The subject for the trial, naturally, remained the ever-suffering True Person Xuanyuan. A dignified expert at the Spirit Transformation stage had been reduced to being Lei Dong's target dummy in the arena. Although the appearance of the Golden Core-level Great Belly Cannon Ghost hadn't changed much, its form had solidified to the point of being tangible, exuding a texture and sheen akin to black wrought iron.

Especially that thick, dark cannon barrel, which radiated a fierce and dangerous aura. Compared to the initial Cannon Ghost, this one glided out of the Netherworld Black Fiend Array with an elegant, weightless motion, entirely lacking the clumsy sluggishness of its predecessor.

Lei Dong certainly wasn't about to sacrifice such a precious Golden Core-level Cannon Ghost; it remained faithfully positioned at the edge of the Black Fiend Array, aiming from afar at the weary Xuanyuanzi, who looked ready to welcome death.

With a deafening roar that numbed the ears, the highly concentrated Netherworld Fire shell tore through the air, whistling away, leaving behind a trail of dense, dark green flame that condensed into a thin line overhead. The Golden Core Cannon Ghost, now a hundred times heavier, seemed unable to withstand the recoil, being violently flung backward.

The shell was incredibly fast; short of being a high-level Descent cultivator, no one’s eyes would catch sight of that Netherworld Fire projectile. Traversing a mere four or five li, it arrived in the blink of an eye.

Xuanyuanzi’s scalp nearly exploded. What was that thing? How could it have become so terrifyingly powerful after such a short time apart? Before, the simultaneous firing of a thousand cannons had an overwhelming might and spectacle, but Xuanyuanzi felt that it couldn't compare to this single shot.

It was understandable: while the initial Cannon Ghost’s Netherworld Fire shell wasn't slow, it took five or six breaths to cross those four or five li. This shot, however, took only a single breath to arrive with a crash. It was so fast that there was hardly any time to hesitate or react.

Xuanyuanzi barely managed to summon a protective shield and slightly shifted his body several zhang away, but the fierce explosion erupted instantly, creating a luminous sphere of viridian light spanning dozens of zhang in diameter.

Poor Xuanyuanzi, though not hit dead center, was nearly at the epicenter of the blast. Rampant energy tore and shredded at him wildly. Fortunately, in his panic, he instinctively raised his shield; otherwise, this single impact could have ripped him to shreds without protection.

Even a Spirit Transformation expert could not endure such a violent explosion unprepared.

The explosion lasted only an instant. From afar, the sky burned with a pyrotechnic display of viridian flame. The most ferocious moment had passed, and even Lei Dong, observing from the edge of the Black Fiend Array, felt a hurricane-like blast wash over him.

Xuanyuanzi looked utterly disheveled. His hastily erected shield had blocked the attack, but it was now dim and transparent, appearing on the verge of shattering.

The shield could not completely deflect such a savage shockwave. The violent impact struck the shield and transferred through to his body. Had he not possessed the power of the Spirit Transformation stage, this single blow would have pulverized his physical body.

Even so, the surging and churning blood and Qi within his body forced a mouthful of blood from him. His existing injuries, which had been unable to heal due to constant harassment, worsened by half.

Lei Dong, the creator of the Great Belly Cannon Ghost, stared in stunned silence for a long moment before finally spitting out one phrase: "Damn, that’s freakishly strong."

Xiao You, standing nearby, also looked somewhat pale. He glanced at the Great Belly Cannon Ghost, which had been hurled far away and was now listless after expending all its power. With lingering fear, he said, "It truly is terrifyingly strong. If I were hit by that, even with preparation, I’d be severely wounded, if not killed. Amazing, truly amazing."

The artifact spirit analyzed calmly: "That last blast was equivalent to a concentrated, full-power strike from a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Although the energy contained within a late-stage Nascent Soul body far surpasses that of the Great Belly Cannon Ghost by scores of times, it is difficult for a late-stage Nascent Soul entity to unleash all its power instantaneously, unless it disregards the potential damage to its Nascent Soul, Purple Mansion, and meridian system. Furthermore, theoretically, a Nascent Soul cultivator would need to expend at least twenty to thirty percent of their strength to unleash such a strike. This is because they require vast amounts of True Essence to ignite the attack and even more to safeguard the Nascent Soul, meridians, and physical body from being injured by that immense force. But the Great Belly Cannon Ghost’s entire structure and design are solely focused on condensing all its power into the Netherworld Fire shell for a single discharge. The two situations are incomparable, as they involve entirely different biological structures. Lei Dong, I must congratulate you; you have created an extreme life form, and a very useful one at that. It is just a slight waste to consume a top-grade Spirit Ghost." Lei Dong hadn't concealed the fact that he used a top-grade Spirit Ghost, though he neglected to mention to the artifact spirit that he possessed the Soul Devouring Pagoda, capable of mass-producing such ghosts.

"Equivalent to the full-power strike of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator?" Lei Dong laughed, highly satisfied. "If a early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator wielding an inferior spiritual treasure took a direct hit like that, even if they weren't annihilated instantly, they’d be critically wounded. Worth it. Absolutely worth it. Only by walking an extreme path can one succeed."

