The head yin officer Lao Qin dispatched hundreds of yin officers to invite various ghost kings to resist the old ancestor of Huangquan Sect. He himself went to the neighboring City God for reinforcements. In no time, all kinds of ghosts, monsters, and evil spirits gathered together, turning a clear sunny day gloomy. The Ghost Gate was bustling with spirits, like a lively ghost market.
Shui Miao and Lao Cai went ahead and passed through the Ghost Gate.
The Ghost Gate was a pass in the underworld, built between two peaks. The gate was about thirty meters wide, always shrouded in white mist without sunlight. The surroundings were filled with cawing crows and presented a decaying, desolate sight. The temperature was extremely high, the air hot and toxic, making even ghosts reluctant to stay. Atop the gate stood a line of skeletal soldiers clad in rusty armor, holding long spears and big swords, motionless like stone statues. Three relatively normal ghost generals exchanged a few words with Lao Cai, then immediately ordered the skeleton soldiers to allow a large group of ghost kings and evil spirits to pass.
After entering the Ghost Gate, Shui Miao saw the legendary Huangquan Road.
This Huangquan Road was no modern highway, but a muddy path more than three meters wide. Looking ahead, there was still no sunlight. However, the road was lined with densely packed bright red flowers, as red as blood. These were the legendary “Bi An Hua” (flowers of the netherworld). On both sides of the road, the Bi An Hua stretched about three to four meters wide, beyond which flowed the Wang Chuan River, its surface shrouded in gray mist. The river exuded a bloody smell that could make souls dazed and confused, causing them to walk aimlessly forward along the path indicated by the Bi An flowers until they reached the Nai He Bridge.
It must be said that Huangquan Road was very lively, with all souls moving in one direction.
Huangquan Road had many branches, gathering souls brought in from various Ghost Gates onto the main road. As one walked forward, the road became wider and the number of souls increased.
Within no more than ten minutes, the road ahead widened to hundreds of meters.
Following the right side, one could soon see an inn nestled in a patch of grayish-brown withered grass. The Bi An flowers were thinner in this section, so stronger souls might regain some clarity here. Moreover, the inn’s red door was even more vivid than the Bi An flowers, drawing many ghosts to stop and enter the Huangquan Inn.
Shui Miao had been dizzy and disoriented from the bloody smell of the Wang Chuan River all the way, but as soon as he entered the Huangquan Inn, he immediately smelled a strong earthy scent, which instantly refreshed his mind and cleared his head. Looking around, the Huangquan Inn was more like a large dilapidated wooden hut. The entire inn was constructed from old timber, appearing messy and chaotic. Inside, it was even more crowded with many souls who were gradually regaining consciousness due to the earthy scent.
Many souls recovered their memories and chose to stay out of fear of the underworld.
Following Lao Cai, Shui Miao approached more than ten bare-chested, fierce-looking ghosts and said to the fiercest among them, “Call out your boss. I have a batch of medicinal herbs to sell.”
“Wait!”
The fierce ghost turned and went behind a wooden door.
Seeing this, Lao Cai suddenly whispered the order to attack. The dozen elite yin officers sprang into action. Trained and swift, they quickly bound the ten ghosts with chains. Lao Cai, holding a curved knife, directly stormed through the wooden door. Shui Miao had just reached the door when he saw Lao Cai had already succeeded. Inside the room, five ghosts were all bound tightly with black chains.
“Old Cai, you’re amazing!”
Shui Miao exclaimed in admiration, never expecting Lao Cai to be so skilled and efficient in dealing with these ghosts.
“Just a small trick.”
Lao Cai smiled slightly, then turned to the door and ordered the yin officers, “Men, immediately drive all the disorderly ghosts outside, replace the door panels with blue ones, and don’t let any more chaotic spirits in.”
“Yes!”
The yin officers loudly obeyed and began to drive away the spirits.
Most of the souls were reluctant to leave and cried out in protest as they were pushed away. However, when they saw the yin officers beheading the bound ghosts, they were all frightened into silence. Lao Cai swung his knife, dispersing several ghosts’ souls, leaving only the innkeeper, a weasel-faced ghost wearing a black jacket and a skullcap, with small, darting eyes.
“Just who the hell are you guys? How dare you do this? Even King Yama dares not touch us. Do you know who I work for?” The innkeeper was arrogant and unafraid, even threatening Lao Cai loudly.
Lao Cai grinned and said, “Old bastard, you really think the old ancestor of Huangquan left you a life talisman? Let me tell you, this knife of mine is a treasure capable of slaying immortals. Even if the old ancestor of Huangquan gave you a life talisman, I can sever your fate line with one slash, causing your talisman to explode and your soul to vanish from existence forever.”
A fate talisman was a kind of charm into which a portion of one’s soul was infused, allowing the ghost’s soul to be reborn.
However, the reborn ghost would be greatly weakened and very weak.
Lao Cai was not bluffing. The treasure knife in his hand was a gift from King Yama himself, truly capable of severing one’s fate soul.
Without some real skills, Lao Cai would not dare to confront the old ancestor of Huangquan.
Lao Cai rested the knife on the innkeeper’s shoulder, the blade gleaming coldly, ready to strike at any moment.
“Officer, have mercy! Officer, have mercy!” The innkeeper was clearly someone who recognized the power at hand. Sensing the might of the treasure knife, he immediately showed fear and pleaded pitifully, “Officer, I’m just a small fry, I haven’t done anything evil! Please spare my life, I’m willing… willing to atone by doing good deeds!”
“Smart choice!”
With a flick of his knife, Lao Cai sliced off one of the innkeeper’s ears, causing him to grimace in pain. “Want to live? Easy. Immediately open your warehouse so I can seize all the ill-gotten wealth you’ve hoarded. Also, activate the secret passage leading to the Huangquan Sect. Today, we’re here to uphold justice and eliminate your master.”
The innkeeper originally thought these people were only after money, but now realizing they were targeting the Huangquan Sect’s master, he was shocked. Hurriedly, he activated hidden mechanisms, opening three warehouse doors filled with ghost coins and various ordinary medicinal herbs, and then a pitch-black door.
Inside the inn were two secret doors.
The pitch-black door led to the Huangquan Swamp, filled with countless ghosts and monsters, a perilous place where anyone entering would face near-certain death.
The dark green door was the direct passage to the Huangquan Sect.
Lao Qin had not yet arrived. He had previously investigated here and understood the secrets of the passage.
Unaware of the details, Lao Cai, seeing the door open, felt a surge of excitement. He immediately turned and killed the innkeeper, then led six yin officers straight through the door.
Unaware of the situation, Shui Miao followed them inside.
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