"A joke? Do you take me for some benevolent Saintess dedicated to good deeds?" The woman's voice, thick with oppressive aggression, nonetheless forced her true form—a banner crafted from some unknown material—to manifest from Lei Dong's thundering soul, appearing both illusory and tangible, enveloping him.

With a deafening crash, the heavenly lightning struck the banner without mercy. The power, capable of shattering heaven and earth, was mostly intercepted by the bizarrely appearing flag. Only a small fraction of its force landed on Lei Dong, fortunately mitigated by the Black Emperor Armor. In the end, the destructive power of the heavenly tribulation lightning that Lei Dong endured was merely one or two tenths of the original.

But even so, the life-giving factors that had just been reborn within Lei Dong were utterly pulverized. Yet, the Ming Wang Quenching Body Art remained steadfastly loyal, tirelessly beginning the work of reorganizing every single part of Lei Dong's body.

"Damn the Heavenly Dao, damn the Cosmic Will! It's just a Refining Void Heavenly Tribulation? Why is the heavenly lightning so powerful, and why does it possess annihilation properties? It’s killing your grandma!" That strange and violent voice grumbled again in Lei Dong's mind: "Stinking brat, stinking brat, how could you possibly be the new master of someone as magnificent as me?"

"Oh?" Ji Ziyan, hovering in mid-air, was no ordinary person; her gaze was sharp enough to pierce through all illusions. Through the dense storm clouds crackling with lightning, she could clearly see the black banner-like object floating above Lei Dong. She vaguely felt the thing was familiar, and upon closer inspection, her expression suddenly shifted: "It's actually the Nether King Banner—hasn't this thing been lost for ages?"

Ji Ziyan had no idea. After this item was placed in the treasury of the Winged God Clan, it remained hidden in darkness. Later, it was swindled away by Tantai Bingyun under the guise of the Immortal Realm. Subsequently, utilizing the resources of the Azure Wave Palace, she had it reforged after it sustained damage.

She had intended to find an opportunity to give it to Lei Dong. But unexpectedly, the moment they met, this catastrophe occurred. Watching Lei Dong persistently persuade her, and then resolutely stepping into the Great Void Tunnel, she was forced to forcibly transform the Nether King Banner into a streak of black light and drive it into Lei Dong's soul.

This was because Tantai Bingyun knew the Nether King Banner possessed a spirit—a spirit that had already achieved self-awareness. Fearing death, it was bound to voluntarily merge with Lei Dong's soul and aid him in escaping this tribulation. In fact, Tantai Bingyun acquiring the Nether King Banner wasn't just a whim, nor was it solely for Lei Dong.

Originally, she had received the inheritance of the Azure Wave Immortal Lady within the ancestral grounds of the Yaksha Clan, the Azure Wave Illusionary Realm. Within a lingering wisp of the Azure Wave Immortal Lady's will, there remained a persistent knot of guilt toward the Nether King that had not dispersed for a long time. She hoped Tantai Bingyun would find the Nether King Banner and secure an excellent successor for it, preventing the lineage of the Nether King from being severed. Although Tantai Bingyun didn't know the full depth of the grievances between her master and the Nether King, this course of action aligned with her own inclinations.

Firstly, it was to fulfill her master's dying wish, and secondly, adhering to the principle of keeping valuable resources within the family. Naturally, this Nether King Banner was entrusted to Lei Dong.

But even the Azure Wave Immortal Lady from epochs past could never have predicted that her succeeding disciple would already share inextricable ties with the succeeding heir of the Nether King.

Thus, a chaotic supreme treasure of a generation fell into Lei Dong's soul, seemingly by a twist of fate and coincidence.

However, the Nether King Banner was frantic at this moment. It had just acquired a new master, yet he was essentially half-dead, forcing her to exhaust herself defending him against the heavenly tribulation. This made the banner spirit feel utterly miserable and helpless.

For one thing, Tantai Bingyun's forceful defensive measures had partially fused her with Lei Dong's soul. For another, this place was the Vermilion Bird Divine Hall. Even if the Nether King Banner considered itself immensely powerful, it knew there was no way it could allow its master to perish, suffer massive damage itself, and then escape one of the Three Realms' notorious dangerous zones—the Vermilion Bird Divine Hall. Furthermore, the current Hall Master of the Vermilion Bird Divine Hall was staring intently at her. That incredibly sharp gaze made the Nether King Banner shudder involuntarily.

In all seriousness, if the Chief of the Vermilion Bird Clan captured it, the banner would certainly have its spirit erased and be suppressed endlessly. The Nether King Banner was acutely aware of how many divine Vermilion Birds its predecessors had hunted down when following its first master.

At this juncture, the Nether King Banner could only feign ignorance and do its utmost to keep Lei Dong alive, praying that the Vermilion Bird Chief couldn't discern what it was.

But the reality was that Ji Ziyan recognized the origin of the Nether King Banner with her very second glance. For such a malevolent treasure, even if Ji Ziyan hadn't seen it in person, how could she not have read about it in her clan's ancient texts? Within the Vermilion Bird Clan, countless predecessors had fallen by the hands of the Nether King Banner.

At this moment, Ji Ziyan's teeth were clenched with fury. If she hadn't been mindful that the Nether King Banner was currently shielding the pitiful young man from the tribulation, she would surely have already made her move.

Streaks of heavenly lightning gathered relentlessly and descended.

