New Times, New Hell

Chapter 129 - Seeing the Unknown

According to legend, the Hungry Ghost Path had been formed by the ignorance of all living beings. It overlapped with the mortal realm, but mortals couldn’t see the Hungry Ghost Path. Similarly, the ghosts in the Hungry Ghost Path couldn’t see the mortal realm either.

But holes would form in the Hungry Ghost Path under specific circumstances. This was also why the Ghost Mother of Xi Mountain had previously told Yu Zhengdu that in the past, it was quite frequent that Underworld spirits would actually stumble into the Hungry Ghost Path.

Very obviously, this cargo ship confounded by ghosts had accidentally entered an opening that shouldn’t have appeared. Thus, they had found themselves in the Great Netherworld Sea – in a different world. This completely explained how such a big ship had vanished out of the blue, leaving not even a signal to be found.

Though the Hungry Ghost Path was in the mortal realm, the geographic coordinates for these two worlds didn’t correspond. Instead, they continuously changed. As such, under normal circumstances, not even Shang Que could accurately find someone in the Hungry Ghost Path.

Not to mention that the ship was in the vast and boundless Great Netherworld Sea.

But this cargo ship was rather lucky, because it just so happened to be in time for the Hungry Ghost Path’s large-scale infrastructure construction. Additionally, it had coincidentally appeared somewhere where there was signal.

At this moment, Ceng Xin’s eyes were wide open. She hurriedly confirmed with her crew members once more through the walkie talkie, “Do we have a signal for the cargo ship yet? Can we get a GPS location?”

The reply she received was the same as before. There was no signal and they couldn’t get a location.

Thus, Ceng Xin stared at the moving red dot on Yu Zhengdu’s phone. “How exactly did you locate them?”

Yu Zhengdu repeated his previous response: “We have different technological principles.”

Ceng Xin fell silent. A moment later, she finally managed to say, “Your honorable company’s technology is truly very advanced.”

Yu Zhengdu smiled, but didn’t say anything. He only turned to look at Shang Que.

With an accurate location, Shang Que could naturally rescue that cargo ship.

Shang Que examined the GPS location on Yu Zhengdu’s phone, then walked over to the bow of the ship. While facing the endless sea, he closed his eyes and focused.

The wind roared. The passenger ship dangerously teetered. Yu Zhengdu, Ceng Xin, and the rest were forced to hold onto the railings and poles to barely manage to stay standing. However, Shang Que remained motionless, like a god who could hold up the Heavens. It seemed like nothing in this world could cause him to falter.

The lights on the passenger ship suddenly extinguished. The deck was instantly plunged into a neverending darkness. Only the stars in the night sky remained, twinkling against the black velvet background. The group, who had gotten used to having light, abruptly felt their vision go dark. They temporarily lost the ability to see. This caused quite a big commotion on deck.

Ceng Xin furrowed her brows. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t worry. He’s casting a spell. These are normal disturbances,” Yu Zhengdu lowly said.

Ceng Xin: “……” She did know that most of the people Ming Peiran worked with were in the field of metaphysics.

But the problem was, she had just accepted the setting that this was an advanced tech company……

In the darkness, Shang Que’s right hand reached out in the direction of the sea. His palm was facing up. A square, black magical seal appeared in his palm. Immediately after, he flipped his hand over; the magical seal changed along with his movements, transforming into a long black sword.

Shang Que grabbed onto the sword’s handle and sliced the empty surface of the water. Where the tip of the blade pointed, sea water suddenly rose up and furiously parted away.

The long sword disappeared into the void again. The lights on the passenger ship turned back on. Finally, the members of the rescue team could clearly see what was in front of them. As soon as they did, everyone’s eyes uncontrollably widened.

Only to see that as far as the eye could see, the untamed ocean and night sky dotted with stars had been connected together. The horizon line was never very clear at night. The sky and sea were blended together, like an enormous black curtain.

