Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 448 Hungry Ghost Hell
Perhaps there are still people alive in Heaven?

The moment this thought crossed Chen Ye's mind, he felt a chill run down his spine.

If even the Great Sage Who Overturned the Seas could survive that catastrophe, why would the Heavenly Court, which once ruled the Three Realms, have no survivors?
In this light, even if Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's plan had ultimately succeeded, it would likely have been a Pyrrhic victory, or even a lose-lose situation.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be Chen Ye's place to worry about rebuilding the underworld; Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva could do it himself.

Thinking about it this way, the Great Sage Who Overturned the Seas' worries were indeed not without reason.

However, as Chen Ye looked at the severed hand radiating a faint Buddhist light, he suddenly said something to the Great Sage Overturning the Sea that surprised everyone.

"If you are worried that a powerful enemy will come looking for you, why not swallow this Buddha's palm? It might even heal your injuries."

Upon hearing this, both the Great Sage Overturning the Sea and the Demon Lord Flying Lian turned to Chen Ye, their expressions as if they had heard something utterly unbelievable.

They never imagined that Chen Ye would refuse such a tremendous opportunity, and even want to give it to someone else.

"You don't want to eat it?" The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of disbelief. "You should know better than anyone how many benefits you would gain from swallowing Manjushri's palm."

Chen Ye smiled helplessly: "Great Sage, you jest. No matter how many benefits there are, this junior will not eat human flesh."

As a time traveler, he understood the pros and cons better than anyone else. If he had encountered the Great Sage Overturning the Sea earlier and seen this Buddha's palm sooner, Chen Ye would already be devouring it.

But now, Chen Ye can no longer just consider his own gains and losses; he must also consider the long-term future of the entire Yellow Springs Sect.

Back then, the corpse of the Demon Lord Wujiu was such a precious material for alchemy, yet he endured everyone's incomprehension and pressure to order the entire Yellow Springs Sect to never again use human flesh or blood of their own kind for alchemy, not even corpses.

Because he knew that once this door was opened, the disciples of the Yellow Springs Sect would encounter all sorts of "accidentally died" corpses.

Human greed is something even gods cannot eradicate, let alone a small sect like his Yellow Springs Sect.

This precedent must not be set.

The rules were set by him, and Chen Ye naturally had to abide by them.

Today he ate Manjushri Bodhisattva's palm, and his cultivation level increased greatly. So what?
Half of Chen Ye's cultivation came from the Emperor of Fengdu, so how could Chen Ye not know the power of the Hellish Divine Power?

If he breaks the rules today, the Emperor of Fengdu will immediately throw him into a frying pan and fry him for a round.

If Chen Ye had done so with the mindset of "I'll eat it even if I have to be tortured," it would have been a deliberate crime, a failure to distinguish right from wrong, and his crime would have been compounded. This sin would be indelible, condemning him to an endless sea of ​​suffering from which there would be no escape.

This deity will only act according to the rules and will never tolerate Chen Ye's recklessness.

This is also the greatest reliance of the Yellow Springs Sect. As long as you abide by the rules, the Great Emperor of Fengdu will protect all people, and the incense and prayers will be generated continuously, entering a virtuous cycle.

Once broken, the Yellow Springs Sect will be destroyed in an instant.

At that time, Chen Ye, the sect leader, would become the biggest sinner in the Yellow Springs Sect.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Having chosen this path, there is no choice but to go all the way to the end.

Otherwise, everything he had done before would have been meaningless.

The Demon Lord Feilian, standing to the side, had his eyes darting around.

He stared intently at the Buddha's hand embedded in the mountain wall, his mind racing with calculations.

Chen Ye won't eat?

So, can he get a share of the profits?

Although we don't know exactly how powerful the so-called Manjushri Bodhisattva is, the fact that he could be remembered by the Great Sage Overturning the Sea suggests that he must be a true immortal of the same level.

The flesh and blood of a true immortal!

Even if it's just a small piece, as long as it can be refined into one's own body, the benefits are unimaginable!
Perhaps I can be like the Great Sage Who Overturned the Seas, possessing the cultivation of a true immortal yet able to remain safely in this mortal realm.

