After careful thought and numerous failed attempts, Lei Dong finally realized the problem wasn't simply rooted in the meager intelligence of the Spectral Ghosts. Even if it were true that the process of refining vengeful or spectral ghosts using a Myriad Ghost Banner artifact inevitably destroyed the intelligence of the resulting ghost soldiers due to its tyrannical and brutal nature—

In reality, if one were to command a single ghost soldier via the Myriad Ghost Banner, even for a relatively complex instruction, such as executing a demanding maneuver, the soldier could comply.

The issue arose when attempting to make the ghost soldiers execute a sequence of movements; a continuous stream of commands had to be issued because these lower-tier ghost soldiers possessed virtually no memory. The design for making them attack a target relentlessly was exceedingly simple: they merely moved or attacked based on the master's focused divine sense targeting the objective.

Lei Dong had been using the Myriad Ghost Banner for so long without deeply exploring its command system. After this attempt, he felt a surge of irritation. Indeed, while this design was simple to implement, achieving the tactical coordination he envisioned was nearly impossible.

This suggested that modifying the formation system within the Myriad Ghost Banner would be necessary to reach his goal. Lei Dong felt a headache coming on. Since beginning his cultivation, he had always engaged minimally with auxiliary arts like formations, artifact refining, alchemy, and planting, knowing only some basic theory. While he had absorbed some experience and comprehension of principles from that Demon King, that knowledge seemingly did not cover formations or artifact refining either; clearly, that Demon King was unfamiliar with those areas.

Seeing Lei Dong fiddling about uselessly for a long time, Xiao You, not fully grasping what he was doing, casually inquired. When Lei Dong explained honestly, Xiao You replied with dismay, "Brother, I don't really understand formations or artifact refining either."

Just as Lei Dong was deciding to temporarily abandon research into this matter, the Arena Spirit’s frigid voice cut in: "Two fools, not even knowing some of the most fundamental knowledge of formations and artifact refining? Are people these days all so restless?"

Lei Dong was stunned; he had just been mocked by the spirit of an artifact. Were the great sages of ancient times capable of refining spirits so intelligent?

Xiao You, on the other hand, was clearly displeased, pouting: "You are merely a low-ranking spirit, aren't you? Do you understand formations and artifact refining too?"

"Little girl, when I was playing with formations and artifact refining, the Demon, Immortal, and Monster races were engaged in a massive three-way war. Do you think I know anything?" The spirit’s voice seemed to carry a tremor.

Xiao You stuck her tongue out; it seemed the war between the three races occurred in the very ancient eras.

That was millions, perhaps tens of millions of years ago. For this spirit to have survived that long was indeed rare. He had initially assumed this Fair Combat Arena artifact was merely of ancient origin. However, prioritizing Lei Dong's needs, she stubbornly retorted, "Even if you've lived long, that doesn't mean you understand formations and refining! If you can solve the formation problem my brother mentioned, then I'll respect you."

"Little Ghost Clan Heavenly Spirit Ghost girl, don't be so skeptical. Though I am the Arena Spirit, I was once a living being with a physical form, skilled in formations and artifact refining. I died during a war, and my master refined my nascent soul into the spirit of this Arena, allowing me to survive in another manner. Moreover, when my master forged this Fair Combat Arena, he referenced a great deal of my input," the spirit said, with a hint of pride in its tone.

Nascent Soul? Xiao You and Lei Dong exchanged glances. It turned out this spirit was once a peerless expert at the Spirit Transformation stage.

Seeing his apparent pride, a thought struck Lei Dong. He instantly adopted an expression of immense reverence and began using the sycophancy he was best at: "Senior is actually a Spirit Transformation powerhouse? We juniors were truly blind and ignorant. We implore Senior to enlighten us on how to make the ghost soldiers form tactical units, so we may witness the brilliant formation and artifact refining knowledge of ancient times." Lei Dong wasn't merely flattering in the latter half; because resources were abundant in antiquity, many cultivators who reached high levels could forge and create various artifacts without restraint, leading to an era of 'a hundred flowers blooming.' Many artifacts and magical tools in the world today were mere imitations of creations from that ancient period. Cultivation techniques too were often handed down from those distant times.

"This Ghost Banner of yours should be a replica of the Nether King Banner, right? My master also spent some time studying the Nether King Banner. The predecessor who created it possessed truly wondrous and admirable ingenuity. Of course, that predecessor is still slightly inferior to the one who created the entire Ghost Clan," the Arena Spirit declared, truly never failing to shock with its words.

Lei Dong was still reeling from the shock, but Xiao You jumped out, indignant: "What nonsense are you speaking? How could our Ghost Clan be created? We are a race with life, not puppets!"

