Yet, Ah Jana remained staunchly before the Radiant King, her injured body dragging, her gaze unwavering, pouring every last bit of strength into raising another shield of holy light. Her face was incredibly pale, clearly having overdrawn her vital essence.

"King of Judgment, blast that woman away." Lei Dong felt a genuine shock; this Radiant King Ah Jana was proving to be a significant headache. Although this Black Dragon's Roar might obliterate her along with her shield, it certainly wouldn't harm the Radiant King she sheltered behind. However, afterwards, Lei Dong, with his meridians already damaged, might be unable to muster a third Black Dragon's Roar.

"Ah Jana, your father is already controlled by the Heart-Seizing Demon; there's no saving him now." The King of Judgment obeyed the order, flapping her wings and diving forward: "Be sensible and leave quickly. He ingested the essence spirit of a Void Refinement-grade Demon King. Once he is possessed, none of us will escape." Lei Dong had already swiftly communicated the matter of the Demon King’s essence spirit via mental waves.

Ah Jana snatched up the Light Sword, and with a determined, unwavering gaze, she swung a beam of brilliance toward the King of Judgment: "No one touches my father unless I die first."

"King of Judgment, I will kill Ah Jana, and you kill the Radiant King. Don't hesitate; you know the consequences." In his right hand, Lei Dong condensed a powerful surge of Netherworld Ghost Qi energy. He certainly understood that if he let the King of Judgment kill Ah Jana, she might falter. Only his proposal was optimal.

Although the King of Judgment felt deep pity for the sorrowful child Ah Jana, she also knew that disaster loomed. If the Radiant King wasn't dealt with before he was fully possessed by the Demon King, this battle would result in the deaths of many—so many people. And for the Radiant King to currently win on the level of willpower against the will of a Void Refinement-grade Demon King essence spirit was almost impossible.

"Lei Dong, strike," the King of Judgment knew this was no time for soft-heartedness. She channeled all her power into the Sword of Judgment, waiting for Lei Dong to obliterate Ah Jana before delivering a strike to kill the Radiant King. Despite the reluctance and profound pity visible in her eyes.

"Boom~"

Lei Dong's Black Dragon's Roar erupted. With echoing dragon cries, it tore through space, hurtling mercilessly toward Ah Jana. Although many of Lei Dong's meridians were already ruptured, and he had spat out a mouthful of blood from the strain of consecutively casting ultimate moves, his expression eased. The King of Judgment had proven reliable at the critical moment, not indulging in misplaced mercy.

It should be in time. Lei Dong had seen Demon King possessions before; this was just a brief moment. No matter how weak the Radiant King was, he couldn't hold out for just this short span.

Just as Lei Dong's black dragon lunged, jaws spread, before Ah Jana—so much so that Ah Jana herself had closed her eyes, bracing for death—a sudden twist occurred. The Radiant King, lying on the ground as if struggling against the Demon King essence spirit, flickered instantly. Instead, he appeared in front of Ah Jana and slammed a fist into the black dragon's head.

Boom! The violent explosion ripped ripples across the sky. A significant portion of space couldn't withstand such a fierce blast, shattering into fragments.

Lei Dong froze, staring at the Radiant King standing proudly before Ah Jana, cursing internally, What the hell, Radiant King, are you trying to defy heaven? You blew up my Black Dragon's Roar with one punch? This power probably isn't what a peak mid-stage Spirit Transformation realm cultivator should possess!

"King of Judgment!" Lei Dong roared.

After a slight pause, the King of Judgment sharply cried out and unleashed the Sword of Judgment with all her might. The sword transformed into an utterly desolate crescent of light, directly tearing a black fissure in space, slashing toward the Radiant King’s head with overwhelming force.

Forced by the situation, the King of Judgment’s strike displayed a power that even surpassed her usual standard.

"Roar~" On the Radiant King’s fierce face, the handsome countenance was completely gone, replaced by a hideous contortion. With a gesture of his right hand, his exclusive spirit treasure, the Sword of Radiance, materialized. The brilliant, gilded longsword struck out fiercely, bathed in golden light, resembling a dazzling sun.

Boom! The two rays of light, one white and one gold, collided violently. The resulting shockwave was so powerful it nearly threw the King of Judgment backward. But the Radiant King stood firm as a mountain, rooted to the ground, letting the violent shockwaves wash over him. Gold and black energies alternated continuously.

Lei Dong flashed forward and caught the King of Judgment, who had been thrown back by the impact. He looked at the Holy Radiance King with deep apprehension. He couldn't understand what had happened to the Radiant King. According to the normal outcome of ingesting a Demon King essence spirit, either the massive power within would be absorbed to refine one's own essence, leading to advancement, or the latent will of the Demon King would seize the body and rapidly transform the host into a Demon King.

Yet, the Radiant King’s power was surging, having already broken through mid-stage Spirit Transformation, perhaps even nearing high-stage, close to the peak of Spirit Transformation. But he seemed to have retained some semblance of sanity, saving his daughter Ah Jana at the most critical juncture. Furthermore, the power within his body appeared to be continuously increasing.

