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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 179: Soul Locking Chain
I was ensnared by chains, much like how Sun Wukong was bound by the Tightening Spell, unable to break free. Now I understood why those seemingly omnipotent spirits were so terrified of the Ghostly Enforcer's Soul Locking Chain; it was designed to trap your soul with no chance of escape.
A group of people, driven by their own selfish desires, were satisfied as they foolishly worshipped Li Gui, still offering him food and drink. They burned Hell Money in large quantities, oblivious to my presence. I watched them as they chanted, "Dust returns to dust. Ma Qi, don't blame us for being heartless. Your son is fated to be pure Yang. Mr. Li, my son's fate lacks Yang, which brings misfortune. Thankfully, Mr. Li saved my son’s life. You should just go where you belong and stop causing trouble in my house; otherwise, Mr. Li will send you down to the Eighteen Layers of Hell for eternity."
Damn! If I could break free, I'd be the first to come after you.
These ignorant people were easily deceived by Li Gui's sweet words. I glanced at the Monkey Spirit, who was also shackled by chains. He had been used by Li Gui and was now a trophy given to this Ghostly Enforcer. His head hung low, devoid of the Evil Energy that once supported him, resembling a defeated rooster. One, two, three, four. Oddly enough, there were supposed to be Five Ghosts; why did it seem like only four remained? Upon closer inspection, I realized that the Spirit Snake was missing.
The Spirit Snake had become a pawn in Li Gui's game; I hadn't anticipated that. After being used up, her Spirit Energy was consumed entirely, leaving her nonexistent.
After a flurry of fragmented prayers, silence enveloped the surroundings as footsteps faded away.
The Ghostly Enforcer was counting money—fresh bills rustled in his greedy hands as his ghostly eyes glowed with a greenish hue.
"What are you looking at? Get lost," he barked at me before using his ghostly powers to take us away from the Hou Family.
I positioned myself closest to the Ghostly Enforcer for convenience in conversation and said cautiously, "Ghost Grandpa, what you're doing is corrupt and will lead to retribution."
The Ghostly Enforcer turned back and swung a stick at me. "Looking for death?"
Crap! The Ghostly Enforcer hit me with the Crying Stick. In an instant, my mind went blank; I couldn't tell east from west and even forgot who I was. In that moment, all I could do was instinctively cover my head and remain silent.
Once the Crying Stick withdrew, my consciousness returned.
Next to me, the Monkey Spirit revealed a pale blue ghost face and warned me, "Sparrow, behave and don’t cause trouble if you want to suffer less; otherwise, you'll die a miserable death."
"What do you mean?"
"I might as well tell you—we're legitimate ghosts reporting to the Underworld. After our report tonight, we’ll return here. But you're different; you're an unjustly dead person. The Ghostly Enforcer won’t take you to Yan Wang for reporting; instead, you'll be thrown into Evil Dog Ridge where the Vicious Dog will swallow you whole. From then on, you won't exist in this world or even in the Underworld."
Hearing the words of Monkey Spirit felt like a thousand horses trampling through my heart, shattering it into dust and causing it to vanish without a trace. In my imagination, I was like a soulless ghost, dejected and despondent, left to be tossed aside by the Ghostly Enforcer at Evil Dog Ridge. Those vicious dogs, with their bared teeth and drooling mouths, surrounded me with their green, glimmering eyes, as if they were facing a formidable enemy. At the command of the Ghostly Enforcer, in less than two seconds, I would cease to exist.
Did I not have a physical body? Would my soul not be spared? If the heir dies but is not truly dead, then if the soul dies for real, there would be no chance of becoming a ghost, let alone returning to life.
What should I do? I cannot afford to have any mishaps; I cannot disappear or be devoured by the Vicious Dogs of Evil Dog Ridge. I still need to return and have Li Gui impersonate me in front of Fat Noodle, in front of Chi Xinrong, and even in front of Rice Noodles.
I cannot allow anything to go wrong with Ma Qi's woman. Even Chi Xinrong must not fall into Li Gui's hands. If I do not hurry back, Li Gui will use my identity to commit more heinous acts and harm more innocent lives.
The Ghostly Enforcer had undoubtedly received numerous benefits along the way, leading countless wronged souls who had died unjustly. These souls were weak and mournful, too afraid to speak out.
In the midst of this, a massive black hole appeared, beneath which lay many objects resembling pebbles. The surroundings were shrouded in gray, devoid of color; this was the world of the Underworld. No wonder so many feared death; they were unwilling to come to this place.
This area was filled with a Deathly Aura; the ethereal shadows flitted about like fish swimming in the sea. At first glance, upon sensing the presence of the Ghostly Enforcer, they would flee and hide like startled birds.
"Is this the Ghost Gate?" Monkey Spirit seemed knowledgeable and self-satisfied as he spoke to the other accompanying souls.
The Ghostly Enforcer swung his Crying Stick at him fiercely. Terrified, Monkey Spirit covered his head and begged for mercy until it was over. He managed to avoid punishment; it seemed that his family's bribes were substantial enough.
Indeed, this was the Ghost Gate.
The atmosphere and temperature here were unlike anywhere else. The mood was somber, and the temperature dropped sharply; breath turned to frost as each soul shivered but dared not utter a word of complaint. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that what appeared as a dark hole was neither a cave nor a grand door but rather an enormous gaping mouth.
What rolled out from that mouth was not pebbles but skulls—an array of skulls spilling forth like a giant animated skeleton tongue reaching towards our feet.
It was cold! Like midwinter.
The Ghostly Enforcer had received favors from Monkey Spirit's family and treated him with utmost care. Monkey Spirit easily entered the Ghost Gate while the others were forced up by the Ghostly Enforcer with his Crying Stick. Climbing over skulls to enter that eerie black hole was enough to send chills down anyone's spine; one could easily imagine that descending through that mouth led straight down into its belly—just thinking about it would make one's legs go weak.
I really regret hiding the Soul Stone. But if I hadn't hidden it, wouldn't it have been worse if it fell into Li Gui's hands?
Qin Ye, there was a death tribulation I faced, and I never would have thought that it would occur during Ghost Month, on the day when the Ghost Festival Fifteenth and the Ghost Gate were about to open.
As I entered the dark, gaping mouth, a foul odor assaulted my senses. A few souls who had died unjustly and I were intentionally separated by the Ghostly Enforcer, entering the Ghost Gate at a slower pace than the Monkey Spirit and others. According to my expectations, after passing through the mouth, we should exit from the back of the enormous skull, revealing a dim and gray landscape.
But for some reason, we kept stumbling forward, unable to finish this bumpy passage, with that increasingly unbearable stench lingering around us. This odor was reminiscent of a decaying corpse, and I had a bad feeling that this passage was not leading us to the Underworld.
Following the normal route, upon exiting the Ghost Gate, we should have encountered a ground covered with a flower known as the Higanbana, which has leaves but no blossoms. Beyond that would be the Bridge of Helplessness. I had previously resolved not to drink Meng Po Soup, but now it seemed that the damned Ghostly Enforcer hadn't even given me a chance to drink it.
My suspicions were confirmed; as light finally appeared above us, I had a strong premonition that what lay beyond might be something even more terrifying. With the light, we truly noticed that the Ghostly Enforcer had not followed us.
In front of me were two souls. After learning their causes of death, I couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. The Bald Old Man had been killed by something falling from a tall building, while another soul, a Big Sister, had met her demise by choking on a piece of food.
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