Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 415 Ghost Kingdom
The city was shrouded in the night, eerily silent.

A thick, pale fog enveloped the city, reducing visibility to extremely low levels.

The city was previously shrouded in ghostly fog, but the fog would dissipate at night.

Even now, late at night, the thick fog in the air has not lessened at all.

As time went by, the fog in the air grew thicker and thicker.

Now, Ran Qing can even vaguely sense the aura of the Wujiang Ghost Realm within the mist.

The scene of the thick fog obscuring everything reminded him of the pale road he traveled on each time he entered or left the underworld.

That road connecting the underworld and the world of the living was also shrouded in mist, and one could also sense the faint deathly aura of the underworld...

This Moonlit City is indeed falling towards the Ghost Realm of the Wujiang River.

Although the speed of the fall was very slow.

But if this thick fog is allowed to continue to spread, sooner or later this place will fall into the underworld, and eventually enter the realm of ghosts...

"Let's go, let's go."

Mo Li spoke first, looking at Ran Qing beside him, and said, "Let's settle things with Li Hongye tonight."

Mo Li spoke in a relaxed tone, though there was a hint of worry in his eyes, he was still as cheerful and sunny as ever.

Long Zongshu had no objections and walked towards Ran Qing: "...I'm ready too."

Zongshu didn't need to prepare much. For him, the most important thing was to eat and drink well and be well-rested so that he could maintain the power of the Unknown Flame.

The corpse-driving Taoist Liu Fang shook the corpse-driving bell, and with the crisp ringing sound, the several pale and strange paper figures actually "came to life".

They stiffly tore off the restraints securing them to their bodies, jumped down from mid-air, and walked stiffly step by step behind the corpse-driving Taoist priest.

Clearly, these paper figures were extremely flexible when used by Ran Qing, just like living people.

After being refined by the Corpse-Driving Taoist, its movements became stiff and strange, as if it had turned into a zombie.

They were also filled with the corpse aura and malevolent energy that only zombies possess.

Ran Qing looked at her companion, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Let's go, let's go to the Ghost Realm of Wujiang."

He patted the little cotton ball's head at his feet, and the little cotton ball immediately wagged its tail and rushed into the main room.

Ran Qing and the others filed in.

Inside the main room, four spirit banners stood in the four corners of the room.

Ran Qing looked at her companions and said, "...If we can't get a coffin, we'll have to go in with our bodies."

"We only have four hours. After that, you will be in danger."

By entering the underworld through a coffin and feigning death, one can avoid the corrosive effects of death and stay there for a longer period of time.

When Aunt Liu brought Ran Qing into the Ghost Realm of Wujiang, she also used this method.

But now the Yin Altar is sealed off, and the old sheepskin is gone, so Ran Qing has no way to get four coffins.

They could only enter physically to resist the corrosive death energy of the underworld.

“…If it takes more than four hours, the death energy in your bodies will not be able to be removed,” Ran Qing warned. “We must get everything done within four hours and return safely.”

Everyone stretched out their wrists and checked the time on their watches.

On the dials of all four watches, the hands simultaneously pointed to midnight.

"go!"

Ran Qing shook the bell and silently chanted an incantation.

In the hot and stuffy main room, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through, causing the soul banners in the four corners of the room to tremble violently.

The lights hanging on the roof quickly went out and dimmed.

The entire room seemed to be swallowed up by some kind of dark substance.

A chilling, eerie feeling spread to everyone in the room.

Liu Fang, the corpse-driving Taoist priest, was experiencing this feeling for the first time and nervously rubbed his hands together. Fortunately, he was an experienced veteran and concerned about his reputation, so he didn't dare to make a sound.

But the next second, he suddenly felt a movement beside him.

Something ran merrily past his feet and bumped into his calf.

The unusual noise startled Master Liu Fang, making her hair stand on end – had she already encountered a ghost the moment she entered?

The next second, Ran Qing's icy voice rang in his ear.

"...It's time to move on, Daoist Liu Fang."

"The path to the underworld has been opened."

Ran Qing's voice rang out behind Liu Fang, but before she could finish speaking, the voice had already passed Liu Fang and appeared in front of her.

Footsteps echoed in the darkness, belonging not only to Ran Qing but also to Mo Li and Long Zongshu.

Hearing the footsteps, Daoist Liu Fang quickly chased after them.

He rang the bell in his hand as he walked along the dark road, feeling as if his vision was completely black and he could see nothing at all.

Only the footsteps and breathing of Ran Qing and a few others were very close, which gave him a little sense of security.

The jingling of the corpse-driving bells seemed to carry far in the darkness.

