The cities on Ghost Emperor Island looked no different from the outside at first glance. After all, this was the capital of a realm and extremely prosperous.
The residential areas of Ghost Emperor Island were mainly concentrated in the south, while the north housed the Six Paths of Reincarnation Great Array, which controlled the reincarnation and transmigration of all souls in the Ghost Realm.
In the Ghost Realm, many souls wished to end their current lives and decided to reincarnate. They would apply for transmigration, which could be processed in the cities of the Ten Realms. Then, they would be transported to Ghost Emperor Island in batches for reincarnation.
Most people did not choose reincarnation. Instead, they continued to cultivate as soul bodies in the Ghost Realm.
A small portion of souls, who preferred to die of old age and did not wish to reincarnate, would gradually degenerate into evil spirits.
Although the number of such people was very small, there was a wide variety of individuals in a large population. Moreover, the Ghost Realm had a vast population base.
Consider that the Prime Plane had countless universes. Some of the people who died in these universes sank into the Sea of Bitterness, while others came to the Ghost Realm. Over the years, with the accumulation of so many universes, the population of the Ghost Realm had reached a terrifying number, far surpassing that of the Immortal Realm.
The Ghost Realm had no starry sky, only ten continents. Each continent was extremely vast, but it couldn't accommodate so many people.
During the era of the first Ghost Emperor, the Ghost Realm was almost neglected. The ten realms of the Ghost Realm were in constant warfare, which eased the population pressure. Furthermore, there were many evil spirits, and countless souls died every year.
Later, when the second Ghost Emperor took office, the warfare in the Ghost Realm ceased, and the population increased rapidly.
The Ghost Emperor encouraged reincarnation to relieve population pressure and also forced all those nearing the end of their lifespan to reincarnate, thereby weakening the tide of evil spirits.
Under the governance of the Ghost Emperor, the Ghost Realm gradually became stable and prosperous, and its overall strength significantly increased.
Moreover, the armies of the Ghost Realm were an important part of the main army of the Sea of Bitterness base.
Although these soul bodies could not survive in the Immortal Realm or other Prime Plane universes, they could survive in the Sea of Bitterness.
Fighting demon races in the Sea of Bitterness was an opportunity for them to achieve great deeds. They could improve their cultivation, earn rewards, accumulate merit, and gather materials for reshaping their physical bodies.
Once they had a physical body again, they would be complete humans, able to cultivate Daoist magic, temper their bodies, and have no more restrictions. Their strength would be incomparable.
They could even venture to other universes.
This greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of cultivators in the Ghost Realm to join the army and fight.
Wan Lei and Xi Sha were receiving treatment, and everyone else was busy with their own tasks. Only Fang Xiaoyu accompanied them silently.
Time flew by, and more than half a month passed.
The two people on the bed remained unconscious.
Fang Xiaoyu tightly clutched the Supreme Demonic Ring in her hand, vowing that she would never let Wan Lei use this item again.
This time, they were lucky to encounter the Sun God, who could knock Wan Lei unconscious. This prevented him from being further eroded by the demonic ring. They also found the Illusion Saint and the Buddha to help save them.
But what about next time? Who could guarantee such good luck?
Even with a Saint by their side, given Wan Lei's strength to contend with the Demon Emperor, an ordinary Saint could not defeat him. Then, it would truly be over.
"How is the cleaning going?" Li Mengran asked.
"Why don't you, Li Tanyue, check with your divine sense?" The Buddha still wore a compassionate smile on his face.
"Why don't you check? You are the main person in charge, and I am just assisting you," Li Mengran pouted with dissatisfaction.
The Buddha smiled and said nothing. *I shall not enter hell, but Li Tanyue can.*
"You detestable old man, as a senior and a dignified Dual-Sun Saint, can't you have some responsibility? Checking won't cost you anything." Li Mengran glared at the Buddha with gritted teeth.
"Li Tanyue, your words are misplaced. Although I am a Dual-Sun Saint, my cultivation has not advanced in millions of years, and I am old and frail. My strength has declined significantly. The power of the Dual Sun is merely a facade, strong on the outside but weak within. Otherwise, I would not have been bullied by the Monkey King. On the other hand, a young Dual-Sun Saint like Li Tanyue, who is in her prime and full of vigor, would benefit from the stimulation of that terrifying mental power, as it would aid in the growth of her mental strength."
Fang Xiaoyu watched anxiously from the side. Wan Lei was still unconscious, and two Saints were arguing over who should check with their divine sense. It was incomprehensible.
However, they had already agreed to help them. She couldn't ask them to willingly be subjected to another probing. Although she was displeased, she could not fault them. It was already very good of them to spend so much time helping to save someone.
Moreover, she didn't have any suitable compensation to offer them yet.
Regardless, they were indebted to these Saints.
"Seniors, how about I do the checking?" Fang Xiaoyu stood up and said.
Li Mengran pulled her back and made her sit down. "You can't bear it. With your mental power, you might be directly annihilated upon entering."
"But Wan Lei could withstand it," Fang Xiaoyu said anxiously.
"Wan Lei is a bit special. That mental power did not intend to harm him, only to possess him. But for our external mental powers, it's different. To that mental power, we are enemies."
"Then..."
"Alright, stop worrying. The old monk is just playing around with me. He's deliberately retaliating because I kept mentioning the Monkey King to him before. He's not that petty. The Buddhist sects in the mortal world are detached and magnanimous. How could they bicker with a little girl like me?" After speaking sarcastically about the Buddha, Li Mengran patted Xiaoyu's shoulder, assuring her, then pinched her cheek. "Tsk tsk tsk, you haven't changed much in these few years. You still look like a tender little loli. So cute. Can Sister Mengmeng give you a kiss?"
Fang Xiaoyu's pretty face turned red upon hearing this, and she looked extremely embarrassed. In the past, she was the one who teased other girls mischievously. Today, she was being teased by another girl.
Damn it, what should she do? Should she sacrifice her "looks" to save Wan Lei?
"Hahaha, your face is red." Li Mengran laughed with wicked amusement. Her joyful giggles were exactly the same as when she had teased them in the Ghost Immortal Secret Realm.
At this moment, the Buddha had finished checking Wan Lei's sea of consciousness and looked somewhat serious.
"How is it?"
"Only a small portion of the mental power in Wan Lei's sea of consciousness has been cleared by us. The deeper we go, the more concentrated it becomes. At this rate, we will be unable to completely expel it."
"Then what should we do? Bury him?" Li Mengran's eyes widened.
"Aren't we going to try and save him anymore?" Fang Xiaoyu asked dazedly.
"It's fine. I've found a way. Within a month, I will be able to wake Wan Lei."
"What way?"
"Don't rush, allow me to transform."
"Trans... transform?" Li Mengran was taken aback, unsure of what the Buddha intended to do.