Chapter Summaries

Lei Dong used the True Word Technique to restrain the Black Winged Devil King's consciousness, but the laws' backlash injured him before Xiao You healed him. He ultimately shattered the Devil King's consciousness and began absorbing its immense essence, gaining energy and access to its understanding of the laws.

• Lei Dong held the Black Winged Devil King's consciousness in place for three breaths with the True Word Technique, suffering a backlash that made him cough up blood.
• Xiao You infused Lei Dong with Netherworld Ghost Qi, stabilizing his injuries and healing his body.
• Lei Dong recognized that the technique had frightened and weakened the Black Winged Devil King, then counterattacked and gained the advantage in their struggle.
• Lei Dong shattered the Black Winged Devil King's consciousness and claimed its refined Devil King Essence as his spoils.
• Lei Dong absorbed the essence, strengthening his body and soul while drawing in the Devil King's understanding of the laws.
• Lei Dong considered how the Devil King's Essence could carry memories, consciousness, life essence, and genetic information beyond what a Nascent Soul contained.

Lei Dong absorbed the Black Winged Devil King's life essence and began forming a Nascent Soul, enduring the painful transformation as Xiao You and Xuanyuanzi watched. His Nascent Soul repeatedly scattered and reformed, growing stronger as his breakthrough neared.

• Lei Dong's body and soul strengthened as he absorbed the Devil King's life essence, bringing him to the bottleneck of a breakthrough.
• Lei Dong took the Immortal Transformation Pill and other aids, then guided his Golden Core and soul to meet at the Tanzhong acupoint.
• Lei Dong burned and fused his Golden Core's true essence with his soul, enduring intense pain as the medicines eased his suffering and spiritual energy fueled the process.
• Lei Dong's soul gradually took the shape of a Nascent Soul, repeatedly dispersing and reforming into a stronger, more solid form.
• Xiao You watched anxiously but refrained from interfering, while Xuanyuanzi recognized Lei Dong's breakthrough and resented his extraordinary luck.

Lei Dong successfully formed his Nascent Soul and refined his remaining energy into powerful true essence. As his Nascent Soul tempered his body, he broke through the Golden Core limit and emerged with greatly enhanced senses and divine sense.

• Xuanyuanzi watched from outside the Netherworld Black Sha Formation, unable to interrupt Lei Dong’s Nascent Soul formation.
• Lei Dong’s half-formed Nascent Soul survived repeated tempering and became solid, marking his successful entry into the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Lei Dong’s Nascent Soul moved into his Violet Palace and refined the energies in his body into condensed true essence.
• Lei Dong consumed precious pills and three Top Grade Spirit Stones to replenish his Nascent Soul and temper his body.
• Lei Dong broke through the Golden Core physical limit as his Nascent Soul transformed his cells and strengthened his body.
• Lei Dong opened his eyes with sharper senses and divine sense nearly twice as strong as before, comparable to an ordinary Nascent Soul High-tier Cultivator.

Lei Dong advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm while absorbing the Black Winged Devil King's life essence, and the Arena Spirit explained why the Fair Arena had blocked his heavenly tribulation. After considering the ancient powers whose legacies had aided him, Lei Dong prepared to face Xuanyuanzi.

• Xiao You saw Lei Dong awaken with a powerful aura, and Lei Dong confirmed he had advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• The Arena Spirit explained that the Fair Arena blocked heavenly tribulations for cultivators below Spirit Transmutation level.
• Lei Dong reflected on the ancient wars and the powerful predecessors who had left behind the Fair Arena and other legacies.
• Lei Dong confronted Xuanyuanzi, who claimed he could defeat Lei Dong and Xiao You despite having only a fraction of his strength.
• Lei Dong summoned the Netherflame Ghost Banner and began refining its Ghosts with Top Grade Soul Nurturing Pagodas.