The corpse-driving Taoist priest was a little nervous and whispered, "...Is my bell too conspicuous? Will it attract the things from the ghost realm of Wujiang?"

He had heard Ran Qing and the other two talk about the terrifying scenes in the Ghost Realm of Wujiang in the past two days.

The underworld is now in chaos and terrifying. The evil spirits of the ancient Luo Kingdom have flocked to the outside of Wuzhai Pass and are entrenched in the ghost city.

Behind Wuzhai Pass, even more eerie and malevolent forces roam.

For the first time, the corpse-driving Taoist priest felt insecure about his own bell.

At this moment, Ran Qing's voice rang out in the darkness: "Taoist Master, don't be nervous. I have opened up a special path, so the evil spirits of the underworld cannot see or hear us for the time being."

The dark road stretched forward, and no one could see it as they walked in the darkness; they simply lingered around Ran Qing instinctively.

However, Ran Qing, as a person who walks the path of the underworld, saw things extremely clearly.

This dark road stretches ever onward, and wherever it goes, darkness engulfs everything, like a flowing black river.

And at the very front of this flowing, surging black river is that excited and joyful dog—Little Cotton.

As a medium for spirit mediums, she paved a safe path for Ran Qing and the others.

As she ran wildly on all fours, black mist rose and gathered from the ground beneath her feet, surging forward with her run.

Finally, this long, black river flowed past the eerie ghost town and the desolate, barren pine forest.

In the distance, Ran Qing saw Wuzhai Pass.

But he didn't stop Little Cotton, and continued to watch Little Cotton run forward.

The black river continued to surge forward, safely crossing the Wuzhai Pass and the dark, desolate land.

Mo Li stood beside Ran Qing, holding her hand tightly.

She stared nervously ahead, her vision completely black, but as the Ghost King, she was trying her best to sense the direction of her own corpse.

"...Forward..."

"A little to the left..."

"Okay... let's keep going..."

Mo Li murmured softly, guiding Ran Qing and Xiao Mianhua.

The most mysterious ghost kingdom in the deepest part of the Wujiang Ghost Realm is a forbidden and dangerous place that ordinary people cannot access or approach.

Although Ran Qing had gone there once using the technique of refining ghosts in a vat, it would be very troublesome to ask him to go again on his own now.

Now that Mo Li was guiding them, everything became easier. The dark river beneath their feet continued to surge forward, and Ran Qing and Mo Li murmured to each other, occasionally pointing out to Xiao Mianhua to change direction.

The little cotton flowers ran around frolicking across the barren land.

In the darkness around them, Ran Qing vaguely sensed some malicious eyes watching them.

They are not vengeful ghosts dwelling in the underworld, but rather those mysterious and sinister evil lords...

These evil lords are ancient and mysterious.

This dark, misty path, opened up by the spirit mediums, can evade the gaze of vengeful ghosts from the underworld, but it cannot escape these ancient evil masters.

According to Mo Li, the evil lords have existed since ancient times.

Even in the primitive tribal era of the Zangke people, or even earlier, evil lords were active on this land.

They are immortal and ancient evil spirits, seemingly having coexisted with this land for a very long time.

On one occasion, a meteorite fell from the heavens, bringing with it a strange and evil lord. This evil lord, arriving with the meteorite, seamlessly integrated into the Wujiang Ghost Realm, coexisting peacefully with other evil lords…

The origins and history of the evil lord are unknown.

Fortunately, these evil lords who roamed the underworld did not actually attack Ran Qing and his companions who were passing by.

On Ran Qing's back was the soul-guiding lamp of the spirit medium.

The evil spirit sealed within the lamp appears to be an evil lord.

The book "Witchcraft and Ghostly Arts" clearly records that this soul-guiding lamp can deter most evil lords in the ghost realm of Wujiang.

At this moment, Ran Qing and the others stepped onto the black river and continued to move forward.

This surging river of black mist was also affecting their bodies.

Although they hadn't walked for long, they had already covered an extremely long distance in the dark and eerie ghost realm of the Wujiang River.

Mo Li gripped Ran Qing's hand, tightening his grip and his breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

Clearly, they were very close to the Ancient Luo Ghost Kingdom.

Ran Qing suddenly spoke up, stopping the running little cotton.

“…Sister Cotton, you can just stop here.”

Ran Qing said, "You wait for us here, don't wander off."

Ran Qing gave Xiao Mianhua serious and earnest instructions.

At this moment, Little Cotton returned to her dazed and confused state, forgetting that she was a living person.

But faced with Ran Qing's serious and gloomy face, she nodded repeatedly and obediently squatted in place, like a real big dog.

