Black Snake stopped, his enormous body hovering three feet above the ground, neither advancing nor retreating.
The fine bone spurs along his spine rose. His tail swayed gently, like an oar stroking through water, keeping his body steady in midair as he slowly undulated and coiled in place. He raised his head and looked down, an invisible pressure spreading ahead of him like an unseen wall, blocking the mountain road tight.
The ghosts surging up the mountain seemed to strike some obstruction and stopped all at once. The souls at the front staggered backward while those behind crashed into them, squeezing them into a mass. Those at the very back had no idea what had happened ahead and kept surging forward, shoving and jostling in utter chaos.
Black Snake hovered silently, watching the tide of ghosts with cold eyes.
They were already muddleheaded things. Dead for who knew how many years, their thoughts had long since been worn away by time, leaving only the instincts to seek safety, avoid danger, and kill.
Now they knew the great snake ahead was dangerous.
But those behind kept pushing, squeezing them forward little by little. They dared not advance and had no way to retreat, so they could only hold their ground, uttering muddled, low whimpers and wails. Only a handful of powerful ghosts retained their clarity. They could think, and knew they had to weigh the situation.
Their gazes remained fixed on the enormous creature hovering in midair, their eyes flickering between light and darkness.
Amid the restless ghosts, a giant ghost thirty feet tall trampled over the others and strode brutally to the front.
The souls blocking its path were crushed beneath its huge feet, scattering with shrieks. Some were trodden into the mud and could not crawl out for a