But right now, that enormous curtain seemed to have been slit open from top to bottom by a sharp weapon. There was a sea of terrifying red in that thin opening. When one looked at it from afar, it seemed as if the dark night had been cut open and that sticky, rank blood was about to flow out of it at any moment.

The vanished cargo ship thus slowly appeared from the slit.

This scene was too strange, to the point that everyone present thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. They hurriedly ran forward. Bodies glued to the railing, they leaned forward, doing their best to get a clearer look of what was before them.

The speedboats spread out nearby seemed to also have noticed what was going on in the distance. They all turned around and headed towards that enormous cargo ship.

But the ship was far away, and it was dark. The blood was completely locked into that thin slit. Additionally, it was mostly covered from view by the huge vessel. No matter how much they widened their eyes, they couldn’t see anything clearly.

As the enormous ship appeared, the blood colored wound behind it slowly healed too. When the entire ship had left the slit, the slit completely closed as well. The sky and sea turned black again, as if this strange scene had never appeared.

“There’s a signal! There’s a signal!” Someone from the rescue team yelled.

The staff members on the passenger ship instantly started acting, displaying their great training. Ceng Xin couldn’t be bothered to ask Shang Que for an explanation anymore either. She hurriedly turned around to direct the rescue operation.

A while later, someone nervously shouted, “Hurry and prepare a doctor. Someone on the ship had a heart attack and needs emergency treatment.”

Ceng Xin instantly went on high alert. She asked, “What’s wrong?”

The staff member replied, “Not sure yet. Apparently, that coworker just so happened to be on break. He had originally been fiddling with his phone in the cabin, but for some reason, he suddenly started yelling and shrieking. Then he went into shock&#k2026;&#k2026;”

“Hurry hurry hurry. There isn’t enough emergency equipment on the cargo ship!”

“It seems he’s been in shock for a while. Don’t know if we’ll be able to save him.”

Just as they were speaking, someone from the shipping company suddenly turned around to look at Yu Zhengdu. There was a strange expression on his face. “The coworker who went into shock is the one with the ID name ‘Even if I Die, I Have to Surf the Internet’……”

Yu Zhengdu had actually already guessed the situation when he had located the crew member with Luofeng’s system.

A living person’s phone was incapable of finding or connecting to the Underworld Internet. It was very likely that something had happened to that crew member, and this had rendered him able to connect to Needlepoint-Throated Hungry Ghost’s wifi. However, he hadn’t thought that the first thing this person would do after death was continue playing with his phone. It was evident that his phone’s ID hadn’t been named as a joke.

Because Yu Zhengdu had predicted this early on, when that staff member looked over, Yu Zhengdu was already prepared and had a surprised expression on his face. “It can’t be?”

His acting was impeccable. That worker took a glance and figured that it really was a coincidence, so hurriedly turned around and continued finishing his work.

The rescue team and cargo ship maintained direct contact. Very quickly, both ships were already lined up side by side.

Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que followed the rescue team and boarded the cargo ship. Following a crew member’s lead, they rushed towards the cabin. In it, two on-board doctors were performing emergency treatment on a crew member lying on the ground.

The crew member in shock had both eyes shut. There were eyebags under his eyes from lack of sleep. His facial features were scrunched together; it seemed like he had suffered quite a fright before passing out.

A nearby crew member from the cargo ship was explaining the situation to the rescue team: “……As soon as he has free time, he plays with his phone. He was on break today, so stayed up all night. Maybe he got too tired?”

This person had spoken quite courteously. He hadn’t directly said that the other had gotten sudden cardiac death.

While listening to the explanation, Yu Zhengdu also scanned the cargo ship. The crew member who had gone into shock had been by a window. Yu Zhengdu formed a rough guess in his heart.

