Chapter 29

The Ghost Gate, which to some extent represents the boundary between life and death, deep in the netherworld, actually appeared in the mortal world!

Thus, the thick fog that had never dissipated was explained. The fog was not man-made but a natural condensation of the laws of heaven and earth.

Because the netherworld and the blue sky do not meet. The appearance of the Ghost Gate in the mortal world must be concealed.

The wandering souls gathered here, far more in number than the living in Xiaolin Town, now had a reason for their presence. Wandering souls gravitate towards the Ghost Gate, an instinct unrelated to consciousness. Probably all the wandering souls in the entire Maple Forest City region had gathered here. And it was foreseeable that as long as the Ghost Gate existed, the gathering wandering souls would only increase in number and strength!

But how could the Ghost Gate appear here?

Wei Yan almost without hesitation, after understanding the meaning of the three characters of the Ghost Gate, drew a bright red, ancient-looking incense stick from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Lang, "Quickly!"

—Of course, he always carried flint with him and was not unfamiliar with fire techniques. But Zhao Lang was undoubtedly faster.

Having worked together for many years, their默契 (默契 means默契, but in this context, it can be translated as "cooperation") was beyond words. As the bright red incense stick was handed over, Zhao Lang already rubbed his fingers together, and a flame leapt onto the incense stick, burning it to ashes in a very short time.

Only then did he say with a somewhat grim expression, "You only have one red incense left on you."

In the military of Zhuangguo, incense sticks were divided into black, red, and yellow, and only people of a certain status could possess them, making them rare strategic items. When a black incense stick was burned, the entire country would fight to the death, and there were very few people in Zhuangguo qualified to burn a black incense stick.

When a yellow incense stick was burned to ashes, it meant the burner was in dire straits.

The red incense stick, which fell between the two, represented the danger of a city's destruction or the loss of territory!

Once a red incense stick was burned, the entire Maple Forest City would be shaken, and it would certainly alarm Wei Qiju.

Currently, the city guard and the criminal investigation bureau in Maple Forest City were restrained, and Wei Qiju, stationed at the city lord's residence, was already in a position where one move could affect the whole. Was a small town like Xiaolin, which so far had no enemies other than wandering souls, worth Wei Qiju's personal visit? Or, if Wei Yan's judgment was wrong and problems arose in Maple Forest City due to Wei Qiju's mobilization, could he bear the responsibility?

But these questions were unnecessary in the face of those three characters.

Because... it was the Ghost Gate.

Appearing in countless legends, it was a faint reflection of the mythological era.

In fact, when the red incense stick's shadow suddenly ignited before him, the lord of the city, Wei Qiju, did not hesitate to rise!

He rushed into the sky, wrapped in a hurricane, roaring towards Xiaolin Town.

Almost simultaneously, Dong A, who was in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. At any time, there must be a strong person of this level in Maple Forest City. Since Wei Qiju had gone, he could not leave.

Without moving, his authoritative voice already echoed outside, "Order all disciples who can be notified, regardless of what task they are performing or what cultivation they are practicing, to stop immediately and return to Maple Forest City!"

Indeed, the Dao Academy cultivated the hope of Zhuangguo, and there was a long process of growth before that. But when the country was in danger, everyone must fight for it.

And Song Qifang, the current vice-principal of the Dao Academy, was sitting cross-legged in front of a pill furnace, gently fanning to tend the fire. A very low sigh, "I'm old."

...

In Xiaolin Town, after Wei Yan lit the red incense stick, he did not pause but immediately slashed with his long sword, the sharp blade almost cutting through the air and then dissipating on the archway.

Yes, it disappeared silently, without a ripple.

The subsequent attacks were the same. Whether it was fire or wind, any Dao technique thrown at it sank without a trace. Ling He even threw his sword, but it also vanished without a trace.

It was as if it did not exist, not only it did not exist, but anything that touched it also did not exist.

Huang Azhan stood in front of the Ghost Gate, hesitating for a long time. He had a very strong confidence in his child's urine, but after seeing Ling He's sword disappear, he regretfully chose to give up.

