Clatter, clatter, bang!
Several hundred zhang away, the young man and the others in the caravan watched helplessly as the city gates closed. The forbidden array activated on its own, while the black-scaled horses instinctively slowed before the hidden murderous formation, gradually coming to a halt.
Their hope, joy, and excitement froze on their faces in an instant. Their eyes held indescribable despair and pain. No amount of numbness could conceal the emotional upheaval caused by this reversal.
Wuuu!
Demonic music suddenly came from behind them, sounding like wolves howling and mourners sobbing. Each cry was heavier than the last, one after another, shaking the heavens. There seemed to be no end to it.
The young man turned instinctively toward the horizon. In the hazy dawn, dark clouds and black mist danced together, covering nearly half the sky.
Countless specks of smoke seemed to fill it, but as they drifted within a hundred li, the young man and the rest of the caravan could finally see them clearly. They were enormous evil demons and Yin ghosts: some had blood-red eyes that seized the soul, some stuck out tongues dangling over their chests, some had swollen bellies that hid their heads and feet, some were masses of rotting flesh studded with tangled limbs, some were naked, their breasts as large as withered sacks, and some had twin wings growing from their backs that seemed capable of carrying an entire lake.
Below them ran the densely packed armies of the Nine Abysses. Some had dragon heads and horse bodies, spewing black flames. Some had Three Heads Six Arms, their whole bodies blue-black. Some bodies were like smoke, flickering in and out of existence. Some mouths gaped wide, revealing fangs hung with strands of flesh and traces of blood.
At a glance, they