"Hee-hee, brat, I admire your ruthlessness." The Radiant King spat out a string of chilling laughter. "That idiot was constrained by his daughter, which allowed me to turn the tide and win. Now he's cornered. Sooner or later, I will devour every last shred of his consciousness. That damned fellow actually interrupted my Sanctification Ritual." The so-called Sanctification Ritual was naturally the process by which the Demon King's consciousness used the life imprint within the essence to transform the possessed body into a higher-tier fiend.

Lei Dong certainly knew that threatening the Demon King with Ajiana was futile, so he ignored the arrogant Demon King and continued in a deep voice, "Radiant King, I know you can hear me. If you cannot defeat the Humbug King, not only will all your consciousness vanish, but I will also personally send your daughter on her way, helping her join you in your so-called paradise." These words could be interpreted as a form of encouragement for the Radiant King.

As expected, a sudden spasm of pain crossed the sinister yet handsome face, which then twisted violently. Clearly, after being provoked by Lei Dong, the Radiant King was fighting to regain control of the body.

"Brothers, the Radiant King is fiercely resisting the Demon King's consciousness!" Seeing his tactic succeed, Lei Dong roared the order, "Let's help him! Everyone attack with full force!"

The mighty experts and Ghost Kings, upon receiving the command, unleashed their attacks without restraint, spells of every kind filling the air. The Demon King had to simultaneously maneuver the body to evade or withstand the barrage of attacks and deal with the frenzied assault of the Radiant King's will within the body. In that moment, he became flustered, struck repeatedly by the spells. Even with his Void Refinement-level strength, his body was not immortal; how could it endure such maltreatment?

The Demon King roared, flapping his tattered wings, his form blurring as he prepared to flee.

"I decree that space is solidified." Lei Dong, like an emperor of heaven and earth, calmly enacted the True Word incantation, commanding the laws of space to warp to prevent the Demon King's escape. Of course, due to excessive power expenditure, his spiritual sense was strained, and the potency of the True Word was waning.

Having been tricked once before, the Demon King shattered the spatial solidification in barely half a breath, his hatred for Lei Dong reaching bone-deep levels. He spun around and lunged toward Lei Dong's direction.

Lei Dong snatched Ajiana, his movements as elusive as a phantom, darting backward. Simultaneously, he shouted again, "Radiant King, if you cannot defeat the Demon King within ten breaths, I will rip off one of your daughter's arms. Radiant King, haven't you already failed your daughter enough? Do you wish to fail her even more?"

The Demon King's face drastically changed, and he shrieked, "Radiant, you're insane, you actually burned... Ah, you despicable cur, release my daughter, or I will make sure you perish without a burial site!"

The latter half of that sentence was filled with an overwhelming mix of grief and indignation, directed at Lei Dong.

Lei Dong, hearing the highly threatening words, was pleased rather than alarmed. He immediately stopped everyone's assault. He formed a cordon around the Radiant King from all four sides, above, below, left, and right, adopting a composed posture. "Radiant King, no matter how harsh your words, they are useless now. Your daughter has no power to resist. I have hundreds of ways to annihilate her soul instantly." In that moment, Lei Dong felt a strange thrill of playing the ultimate villain.

"What do you want, brat?" Under Lei Dong's goading, the Radiant King had finally suppressed the Demon King's consciousness. His face returned from its contorted state to that of the handsome older man, his eyes fixed on Lei Dong with intense anger and apprehension, wearing an expression that suggested he wished to grind Lei Dong into dust.

"Radiant King, you are an intelligent man; you know what I require." Lei Dong pressed his right hand against the back of Ajiana's head, posturing as if a slight exertion of force could instantly crush her skull, and stated coldly.

"Very well, brat. I can give you this life, but you must swear upon the names of your wife, children, and parents that you will never harm my daughter afterward." Though the Radiant King had been a hero in life, with his lifeline seized by Lei Dong, he had no choice. He already owed his daughter too much. Furthermore, the method he used to force back the Demon King—burning his soul—had severely damaged his own Essence Soul (Yuanshen); even if he lived, his remaining lifespan was short.

"I have no interest in your life," Lei Dong stated flatly. "Lei Mou only demands that from this day forward, you obey me. I guarantee I will not harm a single hair on your daughter's head."

"Brat, you..." The Radiant King was furious but utterly helpless as he spoke. "Brat, I can do things for you. However, my Soul is too heavily damaged; even with the Divine Water of Life to heal me, I can survive for three years at most."

