But clearly, Puxius had misjudged the defensive power of this Jinggu Clan holy site ruins. Those three Integration-level puppets earlier were indeed just an appetizer. Within that desolate temple, as if it were an endless expanse, ranks upon ranks of puppets surged forth. The weakest among them were at least early Nascent Soul stage, clearly the bronze-colored ones, though many bronze puppets possessed strength comparable to mid or late Nascent Soul stage.

Leading these bronze puppets were the silvery-white Silver Puppets. Their designs were almost identical to those Lei Dong had encountered in the Pluto Hall. The only difference was that these silver puppets had strength comparable to the Void Refinement level.

Lei Dong was momentarily speechless. It was already obvious that whether it was the God of the Underworld or Pluto himself, there was absolutely some inextricable link to this Jinggu Clan. And Pluto must have been trying to replicate the Jinggu Clan's war puppets. It seemed that attempt had been quite a failure, as only some bronze war puppets had managed to reach early Nascent Soul strength. The silver puppets could only match mid-Nascent Soul.

The quality difference between the two was simply too vast. Lei Dong surmised that Pluto had yet to forge the Golden Puppets; otherwise, why hadn't Lei Dong seen them?

Huh? There seemed to be three more Integration-level Golden War Puppets. Lei Dong's sharp eyes caught sight of three beams of golden light emerging from the domed temple—the war puppets. He couldn't help but be slightly surprised; he hadn't expected Golden Puppets here. Moreover, the central Golden Puppet's aura was clearly superior to its peers, likely possessing mid-Integration strength.

The massive contingent of puppets, once airborne, launched a fierce assault on the private armies of the three individuals. Instantly, the trio's armies, which had initially held a slight advantage, began to retreat steadily under the puppets' overwhelming attack.

"Damn it, how can there be so many war puppets?" Bloodlust Demon King Puxius exclaimed, his face darkening. "And three Golden Puppets, no less."

Watching helplessly as his subordinates suffered heavy casualties and were driven back by the enemy's surging offensive, Fairy Canglan and Bai Mu also started to contemplate retreat. "With this kind of strength, we can't hold them off. Let's go back and gather more people." The forces hidden within the troop-storage space were the direct kin-troops of each king; losing a few wasn't critical, but excessive losses would sting anyone. Cultivating so many direct troops was no easy feat, requiring vast resources and energy investment.

If this battle could be won, it would be one thing, but if they held on only to lose in the end, it would be a complete loss of everything invested.

"No need, I brought two reinforcements too." Puxius, having reached this point, dared not hold back any longer. He roared, "Giant Strength Demon King, Queen of Pain, stop watching! Come out and help, we're about to be overwhelmed."

Lei Dong understood what he meant—he was likely giving up on using those two as cannon fodder. At this juncture, if they didn't commit fully, they would still suffer losses outweighing the gains. Puxius was forced to reveal the two hidden behind him.

Hearing his shout, Fairy Canglan and Bai Mu both changed expressions. Sure enough, after noticing a faint spatial fluctuation not far behind, two Demon Kings stepped out: one was close to Demon King Zhagu, and the other was the more renowned Queen of Pain.

"Puxius, what is the meaning of this?" Bai Mu growled suspiciously and vigilantly. Fairy Canglan was already preparing her escape route, ready to sacrifice pawns to save the king.

"My esteemed colleagues, please remain calm," Puxius laughed awkwardly. "I was merely preparing for the worst. Everyone knows these Jinggu Clan ruins might harbor strong and irresistible forces. It seems I, Puxius, am quite insightful."

Insightful my foot, Bai Mu fumed internally, thinking Puxius clearly had ill intentions, intending to use them both as cannon fodder before casually eliminating them to avoid splitting the final spoils. Transforming into human form, the bald man's face twisted with grief and indignation. "Puxius, you three Demon Kings can play amongst yourselves. This old man and Fairy Canglan are leaving first."

"Bai Mu, Fairy Canglan, don't rush off," Queen of Pain Infidi shimmered and flashed before Bai Mu, pursing her extremely sexy and alluring lips. "It was wrong of us to follow without announcing ourselves. But things have come to this—are you truly willing to abandon so many hard-cultivated confidants? And gain nothing at all?"

"Hmph, though it pains us, we also fear being completely consumed by the three of you," Bai Mu replied unpleasantly. "Queen of Pain, do not block my way. Though my strength might be inferior to yours, I am not easily provoked. If I fight desperately, I guarantee you will sustain serious injuries that will take a thousand years to heal at the very least."

