The speed of those beings was astonishing, and they seemed proficient in the Law of Space, capable of teleporting away at frequent intervals.

However, that fleet of black flying vessels appeared to be formidable as well. They too could tear through space, traversing spatial rifts in pursuit. Not only that, but the black fleet seemed to have already completed its encirclement. More than ten ferocious-looking vessels erupted with lightning bright enough to resemble fireworks, weaving beams of brilliant light into a net spanning tens of thousands of miles, sealing off every inch of space within the encompassed area.

Even mastery of the Law of Space made it impossible to slip into a spatial rift and escape.

For a moment, the green-haired, winged girls revealed expressions of utter despair, chattering amongst themselves in voices as melodious as larks. They seemed to have steeled their resolve to fight the enemy to the death.

But resolve did not equate to turning the tide. From the pitch-black vessels shot out dense swarms of black meteors; each meteor was a powerful cultivator descending in a streak of escaping light.

Lei Dong swept them with his colossal spiritual sense from afar, recognizing the races within those dark streaks of light. There were the One-Horned Madmen he had encountered before, as well as Asuras, Yakshas, Abyss Demons, Purgatory Fiends, and other familiar species. There were also some races Lei Dong had never seen, with ferocious appearances exuding powerful and terrifying auras. Even more numerous seemed to be the demon soldiers, radiating dense demonic energy and possessing the savage aura of wild beasts. These beings, streaking across like a sky full of meteors, each possessed considerable strength; the weakest likely exhibited the aura of a Nascent Soul stage, with many reaching the Soul Transformation stage. There were even more than a dozen at the Void Refinement stage.

Two of the Void Refinement stage cultivators caused Lei Dong’s previously indifferent expression to shift slightly. Their strong, massive bodies seemed encased in a layer of glossy, dark magic armor, with a pair of arrogant, overbearing demonic wings sprouting from their backs. Yet, they imparted a feeling of perfection and unfathomable depth. Even compared to other Void Refinement experts of their rank nearby, those two appeared lofty and exceptionally imposing.

High-Tier Demons.

Lei Dong had once dealt with an entity possessed by a Soul Transformation stage High-Tier Demon, and he deeply understood how formidable and troublesome they were. Now, as Lei Dong’s strength and horizons expanded, he gradually realized that although High-Tier Demons had been central figures in countless historical events, truly pure-blooded High-Tier Demons had always been exceedingly rare. According to historical records, the highest population peak of the High-Tier Demons throughout history seemed to be merely thirty thousand.

And the Void Refinement stage was the lowest tier for a High-Tier Demon after reaching adulthood. Generally, even without much cultivation, an adult High-Tier Demon would be at least at the Soul Transformation stage, with a few reaching the Void Refinement stage immediately upon maturity.

With subsequent cultivation, most High-Tier Demons could break through to the Void Refinement stage, and a small number could reach the Integration stage.

This explained why, despite their minuscule population, the High-Tier Demons remained so tyrannical and dominant, existing as the very essence of the demonic.

Among the true Demon Race, besides the High-Tier Demons, there were also Mid-Tier Demons such as the One-Horned Madmen, Purgatory Fiends, Abyss Demons, and others. The various beast-like demon soldiers were collectively termed Low-Tier Demons. Races like the Yakshas and Asuras were mostly subjugated subordinates of the High-Tier Demons, belonging to vassal races.

Although their appearances might bear some resemblance, in reality, races like the Asuras had no blood relation to the Demon Race.

Setting aside these digressions for now.

The appearance of any High-Tier Demon meant that this army likely belonged to the Demon Realm. Amidst his coldness, Lei Dong felt a subtle confusion: he had been banished by Ji Ziyan, the Palace Master of the Vermilion Bird Shrine. What, then, was the meaning of these ongoing conflicts here?

Ten thousand years—Lei Dong held this time limit firmly in mind.

It sounded long, but in the grand sweep of history, ten thousand years was merely the blink of an eye. Perhaps even Ji Ziyan would not know that he, the successor of Yan Chixing, had only been cultivating for a mere few hundred years.

But that did not mean Lei Dong had abundant time now. Since Ji Ziyan seemed convinced that Lei Dong could not return to the Three Realms in a short span of ten thousand years to prevent the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits from possessing his offspring, she must have her own schemes and reasons.

However, the sudden appearance of this Demon Realm army offered Lei Dong a great hope. With High-Tier Demons present, they surely wouldn't be unaware of the location of the Demon Realm, would they? With these demons around, Lei Dong could temporarily set aside his worries about being unable to find the path home due to his banishment.

