That was a Spectral Scorpion, three or four zhang long, its entire body the inky black of pitch, a common predatory species within the Nine Hells Abyss. At this moment, it was cautiously creeping along a strangely shaped floating mountain several li wide, using the gloom to ambush some weak demonic fowls whose strength barely reached the Foundation Establishment stage, seemingly oblivious to the powerful small warship stealthily approaching over ten li away.

Just as it was about to plunge its venomous stinger—tipped with the word 'needle'—into a demonic fowl to secure its dinner, Lei Dong, Xiao You, and the others seemed to materialize before it out of thin air. The beast's instinct took over; it instantly abandoned its meal, retreating backward in terror and madness, attempting to dissolve back into the vast, dim void of the Abyss.

"Tee-hee, what an ugly scorpion. Young Master wants to use you for target practice, so you’d better behave and not try to run off." Xiao You, already a mid-tier Ghost King, casually extended a spectral claw and forcibly hauled the venomous scorpion back.

The poor Spectral Scorpion had likely been a local petty tyrant with some small reputation, but in the grasp of a Ghost King-level existence like Xiao You, it didn't possess the slightest chance to resist. Struggling desperately was utterly futile; the gulf in their strength was as wide as heaven and earth. Finally, under Xiao You’s overwhelming pressure and formidable might, the Spectral Scorpion obediently prostrated itself on the ground, signaling submission.

Of course, no one would be interested in keeping such an ordinary, fully grown, and stubbornly untamed scorpion as a pet. Lei Dong raised his rifle with interest. He didn't lock onto it with his divine sense, instead using the realistic telescopic sight to aim at the scorpion before pulling the trigger.

With a bang, a sickly green Nether Fire round shot out. It traversed the distance of a dozen zhang in a flash, striking the scorpion with a sharp pa sound. The rifle, specially constructed, possessed formidable impact, blowing a bowl-sized crater into its back. The Nether Fire splashing around began to scorch the scorpion’s soul. Agonized by the pain, the scorpion completely forgot about its submission and shrieked, frantically attempting to flee again. But it didn't get far before Xiao You snagged it back once more.

Xiao You chuckled merrily, "Young Master, this artifact you forged truly feels like a toy. One shot couldn't even kill a Golden Core level scorpion."

"So boring. I thought big brother had forged something truly interesting," Lei Long added with a yawn. "If I'd known, you could have used me for target practice. This thing hitting me would only feel like a tickle."

"Uh, its power is indeed a bit lacking, but a single shot like that probably wouldn't be survivable for an ordinary Foundation Establishment practitioner." Lei Dong showed no sign of disappointment regarding the rifle. At the very least, its power surpassed that of real firearms from his own era. Otherwise, it absolutely couldn't have pierced the scorpion's tough carapace. A Golden Core level scorpion was no laughing matter.

Moreover, this was only a prototype. Lei Dong merely wanted to test whether components forged using Ghost Soldier refinement methods would function when assembled into various parts. The results looked quite satisfactory.

"Tch, what's the use against Foundation Establishment cultivators?" Lei Long found it even more tedious. "Enemies at that level are mere ants; I could sneeze them to death."

"There’s no point arguing with you," Lei Dong said dismissively, only adding, "The artifact I designed can be used even by ordinary, trained humans."

"Young Master, why would you think of designing weapons for mortals?" Xiao You seemed slightly puzzled. "Even if mortals can use them, so what? A single flying sword strike can easily finish them off; this thing is useless to them."

Xiao You’s thinking wasn't extreme, but rather quite standard. In the minds of almost all cultivators, or those with any power, mortals belonged to an entirely different strata. Even a minor Qi Refining stage cultivator viewed mortals as mere tools for showing off or extracting wealth; deep down, they held utter disdain. Artifact refiners, when crafting spiritual artifacts and treasures, primarily considered the needs of cultivators. Artifacts often required divine sense and true essence to control, having nothing to do with mortals, and few ever bothered designing weapons exclusively for mortal use. Even when such weapons existed, they were usually just one or two pieces, often cherished as supreme treasures by mortal nobility and royalty.

But in Lei Dong’s view, the matter was entirely different. The largest contingent in this world was undeniably humanity. The human population outnumbered cultivators by more than ten thousand to one. If a ten-thousand-strong army were equipped with this weapon and stationed behind city walls, perhaps they could fend off a minor beast tide.

This held significantly positive implications for Lei Dong’s future plans.

In fact, it wasn't as if powerful and ambitious human cultivators in the Great Barren Desert hadn't tried to migrate a contingent of humans to establish a foothold and carve out a new world. But building a city was easy; defending it was hard. Relying solely on a handful of cultivators meant they could never withstand the constant beast tides, and mortals were virtually useless in such a setting. Yet, pioneering a new territory was unrealistic without mortals. Vast amounts of labor required human hands, and without the continuous production of 'spiritual roots' from mortals, any new base would be like duckweed without roots—sustainable for a time, but not for an era.

