Moreover, those fifteen thousand elite vengeful spirits were merely under the control of the Dragon Artifact Spirit. Coupled with Lei Dong's spiritual sense, which already surpassed the peak of the Golden Core stage, the two combined led Lei Dong to fully believe he could command a ghost tide army exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand. With such an army, claiming absolute invincibility across the globe would be sheer fantasy. However, against ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivators, it might actually prove somewhat unstoppable.

Worth it. Everything was worth it. Recalling the near-death ordeal during that trip to the Underworld and the perilous feat of withstanding the nine heavenly lightning bolts this time—all of it yielded rich rewards at this moment. A Xiantian Lingbao—it truly lives up to its name, especially since this particular Xiantian Lingbao was a minor superlative that actually provoked the heavenly lightning.

That fellow Wang Lei was also extraordinarily excited and delighted. This was the first time in his life he had refined a Xiantian Lingbao, and it turned out to be of this caliber. Of course, luck played a considerable role; if he tried it again, the failure rate might still be quite high. For a cultivator so devoted to the art of artifact refining, successfully crafting a treasure of this rank meant his life had not been lived in vain.

“Brother Lei, you must give this treasure a name; it needs to be distinguished from the ordinary Myriad Ghost Banner,” Wang Lei said, rubbing his hands together as if he already had an idea.

Lei Dong observed his expression and solemnly cupped his hands toward him: “Brother Wang, you are the one who refined this treasure; it is most fitting that you name it.”

Wang Lei feigned a few polite refusals, but Lei Dong repeatedly implored him. After a few exchanges, Wang Lei finally paused in thought before saying, “I suggest we call it the Netherflame Ghost Banner. The refined vengeful spirits can then be called Nether Ghosts, setting them apart from the common vengeful spirits.”

Indeed, the Nether Ghosts refined by this Netherflame Ghost Banner possessed several times the power without consuming significantly more spiritual sense; how could they compare to ordinary vengeful spirits? Not giving them a special name would almost be an injustice to them. Lei Dong immediately nodded in agreement: “Then I thank Brother Wang for bestowing this name. From now on, this treasure shall be called the Netherflame Ghost Banner. I, Lei, promise Brother Wang here that once I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I will announce to the world that this banner was refined by you.”

A master refiner like Wang Lei could certainly overlook immediate material gains. However, the chance to leave his name in history was a doorway that even the most indifferent to fame and fortune could not bypass. Thus, Wang Lei was easily swayed by Lei Dong’s flattery, his heart warming.

Such courtesy was shown because Lei Dong highly valued Wang Lei’s capabilities. Undoubtedly, although Wang Lei’s combat strength was average, his talent in artifact refining was rare and exceptional. If he were to join Lei Dong’s faction, it would greatly enhance their overall strength. However, Lei Dong knew that haste makes waste; openly trying to recruit Wang Lei might lead to failure. For such a stubborn individual, a subtle, gradual approach would be more appropriate. Having him refine a few artifacts for Lei Dong’s causes would, over time, make Wang Lei accustomed to remaining within his sphere of influence.

The spiritual treasure was now complete, and having been away from home for many years, Lei Dong felt a pang of homesickness. He temporarily bid farewell to Wang Lei, mounted the Evil Ghost Locust, and transformed into an evil gust of wind, heading toward the Yin Sha Sect.

Along the way, Lei Dong did not rest but continuously refined the stored Yin Souls into the Netherflame Ghost Banner. By the time Lei Dong settled down in the Great Ding Nation, the Ghost Banner had refined two hundred and seventy thousand Nether Ghosts, reaching the absolute limit he could control under his current cultivation. This was the final, true number, but it was also an astonishing figure.

Feeling the Netherflame Ghost Banner resting quietly within his spirit, basking in the nourishment of his divine soul, Lei Dong’s confidence soared instantly—this item was simply a heaven-defying treasure. The only minor regret was that the supreme-grade Ghost General, A’Chou, had not yet devoured enough souls to show any signs of advancing to Ghost King status.

Although supreme-grade spiritual ghosts possessed great potential to advance to Ghost King, it was by no means an easy or simple matter; it still required a massive infusion of resources.

When Lei Dong drifted down in the dead of night to the home he shared with Wan Yan in the Great Ding Nation, he was already contemplating whether he should find an opportunity to rampage through some hostile sects to help A’Chou advance.

Fragrant Nook—this was the home belonging to Lei Dong and Ding Wan Yan. After returning from Zhao Prefecture, due to various complicated reasons, Lei Dong had stayed near the Myriad Ghost Cave and hadn't had time to return and check on it. Now that the major matters around him were settled, Lei Dong finally had a chance to return to the home he shared with Wan Yan, although he hadn't spent much time there himself. This could be inferred: a cultivator’s life is often one of being rootless and wandering.

