“Huh?”

Hu Ma was a little baffled by all the commotion. “What Great Belly Ghost King?”

“I haven’t even started yet, and you’re all running away?”

Truth be told, he knew his own abilities. Shousui Ren (Tomb Watchers) cultivated their divine souls. Anyone who entered the Yin territory, especially someone like him who had opened three Yin Gates, could condense their Dharma Image, making them a formidable figure even among Ghost Kings.

But after all, he was one against many. Facing the surrounding menacing ghosts, it didn’t seem like he had an overwhelming advantage. Why were they so scared?

Feeling strange, he subconsciously wanted to ask what was going on, but as soon as he moved, the scattered evil ghosts became even more terrified. They scattered like chickens and dogs, crying for their grandfathers and grandmothers. Hu Ma’s Dharma Image was huge, and he hadn’t yet adapted to this world. In the Yang world, his Dharma Image was just a phantom, relying on his physical body to support it.

But here, it seemed real. Although he felt incredibly strong, moving was difficult.

After chasing a few steps without catching up, he desperately reached out with both hands and finally grabbed a slow-running ghost, lifting it up to his face.

He opened his bloody mouth and roared, “Why are you running? What is this about a Great Belly Ghost King?”

“Heavenly Master, Grandpa, spare me, spare me…”

The ghost he had caught, dressed as an actor, trembled in his hand and screamed desperately.

Seeing the bloody mouth getting closer and closer, he let out a miserable cry. His ghost body collapsed, and his entire ghost shadow suddenly melted in Hu Ma’s hand.

“Oh…”

A ghost shadow that was running away in the distance mustered the courage to look back and was even more terrified. “Chang Da Jun (Singing and Fighting Lord) has been eaten…”

This shout amplified the already chaotic and terrifying atmosphere tenfold. Whirlwinds of Yin energy rolled around, and countless ghost shadows wandered about. It was as if he had stirred up a hornet’s nest. Ghost shadows flew and scurried everywhere, with mournful wails echoing endlessly, centered on this area, trembling like an electric shock, spreading in all directions.

Hu Ma was genuinely surprised and felt that condensing his Dharma Image was consuming a lot of his daoxing (cultivation). The surrounding cries of ghosts made his head throb.

He felt an uncontrollable desire to swallow them all in one gulp.

But just as the sky darkened and the evil in his heart grew, he saw a golden light falling from afar, accompanied by a voice:

“Brother, don’t panic, I’m here to help…”

“…”

As the golden light fell, the surrounding dark clouds dissipated in an instant, and the sounds of ghostly wails were suppressed. It was as if the Yin realm had suddenly become sunny and bright.

Hu Ma took this opportunity to calm his mind and hurriedly withdrew his Dharma Image, to avoid wasting too much daoxing (cultivation).

Looking up, he saw Brother Erguotou slowly descending from the misty Yin fog.

He had a talisman stuck on his body, emitting a bright light, which was the source of the golden light, dispelling the surrounding black mist. He looked like a golden lantern walking in the Yin realm…

…No wonder the evil spirits he kept were all red lanterns!

…He himself was a lantern!

“Whoosh!”

Erguotou landed in front of him, and with a wave of his sleeve, a golden light enveloped Hu Ma. His expression was somewhat reproachful. “Brother, you’re too careless.”

“Luckily, I was thinking about you and hurried down to find you, or else you would have stumbled into trouble alone?”

“The Yin realm is not like the Yang world. It is full of dangers. Even those who have crossed the bridge, can lose their bones here with a single misstep…”

“…”

“Yes, yes…”

Hu Ma could only agree, but he felt a little strange in his heart. ‘Wasn’t I the one in danger just now?’

Thinking of the dispersed and fleeing Yin souls, he actually felt a sense of regret, as if he had a desire to swallow them all…

The strangeness in his heart had reached its peak. After calming himself down a little, he was anxious to ask, “Shousui Ren (Tomb Watchers) in the Yin realm…”

“Did you forget what I told you above?”

Erguotou raised his hand to stop him and said, “This is your first time down here. You must have many questions, but we’ll talk about them in detail when we get back up.”

“A living person's spirit and life are both in danger here.”

“…”

Hu Ma listened and had no choice but to shut his mouth.

He really needed to sort things out and understand the situation first.

Erguotou, while speaking, took out an intricate compass from his sleeve, with the characters of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches on it.

But he flipped the compass over, and on the back, there was also a detailed and complex arrangement, with faint and strange characters rotating along with it.

It was the treasure passed down from the Lao Zou Gui (Old Ghost Runner) lineage, the Yin Yang Er Jing Pan (Yin Yang Two Realms Plate) that could measure the Yin and Yang landscapes of the human world and the Yin realm.

Erguotou was very skilled, looking around in all directions, and then he had a good idea and said in one direction, “We can’t stay here for long, let’s go quickly!”