This crew member hadn’t gotten enough rest. Because of his terrible mental state, his luck had probably turned extremely poor. Under these circumstances, mortal eyes could see things that they originally wouldn’t be able to. If he had just so happened to be facing the window too……

Yu Zhengdu ultimately locked his gaze on the spot next to the physical body of the crew member in shock. A spirit that the rescue team couldn’t see was there.

The spirit’s face was exactly the same as the face of the crew member lying on the ground. At this moment, he was sitting off to the side, knees curled up. Both of his hands were robotically pressing at his phone. He looked mesmerized, but his gaze seemed to be a bit blank. He didn’t react to the large team of people who had just entered at all.

Yu Zhengdu was a bit confused. “What’s going on?

Shang Que gazed at the spirit and calmly said, “His spirit is simply unstable because he was overly frightened.”

The human spirit contained three hun and seven po. When someone suffered a great fright, it was possible that their spirit would become unstable. At this time, it was possible that the three hun would leave the body while the seven po stayed.

During these instances, people weren’t actually dead. This was the commonly known phenomenon of “fake death”. And, because the spirit that had left the body didn’t have all of its hun and po, it was also in a muddled state of consciousness. It could only act on instinct and robotically repeat a certain action over and over again.

Yu Zhengdu was instantly rendered speechless…… This bro’s instinct after his spirit left his body was to play on his phone?!

Yu Zhengdu asked Shang Que, “Do we need to do anything?”

Shang Que: “No.”

Just as they finished speaking, delighted cheering sounded out from up front. “He’s awake, he’s awake!”

As the rescue team’s doctor joined in, he also brought new medical equipment. The doctors worked together to perform CPR on the crew member. Finally, he regained consciousness.

When Yu Zhengdu looked up again, the blurry spirit next to the man had already disappeared. It had probably returned into the crew member’s physical body.

That crew member slowly opened his eyes. When he saw the group of heads in front of him, he first blanked out for a moment. A long time later, he finally came back to his senses and furiously struggled with all his limbs. He loudly yelled, “Aaaah—— Hurry and run, everyone!”

“The ocean is filled with blood. And, there are lots of hands clinging to the window!”

“That scared me to death—— If you don’t believe me, look for yourselves——”

While speaking, that crew member shakily turned around to look in the direction of the window. And then: “……Yi?”

The sea of black outside the window didn’t look any different from a usual night.

The doctor concluded, “He probably didn’t get enough rest, so started hallucinating because of extreme exhaustion.”

“No, I thought it was really realistic!” That crew member stubbornly said. After, he scratched his head and muttered, “Also, I think I had a dream. I dreamed that I connected to a strange wifi. It was named Milk Tea……Milk Tea something…… Ah, ‘Milk Tea Is The Most Delicious’!”

“And also……ey, how come I can’t remember anything anymore?”

Everyone else: = =

The cargo ship and rescue team’s boat moored at Nuhai Port. Everyone sighed in relief. This rescue operation had been scary, but not actually dangerous. However, nobody could say for sure what had actually happened to that cargo ship. Yu Zhengdu naturally couldn’t tell the truth; he could only vaguely use the concept of the ship being confounded by ghosts as an excuse.

The people from the port and shipping company wanted to ask for more information, but were all dismissed by Ceng Xin. They had used Ming Peiran’s connections this time, which meant that there were many things that they couldn’t get an explanation for.

Ceng Xin had been warned by Ming Peiran in advance, so didn’t ask for too many details. She only represented the rescue team and expressed her gratitude to Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que. An eventual silk banner and prize money couldn’t be avoided either.

After dividing up the basic tasks, Ceng Xin asked, “Boss Yu, Boss Shang, you guys must be tired after working all night too. How about I find someone to arrange for a place for you guys to rest?”

“No need.” Yu Zhengdu waved his hands. “We still have stuff to do. Go ahead and finish up your work first.”

Ceng Xin asked a few more questions. Upon confirming that they really had other plans, she no longer tried to force them into doing anything. She also had work to take care of herself. Thus, she didn’t continue to stay. She said, “Then if you guys have any needs, contact me.”