"I never said your Ghost Clan lacks life or is a puppet," the Spirit replied calmly. "But it is true that your Ghost Clan was a race created by the Nether God Senior. In fact, every living being between heaven and earth undergoes a process of creation. Some beings are formed naturally through gestation, while others are created through the intervention of beings possessing god-like power. Yet, the birth of any life form in this world cannot be separated from one thing: Primordial Chaos Qi. First came Chaos, then Heaven and Earth, and then life. If even Heaven and Earth are transformed from Chaos, how much more so life? Primordial Chaos Qi is also called Innate Spiritual Qi. What does 'innate' mean? It means this Qi existed even before Heaven and Earth did. When the universe was separated, the Chaos constantly spun; the pure rose, the turbid sank, forming Heaven and Earth respectively. The Primordial Chaos Qi, which existed since eternity within the Chaos, then began to nurture and create life between Heaven and Earth."

"So, are you saying our Ghost Clan was nurtured by Primordial Chaos Qi? But what does that have to do with our Ghost Clan's deity, the Nether God?" Xiao You’s expression softened slightly. She had never heard the knowledge the spirit was sharing; it certainly broadened her horizons.

"Your Ghost Clan was indeed born drawing upon Primordial Chaos Qi, but the Nether God indirectly created you using a Chaos Origin Seed. My master and I have closely examined the specific method of operation, but we lack the finer details—it was likely some miraculous formation. In fact, it wasn't just your Ghost Clan; the entire Underworld Ghost Realm was also created by the Nether God. I also know that your Ghost Clan’s method of inheritance is very special because when the Nether God created your race, he integrated certain lineage inheritance techniques from other species in the natural world. Within the unique inheritance of your Ghost Clan, you naturally carry some memories of the Nether God, as well as various spells etched into your life factors by him. Once those spells awaken, you will master them immediately." The Spirit continued to enlighten the two newcomers with unheard-of knowledge, then sighed: "The Nether God Senior's original intention was to create a perfect and immensely powerful race to oppose the Immortals, Demons, and Monsters, but alas, the Nether God Senior could not complete his creation; his pursuit of perfection resulted in a deeply imperfect outcome."

"Hmph, are you saying we Heavenly Spirit Ghosts are imperfect?" As the sovereign among the Ghost Clan, Xiao You naturally possessed pride.

"Heavenly Spirit Ghosts are acceptable, but they only barely meet the initial design requirements set by the Nether God Senior," even the Spirit’s usually cold voice became somewhat animated: "The Nether God Senior referenced the strengths of many races when creating the Ghost Clan. For example, the ability to exert immense combat power without the constraints of flesh and blood was inspired by the Immortal Clan’s method of projecting their nascent souls for combat. Though you lack a physical body for body-tempering cultivation, it incorporated the Demon Clan’s method of advancement through devouring. It also combined the wondrous practice of certain Divine Beasts to imprint innate spells onto their life factors to pass down to offspring. If all these characteristics could be perfectly utilized, the Ghost Clan would be the most perfect warriors."

Lei Dong’s mouth fell open. He had always assumed the creator of the Blessed Land, or the creator of the Arena, or perhaps the Demon Emperor, represented the pinnacle of existence in this world. But this being called the Nether God seemed even more arrogant and powerful; he had single-handedly created an entire race, and an imperfect one at that. The current overall strength of the Ghost Clan was already considerable; if, according to the Nether God's conception, the Heavenly Spirit Ghost only barely met the standard, then a race designed like that might find eradicating the entire Demon Clan not too difficult.

Powerful, incredibly powerful. Merely possessing a Chaos Origin Seed to create a world and a race.

Wait, Chaos Origin Seed? Lei Dong seemed to recall hearing the Demon Emperor and the great powers of the Three Realms mention this item when he received the inheritance of the Emperor Demon Seed. This must be an extraordinarily significant item, one that the powers of the Three Realms were willing to fight the Demon Emperor over. And it was linked to tribulation crossing, reincarnation, and so on.

"Senior Spirit, your knowledge is truly enviable. What exactly is this Chaos Origin Seed you mentioned, and what is its use?" Lei Dong asked with profound respect. This Spirit might have been lonely for too long; a little flattery, and it would chatter endlessly like a talking obsession.

"The Chaos Origin Seed? That is something my master and I pursued our entire lives but never attained," the Spirit indeed began revealing secrets amidst the praise, just as Lei Dong predicted: "I mentioned earlier that as Chaos spun, Heaven, Earth, Sun, and Moon gradually formed, and Primordial Chaos Qi began nurturing life between Heaven and Earth. But Chaos is not monolithic. It is rumored that at the very beginning of the universe, countless clusters of Chaos were ejected as it expanded. Just as people have beauty, ugliness, talent, and mediocrity, there is a distinction between Chaos rich in spiritual energy and that which is thin. And in extremely rare pockets of Chaos, there exist one to several Chaos Origin Seeds. Chaos Origin Seeds continuously generate Chaos Spirit Artifacts and nurture all life in the myriad realms."