Lei Dong also stood with his hands clasped behind his back, flapping his wings to block Bai Mu. "Bai Mu, please don't get agitated. Now that we have completely revealed ourselves, as long as you are cautious, how could we possibly swallow you whole? The dignified Integration-stage White Tiger, and the famous Fairy Canglan, are no pushovers. Even in a head-on fight, you two stand a very high chance of escaping. If you did escape, the three of us would certainly suffer dearly. Even if the Demon Emperor doesn't punish us, you can spread word of what happened here, and we won't gain a single benefit. Fairy Canglan, am I correct? Uh, perhaps you could put down that Void Teleportation Jade Talisman, so it won't be wasted needlessly."

Fairy Canglan and Bai Mu exchanged glances, both thinking how did the brute Giant Strength Demon King suddenly become so articulate? Indeed, if they truly dared to attack, and if even one of the two managed to flee—even if only a wisp of soul escaped—the three Demon Kings would be facing disaster.

They were also Integration-stage powerhouses, confident in their own strength. In a three-against-two direct fight, the odds were heavily stacked against the three. But if the goal was solely to escape, the probability was quite high. This led them to deduce that once the other two stopped lurking, they had lost the element of surprise and naturally had no need to fear them acting rashly. Unless they were willing to watch the resources they worked so hard for be divided up by the Demon Emperor, while also facing retribution from the Demon Spirit Realm and the Immortal Realm.

That was an extremely unprofitable venture; anyone with a modicum of intelligence wouldn't do it. Thus, Fairy Canglan coldly stated, "That may be so, but since you acted maliciously first, if you want us to cooperate now, it must be that Bai Mu and I receive half of the total spoils. Otherwise, we will immediately break through, and we'll go our separate ways."

"Fairy Canglan, aren't you being too greedy? Aren't you afraid of choking?" Puxius said, a mixture of cold anger and frustration. "It is we three who currently hold the dominant position. It's already generous enough that we haven't suppressed you regarding the spoils. One share for five people, no one thinks of taking more or less."

"That's not entirely true," Fairy Canglan sneered repeatedly. "Originally, the distribution of our spoils was one share each; Bai Mu and I together would receive two-thirds. Now, because you harbored ill intent and added two more people, we are yielding some ground by only taking half, which is already quite generous. Puxius, if you don't agree, that's fine. This Fairy will use this Void Teleportation Talisman even if it means losing it, to expose your disgraceful conduct. Let's see where you can hold your ground then."

"Fine, Fairy Canglan, you are ruthless," Puxius said, enraged and shamed. "If my companions don't mind, then neither do I."

"Heh, we were in the wrong on this matter from the start, so an even split is only natural," Queen of Pain said with a slight pout, smiling faintly as if unconcerned. "Fairy Canglan, I always thought you were distant and quiet. This time, you've truly made me see you in a new light. After this matter is settled, why don't you visit my Palace of Pain for some tea?"

"We can discuss that after this is done," Fairy Canglan replied with a calm and collected demeanor.

"Good, the five of us working together should have no problem," Lei Dong seized the opportunity to display his position. "Behold my personal guard!" As he spoke, he manifested a black orb. As the space tore open, tens of thousands of demon troops surged out—these were all the direct personal guards cultivated by Giant Strength Demon King, unfortunately, there were only seven or eight Void Refinement-level Demon Generals and over a hundred Nascent Soul level ones. They were somewhat weaker than the others; there was no helping it, as Lei Dong had already eliminated several Demon Generals previously.

However, these personal guards now belonged entirely to Lei Dong. It was a pity they were Giant Strength Demon King's personal guards, not his own. But using them as cannon fodder would still be quite useful.

Seeing Lei Dong take action, Queen of Pain also began manifesting her personal demon army. In contrast, her army consisted almost entirely of female commanders, several of whom were high-level demons, and some were powerful female figures from the Asura Clan. Just this group of personal guards contained over a dozen Void Refinement level experts, showing that Queen of Pain's overall strength was indeed far superior to Giant Strength Demon King's.

With the addition of Lei Dong and Queen of Pain, the situation gradually stabilized. The five Integration-stage powerhouses also dared not stand idle, personally joining the fray, aiming to kill more enemies and reduce the pressure on their personal troops. Otherwise, the losses from this battle would be staggering.

Lei Dong, using Giant Strength Demon King's body, expanded into a massive demon dozens of feet tall, wielding the Black Giant Demon Sword as he plunged into the fighting. Secretly, Lei Dong had already activated his Sovereign Universe State, killing indiscriminately—slaying anyone who stood in his way, Buddhas or mortals—his momentum utterly conspicuous.

This was unavoidable for Lei Dong. His true strength was only late Void Refinement. Without entering the Sovereign Universe State, he might not even reach the combat power level of early Integration. But once activated, he became slightly stronger than an ordinary early Integration expert.

(The videos "The Great Fiend" created by Gui Yihu, Old Yan, and some other brothers are complete. I've watched them; they are incredibly imposing. Thank you all, I am deeply moved.)