Blood Sacrifice

After spending several days reviewing and studying the method of blood-sacrificing a Spirit Ghost in the Ghost Taming Art, Lei Dong waited until everything was ready and his energy, vitality, and spirit were at their peak before beginning. He joined his Mind Power with the Soul Nurturing Pagoda, firmly locking onto the newly formed Spirit Ghost. The weakness it had suffered a few days earlier had vanished, and thanks to the pagoda's nurturing, it was lively again.

The Spirit Ghost seemed to know what was about to happen. It began wailing and darting about, as if trying to escape this place where it felt so comfortable. But how could a Spirit Ghost with no awakened intelligence, retaining only the instincts of a beast, comprehend the mysteries of the Soul Nurturing Pagoda? It ran into walls at every turn, yet Lei Dong's Mind Power kept it firmly locked down.

At the same time, Lei Dong muttered an incantation, continuously channeling Profound Yin True Qi into the Soul Nurturing Pagoda. Amplified by the pagoda, the true qi pressed down on the Spirit Ghost with immense force. The Spirit Ghost immediately trembled and curled up into a cloud of mist, not daring to move. Only then did Lei Dong probe into its body with his Mind Power. The Spirit Ghost shuddered violently twice, then began resisting with all its might. A tremendous spiritual pressure crashed down on it like Mount Tai.

This time, Lei Dong showed no mercy. His Profound Yin True Qi condensed once more, transforming into fierce flames inside the Soul Nurturing Pagoda to punish the Spirit Ghost that dared to resist. In less than a few dozen breaths, the wailing Spirit Ghost was finally on its last legs, sending out mental waves begging for mercy. Only then did Lei Dong rein in his true qi and invade it again with his Mind Power. Now, the Spirit Ghost didn't dare resist at all.

He wasn't very familiar with the process, but after half an hour, Lei Dong finally managed to complete the initial refinement of the Spirit Ghost. Of course, to turn it into a Ghost Servant under his control, he still needed to perform a Blood Sacrifice. At this point, he had complete control over the Spirit Ghost's life and death. With just a thought, he could make it vanish into thin air. And if the master died, the servant died. No matter how high the Spirit Ghost's rank became in the future, it could never break free of this bond.

Now Lei Dong could release it without fear that it would harm him in any way—not even a thought of harm would cross its mind. The Spirit Ghost seemed listless when he let it out. But perhaps because it had been confined for so long, it turned into a cloud of mist and flew up and down the small Cultivation Chamber, letting out occasional Ghost Howls of delight.

"Come here." Lei Dong beckoned it over. In truth, a master didn't need words or gestures to command his Ghost Servants. They naturally understood as soon as he formed the thought. Even if he sent them to their deaths, they wouldn't so much as furrow their brows. Of course, the refinement was only halfway complete, so their thoughts weren't yet fully connected.

Understanding what Lei Dong meant, the Spirit Ghost immediately flew to his side and stayed perfectly still.

Lei Dong nodded in satisfaction, steeled himself, and cut the skin on his finger. Drops of blood welled up. At his direction, the Spirit Ghost lunged forward and wrapped itself tightly around his finger in a small bundle. The blood turned into mist as well, blending with the Spirit Ghost.

The whole process lasted nearly half a day. Gradually, Lei Dong's face grew pale. By the end, it had lost all color—a sign that he had lost too much blood.

Yet the Spirit Ghost's aura grew stronger and stronger, its whole body glowing red. This was the Blood Sacrifice. Only a Spirit Ghost that had undergone a Blood Sacrifice could become a Ghost Servant and grow exceptionally powerful. Just as Lei Dong felt that if it kept drawing blood, he would pass out, the Ghost Servant finally released his finger. It floated to one side, its crimson body expanding and contracting.

Lei Dong immediately sat cross-legged, swallowed a Lesser Vitality Pill, and hurriedly began cultivating qi. After a full night, the true qi he had spent was completely restored. His face, however, remained pale as a ghost. He had lost a great deal of blood—Essence Blood from his body, no less—and that wasn't something he could recover in a moment. Fortunately, he had known what to expect before the Blood Sacrifice and had already told the servants to prepare enough food to restore his vitality and Essence Blood.

