and time for consolidation. Rushing things could instead harm the foundation, leading to wasted resources.

According to Mei'er's report, this Chaos Otherworld was quite dangerous, seemingly inhabited by various lifeforms controlled by Heart-Seizing Demons. However, Wan Yan and her group encountered no danger during their clearing and exploration process; everything proceeded unusually smoothly.

Even at the Cave of Sorrow, the entrance to this dimension, where White Armor Soldiers and ten thousand Fierce Ghost Army troops were stationed, the rumored armies of Heart-Seizing Demons never appeared to attack.

News of this nature continuously reached Lei Dong, who was deep in cultivation. Lei Dong did not believe the Heart-Seizing Demons were benevolent, nor did he believe there were no such demons here. This was because Wan Yan's exploration and clearing team had already discovered several completely empty Heart-Seizing Demon nests and confiscated over a thousand Heart-Seizing Demon eggs.

Besides, if there wasn't a truly powerful Heart-Seizing Demon army here, given the Abyss Lord's personality, how could he have only dispatched a few stealth-proficient elites to monitor the nexus point between the fissures? Why wouldn't he have heavily fortified the interior of the fissure, building a fortress to control the entrance?

The fact that the Heart-Seizing Demon forces remained inactive suggested something strange was afoot, and a plot was likely unfolding. While cautioning all forces to remain vigilant, Lei Dong positioned his secluded cultivation spot near the entrance leading to the Abyss Domain, ensuring he could offer immediate support should any sudden changes occur.

Lei Dong did not believe the indigenous Heart-Seizing Demon army lurking in the shadows could be powerful enough to overwhelm him. If they were, the inhabitants here would have been wiped out countless times during the hundred years the Abyss Lord had been mining.

Moreover, theoretically, Heart-Seizing Demons are purely parasitic entities that rely on possession for survival. As is commonly known, once a lifeform is controlled by a Heart-Seizing Demon, it can no longer cultivate. The strength they possess at the time of control is the strength they retain thereafter. Apart from a few special circumstances that might alter this fate, accidents are rare.

Lei Dong also refused to believe that the natives controlled by Heart-Seizing Demons here could be monstrously powerful. After all, both the body and the Nascent Soul have lifespans; even under Heart-Seizing Demon control, they cannot live forever. However, based on some ancient texts Lei Dong collected, after taking control of a shell, Heart-Seizing Demons can enter a state of hibernation through a certain mysterious method, indirectly extending their lifespan. Lei Dong had never practiced this, but he believed that even the ancient Heart-Seizing Demons entering hibernation would not have survived until the present day.

Therefore, Lei Dong was not overly fearful of the indigenous Heart-Seizing Demons here. After all, the strength he wielded was enough to make any powerhouse tremble. Even if the enemy reached the Void Refinement stage, he could crush them with sheer numbers. And the Void Refinement stage had not been seen in ages.

Furthermore, if one were to break through to the Void Refinement stage within the Six Domains and Nine Continents, they would be actively rejected by the laws of heaven and earth, which the Mother of All Spirits had twisted at the cost of her life. They would be forced to shatter the void and enter the Three Realms through a reverse passage to survive normally. Otherwise, they would constantly be hounded by the laws of heaven and earth, never knowing peace.

Of course, when facing unknown enemies, Lei Dong always calculated with the maximum possible threat in mind.

In the present situation, overthinking was meaningless. Lei Dong preferred to spend any surplus energy on enhancing the strength of his subordinates. All problems, he believed, could be solved as long as his own power was great enough.

Recently, both the Fierce Ghost Army and the Hidden Dragon Army had earned considerable military merits. Lei Dong distributed over a hundred small Chaos Crystals seized from the Abyss Lord’s forces. For the most elite segments, Lei Dong directly awarded them prime Chaos Crystals, allowing a group of them to share one piece.

Lei Dong’s primary goal in cultivating the combat strength of his subordinates was to elevate the Hidden Dragon Army—currently numbering just over four thousand, though called five thousand—entirely to the Nascent Soul stage, forging a purely Nascent Soul-level military force. Their ghost servants, utilizing the vast amounts of flesh and blood collected, could gradually advance to the Ghost King level.

