Time slipped by, and another two or three years passed. Lei Dong’s foundation began to stabilize, and the development of the Chaos Strange Space had officially entered a regularized pattern. Under relentless scouring of the land, the scattered Chaos Crystal deposits that could be dug up were becoming increasingly sparse. While income remained steady through the refinement of spiritual energy extracted by the Chaos Spirit Gathering Array, it was evident that the ambient Chaos Spiritual Qi was continuously thinning out.

But over these two or three years, without external interference, the amount of Chaos Crystals obtained by Lei Dong’s faction reached two thousand pieces. The majority had already been distributed, leaving Lei Dong holding just five hundred as a strategic reserve.

However, this massive investment in resources naturally yielded substantial returns for Lei Dong. Supported by the Heavenly Spirit Stones continuously acquired through auctions, the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands Lei Dong had temporarily placed within the Chaos Strange Space never ceased their operation.

Although the time flow within these blessed lands cost ten times more energy due to the sheer number of cultivators present—requiring the replacement of one hundred and eight Heavenly Spirit Stones annually—Lei Dong never abandoned this investment.

Heavenly Spirit Stones, though precious, were a lesser fortune compared to Chaos Crystals. When Lei Dong auctioned off the Chaos Crystals, the bids from several peak mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators were made in Heavenly Spirit Stones. Ultimately, the stones were acquired by a remarkably low-profile figure from the Profound Ice Domain, at the staggering price of two hundred and thirteen Heavenly Spirit Stones.

This demonstrated that Lei Dong was no longer overly concerned about parting with Heavenly Spirit Stones. After all, if one gathered them from across the globe now, one could probably scrape together over a hundred thousand such stones.

Accelerating the enhancement of his own faction's strength was the true path to dominance.

Lei Dong's achievements in improving his subordinates' strength were astonishing. In the Fierce Ghost Army and the Hidden Dragon Army, the total number of Deity Transformation-level experts now exceeded two hundred. But even more impressive was the cohort of Nascent Soul experts; Lei Dong’s core forces now had not a single Golden Core stage cultivator among them.

In other words, the number of Nascent Soul experts under Lei Dong’s command now surpassed one hundred thousand—a truly terrifying figure. Even a late-stage Void Refinement expert, if surrounded, would face certain annihilation.

Furthermore, several of Lei Dong’s direct subordinate generals began advancing to the Deity Transformation stage under the abundant resources. Qi Feifei, Mei Ji, Blood Demon, Mo Chou, Yi Kong, Lei Qing'er, and even the later arrival Linghu Qianqian had all sprouted their sixth tail.

As for Young Mistress Qing, due to limited time for cultivation and being burdened by pressing duties, she could not enter the Grotto-Heaven for secluded training and remained at the Nascent Soul stage. However, this Nascent Soul stage cultivator had absolutely no need to worry about her safety, as she was guarded by four Deity Transformation-level Ghost Clan members, and she herself possessed a Deity Transformation-level puppet.

Additionally, Lei Dong’s damaged puppets began to be systematically repaired and reformed. The individual in charge of this matter was Elder Li of the Myriad Puppet Sect. While the Myriad Puppet Sect was not part of Lei Dong’s core power structure, Elder Li was acutely aware of the overall situation.

All signs indicated that Lei Dong was someone destined for explosive ascent, and following him would yield immense benefits, leading the Myriad Puppet Sect to soar as well. In fact, the sect had already gained considerable advantages. The allocated Chaos Crystals had elevated the Myriad Puppet Sect’s strength by several levels.

Originally, the Myriad Puppet Sect ranked merely as a top-tier power in the human world, with about a dozen other continents capable of contending with it. But now, the Myriad Puppet Sect stood supreme. The Deity Transformation experts cultivated using Chaos Crystals visibly numbered no less than ten. Furthermore, Lei Dong had gifted them several hundred damaged puppets, which, after repair and refinement, would ultimately position the Myriad Puppet Sect proudly atop all human factions save for Lei Dong himself.

Consequently, Elder Li firmly believed this success stemmed from his close alignment with Lei Dong’s trajectory. His advantage over other factions was the relationship between his direct great-granddaughter and Lei Dong, which, while not having reached the final stage, was highly favored by Elder Li. After all, Ding Wanyan, the pillar of Lei Dong’s harem, had fully acknowledged Chu Chu’s standing and was quite fond of her.

This foreshadowed the incredible trajectory of the Myriad Puppet Sect’s future development.

Elder Li had now completely taken control of the Myriad Puppet Sect. His sole desire was to nurture the sect's growth and pave the way for his great-granddaughter. Once Li Chuchu was fully capable of managing the sect, Elder Li could step back. With the Myriad Puppet Sect’s strength and resources, his great-granddaughter Li Chuchu would command significant status and influence within Lei Dong’s sphere.

