Chapter 1717: Chapter 1748: Ghost Office’s Celestial Patrol, Baihe Boy
Drum sounds?
Li Xiaobai stopped in his tracks and listened attentively, though his Fourth Senior Brother was not by his side, he was quite familiar with The Netherworld.
If there are drum sounds, then there must be drum sounds. However, this section of road is not deep enough, to investigate the drum sounds, one must venture further inside.
“Dong dong!”
“Dong dong!”
The golden chariot beneath glided, and after a few breaths, faint sounds indeed reached his ears, very muffled, with echoes of performance singing amidst the rhythmic beating.
“Senior Brother, this doesn’t seem like ordinary drumming, it seems someone might be singing?”
Li Xiaobai asked.
“Here is The Netherworld, the place controlling life and death in the human realm; there are no humans here, only ghosts and spirits. Your cultivation level is weak; even the gatekeeper soldiers are tough, find a place to hide first, and sneak into Ghost Gate only after the ominous procession leaves!”
Yang Chen said.
Li Xiaobai followed suit, cautiously moving forward, discovering the drum and music sounds growing louder and approaching gradually, quickly seeking a large rock to hide behind.
The surroundings, now, do not seem as dark as when he first descended; the ground is no longer barren soil, but paved with green flagstones, subtly forming a road, with sporadic eerie blue flames on either side, where deceased souls shriek in agony at the wick.
“Drip drap, drip drap…”
A massive shadow loomed, and an orderly procession marched forth with precision, consisting of eleven figures, each donning spectral masks; two played the horn, four wielded long spears, three pallid ghost-faced young men danced, forming a triangular enclosure around the procession, leaving two with bluish ghost faces positioned in the center.
The pace of the procession was brisk; evidently, despite having no audience, they performed energetically, especially the spear wielders and dancers displaying their strength as if exhibiting something, yet Li Xiaobai could see nothing, not even a trace.
“Conceal your aura, and remain silent, this is a ghostly patrol, intimidating demons within and outside the Ghost Gate.”
Yang Chen’s voice arrived in time: “I know what you’re wondering, your Divine Soul isn’t strong enough to see demons. Ghostly patrols frequently traverse between realms to suppress all demons. Their duty is to eliminate ghosts; encountering living humans, they won’t actively attack, but here outside the Ghost Gate, they might still harm you, so caution is advised.”
“What is their cultivation level?”
Li Xiaobai asked within his heart.
“The Netherworld doesn’t discuss cultivation levels; marked ones are doomed, in essence, they’re difficult to deal with.”
Yang Chen’s reply was ambiguous, leading Li Xiaobai to suspect it involved some silenced secret.
On the official road.
The eleven spectral masks halted, began stepping in place. They targeted nothing specifically, merely dancing on their own, yet the next second, harrowing screams echoed from all directions.
The sound made Li Xiaobai’s hair stand on end, goosebumps scattering all around.
These were the demons, erased by the ghostly patrol.
After a full quarter of an hour, the screams finally subsided, the spectral mask procession fiddled with their instruments, continuing down the path.
“Whoa, Senior Brother, these methods in the Netherworld are remarkably eerie; not only can I not see the demons, I completely fail to understand how these specters subdue them.”
Once the procession had gone far, Li Xiaobai leaped out from behind the rock, eyes wide with amazement.
“No one comprehends the matters of the underworld; even one as powerful as Second Senior Sister remains entrapped. Don’t act on your own; follow orders in all actions.”
Yang Chen’s voice resonated in his mind: “The demons along this road are all expelled; it’s safer now, hurry across.”
The Netherworld is thick with Ghost Qi, with underworld demons feeding on it. Thus, the Ghost Gate attracts the most demons, and to maintain the order of The Netherworld untroubled, ghostly patrols constantly cleanse demons, like tireless slaughtering machines.
Li Xiaobai clutched a talisman, the spectral mask procession’s methods were too eerie; if anything feels off later, he’d flee at once.
Following the flagstone road, just as Yang Chen said, there were no further anomalies.
Moreover, the road seemed clearer with every step, compared to the earlier vague and illusory flagstone road, now each texture of the flagstones was distinctly visible, emitting a faint glow.
“Gurgle gurgle…”
The sound of flowing water reached Li Xiaobai’s ears.
The road ahead was cut off.
Replaced by a river, obstructing before him.
On both sides, boats drifted forward along the river, with numerous in number, some figures vaguely visible on each rowboat: one rowing, one sitting cross-legged at the bow, motionless.
Although numerous, none looked his way, all headed towards the opposite riverbank.
“I’m technically at the riverbank, why aren’t any boats coming this way?”
Li Xiaobai grumbled.
“Here lies the ghostly patrol, who dares to approach?”
“Ahead is the River of Forgetfulness; a single drop would erase memory, find a boat to cross.”
In his mind, Yang Chen began to guide.
Li Xiaobai searched for an ideal target, though he felt the River of Forgetfulness should be ineffective against him, uncertain of its true nature, for safety’s sake, he’d secure a boat.
“These small boats could easily capsize with a single splash. A bigger boat is needed.”
Li Xiaobai murmured to himself, his gaze unconsciously locking onto a warship.
Compared to other rowboats, the warship looked like an elephant against ants.
A larger ship was better, plenty of room to hide—he’d remain unnoticed for a while.
“You’re the one!”
Ignoring Yang Chen’s cries in his mind, Li Xiaobai plunged into the water, swimming towards the massive warship.
Passing other boats along the way, he noticed those seated at the bow, at some point, had all turned their heads to stare at him in unison. These appeared human, expressionless, vacant-eyed, silently watching him.
They were deceased souls, coming to The Netherworld for reincarnation.
After a few breaths, Li Xiaobai clambered aboard the warship.
As expected, such a large boat was perfect for concealment; sparsely populated, hitching a free ride unnoticed.
Turning into a cabin, it was empty.
Yang Chen’s annoyed voice sounded in his mind: “Little Junior Brother, you’re usually clever, why act so recklessly? Not to mention your immunity to the River of Forgetfulness; can’t you see something’s wrong with this ship?”
Li Xiaobai replied: “Senior Brother suggested choosing a boat for the ride, naturally opting for a larger one, mainly for convenience.”
Yang Chen: “Among all these rowboats, only this warship is distinct; climbing aboard without knowing who’s in charge, aren’t you afraid of being stuck here eternally?”
Li Xiaobai: “Little Brother is prepared for a quick getaway; as soon as it nears the riverbank, I’m ready to retreat.”
“Cre-eak.”
Before the two could continue their conversation, the cabin door creaked open.
A figure stepped inside, happening to meet Li Xiaobai eye-to-eye; neither spoke as that person glanced at Li Xiaobai before settling cross-legged in a corner of the room.
Li Xiaobai grasped his talisman tightly, watching the person closely; any sudden movements, and he’d flee at once.
The person was thin, clothed in a Vestment robe of golden dazzle, wearing a crest atop his head, a spectral mask painted with a white base and black patterns on his face, eyes shut in repose.
Li Xiaobai didn’t recognize him.
Yet Yang Chen’s voice quivered.
“This is Baihe Boy!”
“Little Junior Brother, you’ve boarded the King of Underworld’s ship!”