Yu Zhengdu nodded. “Okay, thank you.”

After Ceng Xin left, Yu Zhengdu glanced at the time and inquired, “Are we going to Impasse Mountain now?”

But Shang Que didn’t respond. Instead, he turned his body and pulled Yu Zhengdu into his arms. “Let’s watch the sunrise together.”

At this time, the sky was just starting to brighten. The black ocean water was gradually turning into a dark blue. The sea breeze had calmed down too.

Yu Zhengdu smiled. “Okay.”

The two of them stood, shoulder to shoulder, near the edge of the pier and looked out at the horizon line as it slowly turned red. The sun revealed its edges. Red morning light covered the surface of the ocean, turning the water into a rusty color similar to blood.

The sound of a steam whistle could be heard. Another ship was slowly leaving the port, heading to an unknown destination.

Yu Zhengdu’s expression suddenly changed. Out of the blue, he yelled, “It was the Great Netherworld Sea!”

His voice carried a hint of fear, which caused Shang Que to turn and immediately look at him. “What?”

“I remember!” Yu Zhengdu started breathing faster. Hands slightly trembling, he pulled out the Zhong Kui mask and placed it over his face. Through the eye holes in the mask, his gaze appeared extremely uneasy. “I remember what I saw that day!”

The collapse of the city, the Great Netherworld Sea, a city of ghosts, an enormous shadow……

Shang Que’s brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”

Yu Zhengdu actually couldn’t remember too clearly, but perhaps because Shang Que had given him enough magic to protect himself during the god of fortune dance, or perhaps the god of fortune dance ritual had allowed him to temporarily gain a godly power, or perhaps the reappearance of the Great Netherworld Sea had reminded him…… Right now, though, none of this was important. What was important was what he had seen that day.

Even though his memories were a bit fragmented, they were enough.

As Yu Zhengdu relayed what he had seen that day, Shang Que’s expression gradually became serious.

“What were those images really of?” As the memories reappeared, the urge to shiver once again plagued Yu Zhengdu. A layer of goosebumps uncontrollably formed on his arms. “Were they only illusions?”

Shang Que asked him, “Are you sure that the city that collapsed was Fu City?”

“Yes, why?” Yu Zhengdu asked.

Shang Que looked at him. His gaze was dark. “Do you know why I set the Luofeng headquarters in Fu City?”

Yu Zhengdu instinctively shook his head. Then, he suddenly froze.

“Because……Fu City is the place where the Ghost City of Fengdu disappeared a thousand years ago,” Shang Que answered. His voice was very soft, but his gaze was heavy. “Luofeng Mountain was spread out through the entire Underworld, but its main peak was located right where the modern day Impasse Mountain is.”

Yu Zhengdu was in a daze.

Shang Que suddenly chuckled quietly. “This is the reason why our company’s jade stones must be bought from Impasse Mountain.”

The jade from Impasse Mountain was of poor quality. It contained lots of impurities, and was also mixed in with many black stone materials. Impasse Mountain’s jade couldn’t enter the high-class jade market at all. At tourist locations on Impasse Mountain, one could buy two jade bracelets for ten RMB.

Luofeng’s jade stones were sold at very high prices. Yet, they only used raw materials from Impasse Mountain. Many people believed that this was because this lowered the cost of production. After Luofeng started gaining more and more clients, some people did suggest switching to a jade of better quality. However, Shang Que had never agreed.

At this time, Yu Zhengdu finally understood why.

From a certain standpoint, those jade stones perhaps truly carried the power of Luofeng Mountain.

This was also why the Ghost Emperor had set the location of the blessing ceremony to Impasse Mountain.

And, the Great Netherworld Sea connected the Hungry Ghost Path, the mortal realm, and Luofeng Mountain.

