Another unbelievably thick, stout bolt of golden lightning burst forth, slamming into Lei Dong. The violent force shattered his protective shield, and the residual shockwave tore through his body, relentlessly destroying his life essence particles.

Though the sensation was agony, having already endured the ordeal of tempering his body with the Heart of Chaos, Lei Dong barely registered the familiar sting of life essence particles being annihilated, only to be reborn through his own power.

Instead, he felt an exhilarating sense of release. Lei Dong had long since mastered the Demon Race's body regeneration technique to perfection, even innovating upon it.

When life essence particles were destroyed, the ones regrown under the might of his powerful regeneration technique were invariably tougher and stronger.

Through successive cycles of annihilation and rebirth, Lei Dong’s life essence particles grew stronger with each trial, and his power surged exponentially.

This tribulation, filled with lightning embodying the Law of Annihilation, struck Lei Dong for an entire century. When the colossal tempest of tribulation clouds finally dispersed, Lei Dong hung suspended in the boundless void, his expression iron-calm, his eyes vast as a star-sea.

His physique seemed monumental, exuding an aura of crushing power; a mere thought caused the nearby stars to dim slightly, as if bowing in submission at his feet.

"Supreme. So this is the Realm of the Supreme." In that instant, Lei Dong understood: this was the true mastery over the universe. Even the cosmos itself had been thoroughly trampled underfoot, forced to yield to him. Lei Dong felt as if he was Heaven, and Heaven was him. A single punch thrown might very well shatter worlds.

No wonder the Will of the Universe was determined to eliminate the Three Supremes. A Supreme-level powerhouse was effectively half the master of heaven and earth; the laws within their sphere of influence were compelled to accept the Supreme's dominion and command.

With the slightest flicker of thought, a void tunnel opened. Lei Dong stepped through. The next instant, he materialized within the Vermillion Bird Divine Palace.

"I command it: Ji Shuangshuang, come hither," Lei Dong willed, manipulating the Law of Space to forcibly summon Ji Shuangshuang, who was deep in secluded cultivation, pulling her effortlessly before him.

Ji Shuangshuang started, feeling that the Lei Dong before her was entirely different from the man she knew hundreds of years prior. He was as profound and immeasurable as the cosmic expanse, the sea of stars. Standing before her with his hands clasped behind his back, the sheer majesty and aura radiating from him involuntarily stirred an urge to prostrate and worship. Ji Shuangshuang recalled an almost faint impression of a similar aura only once, when her mother took her as a child to pay respects to the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits.

"Your Highness, I, Ji Shuangshuang, greet the Supreme." Feeling the infinite pressure, Ji Shuangshuang finally understood what had transpired. With a mix of shock, joy, and awe, she immediately sank to her knees in reverence.

"My Master, Yan Chixing, was the Demon Emperor, and he passed the Seed of the Imperial Demon to me, Lei Dong," Lei Dong stated calmly. "In the past, my strength was insufficient, and I dared not reveal my Master's name. But now, I, Lei Dong, will restore my Master’s honor. From this day forward, I proclaim myself the Demon Emperor and will re-establish the Demon Emperor's Palace."

The title of Demon Emperor was, in essence, inherited through generations. Yan Chixing was fundamentally just one in the lineage of Demon Emperors. However, this particular one was so fearsome that he eclipsed the fame of all previous Demon Emperors, leading everyone to believe there was only ever one. Lei Dong, too, was a member of this ancient line.

Now that Lei Dong's power had reached its zenith, it was only fitting that he reclaim his Master's prestige. Lei Dong's journey to this point was inseparable from the inheritance bestowed by the Demon Emperor Yan Chixing.

From every conceivable angle, Lei Dong was obligated to assume the mantle of Demon Emperor and subsequently exact vengeance for his Master, Yan Chixing.

As the strange, mesmerizing Seed of the Imperial Demon manifested on Lei Dong's forehead, the vast, sea-like pressure almost stole the breath from Ji Shuangshuang.

"My Master Yan Chixing’s revenge must be taken. As my Master's daughter, how can you stand aloof from this matter?" Lei Dong said with water-like flatness. "My venture to the Palace of Ten Thousand Spirits is not only to rescue my wife and child but also to slay the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits and avenge my Master. Ji Shuangshuang, quickly tell me how to contact the Palace of Ten Thousand Spirits."

Ji Shuangshuang trembled. She had not known her father's identity previously, nor harbored hatred for the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits, whom she had always regarded with reverence. Later, upon learning her father's truth, she gradually developed enmity toward the Three Supremes.

Lei Dong’s words shocked her, causing her heart to tremble violently. "I obey Your Majesty's decree."

Ji Shuangshuang immediately produced a jade talisman, saying with some agitation, "This is the talisman used to contact the Spirit Emissaries of the Ten Thousand Spirits Palace. Once crushed, an Emissary will initiate communication to ascertain the purpose."

"Good. Then you will tell them your mother died at the hands of the Azure Dragon Emperor," Lei Dong instructed calmly. "That way, we can infiltrate the Palace of Ten Thousand Spirits. While the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits is still in seclusion, we will take her wretched life."

