With Lei Dong's current power, promoting the spirits even without the Blood Sacrifice method was now effortless. Nether Ghost Qi, blood-food, and souls were the favorite sustenance of the Ghost Clan. Singling out one spirit, Lei Dong continuously channeled Nether Ghost Qi to push the spirit toward evolution. In mere days, that spirit reached its zenith, forming a chrysalis. This cocoon differed somewhat from a Blood Cocoon; it was translucent white, remarkably beautiful, clearly indicating the absence of a cultivator's vital essence used for the sacrifice.

Two days later, a fearsome-looking Ghoul Soldier—all sharp fangs and fierce mien—burst forth. Truthfully, seeing this lowest-tier variety of the green-faced, tusked Ghost Clan species brought Lei Dong a strange mix of familiarity and faint emotion. He recalled how he had relied on blood-sacrificing Ghouls to gradually amass resources and reach his current standing.

In the past, Lei Dong used the Blood Sacrifice to catalyze spirits. With his current cultivation base—High-stage Golden Core—a mere refinement of the spirit with some vital essence would have resulted in a Ghoul Soldier emerging at the High-tier Ghoul Soldier level, at minimum. Yet, the frail Ghoul Soldier before him was only Low-tier, the absolute lowest grade.

Furthermore, it shared absolutely no tether of flesh-and-blood connection or mutual dependence with Lei Dong.

In a sense, this was tantamount to a wild, Low-tier Ghoul Soldier, albeit one artificially incubated.

Lei Dong could not ascertain if this was an Ultimate Spirit Ghost or a High-grade one, but it was obvious that following its evolution into a Ghoul Soldier, its intelligence and strength had changed markedly.

A gleam of spiritual light shone from its fierce eyes. Facing Lei Dong, it appeared momentarily lost and hesitant. Instinct and residual experience informed it that this being was the Master, that the Master was overwhelmingly powerful, and obedience was paramount.

However, a Ghoul Soldier not forged through blood sacrifice inherently retained a streak of wildness, subtly breeding thoughts of resistance. When Lei Dong issued a command, it froze in place, its sharp fangs curling slightly to reveal a menacing grimace.

"Knowingly courting death," Lei Dong sneered, flicking a finger that sent it flying backward. The Ghoul Soldier crashed heavily to the ground, gravely wounded and barely clinging to life. Yet, in its somewhat lucid eyes appeared profound terror. It finally understood that even after evolving, the gulf between it and the Master remained vast.

Every living thing, especially those possessing independent sentience, instinctively feared death.

As a wisp of Nether Flame materialized around Lei Dong's hand, the Ghoul Soldier frantically squeaked and whimpered, begging for mercy. The awe ingrained during its time as a spirit immediately returned.

"It is indeed untamed," Lei Dong mused, even as he considered this was a Spirit Ghost Ghoul Soldier with significant intelligence. He suspected that a Low-grade or Mid-grade Ghoul Soldier would be far harder to subdue.

"Master, young spirits born recently possess low intelligence. They require more time for learning and guidance to gradually shed their wild nature," Ah Chou spoke up, showing a surprising fondness for the little ghost. "Ah Chou is willing to undertake the daily teaching duties, striving to make this batch of young ghosts the sharpest blades under the Master's command as soon as possible. The Master merely needs to occasionally lighten the burden for a moment."

"You are becoming quite eloquent, brat. It seems your recent studies have been effective. Continue your efforts; perhaps you can even advise me in strategy one day." Lei Dong glanced at Ah Chou with a smile. As his innate Ghost Servant, their bloodlines were interwoven. It wasn't just Ah Chou who held deep affection for Lei Dong; the Master felt a profound connection to his servants. After all, Ah Chou had accompanied him from a weak Ghoul Soldier all the way to the present.

"Yes, Master, Ah Chou will continue to study diligently."

Though retributions from innate Ghost Servants were possible throughout history, the odds were extremely low—certainly far less likely than spousal discord or father-son enmity.

"And you, Gui Ci, you must also study more," Lei Dong stated after a brief pause. "I am still relatively weak now and require your protection. When I one day become truly powerful, I will certainly find a way to dissolve the Blood Sacrifice Oaths and grant you your freedom." These two Ghost Kings had already achieved spiritual awareness, possessing independent personalities and logical thought. They could no longer be treated as mere puppets, as ordinary masters managed their servants.

Indeed, both Ah Chou and Gui Ci's eyes flickered with longing, though they quickly suppressed it, kneeling on one knee to say, "Master, as your Ghost Servants, our bloodlines are already connected. Serving you for a lifetime is without complaint."

"Do not think I am testing your loyalty." The Blood Sacrifice Art was formidable; as the Master, Lei Dong held the power over their very lives. He shook his head, chuckling. "You have followed me for years; you are already like brothers. I know that now that your sentience is awakened, you instinctively crave the lifestyle of normal Ghost Kings. This is understandable. If you value our history, you are entirely free to serve me in your independent forms, helping me lead the army or anchoring a region. That might prove more beneficial than staying by my side."

