https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-634-The-Master-of-the-Netherworld/12919803/
Chapter 633: The Great Belly Ghost King
Chapter 633: The Great Belly Ghost King
Finally, the sensation of descending gradually faded, and the dark wind howling in his ears weakened as Hu Ma landed on the ground.
Or rather, this wasn't the ground; it was just that the weighing stone had become so light that Hu Ma felt as if he was standing on something.
To describe it accurately, it was like a person who had finally reached the bottom of a lake and could stand, but it was different from standing in the realm of the living.
It was only then that he slowly lifted the lantern in his hand and gently raised it, using the faint light to look around.
As he looked up, he immediately felt waves of dark energy washing over his eyes.
It felt sour, cold, and damp, as if wet mud had gotten into his eye sockets, making him feel extremely uncomfortable and swollen. He could only see dark clouds swirling and gathering in front of him.
After several attempts, a blurry scene appeared before his eyes, startling him.
"This... is the Netherworld?"
Humans have three souls, and the one that stays in the mortal realm is usually the body soul. The destination of the reincarnation soul is the realm of the dead, also known as the Netherworld.
Although he was a descendant of the Ghost Walker Clan Head and had taken over the Pacifying Evil Office, which governed both the living and the dead, Hu Ma had never actually entered the Netherworld until now.
He found it novel and, holding the white lantern in his hand, he saw nothing but cold and misty fog all around, damp and chilling, with not a finger visible in the darkness.
Looking up, he couldn't see the sky, and looking down, he couldn't see the ground either. He felt completely enveloped, with no sense of freedom.
The lantern in his hand could only illuminate a pitifully small area, and beyond that, he saw only vague shadows. From time to time, he heard muffled sounds, like sinking into a lake, and faint movements, giving everything an unreal feeling.
Looking down at himself, he felt very real, but for some reason, his arms felt heavy, and even his sleeves seemed to have been mysteriously lengthened, almost touching the ground.
Hu Ma raised his hand and looked inside his sleeve, only to see that it was filled with gold and silver coins.
These must have been burned for him by the old nursemaid.
He breathed unconsciously and found that he couldn't catch his breath; there was no living person's breathing ability here.
However, whenever he needed to breathe, a wisp of warm energy would emerge from his heart, and the feeling of suffocation would disappear.
But Hu Ma could also clearly feel that his Four Pillars Dao Virtue would disappear a little as a result, burning away.
"When a living person enters the Netherworld, every action and breath has a cost."
"Mortals who come down here pay with their lives, so the time must be strictly limited. If they stay too long, they won't be able to return."
"Those who come from the sect also need to pay with their Dao virtue. Although they can stay longer than mortals, if they stay too long, they won't be able to go back either."
"..."
"..."
As he adapted to the environment, he slowed his breathing and took a step forward.
With this step, he felt the damp, cold mist around him ripple like water waves, and the things he saw gradually became clearer.
The countless blurry and distorted shadows around him also gradually came into focus.
Only then did Hu Ma realize that there were so many people around him. Some rode donkeys, some sat in sedan chairs, and some dragged their legs on the ground as they crawled.
The most imposing ones had a retinue of soldiers accompanying them, marching silently.
The most pitiful ones wore shackles, had knives stuck in their bodies, and some even carried their own heads as they walked silently.
Each one had a different story, but the similarity was that most of them wore burial garments, round hats, and their clothes had a papier-mache texture.
Those riding donkeys, sitting in sedan chairs, and even the maidservants by their sides seemed to be made of papier-mache as well, but their faces wore rigid smiles, obediently following beside them.
"Are these people who just died?"
Before coming to handle this matter, Hu Ma had asked Second Pot Head about the Netherworld and had a general understanding of it.
Most of those who entered the Netherworld were dead, but some had died recently, while others had been dead for a long time.
Those who had just died would still be accustomed to walking on the ground like Hu Ma, but the longer they had been dead, the lighter they became, their feet no longer touching the ground, and they could only float.
These dead people didn't know where to go, wandering aimlessly through the thick fog, unless a soul guide came to lead them or the Governor summoned them.
They couldn't reincarnate or be reborn.
Hu Ma, being a living person with a purpose, naturally walked faster than those around him. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a bell ringing.
It was the copper bell on his wrist, jingling as he moved.
In this silent world, the sound was particularly grating, immediately attracting the attention of the wraiths around him.
They turned their pale, rigid faces, devoid of any blood color, and stared at him woodenly.
Hu Ma frowned and pulled off the bell, throwing it away.
Five Skin had made it very clear that the nursemaid, Xue Mumu, was definitely going to harm someone.
She sent people down and then brought them back up, which didn't really cause any harm, but if she was caught by the soul guide, her crime would be severe, and the poisonous sores on her body would likely double.
However, if she only sent people down and didn't bring them back up, it would be much simpler.
Not only would she gain benefits from the living, but she would also have a good excuse for the soul guide. More importantly, she could even bribe her friends down there! The gold and silver had indeed been burned for him, but it was meant to be given to her friends, and the bell was to make it easier for them to find him.
