As the Azure Dragon Emperor roared incessantly, the Chaos Egg, half its soul devoured by Lei Dong, had lost its usual composure amidst the trauma. With half of its Chaos Heart gone, the Chaos Beast could never hatch.

Driven by instinct, the Chaos Egg opened its maw and swallowed the Azure Dragon Sovereign whole in one gulp.

A normal Chaos Egg could not match the power of a Supreme being. But the Azure Dragon Emperor, for all his might, had become utterly erratic in temperament. Apart from some lingering obsessions and primal urges, he possessed almost no rational thought, allowing the Chaos Egg to succeed easily.

However, the Azure Dragon Emperor was not a figure to be trifled with; purely in terms of strength, he was a formidable Supreme-level powerhouse. How could he be swallowed without any resistance whatsoever?

"Aoooh ahhh~" Roars erupted from within the Chaos Egg, shaking the very fabric of space until it trembled. It thrashed and shrieked continuously.

Seeing this, Ji Shuangshuang, who was standing nearby, dared not delay for even a moment. She hastily pulled out a jade talisman, crushed it, and a Grand Void Tunnel materialized.

It was another Grand Void Teleportation Jade Talisman. After the last one was used, Ji Ziyan had given the final accumulated one to her beloved daughter.

During the period when she was being hunted by the Azure Dragon Emperor, Ji Shuangshuang had considered using it several times. But remembering that the Azure Dragon Emperor was also a Supreme-level expert, she feared that even a Grand Void Tunnel might not be enough to evade his pursuit.

Having endured until now, Ji Shuangshuang felt the time was ripe. She immediately activated the precious life-saving treasure, wrapping it around Lei Dong—who was already violently convulsing, his internal organs nearly shattered, and his soul being eroded by malevolent energy—and fled in disarray.

The Grand Void Tunnel was a super-spell usable only by Supreme-level experts. Immensely powerful, a single teleportation could carry one an unknowable distance. Furthermore, this specific coordinate had been customized for Ji Ziyan, leading directly to the Vermillion Bird Divine Hall.

Flop~

Ji Shuangshuang, clutching Lei Dong, tumbled out of the Void Tunnel, landing on the very same altar as before. Having had to help Lei Dong resist the crushing force within the tunnel, she appeared quite disheveled.

Yet, Lei Dong seemed in even worse condition. The Azure Dragon Emperor's strike had contained boundless malevolent energy. Now, Lei Dong was semi-conscious, relying only on the faintest instincts within his awareness to desperately fight off the erosion of that energy.

Seeing Lei Dong's face covered in black miasma and contorted in agony, Ji Shuangshuang suppressed the heartache of losing her mother before her very eyes. She swiftly plunged her own soul into Lei Dong's, attempting to awaken his consciousness and help him expel the noxious energy.

Ji Shuangshuang’s cultivation level was not high, merely at the initial stage of the Integration Realm. But she was, after all, clear-headed, and she painstakingly worked to dismantle the vicious malevolent energy within him bit by bit.

After an indeterminate period, just as Ji Shuangshuang had cleared away nearly a third of it, estimating only a few more years of effort would complete the task,

The malevolent energy and the resentment contained within it seemed unwilling to vanish from the world. They turned and assaulted Ji Shuangshuang instead. Ji Shuangshuang was greatly startled. Aiding Lei Dong in expelling the energy was already extremely taxing, but because Lei Dong’s subconscious was holding the line, she only needed to "sneak attack" the malevolent forces from behind.

If even Lei Dong struggled so fiercely against the malevolent energy and resentment, how could she possibly withstand it? Just as she was about to be entirely consumed by the boundless malevolent energy, a sinister eye began to spin within Lei Dong’s soul.

A powerful suction force dragged all the overwhelming malevolent energy and resentment inward, tearing them into fragments and incinerating them into nothingness. Simultaneously, Ji Shuangshuang’s divine sense was also gradually being pulled toward the Eye of Reincarnation.

For a moment, Ji Shuangshuang was terrified, screaming incessantly. But her cries seemed utterly useless. As her soul was on the verge of being swallowed, Ji Shuangshuang fell silent. Forget it, forget it. It is right that I die by his hand. Who told me to act foolishly back then and kidnap his wife and child? In the end, I owe him.

"Hmph." A cold snort, like the ringing of a great temple bell, resonated in her ears, startling her soul back into her body as if pulled by a tide. Her almond eyes snapped open, and she saw Lei Dong’s gaze—cold and extraordinarily detached—staring at her.

"I..."

"No need to say anything. Though my consciousness was hazy, I know what transpired," Lei Dong said coldly. "Thank you for saving me once. Now, please give me the method to contact the Myriad Spirits Palace."

"No," Ji Shuangshuang immediately shook her head, but seeing the murderous look in Lei Dong's eyes, she quickly lowered her head. "You are not only physically weak and injured now, but even if you weren't, going to the Myriad Spirits Palace would be seeking death."

Lei Dong replied coldly, "My wife and child are trapped; what does it matter if I stake my life?"