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Master." Both Ghost Kings were overwhelmed with emotion. They had been diligently studying various knowledge recently and understood that no ordinary master would ever release the Blood Sacrifice of an Ultimate Spirit Ghost. They had long since resigned themselves to faithfully serving their Master. Receiving this promise from their Master now was akin to a sudden windfall from the heavens. They quickly declared, "If that day truly comes, I, Ah Chou, and I, Gui Ci, will remain loyal to the Master, never leaving your side."

"Heh heh, if that is the case, then strive hard in your studies and cultivation, aiming to reach Ghost Emperor. While reaching Ghost Emperor for an Ultimate Spirit Ghost is as difficult as ascending to heaven, there have been historical examples of success," Lei Dong encouraged them appropriately.

Both Ghost Kings were once again stirred, setting the attainment of Ghost Emperor as their lifelong goal. In fact, this was true not just for them, but for every Ultimate Spirit Ghost that achieved Ghost King status—the Ghost Emperor was the ultimate objective of their endeavors.

This was Lei Dong's new strategy. Decades of reliance, countless life-and-death situations shared between him and Ah Chou and Gui Ci had forged an exceptionally deep bond between the servants and their Master.

If they were appointed as generals in his Ghost Fortress army, it would undoubtedly guarantee a higher degree of loyalty within the troops.

After this single trial, Lei Dong began deploying Nether Ghost Qi on a large scale, spending several days to advance all the remaining Spirit Ghosts to the Ghoul Soldier level. It was undeniable that these Spirit Ghosts possessed excellent potential; even this small amount of pure Nether Ghost Qi was enough to effortlessly catalyze their promotion to Ghoul Soldiers. If they had been Low-grade Spirit Ghosts, it likely would have required significantly more time and Qi.

Moreover, when Spirit Ghosts evolve into Ghoul Soldiers, they are generally influenced by the Laws of Heaven and Earth, allowing them to comprehend certain innate talents. How much talent they grasped depended on the original quality of the Spirit Ghost. Lei Dong's group consisted of High-grade and Ultimate Spirit Ghosts, and they comprehended low-tier Law Talents—ranging from three to five talents, which was truly gratifying. However, the talents comprehended through influence by Heaven and Earth Laws during Ghoul Soldier evolution were all very low-tier. They included things like Bloodlust Art, Spectral Strike, low-tier Profound Ice spells, or some low-tier Nether series spells like Netherfire Bullet or Poison Fire Bullet. This was related to the Ghost Clan’s innate attributes; classified broadly, they belonged to the Nether affinity. Thus, the talents comprehended naturally fell within the Nether series or closely related spells.

If a Ghoul Soldier comprehended a talent like a Light-element Healing Spell during this process, it would be utterly unbelievable. In reality, these nearly five hundred Ghoul Soldiers all exhibited perfectly normal outcomes.

Ghoul Soldiers possessing talents such as Invisibility, Speed, or Assassination would naturally be directed toward scouting or assassin roles in the future. Those with talents like Strength Enhancement, Bloodlust, or Berserk could serve as shock troops. Those possessing various ranged attack spells would naturally form the ranged unit.

The appearance of these specific talents almost dictated which development path the Ghoul Soldier was best suited for. Some ghosts skilled in magic were markedly weaker in close combat.

By this point, Lei Dong still hadn't fully discerned whether the Spirit Ghosts inherently belonged to these categories before evolving, or if these categories arose from the differing low-tier Laws they comprehended during the evolution process.

Regardless, these details were not crucial. Under Lei Dong’s decisive methods, the Ghoul Soldiers who initially balked at their evolution were severely suppressed, after which he began personally training them. This time, Ah Chou and Gui Ci also participated. It was a pity that Lei Dong still had the Frost Ghost Guard, which he couldn't summon due to Divine Sense limitations. He hadn't focused any special training on that guard either.

It was somewhat unavoidable, but once he ascended to Nascent Soul, he could easily command three Ghost Kings.

Upon advancing to Ghoul Soldier status, the intelligence of this entire cohort of young ghosts increased considerably. Intelligence growth was a vital component during evolution, but even more critical was the continuous development of sentience through learning, which required time.

Spending a substantial amount of time was essential, not only for fostering intellectual growth, knowledge acquisition, and experience but also because Lei Dong needed to establish his authority during this period, gradually grinding away the wildness of these young soldiers.

Through constant training and constant conditioning, he painstakingly devised methods reminiscent of indoctrination from his past life, continually infusing these young ghosts with concepts of loyalty, bravery, admiration, and awe.

Time flew by, and the Ghoul Soldiers matured through continuous tempering. Those Ghoul Soldiers originating from Ultimate Spirit Ghosts, due to their exceptional innate quality, gradually began to distinguish themselves. Compared to the High-grade Ghoul Soldiers, they were smarter and stronger. Most, under the competitive framework established by Lei Dong, had already taken on the roles of squad leaders. Of course, some High-grade Spirit Ghosts, through superior effort and more desperate training, received repeated commendations from Lei Dong and, in terms of strength, were no less capable than the Ultimate Spirit Ghosts, thus also securing squad leader positions.

The competitive spirit among the young ghosts had gradually been ignited; they began to strive for the top. What pleased Lei Dong even more was that he had clearly established a relatively firm authority. At the point of his sword, even a Ghost King like Ah Chou dared to launch desperate attacks. Though the first battalion of Ghoul Soldiers remained weak, they were beginning to possess the aura of an army.