After advancing to the Nascent Soul Early Stage, Lei Dong discovered that his Netherworld Ghost Qi had grown far purer, strengthening Xiao You and the souls in the Netherworld Black Sha Formation. He fed the Black Winged Devil King's remains to A Chou and Ghost Thorn, who began evolving, while Lei Dong continued preparing to face Xuanyuanzi.

• Lei Dong used the formation and his strengthened Netherworld Ghost Qi to conceal himself from Xuanyuanzi and let Xiao You absorb the improved energy.
• Lei Dong noticed the Spirit Transmutation-level beast souls in the formation flags absorbing his Netherworld Ghost Qi and allowed them to continue.
• Lei Dong summoned A Chou and Ghost Thorn and offered them the remains of the Black Winged Devil King to help them advance.
• Xiao You declined the flesh and gave A Chou and Ghost Thorn permission to eat it.
• A Chou and Ghost Thorn devoured the Devil King's remains, then formed black cocoons to absorb Netherworld Ghost Qi and evolve.

Lei Dong refined more Ghosts and reconsidered how to use his army against the Spirit Transmutation-level Xuanyuanzi. He began testing squad-based commands through the Netherflame Ghost Banner, but his first attempt failed when the Ghosts ignored their designated leader.

• Lei Dong added a fresh batch of powerful Ghosts to the Netherflame Ghost Banner while relying on the Netherworld Black Sha Formation for protection.
• Lei Dong assessed the limits of overwhelming enemies with a Ghost Sea, recalling how space spells made high-ranking cultivators difficult to trap and how the Black Winged Devil King had nearly killed him.
• Lei Dong decided to apply squad tactics inspired by strategy games and considered how his divine sense worked through the Netherflame Ghost Banner to suppress and direct Ghosts.
• Lei Dong released one hundred ordinary Ghosts and tried appointing one as their leader, but the others followed no commands unless he directed them all together.

Lei Dong struggled to make the Myriad Ghost Banner’s ghost soldiers follow coordinated tactics until the Arena Spirit offered its expertise. The spirit revealed the Ghost Race’s origins and began explaining the rare Chaos Origins that could create worlds and nurture life.

• Lei Dong discovered that the Myriad Ghost Banner’s ghost soldiers had too little memory for complex coordinated orders, and he considered modifying its formations.
• The Arena Spirit mocked Lei Dong and Xiao You for lacking basic knowledge of formations and artifact crafting, then revealed that it had once been a living Spirit Transmutation expert.
• The Arena Spirit said the Ghost Race and Netherworld Ghost Domain had been created by Nether God using a Chaos Origin, and explained that the Ghost Race combined traits from several species.
• Lei Dong asked what a Chaos Origin was, and the Arena Spirit explained that such rare sources produced Chaos Spirit Qi and nurtured living things.

Lei Dong learned how the Netherflame Ghost Banner could direct formations and persuaded the Arena Spirit to guide him while he modified it. After six months of study, he had mastered the knowledge he needed and continued preparing for the duel against Xuan Zhenzi.

• Lei Dong learned that the scarcity of spiritual energy came from the lack of Chaos Origins and decided that seeking one would be too dangerous.
• The Arena Spirit criticized the Netherflame Ghost Banner and explained that Lei Dong could engrave formations into the ghost soldiers’ instincts while refining them.
• The Arena Spirit refused to help refine the banner directly, but agreed to offer academic guidance after Lei Dong and Xiao You framed their request as a matter of study.
• Lei Dong gave Xiao You talismans and told her to harass Xuan Zhenzi while he worked on the banner.
• With the Arena Spirit’s guidance, Lei Dong studied the banner for six months and mastered the artifact-refining and formation knowledge he needed.

Lei Dong redesigned the Netherflame Ghost Banner to create specialized ghost soldiers and tested a revised batch of Suicide Ghosts. After a year of experiments, he prepared to try them against True Lord Xuanyuan, who had been trapped near the formation and harried without rest.

