While the branch leader and Mo Lian felt this assumption frightening, it did not come close to the emotions that spread in Xue Wei and Lan's hearts.
One has to know that Lan arrived at this world for more than ten thousand years ago, but Xue Wei was not even one hundred years old yet, however everything seemed to have been planned in great detail before anyone had even considered his birth.
"The one orchestrating this whole scheme is in the dark, while we do not know where to look for traces or hints, but I would suggest that when we return to the world of the living, then we will look for my uncle Xiao Lei."
Lan nodded his head, and his usually flippant aura had turned somewhat solemn.
He knew about Xiao Lei, and he was even aware of how this Azure Dragon had killed Xue Wei's biological father, but he had not intended to participate in the chaos previously, as he felt that it was a personal matter for the young man.
However, with how things were going now, he understood that nothing seemed to be as he had initially expected, and he dared not make any assumptions any longer.
Currently, they truly had no other leads that could provide them with information, so it would be most suitable for them to locate Xiao Lei and see what kind of answers he could provide.
"I have already changed the laws for this realm already, and while it was previously known as the Ghost Realm, I have not found a more suitable name for now. I expect it to become a living world soon, but it is currently lacking nutrients, so it should take a few hundreds of years before it will become a world full of life.
"Even so, these ghosts are no longer forced to stay. When I removed the previous laws, I also made it possible to ascend to the realm of a Deity, so those with enough perseverance will be able to move on."
Lan did not feel a need to provide these ghosts with more chances. He knew that they would still depend on a cannibalistic method of escaping this realm, and the ability to escape might even bring a massacre to the realm, as some would become frantic in the attempt to leave as soon as possible, but this was not within his consideration.
The ghosts already had a skewed world view, and he did not see the need to release countless of such ruthless cultivators into the ranks of immortals, hence he just let them kill of each other, and allowed for the strongest to survive.
To him, the most important thing was for the realm to be able to restore itself and create a living ecosystem that could sustain itself. He even found a bit of curiosity towards this realm to see how it would manage to go from such a barren world into a flourishing environment hundreds of years in the future.
Xue Wei and Lan walked around the building but found no traces of living. It seemed that since the time it was built, it had actually never been used, as even the doors showed no signs of ever being opened.
Since they found no longer found anything interesting in the house, they both left.
"We should return to the world of the living."
Xue Wei felt that there was no more reason to stay in the Ghost Realm, and he also felt a strange and uncomfortable pressure brought forth by this unknown enemy.
"You brought a ghost to my mansion when you arrived, do you wish for us to fetch her before we leave?" The branch leader was eager to leave this Ghost Realm as soon as possible, but he still remembered the fortunate ghost that they had initially brought.
Xue Wei did not consider her future as a part of his responsibility.
"Leave her."
While his words might sound harsh, he had never intended to bring her for the rest of his life. He had already gone above and beyond to save her and give her a chance of survival. Now that Lan had also changed the laws of the world, then she had to depend on herself to keep living.
As for whether or not she succeeded, that depended on her own fate.
Lan did not feel anything wrong with Xue Wei's decision, and the two ghosts were not creatures of empathy, so for them, it did not matter if they left her alone to die, let alone now that they had given her the chance to save herself.
"Gather together."
Lan had been an Overlord for many thousands of years, and he had travelled through the various realms and worlds numerous times, so for him, now that the laws had been changed, it was no problem to move them from this Ghost Realm to the old world of the living.
"When you reach the new world, be aware that the vibrant energy that will surround us is full of lifeforce. For someone who has stayed in the Ghost Realm for this long, it might not be easy to handle, and it might also give a strange feeling of getting drunk. Take the time needed to adjust your mind before you move around."
Lan gave a few various warnings before he initiated the migration. He understood that Xue Wei had handled the journey into the Ghost Realm well, but it did not mean that he could adjust equally fast when returning.
The Ghost Realm was lacking in life force, and this did not cause much else than a bit of gloom and discomfort, but the sudden influx of lifeforce could blind and overwhelm others, so they had to be prepared.
Xue Wei understood the logic behind it easily, as he had previously been in their old world and knew how energetic the aura was, however the two ghosts had no experience, so they needed a few more explanations.