Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Under the Ghost Gate, there are many desolate graves; Jade dew filled within the golden bottle.

Yan Yu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the crumbling walls that stretched to the horizon, thinking about how sophisticated formations and restrictive spells, along with massive resource investments, would be needed to restore the grand Soul-guiding Great Wall of the past.

It's hard to say.

Maybe we should set a small goal first, like building 100 meters in the first phase...

Yan Yu turned around and saw Chen Lingyun drinking water.

"Stop just drinking water, come over and take a look," Yan Yu said. "How long is this wall?"

"At least eighty-four thousand miles," Chen Lingyun said casually, "Gather a few million Yin Ghosts, each carrying bricks and cement, and building hundreds of meters would be enough. Probably no need for construction machinery."

Yan Yu: ...........

So you're treating the ghosts as free labor, huh?

His expression became increasingly suspicious because after careful contemplation and repeated weighing... there seemed to be no flaws?

Because that's how ghosts were: they neither needed food nor rest, and the only energy they needed was Yin Qi, which was abundant in the Nine Netherworld, almost like oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, an inexhaustible supply.

Roughly speaking, a low-level Yin Ghost was equivalent to a low-efficiency perpetual motion machine. If exaggeratedly accumulated, it would turn into a high-efficiency perpetual motion machine.

"Are you sure you can catch that many Yin Ghosts..." Yan Yu hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly recalled the previous death rate calculations. In Lu Country, about tens of thousands died each day, so he quickly rephrased, "Are you sure you want to use Yin Ghosts as free labor? Don't forget that most of them have family and children still in the mortal world!"

"If people find out that their deceased loved ones are being used in the netherworld to build a few hundred meters of wall for someone named Chen Lingyun before reincarnating..."

"How would they know?" Chen Lingyun looked at Yan Yu in surprise, a puzzled expression on her face. "After building the wall, a bowl of Meng Po Soup would make them forget everything."

Yan Yu: ...........

"You're right," Chen Lingyun pondered, "No matter how much suffering and grievance they endure, all memories vanish before reincarnation. Allocating a few hundred meters to each is indeed a waste of labor resources. I just said that offhand; we'll need to re-calculate when it actually comes to construction."

"Even Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Sui Yang would have to say 'respect' to you," Yan Yu finally commented.

"How can two ancient emperors compare to a modern person like me?" Chen Lingyun scoffed.

"Indeed," Yan Yu nodded, "At least they only drove the living laborers, not even catching the dead for forced labor, giving no food or wages, only a bowl of Meng Po Soup."

The two of them bickered as they walked through the ruins of the Ghost Gate, continuing forward.

In front of the gate was a vast field, almost devoid of any landmarks to guide the way. Beyond the gate was a small path, though neglected and in disrepair for years, its traces were still barely discernible.

Yan Yu recalled the Yin Ghost Pass in The Secret Realm of Li Palace, which had similar scenes but was merely akin to a running tap compared to the grandeur of the Nine Netherworld — like the difference between trickling water and Niagara Falls.

Following the path, they could see the rushing, wide river drawing nearer as they advanced.

"There used to be a Meng Po Soup stall here," Chen Lingyun suddenly said, "Wandering Ghosts would drink the Meng Po Soup, eradicating their memories of past lives. But after the collapse of the netherworld, Meng Po also vanished without a trace."

"So?" Yan Yu asked, "Without Meng Po Soup, wouldn't the Wandering Ghosts carry past life memories into reincarnation?"

"Wishful thinking," Chen Lingyun smiled, pointing to the Oblivion River ahead. "The Naihe Bridge there has also collapsed. The river runs swift, and ghosts cannot cross. They have to move to the upstream shallows to wade over. Do you know how the Oblivion River got its name? Meng Po Soup is made from the waters of the Oblivion River; drinking it causes forgetfulness, and wading through the river causes unintentional ingestion."

"But forcibly drinking the Oblivion River water makes one's innate spirit vulnerable to diminishing. In terms you can understand, it leads to a higher chance of the soul miscarrying in the mother's womb after reincarnation. Medically, such unexplained biochemical pregnancies are often attributed to poor embryo quality."

"I see," Yan Yu said, stroking his chin. "Rebuilding the Meng Po stall and Naihe Bridge to ensure the safe passage of souls would be contributing to the betterment and quality of new generation births. Right?"

"Just think about how many newborn lives in Lu Country could be saved if this place were rebuilt," Chen Lingyun smiled. "And how much merit could be accumulated by that?"

"Enough, you've just killed countless lives," Yan Yu said while his heart swayed slightly.

Who would turn down merit? Even without crossing the heavenly tribulation, take the True Obscurity Sun Sword Intent that chose Yan Yu for example. Wasn't it because his rebirth led to saving countless lives in Lu Country, earning abundant merit, making him stand out like a beacon in the dark?

Individuals with merit protection are often genuine, acting for a greater cause. Even if their intentions are impure, the ultimate benefit to countless lives outweighs those who deem themselves virtuous but perform no good deeds.

"Building a Meng Po stall is easy. There's a Ghost Mother in your Soul Summoning Banner," Yan Yu said. "It counts as recycling and reemployment for the laid-off. But how will you rebuild the Naihe Bridge? Ordinary wood probably wouldn't suffice."