"Father! Don't listen to this demon!" Ajiana's sinking will began to stir. Though she couldn't escape Lei Dong's grip, it didn't prevent her from speaking. "Kill him! Even if I die, I would never wish for you to remain under anyone's control again."

"What a deeply affectionate father and daughter," Lei Dong chuckled. "Radiant King, though my methods are unscrupulous, I always keep my word. Promises made are promises kept. I swear before all these friends and kin: obey my orders for three years. After that, if Ajiana chooses to trouble me or seek vengeance, I absolutely will not pursue her. Now, here is my first command: immediately capture your younger brother, the Radiant King of Holy Splendor."

The Radiant King's expression shifted, revealing deep hatred. Yet, far from resisting Lei Dong's command, he immediately shot toward the Holy Splendor King, who was still fiercely resisting.

In reality, at that stage of the battle, the Holy Splendor King was already a trapped creature. The Purgatory Demon King had merely been cautious, fearing that the Holy Splendor King, who possessed many hidden trump cards, might attempt a mutual annihilation, thus holding back slightly. Had the Purgatory Demon King disregarded losses, the Holy Splendor King would have already been captured.

But with the Radiant King entering the fray, the situation changed entirely. A starved camel is still larger than a horse. Although the Radiant King, a Void Refinement expert, was severely wounded and depleted, dealing with the already exhausted God Transformation-level Holy Splendor King was remarkably easy for him.

Taking over from the Purgatory Demon King, in merely seven or eight breaths, the Radiant King, who hated his brother deeply, struck the Holy Splendor King down. A wisp of demonic energy enveloped the fallen figure, binding him. Without hesitation, he returned to Lei Dong's encirclement. Seeing his brother thrown to the ground like a rag doll, the Radiant King glared at Lei Dong. "Brat, I am a man of my word. I have done what you asked. Why don't you release my daughter first? For these three years, I will follow your orders without reservation."

Hearing this, Lei Dong immediately released Ajiana, using the Nether Ghost Claws to deliver her safely before the Radiant King. He clasped his hands respectfully. "Radiant King, I know your reputation, so I choose to believe your words." Lei Dong understood he couldn't push too hard; otherwise, if the Radiant King found an opportunity to strike back, the consequences could be fatal. Just as the Radiant King had weaknesses, Lei Dong certainly had his own.

The Radiant King’s tense expression eased slightly. He quickly embraced his daughter, channeling his vast power to tend to the severely injured Ajiana. Although Ajiana was free, sorrow marred her beautiful face. "Father, do you truly only have three years left?"

"Child, do not speak," the Radiant King smiled. "Do not grieve for me. The former me, haunted by the heart-devouring demon, lived a life worse than death. Now, not only have I regained my freedom, but I also possess the Void Refinement power I always dreamed of. Even if I only live for three short years, it is infinitely better than being a living corpse. So, you should be happy for me, not sad."

"Haha, big brother, stop trying to fool yourself," the Holy Splendor King, whose entire scheme had failed, burst into manic laughter.

The Radiant King slowly set Ajiana down, his gaze complex and sorrowful as he looked at the Holy Splendor King. After a long silence, he sighed heavily. "Can you tell me why, John? I took care of you and protected you since we were small. I truly cannot comprehend why you would do this."

"Yes, you are my big brother. Since childhood, you have surpassed me in everything, and I have always obeyed you. I respected you, admired you, and imitated you, viewing you as my lifelong idol," the Holy Splendor King’s wild laughter subsided, replaced by a raving roar as if struck by a seizure. "I would support and uphold everything you did. Even for Eliana, whom I deeply loved, I never showed her even a shred of affection, because you loved her too, and you were pursuing her."

"So you loved Eliana too?" The Radiant King was slightly stunned, as if hearing this for the first time. But his eyes quickly dimmed. "Are you hating me for not protecting Eliana well enough? For her sake, you took things this far?"

"You married Eliana, and I thought you two would be happy together; I was willing to bless you." The Holy Splendor King's face became terribly distorted. "But what have you done? For what damned glory of restoring the Ancestor-Warrior prestige, for what damned revival of the Winged God Clan, you not only neglected Eliana and made her miserable, but in your excessive pursuit of power, you secretly struck a deal with higher-tier fiends, coveting their strength. In that battle, I was severely wounded for you, and Eliana... she died fighting for you. Indeed, you succeeded; you obtained the essence soul of a Void Refinement-level Demon King."