Chapter 508: Jaunt of a Thousand Ghosts (1)
Chapter 508: Jaunt of a Thousand Ghosts (1)
Boom! The glass door shattered. He pulled out a handful of talismans and tossed it into the air casually. At once, the talismans spread out and adhered themselves to the bodies of the investigators like homing devices. Moments later, the investigators soon discovered that… they could actually see properly!
Zhou Xianlong and Mo Changhao took the lead, while the rest of the investigators soon mustered every bit of courage within them and followed suit.
It was almost as though an entourage of the living had entered an immeasurably large morgue the size of a city, or as though they were walking amidst the abysses of Hell. The entire city was dark, and the silence was horrific.
The further they went, the more gulping sounds they heard, and the more they were kept on their toes. Everyone subconsciously tightened their grip around their weapons and artifacts. None dared speak a single word for fear of leaking Yang energy into the surroundings. It was almost as though they were treading a high wire as they went from cliff to cliff. It was almost as though the slightest peep of sound they made would cause the wire to snap and all of them to fall straight into the abyss below.
Lin Han nodded at Su Feng, and then raised his chin slightly to the front - Who’s that? How is he actually suppressing the movements of thousands of ghosts?
Finally, they marched out of the governmental district, and it was right there and then that the cloaked old man suddenly paused and raised his hand.
There was only a single chime.
A moment later, there was suddenly the sound of a soft “click” behind them.
Unfortunately, it didn’t bring any sense of relief at all, because it was lit… with netherflame!
Oooooooo… A ghastly cry resounded throughout the entire city. This wasn’t the voice of a single ghost. Rather, it was the cry of thousands of ghosts all at once, almost as though it were a chorus of wails, moans, laughter and curses alike. Just then, every Yin spirit in sight began to move.
“Shit…” One of the investigators finally couldn’t resist the urge to speak up, “This is exactly the same as our records of how the legendary gates of Hell would open up--…”
It was because countless Yin spirits had turned their heads back to him… and even stopped drifting forward.
Gulp… The investigators subconsciously huddled closer together. Meanwhile, the Yin spirits around them stared menacingly at them with ragged breaths. Their pale faces were stiff and completely devoid of any emotion, and yet… their gazes resembled that of a hungry man staring at food. At once, an electrifying sensation filled the minds of every single investigator in the entourage!
“The contemporary owner of the Sword of the Yellow Emperor humbly greets the Emissaries of Hell.” His cloak was shredded into pieces at once, revealing a fine ancient robe as he boomed with a majestic voice that filled the entire city, “Emissaries of Hell are invisible to all humans weaker than an Abyssal Prefect. Hell hasn’t interfered with the affairs of Man for a century now, yet it has clearly seen it fit to open the gates of Hell on this very night once more. Might I be so bold as to pay my respects to Hell?”
There were only the distant cries of Yin spirits brought over by a frigid stream of nethergale.
“You refuse my request?” He didn’t seem to mind the lack of a response. That said, his robe suddenly drifted up slightly, and he chuckled hoarsely, “Yin and Yang are but two sides of the same coin. We’re facing a multitude of problems here in the mortal realm. Since you’re not willing to come meet me, then I’ll make my way to where you are…”
“Remember to keep your emotions under control. This is the first jaunt of a thousand ghosts in a hundred years, and the gates of Hell are about to open… I won’t be able to help you if you leak too much Yang energy.”
The investigators on the ground, whether Operatives or Hunters, or even Zhou Xianlong and Mo Changhao, couldn’t help but freeze in place as they stared at the stifling darkness ahead.
It was like a bolt out of the blue!
The legendary gates of Hell had finally opened!
The gates of Hell hadn’t opened for a hundred years, and yet, tonight, it was actually opening up right here in Martial City!
Does this mean that… things are going to take a turn for the better from now on?
Zhou Xianlong and Mo Changhao also remained frozen in place. Neither of them had expected such an earth-shattering turn of events to occur off the cuff of the Hungry Ghost Festival. The sound of ragged breaths all around were borne out of excitement at the prospects of what this could potentially mean for them. Zhou Xianlong was the first to react to the situation. He glanced at everyone, and then muttered softly through gritted teeth, “Silence!!”
And they knew it was borne out of the fact that they were able to personally witness this incredible phenomenon for the first time in a hundred years.
Mo Changhao closed his eyes and spoke softly, “Everyone is to comply strictly with Deputy Director Zhou’s commands. All who fail to do so shall be court-martialed!”
“Do you hear me?!”
Instead, they did what they knew best - they saluted to the call of duty with the utmost respect.
“Don’t say a word. Don’t even nod or shake your head. I’ve already told the headquarters to relay information on the Yin energy indicators to us. You’re responsible for getting in contact with Qin Ye tonight. As soon as he responds, notify me immediately!”
Lin Han’s eyes widened.
His phone record has revealed that he was not currently in any service area. He wasn’t home either, but the surveillance cameras in the vicinity didn’t reveal any signs of anyone leaving his apartment either. It was almost as though he had just vanished without a trace.
“There’s no way this can be a mere coincidence. How could it be that a situation involving a powerful Yin spirit would occur wherever he goes? And then, there’s still his rendezvous with the evil ghost, and the appearance of the Abyssal Prefect in Azurewaters City, and now… the jaunt of a thousand ghosts during the Hungry Ghost Festival. It’s too much to be a mere coincidence… it’s simply too much!”
“It’s an ironclad rule that Yin and Yang never coexist.” Zhou Xianlong responded indifferently, “He cannot possibly be an Emissary of Hell. I believe he’s simply a person who knows a little bit more of the truth than others. We won’t kill him, but we must force the truth from his lips. Anything we learn from him would be of great help to the situation in Cathay. In any event, we’re simply carrying out orders. Besides, taking a step back, even if he’s indeed an Emissary of Hell, dealing with him would be something left to the purview of those above us.”
Just then, the canopy of the skies suddenly erupted with a tremendous buzzing noise!
A ring of pitch-black waves rippled through the air like the aftershocks of a nuclear explosion, sweeping across the entire Martial City in an instant. Wherever it passed, the Yin spirits would lay prostrate to the ground and bow towards its direction in reverent worship.
“That’s… the direction of the Lush Garden Acres!” Mo Changhao gasped and rushed over at full speed.
And the Lush Garden Acres was located right at the center of this pillar!