"Zagu, let me have this White Tiger Primeval Spirit first; I have great use for it." In his usual dealings with Zagu, Puxius had always held the dominant position. Consequently, he habitually pocketed the item before offering a brief explanation to Le Dong.

"That's only natural; we're good brothers. Besides, you contributed more to killing Bai Mu," Le Dong replied with a 'simple and honest' smile, taking out several Chaos Spirit Gathering Pills. "Puxius, you seem quite injured. I have a few Chaos Spirit Gathering Pills here that should help restore some of your strength."

"Good man, you're a true brother." Puxius turned back with a hint of gratitude, patting Le Dong on the shoulder, just as Le Dong's demonic claw suddenly elongated, stretching several zhang in an instant. Before Puxius could react, the claw pierced his chest, gripping his heart—a thing the size of a water vat—and wrenching it out with a violent tear, crushing it with a smack.

"Roar~" Puxius roared in agonizing pain, his demonic eyes staring at Le Dong in shock and suffering. He couldn't believe that Zagu, who always seemed timid around him, would suddenly turn and strike.

Even for a High-Tier Demon Race member, the heart was an extremely vital core, the very source of physical power. Its destruction instantly led to the loss of most bodily functions. However, High-Tier Demon Race members who had reached the Integration Stage possessed incredibly tenacious life force, able to temporarily control their bodies with their Divine Souls even without a heart. After a stunned moment, Puxius tried to flee through his pain.

But Le Dong had already made his move and would never allow him to escape. He murmured in a deep voice, "I declare: Space is solidified."

Immense Divine Thought power, driving the profound laws of the cosmos, caused the surrounding space to compress violently, forming a crystal-like spatial coffin that imprisoned Puxius's colossal demonic form. To prevent him from shattering the spatial crystal and escaping via secret arts, Le Dong acted decisively, imbuing his claw with a trace of Annihilation Intent and plunging it into the crystal coffin. With one claw grasping Puxius's head, Divine Thought surged inward, creating a devouring vortex that slowly stripped away Puxius's Divine Soul, which was fused with his body, grinding it into fragments, and converting it into pure Chaos Spiritual Qi and Chaos Origin Essence, all absorbed into his Dantian Sea of Qi.

In the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, Puxius's soul followed Zagu into oblivion, transforming into the most fundamental element of the universe. His corpse lay lifeless on the ground, like a discarded dog.

After disposing of Puxius, Le Dong finally let out a slight sigh of relief. Puxius's tenacity was formidable; he was not easy to provoke. His Blood Fiend Demonic Arts were exquisitely refined, capable of transforming into a bloody mist and escaping in countless phantoms. In a straight fight, even with Le Dong going all out, subduing him would have required significant effort. Le Dong currently lacked the might of a Demon Emperor, capable of slaying the Blood River Ancestor—who practiced nearly identical techniques—with a single Immortal Slaying Finger.

Puxius did not die entirely without cause, however. Le Dong searched through his memories and discovered events that had transpired recently. Puxius and the Queen of Suffering had conspired: once Bai Mu and Immortal Lady Canglan were dealt with, they planned to turn on Le Dong. After all, splitting the spoils between two was better than sharing among three. But Le Dong scoffed at this, as he also uncovered intense greed within Puxius's memories—a plan to betray the Queen of Suffering when the opportunity arose. According to Puxius's logic, monopolizing everything was inherently superior to splitting it between two.

Puxius had not been without a contingency plan; this demon had made ample preparations for this treasure hunt. Specifically, nestled quietly within his Storage Ring was a Supreme Yin Heavenly Thunder. The Supreme Yin Heavenly Thunder was no ordinary item. Above Nine Yin lay Extreme Yin, and only above Extreme Yin was Supreme Yin. The Supreme Yin and Supreme Yang were the purest forms of Yin and Yang in the heavens and earth of this universe.

A direct hit from this thunder would result in the near-certain demise of an Integration Stage expert of slightly lower cultivation. Even for a mid-stage Integration expert, taking the full force of this thunder meant losing ninety percent of their life essence. In such a state, even someone a stage higher, like the Queen of Suffering, would inevitably become the aggressor.

Alas, too clever by half. Puxius never imagined that the seemingly dull Zagu would strike him at such an unexpected moment, and with such lethal efficiency that he couldn't even muster a half-hearted defense. The Supreme Yin Heavenly Thunder, the trump card he had acquired by exhausting his fortune, was rendered useless before he could deploy it.

As a result, this Supreme Yin Heavenly Thunder fell into Le Dong's lap. Judging purely by explosive power, this single thunder likely surpassed the combined detonation force of the two High-Grade Chaos Spirit Treasures Canglan Immortal Lady had previously used. In terms of pure value, one Supreme Yin Heavenly Thunder was roughly equivalent to a piece of High-Grade Chaos Spirit Treasure.

