... Black Iron Tower was overjoyed; the treasure Hong Ji had stolen back then turned out to be the antidote formula for the Ghost Gu. With this, once the Ghost Gu was resolved, he would be a free man in twenty years. While there had been lingering dissatisfaction after being forcibly subdued, now, a subtle joy welled up within him. Otherwise, unless he could break through to the late Golden Core stage, this life would offer him no chance of freedom. Despite his arrogance, Black Iron Tower harbored serious doubts and a distinct lack of confidence in achieving the late Golden Core breakthrough within his natural lifespan.

Though Lei Dong coveted the White Bone Demon Lord’s forbidden treasures, his current strength forced him to postpone those ambitions. Furthermore, this was the White Bone Hall’s territory, not a place for lingering. After Shangguan and the others finished clearing the battlefield, Lei Dong immediately led his contingent away. Naturally, those two massive warships belonging to the White Bone Hall were claimed as spoils of war and towed along. Moreover, while Black Iron Tower possessed some fixed assets, he resisted the urge to throw himself into danger for greed and reluctantly let them go.

Due to their swift departure, and with Black Iron Tower intimately familiar with the White Bone Hall’s patrol routes for their flying vessels, Lei Dong managed to exit the White Bone Hall’s sphere of influence with minimal incident. They plotted a new course, and the three flying ships soared quietly across the vast, boundless sea. A month later, they finally crossed the immense expanse of water and entered the mainland boundaries of Zhao Prefecture. Upon reaching land, however, flying in such a formation of three large vessels openly was no longer feasible.

The reason was simple: variables multiplied too greatly. On the open sea, the enemies to watch for were generally confined to flying vessels, at most approaching from four directions, making early detection easier. Moreover, cultivators were sparse over the ocean. But the mainland was different; Zhao Prefecture teemed with countless large and small factions, and the complex terrain made spotting distant threats exceptionally difficult. In short, flying over land demanded extraordinary discretion and caution.

The two superfluous large flying ships, after thorough inspection revealed no identifying marks or symbols of the White Bone Hall, were quickly liquidated at a low price in a market town for some Spirit Stones.

Lei Dong then led his group onward along the pre-planned safe routes aboard the remaining flying ship. After another full month of travel, during which the team frequently changed disguises and altered the ship’s external color and shape in quick succession, they made stops at major market towns to stock up on large wholesale quantities of pills. Lei Dong had realized that the pills in Zhao Prefecture were considerably cheaper than those in the Chaotic Sea Region, and the price disparity with Kang Prefecture was staggering. Negotiating directly at wholesale rates could secure an extremely favorable price. Successfully transporting them to Kang Prefecture would yield profits exceeding one hundred percent. Aside from spending over forty million Spirit Stones on personal necessities—three Ascension Pills and a large supply of Marrow Cleansing Pills to advance cultivation—Lei Dong used the remaining sixty-plus million Spirit Stones entirely on purchasing medicinal supplies. Over the years, Lei Dong had amassed considerable wealth. Even calculated in high-grade Spirit Stones, his net worth exceeded ten thousand. Although his cultivation demands were high, his income was even greater, especially since most of his time recently had been spent acquiring wealth through raiding.

Seeing this, Lei Dong’s teammates also jettisoned their unwanted possessions and successively bought bulk quantities of pills. Though their individual fortunes paled in comparison to Lei Dong’s, their combined remaining Spirit Stones also amounted to over sixty million. This sheer affluence stunned Black Iron Tower speechless. He had spent considerable time in the Golden Core stage, yet the value of all his fixed assets and magical artifacts combined only reached twenty million Spirit Stones. Here, however, even the lowest Foundation Establishment cultivator in this small team was far wealthier than he was. What sort of era was this? For a moment, the spectacle left Black Iron Tower awestruck, yet it also sparked envy; perhaps following Lei Dong was not such a bad prospect after all.

Regarding the Ghost Gu formula, Lei Dong had borrowed it from Madam Qing, so it was naturally impossible to pass it on to Tantai Bingyun or Black Iron Tower. Lei Dong agreed to refine permanent antidotes for them, but they would, of course, cover the cost of materials and the refinement fees themselves. As a side note, Qian Luo, acting with consideration, immediately returned the storage bracelets and artifacts confiscated from Black Iron Tower, avoiding potential resentment; moreover, stripping him of his assets would significantly weaken him, detrimental to the overall plan.

To prevent the White Bone Demon Lord from seizing any leverage, Lei Dong sourced the raw materials for his Ghost Gu antidote through seven or eight different market towns, using seven or eight distinct identities to make scattered purchases. Theoretically, assembling enough materials for one full batch would yield roughly ten antidotes. However, the success rate varied depending on the alchemist's skill. Yet, the refinement process for this drug was not complex; a moderately competent alchemist could expect a success rate of thirty to forty percent. The cost for one batch of ingredients hovered around five hundred thousand Spirit Stones, yet Lei Dong charged Black Iron Tower three million and Tantai Bingyun ten million. Why not fleece such fat sheep? After all, the formula was confidential; how could Lei Dong possibly let them view it?

