“In that case, the two seniors should prepare quickly and enter the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land as soon as possible to strive for the Void Refinement realm.” Lei Dong also felt a slight relaxation in his heart. If he could gain two powerful Void Refinement level experts after a year, Lei Dong’s hidden cards and confidence would be much fuller.

After all, the Purgatory Demon King and the Nether Ghost Emperor were both extraordinarily talented individuals. Such figures, if placed in ancient times, would undoubtedly be top-tier powerhouses. Moreover, both possessed thousands of years of combat experience, meaning that upon advancing to the Void Refinement stage, they would immediately possess considerable combat strength.

With this matter settled, Lei Dong began ordering the external search teams to heighten their vigilance. They must not only avoid clashing with the Emperor of the Dark Night but also avoid engaging with the visitors from the Demon Realm. As for the tasks of searching for Chaos Crystals and collecting Chaos Spiritual Qi, these naturally could not stop; only the directive changed to seeking no merit but avoiding errors.

If they could just drag out time for another year, not only would there be a high probability of two Void Refinement level figures emerging, but the cultivation of the other Soul Transformation experts would also advance by leaps and bounds. More significantly, those Golden Core level cultivators training within the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land would, nurtured by the long passage of time and Chaos Spiritual Qi, be able to break through to the Nascent Soul level.

Of course, Lei Dong’s side could not just bury their heads in cultivation, doing nothing else. The Shadow Demon King, supremely skilled in stealth, and his kin were assigned an important mission: to sow discord and lure the Emperor of the Dark Night and the Demon Realm army into conflict.

Lei Dong also promised the Shadow Demon King that once they had made efforts and sacrifices, securing meritorious service, the sin of the Shadow Demon race would be absolved, and they would truly become Lei Dong’s legitimate subordinates, rather than remaining in their current near-enslaved state. Hearing this condition, the Abyss Demon race, the Naga tribe, and the Cyclops tribe also joined the efforts to instigate and lure. This was because Berylith and the others were keenly aware that with Lei Dong’s heaven-defying means and hidden cards, he held the great potential to become an Emperor capable of unifying the Six Domains and Nine Provinces in the future. If they did not strive to integrate now, perhaps utter annihilation would await their races later.

Composed of elite Abyss races, various squads detoured deep behind enemy lines, impersonating subordinates of the Emperor of the Dark Night. Aided by scout intelligence, they launched furious assaults on the Demon Realm army. Within a mere month, they annihilated hundreds of Blood Fiend elite soldiers, though the cost was not small, with casualties across the races totaling seven or eight hundred powerhouses.

This readiness to sacrifice and strive for merit to win Lei Dong’s favor angered Duyai, whose nature was both rebellious and exceptionally vicious. That so-called native Emperor of the Dark Night was truly insufferably arrogant, not only refusing his surrender offer but also launching a suicidal counterattack.

Duyai was no mere newcomer general who had just recently advanced to Void Refinement like Ba Chong. Given her formidable reputation, her standing within the Blood Fiend Fangs was quite high. She commanded four full Blood Fiend Military Talismans, each concealing three thousand battle-hardened veterans, including many Soul Transformation level powerhouses serving as squad leaders.

This illustrated the might and combat capability of the Three Realms. While armies of ordinary factions might use Golden Core level cultivators as their main fighting force, the elite legions of major powers certainly used Nascent Soul level cultivators as their core. Within the Six Domains and Nine Provinces, the highly impressive Soul Transformation level figures usually only served as captains in the elite armies of the major powers of the Three Realms.

This was a major reason why the Three Realms instilled such dread in those from the lower realms. Of course, the abundance of resources in the Three Realms was also why they possessed so many powerhouses, rather than the individuals themselves being inherently superior. Figures like the Purgatory Demon King or the King of Radiance, for instance—if they hadn't been born in the Six Domains and Nine Provinces but originated from the Three Realms, and managed to survive for several millennia without falling, attaining the Void Refinement level would be guaranteed, even if the Integration stage wasn't certain. Success in the Integration stage wouldn't be entirely impossible, but carry a certain probability.

Excellent individuals, no matter where they are placed, will always be excellent.

Duyai had not expected that a Void Refinement level Abyss Demon originating from the lower realms would dare to show her such disrespect, even daring to call himself Emperor—truly seeking death. It must be known that although a Void Refinement level cultivator could claim emperorship, it was not something just any Void Refinement level expert could do. Those who dared to claim the title among Void Refinement experts were invariably the elite of the elite, one in a hundred, the best of the best among them.

Consequently, Duyai prepared to teach this arrogant so-called Emperor of the Dark Night a serious lesson. Experts from the upper realm were certainly not figures that a mere group of local bumpkins could defy. Immediately, Duyai organized large numbers of elite teams and began counterattacking the Emperor of the Dark Night's patrols.