Lei Dong returned to the Netherworld Black Fiend Array, retrieved the listless Great Belly Cannon Ghost, and separately replenished the Netherworld Ghost Qi it had expended. Watching it gradually regain its vigor brought him immense joy. This thing had astonishing power. Even his full-power strike couldn't achieve that level of ferocity.

He couldn't help but imagine: if this adorable little thing could be cultivated to the early Nascent Soul stage, could a single strike seriously injure a Spirit Transformation cultivator? However, raising it to the early Nascent Soul stage would be an exceedingly difficult task, as its spiritual root was partially damaged during its refinement into a ghost soldier.

The difficulty of that process would likely rival that of cultivating a high-grade Natal Ghost General into a Ghost King.

Never mind cultivating it to the Nascent Soul level; even achieving the peak Golden Core level would be arduous, requiring a terrifying amount of resources.

Right, he had something else useful on him. Lei Dong pulled out a Soul Sealing Orb, inside which was sealed a soft, pink, and utterly solid Nascent Soul. Upon catching a glimpse of Lei Dong within the orb, the Nascent Soul immediately displayed a look of pitiful supplication, as if begging Lei Dong to spare its life. Who else could this be but the Ageless Demon Venerable?

This Nascent Soul was a spoil of war Lei Dong had obtained from attacking the Joyful Union Sect. A peak Nascent Soul. Just one step away from transforming the soul into a spirit and ascending to the Spirit Transformation stage.

Even Lei Dong had misread the intelligence, believing the Ageless Demon Venerable was merely a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. He hadn't expected this old fellow to have remained hidden within the Joyful Union Sect, silently reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

However, it was rumored that the Ageless Demon Venerable had already surpassed his natural lifespan, relying on techniques like Yin-Draining and Yang-Supplementing merely to cling to life. Even if Lei Dong hadn't eliminated him, he likely wouldn't have achieved Spirit Transformation in this lifetime.

In fact, Lei Dong had made an incorrect assumption. After the Joyful Union Sect allied with the Grand Supreme Sect and other evil sects, they were promised considerable benefits, many of which had already been delivered. With those boons and resources, the Ageless Demon Venerable had a solid two-tenths chance of achieving Spirit Transformation by aggressively pushing the boundary. Of course, it was only a two-tenths chance.

After all, his age was far greater than his youthful appearance suggested.

Yet, even that two-tenths chance was enough for the Ageless Demon Venerable to fight for it. Had Lei Dong not appeared, he might have succeeded. Alas, he had betrayed the pact and paid the required price.

Since rising to prominence, Lei Dong had always been known for his ruthlessness. Facing a stranger, and an enemy, begging for mercy from a Nascent Soul, even if he begged until his throat was raw, Lei Dong would not show an ounce of softness.

The reason he brought him out now was to reap an easy benefit: refining him into a ghost soldier. The Myriad Ghost Banner series of artifacts wasn't limited to refining Spirit Ghosts into ghost soldiers. Its true horror lay in its ability to refine the souls of slain enemies—be they human or beast—into fierce ghosts to serve him. Moreover, the higher the quality of the soul, the more powerful the resulting ghost soldier.

When Lei Dong was active in Zhaozhou, he frequently refined the living souls of Golden Core demonic beasts or cultivators into the Myriad Ghost Banner to augment his combat strength. Of course, even the soul of a Golden Core cultivator would suffer a significant drop in quality after refinement, typically only amounting to the level of an early Foundation Establishment stage ghost, or mid-stage at best. Usually, only by casting the Nascent Soul of a Nascent Soul cultivator into the Myriad Ghost Banner could one directly forge a Golden Core-level ghost soldier.

Lei Dong had never acquired a peak-level Nascent Soul like that of the Ageless Demon Venerable, so he was unsure what level of ghost soldier would result from refining him. Perhaps high-stage Golden Core, perhaps peak Golden Core, but there was a slim chance—a sliver of hope—that it might reach the early Nascent Soul stage. That last possibility was quite remote.

Nevertheless, Lei Dong felt compelled to try. In the current situation, even just one more high-stage Golden Core Great Belly Cannon Ghost would be welcome. After the performance just now, Lei Dong found himself increasingly fond of the Great Belly Cannon Ghost. Though ugly and capable of only one shot, its power was extraordinary; its firepower was intense.

After extracting him from the Soul Sealing Orb, ignoring the desperate pleas, Lei Dong tossed the Ageless Demon Venerable directly into the Netherflame Ghost Banner. Despite his frantic struggles, he was pulled into the black vortex, which resembled a bottomless abyss, by the banner's formidable suction.

Perhaps because the refinement subject was so powerful, even the artifact spirit of the Netherworld Demonic Dragon seemed momentarily unable to suppress it, causing the entire ghost banner to tremble violently.

Lei Dong soared forward, placing one hand on the Netherflame Ghost Banner, continuously infusing it with Netherworld Ghost Qi, while his massive divine sense merged with the artifact spirit to suppress it. He prayed inwardly, "Ageless Demon Venerable, I hope you give me a surprise?"

(To be continued.)