Although Lei Dong had already made some speculation, hearing these words truly shocked him—the life gestating within this egg was actually an avatar nurtured for him by the Will of the Universe itself.

At Lei Dong's current level, this operation was easily understood. If the cosmos and the heavens were likened to a spiritual treasure like the Chaos Tower, then the Will of the Universe was equivalent to the Tower’s artifact spirit.

Artifact spirits were originally without souls or consciousness, yet Meixiang, the spirit of the Chaos Tower, gradually developed a soul, just as Ming Ji, the spirit of the Pluto Banner, also acquired one. Naturally, it was not strange that the spirit maintaining the laws of the universe would develop a soul.

Based on Lei Dong's own experiences, once consciousness and soul emerge, curiosity follows, leading to a desire for a physical body to truly experience the world from a life's perspective. From this angle, the actions of the Will of the Universe were understandable, even excusable.

However, from another perspective, this presented a monumental problem. An avatar nurtured by the immense power of the Universal Consciousness would certainly not be a trivial entity. Theoretically, even a Supreme Being might not be its match. Otherwise, why would the Three Supremes have needed to join forces to strike it down while it was still an egg? It was precisely because of apprehension and fear!

Past experiences had taught Lei Dong that any entity possessing great power without any restraining force could be described as utterly unrestrained—meaning reckless and unscrupulous. And any unrestrained entity, upon harboring a peculiar thought, could trigger consequences of immeasurable magnitude, as nothing could halt or bind them, potentially leading to utter catastrophe.

Furthermore, once any life gains self-awareness, its first thought will be of the self, prioritizing its own needs—this is what is called selfishness. Selfishness isn't inherently bad; everyone is selfish to some degree. However, one must not forget that selfishness often breeds the existence of an entity that is both selfish and possesses immense power, yet remains beyond anyone's control. This, perhaps, was the true reason the Three Supremes had acted in concert. Moreover, Lei Dong’s master, the Demon Emperor's analysis, was not without merit; the Will of the Universe existed at an extremely high level, governing all things under heaven.

A being of such high stature looking down upon lower-level lifeforms would inevitably adopt a condescending view, considering the power to grant or take away anything as a matter of course.

Lei Dong could even surmise that the reason the yet-to-be-born Will of the Universe was currently being so polite was due to the threat posed by the Three Supremes, and because it had not yet fully gestated. If it already possessed the ability to swat a Supreme Being away with a single hand, why would it bother speaking to him so courteously, even trying to curry favor and play the sentiment card?

Lei Dong also had another option: deceive it. Feign agreement, obtain the Supreme-level abilities, and then simply ignore its subsequent assignments, or even turn around and destroy it. But this violated Lei Dong's established principles of conduct. Secondly, he vaguely felt the situation was not that simple. If this Chaos Egg helped him reach the Supreme level, how could it possibly lack any means to restrain him once he was supposed to follow its assigned tasks? Did it genuinely trust his character so completely? Or did it place its future hopes on the moral fiber of a mere human?

Even if it were him, Lei Dong would absolutely be unwilling to take such a gamble. He was confident that a being at the level of the Universal Will would not commit such a brainless act.

Therefore, based on this deduction, it was highly probable that if he accepted its aid to reach the Supreme level, and then betrayed or refused to execute its tasks, it would certainly have a way to deal with him. Having reached this conclusion, Lei Dong felt there was no need for further calculation. He cupped his hands and said, "Great Will of the Universe, thank you for giving me this opportunity, and for granting me such a magnificent life. I do not wish to interfere in the affairs between you and the Three Sovereigns of the Three Realms. Therefore, I can only offer my apologies. Farewell…"

"Vile traitor, die!"

In this realm of dazzling golden light and auspicious peace, a murderous aura suddenly manifested. A majestic and vast divine sense, solidified as if substantial, descended and enveloped Lei Dong, pinning him down. It relentlessly dragged him toward the direction of the egg.

Although Lei Dong was mentally alert, he was still deeply shocked. He hadn't expected the Chaos Egg to be so tyrannical; the moment he refused, it acted without a second thought. The divine sense struck so suddenly and domineeringly that Lei Dong was instantly ensnared, his power largely suppressed as the sensation penetrated his body. This left him feeling that his ability to resist was insufficient.

Just as Lei Dong's expression grew grave, resisting with all his might yet still being slowly pulled toward the egg, Ji Ziyan, who had remained silent, finally moved. A fierce blaze ignited around her body, so scorching it resembled the sun. In an instant, Ji Ziyan's aura surged to its absolute peak. With a sharp cry, she unleashed a punch.

