Chapter 27: Going Ashore
Sword light tore through the nether mist, causing the nether mist to burn with a streak of flame rift.
The sword edge reached straight to the top of the humanoid ghostly shadow’s head.
Accompanied by a shrill scream, the humanoid ghostly shadow, along with the camel and ghost flag, plummeted toward the sea surface below.
Li Weiyi grabbed the rope hanging in mid-air, only then realizing that he was already twenty or thirty meters away from the gunwale above, feeling a chill in his heart.
“Plop!”
The humanoid ghostly shadow fell onto the sea surface, with the evil camel bell carrying it plunging into the water first, splashing up a large spray.
Moments later, it burst out from the water, riding the camel, its hooves treading on densely packed floating coffins, heading toward the direction where the red-clothed Qi Shanshan had disappeared.
A hoarse voice echoed back: “On the ship is a dead end, the nether realm has arrived, the way to live is right before your eyes. If you have the guts, why not follow and take a look?”
“This ghost is truly hard to eliminate.”
Li Weiyi knew clearly that the other party was luring him off the ship, still coveting the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish.
But the humanoid ghostly shadow was right.
Staying on the ship was not only a dead end, but a death trap.
Even if they had been very frugal with food and water, what remained would only last a few more days.
……
“The white bone demon and camel bell ghost had no reason to leave the ship without cause; there must be a reason. In life, they were likely living beings of this land.”
“Since the bronze ship has temporarily stopped, I’ll scout ahead. If there’s land and no danger, we’ll all get off together then. Within five days, no matter the result, I’ll definitely return. If we die, we die together; if we live, we live together.”
Li Weiyi was worried about the people on the ship, so he had his senior disciple brother stay behind to take charge, descending to the sea surface along the rope with only Gao Huan, landing on a cluster of tightly packed floating coffin island.
The reason for bringing Gao Huan was, first, because he had drunk golden crow blood, making his physical condition very strong.
Second, Li Weiyi’s trip was not only to find land, but also to rescue Cai Yutong. Knowing full well that the white bone demon had done it deliberately, how could he not go?
If they found land but still had to track the white bone demon, someone would need to return first to the bronze ship to report back.
Li Weiyi closely pursued the lingering aura of the white bone demon and camel bell ghost, dashing across the floating coffins on the sea surface. Though the path ahead was uncertain, he finally felt a sense of solid ground underfoot.
The bronze ship behind him blurred into the yin mist.
Soon after, it completely vanished.
……
The stern of the bronze ship.
That three-zhang bronze door engraved with relief sculptures of “myriad lights of homes” and “yellow springs star river” was suddenly blown open by a gust of wind. From the giant sword within the door, densely packed light marks flew out, condensing into two figures.
One of the figures gazed into the distance, as if able to see through the vast yin mist, muttering to itself: “Arrived?”
……
“What if the bronze ship sets sail again? We’ll be abandoned in this eerie blood sea, left to keep company with the dead things in the coffins.”
Leaving the comfort zone, Gao Huan’s heart was suspended, feeling very uneasy, and soon added: “Forget it, staying on the ship won’t last many more days either. Buddha, Guanyin, Jade Emperor…… all you gods and immortals, bless us to find the way to live.”
Li Weiyi noticed something and crouched down, touching a drop of fresh blood on the coffin with his finger.
Gao Huan asked: “Whose blood?”
“Senior Student Cai’s.”
Gao Huan said: “Did she kill Doctor Cai?”
“No! She deliberately left this drop of blood to guide me.” Li Weiyi said.
Gao Huan said: “You must have something she desperately needs. If we follow like this, won’t we fall into her trap?”
“Then chase after quickly, not giving her a chance to deploy a trap.”
What Li Weiyi worried about more was the white bone demon and camel bell ghost teaming up. After all, those two evils needed different things and could each take what they need.
The reason the camel bell ghost pursued the white bone demon might be just that.
……
They chased for a full day, and the floating coffins underfoot seemed endless.
The two stopped to rest briefly, their stomachs growling fiercely from hunger, but they could only endure it, as the food they carried was quite limited.
Li Weiyi’s gaze sharpened, staring at the top of Gao Huan’s head: “Don’t move.”
Gao Huan grew tense, not daring to budge, and asked in a trembling voice: “What’s wrong?”
Li Weiyi reached out and plucked a withered leaf that had just drifted down from his hair, then looked up toward the mist.
“What’s in your hand? A leaf!” Gao Huan said.
Suddenly, a fierce cold wind blew through, causing the coffins underfoot to sway with the waves.
The yin mist was blown away considerably.
The two, who had been sitting on the ground, slowly stood up, staring wide-eyed ahead, their spirits instantly lifted to the peak.
A massive black mountain body appeared, stretching upward endlessly, its mountain peak nowhere in sight.
Because their current position was almost at the foot of the mountain.
Ancient trees like old locusts grew on the shore not far away, their branches and foliage dense and impenetrable. Their trunks were as thick as grinding mills, their roots powerfully extending into the water, demonstrating a life fighting spirit of hundreds or thousands of years.
Thigh-thick giant vines entwined among the branches and leaves of several ancient trees, laden with watermelon-sized fruit.
At the water’s edge under the trees were clusters of shrubs and cattail grass.
“Ding ding!”
A green-rusted copper bell flew out from the water behind the two.
In an instant, the bell sound rang out loudly.
Black nether mist surged wildly from the bell, enveloping the camel, humanoid ghostly shadow, and ghost flag within, charging straight at Li Weiyi.
“Daring to sneak attack again?”
Li Weiyi had been on guard the whole time; almost the moment the copper bell emerged from the water, he had already turned around.
As the sword hilt struck the black iron seal, two streams of cold and hot qi surged into it.