Even if Tantai Bingyun realized she had been severely cheated, she could only grit her teeth and accept it; she wouldn't allow the Ghost Gu to remain lodged in her soul over ten million Spirit Stones. The pill refinement was handled by Madam Qing, who directly hired an alchemist at a high price. The craftsman proved competent enough that the three prepared sets of materials ultimately yielded two finished batches. Of course, the business of silencing witnesses was indispensable. Whether for safeguarding the formula's secrecy or avoiding exposure that might attract the White Bone Hall’s pursuit, such measures were necessary. Madam Qing was also a ruthless woman; she dispatched her victims with effortless, charming smiles.

One day, the flying ship silently materialized above a spectral domain. The night was hazy, the spectral energy dense, obscuring the bright moon as if it were barely there. Lei Dong had deliberately integrated this domain into their route. The road ahead, he suspected, would only become more treacherous, necessitating preparation. According to the map and intelligence gathered from market towns hundreds of miles away, this domain was called the Senluo Ghost Domain, spanning tens of thousands of miles. However, this was not a natural occurrence. It was a vast spectral realm meticulously constructed by the sect known as the Asura Ghost Sect through colossal effort. Simply put, this was the sect’s specialized farm for cultivating Spirit Ghosts. Outsiders were naturally forbidden from entering the Senluo Ghost Domain to capture ghosts. But across such an immense territory, how could the Asura Ghost Sect possibly maintain total surveillance? They could, at best, only intervene upon spotting infractions.

The flying ship landed silently in a secluded mountain ravine. The descent and the resulting air currents scattered the wandering Specters and Ghouls, sending them scurrying in all directions. It was astounding that the Asura Ghost Sect managed to create a ghost domain covering tens of thousands of miles—the equivalent size of several nations. Simultaneously, the sect aggressively lured mortals into this area, even encouraging procreation and providing vast amounts of free grain through various incentives. Over nearly a century, the Asura Ghost Sect cultivated this expanse into a region housing two billion people, with an extremely high population density. The sect was attempting an audacious experiment: to see if they could engineer a supreme-grade Spirit Ghost.

Statistically speaking, the probability of a high-grade Spirit Ghost emerging within this massive domain was estimated at around twenty instances. Yet, rumors suggested this domain had already produced more than twenty high-grade Spirit Ghosts, making it a renowned haunted locale. Whether they succeeded in manufacturing a supreme-grade Spirit Ghost remained unknown; even if they did, the Asura Ghost Sect would certainly never publicize it.

However, judging by the current lax management of the domain, perhaps they had already achieved their goal.

Based on these observations, the domain appeared to be in a semi-abandoned state. Many of the Yin Ghosts within were likely discarded after capture, deemed to have no spiritual roots. Even inferior ghosts, though weak, had some potential to eventually advance to the rank of Ghost Soldier—useful material—given the abundance of spectral and nether energies.

Lei Dong had arrived here specifically to capture Yin Ghosts. He distributed the numerous Soul-Nurturing Towers he had prepared to his companions and shared his years of experience in ghost capture, knowing that a larger group would drastically increase efficiency. Lei Dong himself ventured out alone to hunt. His summoned creatures were plentiful, allowing him to quickly form a wide encircling net, terrifying the Yin Ghosts into a panicked mass. Lei Dong’s Netherworld Technique was also an excellent method for snaring wandering spirits; when fully unleashed, it functioned like two immense, stretching tendrils. The specters hiding in every nook and cranny, drawn by the scent of Nether Qi, emerged as if bewitched, swaying until they were fished out one by one. Lei Dong was adept at this routine; each sweep netted anywhere from hundreds to over a thousand. In a single day, he could gather upwards of ten thousand, with even a poor day yielding seven or eight thousand.

Truly worthy of being a massive spectral ground spanning tens of thousands of miles; the sheer quantity of Yin Souls was staggering. An indescribable joy filled Lei Dong; while these inferior ghosts were useless to others, they were treasures to him. Having built his fortune by refining inferior ghosts, Lei Dong felt a peculiar, deep-seated sentiment toward them.

As for the others, partly due to the limitations of the Netherworld Technique as a primary ghost-capturing tool and partly due to their inexperience, the six of them collectively captured an average of around fifteen thousand Yin Souls per night. Even so, an average daily haul of twenty-three to twenty-four thousand spectral entities was terrifyingly high. After they finished their capture sessions, Lei Dong would gather them together and quickly examine each one, hoping for a stroke of incredible luck.

...RA