Seeing how well-behaved Little Cotton was, Ran Qing sighed.

He took out six talismans from his canvas bag, stuck them into the ground with six chopsticks, and arranged them in a circle around the cotton ball.

"...Stay in the circle and don't wander off."

Ran Qing instructed, "We'll need you to pave the way when we come back."

The main problem is that Mo Lizongshu and the others need to clear the way...

After Ran Qing finished speaking, Little Cotton wagged its tail happily.

Although she had entered a state of mental dullness, she was still afraid of death and ghosts.

The small altar that Ran Qing made for her with talismans made her feel at ease and comfortable.

She happily lay down on the ground, motionless, resting and waiting for Ran Qing and the others to return.

As the little cotton ball stopped, the surrounding dark mist gradually dissipated, and the three people traveling with Ran Qing finally regained their sight.

Daoist Liu Fang nervously looked around and swallowed hard: "...This...this is the Ancient Luo Ghost Kingdom?"

All he could see was a desolate wasteland, with not a single tile or brick in sight.

Ran Qing stepped forward, walking at the front, and said, "...There's still a short distance to the Ghost Kingdom. Let's sneak in quietly. We can't let Sister Cotton lead the way any longer."

"She made too much noise clearing the way."

The black mist couldn't even fool the evil lords wandering the ghost realm of Wujiang, so naturally it couldn't be expected to fool the evil spirits in the ancient Luo Kingdom.

This fallen capital of the underworld occupies the very center of the ghost realm, making even the most evil lords unwilling to approach it...

Ran Qing walked in front, with Mo Li and Zong Shu following closely behind.

The corpse-driving Taoist priest Liu Fang muttered to himself, no longer daring to shake the bell.

He tied the four paper figures together with a rope, then dragged the rope forward, causing the four paper figures to move stiffly and in unison with him.

This method of transporting corpses is quite novel.

After walking for a while, Daoist Liu Fang was already panting heavily.

Clearly, this method of transporting corpses requires him to expend physical strength.

At this moment, Ran Qing had already led them to the two stone pillars on the outermost edge of the ancient Luo Kingdom.

Two stone pillars, faintly visible in the gloomy mist, stood silently in the darkness, their surfaces carved with many strange and ugly faces.

Mo Li said, "...The carvings on these two pillars are some of the faces of evil lords that the ancient Luo Kingdom was most familiar with."

“Each stone pillar is inhabited by an evil creature, guarding the gate of the ancient Luo Kingdom.”

"But they've clearly left; they must have gone to the human world..."

Mo Li said quietly.

On each of those huge stone pillars with their ugly and bizarre reliefs, there was a conspicuous empty space, just like when Ran Qing came last time.

The evil spirits inside the stone pillar have left and are now wandering the human world.

This is good news for Ran Qing and his team.

As they were about to venture deep into the ancient demon kingdom, they naturally wanted as few evil spirits as possible within its borders.

But after crossing the two stone pillars, they saw the highest platform in the ghost kingdom in the distance.

And that eerie eyeball floating in the dark night sky...

"Quick! Yin Qi Talisman!"

Mo Li quickly took out the Yin Qi talisman given to him by Ran Qing and stuck it firmly to his body.

Zong Shu and Liu Fang, the corpse-driving Taoist priest, who were standing nearby, also took out the Yin Qi talismans given by Ran Qing and stuck them on.

In the darkness, Ran Qing murmured and chanted the incantation of the Yin Qi Talisman.

Although the talisman can work without his spellcasting, its power is naturally greater with his help.

Soon, the people who stepped into the gates of the ghost kingdom all became eerie and pale, like four evil ghosts wandering deep in the ghost realm of Wujiang.

The eerie eyeball that drifted across the night sky glanced at it briefly before coldly drifting away without lingering.

This ghost eye is the most troublesome surveillance device when entering the ghost kingdom.

Fortunately, the solution to it is simple.

Just what comes next...

"...There seem to be quite a few evil spirits in this city."

The corpse-driving Taoist priest, his face pale, looked down at the ghost kingdom city in the mountain valley below. The shadowy figures that drifted by in the streets and alleys, under the giant trees, and in the shadows were all terrifying and frightening.

The number is staggering!

Not to mention, around the high platform in the center of that ghost kingdom, there were pale oval objects floating in the air.

Through Ran Qing's explanation, everyone realized that those floating around the stone platform were all Ancient Luo Ghost Soldiers!
The corpse-driving Taoist muttered, "...Have all the evil spirits in this ghost kingdom really gone to the human world?"

How come there are so many left?!

(End of this chapter)