While this configuration, driven by Lei Dong, might seem cost-ineffective in the long run, in the short to medium term, it multiplies the strength of the Ghost Tribe army severalfold.

Within the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, in a vast space composed of several stories of stacked buildings, dense swarms of the lowest-tier Yin Souls drifted aimlessly. Externally, they appeared indistinguishable from inferior Yin Souls, but in reality, every single one, trembling under the arrays that Lei Dong had set up and the menacing pressure exerted by the two Ghost Kings, was a high-grade or top-grade Spirit Ghost that cultivators desperately sought. Especially those top-grade Spirit Ghosts—any one of them, if released outside, could stir up a bloody storm.

Yet here they congregated in batches, as common as cabbages in a marketplace, visible everywhere. As Lei Dong activated his Netherworld Grand Art, boundless, pure Ghost Qi permeated every corner of the space.

Such refined Netherworld Ghost Qi was precisely what these Yin Souls instinctively craved most. Immediately, one by one, they forgot their fear and greedily absorbed and devoured this essence. However, being the lowest-grade Yin Souls, they could not absorb too much. Soon enough, they were sated, becoming dull and still, their semi-transparent forms flickering faintly. Lei Dong knew this phenomenon meant the Yin Souls were digesting the absorbed Ghost Qi, akin to human meditation, so he slowly ceased his technique. He watched this batch with keen curiosity.

At this stage, these Spirit Ghosts remained in the Yin Soul state; their sentience had not yet awakened. They moved muddily, driven only by the instinct to evolve. Less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the first Yin Soul awoke from its "meditative" state. Its hazy form was slightly clearer and more substantial than before. It looked at Lei Dong with pleading eyes, afraid to move rashly, yet Lei Dong clearly perceived a wave of supplication emanating from it. Clearly, having benefited from Lei Dong just moments ago, it yearned to receive the pure Netherworld Ghost Qi again.

Before long, the Yin Souls one by one awoke, each having undergone a minor evolution, yet all equally hungry for the Ghost Qi. A few, naturally volatile, began to stir restlessly, driven by instinct, attempting to surge toward and devour Lei Dong.

"Insolence." Lei Dong’s voice resonated with a stern, deep roar, exploding like thunder near the few restless Yin Souls. Pitiable in their weak state, they were shaken so violently that their very souls nearly dissipated, becoming faint and translucent, utterly weakened.

Simultaneously, Lei Dong’s formidable Divine Sense, surpassing that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, clamped down firmly upon those few Yin Souls, rendering them utterly incapable of movement.

As if instinctively recognizing Lei Dong's overwhelming might, those few Spirit Ghost Yin Souls, who had nearly died, became terrified again, trembling uncontrollably. The remaining Yin Souls also suppressed their restless, impulsive thoughts, freezing in place, daring not make the slightest change.

Lei Dong knew these Yin Souls were uninitiated, their intelligence limited. But having transmigrated, he also knew that training them during their most naive state was the most effective. It was like training dogs—one must begin with puppies, after all**.** Only then could the majesty of the master and sovereign be firmly etched into their souls, becoming an instinct for life.

In an unmistakably obvious manner, he flicked out several streaks of greenish Nether Fire. The moment the Nether Fire touched those few Yin Souls, they burst into fierce, roaring flames.

Squeak, squeak, squeak—those few Yin Souls emitted painful ghost cries. Nether Fire, a type of killing energy, was most vicious and cruel when fueled by all manner of souls. These Yin Souls, being creatures of pure spirit essence, naturally feared this kind of Nether Fire the most.

And Lei Dong intentionally sought to carve a deep brand upon their nascent instincts. He deliberately controlled the intensity of the Nether Fire, allowing it to burn continuously, even slightly relaxing his Divine Sense. He let the presumptuous Yin Souls struggle in agony, their spectral screams and howls echoing as they burned.

For a full stick of incense’s time, they finally turned to ash, vanishing completely thereafter. Lei Dong felt a pang of regret for those few Spirit Ghosts, but without such severe measures, how could the other Yin Souls learn their lesson? How could they cultivate an instinctual dread toward him?

Indeed, following the tragic demise of those few Yin Souls, the remaining ones, even when driven by the instinct for survival, developed a profound sense of terror toward Lei Dong.

Fear alone would not suffice. The strategy of the whip—or the stick—was effective everywhere. Under the watchful eyes of the Yin Souls, Lei Dong casually seized one and held it floating before him.

The Yin Soul trembled with intense fear and unease toward Lei Dong. Lei Dong initiated the training protocol, first having Ah Chou stand before him, and then transmitting through his Divine Sense, speaking: "Crouch."

Ah Chou, whose intelligence was now undoubtedly comparable to humans, responded cooperatively: "Yes, Master."

Ah Chou then obediently hunkered down.

Lei Dong revealed a satisfied smile and, through his Divine Sense, radiated a wave signifying pleasure. He then pointed a finger and injected a surge of pure Netherworld Ghost Qi into Ah Chou’s core. Ah Chou reciprocated with a wave of joy transmitted to all the other Yin Souls, speaking a single phrase: "Thank you, Master, for your grace." Then it silently began absorbing the Netherworld Ghost Qi.

