Although Lei Dong was currently eager for Chaos Crystals and Origin Essence, what he desired even more was a swift strengthening of his own power. Moreover, judging by Ming Ji's tone, figures like the Ghost King of the Netherworld were also soul bodies, capable of being devoured and refined into crystals or Origin Essence.

In light of this, Lei Dong had previously tasked Ming Ji with an experiment using a Void Refinement-level primordial spirit, successfully forging a Nether Ghost General whose strength matched that of a Void Refinement expert. Upon devouring it, Lei Dong indeed gained yields comparable to that of a Void Refinement powerhouse’s primordial spirit.

It was on this basis that he confidently handed over all his primordial spirits to Ming Ji for **refinement.

Six months later, Lei Dong's dark hand reached out once more toward the Three Realms Joint Expeditionary Force, poised to annihilate over a dozen Integration Stage powerhouses. However, complications arose.

At that moment, within the Sacred Land of the Crystal Ancient Clan, just as Lei Dong was about to strike those dozen or so "fat sheep," dense formations of the Three Realms Allied Army poured in through spatial rifts.

Leading the charge were the three supreme peak powerhouses: Aedro, the Destruction Demon Emperor of the High-Level Demon Race; Hu Huang Bai Li, the peak expert of the White Tiger Clan; and the last, Zhong Li Qing, the Heavenly Canopy Sword Emperor, leader of the Immortal Palace, one of the three great palaces of the Immortal Realm.

Behind these great lords followed a contingent of twenty to thirty Integration Stage kings, and further back, two to three thousand Void Refinement-level generals. Such a massive lineup caused Lei Dong, disguised as Zaku, to gasp inwardly, realizing the gravity of the situation.

"Zaku, Canglan, Infidi," the Destruction Demon Emperor Aedro roared first. "What are you three scoundrels doing? Why are you robbing so many of your own people? Have you gone mad?"

"Aedro. I told you long ago there was a traitor within your Demon Race," Hu Huang Bai Li’s eyes burned with fury. "Over these past few millennia, incidents have occurred repeatedly—people have gone missing or been ambushed by the Barbarians. Our losses have been too great."

"Canglan," Heavenly Canopy Sword Emperor Zhong Li Qing, clad in flowing purple robes that made him resemble a drawn blade, stared at Fairy Canglan with a mixture of pity and anger. "Can you explain to this Emperor exactly what is going on? Why would you commit such acts?"

"Attack," Lei Dong knew the situation could not be resolved peacefully today. With a deep, furious shout, he struck first, targeting the group he had originally intended to slaughter as easy prey.

With too many enemies, if they could not swiftly eliminate some to prevent the power differential from becoming too vast, Lei Dong and his party were bound to suffer devastating losses.

Over these tens of thousands of years, Lei Dong’s understanding of Spatial Law had deepened substantially, achieving at least four-tenths of its possible depth. This was far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators. Even among the Ten Greatest Experts of the Three Realms, few, if any, could match Lei Dong solely on the basis of Spatial Law comprehension.

His figure flickered, and his gigantic demonic body materialized like a phantom behind an Asura Clan Integration Stage expert. His powerful claws plunged violently into the man’s chest from behind. Amidst the spattering blood, the early Integration Stage expert only managed a rudimentary reaction before dying instantly.

The primordial spirit had no time to escape before several Void Refinement-level (Qianlong Soldiers) joined forces to seize it.

Following Lei Dong’s action, the rest of his subordinates attacked without hesitation. Fairy Canglan and the Queen of Torment, both peak late-Integration experts, shed their concealment and unleashed their strongest auras in an instant, each targeting an early Integration cultivator for a sneak attack. Given the vast difference in rank and the element of surprise, coupled with their practiced killing techniques,

Those two managed to hold on for only a few exchanges before being respectively slain.

The remaining hidden powerhouses all struck simultaneously. Lei Hu, Ghost Thorn, and Ghost Ming teamed up against one target; under their combined, ferocious assault, the opponent could not resist and was blown apart by a roar from Lei Hu.

Mei Xiang and Mo Yang engaged an Immortal Clan male of the mid-Integration stage, but together they could only manage to entangle him.

Meanwhile, Tai Ming, who had reached the Quasi-Saint level, and seven Integration Stage Nether Giants appeared within an invisible formation pre-arranged by Fairy Canglan, plunging into the enemy ranks. Nether Giants were inherently powerful in close combat, especially Tai Ming at the Quasi-Saint level. Even the current Lei Dong, facing him, would likely have a fifty-fifty chance of victory.

With a roar, Tai Ming’s giant hand clamped down, crushing the luckless Immortal Clan male along with all his defensive shields with audible cracks.

The last to appear were the host of Nether Ghost Kings summoned by Ming Ji. Over a dozen Ghost Kings possessed strength not far inferior to their living selves, radiating a terrifying, chilling aura that struck fear into all as they charged in.

The dozen or so Integration Stage experts, lured by profit or serving as bait for the three great Sovereigns, were wiped out in a fierce storm in less than ten breaths.

