The Young Palace Mistress of the Tantai Clan? Even those familiar with Tantai Bingyun were utterly astonished. First, they genuinely couldn't fathom why Tantai Bingyun would appear here. Second, and even more bewildering, was why Tantai Bingyun had suddenly become the Young Palace Mistress of the Immortal Realm?

Lei Dong glanced far toward Tantai Bingyun; the familiar face now seemed strangely alien.

"I don't deserve such praise. I merely inherited the residual legacy of my Master," Tantai Bingyun replied, unmoved by praise or blame. "It is the Young Master, however, who, at a mere age of forty thousand, has reached the peak of the Void Refining stage, barely a step away from the Grand Unity Dao. A pity and a cause for congratulation."

Peak Void Refining? The expression beneath Lei Dong's Black Emperor Battle Armor shifted slightly again. He had only assumed the woman was in the mid-stage of Void Refining, never expecting her to be at the peak. This development certainly complicated matters significantly.

However, for Lei Dong, it was merely a significant hassle. After all, he hadn't arrived without some measure of strength. The hundred Divine Transformation-level guards and exactly one hundred Divine Transformation-level puppets within the Armament Pagoda were certainly capable of fighting. Of course, Lei Dong also discerned from the tone of Tantai Bingyun’s compliment that this woman still harbored some goodwill toward him. Her preceding words were clearly a subtle warning that the woman opposite held a high status and formidable strength, advising him to be careful not to provoke her.

Between him and Tantai Bingyun, there was an unspoken, seamless understanding; they communicated without using divine soul fluctuations. In the presence of such profoundly powerful experts, the senses of the divine soul were exquisitely sharp. Any attempt to converse via soul waves would instantly be detected.

"Residual legacy?" Ji Shuangshuang paused slightly, then inquired suspiciously, "Is the rumor true then? Has the senior, Fairy Bibo, truly perished?"

"Indeed. Master fell after her battle with the Hades King that year," Tantai Bingyun’s expression was slightly complex—a mix of sorrow, perhaps a touch of shame.

"My condolences," Ji Shuangshuang offered, then exchanged a few more pleasantries. She glanced behind Tantai Bingyun at the two figures wreathed in white, ethereal mist, before turning to the main point: "May I ask the Young Palace Mistress, instead of diligently cultivating in Bibo Palace to restore its former glory, why are you skulking around following me? What are your intentions?"

"Young Master Ji speaks out of turn," Tantai Bingyun retorted without yielding an inch. "This is a remote corner of the Chaotic Star Domain. If Young Master Ji can arrive, why can't I, Tantai Bingyun? Moreover, you have spies obtaining classified information from the Demon Realm; why can't my Immortal Realm do the same?"

Ji Shuangshuang’s face chilled. She threatened, "So, the Young Palace Mistress of Tantai also covets that base and intends to contend with me, Ji?"

"Insolence!" The two Celestial Generals from the Immortal Realm, radiating immense might, blocked Tantai Bingyun defensively, glaring furiously at Ji Shuangshuang. "A mere spirit beast dares to be disrespectful to our Young Palace Mistress?" These two unremarkable generals suddenly revealed astonishing auras.

"Heh heh, two late-stage Void Refining Celestial Generals, dare to act so arrogantly before this Young Master?" Ji Shuangshuang sneered relentlessly. "Do you think I was raised on air?"

"Presumptuous! Show no disrespect to Young Master Ji! Withdraw immediately!" Tantai Bingyun waved her hand dismissively. The two generals instantly obeyed, retreating behind her and their powerful presence. They bowed toward Ji Shuangshuang and smiled thinly. "Naturally, matters require order of arrival. But it seems both of us are late. That incubation base is already owned. What is the point of you and I fighting over it here?"

Ji Shuangshuang looked somewhat taken aback. The manner in which Tantai Bingyun dismissed her two generals was remarkably commanding. Although she was nominally the Young Palace Mistress of Bibo Palace, based on her strength, she seemed to have only recently broken through to the Void Refining level. Normally, she should treat subordinates stronger than her with more deference. But the reality appeared to be different.

The Immortal Realm always proclaimed its righteousness, but in any corner of any world, the strong rule. If Tantai Bingyun hadn't displayed astonishing and terrifying combat power, even as the nominal Young Palace Mistress, she could never have shouted down and dismissed two late-stage Void Refining subordinates with such authority. Furthermore, judging by the seemingly heartfelt respect in the two generals' demeanor, Tantai Bingyun was absolutely not to be underestimated.

For a moment, Ji Shuangshuang shelved her condescension and heightened her vigilance toward Tantai Bingyun. "Does the Young Palace Mistress mean you intend to withdraw from the contest for that treasure land?"

"It's not that I am withdrawing," Tantai Bingyun stated coldly. "It's that this treasure land already has an owner. Our Bibo Palace has always prioritized justice and will not seize what belongs to others." Having observed the dramatic increase in power of Lei Dong and his group, and their emergence from the incubation base, Tantai Bingyun knew that Lei Dong must have secured the base. Through her words, she was simply conceding that the Heart Demon Incubation Base belonged to Lei Dong.

Ji Shuangshuang knew nothing of Tantai Bingyun’s background, nor her relationship with Lei Dong. She merely found the situation strange and suspected nothing deeper. But she certainly would not agree with Tantai Bingyun’s claim. She glanced at Lei Dong and his companions, her face turning cold. "Since ancient times, treasures belong to the capable. Have your Immortal Clans not committed countless robberies while wearing a facade of righteousness? Since you do not want this base, then I, Ji Shuangshuang, will gladly accept it."

