Landing Ashore

The sword light tore through the Nether Mist, burning a flaming gash through it.

The sword tip reached the Humanoid Ghost Shadow's head.

With a shrill scream, the Humanoid Ghost Shadow, the camel, and the Ghost Flag all plummeted toward the sea below.

Li Weiyi grabbed the rope dangling in midair, only then realizing that he was already twenty to thirty meters from the rail above. A wave of lingering fear washed over him.

Splash!

The Humanoid Ghost Shadow hit the sea, but the Evil Camel Bell carrying it struck the water first, throwing up a great spray.

A moment later, it burst from the water, riding the camel across the densely packed Floating Coffins toward the direction in which the red-clad Qi Shanshan had vanished.

A dry, hoarse voice drifted back. "The ship is a trap. The secluded realm has arrived, and the road to life lies right before your eyes. If you have the guts, why not follow and see?"

"This ghostly creature really is hard to kill."

Li Weiyi knew perfectly well that it was trying to lure him off the ship. It still coveted the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish.

But the Humanoid Ghost Shadow was right.

Remaining aboard was not merely a trap—it was a dead end.

Even though they had been extremely frugal with their food and water, what remained would only last them a few more days.

"The White Bone Demon and that camel-bell ghostly creature could not have left the ship for no reason. There must be a reason. Before their deaths, they were most likely living beings of this land."

"Since the Bronze Ship has stopped for now, I'll scout ahead. If there is land and no danger, everyone can disembark together then. Within five days, no matter the outcome, I will return. If we die, we die together. If we live, we live together."

Worried about the people aboard, Li Weiyi had his senior brother remain behind to take charge. He alone, accompanied by Gao Huan, climbed down the rope to the sea and landed on an island of tightly clustered Floating Coffins.

He had brought Gao Huan for two reasons. First, Gao Huan had drunk Golden Crow Blood, so his physical constitution was formidable.

Second, Li Weiyi was not merely searching for land on this trip—he was going to save Cai Yutong. He knew the White Bone Demon had done it deliberately, but how could he possibly not go?

If they found land but he still had to pursue the White Bone Demon, someone would have to return to the Bronze Ship first to deliver word.

Li Weiyi followed the lingering aura of the White Bone Demon and the camel-bell ghostly creature, racing across the Floating Coffins upon the sea. The road ahead was unpredictable, but at last, he felt the solid ground beneath his feet.

The Bronze Ship behind them blurred within the dark mist.

Before long, it vanished entirely.

At the stern of the Bronze Ship.

The thirty-foot bronze door engraved with "Myriad Homes' Lanterns" and "River of the Underworld Stars" was suddenly blown open by a gust of wind. From the Giant Sword inside, dense streaks of light flew out and condensed into two figures.

One of the figures gazed into the distance, as though able to see through the boundless dark mist, and murmured, "We've arrived?"

"If the Bronze Ship sets sail again, we'll be abandoned in this strange Sea of Blood, left with nothing but the dead things in the coffins for company."

Having left his comfort zone, Gao Huan's heart hung in midair, uneasy and unsettled. He quickly added, "Forget it. We wouldn't have many days left even if we stayed aboard. Tathagata Buddha, Goddess Guanyin, Jade Emperor... all you immortals and deities, bless us and let us find a path to life."

Li Weiyi noticed something. He crouched down and touched a fresh drop of blood on a coffin with his finger.

Gao Huan asked, "Whose blood is it?"

"Senior Sister Cai's."

"Did she kill Dr. Cai?"

"No. She deliberately left this drop of blood to guide me," Li Weiyi said.

"There must be something on you that she desperately needs. If we follow her like this, won't we be walking straight into her trap?"

"Then we'll catch up as quickly as possible and give her no chance to set one."

What worried Li Weiyi more was the White Bone Demon joining forces with the camel-bell ghostly creature. After all, the two fiends wanted different things and could each take what they needed.

Perhaps that was why the camel-bell ghostly creature had gone after the White Bone Demon.