The three Sovereigns, who had just begun to react and prepare to lead a charge to reinforce them, immediately halted when they witnessed the seemingly endless stream of experts on the opposing side. Their faces turned grim and fluctuated with uncertainty.

They had intentionally overestimated the strength of the few traitors, but they never imagined the gap was so wide. The enemy’s Integration Stage existences, all told, numbered over thirty, not including the Butterfly People who always stayed close to the Nether Giants and had yet to appear.

Yet, this number alone was not enough to make the Three Sovereigns hesitate. What truly caused them dread was the Quasi-Saint level Tai Ming, the loyal subordinate cultivated by the Barbarian Ancestor, who was incredibly formidable. The Three Sovereigns had clashed with him more than once.

They knew Tai Ming’s strength well; even two against one only resulted in a stalemate. Fighting him alone yielded defeat, never victory. True, there were three of them, and attacking Tai Ming together would secure a win, but where Tai Ming appeared, the Butterfly Emperor would surely be present. Although the Butterfly Emperor was not Quasi-Saint level, she was peak Integration, and combined with Tai Ming, they were enough to hold off the three Sovereigns.

After swiftly clearing the internal obstacles through the sneak attack, Lei Dong felt his mind settle. The enemy now had over forty Integration Stage experts, but his side, including the Butterfly People, totaled nearly forty. The top-tier combat power was effectively balanced.

In terms of Void Refinement-level generals, the difference was also not significant. Judging purely by raw power, the two sides were now almost equal.

However, Lei Dong possessed three major advantages. First, having just exerted full power in a surprise assault, he had eliminated eleven Integration Stage cultivators, and their primordial spirits were now in his possession, secretly passed to Ming Ji.

Ming Ji required only the time it takes an incense stick to burn to refine one Nether Ghost King. By delaying the battle slightly, his side’s combat strength would continuously increase.

The second advantage lay in the very top tier of combat power, where Lei Dong held a significant edge. The Quasi-Saint Tai Ming and the peak Butterfly Emperor were sufficient to occupy the three Sovereigns.

Lei Dong believed that his true strength, while not quite Quasi-Saint, was not inferior to one. His earlier attack merely leveraged Spatial Law and the power of his demonic form; his true capabilities emerged when he assumed human form. With strength approaching Quasi-Saint level, he couldn't guarantee victory against too many, but dealing with over a dozen Integration Stage experts simultaneously would not be excessively difficult.

The third major advantage lay with the Butterfly People, renowned as an "all-out brawl artifact." The Butterfly People were fast and difficult to track, yet they could continuously heal injured allies, significantly reducing their losses and indirectly boosting combat effectiveness.

Given these advantages, Lei Dong was not only settled but felt he had a strong chance of conquering his opponents.

"Zaku, Infidi, you two Demon Race wretches!" The Destruction Demon Emperor erupted in fury, roaring repeatedly. "You have abandoned the glory of our High-Level Demon Race to mingle with these ragtag Barbarians! Quickly kneel, beg for mercy, and this Emperor might put in a good word for you before the Demon Sovereign to save your lives." As for Fairy Canglan, he loathed her too, but she was not his concern.

The current Queen of Torment, Infidi, was no longer the same as before. After tens of thousands of years of harsh cultivation in a Grotto-Heaven blessed land, her strength had soared, only slightly trailing the Destruction Demon Emperor. She no longer regarded him with the deep awe she once held. Hearing his words, she couldn't help but let out a coquettish giggle. "Lord Aedro, our Master bears no enmity towards the Demon Race or the Immortal Race; he only wishes to deal with the Demon Spirit Race. Furthermore, we did not collude with the Barbarians; these Barbarians pledged allegiance to my Lord." Having received Lei Dong’s order to stall, the Queen of Torment began to spin a tale.

Indeed, these words caused the expressions of the Three Sovereigns to darken. There was indeed a master manipulator behind the scenes. If the Queen of Torment was not lying, that master must be incredibly powerful. Otherwise, a Quasi-Saint level expert like Tai Ming would never submit to him.

Tai Ming was already difficult enough to handle; if the master behind him were present, today’s situation would become truly troublesome.

Consequently, after a brief exchange of divine thoughts, the Destruction Demon Emperor spoke on behalf of the three: "Infidi, you have submitted to a master? This Emperor trusts that any Lord capable of earning your betrayal of the Demon Race must be an extraordinary figure. Why not invite him out so we may meet him?"

"Lord Aedro, I guarantee you will meet him soon," the Queen of Torment replied with an enchanting smile. "My Master is unparalleled in the universe, a peerless hero destined to unite the Three Realms. Why don’t you join our ranks instead? I guarantee you will not regret it."

The Destruction Demon Emperor bristled inwardly. Who do you think I am? How could I betray the Demon Sovereign to pledge loyalty to some ambiguous, secretive nobody? However, his expression remained placid. "Lord Aedro, I am quite curious. Given my status, what could your Master possibly offer that would make me submit?"

"How about an entire piece of Chaos Origin Essence?" The Queen of Torment uttered this world-shattering phrase with casual ease.

"What?" The Three Sovereigns simultaneously displayed expressions of shock and doubt. Chaos Origin Essence? And a complete one at that?

*** (To be continued) RQ