Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
The Underworld loomed large in my memory; I knew it well from the tales of Journey to the West, where Ox-Head and Horse-Face, along with Wang and Yin, made their appearances.
The last time I encountered Ling Yu, I couldn't tell which of the four Ghost Messengers he was. The person before me now gave off a similar vibe. Hu Qingming continued his assault, two flickering orbs of blue light dancing in his hands as he clashed with the Coffin Man, who seemed to be at a slight disadvantage.
Hu Qingming pressed forward as if wielding two Will-o'-the-wisps, forcing the Coffin Man to retreat step by step. At that moment, Hu Qingming spoke, "So it's just a remnant soul."
"A remnant soul is enough," the Coffin Man roared.
I turned to Zhang Xun and asked, "Who do you think will win?"
"Hu Qingming," Zhang Xun replied.
The battle intensified, with the Coffin Man's spirit showing signs of disintegration while Hu Qingming remained as steady as ever. The two fought fiercely, and we refrained from intervening, fearing that our presence would only complicate matters.
In the next instant, Hu Qingming's palm, glowing with blue flames, struck the Coffin Man directly. The impact sent him flying several meters until he landed right in front of me.
Gasping for breath, the Coffin Man looked at me and suddenly said, "Chen Fei, I'll send you on your way."
Before he could finish his sentence, I raised my fist and began to rain down blows for self-preservation. After a few punches, he started to wail in agony. Just as his soul seemed on the verge of collapse, he asked, "Chen Fei, have you Awakened?"
A few more punches landed before he attempted to flee. Since he dared to block my path, escaping wouldn't be so easy. Hu Qingming and I flanked him from both sides and finally managed to capture him. However, once we had him in our grasp, his soul began to disintegrate. We intended to crush those dissipating fragments.
But the vanishing souls disappeared quickly. "He's getting away!" Hu Qingming exclaimed.
I nodded in agreement. At that moment, Nian Chen stepped forward and asked me, "Fei, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I replied. I was no longer the same Fei from before; ever since I obtained the True Dragon Qi from the Dragon King, I felt significantly stronger. Ordinary opponents no longer posed a threat to me.
The two flames in Hu Qingming's hands quickly vanished. At that moment, I asked, "Was that the Ghost Messenger?"
Hu Qingming replied, "Yes, but not entirely. The Ghost Messenger cannot leave the Underworld, so it must have just been a remnant soul." He continued, mentioning that people from the Underworld were also involved, suggesting we should remain calm. Zhang Xun added that those from the Underworld shouldn't be able to enter that place.
Hu Qingming confirmed they couldn't enter, but whether we could even reach the entrance was still a question.
The Forty-Nine Ghosts and Deities were indeed daunting! We had only encountered one so far, and there were still forty-eight more. Surviving until the end seemed like an incredibly difficult task.
I said to Hu Qingming, "If one is this hard to deal with, then facing forty-eight more means we're just waiting for death!"
Hu Qingming responded, "Even though there are forty-nine Demon Gods, this Ghost Formation has existed for a long time; not all of the Demon Gods may be present. It's a matter of luck."
Zhang Xun agreed, "Yeah! Let's see how lucky we are."
We continued our journey under the cover of night. After walking for a short while, we heard the sound of wind howling, and a gust blew against my cheek, sending a chill through me. Nian Chen asked, "Fei, is another Demon God about to appear?"
I shook my head in uncertainty. Each of us was bundled up tightly and holding a flashlight.
The mountain path was difficult to navigate; it felt bumpy as we moved forward. After a while, we suddenly encountered a fault line that began to level out. The vegetation changed as well, transforming into a bamboo forest. The light from our flashlights cast dappled spots that illuminated the area.
The wind grew stronger. My mind became increasingly unsettled, and before long, I thought I heard someone singing. However, it wasn't a cheerful song; it was a mournful tune that filled the air with sorrow.
Listening made my heart uneasy; memories of past heartbreaks flooded back to me, and the more I thought about them, the sadder I became. Zhang Xun and Nian Chen were similarly affected.
