"Elder status dictates that since you claim kinship with my Master's sworn brother, you should take the lead," Lei Dong stated, his expression remarkably calm and detached.

"Hahaha, a teacher is a father. You are Yan Chixing’s disciple, which makes you his son. Avenge him, you should go first," the Azure Dragon Emperor proclaimed to Lei Dong with an air of extraordinary bearing and elegance.

The fully lucid Azure Dragon Emperor was indeed proving far more difficult than before. Lei Dong’s thoughts churned, and he swiftly turned to the Mother of All Spirits. "Indeed, Long Aotian and I each absorbed half of a Chaos Heart, and I have also annihilated half of the Universe Will’s soul. As for Long Aotian, I doubt he possesses the capability to destroy the Universe Will’s soul. My speculation is that either his soul merged, or Long Aotian’s consciousness was devoured by the Universe Consciousness. Otherwise, with his body steeped in such malevolence, maintaining self-control would be difficult."

The faces of the Mother of All Spirits and Long Aotian shifted simultaneously, the former revealing immediate wariness. The latter, however, burst into immediate, raucous laughter. "Lei Dong, oh Lei Dong, your scheme to sow discord is truly infantile. I am the Azure Dragon Emperor, the Mother God’s child, and Yan Chixing’s dearest brother. While the Universe Consciousness is formidable, how could the remaining half possibly be a match for me? It is you, who rose to such heights in mere tens of thousands of years after Chi Xing’s death, that must be another avatar of the Universe Consciousness."

In the Mother of All Spirits' eyes, vast and deep as the star-filled cosmos, a look of profound contemplation appeared.

"Is that so? Yet you used the Soul Devouring Pagoda of Chaos to slaughter experts at the Integration Stage across the board, sparing not even fellow Divine Beasts," Lei Dong remarked coolly, hands clasped behind his back, speaking with the air of a leisurely cloud. "I doubt that can be described as anything less than utterly depraved, can it?"

"Long Aotian, did you truly commit those despicable and shameless acts?" The Mother of All Spirits faltered, then fixed the Azure Dragon Emperor with a wrathful gaze.

"Enough, enough. Wan Ling, this Supreme Being can no longer be bothered to play games with you two," the Azure Dragon Emperor sneered, a mixture of scorn and pride touching his lips. "Yes, this Supreme Being has now fused with half the Universe Consciousness. So what? Now, this Supreme Being is not only a Supreme-level expert but the sovereign ruler of the universe and its heavens. Wan Ling, Lei Dong, considering the effort it took for both of you to reach the Supreme level, submit obediently to this Supreme Being and serve me as master. I shall spare your lives."

Lei Dong let out a cold, derisive snort. "Long Aotian, I thought your psychosis had been cured; it seems you’ve become even more foolish than before. What a pity, such a dignified Supreme Being afflicted with mental illness. But I have long grown accustomed to you this way. If you weren't acting so mad, I'd actually find it unsettling."

"Lei Dong, you are courting death," the Azure Dragon Emperor, finally enraged by Lei Dong's incessant labeling him as mentally ill, roared, unleashing a colossal pressure toward Lei Dong.

But Lei Dong was also a Supreme-level expert, utterly unfazed. With his hands behind his back, he stated coldly, "With just you? Were my legions of a thousand armies here, a single spout of my saliva could drown you."

"Hee hee, so you rely on sheer numbers?" The Azure Dragon Emperor cackled repeatedly. "Did you think I, Long Aotian, would be foolish enough to challenge you and Wan Ling alone? Spirit Hordes, emerge for this Supreme Being!"

As he spread his arms, a massive vortex materialized behind him. From within that vortex, countless spirit bodies saturated with malevolence and resentment surged forth in a boundless tide.

They charged, all fangs and claws bared, their ghostly shrieks echoing incessantly.

The Resentful Spirits of the Chaos Sea? Lei Dong was indeed startled. Though he knew the Azure Dragon Emperor must have trump cards, he never imagined he possessed the means to muster an army composed of ancient resentful spirits from the Chaos Sea!

"Brothers and sisters, be cautious; these resentful spirits are immensely powerful," Lei Dong commanded in a low voice, bringing his hands together and blasting a beam of golden light imbued with the Law of Annihilation toward the spirits.

This technique originated from the Great Light Cannon of the Luminous Winged God Clan, but when unleashed with Annihilation Golden Light, its power was extraordinary, earning it the moniker the Great Annihilation Cannon.

Wherever the Annihilation Golden Light passed, the weaker resentful spirits dissolved into nothingness amidst piercing, mournful screams. Even resentful spirits at the Integration Stage, or even Quasi-Saint level, coiled tightly, desperately resisting the golden light.

Lei Dong regarded these spirits with apprehension; some of the strongest among them likely surpassed ordinary Quasi-Saints. A few, in fact, possessed strength comparable to those who had just ascended to the Supreme realm.

It was two ancient resentful spirits of that caliber that had previously entangled the Azure Dragon Emperor, forcing him onto the defensive in a two-against-one battle. Fortunately, there were few such high-tier resentful spirits in the entire Chaos Sea; otherwise, the Azure Dragon Emperor truly could have become the universe's sovereign with their aid.

At this moment, as if discovering a common enemy, Lei Dong’s forces and the Mother of All Spirits’ forces momentarily ceased their conflict, uniting to confront the Azure Dragon Emperor's army of resentful spirits.