The mention of her mother's death brought a fresh wave of pain to Ji Shuangshuang's expression. Yet, recalling the fate of her unknown father hardened her resolve. "Your Majesty, please disguise yourself. I will devise a strategy to get you into the Palace. However, the Palace of Ten Thousand Spirits harbors numerous formidable experts; most Spirit Emissaries are at least mid-stage Integration Realm, with high-stage masters, including the finest elites from all our Demon Spirit clans—the powerful ones from previous eras who now serve the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits. Your Majesty must prepare sufficient forces to avoid being overwhelmed."

Lei Dong was well aware of this. The venerable Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits would certainly not be alone. In fact, the Three Supremes excelled at ganging up on opponents. If not for being outnumbered, perhaps his Master Yan Chixing would not have perished outright.

For the sake of revenge, even as a Supreme powerhouse, Lei Dong cared nothing for fighting dirty or lowering his status to impersonate a novice. With a subtle fluctuation of his divine sense, he deployed his armies, then ordered Ji Shuangshuang to set the plan in motion.

Ji Shuangshuang crushed the jade talisman as instructed. Instantly, a deep vortex materialized nearby, and within it appeared a beautiful, incomparably alluring woman in courtly attire, whose eyes sharpened coldly. "Insolent Vermillion Bird! How dare you crush your mother’s talisman and interrupt the pure cultivation of the Ten Thousand Spirits Palace! What crime do you commit?"

Even across the vast distance, Lei Dong could sense the sheer might emanating from the image within the vortex. He could even faintly perceive a potent Phoenix bloodline upon her.

"Venerable Phoenix Emissary, you must champion justice for Shuangshuang! My mother—my mother is dead!" Ji Shuangshuang threw herself down, weeping inconsolably, sobbing hysterically.

"What?"

Even though the Phoenix Clan and Vermillion Bird Clan were famously at odds, the Phoenix was greatly shocked by the news, her lovely features contorted in horror. "How can this be? I heard Ji Ziyan had secretly cultivated to the Quasi-Saint level. Who could possibly kill her?"

"Venerable Phoenix Emissary of the Ten Thousand Spirits, this is true. Even were Shuangshuang the most unfilial daughter, I would never lie about my own mother’s life or death for false intelligence." Ji Shuangshuang wept anew as the painful memory surfaced. "Senior, the one who killed my mother was the Azure Dragon Emperor, Long Aotian. He inherited the mantle of the King of the Underworld but harbored insidious ambitions, keeping them hidden. My mother discovered that the murders of many Integration Realm experts over the last several thousand years were all the work of Long Aotian. To silence her, Long Aotian launched a sneak attack."

With this explanation, belief became absolute. No one would joke about the life or death of their own mother. And seeing Ji Shuangshuang's utterly devastated grief, the matter seemed genuine. The Azure Dragon Emperor Long Aotian had expressed dissatisfaction with the Mother Goddess for tens of thousands of years.

"This matter is grave. Open the teleportation array on the altar, and we will link you directly to the Ten Thousand Spirits Palace," the Phoenix Emissary stated, her gaze heavy with concern, not daring to be careless. "When you arrive, recount this matter personally to the Mother Goddess's avatar, withholding nothing."

"Thank you, thank you, Senior."

The altar within the Vermillion Bird Divine Palace was indeed designed for connecting to the Ten Thousand Spirits Palace, but to avoid unnecessary complications, teleportation was usually only enabled after communication with the Palace had been established.

A magnificent radiance shot up from the altar, and countless wisps of spiritual energy coalesced into a spatial vortex.

Lei Dong’s Nether Ghost Qi surged, whipping up a black gale that enveloped Ji Shuangshuang and carried her along. His form flickered briefly, and he plunged into the teleportation array.

His form twisted momentarily before solidifying in a place where chaotic spiritual energy was exceptionally dense, amidst colossal, majestic structures resembling an immortal palace.

In the sky above, divine beasts rarely seen in the mortal world manifested their true forms, swimming freely amongst the clouds. An atmosphere of profound serenity permeated everything.

The beautiful Phoenix expert guarding the teleportation array, along with another woman in courtly robes, suddenly saw the strange presence of Lei Dong and instantly erupted in anger, shouting, "Bold! How dare you trespass into the Ten Thousand Spirits Palace! Surrender immediately and submit..."

Before their shouts could fully register, Lei Dong sneered. Two streams of pure Nether Ghost Qi lashed out like twin spirit snakes, instantly ensnaring them.

The overwhelming power held them fast, rendering them incapable of the slightest movement. As they stared in utter horror, Lei Dong’s divine sense formed a vortex, hovering above their heads like a slightly opened, malevolent eye.

These two, merely at the mid-stage Integration Realm, held no interest for Lei Dong. He crushed their souls instantly, refining them into pure spiritual energy and essence.

In the next moment, he siphoned every detail of the Ten Thousand Spirits Palace from their memories. This supernatural method was infinitely more potent than techniques like Soul Searching Arts. Only a power whose understanding of the soul had reached the Supreme level could achieve such a feat. Lei Dong's technique was a synthesis of the Nether God’s comprehension of the soul and his own Devouring Art of the Reincarnation Eye.

These two beautiful servants, guarding the outer perimeter of the Demon Spirit races, had their primary defenses exposed to Lei Dong in an instant.

Simultaneously, Lei Dong's cadre of powerful subordinates began emerging from the transport channel.

"Destroy the Ten Thousand Spirits Palace," Lei Dong declared with a cold smile.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)