Chapter 701: Mountain of Ghosts (1)

All of his previous thoughts of what to expect had gone completely out the window as soon as he saw Qin Ye. The terrifying Yin energy almost akin to the ominous clouds in the sky caused his heart to palpitate wildly. In that moment, he immediately realized that Walkers and Emissaries of Hell were existences that were practically worlds apart.

Qin Ye continued, “I’m also just a civil servant of Hell. You can think of Hell as a form of government, and not a gathering of evil ghosts and spirits. Your consternation arises from the simple fact that you haven’t been exposed to many Emissaries of Hell. Once you get used to us, you’ll come to realize that we’re just as normal as it gets.”

Tsk… The entire journey from Yan Capital to Chonggu County of Kalgan City spans 240 kilometers from end to end. That’s several hours of driving. We can’t be having such a tense atmosphere between us all this while. My interaction with the living shouldn’t be as serious and tense as the parade commander’s inspection of a parade…

“No…” Cheng Jianfeng gulped nervously and explained, “I’m from a neighbourhood located right next to that…”

Chen Jianfeng slowly eased up as he began to look back into his memories of the past, “My parents died early, and I was subsequently diagnosed with leukemia. There was no way to be cured, and I was just wandering around aimlessly, waiting for death to come knocking on my door. During a spontaneous journey to the Yan Capital, I paid my respects to an idol of the Lord of a Land. Then, when I finally returned home, the Lord of the Land actually came knocking on my door, offering me the opportunity to become a Walker!”

“There is.” Cheng Jianfeng responded, “Over the last few years, they’ve begun to erect high-voltage fences around certain parts of the Yin Mountains. Furthermore, we’ve been seeing a rise in the number of residents in the neighbourhood nearby. I can sense that those who have come in recent times are mostly people who possess some level of cultivation.”

Qin Ye nodded softly. They had successfully broken the ice, and the conversations flowed far more smoothly than before. After three hours, they finally arrived at the toll gate leading into Chonggu County.

Yet there was a roadblock formed by an entire row of armed forces located right in front of the toll gates!

Qin Ye paused at once. He’d seen something like this before.

The situation within the City of Salvation back then could hardly be considered bad compared to some of the other parts of Cathay, and yet Qin Ye had eventually discovered the existence of one of the divine beasts of Hell within. To think that he would see the very same sight located right around Chonggu County…

“Something must have happened…” Qin Ye leaned back into his seat and stared straight ahead, “It’s not a trivial matter, and they’ve not been able to find a solution for it. Drive on ahead, and head straight in. Don’t worry, they won’t be able to see me.”

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Qin Ye had just entered his Hell’s Emissary state, and he shut his eyes softly. When he opened his eyes once more, his pupils had already inverted in colour. The first thing that he did was to turn his gaze right onto Chonggu County that lay behind the toll gates.

Countless dark clouds were swirling madly about in the sky, forming a massive cave of jet-black clouds. These were obviously ghastly clouds, but for some strange reason, they could also make out beams of golden light peeking through the clouds in a lofty and magnificent fashion.

“Ghost King Zhao is nearby.” The Harken licked his lips and swept its gaze across the surroundings, “His Yin energy is vacillating between sanity and insanity. Yin energy is flowing out of his body in an almost-uninhibited fashion, but he’s barely holding on. If we don’t find him quickly and jolt him back to his senses, then I’m afraid that… we might see the emergence of the most terrifying Yin Spirit in the mortal realm yet!”

Qin Ye stared at clouds churning along the canopy of the skies. Despite being so far away right now, he could still sense the intense struggle flowing through the Yin energy in the sky. It was clear that Zhao Yun was barely holding on. And as soon as he fails, then… there is no doubt that the world would devolve into chaos.

What could possibly make a Ghost King’s soul go out of control?

He didn’t want to ask the mortal realm for any more favours than he had to. Furthermore, he would sooner ingratiate the mortal realm to Hell so as to gain himself more bargaining chips for the negotiations ahead of them. Naturally, he was most willing to resolve the more pressing issues faced by the mortal realm for them.

No Yin energy might have been detected by the mortal realm, but it was clear that the Special Investigations Department had acted on sheer instincts right now, because they had pulled out all the stops for Chonggu County’s defenses.

The supernatural perimeter was operating in full force!

They could tell at a glance that the iron cauldron dated back to the Spring and Autumn Period , and the carvings etched on the cauldron were ancient and majestic. Meanwhile, the swirling clouds would pulse with waves of soft golden glows from time to time, almost as though something was desperately trying to break through the dense clouds of the skies and emerge from the seemingly boundless purgatory of death. Unfortunately, it was feeble at best.

In fact, the dark clouds in the sky appeared almost like an inverted bowl, covering the ground like the lord of a domain, and causing the Yin spirits of the land to wail and moan as they endlessly rose into the skies like wisps of Yin energy, before transforming into runic symbols that dazzled like the stars in the dark night skies.

Qin Ye gasped, “Is Brother Zhao looking to die?”

Qin Ye bit down onto his lips and gazed into the distance, “You mentioned earlier that destruction will occur when this formation array is completed? How long will it take to reach completion?”

Qin Ye heaved a long sigh of relief. And then, he turned to instruct Cheng Jianfeng to charge full speed ahead towards the Yin Mountains, regardless of the speed limit.

“He’s speeding.” “This is a local car. But doesn’t this road… lead directly to the restricted zone?” “Should we intercept it? Is there a cultivator located nearby?” “Should we inform the branch chief?”

“Yes!”

The Yin Mountains lay right beyond the iron gate.

Yet, the car didn’t show any signs of stopping.

“Warning, warning. This is a military restricted zone. Trespassers enter at their own risk.” “Warning, warning…” As soon as the car entered the arbitrary line of 1,000 meters from the iron gate, the speakers blared with alarms at the same time, and the soldiers raised their rifles. Cheng Jianfeng felt his scalp go numb at the sight. He’d never expected Hell to instruct him to do something as defiant as this!

Vroom! Cheng Jianfeng floored the gas pedal, and the car hurtled straight through the 500 meter mark. Right then, the alarms suddenly stopped.

It was a stern warning. At once, the soldiers standing right in front of the iron gates cocked their rifles.

1. That’s 770-476 BC.