As long as you don't ascend, you won't be caught up in the battlefield of that ancient heavenly court.
Doesn't that mean I can live a carefree life in this mortal world forever?

Thinking of this, the Demon Lord Feilian's heart began to pound uncontrollably. He secretly glanced at the Great Sage Fuhai, racking his brains to figure out how to ask this capricious True Immortal to grant him a bite of the Bodhisattva's flesh and blood.

He would be willing to gnaw on a bone, even if it's just a piece of bone!
Looking at Chen Ye again, he was not tempted at all. Despite his greed, Demon Lord Feilian couldn't help but feel a sense of sincere admiration.

This kid's rise to such heights in just a few years is truly extraordinary. His self-control in restraining his desires alone is far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

However, the Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas had no intention of letting Chen Ye off the hook.

His laughter stopped abruptly, and he threatened Chen Ye, "Kid, do you think that just because you don't want to eat it, this Great Sage can't force it into your stomach?"

The chilling killing intent pressed down as if it were a tangible force, as if it truly intended to cut open Chen Ye's stomach and stuff the Buddha's palm inside.

Faced with this undisguised threat, Chen Ye showed no sign of panic. Instead, he asked in confusion, "Great Sage, this junior doesn't quite understand."

"I have no enmity with you now. In fact, you owe me a few favors. I will help you find the remnant of Youluozi, and I may also help you fight against the enemies of the Heavenly Court in the future."

Why do you insist on forcing me to become your enemy?
"What puzzles me even more is that you are not only forcing me, but you also want to force me to improve my cultivation so that I can help when the Heavenly Court comes... Great Sage, aren't you worried that if we become enemies, I will be a hindrance when the Heavenly Court really comes?"

Chen Ye's words were delivered with neither arrogance nor servility, and with clear logic, leaving the Great Sage of the Overturning Sea speechless for a moment.

He thought about it carefully and found that it did seem to make sense.

Although this kid is just an ant now, if he swallows the Buddha's palm, his strength will increase greatly. Since he can be an asset, he can also cause trouble. Forcing him doesn't seem to bring any benefits.

But if we don't push him, this kid is as weak as an ant and will ultimately be of little use.

The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas still believes that Chen Ye is a pawn planted by that bald monk Ksitigarbha, and that he must be hiding some secret that will be revealed with just a little stimulation.

But now, he doesn't know where to begin.

The cultivation methods of the demon race are completely different from those of the human race, and he doesn't understand any human cultivation techniques. There are many treasures in the Ruins of Return that can help seedlings grow faster, but none of them can make a seedling instantly grow into a towering tree.

Thinking of this, the Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas couldn't help but feel a little irritated.

"Enough! Enough! Your human minds are always so convoluted! If you won't eat, I will!"

Before he finished speaking, his enormous dragon body reappeared, almost instantly covering the entire sky. Its terrifying size seemed to be about to burst this small world apart.

Chen Ye looked up but couldn't see its full form; he could only see the endless, bluish-black dragon body that resembled a mountain range.

With its enormous mouth wide open, like a bottomless abyss, it swallowed the Buddha's hand embedded in the mountain wall, along with a large amount of rock, whole!
In an instant, dazzling Buddhist light burst forth from the body of the Great Sage Overturning the Sea. The light was so intense that it even tore through space, leaving behind dark cracks in this small world.

If Chen Ye were to swallow it, the Great Sage Overturning the Sea would have to go to great lengths to smooth out the Buddhist intent contained in the Buddha's palm, but it wouldn't be so troublesome if he ate it himself.

Manjushri is dead, and the remaining will in a mere severed hand cannot shake him in the slightest.

However, in a short while, the dazzling Buddhist light completely subsided.

The Great Sage of the Overturning Seas transformed back into human form, but his complexion did not appear to have improved; the deep, bone-revealing wound on his face remained gruesome. Chen Ye could not discern how much his injury had healed after that bite.

In fact, the effect of Manjushri's severed palm on him was only slightly better than nothing, which is why he wanted Chen Ye to swallow it.

Since this kid doesn't know what's good for him, I'll just eat it myself; it's better than wasting it.

The Demon Lord Feilian watched from the sidelines, filled with jealousy and regret.

