... Having been tempered in the Great Wilderness, the Ghost Legion frequently encountered Nascent Soul stage demonic beasts. When they were still relatively weak, the Ghost Legion independently developed the Giant Net Tactic. This involved using specially crafted artifact-grade giant nets to capture and restrain exceptionally fast powerhouses, preventing them from using hit-and-run tactics.

This giant net was forged from select materials sifted out of numerous refining components. It was an artifact that, when unused, condensed into a small sphere. Once unfurled, it became a massive net spanning hundreds of feet in diameter.

Not only that, but the moment the net ensnared any living creature, it would begin to rotate and contract violently, capable of wrapping the target prey into a tight bundle in mere seconds, constricting ever tighter. Such a giant net was not cheap to produce, but the Ghost Legion, using resources they had plundered themselves, acquired these useful treasures with Lei Dong's approval, facilitated by Granny Qing. The entire Ghost Legion now possessed several dozen such nets. After repeated trials in the Great Wilderness, they had established a refined routine specifically for hunting down Nascent Soul experts.

Of course, if the opponent was a powerful Nascent Soul expert, a single giant net, even if it bound the target into a mummy-like shape, might not be enough; the foe could potentially tear it apart with sheer strength. However, in the Ghost Legion's established routine, after a powerful enemy was snared, several more nets would follow in quick succession.

Furthermore, if the goal was to capture the enemy alive, an entire squad of ghost soldiers would swarm forward, pummeling the captive with blunt weapons until they were beaten half to death. If keeping the target alive wasn't a concern, the process was even simpler: a relentless barrage of the sharpest attacks would be unleashed. An enemy caught in the giant nets possessed almost no ability to fight back.

Lei Dong highly approved of this tactic. However, in his estimation, this strategy was suitable for smaller foes. Against Soul Transformation experts, it was extremely strained, especially considering some Soul Transformation demonic beasts boasted monstrous sizes, often dozens or even hundreds of feet tall. Naturally, Lei Dong wasn't foolish enough to pit his current Ghost Legion against a Soul Transformation beast. Although if such a beast dared to confront the Ghost Legion head-on, the odds favored the beast escaping heavily wounded, the resulting losses for the Ghost Legion would be devastating—the cost outweighed the benefit.

But against Nascent Soul experts, it proved remarkably effective.

Sure enough, beneath the giant net that shot up over ten feet, Merk, who had exploded into speed, found it nearly impossible to evade. He barely managed to dodge three nets before being instantly ensnared by the web, wrapped into a tight bundle. Over a hundred ghost soldiers cheered with ecstatic ghostly howls, condensing their soul power into massive clubs and swarming forward, encircling him for a chaotic, deafening barrage of blows.

So what if Merk possessed the strength of the mid-stage Nascent Soul? He struggled helplessly against the binding. Plunging downward with no chance to retaliate, in less than ten breaths, he was beaten to the brink of death, with scarcely a complete bone left in his body. If not for the sheer tenacity of a Nascent Soul expert’s life force, he couldn't possibly have survived such injuries.

He dared not risk his Nascent Soul emerging to flee, for a simple reason: he had glimpsed certain ferocious-looking ghost soldiers eagerly awaiting such an attempt, clutching Soul Sealing Orbs. An escaping Nascent Soul would simply be delivering itself into the trap.

Soon, similar scenes unfolded repeatedly in the vicinity. Of the enemy's handful of Nascent Soul combatants, all but one unlucky fool who was overwhelmed and destroyed fell into the ranks of the Ghost Legion's captives.

Once the few Nascent Soul figures supporting the enemy morale were eliminated or captured, the morale of the remaining Iron Blood Knights, who were still struggling to maintain formation, and the scattered Winged Folk immediately plummeted to rock bottom. Simultaneously, the Ghost Legion, possessing an absolute advantage in both numbers and quality, had formed a complete encirclement, progressively strangling and annihilating the resistance.

Completely wiping out the Iron Blood Knights was now merely a matter of time. At the same time, under Chi Gui's direction, the Ghost Legion soldiers began to chant while fighting: "Drop your weapons, hands on your head, and you will be spared."

The morale utterly shattered Iron Blood Knights quickly saw some obey and begin to surrender. As soon as someone made a gesture of surrender, two ghost soldiers would move in unison, expertly locking them down with artifact-grade or treasure-grade shackles. The materials and craftsmanship guaranteed that the bonds could not be broken.

The psychological factor of surrendering to preserve one's life spreads like a virus. Once the first person surrendered, a second followed, and soon a crowd was giving up. Capturing prisoners was also a rigorously trained exercise within the Ghost Legion, executed swiftly and with maximum efficiency.

Lei Dong watched the entire battle unfold. The Ghost Legion had truly exhibited the strength and majesty of true ghosts. Even figures like the White Bone Demon Lord and Mei Ji, Lei Dong's subordinates, watched with bated breath. If they imagined themselves in the situation, they knew they would have little chance of surviving the Ghost Legion’s assault and capture.

And their Lord possessed such a fearsome ghost army—it was almost unbelievable. An army this terrifying, if unleashed upon Kang Province or Zhao Province, could undoubtedly sweep through the entire region unopposed. It was no joke; they commanded over ten thousand Ghost General-level troops.