“Boom!”
Thunder roared through this bay.
Bright electric light shot out, striking the humanoid ghostly shadow riding the camel in the black nether mist, blasting a transparent hole through its chest.
The humanoid ghostly shadow screamed and fell flying off the camel’s back.
It had been injured repeatedly, its combat power severely declining.
It had thought that upon seeing land, Li Weiyi would relax his vigilance, making it a perfect chance for a sneak attack. Who would have thought this kid seemed to have anticipated its ambush here, with reaction speed too fast.
Gao Huan hurriedly fled toward the shore, not wanting to become Li Weiyi’s burden.
Meanwhile, Li Weiyi pressed the advantage, not giving the humanoid ghostly shadow a chance to flee back into the camel bell.
After three swords.
“Bang!”
The Yellow Dragon Sword severed the ghost flag’s pole, diagonally slicing the humanoid ghostly shadow in half.
The soul mist on the humanoid ghostly shadow rapidly dissipated, filled with terror: “No…… no…… I’ve already returned to the nether realm…… how could I die here, I’m unwilling…… This King is unwilling……”
Another sword struck out, completely scattering its soul.
Li Weiyi stayed vigilant around him, confirming the white bone demon was not nearby, before picking up the camel bell that had fallen onto the floating coffin and gently shaking it.
Immediately, gale winds arose.
“Whoosh——”
That three-to-four-meter-tall semi-virtual semi-real camel mount was drawn back into the bell.
“It went in just like that?”
Li Weiyi shook it two more times.
As the bell sound rang, he felt distracting thoughts flooding his mind, negative emotions surging.
He quickly stopped.
This evil camel bell was too sinister, absolutely an inauspicious object.
But it seemed capable of taking in real objects as well, which was extraordinary. That severed ghost flag was a real object.
Li Weiyi pulled off the ghost flag and tightly wrapped the evil camel bell with it, not wanting it to continue ringing.
“Gao Huan…… Gao fish soup……”
He called twice, but got no response.
Li Weiyi hurriedly went ashore, pushed through the cattail grass, and entered the dark forest.
Soon, he saw Gao Huan slumped weakly on the ground.
“What are you doing? I called you, why no response?” Li Weiyi gripped the sword hilt tightly and approached warily.
Gao Huan finally caught his breath and let out a long exhale: “Damn! Scared me to death, all skeletons, and none with heads.”
Li Weiyi walked up to him and, seeing the scene in the forest, also felt a bit creeped out.
The ground was covered in densely packed human white bones, all headless.
Gao Huan climbed to his feet, forcing composure: “Why do I feel like the land is even scarier than the ship? Do you think we’ve really come to the underworld? This world, it won’t all be departed spirits like white bone demons and camel bell ghosts, right?”
“No, look there.”
Amid the piles of white bones, Li Weiyi found three human corpses that had died not long ago.
“Humans…… great, human corpses……”
Gao Huan had never been so excited to see corpses.
Li Weiyi scanned the surroundings, confirming no traces of animal activity, so it shouldn’t be some fierce beast’s lair, then looked down at the three headless corpses. Their neck wounds were extremely irregular, not like cuts from a sharp weapon.
He crouched down and rummaged in the corpses’ clothes.
From the bosom of the first corpse, he pulled out a palm-sized gray cloth bag that clinked inside; when poured out, it was a handful of round, jade-like…… coins.
His first impression was that they were coins.
This cloth bag, this shape, could only evoke that association.
“Holy crap! Master Li, your mind turns fast.”
Gao Huan hurriedly started searching corpses too.
With money, one can travel under heaven; without it, even landing means starving to death.
He was quick-handed, soon stripping the remaining two headless corpses clean, then moving to the nearby white bones still clothed, his earlier fear gone.
When he turned back after searching over a dozen white bones, he saw Li Weiyi had put on the clothes from one headless corpse and was tying the belt.
“Master Li, what are you doing?” Gao Huan asked in surprise.
Li Weiyi said: “I plan to scout this world! There hasn’t been much danger along the way, you can head back to the bronze ship first to report.”
“Why do I feel like that’s a monk’s robe you’re wearing?” Gao Huan said.
Li Weiyi said: “I think so too! But it’s just like the monk’s robes from our world. Which proper monk doesn’t have prayer beads but carries only coins?”
Gao Huan also changed into a brown robe similar to a monk’s robe, thinking that if they encountered local humans, it might help them blend in.
What if it really was a monk’s robe?
Buddhist practitioners are welcome anywhere.
“I keep feeling something’s off, why are there so many headless corpses and bones here? Who brought them here? We need to leave quickly!” Li Weiyi suddenly sensed danger.
This sense of danger grew stronger and stronger.
As if it was right at hand.
He looked up, and Li Weiyi’s expression changed abruptly, pulling Gao Huan and tiptoeing to leave.
“What’s wrong?” Gao Huan whispered.
“Don’t speak……”
“Not good!”
Li Weiyi looked up again, his pupils contracting sharply.
He immediately hoisted Gao Huan over his shoulder, with spring eyes at the soles of his feet surging wildly, pushing his speed to the limit, fleeing in panic without regard for direction.
Gao Huan had already seen what it was.
It was that thigh-thick vine!
It covered a vast area, blanketing this dense forest. Earlier they thought the fruits on the vine were all watermelon-sized; now those fruits opened oily green eyes, revealing they were human heads.
There were hundreds or thousands of these heads, growing directly on the vine.
Their mouths gaped bowl-wide, revealing sharp, jagged teeth, emitting all sorts of strange cries and laughter—men and women, young and old—flying through the branches and jungle behind, pursuing relentlessly, truly terrifying beyond measure.
