One figure soared on a flying sword, another transformed into one. Both shot toward the void at incredible speed. According to Lei Dong's estimation, their combat prowess was nearly equal, and both had only recently advanced to the Quasi-Saint realm. He figured settling a victory between them would take more than just a short while. Thus, he sent a divine thought transmission to the Heavenly Demon: "Meimei, if you aren't busy, take me on a tour of your Heavenly Demon Palace." It felt like a reunion after a long, passionate separation.

The Heavenly Demon couldn't help but let out a delicate pout, transmitting back with a flicker of divine thought: "Who are you calling a reunion after a long, passionate separation with?" Though her face was flushed with shyness, she led Lei Dong into the Palace.

The Empress of Suffering nearby was consumed by jealousy. Yet, she knew the Heavenly Demon Emperor held a far more elevated position in her Master’s heart. A sharp, painful twist seized her chest, and she aimed her frustration at the two unfortunate scions of the Demon Empresses. A string of wicked laughter erupted from her: "You deserve this bad luck; you ran right into me when I’m in a terrible, terrible mood!"

The Sons of Destruction and Hell exchanged glances; the rapid turn of events far exceeded their capacity to process. Almost simultaneously, they declared, "Brother, hold steady, I'm going to find reinforcements." One dissolved into a sinister black mist, the other into a devilish flame, both fleeing at top speed.

"Trying to leave? Too late." The Empress of Suffering bellowed with manic laughter. Her Whip of Suffering transformed into a colossal serpent, coiling around the two attempting escapees. Her crazed, exhilarated cackle instilled deep-seated fear and trembling in the two Demon Empress descendants.

... Several days later, finally.

Lei Dong emerged from the Heavenly Demon's fervor, looking somewhat gaunt and pale. In contrast, the Heavenly Demon, her face blooming like a peach blossom, appeared even more tender and radiant as she lay nestled in Lei Dong's arms, recounting the events of the intervening years in detail.

Hearing that everyone had achieved significant progress brought Lei Dong much gratification. He gently ran a hand through her slightly disheveled, raven-black hair: "Meimei, you’ve truly had a hard time these past years. Earlier, you mentioned that several prominent experts at the Integration Stage within the Three Realms have mysteriously vanished recently? Tell me everything."

Since gaining the ability of the Eye of Reincarnation, Lei Dong paid close attention to Integration Stage experts; they were essentially living treasuries of spiritual energy and chaos resources. With so many disappearing over the past few millennia, how could he not be concerned?

"I last heard it from Emperor Xingmiao; he issued a warning for everyone to be cautious. The target seems to be Integration Stage experts who prefer solitude and are caught alone. Some bodies have been found; their Primordial Spirits are apparently gone without a trace," the Heavenly Demon said, frowning. "Emperor Xingmiao suspects that a demon capable of growing stronger by devouring others' power may have emerged within the Three Realms."

Devouring power? Lei Dong paused slightly. Could it be that someone else possessed an ability similar to his Eye of Reincarnation? Or perhaps a comparable cultivation method or magic treasure? He couldn't help but furrow his brow and ask, "Why did Emperor Xingmiao reach that conclusion?"

"The Patriarch of the Vermilion Bird Clan used the Wheel of the Mother of All Spirits, bestowed upon him, at one of the crime scenes and glimpsed some clues. It appeared to be a man whose aura and demeanor closely resembled the former Demon Emperor, wearing a bronze tusk mask. He killed them and extracted their souls," the Heavenly Demon recounted, her brow furrowed, still feeling a lingering sense of dread. "When I first heard, I thought you had returned. Could it really be the Demon Emperor?"

"Absolutely impossible. The Demon Emperor Yan Chixing is dead; otherwise, he couldn't have passed his legacy to me," Lei Dong stated definitively, pondering for a moment. "Could someone be intentionally impersonating the Demon Emperor to conceal their true identity?"

"Highly likely, because both Empress Ji Ziyan of the Vermilion Bird Clan and Emperor Xingmiao believe it couldn't be the Demon Emperor." The Heavenly Demon hesitated slightly. "But they both agree that the person might have a very close relationship with the Demon Emperor, as he seemed to use the Immortal Slaying Finger when killing. Lei Dong, are you absolutely sure you are the only one in this world who knows the Immortal Slaying Finger?"

Lei Dong was about to confirm, but then he recalled that the God of the Underworld, whom he thought long dead, had managed to establish a force in the Savage World, waiting for a chance to strike back. Who knew if the King of the Underworld had truly died as legend claimed? While Lei Dong could confirm the Demon Emperor's demise, he hesitated to speak definitively about the King of the Underworld, whom he didn't know well.

"Perhaps this matter requires a thorough investigation," Lei Dong murmured thoughtfully. "I don't want this person to sabotage my grand plans."

... Almost simultaneously.

In the distant Outer Void, the Palace of the King of the Underworld, which had remained dormant for an unknown length of time, continued its silent vigil, exuding a powerful majesty that deterred any Void Beasts that dared to approach.

In this expanse of void, because it connected to a realm called the Netherworld, streams of pure Nether Ghost Qi permeated the surroundings.

This caused most of the beasts living here to possess the Nether attribute, thriving day and night by absorbing the Ghost Qi.