The White Bone Demon Lord felt a surge of emotion. His initial allegiance to his Lord had been somewhat reluctant, driven mostly by self-interest. But now, a genuine awe was branded upon his heart towards this Lord. Following Lei Dong was undeniably a massive opportunity; perhaps one day he too could bask in the reflected glory and finally ascend to the coveted Soul Transformation realm.

A feverish excitement warmed the White Bone Demon Lord’s heart. He began to understand why the Old Man Yin Yang had struggled so desperately to show off and earn merit before the Lord.

I absolutely cannot let the Lord view me as useless, the White Bone Demon Lord thought inwardly. If he acquired a reputation for being incompetent in the Lord's eyes, he would inevitably be marginalized. After all, given his own power, he wasn't particularly outstanding in the Lord's estimation. For instance, that young, striking woman beside him, Dongfang Fu, projected a powerful aura that was nearly oppressive. Moreover, the White Bone Demon Lord was keenly aware that the Lord’s current subordinates were exceptionally talented; even Soul Transformation experts were available for deployment.

The White Bone Demon Lord finally grasped the truth: if he hoped to achieve any meaningful lasting accomplishment in this life and pursue his ambition of reaching the Soul Transformation realm, his only path was to cleave tightly to the Lord’s side.

As soon as the fighting in the inner city concluded, the battle on the city walls was entering its final phase. The fifteen hundred defenders were slaughtered by Lei Dong’s Underworld Ghost Soldiers until only just over three hundred remained. Those who survived and surrendered bore wounds of varying severity—the scene was truly one of flowing rivers of blood.

Lei Dong was no longer the novice he once was; he no longer needed to involve himself personally in most matters. Especially the Ghost Legion, which he had single-handedly established and nurtured, had now matured into a self-sufficient and complete military force, functioning smoothly on its own track. The Ghost Legion could handle everything independently without requiring much oversight from Lei Dong.

The simplest proof was that as soon as the battle ended, the Ghost Legion soldiers immediately began swiftly organizing the prisoners and clearing the battlefield. Corpses, collected residual souls, various weapons, armor, artifacts, pills, metals, minerals, herbs, spirit stones, and all manner of supplies were gathered in an orderly fashion and meticulously logged. Everything proceeded systematically, efficiently, and silently. They even swept clean the battleground on the ramparts. After all, while Lei Dong’s Underworld Ghost Soldiers fought bravely, their intellect was extremely low; they only knew how to devour flesh and soul essence, having no concept of battlefield cleanup.

Meanwhile, several squads of Ghost Legion troops began sweeping the entire fortress, checking for hidden tunnels and secret chambers, confiscating valuable spoils throughout the stronghold, and rounding up the families and dependents of the captured officers. A small contingent of dependents who had managed to flee the fortress was already being pursued and hunted down by scout ghost soldiers.

In just one hour, Chi Gui approached with a jade slip to present the battle report. Including the Underworld Ghost Soldiers on the walls, the enemy forces had seen over 6,300 eliminated and 3,800 captured. Over ten thousand dependents accompanying the enemy forces were taken prisoner, along with 200,000 non-combat logistics personnel. The total value of spoils was preliminarily estimated to be around fifty-five Heavenly Spirit Stones. The losses sustained were 316 Underworld Ghost Soldiers and 253 Ghost Legion soldiers, half of the latter being lost to Nascent Soul and Golden Core stage Winged Folk.

Lei Dong felt a pang of heartache over the loss of a few Ghost Legion soldiers, but simultaneously, he was utterly stunned by the value of the spoils: fifty-five Heavenly Spirit Stones. To capture such immense profit from taking down a mere small fortress? How was that possible?

"Reporting to the Lord, this fortress contained many valuable assets. For instance, including inventory, there are a full two hundred Light Cannons, possessing formidable power. Their typical market price is usually tens of millions of Spirit Stones each. Two hundred units alone are worth two billion Spirit Stones. Then there is the Anti-Air Formation array; it is an extremely valuable strategic formation. If disassembled and sold, it would fetch at least four billion. Furthermore, the fortress arsenal contained billions of Spirit Stones worth of reserve war supplies. All of that adds up to over ten billion Spirit Stones. The loot gathered from the enemy forces, their families, and non-combat personnel, combined with their personal wealth, is estimated at around three billion. Thirty Light Army warships were captured, valued at approximately two billion. Moreover, after interrogating Merk, five Heavenly Spirit Stones were recovered from a secret chamber in the arsenal—spare stones meant to power the Anti-Air Formation. The total comes to approximately fifty Heavenly Spirit Stones," Chi Gui explained fluently. "My Lord, the jade slip contains a detailed manifest for your personal review. Additionally, we collected numerous corpses and residual souls from this battle. If sold to the Ghost Clans or certain Evil Sects, these would fetch at least several hundred million. However, your subordinate humbly requests that this portion of the spoils be bestowed upon the Ghost Legion brothers as a reward."

Good heavens! Even with Lei Dong’s immense wealth, he felt a dizzying sensation upon hearing this. He truly hadn't realized the scope until it was calculated. Even the former Lei Dong never imagined that conquering such a minor fortress could yield such astronomical profit. War, it turned out, was a path to wealth—immense wealth.

...(To be continued)