• Lei Dong and the Arena Spirit designed four specialized ghost soldiers: Suicide Ghosts, Haughty Ghosts, Netherflame Bullet Ghosts, and Big Belly Cannon Ghosts.
• Lei Dong refined one hundred Suicide Ghosts, but more than seventy exploded because their energy exceeded what their souls could withstand.
• Lei Dong learned that ghost refinement consumed scarce Chaos Spirit Qi, so he and the artifact spirit reduced the Suicide Ghosts' attributes and revised the formations.
• The revised batch mostly survived, leaving Lei Dong with more than a hundred Suicide Ghosts to test.
• While Lei Dong spent nearly a year experimenting, True Lord Xuanyuan remained trapped near the Netherworld Black Sha Formation and endured constant attacks without sleep.

Lei Dong tested Suicide Ghosts against Xuanyuanzi, proving their explosive attacks could injure him and drain his true essence. After refining more than a thousand Big Belly Cannon Ghosts, Lei Dong launched a barrage at Xuanyuanzi, who sensed danger as the cannonballs descended.

• Xuanyuanzi dismissed the approaching Suicide Ghosts as weak, but their close-range explosions shattered his protective qi and churned his blood and qi.
• Xuanyuanzi shot down more than a hundred rapidly charging Suicide Ghosts with precise Finger Force before they could reach him.
• Lei Dong and the artifact spirit assessed how repeated waves of Suicide Ghosts could exhaust or overwhelm Xuanyuanzi.
• Lei Dong refined over a thousand Big Belly Cannon Ghosts and arranged them in a three-dimensional artillery formation.
• Xuanyuanzi sensed danger as more than a thousand emerald-flamed Netherflame Cannonballs rained down toward him.

Lei Dong tested the Big Belly Cannon Ghosts and saw their volley devastate the arena, but their enormous Ghost Qi consumption threatened to limit their use. After several days of discussion with the spirit and Xiao You, he began planning a specialized carrier troop to store Netherworld Ghost Qi and keep his forces supplied.

• The Big Belly Cannon Ghosts fired over a thousand Netherflame Cannonballs, forcing Xuanyuanzi to teleport away from the explosions.
• The spirit praised the ghosts' overwhelming firepower and reflected on how the Nether God and Nether King had shaped the ghost race and its artifacts.
• Lei Dong replenished the ghosts with Netherworld Ghost Qi, restoring them at the cost of a tenth of his Profound Yin True Essence.
• Lei Dong, the spirit, and Xiao You discussed the ghosts' high energy costs and decided to prioritize stronger troop types over vast numbers of low-level soldiers.
• Lei Dong proposed creating a troop type to carry and store Netherworld Ghost Qi, building a reserve that could refuel the cannon ghosts during battle.

Lei Dong developed Qi Storage Ghosts to supply his cannon units and tested how the Ghost Banner could boost elite ghost soldiers. He left with a Golden Core Initial Stage Big Belly Cannon Ghost ready for its first major firepower test.

• Lei Dong designed Qi Storage Ghosts, which stored vast quantities of compressed Netherworld Ghost Qi and could refill Big Belly Cannon Ghosts.
• Lei Dong compared the Ghost Sea and elite-unit strategies, then decided to test how much the Ghost Banner could enhance high-level ghost soldiers.
• Lei Dong refined Spirit Ghosts of different aptitudes into test units and fed them ordinary ghosts to spur their growth.
• Lei Dong’s Top Grade Big Belly Cannon Ghost advanced to Golden Core Initial Stage and displayed abilities close to Golden Core High-tier.
• Lei Dong prepared to test the Golden Core-level ghost’s Netherflame Cannonball.

Lei Dong tested the Golden Core Big Belly Cannon Ghost and saw it unleash a shot with the force of a Nascent Soul High-tier cultivator. He then fed the captured Nascent Soul of the Immortal Demon Venerable into the Netherflame Ghost Banner to refine it into a ghost soldier, but the powerful soul resisted.