After collecting the corpses of Puxius and Bai Mu, Le Dong recovered slightly, drawing upon the Chaos Spiritual Qi within his Dantian to restore a significant portion of his Chaos True Essence. He then suppressed his aura, allowing his vital energy to become almost imperceptible, and slipped into the void.

Utilizing the Grand Cycle Breath Concealment Art and his profound grasp of Spatial Laws, Le Dong slowly moved toward the Queen of Suffering's location. He dared not move too quickly, fearing he might alert her. After all, the Queen of Suffering was a mid-stage Integration expert whose strength essentially rivaled the combined might of Puxius and Zagu.

Even with supreme confidence in his own power, Le Dong wished to avoid a direct confrontation with the cunning and formidable Queen of Suffering. It took a considerable amount of time to approach her from behind. At that moment, she seemed completely unaware of Le Dong's presence, engrossed in her task, eagerly continuing to torment and humiliate Immortal Lady Canglan with her Whip of Suffering and various bizarre implements.

The formerly ethereal and otherworldly Immortal Clan maiden now lay with her delicate body completely bare, her face flushed amidst the expression of pain. Though she appeared to be resisting the torment with sheer willpower, it seemed more as if she had begun to enjoy the agony inflicted by the Queen of Suffering—a fierce pleasure that penetrated deep into her soul. The incessant wave of pain and pleasure intertwined, escalating wave after wave until Immortal Lady Canglan could no longer distinguish between the two sensations. All she knew was that under the Queen of Suffering's torment, her perfect form writhed, emitting a string of soul-piercing moans from her throat—sounds that were simultaneously agonizing and ecstatic.

The Queen of Suffering was herself a woman of wicked allure and dark charm. In the process of tormenting Canglan, she too reached repeated peaks of frenzied ecstasy, applying her methods to the Immortal Lady with ever-increasing abandon.

Such a carnal, intoxicating, and utterly depraved scene relentlessly assaulted Le Dong's sight and hearing. The intense stimulation transformed into thick, burning desire. The cruel, bloodthirsty, and pleasure-seeking instincts inherent in the demonic body continuously eroded Le Dong's thought patterns.

However, at this moment, it was Le Dong's primary consciousness, driven by intense crisis awareness, that maintained control. He forcibly suppressed the overwhelming desire burning within him like a raging inferno, taking step after measured step through the air toward the enraptured Queen of Suffering. Eliminating her—truly finishing her off—was the only path to him becoming the ultimate victor of this endeavor.

Despite possessing the ability to devour, Le Dong intensely craved this immense fortune. After all, the Chaos Crystals it would yield—how long would it take him to gather such wealth purely by devouring strong opponents? Time was running out; he had less than ten thousand years remaining.

At the level of the Integration Stage, even for the most advanced races in the cosmos, like the Immortal and Demon races, ten thousand years was insufficient time to achieve anything truly remarkable. Without a ceaseless torrent of terrifying resources, coupled with his own unique advantages, Le Dong would be powerless even if he arrived in ten millennia to the scene where his unborn daughter was possessed.

The former Le Dong had also pursued strength, but it was for survival. Even at the most critical junctures, Le Dong had never possessed the current, desperate craving for power—a yearning that had twisted his very soul.

He would unhesitatingly destroy everything in this universe if it meant rescuing Wan Yan and his yet-unborn daughter. Such trifles as soul distortion were now beneath his notice.

Using the image of his daughter, Le Dong managed to restrain the rampant desire within him, focusing his attention primarily on the Queen of Suffering. He slowly closed the distance until only a few zhang separated them, preparing to strike.

However, something incredibly bizarre occurred.

The Queen of Suffering, seemingly lost in the throes of ecstasy while playing with Immortal Lady Canglan, turned her head with an eerie smile. The Whip of Suffering lashed out at Le Dong like a spirit serpent.

Crack! The whip struck Le Dong, the massive impact sending him flying backward. But that wasn't all; his flesh and Divine Soul were instantly flooded with indescribable agony. An intense mixture of soreness, pain, numbness, and itchiness washed over him. His Divine Soul, in particular, felt as though it had been afflicted by some potent toxin, magnifying the sensation of suffering tenfold or more.

"Roar!" Le Dong, who had always prided himself on his powerful willpower, was forced into a bestial roar by the continuous, savage pain that besieged him, attempting to alleviate the torment.

"Heh heh, Zagu, I saw long ago that something was off with you. Trying to sneak attack me? You must be tired of living, old hag!"