...
He wasn't afraid, after all, with his skills and the fact that Brother Erguotou would soon be coming down, he casually tossed the bell and continued on his way, taking in the scenery of the Netherworld.
But before he could take more than a few steps, a sudden gust of dark wind blew, and a thick mist rose, stirring up menacing ghostly shadows.
"The bell is ringing, the bell is ringing..."
"The gift from Old Lady Xue has arrived, where is it? Where is it?"
"..."
Looking up, he saw that the wraiths walking on the ground around him were already trembling in fear.
In the distance, the hazy mist was stirred by something, and vague shadows appeared, one after another, of varying heights and sizes, gathering from all directions.
Some wore long robes and winged hats, some wore actor's costumes with white and black face paint, and some had three heads, propping themselves up with their arms on the ground.
Their copper bell-like eyes stared fiercely, and even through the chilling mist, the smaller ghosts in the middle were scared into crying out.
The wraiths walking on the ground in the Netherworld were mostly newly arrived souls, targets of the evil ghosts' plunder. Unlike Hu Ma, who had directly descended, they had come through the Gate of Ghosts and had already suffered exploitation, leaving them with only a little gold and silver paper money. This was to ensure they would suffer less in the Netherworld, but if it were taken away, they would have to endure a long and arduous wait for more offerings from the living.
Even if they wanted to ask their living relatives to burn more offerings, they would have to wait until the Ghost Festival to send a message in a dream...
At that moment, they all cried out in terror: "Netherworld Messenger Lord, Netherworld Messenger Lord..."
"Come and stop them!"
"..."
But it was their bad luck; the fact that they could sneak down here meant that this place was lawless, with no one in charge.
Above them, various different ghostly shadows gathered, all staring intently at the group, as if searching for something.
A small ghost nearby cried out: "He threw away the bell, he threw away the bell..."
"Grandpa, Grandma, it's right ahead, but I can't find it..."
"..."
The group of ghosts had clearly come looking for Hu Ma, but because he had thrown away the bell, they couldn't find him, and their anxious laughter turned into mocking:
"You can't escape, you can't escape..."
"..."
Suddenly, a blue-robed evil ghost leaned forward, its blood basin mouth opening wide, and a fierce wind blew as the surrounding new ghosts and wraiths had their incense smoke energy drawn out and flew towards its mouth.
"Oh no..."
The other ghosts, not wanting him to have it all to himself, opened their mouths wide, vying for the incense smoke energy.
The smaller ghosts surrounding these towering ghosts revealed their greed and rushed into the circle, pouncing on the terrified wraiths.
Some grabbed their sleeves, pulling out gold and silver ingots and stuffing them into their own pockets.
Others directly pounced on the newly deceased wraiths, biting down and devouring their flesh, while the smaller ghosts drank the essence. All traces of incense smoke energy and human essence were consumed.
These wraiths were in deep trouble, with no power to resist, only able to cry out in chaos.
"Hmph!"
At that moment, Hu Ma coldly smiled, his face darkening.
He had just been observing these evil ghosts in the Netherworld, each with considerable spiritual power, having ascended to a higher realm. They were likely Ghost Kings in their own right.
Without the skills to match, one wouldn't dare to confront such beings.
Such Ghost Kings were rare in the living world, and for a province to have one or two was already a blessing for its people.
But in the Netherworld, there were suddenly so many?
However, Hu Ma wasn't concerned. As a Year Guardian, he could travel through the Netherworld in his physical body because of his strong foundation. He was not to be trifled with, neither in the living world nor in the Netherworld.
With a cold snort, he unleashed his soul qi and manifested his Great General Tian Gong Seal Incarnation.
He had originally intended to keep a low profile, using only a third of his strength, but as he released his soul qi, a dark wind suddenly stirred, sweeping through the four directions, and a malevolent spirit with green-faced fangs and four arms appeared on his body.
It stood over seven or eight zhang tall, more than twice the height of the gathered evil ghosts. Its fiendish eyes opened, with more white than black, and its mouth, like a blood basin, seemed ready to devour human flesh and blood.
"Oh..."
Even Hu Ma was stunned for a moment. Why did using the Great General Tian Gong Seal Incarnation in the Netherworld give him the feeling that the evil ghosts were overwhelming and uncontrollable?
But there was no time for further thought as he prepared to engage in battle with these Netherworld evil ghosts, aiming for a quick resolution to avoid attracting the attention of the Soul Guides.
However, as his divine form appeared, an eerie silence descended, and an intangible fear seemed to silence all sounds, quickly spreading in all directions.
Wherever he passed, a chilling fear gripped the area, as if an invisible hand was clutching countless throats.
The next moment, the ghostly shadows scattered, the wraiths were bewildered, and cries of terror filled the air:
"Heavenly Grandfather..."
"The Great Belly Ghost King has returned, he's really come to devour the Underworld..."
(End of Chapter)
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