But even if they knew that the images Yu Zhengdu had seen were the collapse of Fu City, the Great Netherworld Sea, and the Ghost City of Fengdu, this didn’t explain what these images actually meant?

The unease in Yu Zhengdu’s heart got more intense. He asked, “If the Ghost City of Fengdu returns to the mortal realm, will it cause Fu City to be entirely destroyed?”

“No.” Shang Que shook his head. This was exactly the reason why he couldn’t explain the things that Yu Zhengdu had seen. “To the mortal realm, the Ghost City of Fengdu is already in a different plane of existence.”

Just like how living mortals couldn’t see ghosts. Even if the Ghost City of Fengdu returned to the mortal realm, it would only overlap with the mortal realm.

The difference, though, was that in the past, when there had still been an abundance of magical energy, even if the city was overlapped with the mortal realm, it could be separated by barriers to form a different world – just like the Hungry Ghost Path. However, this possibility no longer existed.

Shang Que wasn’t refusing to work with the Ghost Emperor to bring back the Ghost City because this would cause the mortal realm to collapse. Instead, he was refusing to work with the other because as soon as the two realms overlapped, this would result in a great impact on the residents of both sides.

Shang Que gazed at him. “You suspect that you saw the return of the Ghost City to the mortal realm?”

“It’s very reasonable, right?” Yu Zhengdu asked in response. Logically speaking, he had really seen the scene of the resurrection of the Ghost City of Fengdu. The question now was – why had Fu City sunken into the ground?

Shang Que knew that Yu Zhengdu never worried for no reason. Thus, he inquired, “What else did you see?”

“The giant shadow……” Yu Zhengdu suddenly exclaimed, “Was a Heinous Ghost!”

Shang Que: “A Heinous Ghost?”

“Yes, a Heinous Ghost!” Yu Zhengdu stared at Shang Que. “It climbed out of the Great Netherworld Sea!”

While in the Hungry Ghost Path, the Torch-Throated Hungry Ghost that had been Hong Gentou’s reincarnation had once said that aside from suffering enough to make up for their sins, there was another way for the hungry ghosts in the Hungry Ghost Path to leave. This method was to eat a thousand ghosts and become a Heinous Ghost. After, the Heinous Ghost could cross the Great Netherworld Sea and return to the mortal realm.

The Torch-Throated Hungry Ghost had successfully swallowed a thousand ghosts and turned into a Heinous Ghost, yet ultimately hadn’t made it to the Great Netherworld Sea. Instead, he had been burned to death by the unlimited hellfire that Shang Que had summoned and had subsequently fallen into the black lake.

But the image of the Heinous Ghost had still traumatized Yu Zhengdu quite a bit. The giant shadowy figure he had seen matched the appearance of a Heinous Ghost.

Yu Zhengdu’s brows furrowed even more tightly together. “Could it be?”

Shang Que’s gaze became dangerous “King Qinguang kept more than one Heinous Ghost in the Hungry Ghost Path……”

Back then, after Torch-Throated Hungry Ghost had been burned to death, the Hungry Ghost Path had returned to its peaceful state. Following this, Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que had left the Hungry Ghost Path, then sent people to build basic infrastructures there. Nothing else had ever happened. Gradually, they had filed the incident with the Heinous Ghost away into the back of their minds.

Thinking back now, who knew how long Jiang had been raising evil ghosts in the Hungry Ghost Path? Perhaps there had long since been other Heinous Ghosts who had already made it to the Great Netherworld Sea. They couldn’t know for sure.

“If Heinous Ghosts enter the mortal realm……” Shang Que’s eyes were dark.

All life would be destroyed. The city would collapse.

Yu Zhengdu finally understood too. “What I saw was……the future.”

The author has something to say:

The jade stones and Impasse Mountain were introduced in chapter 18. I think you guys have definitely forgotten.

Chapter 106 also mentions that another part of the Great Netherworld Sea is at the foot of Luofeng Mountain.