They pursued for an entire day, yet the Floating Coffins beneath their feet seemed endless.

The two stopped briefly to rest. They were both starving, but they could only endure it; the food they carried was extremely limited.

Li Weiyi's gaze narrowed as he stared at the top of Gao Huan's head. "Don't move."

Gao Huan tensed up and did not dare budge. In a trembling voice, he asked, "What is it?"

Li Weiyi reached out and plucked a withered leaf that had just fallen into Gao Huan's hair. Then he looked up into the mist.

"What are you holding? A leaf!" Gao Huan said.

A powerful, icy wind suddenly swept over them, making the coffins beneath their feet rock with the waves.

The dark mist was blown apart considerably.

The two men, who had been sitting on the ground, slowly rose to their feet. Their eyes widened as they stared ahead, their spirits soaring to the peak in an instant.

A vast, black mountain range emerged, stretching endlessly upward, its summit nowhere in sight.

That was because they were now practically at its foot.

Ancient trees like old locust trees grew along the nearby shore, their branches sprawling thickly and densely, impenetrable as a wall. Their trunks were as thick as millstones, and their powerful roots plunged into the water, displaying a life force that had endured for hundreds or thousands of years.

Thigh-thick giant vines wound through the branches and leaves of many ancient trees, covered in fruits the size of watermelons.

Along the water beneath the trees lay swathes of shrubs and cattails.

Clang! Clang!

A bronze bell mottled with green rust flew from the water behind them.

In an instant, the bell rang furiously.

Black Nether Mist surged wildly from the bell, enveloping the camel, the Humanoid Ghost Shadow, and the Ghost Flag as they charged straight at Li Weiyi.

"You still dare to launch a sneak attack?"

Li Weiyi had remained vigilant all along. Almost the instant the bronze bell burst from the water, he had already turned around.

As the sword hilt slammed into the Black Iron Seal, two streams of hot and cold energy poured into it.

Boom!

Thunder resounded across the bay.

Brilliant lightning shot forth, striking the camel-riding Humanoid Ghost Shadow within the black Nether Mist dead center and blasting a transparent hole through its chest.

The Humanoid Ghost Shadow screamed and flew off the camel's back.

After suffering repeated injuries, its combat strength had fallen sharply.

It had thought that upon seeing land, Li Weiyi would lower his guard, making this the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack. Who could have imagined that this brat seemed to have anticipated its ambush here? His reaction speed was simply too fast.

Gao Huan hurried toward the shore, unwilling to become Li Weiyi's burden.

On the other side, Li Weiyi pressed his advantage, giving the Humanoid Ghost Shadow no opportunity to flee back into the camel bell.

After three strikes.

Bang!

The Yellow Dragon Sword severed the Ghost Flag's pole and sliced the Humanoid Ghost Shadow diagonally into two.

The soul mist around the Humanoid Ghost Shadow rapidly dispersed. It cried out in utter terror, "No... no... I already returned to the secluded realm... How can I die here? I refuse to accept this... This king refuses to accept this..."

Another sword strike followed, scattering its soul completely.

Li Weiyi vigilantly scanned the surroundings. Only after confirming that the White Bone Demon was not nearby did he pick up the camel bell that had fallen onto a Floating Coffin and try giving it a gentle shake.

At once, wild winds howled.

Whoosh—

The three- to four-meter-tall, half-illusory, half-corporeal camel mount was drawn back into the bell.

"It went in just like that?"

Li Weiyi shook it twice more.

As the bell rang, he felt distracting thoughts multiplying in his mind, while negative emotions surged like raging tides.

He hurriedly stopped.

This Evil Camel Bell was far too sinister. It was absolutely an inauspicious object.

Yet it seemed capable of storing physical objects as well, which was extraordinary. That severed Ghost Flag was a physical object.

Li Weiyi tore down the Ghost Flag and wrapped the Evil Camel Bell tightly in it, not wanting it to continue ringing.