• Lei Dong's Golden Core Big Belly Cannon Ghost fired a Netherflame Cannonball that badly injured Xuanyuanzi despite his shield.
• The artifact spirit assessed the cannon blast as equivalent to a Nascent Soul High-tier cultivator's full-power strike, and Lei Dong restored the ghost's spent energy.
• Lei Dong considered how difficult it would be to raise the Big Belly Cannon Ghost to a higher cultivation level.
• Lei Dong took out the Immortal Demon Venerable's Nascent Soul and decided to refine it into a ghost soldier.
• The Immortal Demon Venerable's Nascent Soul resisted inside the Netherflame Ghost Banner, so Lei Dong and the artifact spirit poured in their power to suppress it.

Lei Dong created an army of Ghost Soldiers and launched a coordinated assault on Xuanyuanzi before the Netherworld Black Sha Formation failed. Xuanyuanzi began evading the overwhelming barrage, but the battle remained underway.

• Lei Dong finished refining the Immortal Demon Venerable into a Big Belly Cannon Ghost and tested its strength and resilience.
• Lei Dong spent two months producing fifty thousand low-grade Suicide Ghosts, thirty thousand low-grade Big Belly Cannon Ghosts, and thirty thousand low-grade Qi Storage Ghosts.
• After Xiao You warned that the Netherworld Black Sha Formation could last only one more month, Lei Dong sent waves of Suicide Ghosts toward Xuanyuanzi.
• Xuanyuanzi used Finger Force to shoot down the approaching Suicide Ghosts, while Lei Dong guided the front ranks into evasive maneuvers that disrupted his aim.
• Lei Dong's Big Belly Cannon Ghosts fired a volley of Netherflame Cannonballs, forcing Xuanyuanzi to abandon his attacks and teleport eight or nine li away.

Lei Dong used the Netherworld Black Sha Formation and a risky True Word Technique to destroy Xuanyuanzi’s body, but Xuanyuanzi’s Primordial Spirit escaped the blast and found a breach in the arena. The chapter ended with Xuanyuanzi fleeing toward the arena’s edge and threatening to return.

• Xuanyuanzi replenished his true essence with a Heavenly Spirit Stone and pills as Lei Dong’s Suicide Ghosts and cannon fire wore him down.
• Lei Dong concealed his aura, approached Xuanyuanzi, and used the True Word Technique to stop time as Xuanyuanzi tried to teleport away.
• A supercharged Netherflame Cannonball struck the spatial tear, and the resulting blasts and spatial blades destroyed Xuanyuanzi’s body.
• The Arena Spirit warned Lei Dong that the arena’s space had shattered, and Lei Dong ordered A Chou and Ghost Thorn to stop Xuanyuanzi’s Primordial Spirit from escaping.
• Xuanyuanzi noticed the breach and fled toward the arena’s edge, promising to return and make Lei Dong regret his actions.

The Netherworld Ghost Emperor captured Xuanyuanzi and handed his Primordial Spirit to Lei Dong, then explained that Life Divine Water from the Bright Holy Domain could save the Heavenly Demon. Lei Dong resolved to enter the dangerous domain and steal the water, leaving the rescue plan set but its risks looming.

• The Netherworld Ghost Emperor seized Xuanyuanzi's Primordial Spirit after Xuanyuanzi escaped the Arena's subspace, and Lei Dong and Xiao You soon joined them.
• After Xiao You explained how Xuanyuanzi had trapped them in the Fair Arena, the Netherworld Ghost Emperor burned Xuanyuanzi with ghost flame and gave his Primordial Spirit to Lei Dong.
• The Netherworld Ghost Emperor told Lei Dong that the Heavenly Demon's condition remained critical and that the Soul of Water Separation could only keep her alive.
• The Netherworld Ghost Emperor revealed that Life Divine Water in the Bright Holy Domain could fully heal the Heavenly Demon, but obtaining it would require entering a Sky City ruled by the Winged God Clan.
• Lei Dong rejected the risks of abandoning the Heavenly Demon and, after learning the Winged God Clan would not trade the water, resolved to steal it.