The remaining problems were solely how to enhance his strength and how to discover the path home through the Demon Race.

And increasing his strength was the most urgent matter. Although Lei Dong's mentality had shifted, his mind was exceptionally clear. With his current power, even if he returned to the Three Realms, he would be utterly incapable of stopping the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits from taking his infant.

Never before had Lei Dong felt such an extreme craving for an increase in his own power.

The demonic army plunged into the group of green beings, much like wolves entering a flock of sheep; slaughter ensued. It was evident at the first clash that, aside from their superior speed, the beautiful green beings possessed very poor combat capability.

Most exhibited combat power that made even the Nascent Soul stage demon soldiers struggle. However, these beings seemed to possess something unique apart from the Law of Space; any that were not instantly killed could condense a beam of green light upon injury, and soon, those relatively severe wounds would be easily healed under that green light.

Such an ability certainly caught Lei Dong’s eye. Of course, even now, he had no intention of summoning the limited forces within his Weapon Repository Tower to rescue those green beings. After all, although he had brought a contingent of elite troops, they were no match for the demonic army, and engaging would be suicidal.

Just as Lei Dong assumed those green beings were doomed and about to be annihilated, the unexpected occurred quite naturally. Outside the sealed space, powerful spatial fluctuations emerged like stones dropped onto a calm pond, sending ripples spreading out.

Dozens of colossal humanoid beings, two to three hundred feet tall, burst forth from these spatial fluctuations. Their bodies were inky black, clad in wild-style armor, each wielding massive flails easily a hundred feet long.

War Giants? Lei Dong mildly speculated, but then immediately refuted the idea. He had seen avatars of War Giants before. These savage giants exuded a dark and cold aura, entirely different from the impassioned, fiery demeanor of the War Giants.

They shared only a slight physical resemblance. Could these be another variant of War Giants? War Giants were famous in the Ancient Desolate Era, leaving behind countless legends of valor in subsequent battles. Both the Immortal Race and the Demon Race had attempted to trick some War Giants into joining their ranks. But the pitiable War Giants, possessing terrifying combat power, were too simple-minded and were often exploited as shock troops or cannon fodder, nearly leading to their extinction.

As a result, true War Giants in the Three Realms were now extremely scarce.

As Lei Dong pondered, those War Giants raised their clubs and smashed into the battle formation, breaking the seal. With every swing of their massive weapons, seemingly formidable demon soldiers were pulverized, their very souls unable to escape.

Seeing reinforcements descend from the heavens, the green beings immediately shook off their dejection and despair. They flapped their wings excitedly and darted at high speed behind the dozens of black giants. While watching the giants charge and slaughter the enemy in the front, the green beings cast beams of green light to rapidly mend the wounds on the giants.

What formidable giants, Lei Dong couldn't help but exclaim after observing for a while. Although there were only a few dozen War Giants, they projected the momentum of an army of thousands. Moreover, their strength was considerable; the weakest likely possessed the power of the early Void Refinement stage, while the strongest probably reached the peak of Void Refinement, radiating an overwhelmingly domineering aura.

With the support of healing from behind, the several dozen black giants forced the demon army into a steady retreat.

However, this demonic army clearly had not displayed its true strength yet. From the largest, most ferocious, and malevolent-looking black warship, seven or eight High-Tier Demons flew out. The leader, standing seven to eight zhang tall, could not compare to the black giants in stature, but the aura emanating from his entire being was exceptionally vast and profound.

The seven High-Tier Demons accompanying him were slightly inferior, but each also possessed Void Refinement stage strength. That incomparably powerful High-Tier Demon fearlessly flew forward and unleashed a punch. As demonic energy erupted violently, he actually sent one of the giants, two to three hundred feet tall, flying backward.

It must be noted that the Giant Race was renowned for its immense strength. Even a Giant at the Void Refinement stage, purely calculating by strength, could likely match the power of a normal race at the Integration stage.

Yet, he was sent flying by a single punch from a High-Tier Demon.

Fortunately, the group of green beings behind possessed outstanding support capabilities; dozens of green lights, like fireflies, landed on the heavily wounded green giant, saving its life.

It was clear that the most powerful High-Tier Demon possessed the strength of the Integration stage.

Just as Lei Dong observed that formidable Integration stage demon, a surge suddenly stirred within his bloodline. It ignited an indescribable desire, forcefully generating a bizarre thought: consume it.

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