After eating his fill, Lei Dong finally had time to examine his Ghost Servant. It had fallen to the ground and become a blood-red cocoon about the size of a football, giving off a strong, metallic smell. According to the Ghost Taming Art, a Spirit Ghost needed time to digest the gains from its Blood Sacrifice.

Lei Dong also needed a great deal of time to recover the true qi and Essence Blood he had lost in the Blood Sacrifice. He not only needed to meditate and cultivate qi, but also to replenish himself with nourishing food. Fortunately, this was the Yin Sha Sect, and more specifically, the Myriad Ghost Cave. Cultivating the Ghost Taming Art was commonplace here, and the servants were well versed in the nourishing meals needed after a Blood Sacrifice.

Time flew by, and half a month passed.

Lei Dong had recovered most of his strength, though his face was still somewhat pale. But the Ghost Servant had emerged from its cocoon. Its Soul Body had become solid and luminous, seeming to hold a powerful energy within. Its round body continually twisted and changed. Gradually, it grew arms, legs, and a torso. It even conjured a translucent suit of armor, along with a shield and blade. Muscular and imposing, it looked rather fearsome.

The transformation delighted Lei Dong. No wonder it was a Spirit Ghost. Even though it was only a Low-grade Spirit Ghost, a single Blood Sacrifice had transformed it into a Ghost Soldier. After inspecting it, Lei Dong discovered that it was only a First-level Ghost Soldier, with strength equivalent to a cultivator at the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage. Even so, he was thoroughly satisfied. An ordinary Yin Soul, even after a Blood Sacrifice, couldn't come close to becoming a First-level Ghost Soldier.

Besides, ordinary Inferior Ghosts grew extremely slowly and were very difficult to rank up. It was just like people: those with Spiritual Roots, even poor ones, could cultivate, though advancing was slower and more difficult. Even the least gifted could usually reach the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage after two or three years. Those without Spiritual Roots, however, would struggle to reach that first layer even after ten or twenty years, unless they encountered some special opportunity. That was why a Spirit Ghost was worth more than ten million Inferior Ghosts.

No one would choose to perform a Blood Sacrifice on an Inferior Ghost unless they had no other choice. It had already been more than half a month, and Lei Dong still hadn't fully recovered. His body remained very weak. If he had gone to such lengths for an Inferior Ghost with no future, he would surely have felt unwilling. But for this Spirit Ghost, he was more than happy to do it.

Of course, if the Ghost Soldier had an innate spell, it would be even more powerful. Even if it didn't, that was fine too; another Blood Sacrifice might give it a spell. Naturally, it was best if it had one from the start, since he couldn't perform another Blood Sacrifice on the Ghost Soldier anytime soon. Besides, Blood Sacrifices didn't have a high chance of helping a Ghost Soldier comprehend a spell—at most, two or three out of ten. Some people performed ten Blood Sacrifices in a row and still failed to learn a spell. Lei Dong hurriedly used the Ghost Taming Art to command the Ghost Soldier to activate its skill.

"Rip!" A clear sound rang out. In an instant, the translucent, crystalline Ghost Soldier turned crimson, and its calm eyes became bloodshot and savage. Its entire aura grew fiercer.

It was the Bloodthirsty Art!

Lei Dong couldn't help shouting in excitement. Although the Bloodthirsty Art was a common spell among Ghost Soldiers, that didn't mean it was worthless. After using the Bloodthirsty Art, a Ghost Soldier usually became exceptionally ferocious, increasing its combat strength by thirty percent while neglecting its defense. However, the effect lasted only the time it took an incense stick to burn, and the spell couldn't be used repeatedly in quick succession. Even so, it greatly increased the Ghost Soldier's combat strength.

"Fantastic!" The frustration of going three months without capturing a Spirit Ghost vanished. Lei Dong had every reason to believe he would have a considerable advantage over cultivators of the same level—after all, it would be two against one. Of course, there were countless powerful spells in the world, and nothing was absolute. Fortunately, the mysterious Ghost Taming Art didn't limit him to carrying only one Spirit Ghost. If he brought along three Ghost Soldiers or more, he would truly have few rivals at his level.