Chapter 27: Landing

Sword light cut through the nether mist, causing it to burn a fiery rift. The sword's edge reached the top of the humanoid ghost's head. Accompanied by a shrill scream, the humanoid ghost, along with its camel and the ghost flag, plummeted towards the sea below. Li Weiyi grabbed the rope dangling in mid-air, only then realizing he was already twenty to thirty meters from the ship's bulwark above. A shiver of fear ran through him.

With a splash! The humanoid ghost fell onto the sea, its ominous camel bell, which carried it, hitting the water first and splashing a large amount of spray. Moments later, it burst out of the water, riding the camel, its hooves treading on the dense floating coffins, heading in the direction where Qi Shanshan in red had disappeared. A dry, hoarse voice echoed back: "The ship is a trap. The nether realm has arrived, and a path to survival is right before you. If you dare, why not follow and see?"

"This ghost is truly hard to destroy," Li Weiyi murmured. He knew very well that the entity was trying to lure him off the ship, still coveting the Dao Ancestor's Taiji Fish. But the humanoid ghost was right. Staying on the ship was not just a predicament, but a death trap. Even though they had been very frugal with food and water, what remained would only last for a few more days.

"The Bone Demon and the Camel Bell Ghost wouldn't disembark without a reason. There must be a cause. In their lifetime, they were likely beings from this area," Li Weiyi thought. "Since the bronze warship has temporarily stopped, I will go ahead and scout. If there's land and no danger, everyone can disembark then. I will definitely return within five days, no matter the outcome. If we die, we die together; if we live, we live together." Li Weiyi was worried about the people on the ship, so he asked his senior brother to stay and oversee the situation. He and Gao Huan alone descended the rope to the sea surface, landing on an island made of closely packed floating coffins.

He brought Gao Huan for two reasons. First, Gao Huan had drunk the Golden Crow's blood, making his physical constitution very strong. Second, Li Weiyi's journey was not just to find land, but also to rescue Cai Yutong. Even though he knew the Bone Demon's actions were deliberate, how could he not go? If they found land but then had to track the Bone Demon, someone would need to return to the bronze warship to report back.

Li Weiyi closely pursued the lingering aura of the Bone Demon and the Camel Bell Ghost, moving swiftly across the floating coffins on the sea. Although the path ahead was unpredictable, he finally felt a sense of solid ground beneath his feet. Behind them, the bronze warship became blurry in the eerie mist. Soon, it completely vanished.

At the stern of the bronze warship, the three-zhang bronze door, embossed with "Myriad Homes' Lights" and "River of the Underworld Stars," suddenly blew open in a gust of wind. From the giant sword inside the door, countless light traces flew out, coalescing into two figures. One of the figures gazed into the distance, as if able to see through the vast, gloomy mist, muttering to himself, "Are we here?"

Having left their comfort zone, Gao Huan felt uneasy and anxious. He quickly added, "Never mind. Staying on the ship wouldn't give us many more days anyway. What if the bronze warship sets sail again? We'll be abandoned in this bizarre sea of blood, only able to keep company with the dead within the coffins. May Amitabha Buddha, Guan Yin Bodhisattva, the Jade Emperor… and all other deities bless us to find a way out." Li Weiyi noticed something. He knelt down and touched a drop of fresh blood on a coffin with his finger. Gao Huan asked, "Whose blood is it?" "Senior Sister Cai's."

Gao Huan asked, "Did she kill Doctor Cai?" "No! She deliberately left this drop of blood to guide me," Li Weiyi replied. Gao Huan said, "You must have something she desperately needs. Will we fall into her trap by following her like this?" "Then let's catch up as quickly as possible, to deny her the chance to set a trap."

Li Weiyi was more concerned about the Bone Demon and the Camel Bell Ghost joining forces. After all, the two fiends needed different things and could easily get what they wanted. The reason the Camel Bell Ghost pursued the Bone Demon might lie in this. They chased for an entire day, and the floating coffins beneath their feet seemed endless. The two stopped to rest briefly, their stomachs aching with hunger, but they had to endure it, as the food they carried was very limited.

Li Weiyi's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the top of Gao Huan's head. "Don't move," he said. Gao Huan tensed up, daring not to stir, and asked with a trembling voice, "What's wrong?" Li Weiyi reached out and plucked a withered leaf that had just fallen onto Gao Huan's hair. Then, he looked up into the mist. "What's in your hand? A leaf!" Gao Huan exclaimed.

Suddenly, a strong, cold wind swept through, making the coffins beneath their feet sway with the waves. Much of the gloomy mist was dispersed. The two, who had been sitting on the ground, slowly stood up, their eyes wide as they gazed forward, their spirits instantly soaring to their peak. A massive, dark mountain range appeared, stretching upwards endlessly, its peak hidden from view. This was because their current position was almost at the foot of the mountain.

Ancient trees, resembling old locusts, grew on the nearby shore. Their branches were spread out but densely intertwined, making them impenetrable. Their trunks were as thick as millstones, and their powerful roots stretched into the water, demonstrating centuries of vigorous life. Giant vines, as thick as a man's thigh, coiled among the branches and leaves of several ancient trees, laden with watermelon-sized fruits. By the water's edge beneath the trees, there were extensive patches of shrubs and cattails.

"Clang, clang!" A green-patinated bronze bell flew out of the water behind them. Instantly, the bell rang loudly. Black nether mist surged violently from the bell, enveloping the camel, the humanoid ghost, and the ghost flag, heading directly to attack Li Weiyi.