Something was wrong; something was deeply wrong. The Heart-Seizing Demon existed within the Radiant King’s body. Even if he wrestled with the will of the Demon King essence spirit, it shouldn't be the Radiant King's primary consciousness taking the lead, right? Neither the will of the Heart-Seizing Demon nor that Demon King’s will would ever save Ah Jana.

Lei Dong couldn't comprehend it, but he was a decisive person. Knowing that the Radiant King seemed past the point of no return, there was no way he and the King of Judgment could handle him now, as he likely possessed peak Spirit Transformation power. Therefore, regardless of what he had become, Lei Dong did not want a direct confrontation.

He swiftly took the King of Judgment and flew toward the Holy Radiance King: "Let's kill the Holy Radiance King first. After we kill him, you immediately take command of his troops. By now, most people must know what that bastard, the Holy Radiance King, did to his own elder brother."

"Fine!" The King of Judgment swept her spiritual sense across the battlefield and saw that the morale of many Winged God Clan warriors seemed to have collapsed—not because they were suppressed by Lei Dong’s army, but because Lei Dong's Hidden Dragon Army and Fierce Ghost Army were revealing the true face of the Holy Radiance King while fighting.

Words alone wouldn't convince anyone, of course. But the Holy Radiance King had indeed arrogantly shouted the command for the Radiant King to swallow the Demon King essence spirit—a Void Refinement-grade one—at the crucial moment. And everyone present, being at least Nascent Soul level experts, sensed through their strong spiritual perception that the Radiant King was indeed terribly wrong, that situation truly looked like he had ingested a Demon King essence spirit.

No one present was foolish. Thinking it over, there seemed to be a huge problem here. And what those enemies were shouting about didn't seem to be baseless rumors. Each of them began to wonder: Could it be that the Holy Radiance King truly abandoned brotherly affection, used the Heart-Seizing Demon to control his elder brother, and ordered his own King to ingest a Void Refinement-grade Demon King essence spirit?

Much evidence was already laid bare. Among the Twin Kings of Radiance, the Radiant King was clearly ahead. In reality, although they were called Twin Kings, in terms of individual strength or prestige, the Radiant King was far above the Holy Radiance King.

Among the two thousand elite troops brought by the Holy Radiance King, a significant portion were the Radiant King's fiercely loyal subordinates. Under mounting suspicion, their morale naturally plummeted. As for the Holy Radiance King’s own subordinates, they too seemed deeply shaken by the event: their own master treating his elder brother in such a manner? The Twin Kings of Radiance had always been everyone's idols, figures of immense reverence. Now, those idols seemed to be crumbling in an instant.

"Hahahaha, Lei Dong, you cannot stop the Demon King's rebirth," the Holy Radiance King laughed madly, seeing that his plan had succeeded. "Even if you win this battle, you will be the loser. After the Demon King kills a large portion of your subordinates, what will you use to fight the Emperor of the Dark Night?" The current Holy Radiance King resembled a rabid dog; even if he had to die, he wanted to drag many others down with him.

"He's insane. King of Judgment, cooperate with the Old Demon and kill him." Lei Dong frowned slightly. However, he was certain that even if he exerted immense effort to grind the Demon King down, he ultimately would not lose to the Emperor of the Dark Night.

Lei Dong’s injuries at this moment were already severe; even after consuming top-grade elixirs, it only served to temporarily stabilize his condition.

The King of Judgment naturally complied. She hated this despicable and shameless wretch, the Holy Radiance King, to the core. Killing him carried no psychological burden; rather, it was a form of vengeance. Moreover, killing him could save many of their kin.

The Purgatory Demon King was also a fierce fighter. After successive intense battles, he too was nearing his limit. With a roar, his imposing frame grew slightly taller, and he let out a beast-like bellow: "Purgatory Sky Inferno."

Another ultimate move manifested, conjuring a sky full of scorching flames which then condensed into a single stream, hurtling toward the Holy Radiance King.

"I decree, space shall be solidified," Lei Dong seized the opportunity, exhausting his vast spiritual sense to cast the True Word spell once more. Although the True Word spell was incomparably miraculous, it placed an enormous burden on spiritual sense. At this crucial moment, Lei Dong no longer cared about backlash.

As the Holy Radiance King was restrained, the King of Judgment once again unleashed the Sword of Judgment, transforming into a thunderbolt that directly struck the Holy Radiance King. With their combined attack—hers and the Purgatory Demon King's—the controlled Holy Radiance King was certain to die.

Suddenly, a rose-red streak, like a shooting star, flashed past. Another woman sacrificed herself for righteousness, her shield fully deployed, standing before the Holy Radiance King.

"Liuyue!" the King of Judgment shrieked, forcibly deflecting her sword light, which grazed past the King of Liuyue. But the Purgatory Demon King showed no mercy, striking the King of Liuyue directly with his Purgatory Sky Inferno.

...(To be continued