In this remote, rarely frequented area of the void, several uninvited guests suddenly arrived outside the Palace of the King of the Underworld.

One of them was short in stature, entirely shrouded in a black robe, resembling an underdeveloped child. A thick scent of blood surrounded him. This figure was none other than the Blood Child who had previously appeared at the Palace of the King of the Underworld and was subsequently slain by Lei Dong's Immortal Slaying Finger.

However, this Blood Child, while similar in appearance to the one Lei Dong killed, was internally vastly different. He radiated a bizarre and potent bloody aura, clearly an Integration Stage expert, and a mid-stage one at that.

The other two were also old acquaintances. One was the enchanting and seductive Mei Snake, whose figure was slender like a serpent. The other was the robust and imposing Dana, a War Giant at the early Integration Stage.

The Blood Child sniffed the air and said, "Good, this is the place. My Nascent Soul-level clone visited here. This must be the Palace of the King of the Underworld the Master is seeking. This time, we cannot disappoint the Master again. We must obtain that item, or it will truly ruin the Master's great undertaking. Dana, break the defenses."

"Indeed, indeed. I've long wanted to know which audacious bastard dared to destroy my clone and not even let its Primordial Spirit escape," the Mei Snake added with extreme ferocity. "If the Master hadn't been in seclusion lately, I would have come myself. In such a dilapidated backwater place, I refuse to believe anyone could kill my main body."

The War Giant Dana remained silent, unleashing a casual punch that shattered the protective shield of the Palace of the King of the Underworld, which had been running for untold years, directly exposing the massive, majestic main structure of the Palace.

"How dare you—who are you?" Several bronze and silver puppets flew out toward them.

"As expected, they recognize our clones," the Blood Child sneered. "These mere Nascent Soul-level puppets shouldn't be a match for our clones. There must be someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes." The Blood Child waved his sleeve, and a mist resembling a sea of blood shot out like a solidified sword.

With a sweep, the four Nascent Soul puppets were annihilated. The Primordial Spirits of the Ghost Clan residing within the puppets shrieked in terror as they attempted to flee, only to be swept back by the boundless blood sea.

The Blood Child couldn't even be bothered to interrogate them, directly pressing a hand onto the head of each Ghost Clan Primordial Spirit, forcing them into the Soul Searching technique. Moments later, the Primordial Spirits within the puppets perished amidst agonizing screams.

"Not good," the Blood Child's expression shifted dramatically, filled with shock and fury. "The item the Master sought has already been taken."

"That's impossible, right?" The Mei Snake's face turned ashen with fear. "The Master said it was an Item Spirit, didn't he? It should reside within the core nexus of the Palace of the King of the Underworld. Unless we use the treasure the Master bestowed to lure her out, even destroying the entire Palace of the King of the Underworld wouldn't allow anyone to obtain that Item Spirit."

"Mei Snake, do you think I would lie to you?" The Blood Child’s face grew extremely grim. "In the memories of those Primordial Spirits, the one who took the Item Spirit was a human brat named Lei Dong, and he seems to possess a treasure similar to ours." As he spoke, the Blood Child summoned an ancient pagoda from his soul.

Judging by its exterior, it was an exact replica of Lei Dong's shattered Chaos Soul Devouring Pagoda.

Of course, even the one held by the Blood Child was merely a counterfeit artifact, used to lure the Item Spirit into a trap and willingly inhabit it. Without this object as a medium, the Soul Devouring Pagoda's Item Spirit wouldn't have given them a second glance, even if they had annihilated the entire Palace of the King of the Underworld.

"Someone got there first! It's over, it's over! We will certainly be punished by the Master when we return," the Mei Snake cried out in extreme terror, her beautiful face drained of color.

"Hmph, not only that, but the one who killed our clones was also that brat Lei Dong," the Blood Child’s expression was terrible; he had clearly gleaned that detail from the memories of the silver puppets—his clones were effortlessly slaughtered. His voice turned cold and slightly shaky as he said, "That person used the Immortal Slaying Finger."

"The Immortal Slaying Finger? Could that person be the successor of the Demon Emperor Yan Chixing?" The Mei Snake and Dana exclaimed in unison, their faces aghast. But the Mei Snake quickly added, "Even if he is the Demon Emperor's successor, what of it? He’s only at the mere Nascent Soul level; I could blow him away with a single breath. An Immortal Slaying Finger at that level of cultivation is too weak even to tickle me."

"Has it been about six or seven thousand years since our clones last arrived?" The Blood Child hesitated, however. "After so many years, if he inherited the Demon Emperor's mantle, his cultivation must have advanced significantly, right?"

"Blood Child, I think you’ve been frightened senseless by the Demon Emperor," the Mei Snake sneered dismissively. "No matter how talented that brat is, can he truly cultivate to that degree in just a few thousand years? At best, he might be at the Void Refinement stage. I refuse to believe he could defy the heavens and kill an Integration Stage expert like us. Forget the Demon Emperor's successor; even if the Demon Emperor himself returned, what of it? Back then, our Master could toy with him; he can do it now. Moreover, our Master is far more powerful now than before; he can even break the sealing formation set up by the Mother of All Spirits and send us in."