Lei Dong prepared to seek the Life Divine Water in the Light Domain and secured the Netherworld Ghost Emperor’s promise to protect the Yin Sha Sect. After arranging future plans to strengthen his Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger and free Xiao You from her Blood Sacrifice, he returned to find the campaign against the allied demonic sects victorious.

• Lei Dong refused compensation for dissolving his Blood Sacrifice vow with Xiao You and asked the Netherworld Ghost Emperor to protect the Yin Sha Sect while he was away.
• Xiao You persuaded the Netherworld Ghost Emperor to offer a way to strengthen Lei Dong’s Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger by using the Essence Blood of ten Netherworld Ghost Tigers.
• The Netherworld Ghost Emperor explained that the Nine Nether Abyss also held the key to freeing Xiao You, and Lei Dong agreed to return in two or three years after handling personal matters.
• Lei Dong visited the badly injured Tian Mo and learned from Zana that Ajana’s forces had retreated to the Light Domain while the Asura Race distracted the Winged God Clan.
• Lei Dong returned to the Yin Sha Sect and learned that the allied armies had overrun the Demon Prison Sect and Asura Heaven, then routed the three sects’ scattered forces.

Lei Dong encountered a Thunder Strike Divine Crocodile in a forbidden swamp and fought back when it attacked him. His Black Dragon Chant wounded the beast, but it survived, leaving their battle unresolved.

• The Thunder Strike Divine Crocodile destroyed Lei Dong’s Flying Boat and lunged at him.
• Lei Dong evaded its bite and dodged a lightning bolt with his Asura Wings and strange movement.
• Lei Dong unleashed Black Dragon Chant, forming a powerful black dragon from Netherworld Ghost Qi.
• The Thunder Strike Divine Crocodile fled in fear of the black dragon, but the attack struck its back and bored a deep hole through its tough hide.

After dividing the spoils from the purge among the Yin Sha Sect, the Netherworld Ghost Domain, and the Yaksha Tribe, Lei Dong set out alone for the Earth Giant Rock Tribe through the Great Desert. His shortcut led him into an extremely dangerous marsh, where a Thunder Strike Divine Crocodile destroyed his Flying Boat and became his next target.

• Lei Dong had the Yin Sha Sect share the spoils with the Netherworld Ghost Domain and the Yaksha Tribe, while the sect supplied the barbarians with pills.
• Lei Dong concealed his Nascent Soul cultivation, left Ding Wanyan, and flew toward the Great Desert with Ghost Thorn and A Chou at his side.
• Lei Dong studied a Jade Slip map and chose a shortcut to the Earth Giant Rock Tribe, crossing three dangerous regions and one extremely dangerous region.
• A Thunder Strike Divine Crocodile attacked Lei Dong's Flying Boat from a marsh, destroying its shield and splitting the vessel in two.
• Lei Dong escaped the wreckage inside his Profound Yin Shield, recognized the crocodile, and welcomed the chance to claim it as a prize.

Lei Dong struggled against the Thunder Strike Divine Crocodile and summoned A Chou, Ghost Thorn, and his Fierce Ghost Army to help defeat it. The crocodile died under their combined assault, leaving its flesh and Nascent Soul as resources for the Ghost Kings.

• The Thunder Strike Divine Crocodile shattered Lei Dong's Profound Yin Shield and forced him to retreat from its attacks.
• Lei Dong summoned A Chou and Ghost Thorn, whose cultivation had advanced close to the mid-tier Ghost King level.
• Lei Dong ordered the Ghost Kings to draw the crocodile's attention while he deployed the Netherflame Ghost Banner and Big Belly Cannon Ghost formation.
• A Chou and Ghost Thorn used their speed and Netherworld spells to harry the crocodile as the cannon ghosts shattered its lightning shield and gravely wounded it.
• The Thunder Strike Divine Crocodile tried to flee into the marsh, but Lei Dong and his servants killed it.