More than twenty years had passed since then. The Fragrant Nook was now vastly different from how it had been initially. After bypassing the Heavenly Demon Soul-Bewitching Formation using the array guide, Lei Dong soared inside, hovering in the air to take in the full view. Within the secluded valley, spiritual energy curled gently, flowers bloomed everywhere in profusion, and spirit springs surged, resembling an immortal realm. Especially the hundreds of acres of spirit fields in the back mountain—after more than twenty years of cultivation, they were just beginning to show results. Judging by the maturity of the spiritual herbs, they looked to be around forty or fifty years old. Of course, they were still far from the hundred-year mark required for harvesting. However, the growth rate would likely accelerate the further along they went. Based on this trajectory, perhaps they wouldn't even need fifty years total before this batch of spiritual herbs could be reaped.

Lei Dong had originally advocated planting these spiritual herbs for long-term returns. With a treasure formation like the Grand Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array, combined with the fact that the Fragrant Nook’s valley was already a spiritual convergence point, it would have been a massive waste not to utilize those spirit fields.

Because Lei Dong returned without concealing his immense aura in the slightest, almost simultaneously, several Foundation Establishment stage spiritual senses swept toward him, followed by a stern, angry shout: “Who dares trespass upon the Fragrant Nook?” Judging by the intensity of the scanning spiritual sense, the speaker was likely a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, far beneath Lei Dong’s power. He must have sensed Lei Dong’s might, yet he barked the command without hesitation, clearly brimming with confidence.

Lei Dong chuckled, hands clasped behind his back, and called out loudly, “Junior Brother Zuo?”

“Senior Brother Lei?” That authoritative voice instantly became lively and joyful. Several figures shot out from the outer auxiliary rooms, trailing afterimages, and landed before Lei Dong. Leading them was a burly man with a thick beard, his eyes sparkling with undisguised delight as he exclaimed, “Senior Brother Lei—is that not Zuo Chao?” When they first entered the sect, Zuo Chao ranked ahead of Lei Dong, but following Lei Dong’s subsequent rise, Zuo Chao willingly became the junior brother. Later, because Lei Dong advanced to Foundation Establishment first, according to the rules of the Myriad Ghost Cave, the senior brother position was cemented. Lei Dong had returned to the Myriad Ghost Cave some years ago but kept a low profile for certain reasons. The Myriad Ghost Ancestor had also instructed Zuo Chao and the others to remain behind and continue looking after Lei Dong’s home for the time being.

This arrangement meant that the sworn brothers, whose bond was the deepest, only now had the chance to meet.

The other two were both mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, dressed richly and impeccably, sporting light beards, their visages conveying maturity and authority. Yet, even they could barely conceal their excitement now, dropping into a bow mid-air: “Chen Ge, Wei Hua, pay respects to Senior Brother Lei.” “Chen Ge, Wei Hua, there’s no need for such ceremony between us.” Lei Dong subtly extended a wisp of divine sense, easily supporting their bodies before they could fully bow, laughing cheerfully, “We all struggled together when we were young; there’s no need for these rigid formalities. Come, let’s go down and talk.”

Chen Ge and Wei Hua showed such deference to Lei Dong for a reason. This world was, ultimately, one where the strong preyed upon the weak. Only the powerful could dictate the rules. However, there was a universally accepted rule: the weak must respect the strong. Anyone daring to slight the powerful would only earn the posthumous comment, ‘Serves them right,’ should they be killed.

Though they had weathered hardships together, no one knew how Lei Dong’s temperament might have changed now that he had achieved success and possessed great strength. Given their customary caution, such respect was not surprising.

Lei Dong’s nostalgic demeanor also relieved the two greatly, their expressions visibly relaxing. After all, Lei Dong was now operating on a completely different plane than they were. Even if Lei Dong were to turn against them now, they would have nothing but resignation and would not dare utter a single complaint against him outside.

Lei Dong had always been a man of deep loyalty and righteousness; how could he possibly look down upon his loyal brothers? He took the three of them and descended together to the lakeside pavilion.

Over the years, the Fragrant Nook had relied entirely on Zuo Chao and the others for protection; with Wan Yan absent, Zuo Chao was effectively the steward here. Seeing this, he immediately called for several handsome young girls at the Qi Refining stage to serve delicious spiritual fruits and fine wine. The brothers, who hadn't seen each other for so long, began chatting warmly.

Lei Dong intentionally lowered his stance and told a few jokes, causing the barriers created by years of separation and disparity in strength to gradually disappear, allowing them to become as intimate as they once were.

As they were talking, Zuo Chao suddenly interjected, “Senior Brother, you must be back from overseas intending to watch the battle at Star-Plucking Peak, right? Please take us a few along to gain some experience. I heard only Golden Core cultivators can bring two or three sect members with them.”

“Watch the battle?” Lei Dong was momentarily stunned.

“Senior Brother, you don’t know?” Zuo Chao was also surprised and quickly explained, “It’s a life-and-death duel between our sect’s Heavenly Demon Lord and a mid-stage Nascent Soul woman from the Great Gan Continent.”

As Lei Dong’s expression darkened, Zuo Chao nervously recounted the entire situation. He was unaware that beneath Lei Dong’s calm exterior, a massive storm was brewing. Only one thought dominated his mind: he was destined to clash with that Supreme Sect in this lifetime.