Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Outside the car window, the scenery subtly distorted and faded.

The last embers of the setting sun sank completely below the horizon, as if drawing away the last trace of warmth from the world.

The thick, inky darkness instantly swallowed the entire forest, and the biting cold, like a living thing, silently seeped into the car through the cracks in the tightly closed windows.

The once vibrant and lush jungle underwent a terrifying transformation in a very short time.

The lush trees seemed to have been instantly scorched by invisible flames, leaving only charred, twisted skeletons with gnarled branches reaching towards the leaden sky, like countless ghostly claws desperately scratching at the void.

The bark peels away in patches, revealing the pale or rotten interior beneath, faintly visible in the thick darkness of the night.

A series of intermittent, mournful cries drifted through the air, sometimes near, sometimes far.

At the same time, the scenery flashing past the window began to present a suffocating sense of repetition.

The same twisted dead trees stretched out at the same bizarre angles, the same strange rock outlines appeared and disappeared in the darkness, and even a few clusters of faint, phosphorescent light flickering at the roots of the dead trees reappeared in sight a few minutes later.

Again and again. It was as if this speeding train was trapped in an endless loop, a bizarre scroll composed of skeletons and darkness, with no end in sight.

The train's headlights pierced the night time and time again, only to be swallowed up by darkness each time.

If it were any other caravan or traveler, they would probably be terrified at this moment, thinking they had encountered a ghost wall.

Inside the carriages of the Train to the Underworld, the human warriors witnessing this scene were lost in bewilderment, shock, and disbelief. Fear, however, was absent!
They were eating hotpot and singing songs when they went out and were robbed by bandits?

Are you kidding me? Is there really someone so brain-dead as to steal the championship team?
Both champions were eating hot pot on the train!
Even the usually expressionless Little Mad King showed surprise.

Immediately, everyone looked at Li Yelai with suspicion.

"Has your curse been triggered?" Yang Chen asked, puzzled.

After all, only the most powerful monster spawner in the giant city could lure out the enemy under such circumstances.

The gazes of the crowd silenced Li Yelai, who then said helplessly, "Don't look at me like that. If my curse were triggered, the Yellow Springs Train would have broken down long ago."

Li Yelai's inevitable formidable enemies and vehicle killers are linked and will be triggered together.

If the curse is truly triggered, the likely scenario is that the Yellow Springs Train will suddenly derail, its carriages will roll and disintegrate, and Li Yelai's carriage will rotate more than ten times before finally crashing onto some rocks. Then, when Li Yelai climbs out of the carriage, he will look up and see a powerful enemy.

Furthermore, these so-called formidable enemies include, but are not limited to, undiscovered yet out-of-control forbidden entities; a ethereal creature sealed within this region; and a hostile force or extraordinary being hiding here.
Don't ask Li Yelai why he's so sure; it's a conclusion he reached through personal experimentation.

"It's not that you're bound to encounter a formidable enemy, but that someone is actually planning to rob us?" Yang Chen gasped. "Could it be that the Supreme Beings have come as a group to rob us?"

Yang Chen was shocked, and the other powerful figures also had strange expressions. There really is such a formidable 'person'?

Good, good, good! These are no ordinary bandits; we must strike hard!

"It's about 200 kilometers from here to Border City No. 1."

"We've traversed this area many times, but we've never been able to escape this valley. Is it like a Möbius strip?"

"Is it more like being lost in a maze, a ghostly realm? A returnee?"

"That can't be right. The returnees are afraid of us too. What kind of returnees are so bold?"

The team leaders were all discussing amongst themselves. "It looks like a ghost realm, but can it even lock up the Yellow Springs Train?" Yang Chen pondered for a moment before asking, "Has this happened before?"

After acquiring the Underworld Train, humanity began constructing a transportation network connecting four major cities, serving as both military and commercial channels.

In particular, several roads were built leading to the giant city of Lava Mine in the rear.

However, time is still short, and there is no direct route between Border City No. 1 and Border City No. 3.

Now, the plan is to take advantage of this opportunity to use the train to open up roads.

The selected routes have all been officially measured and surveyed.

"It seems there have indeed been some incidents in this area," Team Leader Zu Chao replied after a moment's thought. "This area is located in the rear and is relatively safe. Caravans and scavengers do interact here. However, because the mountain roads are rugged, there aren't many of them, and they don't gather in many places."

"The original plan for the giant city was to design a transit station in this area. But I remember that the comrades from Border City No. 1 mentioned to me that during their investigation, they heard that some caravans disappeared after nightfall."

"After a while, they were found on the mountain road, their fuel completely depleted, and their food and ammunition exhausted. At the same time, everyone was missing. They had sent out night patrol teams to investigate, but they couldn't find anything. This kind of thing happens occasionally, but they've never been able to find the truth. The location where they disappeared is probably quite a distance from here. I didn't expect that even going so far would still affect them."

"It disappeared after nightfall, and it's difficult to find at other times. It certainly sounds like a ghost story," Yang Chen said. "Is there any other information?"

"That's it. This area is too far from our City Three. I just didn't expect to run into it here."

"In other words, there might be a ghost town here, randomly selecting victims. However, of all people, it just so happens that we were the ones chosen? For a moment, I don't know whether to say they were unlucky or we were lucky." Yang Chen wanted to laugh a little: "It really is all thanks to you, Night General."

Li Yelai helplessly spread his hands: "I really didn't cast a curse."

Yang Chen smiled and nodded, then said to Zu Chao, "Let the Yellow Springs Train continue running at full speed. After an hour or two, slow it down and pretend that it has run out of fuel."

"Yes." The group leaders understood and dispersed to prepare.

After the other group leaders left, Li Yelai said seriously, "It could be the Heavenly Evolution Walker."

"Hmm." Yang Chen nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's very likely. With their methods, they might actually be able to get us into the Ghost Realm. Aren't they afraid of alerting them?"

"If we hadn't known about the existence of the Celestial Walkers beforehand, we might have just had to accept our bad luck in this situation. The Returnee might have been used by them," Cheese pondered. "Perhaps it was a test, or a delaying tactic?"

"It could be either of the two." Yang Chen looked out the window at the darkness. "Fine, since we've encountered them, there's no reason for us to let these returnees go. Annihilate them!"

The train to the underworld traveled futilely for hours, its speed gradually decreasing. It came to a stop in the wilderness, as if it had run out of fuel, like a cold coffin abandoned in the middle of a desolate graveyard.

As the train to the underworld came to a stop, a vast, brightly lit manor suddenly appeared beside the train. Spires, towers, and intricate carvings gleamed under the brilliant lights, outlining a massive and sharply defined silhouette that cast long, distorted shadows that stretched all the way to the train's cold steel shell.

At the same time, some ancient court dance music drifted from the manor, echoing in this desolate wilderness that had just been filled with the wailing of withered trees and deathly silence. It seemed so out of place, yet it carried an irresistible allure.

It was like a feast that never ends.
Then, the gates of the manor opened.

The host of this place is warmly inviting travelers who have stumbled upon this place to a banquet.

"Hey," a group of powerful individuals chuckled.

I'm fucking here! (End of Chapter)