He was still figuring out how to start the conversation when the Great Sage Who Overturned the Seas actually swallowed him whole, leaving him not even a fingernail.

The moment the Buddha's palm was swallowed, this small world made up of hungry ghosts suddenly began to tremble violently.

The ground cracked, the sky collapsed, and the spatial rifts that had been torn apart by the Buddha's light not only failed to heal, but instead expanded and spread at an even faster rate!
"Great Sage, what's going on?" Chen Ye's expression changed, and he hurriedly asked. The Great Sage Overturning the Sea glanced at him, his tone indifferent.

"This world was originally supported by Manjushri's severed hand. Now that I have swallowed the hand, this place will naturally crumble as well."

"The heavens and earth are shattered?" Chen Ye was shocked. "What about these hungry ghosts? What will happen to them? Will they be destroyed along with them?"

"Who knows?" The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas shrugged nonchalantly. "Perhaps it will disappear in the spatial turbulence, or perhaps... it will fall directly into the mortal realm. After all, these two worlds are too close together to be completely separated."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!
Looking at the indifferent expression on the Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea's face, he instantly understood the other party's intention.

This guy is clearly doing it on purpose.

He was still upset about refusing to eat the severed hand.

But at this moment, Chen Ye couldn't care less about such things.

Once this hungry ghost descends upon the mortal realm, it will be a catastrophe for both mortals and cultivators.

"Great Sage!" Chen Ye hurriedly spoke, his tone urgent, "This junior is willing to use the favor we did for you to ask you to help! We must not let these hungry ghosts descend upon the mortal realm!"

The Great Sage Who Overturned the Seas seemed to have anticipated this, and a smug smile appeared on his face.

"If I had known this would happen, wouldn't it have been better to have just eaten that Buddha's palm? If you had swallowed it, you wouldn't have needed my help at all."

He paused and changed the subject.

"But don't worry, I understand what you just said, and I won't force you. You don't like Buddha's Palm, but you won't refuse this Hungry Ghost Realm, will you?"

The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas smiled slightly and simply raised his hand, pointing at Chen Ye from afar.

Chen Ye felt his spiritual power instantly spiral out of control, and the majestic and solemn Emperor of Fengdu appeared on his own, uncontrollably!

The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas laughed and said, "Although this is not a true realm of hungry ghosts and cannot be one of the six realms of reincarnation, it is more than enough to add a layer of hellish supernatural powers to you, a minor deity."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire small world that was about to shatter, along with the endless hungry ghosts within it, was forcibly compressed and distorted under an irresistible force.

That desolate world, the ferocious hungry ghosts covering the mountains and plains... everything transformed into a gray-black torrent, rushing towards the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

The previously blurred face of the Emperor of Fengdu became clearer at this moment. He slowly opened his mouth, like a black hole, swallowing the torrent formed from billions of hungry ghosts and the entire shattered space.

The Emperor of Fengdu was connected to Chen Ye by mind and immediately sensed the changes in the Emperor of Fengdu.

The moment the torrent rushed in, Chen Ye's body trembled violently.

Chen Ye only cultivated the first six levels of the Eighteen Levels of Hell; the Hungry Ghost Path should have transformed into the seventh level, the Hungry Ghost Hell.

The problem is that this seventh level of hell is formed from a complete small world! And the six levels of hell that he had painstakingly created before are completely incomparable.

This extreme imbalance made Chen Ye feel extremely uncomfortable.

It felt as if a giant millstone had been forcibly shoved into his body, and that millstone was frantically squeezing his internal organs and grinding his flesh and bones.

An indescribable, excruciating pain emanated from every corner of my body.

"puff!"

Chen Ye suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood mist, his whole body convulsing uncontrollably, his bones groaning as if they were about to break free from the strain.

Even more terrifying, the once majestic and solemn body of the Fengdu Emperor, who was connected to him by mind and spirit, began to show spiderweb-like cracks.

The cracks began to spread from the god's feet and climbed upwards rapidly, as if they were about to completely collapse and disintegrate at any moment!
"what--!"

Chen Ye let out a suppressed roar of pain as the hungry ghosts charged wildly, trying to break through his body and emerge from within.

It wasn't just physical pain; these hungry ghosts seemed to want to devour Chen Ye from the inside out, tearing his soul apart and swallowing it whole.