The remaining resources would be allocated to the Fierce Ghost Army. The Fierce Ghost Army was the main force and Lei Dong's core fighting division. His first objective for them was to elevate all squad leaders to the Ghost King level.

If both these objectives were realized, Lei Dong's army could sweep across the Six Domains and Nine Continents, becoming invincible—slaying gods upon meeting them and buddhas upon meeting them.

For anyone else, even possessing this dimensional space, achieving such goals in a short period would be impossible. But with the treasure of the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land in hand, everything would become—ShuShu Net.

Of course, the prerequisite for achieving these goals was securing this spirit-rich Chaos Otherworld.

Based on his assessment of the situation, the cunning Abyss Lord Udis and the ambitious Holy Radiance King would most likely form an alliance upon witnessing the upheaval in this Chaos Otherworld, turning their attention toward Lei Dong.

The probability of such a scenario was extremely high. Only if both the Abyss Lord and the Holy Radiance King were utterly foolish would they continue fighting amongst themselves after someone seized control of the Chaos Otherworld, merely benefiting Lei Dong.

The entrance to this dimension would thus become a formidable strategic choke point, an excellent position to hold the enemy outside the otherworld. The stationed Fierce Ghost Army began strategic construction there, rapidly erecting a temporary fortress using extremely sturdy materials and deploying vast amounts of artillery and formations. The lowest-ranked among the Fierce Ghost Army were already at the Ghost General level, possessing immense strength, allowing them to construct the fortress at an astonishing speed. Changing visibly every day, the fortress was soon completed. The Fierce Ghost Army also spared no expense in deploying an Anti-Air Formation specifically targeting the enemy's aerial advantage.

For Lei Dong, when he was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, the Anti-Air Formation was an object of remote awe. However, given his current status and the resources he commanded, setting up such a formation was merely considered a slightly costly endeavor.

The enemy would be unable to enter en masse simultaneously, and if only a few managed to break through, this confined area would become their nightmare. To breach it would likely require a painful and heavy toll. And those who perished would become excellent nourishment for Lei Dong's refinement of Chaos Spirit Energy and the nurturing of his ghost army.

With the Chaos Soul Devouring Tower in his possession, Lei Dong did not fear war; rather, he welcomed it.

As anticipated, the enemy arrived swiftly. Within seven days, the combined forces of the Abyss Lord and the Holy Radiance King descended upon the desolate area of the Bone Sinking Deep Pool. These two massive armies, which had been engaged in mortal combat just a short time ago, now stood as intimate allies. While this alliance might not be entirely stable, it would persist until Lei Dong was defeated, or they were.

They naturally did not dare to delay, as every extra day meant Lei Dong could harvest more Chaos Spirit Energy and incubate an even stronger army.

Upon arrival outside the Bone Sinking Deep Pool, both armies immediately dispatched large contingents of low-tier native cannon fodder legions to assault the fissure leading into the Chaos Otherworld. Their approach was sound: Lei Dong, given his nature, would certainly have fortified the fissure entrance. A direct, main-force entry would be pure suicide.

As expected, the moment the natives entered, they were met with merciless sniping from the Fierce Ghost Army. A large number of natives, unable to fly and charge the fortress under the Anti-Air Formation, were remotely blown apart.

Through portable artifacts carried by some of the infiltrating natives, scenes of the brutal warfare were transmitted back to the Holy Radiance King and the Abyss Lord waiting outside.

The leaders of the two legions, though positioned separately within their main armies, remained constantly linked through communication arrays, discussing the unfolding battle. Lei Dong's defensive setup was within their expectations; they were not surprised.

Seeing this, instead of retreating, they roared commands, sending even more waves of native armies surging into the Chaos Otherworld like a tide. They sought to carve a bloody path through sheer numbers. As long as they secured this Chaos Otherworld, no amount of loss would be considered too great.