Lei Dong sneered inwardly at her arrogant words. Seeing that his companions nearby were growing impatient, Lei Dong, with his hands clasped behind his back, let out a cold laugh. "I say, that wretched feathered beast of yours—do you take this group of us for dead men?"

The moment the words "feathered beast" left his mouth, not only did Ji Shuangshuang erupt in fury, but even Xie Feng behind Lei Dong ground her teeth in hatred, wishing she could stomp him to death on the spot. She inwardly cursed him: You thick-headed fool, curse if you must, but why drag me into it?

"Insolent human, a mere inferior race, daring to insult us of the Divine Beast Sacred Clan like this? You clearly court death," Ji Shuangshuang shrieked in fury. Instead of transforming, she raised a hand and pointed.

A flame that seemed both real and illusory traced an uncanny arc straight toward Lei Dong. Even in the void, the flames surged relentlessly, as if incinerating space itself.

"Extreme Yang True Flame!" The Purgatory Demon King, also skilled in fire arts, roared in alarm. "Lei Dong, retreat quickly!" With that, his majestic and imposing body moved to shield Lei Dong, his Flame Saber blazing fiercely as he hacked toward the incoming fire.

"I decree that space is frozen," the Underworld Ghost Emperor, upon hearing the name Extreme Yang True Fire, was also startled. He immediately unleashed his signature True Word technique, sealing that wisp of flame.

That single strand of Extreme Yang True Flame truly possessed the power to incinerate all things. However, after slightly dimming, under Ji Shuangshuang’s catalysis, it suddenly flared intensely, even burning through solidified space.

Now, the two strongest individuals in the Six Domains and Nine Continents, working in tandem, could not withstand that single strand of Extreme Yang True Flame. The expressions of the women accompanying Lei Dong changed drastically. Dongfang Fu, clad in exquisite snow-white Concubine Armor, stepped forward, her figure already dozens of feet away, unleashing her Profound Ice Domain.

Simultaneously, a clear cry echoed from Dongfang Fu's War Pet Space. A phoenix, entirely snow-white, crystal clear, and utterly magnificent, soared out. When this phoenix spread its wings, it spanned sixty to seventy feet, emanating a powerful, imposing aura.

This phoenix was none other than Dongfang Fu’s long-time battle pet, now seeming to reveal its true form completely: a Profound Ice Phoenix. No one knew where Dongfang Fu had found such a pet, but without a doubt, the aura this Profound Ice Phoenix now displayed had reached the terrifying early stage of Void Refining.

It opened its beak and sprayed forth a plume of snow-white profound ice essence, holding the strand of Extreme Yang True Flame firmly in check. Even though the Extreme Yang True Flame boasted the ability to burn everything and consume all things under heaven, under the resistance of the Nine Yin Profound Ice Qi, it could not break through.

At this time, Dongfang Fu herself had cultivated to the peak of Divine Transformation, just one step shy of the Void Refining level. Moreover, she possessed the Profound Yin Body, meaning her ice-attribute spells possessed power far beyond the ordinary. The pervasive profound ice energy she unleashed had nearly reached the level of Nine Yin Profound Ice.

Theoretically and in terms of rank, the Nine Yin Profound Ice was a tier below the Extreme Yang True Flame. But fortunately, based on the principle of mutual growth and restraint, Ice belongs to Water, which naturally restrains Fire. The combined might of the woman and the phoenix eliminated the Extreme Yang True Flame in moments.

Lei Dong stared dumbfounded at Dongfang Fu’s Profound Ice Phoenix. Although he knew Dongfang Fu possessed such a battle pet and had fought alongside it before, he hadn't expected that when it fully displayed its form, it would be such a pure-blooded Profound Ice Phoenix.

The Ice Phoenix was different from the Nether Phoenix. While the Nether Phoenix possessed rich phoenix bloodlines, it was ultimately a branch lineage forged through the baptism of Nether Ghost Qi. But the Ice Phoenix possessed the completely genuine, pure phoenix bloodline. And in the ancestral Phoenix Clan, only Ice and Fire constituted the orthodox lineage.

In the Primordial Era, the Phoenix Clan had contended with the Vermilion Bird for status among the Four Divine Beasts. Unfortunately, due to the persistent schism within the clan—the Fire Phoenixes and the Ice Phoenixes each claiming the orthodox bloodline and refusing to acknowledge the other—they were ultimately suppressed by the Vermilion Bird Clan.

Even so, no one would be foolish enough to truly believe that the Phoenix was inferior to the Vermilion Bird. In fact, both were the purest divine beasts; who was stronger depended entirely on individual talent, cultivation effort, or perhaps sheer fortune.

This Ice Phoenix had clearly inherited an antagonism toward the Vermilion Bird through its bloodline. After extinguishing the fire, it circled once before transforming into a young maiden dressed in white, who giggled sweetly at Lei Dong. "Brother-in-law, I saved you, didn't I? But you don't need to thank me; after all, I sneakily ate a lot of your Hun Dun Crystals."

Lei Dong's face darkened. He hadn't seen this phoenix in a long time. But despite the time passed, they still knew each other well. However, this sudden transformation into a young girl who called him 'Brother-in-law' was truly too much for Lei Dong to handle.