In truth, given Ah Chou’s current strength, this tiny bit of Ghost Qi was almost negligible. This action was purely to provide a demonstration for the Yin Souls. Although these Yin Souls were unawakened in intellect, they could grasp the basic implications of this exchange.

It should be noted that the Ghost King Ah Chou had been Lei Dong’s devoted general for a long time. Originally named Bao Ji (Critical Hit), after advancing to the late Golden Core stage, Lei Dong renamed him Bao Long (Tyrant Dragon). However, Xiao You had renamed him Ah Chou again. As Ah Chou, Ah Chou was called, he had grown accustomed to it.

After Ah Chou’s reward demonstration, the other initial-stage Ghost King—the fellow formerly known as You Ling Gui Zu (Phantom Ghost Soldier) and later named Gui Ci (Ghost Thorn)—stepped forward to demonstrate defiance. Gui Ci refused to obey Lei Dong’s command to crouch. Subsequently, Lei Dong did not hesitate, engulfing him in a ball of Nether Fire, "burning" him to a state of utter misery until he begged for mercy repeatedly.

After a full stick of incense’s time, Lei Dong finally issued the command to crouch again. Gui Ci complied perfectly, crouching obediently.

Only then did Lei Dong transition from anger to pleasure, granting Gui Ci a ball of Ghost Qi.

The pattern was clear: make these bewildered Yin Souls first understand that obeying Lei Dong’s commands brought rewards, while violation incurred punishment.

Following this, Lei Dong turned to the Yin Soul he had previously selected and commanded it to crouch. Having witnessed the preceding events, that Yin Soul possessed some glimmer of comprehension. Upon receiving Lei Dong’s order, it paused for a moment, but quickly crouched down, though due to its form, it could only curl itself into a ball and emitted a small squeak.

Lei Dong transmitted a mental wave signifying joy toward it and bestowed upon it a wisp of Netherworld Ghost Qi. The Yin Soul instantly squeaked with elation as it swallowed the small cluster of Qi, then proceeded to enter meditation on its own to evolve.

In just a short while, that Yin Soul finished its absorption. Its translucent form solidified further, becoming notably stronger than before. At this point, instinctively, it held a dual feeling toward Lei Dong: fear—that this existence could cause its painful annihilation—but also reverence—that this existence could bestow upon it the Netherworld Ghost Qi that allowed it to become stronger, satisfying its evolutionary instinct.

The rest of the large group of Yin Souls observed this, achieving some measure of understanding.

Lei Dong simultaneously projected his Divine Sense into every remaining Yin Soul and roared a single command: "Crouch!"

The effect was evident. Though the reaction times varied, and their movements were uneven, within a few breaths, at least four hundred-plus Yin Souls were emitting squeaks while executing the "crouch" movement. Those remaining were still somewhat bewildered.

Lei Dong snorted coldly, projecting a mental wave of displeasure and pressure toward them. Simultaneously, he delivered a small spark of Nether Fire to each of them. However, this time, he clearly did not seek their lives; he merely punished them severely with the Nether Fire, leaving them all incomparably weak.

But rewards were distributed alongside the punishment: the Yin Souls that obeyed received a small wisp of Netherworld Ghost Qi each, which they happily absorbed.

Then, the process was repeated. In just half a day, save for a few stubborn Yin Souls that Lei Dong completely refined and eradicated, the remaining Yin Souls could execute the command to crouch instantly upon receiving Lei Dong’s order, and their movements had become significantly more uniform.

Seeing this method proved highly effective, Lei Dong’s spirits lifted, and he commenced the next step: unconditional obedience to commands. After ordering them to crouch several times in succession, Lei Dong withheld the Netherworld Ghost Qi. A portion of the Yin Souls became confused; upon receiving Lei Dong’s order, they failed to crouch.

However, they were immediately punished. The other Yin Souls all received rewards.

It took several full days before all the Yin Souls grasped that their master possessed absolute control, whether he chose to grant rewards or not. Under Lei Dong's meticulous tutelage, the Yin Souls grew accustomed to executing his commands with absolute precision. Of course, nearly every Yin Soul had endured the torment of Nether Fire during this process.

With each successive reward, the Yin Souls' forms gradually solidified, although they were still some distance from breaking through to the Ghost Soldier stage. Naturally, Lei Dong was not currently concerned with their combat strength; the goal was to instill in their instincts reverence, dependency, and the absolute execution of his will regarding this master.

Fortunately, although the Yin Souls were simple-minded, they were far cleverer than newborn puppies or kittens, making the training not overly difficult. Subsequently, basic commands such as "fly left," "fly right," "halt," "attack," "retreat," "line up," "turn left," "turn right," and "about-face" were gradually instilled and enforced using the same methodology.

The entire process consumed a full month of Lei Dong’s time. However, the achievements of that month were significant. The Yin Souls could now form ranks and squares, advance and retreat in unison, and had mastered various simple commands. Most importantly, not a single Yin Soul dared to defy any of Lei Dong’s orders anymore.

Looking at the mass of Yin Souls, which, though not perfectly aligned, clearly possessed the structure of military formations, Lei Dong saw the faint emergence of an army’s aura. He then halted this initial, rudimentary training method and decided to accelerate the process, pushing them toward promotion to Ghost Soldiers.