The Great Sage of the Overturning Sea frowned as he looked at Chen Ye, who was covered in blood and trembling uncontrollably, his face full of undisguised disappointment.

"Is that all you've got? Did Ksitigarbha really not leave you any treasures?"

The Demon Lord Feilian, standing to the side, was already terrified, his face turning deathly pale. He retreated repeatedly, fearing that Chen Ye would explode on the spot at any moment, dragging him down with him.

This is no opportunity, it's clearly a death warrant.

Just as Chen Ye felt the hungry ghosts about to burst out of his body, a cold hand gently patted his stomach.

The palm didn't exert any force, yet it seemed to carry an unparalleled power to suppress the four seas and overturn the universe.

Vast spiritual energy surged into Chen Ye's body, completely enveloping the hell formed by the Hungry Ghost Path, and then fiercely suppressing it.

If Chen Ye's spiritual energy is a stream, then the Hungry Ghost Hell is a vast ocean, and the power of the Great Sage Overturning the Sea is the entire sky covering the ocean.

Now, the sky has fallen.

The azure light enveloped the entire Hungry Ghost Realm, suppressing all the frenzied hungry ghosts within.

This hell is everywhere, where countless hungry ghosts are crushed into dust in compression, only to be reassembled in chaos.

Chen Ye was powerless to resist; the gap between them was too great, and willpower alone was meaningless.

So he could only grit his teeth and use all his energy to endure the indescribable pain.

After an unknown amount of time, when the last tremor in Chen Ye's body subsided, he coughed up another large mouthful of black, stagnant blood.

He looked as if he had just been pulled out of a pool of blood, his breath extremely weak, but his eyes were brighter than ever before.

Within the body of the Fengdu Emperor, there was a faint blue aura that looked like a belt wrapped around his waist.

This is the seventh level of the Hungry Ghost Hell, the seventh level of hell that was sealed and suppressed by the Great Sage Who Overturned the Sea.

Although he seemed somewhat out of place, Chen Ye sensed that the Emperor of Fengdu was being affected by this layer of hell and was beginning to change wildly.

The Great Sage Who Overturned the Sea transformed the resentment of the hungry ghosts into their power of will, nourishing the deity, the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

The fact that millions of hungry ghosts became the source of offerings for the Fengdu Emperor is truly a brilliant and unpredictable trick.

However, this is ultimately a hidden danger.

If the seal is not broken, the Hungry Ghost Hell can only provide incense and prayers, and cannot be used at all, which will also affect the supernatural powers of the other six levels of hell; once the seal is broken, and the Fengdu Emperor is unable to balance the hellish supernatural powers within his body, he will blow up the entire Fengdu City to the sky along with Chen Ye.

Are all the methods of the Great Sage of the Demon Clan so simple and brutal?

Thinking about how Monkey King opened the gourd and poured elixirs into his mouth, and even ate most of the peaches of immortality, Chen Ye immediately realized that he was right. The Great Sage of the Demon Clan was indeed that simple and brutal, never afraid of overeating himself.

In the eyes of the Great Sage Overturning the Sea, no matter how small Chen Ye's stomach was, could it not swallow a fake hungry ghost?

Chen Ye sighed, unsure whether this was a blessing or a curse.

The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas laughed and said, "Once you obtain this small world, your realm will become unstable. I heard you say that mortals have the concept of 'transcending the mysteries and becoming gods,' so it's time for you to break through to the next realm. Perfect timing, since you're supposed to open that so-called inheritance array to find the remnant spirit of Youluozi, we can do both things at the same time."

Chen Ye suddenly realized that this was the reason.

Chen Ye explained helplessly, "Great Sage, to open the Nascent Soul Trial using the Inheritance Array, it requires the combined efforts of eighteen Venerable Lords. However, the Demonic Sect is currently in disarray, and most of its Venerable Lords are dead. I'm afraid..."

The Great Sage Overturning the Seas frowned and said, "What Demonic Sect? You make such a big show of it, but it's nothing more than you mortals playing house. So what if it's scattered? Go and unify this so-called Demonic Sect for me, and elect eighteen new leaders!"

(End of this chapter)