However, the Spirit Hordes of the Chaos Sea were truly endless and countless. Everyone fought bitterly, only to eliminate one wave before more spirits surged forward relentlessly.

"Haha, as the ruler of the universe and its heavens, deploying these Spirit Hordes is utterly effortless for this Master," the Azure Dragon Emperor laughed triumphantly. "If I offer them the slightest glimmer of hope for resurrection, they beg to pledge allegiance like dogs, eager to kill for me. Ancient spirits, I promise I will select the ten who contribute the most to grant you resurrection. So, fight well for me!"

The Azure Dragon Emperor’s divine sense rippled outward, spreading across the vast battlefield, inciting the resentful spirits, who still clung to the desire for life, into an even greater frenzy.

The stronger spirits could barely cope, grouping into formations to stubbornly resist the maddened spirits. But weaker experts, those only at the Void Refinement Stage, perished one after another.

A searing rage threatened to erupt from Lei Dong’s grim eyes. A dense swarm of spirits, numbering in the thousands, violently assaulted a sizable contingent of the Sub-Dragon Soldiers. Although the Sub-Dragon Soldiers were formidable and courageous, constantly annihilating the spirits, the sheer number of enemies was overwhelming, crashing against the formation like an unrelenting tide. Moreover, the ranks of the spirits were not without their powerful entities.

Every moment saw deaths—not only were bodies destroyed, but their nascent souls were seized by the spirits and torn to shreds amidst crazed, ghostly shrieks.

It must be noted that every one of these Sub-Dragon Soldiers was among Lei Dong's most loyal subordinates; the loss of even one caused him sharp pain. Lei Dong strode forward, his figure flashing through a spatial rift, and instantly appeared on that section of the battlefield, standing directly amidst the swarm of resentful spirits. These spirits seemed to sense Lei Dong's immense power, and their aggressive fervor immediately cooled slightly; they even instinctively retreated a few paces.

Lei Dong let out a furious, cold snort, and his boundless Nether Ghost Qi surged forth, spreading in all directions like monstrous waves. The Nether Ghost Qi, in truth, held a certain attraction and benefit for these resentful spirits.

Upon inhaling such incomparably pure Nether Ghost Qi, the nearby spirits lunged forward regardless of danger, like sharks scenting blood, greedily gulping down the ghostly energy.

This maneuver indirectly drew away the majority of nearby spirits, effectively saving the remnant of the thousand-man contingent of Sub-Dragon Soldiers, which was now reduced to a few hundred survivors. Simultaneously, thousands of spirits were drawn together by Lei Dong.

With a flicker of his divine sense, the Nether Ghost Qi, which the spirits had viewed as a great tonic, began to spin like a vortex, accelerating rapidly. In mere breaths, the violently rotating Ghost Qi manifested formidable crushing power. Weaker spirits were shredded into fragments by the churning energy, their broken souls swept toward the vortex's core.

There lay another, smaller vortex, which was Lei Dong’s Eye of Reincarnation, formed by his divine sense. This Nether Killing Array continuously fed the fragmented residual souls of the slaughtered spirits into the Eye of Reincarnation.

The Eye of Reincarnation then converted them into Chaos Spiritual Energy and Origin Power, feeding them back into Lei Dong's Sea of Qi. Most of the Chaos Spiritual Energy was then transmuted by Lei Dong into power to replenish the fierce consumption of the Nether Killing Array.

In just a few dozen breaths, thousands of resentful spirits were wiped clean, all converted into nourishment for Lei Dong, allowing him to grow stronger as he fought.

The excess Chaos Spiritual Energy and Origin Power were expelled from Lei Dong's Sea of Qi, descending upon the bodies of the few hundred remaining Sub-Dragon Soldiers behind him like a refreshing spring rain. The pure Chaos Spiritual Energy rapidly replenished their depletion and even healed their wounds. The Origin Power further enhanced their potential, offering them faster and better opportunities to ascend higher.

Not only were the Sub-Dragon Soldiers saved, but they also gained immense benefits. Though they mourned the fall of their comrades, they could not help but shout praises toward Lei Dong: "Demon Emperor! Demon Emperor! Demon Emperor!"

"Hahaha, Lei Dong, you are a dignified Supreme Being after all. What fun is there in bullying mere resentful spirits? If you are truly bored," the Azure Dragon Emperor's arrogant laughter rang out again, suddenly appearing behind Lei Dong. He condensed a Hammer of Annihilation and swung it howling toward Lei Dong. "Why don't I entertain you?" Clearly, the Azure Dragon Emperor was growing restless seeing Lei Dong find a rapid method for eliminating the spirits.

Before Lei Dong could react, a slender figure gracefully drifted in front of him. With a sweep of her slender, jade-like arm, a potent and vibrant essence of Spirit Qi formed an arrow, which collided with the Hammer of Annihilation, sending out a shockwave of tempestuous might.

"Lei Dong, your technique is quite effective against resentful spirits," the Mother of All Spirits stated calmly. "I will keep Long Aotian occupied."

"Hahaha, Wan Ling, your battle against Yan Chixing tens of thousands of years ago left you severely injured," the Azure Dragon Emperor bellowed maniacally. "Contain me? Don't blame me for bullying you. I almost forgot to tell you, I already took care of those disobedient Immortal Venerable and Demon Venerable for you."

...(To be continued)RQ

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