"Gao Huan... Gao Fish Soup..."

He called twice but received no response.

Li Weiyi hurried ashore, passed through the cattails, and entered the dark forest.

Before long, he saw Gao Huan slumped on the ground.

"What are you doing? I called you. Why aren't you answering?" Li Weiyi gripped his sword hilt and cautiously approached.

Gao Huan finally seemed to catch his breath. He let out a long exhale. "Fuck! You scared me to death! They're all skeletons, and none of them have heads."

Li Weiyi walked over and saw the scene in the forest clearly. Even he felt a chill crawl down his spine.

The ground was covered in densely packed human bones, every single skeleton headless.

Gao Huan climbed to his feet and forced himself to sound calm. "Why do I feel that land is even scarier than the ship? Tell me, have we really arrived in the Underworld? Could this whole world be filled with departed spirits like the White Bone Demon and the camel-bell ghostly creature?"

"No. Look over there."

Among the spread of white bones, Li Weiyi found three human corpses that had died not long ago.

"Humans... Wonderful, human corpses..."

Never before had Gao Huan been so thrilled to see corpses.

Li Weiyi inspected the surroundings and confirmed there were no traces of animal activity. This did not seem to be the den of some ferocious beast. Only then did he look down at the three Decapitated Corpses. The breaks at their necks were extremely irregular, unlike wounds made by a sharp weapon.

He crouched down and searched through the corpses' clothing.

From the first corpse's chest, he pulled out a palm-sized gray cloth pouch. It rattled when shaken. After pouring its contents out, he found a handful of round, jade-like... coins.

His first impression was that they were currency.

Given the pouch and its form, he could think of nothing else.

"Damn! Master Li, your brain really turns fast."

Gao Huan hurriedly began searching the corpses as well.

With money, one could travel the world. Without it, even after reaching land, they would starve to death.

His hands moved quickly. He soon stripped the remaining two Decapitated Corpses of everything useful, then immediately began searching the nearby white bones that still wore clothing. His earlier fear was nowhere to be seen.

After searching more than a dozen skeletons, Gao Huan turned back and discovered that Li Weiyi had actually put on the clothes of a Decapitated Corpse and was tying the belt.

"Master Li, what are you doing?" Gao Huan asked in surprise.

"I plan to explore this world. We haven't encountered any danger along the way, so you can return to the Bronze Ship first and report back."

"Why do I feel like that is a Monk's Robe?" Gao Huan asked.

"I think so too. But it only resembles the Monk's Robes from our world. What proper monk has no Prayer Beads on him, but carries nothing except money?"

Gao Huan also changed into a brown robe resembling a Monk's Robe. He felt that if they encountered the native humans here, they might be able to bluff their way through.

What if it really was a Monk's Robe?

Followers of Buddha could make a living anywhere.

"I keep feeling that something is wrong. Why are there so many headless corpses and bones here? Who brought them here? We need to leave quickly!" A sense of danger suddenly arose within Li Weiyi.

That sense of danger grew stronger and stronger.

As though it were right at hand.

Li Weiyi looked up once, and his expression changed drastically. He grabbed Gao Huan and tried to leave quietly.

"What is it?" Gao Huan lowered his voice.

"Don't speak..."

"This is bad!"

Li Weiyi looked up again, his pupils suddenly constricting.

Then he slung Gao Huan over his shoulder. The springs in the soles of his feet surged wildly, driving his speed to its utmost limit as he fled in blind panic.

Gao Huan had already seen what it was.

It was that thigh-thick vine!

It covered an enormous area, shrouding the entire forest. Earlier, they had thought the vine was hung with watermelon-sized fruits. But when those fruits opened their green, gleaming eyes, they realized they were heads.

There were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of those heads, all growing directly from the vine.

Their mouths opened wide as bowls, revealing sharp, gleaming teeth. They uttered every manner of strange shriek and eerie laughter—men and women, young and old—as they flew through the branches and foliage behind them in relentless pursuit. It was terrifying beyond measure.