Having experienced his previous life, Lei Dong was acutely aware of the power that the mortals, looked down upon by cultivators, could unleash.

The structural hierarchy of this world was profoundly unhealthy, virtually splitting mortals and cultivators into two incompatible spheres. The higher one’s cultivation ascended, the more pronounced this division became, as if they were two entirely different races. In truth, everyone understood they were the same species. Over countless years of development, the once weak human race had gradually come to occupy the majority of the Nine Provinces, and their overall strength was beginning to allow them to stand against the major dominant races.

For Lei Dong to rise, relying solely on personal strength was insufficient; finding an alternative path was absolutely necessary. The Great Barren Desert was precisely the place Lei Dong felt he needed to develop and occupy, but without a massive mortal workforce, establishing a base and achieving development was impossible. Therefore, the ability to arm mortals and forge a degree of combat effectiveness would bring enormous returns to Lei Dong's future objectives.

Imagine: if a squad of mortal soldiers equipped with these weapons and defensive gear could contend with high-stage Qi Refining, or even Foundation Establishment level demonic beasts. What kind of future scenario would that portend?

Lei Dong wasn't merely indulging in idle pursuits. The Demon Emperor who left behind the Soul Devouring Tower had bequeathed legacies and fragments of past experience and memory, clearly illustrating the terrifying might of the Three Realms, which had never been fully revealed. Having advanced to his current position, Lei Dong had also gleaned some understanding of the past from the secret histories. The Three Realms comprised the three most powerful races: the Immortal Clan, the Demon Clan, and the Demon Beast Clan.

Among these, the Immortal Clan and the Demon Clan were external races. The Demon Beast Clan, however, was the former ruler and actual owner of the Nine Provinces.

Having witnessed the terrifying strength of the higher-tier Demon Clan, a heavy stone always weighed upon Lei Dong’s heart. Perhaps one day, the attention of these three dominant races might partially shift toward him. Without overwhelming power and military strength, how could he possibly resist them? Even the mighty Demon Emperor Sect, even the predecessor Demon Emperor, a generation's true hegemon, was ultimately exterminated by the three forces.

And while he possessed some of the former Demon Emperor's relics and inheritance, acquiring near-countless benefits from them also meant he had saddled himself with a time bomb—one that might detonate at any moment, reducing him to dust. This intense sense of impending danger convinced Lei Dong that he needed to consolidate more power and create more layers of formidable trump cards for himself.

Developing the Latent Dragon Army, cultivating good relations with the Earth Giants, training various ghost armies, and refining Ghost Soldiers—though all still rudimentary—would become his essential aids in the future. Otherwise, even if his personal strength reached the peak level of the former Demon Emperor, he would eventually perish nonetheless.

The countless mortal class within the Nine Provinces, scorned by cultivators, represented a superpower that the majority had overlooked and failed to utilize.

Lei Dong did not answer Xiao You’s question, instead continuing to ponder the deficiencies of this weapon. First, the recoil was too powerful; mortals whose physical constitution wasn't particularly robust might not withstand the force. Moreover, mortals had short-sighted concerns; there was no need for extremely long range. An effective killing distance of about one li would be sufficient for the average person.

Second, the rate of fire was too slow. After firing one Nether Fire round, it took at least ten breaths for the magazine to refill with sufficient Nether Ghost Qi. However, Lei Dong was not in a hurry to make improvements. The Nine Hells Abyss was vast, and achieving his two set goals would likely take several years. Even reaching the first stop, the Styx River, would take at least a year at the speed of the small flying vessel. In that time, Lei Dong would have ample opportunity to design and gradually perfect several types of weaponry.

Returning to the flying vessel, Lei Dong re-entered seclusion. During this period, he engaged in countless discussions and discarded designs with the artifact spirit. After extensive testing, a weapon named the Primary Stage Netherworld Gun was finally born—a weapon even ordinary human women could wield. The entire gun was forged from three ordinary Yin Souls. When not in use, it could be worn like a bracelet around the wrist. If needed, it could twist and transform into a Netherworld Gun in a single breath.

Its fastest firing rate was one shot per breath, powered by Nether Ghost Qi, capable of launching a total of over a hundred Nether Fire rounds when fully charged. After several simulated projections, a skilled soldier protected by defensive fortifications could easily eliminate a Qi Refining stage demonic beast with this Netherworld Gun. If a squad of soldiers, utilizing defensive works, could easily defeat a Foundation Establishment demonic beast, then with a large enough army, even slaying a Golden Core stage demonic beast would be within reach—though this would invariably involve immense losses.