"But I fear that even staking your life won't bring them back," Ji Shuangshuang countered, gathering her resolve, looking directly at Lei Dong. "In any case, it will be at least another thousand years before Mother Goddess awakens from her seclusion. You might as well use this opportunity to recover fully and cultivate a bit more. Even if you make no progress, if you heal, your chances of success will be much higher."

Lei Dong tossed out two Chaos Origins, saying lightly, "I owe you for this matter. Help me bring some friends over. The struggle between the Azure Dragon Emperor and the Chaos Beast, regardless of who wins or dies, is a major problem. I fear sudden changes are imminent, and the Three Realms will descend into chaos. Your Vermillion Bird Divine Hall must have a secret place for seclusion, right? Lend it to us for our use."

"I don't want your..." Before Ji Shuangshuang could finish speaking, she was glared into silence by Lei Dong's killing gaze. She had no choice but to put away the Chaos Origins and go fulfill Lei Dong's request.

Lei Dong forcibly suppressed his impulse and hid within the secret location of the Vermillion Bird Divine Hall to cultivate relentlessly. His companions, too, were brought to this relatively safe haven under Ji Shuangshuang’s arrangements.

He had absorbed a great deal of Chaos Origin in the Chaos Sea previously, but all several thousand pieces had been used by Lei Dong to refine his own body. It could be said that Lei Dong's current aptitude and potential had likely reached their absolute peak.

At this current level, let alone consuming one Chaos Origin, even consuming a hundred would not cause much change. Moreover, having devoured half the soul of the Chaos Beast—effectively half the soul of the Cosmic Will—Lei Dong had reaped rewards equivalent to several hundred Chaos Origins.

These Chaos Origins were all given by Lei Dong to Tian Mo, letting her distribute them as she saw fit.

He was confident that with such immense Chaos Origins, countless experts under Lei Dong’s banner would rise. As for Chaos Crystals, in the boundless Chaos Sea, Lei Dong had accumulated countless amounts. He meticulously refined them one by one and stored them in his spatial artifact.

This massive pool of resources was entirely distributed by Lei Dong.

As for himself, he focused more intently on the white-gold, heavy, and mysterious crystalline body floating within his Sea of Qi—this was the half-piece of the Chaos Heart.

The Chaos Heart was an incomparably precious object; there was only one in the entire universe. Half was with Lei Dong, and the remaining half was still melted within the soul of the Chaos Beast.

In the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, Lei Dong began attempting to use this half Chaos Heart to temper his own body. He dissolved minuscule slivers to refine himself. These slivers coursed through his meridians, infiltrating every single life factor.

Intense pain immediately surged forth. It was countless times more agonizing than when Lei Dong first tried using the Chaos Origins. Furthermore, this pain targeted not only the physical body but also the soul.

Even the Nether King Body Tempering Art paled in comparison to this level of suffering. Every time Lei Dong’s torment became unbearable and he was tempted to let go, memories of Wan Yan and their unborn child would flash in his mind.

He gritted his teeth and endured.

One sliver used, and then another.

This tempering process continued for an unknown duration, until Lei Dong had refined the entire half Chaos Heart into his body. In that instant, Lei Dong sensed the unmistakable signs of a breakthrough. This final, arduous barrier was finally kicked open.

The sky above became dense with tribulation clouds.

Lei Dong’s face showed neither joy nor sorrow. With a single teleportation, he emerged from the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, then immediately opened a small Void Tunnel, flying his physical body into the Endless Void.

At his level, undergoing tribulation within the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land would likely reduce it to ashes instantly.

Tribulation was a fundamental law of the cosmos; upon sensing a heaven-defying breakthrough, it summoned the heavenly calamity to destroy the defiant one. As long as one remained within the universe, escape from the tribulation was impossible.

Once Lei Dong reached the Endless Void, the tribulation clouds seemed to follow closely, brewing with even greater ferocity than before. Given his current echelon, his comprehension of the cosmic laws had reached profound depths.

What exactly was the Heavenly Tribulation? What about the Cosmic Will? He understood clearly. The Cosmic Will was essentially an artifact spirit-like existence meant to maintain the laws of heaven and earth.

And the Heavenly Tribulation was something that automatically executed and descended according to these laws. No one could evade or avoid it.

The Supreme Tribulation was a calamity second only to the Great Tribulation of the Cosmic Cycle. The rolling tribulation clouds stretched limitlessly, so dense they almost saturated the void for millions of miles around.

Countless flashes of lightning and thunder rolled and danced within the clouds like feral dragons.

These lightning dragons possessed a faint golden hue, clearly imbued with the immensely fierce Law of Annihilation. Yet, Lei Dong remained completely undaunted. He was no longer the person he once was. In terms of cultivation level, he was nearly equivalent to a Supreme being. Once he passed this tribulation, he would truly step into the Supreme rank.

He had anticipated this moment for an immeasurable time.

Boom boom boom~

The calamity descended without the slightest regard for his will, striking him directly. Streaks of golden lightning poured down upon Lei Dong like a violent storm.

However, Lei Dong stood firm, shielded by the Indestructible Aegis, weathering the tempestuous assault as steadfastly as a mountain in a gale.

Amidst the flashes of golden light, his face appeared exceptionally resolute and determined.