That punch contained nearly all her strength and flame, transforming into a Vermilion Bird spanning over a hundred feet in wingspan, which shrieked as it hurtled toward the Chaos Egg—or, as she privately called it, the bastard egg. That attack seemed to incorporate a significant amount of Spatial Law. Almost instantaneously, it slammed into the massive, golden bastard egg.

The ferocious power of the Solar True Fire shook the egg, causing its golden radiance to dim slightly.

"Insignificant Vermilion Bird ant, you dare lay a hand on this Sovereign?" A majestic and intensely furious voice echoed throughout the entire space. The spreading golden light condensed into a hammer, which struck down with a smack onto Ji Ziyan’s head before she could even react.

Lei Dong inwardly groaned, "No, it's a hammer forged from Annihilation Law!"

Boom! Under the mighty, destructive force of the Annihilation Law, Ji Ziyan instantly dissolved into dust, her divine soul unable to escape.

"Mother!" Ji Shuangshuang cried out in horror, her face turning deathly pale as she screamed. Another flash of golden light appeared as the Annihilation Hammer prepared to strike Ji Shuangshuang.

Then, Lei Dong moved.

Although Ji Ziyan’s attack couldn't inflict substantial damage on the bastard egg, it momentarily diverted a large portion of the bastard's divine attention. Lei Dong himself was already at the peak of the Quasi-Saint level, just a single step away from the Supreme realm. His cultivation was naturally formidable, especially his understanding of various Laws, which was almost second to none among the Supremes.

Instantly breaking free from the bastard’s restraining power, Lei Dong flickered, moving like a phantom past Ji Shuangshuang, sweeping her up and fleeing toward the distance.

Previously, Lei Dong had believed that he had already fulfilled his obligation to the mother and daughter duo because of his master, and their survival was no longer his concern. However, Ji Ziyan's selfless attack had undeniably saved his life, and she had paid the price of utter annihilation. From any perspective, Lei Dong had every reason to save Ji Shuangshuang, especially since doing so was within his capabilities.

As he swept Ji Shuangshuang away, preparing to depart, the bastard egg, having already made its move, would hardly allow Lei Dong to escape. After the Annihilation Hammer missed, it swiftly condensed another wave of divine sense to imprison Lei Dong.

Having suffered one loss, how could Lei Dong lack vigilance? He knew that no matter how fast his physical movements were, he could not outrun the speed of divine sense. He immediately condensed his own divine sense, forming a shield to fiercely resist the incoming pressure.

Lei Dong’s divine sense had always been his proudest asset. Following his devouring cultivation in the Sea of Chaos, his power had reached the peak Quasi-Saint level; purely in terms of divine sense, he was already comparable to an ultimate expert who had just advanced to the Supreme realm. Even if this was an unformed avatar of the Universal Will, it couldn't simply crush Lei Dong with its divine sense instantly. In fact, in its incomplete state, it only held a slight advantage over Lei Dong.

"Traitor," a fluctuation came again from the bastard egg, "Since you refuse to be fooled, this Sovereign shall personally devour you into my belly." Its voice now completely lacked the majestic tone of a father; instead, it was saturated with sheer brutality.

"Hmph, didn't you promise to help me achieve the Supreme realm? Why are you trying to devour me now?" Lei Dong resisted undaunted, simultaneously using words to probe for any opportunity.

"Boy, don't waste your efforts," the bastard sneered repeatedly. "It's all because you were too lucky, even obtaining the ability of the Eye of Reincarnation, exceeding my expectations far beyond measure. It would be a complete waste of potential not to absorb and merge you into my body."

It turned out his Eye of Reincarnation had brought him danger. Lei Dong’s heart stirred. Just as he was about to activate the Eye of Reincarnation, he suddenly asked, "You are an avatar of the Universal Will; do you not possess the authority to mobilize the Eye of Reincarnation? Must you covet this small ability of mine?"

"Hahahaha, boy, you truly don't know what's good for you!" the bastard roared with laughter. "Although the Eye of Reincarnation is an intrinsic capability of the universal framework, I, as the Will of the Universe, can only activate it within the scope of the rules when the Heavenly Cycle Reincarnation Tribulation arrives. Did you think I could command the Eye of Reincarnation at will? However, now it’s perfect. Once I fuse you into my Chaos Beast avatar, my Chaos Beast avatar will also possess the Eye of Reincarnation ability, and I can rename it the Chaos Devouring Beast."

"Hmph, pipe dream. It seems you do not understand the true efficacy of the Eye of Reincarnation." Lei Dong instantly unleashed his divine sense, forming a Devouring Vortex to slowly consume and wear away its divine sense.

"Ah? How is this possible?" the still-gestating Chaos Beast shrieked in terror. "How can your Eye of Reincarnation erode my divine sense?"

...To be continued.