Only Hu Qingming seemed unaffected by it all. Logically speaking, he had the most painful memories—his entire family had perished shortly after he began to speak about it—but at that moment, he appeared completely untroubled.
Hu Qingming didn't forget to remind us to keep our minds steady.
We were walking forward when suddenly, a person dressed in ancient theatrical clothing appeared before us. She was singing with perfect diction, captivating us with her performance.
As I listened, goosebumps rose all over my body. The woman looked beautiful, and I couldn't take my eyes off her. Zhang Xun and Nian Chen were also staring, but at that moment, Hu Qingming unexpectedly began to sing along in a childish manner, which completely took me by surprise.
We watched Hu Qingming intently. He probably didn't know how to sing opera; although he was trying to follow along, his voice was terrible. I called out to him, but he completely ignored me and continued moving toward the Actress.
It seemed like there was a strong tendency for him to get lost in this moment.
Hu Qingming's singing was even more mournful than the Actress's. Just moments ago, he had urged us to stay calm, and now he was the one who had succumbed to the enchantment.
"What should we do now?" Nian Chen asked. "What else can we do? We have to go after him!" I replied. As soon as I finished speaking, I stepped forward, intending to wake Hu Qingming up. But just as I got close, he turned around and slapped me, instantly igniting my anger.
I retaliated with a punch. Zhang Xun and Nian Chen moved toward the Actress, but she seemed to have the ability to teleport; just as they were about to reach her, she vanished into thin air.
It seemed my earlier guess was correct—Hu Qingming was the one who should be heartbroken the most. At that moment, he looked utterly devastated, tears streaming down his face. It was understandable; losing everyone could truly break someone’s spirit. Hu Qingming had been enchanted; his earlier nonchalance masked how deeply he cared.
I exchanged blows with Hu Qingming; his strikes made me spit blood, and my punches did the same to him.
We were both caught in a mutually destructive cycle. I shouted at Hu Qingming, "Wake up! This is all an illusion!"
But at that moment, Hu Qingming seemed trapped in his own mind, unable to escape. Slowly, he began to cry, tears streaming down his face. It was clear that he was deeply affected by this situation. I called out his name several times in quick succession.
Yet nothing worked; Hu Qingming appeared as if he had lost his sanity.
Damn it, he truly was lost in this illusion.
Meanwhile, Zhang Xun and Nian Chen had not made any progress either; the Actress moved swiftly. Just after Hu Qingming and I exchanged another punch, he turned to me and said, "Chen Fei, stop hitting."
I was about to respond when Hu Qingming quickly gestured for me to be quiet, signaling me not to speak.
I heeded Hu Qingming's warning and kept silent. He lowered his voice and said, "Let's pretend to fight and move towards the Actress. Chen Fei, you son of a bitch, don't hold back." I thought I hadn't held back earlier, but in the end, I restrained myself; it was Hu Qingming who had been the one truly scared.
Never mind that. Since Hu Qingming was awake, I decided to play along with him and we approached the Actress. Hu Qingming was straightforward; he started crying loudly as if he had just lost his father.
Seeing Hu Qingming cry so sorrowfully, the Actress let her guard down. Both of us had blood trickling from our mouths. Once we got close enough, we wasted no time and struck at the Actress without hesitation. I threw a punch while he delivered a palm strike, sending the Actress crashing to the ground, breaking bamboo in the process.
Taking advantage of this moment, Hu Qingming and I rushed forward without holding back.
I cursed, "Damn it, I've taken such a huge loss because of you."
As we got closer, the Actress was still singing softly. We grabbed her and unleashed a flurry of punches. It seemed like she couldn't speak at all; she only knew how to sing. Even as we attacked her, she didn't let out a single cry of pain.
After a while of beating her, the singing continued unabated.
Hu Qingming and I exchanged glances. I said, "Is something off here?"
Hu Qingming nodded in agreement. We both looked quite disheveled at that moment. I suggested to Hu Qingming, "How about we strip her of her clothes?"
"Alright," he replied.
Comment 0 Comment Count