“Let’s go there!”

“…”

Seeing his own treasure so useful in his hands, Hu Ma felt a slight envy.

But he comforted himself, it wasn't bad to let him keep it for now, anyway, even if he took it back, he wouldn't know how to use it…

After determining the direction, Erguotou tore off the chain around his body and took out a handful of yellow paper, scattering it into the air with a rustling sound.

A road paved with yellow paper appeared under their feet. Erguotou smiled and motioned for Hu Ma to follow, walking forward along the road.

The surrounding Yin mist seemed to be able to cover everything, but it couldn’t cover the road made of yellow paper.

And in the mist, there were occasional eerie sounds, or low crying, and shadows seemed to want to crawl out of the Yin mist and onto the paper road.

“We have something to do, so don’t come and make trouble…”

Erguotou occasionally grabbed a handful of gold and silver paper money and scattered it along the way, attracting the surrounding Yin souls to rush and snatch it, so they couldn’t bother to climb onto the yellow paper road anymore.

“These Yin souls have sensed the aura of living people and want to follow us back to the Yang world. Scattering some paper money will send them away.”

While scattering the paper money, he explained to Hu Ma, “The Yin realm is dangerous, but you don’t have to be afraid if you’re with me. I used to come down here often.”

Yes, yes, yes…

Hu Ma finally understood where his previous surprise came from.

When it came to the skills of walking the ghost path, Brother Erguotou was even more authentic than himself, the Zou Gui (Ghost Runner) family head…

He was so old, and it was his first time down to the Yin realm, and in his physical body. But the other party had not only been down many times, but even found the treasure vault of the Hu family in the Yin realm…

It felt strange?

The two of them walked forward along the road paved with yellow paper, and felt that the various scenery around them quickly receded. There were mountains and forests, and even some places similar to villages and palaces, but they were all in the Yin mist, so they couldn’t see them clearly, until they suddenly heard the sound of rushing water in front of them. After walking a few more steps, they saw that the road paved with yellow paper suddenly ended in front of them.

A wide, boundless river, with dark and gloomy water, suddenly lay in front of them, blocking the way.

In the river water, huge shadows occasionally wandered, and from time to time, they could see figures struggling painfully on the surface of the river.

Facing the rolling baleful aura on the river, Hu Ma was slightly on guard, but Erguotou looked like he was used to it. He raised his hand and took out a paper bridge from his sleeve, and with a shake of his hand, the paper bridge actually burned, burning to ashes in an instant.

And the next moment, a solid and exquisite bridge had already appeared under his feet, directly across to the other side of the river.

Erguotou walked directly up to it, and Hu Ma followed, but as soon as he stepped on it, cracks appeared on the bridge. Erguotou hurriedly turned back and warned, “I almost forgot that you came down in your physical body. Be careful. Although the things burned over from the Yang world are real here, they are only based on the strength of one's belief. You Shousui Ren (Tomb Watchers) are heavy, and if you’re not careful, you’ll collapse my bridge…”

“…”

“…”

Hu Ma could only walk carefully on the bridge, using the Shousui Ren's (Tomb Watchers') lightness skill. Although he knew it would consume yangqi (vital energy), he couldn’t help but ask:

“If the things burned over by living people are all real, wouldn’t it be easy to become king if their descendants burned over an army?”

“…”

“What are you thinking about?”

Erguotou laughed and said, “Although the things burned over from the Yang world are useful here, the key is not what is burned, but the sincerity of the heart.”

“The more sincere the people above burn, the more solid the burning will be…”

“In addition, there are also high-rise buildings, fine steeds, clothes, jewelry, and by the way, those paper figures…”

“…”

While talking, he shook his head, with lingering interest, “Tsk, just like the real thing…”

“Fuck…”

Hu Ma was stunned by these words, and thought to himself, “How are you so familiar with this? Have you tried it before?”

During this conversation, the two crossed the river and continued forward.

With a great expert like Erguotou leading the way, and with the Yin Yang Er Jing Pan (Yin Yang Two Realms Plate) guiding them, the Yin realm, which should have been extremely dangerous, became like a walking tour. Hu Ma felt that he had greatly broadened his knowledge.

The Yin realm had no sun or moon, so it was difficult to tell the time. He only felt that after crossing the river, they climbed mountains, passed through misty and gloomy valleys, White Bone Slope, and numerous ghost halls.

Just when Hu Ma’s four pillars of daoxing (cultivation) had gradually been consumed and only three incomplete pillars remained, a rolling baleful aura suddenly surged from ahead.

It was so cold that it cut the face, making people feel frightened. The mournful cries made people instinctively feel shocked. Especially for Hu Ma, it seemed that the baleful aura was even fiercer than the Five Fiends.

And Erguotou also stopped and whispered, “Brother, as promised, the next stop is the Wang Si City (City of the Unjustly Dead)…”