It was only thanks to the Nether King Banner's desperate resistance that Lei Dong could use this opportunity within the lightning tribulation: as his life factors were destroyed, they were continuously reborn. The numerous Innate Spirit Gathering Pills he had swallowed earlier were also playing an extraordinarily miraculous role, assisting Lei Dong during his breakthrough and providing precious energy for the Ming Wang Quenching Body Art.

Simultaneously, the Emperor Demon Seed on Lei Dong's forehead was continuously pouring the third wave of inheritance into him. This type of inheritance was profoundly mystical, originally developed by the Nether King himself and perfected by the final generation of Demon Emperors. What was being learned was akin to the bloodline awakening seen in divine beasts or demonic beasts.

The inheritances currently flooding Lei Dong’s mind were like those stimulated within a demonic beast’s bloodline during advancement. Though agonizing, it allowed one to master certain specialized techniques with incredible speed and zero obstruction.

Previously, Lei Dong’s grasp of the Laws of Annihilation and the Laws of Immortality was superficial—even beyond superficial. But after receiving the third inheritance, Lei Dong directly acquired a deep understanding of massive quantities of the Laws of Annihilation and Immortality within the inheritance itself. It became a physical instinct, as natural as knowing how to grasp something with one’s hand.

With the awakening of this instinct, the destructive laws contained within the heavenly tribulation, upon entering Lei Dong's body, could no longer exert their full effect. Instead, they flowed through his meridians, coursing through his body, eventually integrating into Lei Dong's physical form.

The proficient mastery of the Laws of Immortality also elevated Lei Dong's Ming Wang Quenching Body Art to a new level, accelerating the rebirth rate of his life factors manifold. Gradually, amidst the raging heavenly thunder, Lei Dong seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

Everything appeared to be trending towards the positive. It seemed that once Lei Dong survived this ordeal, not only would his cultivation smoothly reach the initial stage of Refining Void, but his intensely refined physical body would also become even more robust, far surpassing that of ordinary initial Refining Void cultivators, at least reaching the strength level of a high-grade demon race physique.

But accidents always arrive when least expected. As if Lei Dong's good fortune enraged the Heavenly Dao Laws, the final few bolts of lightning gathered an ever-increasing might. In the seventh bolt of heavenly lightning, the Nether King Banner was battered to the brink of shattering, and its sentience nearly wiped out by the chaotic intent of annihilation.

Terrified, the spirit within the Nether King Banner shrieked: "Scam! Scam! Even if I were facing the tribulation for the Body Integration Stage, it wouldn't be this fierce! Damn it, there's more? I quit!" Its spirit was utterly cowardly. If the master died, she would, at worst, suffer severe injuries and relapse into slumber.

But if she continued to resist head-on, setting aside whether she could save Lei Dong, even if she could, the Nether King Banner would shatter completely, and her spirit would be erased by the intent of destruction.

"Hey, hey! Aren't you guys the master's spiritual treasures too? Why should I, a single spiritual treasure, bear all this blasted heavenly tribulation?" The Nether King Banner, in its anger, was about to flee recklessly when it noticed that there seemed to be several soul-refined treasures lying dormant within Lei Dong's soul.

Feeling cheated, the Nether King Banner began to exploit Lei Dong's temporary lack of consciousness, acting like a gang leader, compelling the treasures in Lei Dong's soul to go out and block the lightning. Several treasures Lei Dong had used before exploded one after another under the heavenly tribulation.

Even Lei Dong's mid-grade spiritual treasure, the Nether Flame Ghost Banner, was forced out by the Nether King Banner and subsequently disintegrated in the heavenly tribulation.

"There's only one final bolt of heavenly lightning left." Although the Nether King Banner helped Lei Dong pass through another bolt, it didn't let out a sigh of relief. Because her rich experience told her the final bolt would surely be the strongest. She certainly wouldn't sacrifice herself, but the Nether King Banner had set its sights on an unremarkable pagoda, musing that this object seemed deeply soul-refined by the master, evidently not an ordinary item. Immediately, it began manipulating the Chaos Soul Devouring Pagoda to ward off disaster, muttering as it drove it out, "You useless tower, the master is nearly dead, and you're still sleeping in his primordial spirit? I've already blocked seven bolts of heavenly lightning for the master. Aren't you going to come out and block a strike?" In its heart, it thought this tower looked quite familiar—as if it had seen it somewhere before.

"I... I'm scared," Mei Xiang, the spirit of the Chaos Soul Devouring Pagoda, transmitted a wave of feeling to it.

The Nether King Banner paused, surprised that this useless tower actually possessed a spirit, and not just a spirit, but a soul?

"Found a kindred spirit." Under normal circumstances, the Nether King Banner might have been momentarily delighted to encounter another living counterpart. But at this moment, its delight was practical: it was pleased that this treasure was indeed extraordinary, and at the very least, it should be able to withstand the ninth bolt of heavenly lightning alone. Even if it couldn't block the entire thing, the remainder would be left for her, the Nether King Banner thought, striking a pose of soaring righteousness.

"Girl, hurry up and fly out voluntarily to block the lightning for the master. As the master's spiritual treasure, you should possess the awareness of one!" the Nether King Banner lectured righteously, but in the next instant, it revealed its true colors: "If you refuse to go out, watch out, or I’ll eat you! I've eaten more than a few divine beasts in my time."