A master of comedy!

Chapter 203 The Gates of Hell

The three armies shouted and Xunyang was shaken; the ghosts of the Ghost Festival were startled on this night.

This farewell was not something Zhou Sheng had arranged in advance, so even he was a little surprised, but at the same time, he felt a warmth in his heart.

In any case, he did make a few real friends in this unfamiliar world.

"Zheng Keren, are you... are you planning a rebellion?"

"Don't forget, you are also an official of the underworld!!"

Bai Wuchang loudly accused, but he was clearly outwardly fierce but inwardly weak. If there was only one City God, it would be fine, but with the ghost soldiers and generals of the Ghost City added on, it became very troublesome.

If a real fight breaks out, they could both die here.

Why do you two say that?

Zheng Keren stepped forward with an upright expression and said loudly, "I was appointed as the City God by the founding emperor. Although I belong to the underworld, I serve the court. Moreover, we have only come to see off the tiger-fighting hero of Xunyang City. How is that equivalent to rebellion?"

He snorted coldly, tossed Zhou Sheng's passbook past him, and said with a flick of his sleeve, "However, you two have reminded me that as an official of the underworld, holding the position of City God, I have the right to write to King Yama and offer my honest advice."

"Danshan is a hero of Xunyang, and also my benefactor. If he is framed, I, Zheng, will risk everything, even my official post, to appeal to the King of Hell!"

His words were reasonable, well-founded, and resounding, leaving the Black and White Impermanence speechless for a moment.

They increasingly regretted taking on this job; it was a real hot potato.

Zhou Sheng bowed to express his gratitude to everyone, and then continued on his journey with the Black and White Impermanence, but couldn't help but look back one last time.

The beautiful figure on the distant city wall also seemed to be looking at him.

……

The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Legend has it that on this day, the gates of the underworld open, and many wandering ghosts roam the human world to see their loved ones one last time.

Therefore, people often burn paper money as an offering on this day.

As Zhou Sheng walked along the path between Yin and Yang, he could see no one around him, yet he often heard bursts of weeping, as if mourning for his loved ones.

The surrounding area was filled with the strong smell of burning paper.

He knew that the cries came from the living; sincere longing itself possessed a strange power that could actually reach the realm between the living and the dead.

Unfortunately, the spirits of their loved ones did not come to follow the sound.

After walking for about half an hour, the cries grew more and more distant until they could no longer be heard, and the surroundings grew darker and darker, with the yin energy becoming increasingly intense.

Even with Zhou Sheng's divine eyes, he couldn't see through the darkness and mist ten feet away.

"We're almost at the Gates of Hell. There are sixteen fierce and evil spirits guarding it. Don't say anything rash, or you'll anger them and they'll tear you apart. Don't blame your brother and me then."

The Black and White Impermanence made a special instruction, perhaps because of Yu Zhensheng's warning, or perhaps because they were stunned by the scene of the army seeing them off, their tone had become much more polite.

Zhou Sheng nodded, feeling slightly nervous as he thought about how he was about to cross the Gates of Hell and enter the legendary Underworld.

After walking for a while, a magnificent mountain gate suddenly appeared in the distance through the fog. From afar, it looked like a colossal creature lurking in the darkness with its gaping maw wide open.

The wind howled, like the wailing of ghosts.

Zhou Sheng suddenly felt a chill from the depths of his soul, but fortunately, his profound magical power and eighty-three years of cultivation quickly suppressed the coldness.

As he got closer, he finally saw the legendary Gate of Hell.

This is a huge gate connected to the mountain, about eighteen zhang high, with no top in sight. The bronze gate is carved with various mysterious patterns, some like lotus flowers, some like peach trees, and others like ancient mythical beasts such as dragons, phoenixes, and qilin.

Before this enormous gate, mortals are as insignificant as ants.

However, the legendary Gate of Hell did not open on the Ghost Festival, but remained tightly closed, with sixteen huge statues lined up in front of it to guard it.

Eight fierce gods, eight evil spirits.

They all had terrifying faces; some had red faces and fangs, some had wings on their backs, some had three heads, and some even had faces full of eyes. As the Black and White Impermanence led him through, Zhou Sheng could clearly feel pairs of terrifying eyes scrutinizing him in the darkness.

At this moment, even with his many supernatural powers protecting him, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

These are sixteen ghost kings, equivalent to sixteen great generals!

His cultivation level of breaking through four barriers is not weak, but if he tries to force his way through the Gates of Hell, he will probably be torn to shreds within a few breaths.

It is estimated that only a powerful being at the Tribulation Transcending Realm would have the confidence to talk and laugh in front of these sixteen Ghost Kings.

Roar!
Under the scrutiny of those gazes, the Yazi and Chiwen within his body reacted as if in response to stress, manifesting two golden dragons of fortune that coiled around his body.

The dragon's roar surprised the ghost kings.

"His fortune is so great that he can manifest a golden dragon to protect him and prevent us from spying on him. Black and White Impermanence, what is the identity of this person?"

"Could it be that the Crown Prince of the Mortal Realm died young?"

In the darkness, a voice suddenly rang out, hoarse like muffled thunder, echoing all around.

Bai Wuchang shook his head and smiled, "He is not a member of the royal family. This is his travel permit. Please take a look, fellow ghost kings."

He took out the travel permit from his sleeve, released it, and the permit flew into the sky and quickly disappeared.

A soft exclamation rang out from the darkness.

"It's actually Yu Zhensheng's disciple, Zhou Danshan, who graduated three years late?"

"Yu Zhensheng... In the blink of an eye, are all of this old man's disciples about to graduate?"

"Yu Zhensheng's cunning acting was truly exceptional, but unfortunately, he ruined his own future."

"Young man, don't follow your master's example. Just focus on performing and don't meddle in other people's business..."

After the ghost kings learned that Zhou Sheng was Yu Zhensheng's disciple, they didn't seem to harbor much hostility; instead, they felt a complex mix of emotions.

It has a touch of intimacy, yet deliberately hides a sense of distance.

"Since you are a ghost opera performer who plays ghost plays during the Ghost Festival, please open the door and let us through."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two ghost king statues closest to the Gate of Hell rose up at the same time and pushed themselves up with their hands.

In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains trembled.

The heavy, massive door is being slowly pried open.

They did not open the door completely, but stopped after opening it a crack.

Although it was called a slit, it was already several feet wide to Zhou Sheng, and he could see the faint light shining from afar.

It seemed that on the other side of the door was a dreamlike and strange world.

"Let's go, don't delay."

The Black and White Impermanence continued to lead Zhou Sheng forward, but just then, a deep and resonant voice echoed from the depths.

"Young man, here's a piece of advice: in the underworld, don't perform plays about Bao Gong, especially... on this day."

Zhou Sheng turned around abruptly, his eyes sharp as torches, but he only vaguely saw a pair of pale golden eyes in the darkness before they quickly disappeared.

"Okay, thank you."

He bowed in gratitude, but his heart remained unsettled for a long time.

A few days ago, Bao Ying's words echoed in his ears again.

“On your way to perform the Ghost Festival opera, anyone who mentions the word ‘baozi’ is my friend. You can trust them completely.”

That last sentence, it seems like it contained... those two words?
(End of this chapter)