As long as Li Chuchu’s position remained high, the entire Li family, and the Myriad Puppet Sect along with it, would rise commensurately. Although Elder Li was naturally reserved and rarely voiced opinions in meetings, his years of experience in handling complex situations allowed him to judge what mattered most.

Thus, the Myriad Puppet Sect threw itself wholeheartedly into assisting Lei Dong with the repair of Deity Transformation-level puppets. Not only did they dare not skim any materials, but they frequently supplemented the work with rare resources from the sect’s own stores.

This dedication did not escape Lei Dong's notice, naturally boosting his favorable impression of the Myriad Puppet Sect and gradually leading him to accept Li Chuchu’s presence. Li Chuchu herself was an exceptionally rare talent. Not only was she a super-genius in her own cultivation path, but she was also more skilled and passionate about puppetry. Once she personally participated in the puppet repair project, she worked tirelessly to help Lei Dong conserve materials, even researching alternative components for frequently worn parts.

This effort not only dramatically increased the speed of puppet repairs but also boosted the total output. More importantly, her mastery of puppet arts grew exponentially through this relentless, day-and-night research, fully showcasing her powerful aptitude in this field.

As a result, within just two or three years, Lei Dong gained another hundred Deity Transformation-level puppets. While these puppets differed from super-autonomous, intelligent constructs like Mò Yáng, once Lei Dong implemented specific intelligent programming into their core arrays, they posed no significant issue in simple frontal engagements, though they couldn't handle highly complex scenarios. They were perfectly capable of acting as shock troops.

Lei Dong employed a rather unconventional approach with this batch of puppets, choosing not to refine them using his divine sense. Given their sheer numbers, it was impossible for him to use his divine sense on so many. Moreover, refining them with his spiritual sense would cause partial damage to his primordial spirit should any puppet be destroyed.

Therefore, Lei Dong controlled the puppets’ loyalty and operation purely through a unique programming methodology. The methods he used for his artifact spirits combined this world's array knowledge and talismanic knowledge.

If others attempted such a technique, it would be tantamount to feeding the enemy; certain powerful foes could infiltrate the artifact spirit via divine sense and rewrite the underlying code.

However, Lei Dong feared none of this, because he integrated knowledge gleaned from his past life—his professional background in programming systems. Though superficially similar, these were entirely different systems. In other words, unless another transmigrator originating from the same place as Lei Dong appeared, one who was also proficient in computer programming, cultivation array theory, and talismanic arts, could maybe, just maybe, crack Lei Dong’s artifact spirits.

The probability of such an occurrence was astronomically low, virtually impossible.

Thus, Lei Dong never worried about these puppets rebelling. Furthermore, given their limited intelligence, it would take them ten million years to evolve into sentient beings like Mò Yáng, which is why Lei Dong dared to be so bold. Of course, due to this lack of advanced intelligence, these puppets were similar to the Mind-Snatching Demon puppets; their ferocity only manifested on the battlefield. Even so, this growing army of puppets would eventually grant Lei Dong formidable combat power. Except for supreme beings like the Three Realms Sovereign, no one possessed the capability to withstand the charge of thousands upon thousands of Deity Transformation-level puppets. Void Refinement stage experts could not, and Integration stage cultivators certainly could not.

Having accumulated so much strength, the habitually cautious Lei Dong finally dared to venture toward the other side of the Chaos Strange Space—the region known as the Turbulent Star Domain—for exploration.

First, Lei Dong could not tolerate the unknown dangers lurking on the other side. Second, for him, it represented a completely new frontier, signaling a new beginning. While venturing into the Turbulent Star Domain was perilous, it was an absolutely necessary step. As his own power grew, Lei Dong increasingly worried that the Three Realms Sovereign would eventually fixate his gaze upon him.

If his progress lagged, he was certain to suffer an unprecedented blow. Without entirely new avenues for growth, given the comprehensive power he currently commanded, a supreme entity like the Three Realms Sovereign could annihilate him with a mere flex of a finger.

However, as he prepared to execute this plan, Wanyan and the others insisted on seeing Lei Dong off. After all, this journey might keep Lei Dong away for many years. They wanted to escort him to the edge of the Turbulent Star Domain to personally ensure his safety; since the spatial node was here, they could return at any time. Wanyan also intended to tell him, before they parted ways for him to enter the domain, that she was pregnant—and had been for many years, her belly already beginning to swell. Had this fool really not noticed?

With a sudden spatial distortion, Lei Dong, hand-in-hand with Wanyan, the Sky Demon, followed by a hundred Hidden Dragon Army elites, accompanied by the Hellfire Demon King and the Netherworld Ghost Emperor, stepped into the crackling, lightning-streaked spatial node.

This node differed significantly from the spatial rifts Lei Dong had previously navigated. Upon entering, it was as if they had arrived in a void where a pitch-black, profound spatial tunnel, constantly swirling with rolling demonic energy, materialized before their eyes.