Duyai’s sense of superiority was not unfounded; the environment of the Three Realms was indeed far superior to that of the Six Domains and Nine Provinces. While the Void Refinement level held a certain status, it was not overwhelmingly supreme. Looking down on the lower realms and labeling those places as the countryside was, in Duyai’s view, entirely natural.

It was a pity that Duyai failed to remember, or perhaps did not realize, one crucial point. While achieving Void Refinement in the Three Realms was certainly not easy, achieving it in the extremely resource-scarce environment of the Six Domains and Nine Provinces was far beyond merely describing it as difficult.

Any individual who could attain Void Refinement in the resource-deprived Six Domains and Nine Provinces must be a heaven-defying existence. Such people possessed unyielding willpower and domineering attitudes, daring to confront any challenge head-on. Even Lei Dong acknowledged that the Emperor of the Dark Night was quite formidable, managing to reach the Void Refinement level and gathering a large contingent of followers, ambitiously preparing to unify the Six Domains and Nine Provinces.

How could such a person be understood by those like Duyai or Ba Chong, who grew up in relatively favorable environments?

When Duyai struck hard, the Emperor of the Dark Night, lacking an accurate source of intelligence, immediately believed Duyai was retaliating for his refusal to submit. Without yielding an inch, he mobilized his army to attack Duyai.

Many now believe the Emperor of the Dark Night achieved the Void Refinement level by relying on this Chaos Alien Realm. In reality, the Emperor of the Dark Night reached the Void Refinement level through his own effort and the plunder of resources. With his exceptional foresight and strategy back then, he had already established a faction rich with talent.

However, it was only when he was preparing to ambitiously unify the Six Domains and Nine Provinces and achieve what no predecessor had accomplished that he accidentally discovered this Chaos Alien Space. Upon finding this Chaos Alien Space, the Emperor of the Dark Night naturally planned to lead his subordinates to thoroughly plunder its resources, advance his followers further, and then easily crush his enemies.

Unfortunately for the Emperor of the Dark Night, this Chaos Alien Space, whose coordinates were forgotten after high-ranking Demon Race members were eliminated during a war, contained countless Mind Devourer Eggs. Normally, Mind Devourer Eggs remained dormant until they parasitized a living being.

Yet, there are always unexpected events. One of the Mind Devourer Eggs gradually gained sentience over a long period, hatching to form a wild, free-roaming Mind Devourer.

The ancient structures at the very center of this Chaos Alien Space were originally built by the Demon Race for the mass production of Mind Devourer armies. The unfortunate Emperor of the Dark Night led his army into that area and met with disaster. A formation that had lain dormant for who knows how many years was activated, trapping him and his entire army within.

Not only that, but the powerful formation left behind by the Demon Race also automatically began the process of manufacturing Mind Devourer armies. Driven by the formation, these captives were hypnotized, falling into an irresistible slumber, as dormant Mind Devourers from ages past parasitized each member of the army.

The Mind Devourer that parasitized the Emperor of the Dark Night was that extremely special, sentient, wild Mind Devourer.

Under the normal procedure, after the formation automatically completed the Mind Devourer parasitism, the possessed army would be placed under hypnotic seal, awaiting inspection from higher-ups and the refining of control artifacts. But since no high-ranking Demon Race members remained here, this sealed Mind Devourer army naturally remained locked in its trance and hypnosis.

The sole exception, of course, was the Emperor of the Dark Night. The Mind Devourer parasitizing him was sentient and attempted to devour the Emperor’s consciousness during the process, seeking to become a truly living entity.

But this also provided an opportunity for the Emperor of the Dark Night. Who was the Emperor of the Dark Night? He was a peerless overlord-level figure, one who might appear only once in millions of years within the Abyss Demon race. How could someone who achieved Void Refinement in such a harsh environment, dominating all contemporaries in the Six Domains and Nine Provinces, be simple?

His will and perseverance far surpassed those of ordinary people. Although sealed and hypnotized, his will was constantly battling the Mind Devourer's consciousness. It was only a few centuries ago that he won control of his own body through prolonged resistance instinct.

This made him an exceedingly rare victor over a Mind Devourer parasite. Unfortunately, while he won, only he won. The tens of thousands of direct subordinates he brought in became living dead.

Left with no choice, the Emperor of the Dark Night reluctantly activated the formation and refined those Mind Devourers, turning them into an army under his control. Perhaps, deep down, he harbored a hope of alleviating the suffering of his direct brethren.

How could such a figure possibly submit to Duyai, someone not significantly stronger than him? Yet, the Emperor of the Dark Night’s army seemed genuinely no match for Duyai’s Blood Fiend elites. After a short time, they were repeatedly forced back, and within just three or four months, Duyai and Ba Chong led the army to storm the Emperor’s lair.

Just as Duyai was preparing to press the attack and completely conquer that local tyrant, the Emperor of the Dark Night, an accident—yet again—occurred. The so-called lair of the Emperor of the Dark Night was precisely the automated manufacturing base for the Mind Devourer army that he had led his troops into years ago...