"Still daring to sneak attack?" Li Weiyi retorted. He had been on guard. The moment the bronze bell flew out of the water, he had already turned. As his sword hilt struck the black iron seal, both cold and hot streams of energy surged into it. "Boom!" Thunder echoed through the bay. A bright bolt of lightning shot out, striking the camel-riding humanoid ghost within the black nether mist, piercing a transparent hole through its chest. The humanoid ghost shrieked and fell off the camel's back. It had been repeatedly injured, and its combat power had severely declined. It had thought that Li Weiyi would lower his guard upon seeing land, presenting a perfect opportunity for a sneak attack. It never imagined that this young man seemed to have anticipated its ambush, reacting with incredible speed.

Gao Huan quickly fled towards the shore, not wanting to be a burden to Li Weiyi. Meanwhile, Li Weiyi pressed his advantage, giving the humanoid ghost no chance to escape back into the camel bell. After three more sword strikes, "Thwack!" The Yellow Dragon Sword severed the ghost flag's pole and diagonally cut the humanoid ghost in half.

The soul mist around the humanoid ghost rapidly dissipated. In extreme terror, it cried, "No... no... I'd already returned to the nether realm... How can I die here? I won't accept this... This King won't accept this..." With another sword strike, its soul was completely scattered. Li Weiyi cautiously scanned his surroundings, ensuring the Bone Demon was not nearby, before picking up the camel bell that had fallen onto a floating coffin and giving it a gentle shake.

Immediately, a strong wind surged. "Whoosh—" The three-to-four-meter tall, semi-illusory, semi-solid camel mount was drawn back into the bell. "It just went in?" Li Weiyi shook it twice more. As the bell rang, he felt his mind fill with distracting thoughts and surging negative emotions. He quickly stopped. This ominous camel bell was too sinister, definitely an ill omen. But its ability to absorb physical objects was truly extraordinary. The severed ghost flag was a physical object, for instance.

Li Weiyi tore off the ghost flag and tightly wrapped it around the ominous camel bell, wanting to prevent it from ringing further. "Gao Huan... Gao Yutang..." He called out twice, but received no reply. Li Weiyi quickly went ashore, passing through the cattails and entering the dark, dense forest. Soon, he saw Gao Huan slumped on the ground.

"What are you doing? I called you; why didn't you answer?" Li Weiyi asked, clutching his sword hilt and approaching cautiously. Gao Huan finally caught his breath, letting out a long sigh. "Damn it! You scared me to death! It's all skeletons, and they have no heads!" Li Weiyi walked up to him. Seeing the scene in the forest, he too felt a shiver of horror. The ground was covered with densely packed human skeletons, all headless.

Gao Huan got up, forcing himself to sound calm. "Why do I feel like the land is scarier than the ship? Tell me, have we truly arrived in the underworld? This world isn't entirely populated by departed spirits like the Bone Demon and the Camel Bell Ghost, is it?" "No, look over there," Li Weiyi said. Among the piles of skeletons, Li Weiyi found three recently deceased human bodies. "Humans... excellent, human corpses!" Gao Huan had never been so excited to see corpses before.

Li Weiyi observed his surroundings, confirming there were no signs of animal activity, so it was likely not a fierce beast's lair. Only then did he lean down to examine the three headless corpses. The cuts on their necks were extremely irregular, not resembling those made by a sharp weapon. He squatted down and rummaged through the corpses' clothes. From the first corpse's chest, he pulled out a palm-sized gray cloth bag. It rattled, and when he emptied it, a handful of round, jade-like... coins spilled out. His first impression was that they were coins. The cloth bag and their shape left no other conclusion.

"Wow! Master Li, your mind works fast," Gao Huan exclaimed. He quickly started searching the corpses too. With money, one could travel anywhere; without it, even on land, they'd starve. He worked nimbly, quickly stripping the clothes off the remaining two headless corpses, then immediately moved to search the nearby clothed skeletons, no longer feeling any of his previous fear.

When he had searched a dozen skeletons and turned back, he saw Li Weiyi had actually put on the clothes of one of the headless corpses and was fastening the belt. "Master Li, what are you doing?" Gao Huan asked, surprised. Li Weiyi replied, "I plan to explore this world! We haven't encountered any significant danger so far. You can go back to the bronze warship and report what we've found." "I feel like that's a monk's robe," Gao Huan said.

Li Weiyi said, "I think so too! But it's just like a monk's robe from our world. What proper monk carries no prayer beads but is instead full of money?" Gao Huan also changed into a similar brown robe, thinking it might help them blend in if they encountered native humans here. What if it really was a monk's robe? A Buddhist cultivator was respected everywhere.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Why are there so many headless skeletons here? Who brought them here? We need to leave quickly!" Li Weiyi suddenly felt a sense of danger. This feeling of danger grew stronger and stronger. It felt like it was very close.

Li Weiyi glanced up, his face suddenly changing. He quietly pulled Gao Huan, intending to leave. "What's wrong?" Gao Huan whispered. "Don't speak..." "Oh no!"

Li Weiyi looked up again, his pupils contracting sharply. He immediately hoisted Gao Huan onto his shoulder, and the energy from the spring orifices in the soles of his feet surged, boosting his speed to the extreme as he fled desperately. Gao Huan had already clearly seen what it was. It was the thigh-thick vine! It covered an enormous area, shrouding the dense forest. Previously, they had thought the vine was bearing watermelon-sized fruits, but now these 'fruits' opened their greenish eyes, revealing themselves to be human heads. There were hundreds, even thousands, of these human heads, growing directly on the vine. Their mouths gaped wide like bowls, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. They emitted various grotesque screeches and cackles – male and female, young and old – flying through the leafy thicket behind them, pursuing relentlessly. It was truly a sight of absolute horror.