"This vortex... should connect to the netherworld. With so many wrongful deaths here... our attacks all fall into the netherworld, not the mortal world." Wang Changxiang frowned, analyzing, "What appears before us is the reflection of the Ghost Gate, and even the reflection has not fully condensed."

Not fully condensed?

The characters on the plaque, Jiang Wang had seen in the Tai Xu Illusion, knew they were Dao characters, texts that expounded the laws of heaven and earth. He had been thinking about what the appearance of the Ghost Gate in Xiaolin Town meant, and only now, hearing Wang Changxiang's analysis, did he shudder in shock.

So, when would the true reflection of the Ghost Gate fully condense, and in what form? And what would it ultimately bring to this place?

People soon had their answer.

It was the countless wandering souls in Xiaolin Town, endlessly appearing and never ending. But at this moment, they surged forward, gathering at the center.

The group could no longer afford to hesitate. They could only resort to the same tactic, retreating a distance and using fire Dao techniques to draw a circle, defending their territory.

If someone could see through the fog from the sky, they would see countless wandering souls rushing over, a vast river of wandering souls flowing like a hundred rivers into the sea!

And the disciples from the Maple Forest City Dao Academy, as well as Wei Yan and Zhao Lang, were like bitter reefs being washed by the river.

Unable to move, unable to resist, and with no end in sight!

"Perhaps all the wandering souls in the entire Maple Forest City region have been attracted here. Maybe we will die here?" Wang Changxiang smiled bitterly.

These wandering souls were not particularly powerful; they had moved freely in the formation before. But the premise was that the wandering souls only wandered aimlessly and attacked instinctively when living beings approached. Now, with the wandering souls gathering in one place, they were blocking the path.

There were too many, seemingly endless!

At least in the field of vision that Wang Changxiang勉强 (勉强 means勉强, but in this context, it can be translated as "barely") cleared, they did not see the end of the wandering souls.

What they did not know was that if before, only the wandering souls of Xiaolin Town's deceased and a few scattered souls from farther away had gathered here, now all the wandering souls in the entire Maple Forest City region were converging here, at a speed far exceeding their own capabilities.

The dense lines of wandering souls cutting through the sky formed a web-like, awe-inspiring sight in the spiritual vision of countless strong people across the entire Maple Forest City region.

"No." Wei Yan's voice was cold, and so was his heart, "The city lord will arrive soon."

No one knew how much he did not want to light that red incense stick, did not want that person to see his weak and pleading appearance. But he could not. Facing the legendary Ghost Gate, he could not risk the safety of the entire Maple Forest City for his own dignity.

Jiang Wang also watched the wandering souls that bypassed the "reefs" and rushed towards the Ghost Gate, being absorbed and digested in an instant. His feelings were complex, indescribable.

These wandering souls probably had no consciousness. So there was no struggle, no screaming, no regret, no pain.

But they were once living people. They were the souls of the living who should have rested in peace!

Among them, perhaps someone had once passed by him, or someone he had known, or his neighbor, his grandparents, or, his father.

He stared wide-eyed at the dense crowd of wandering souls, searching for his father, who had died in bed. That man, not tall but always supporting his sky.

The wandering souls flashed by, like lightning, from all directions. He only focused on the direction from Fengxi Town, his eyes red from straining, but he could not see everything.

Living alone all along, he did not want to show his vulnerability. Later, living with An An, he had to be strong as a brother. He almost never said it, but he really missed him!

Jiang Wang wanted to see him again, but he was also afraid to see him.

Afraid of the helplessness in front of the Ghost Gate.

Suddenly, it seemed to reach a critical point, and the vast river of wandering souls was instantly cleared by some force. The shadow of the Ghost Gate above the vortex became incredibly clear and tangible.

In the next moment, the city lord of Maple Forest City, Wei Qiju, descended from the sky, wrapped in a hurricane. But the shadow of the Ghost Gate also vanished in an instant!

Vaguely, Jiang Wang felt a gentle breeze brush his cheek, but in a daze, everything before his eyes changed.

The huge vortex disappeared, and the fog that had gathered in Xiaolin Town immediately dissipated.

Everything vanished, the netherworld and the blue sky no longer meeting!