jdhmnovel Chapter 456 Going to Hell
Chapter 456 Going to Hell
The Candle Dragon floated silently on the mist-shrouded sea, like a forgotten island.
Shen Qingzhu sat alone at the bow of the boat, a nearly burnt-out cigarette between his fingers. The smoke swirled and blended with the surrounding gray fog, indistinguishable from the surroundings. His sunglasses reflected the lifeless sea, but the gaze behind the lenses was colder than the seawater.
The sea breeze was silent, the waves seemed still, and time appeared to freeze in that moment. Only the occasional wisp of smoke escaping from his lips proved that the world had not completely stopped turning.
Sudden--
"Crack!"
A sharp sound, like shattering glass, came from the distant horizon.
Shen Qingzhu suddenly looked up.
In the gray sky, a pitch-black crack appeared out of nowhere, its edges flashing with ominous scarlet lightning.
Deep within the rift lies endless nothingness, like the open pupils of a colossal beast, coldly gazing down upon this sea.
The next second—
"Shua——!!!"
Two beams of light, one white and one gold, shot out from the crack at a speed that tore through the line of sight, sweeping across the sea with a suffocating pressure!
The white light was pure and intense, dispelling the mist and causing the sea to boil wherever it passed; the golden light was majestic and radiant, yet it was mixed with a trace of decay and crimson that was not easily detected.
The two beams of light collided, intertwined, and tore at each other, and the dissipated energy caused the entire sea area to tremble violently. The chaotic barrier of the Candle Dragon emitted a hum that could not bear the burden!
"Michael?!"
Shen Qingzhu's pupils contracted sharply as she instantly recognized who the pure holy light belonged to.
The golden light that was entangled with it, though familiar in its aura, exuded a chilling eeriness and madness.
"Who is he fighting?"
Before he could figure it out, the two beams of light had already disappeared into the mist like shooting stars, leaving only the gradually healing cracks in the sky and the turbulent energy currents on the sea that could not be calmed for a long time.
Everything seemed to have returned to normal.
Shen Qingzhu frowned and subconsciously took a deep drag of her cigarette, only to find that the cigarette had burned out, leaving only the cold filter.
He flicked his cigarette butt into the sea in frustration, and was about to get up—
The searchlights on the Candle Dragon suddenly turned on automatically, and the blazing white beams, like sharp swords, pierced through the thick fog and swept across the surrounding sea.
The sight that the beam of light captured made Shen Qingzhu gasp for breath!
The seawater... is no longer the familiar gray-blue.
Instead, it was a viscous, dark color, as if it had been frozen for countless years—the color of blood!
The salty sea breeze also carried a faint, nauseating smell of rust and decay.
He lunged to the side of the ship and looked down.
Beneath the Candle Dragon was not seawater at all, but an endless, slowly rippling sea of blood! Countless corpses floated on the surface!
The corpses were in various forms; some wore tattered ancient armor, others modern clothing, and there were even many strangely dressed, inhuman remains. They all shared the characteristic of pale, swollen skin, their empty eyes staring at the blood-red sky, rising and falling slightly with the waves of blood, utterly silent.
The whole world seemed to be immersed in a huge, cold pool of blood.
The air was bitterly cold, a chilling cold that could penetrate the spiritual barrier and reach the depths of the soul.
Shen Qingzhu slowly raised her head and looked into the distance.
The fog hadn't completely dissipated; instead, it had become even thicker, but against the backdrop of the blood-red sea, it took on an eerie dark red hue. The sky was a somber, dark red, devoid of sun, moon, and stars, only a chaotic expanse.
He looked back again—the crack in the sky he had come from had vanished without a trace.
He and the Candle Dragon, without his knowledge, had completely transmigrated to this unknown, terrifying, blood-red world!
"..."
Shen Qingzhu stood up straight in silence, a chill creeping up her spine.
He slowly removed his sunglasses, which were already cracked, revealing a pair of sharp and solemn eyes as he re-examined this desolate, blood-red hell.
With a slight twitch of his fingertips, another cigarette was lit, the sparks flickering against the dark red sky, like the only faint heartbeat in this desolate world.
Gray fog, sea of blood, floating corpses, lone boat.
And, a man smoking silently.
...
Heaven, the ruins of the holy city.
Baili Pangpang plopped down on the half-collapsed golden pillar and wailed, "Oh no! We're trapped in heaven!"
An Qingyu pushed up her glasses, and data streams flashed on the lenses: "According to the spatial fluctuation analysis, the Gate of Heaven has been closed. Unless Michael returns, we cannot return the way we came."
Zhang Yun crossed his arms. "That guy went after Odin. Who knows when he'll be back?"
Cao Yuan's black blade trembled slightly: "How about... cutting a path out?"
Everyone: "..."
Lin Qiye pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up, his gaze falling into the distance—
The massive, black sword still stands embedded in the earth, beneath which lies an endless abyss, the entrance to hell.
“Since Odin could smuggle himself from Hell to Heaven…” he said slowly, “then we can also return from Hell to the mortal world.”
Baili Pangpang's eyes widened: "Go to hell?! Qiye, are you serious?"
Lin Qiye nodded: "Hell and the mortal world are connected by a rift. As long as we can find the exit, we can go back."
Baili Pangpang: "..."
Zhang Yun patted him on the shoulder: "What are you afraid of? We've even cut down the vanguard of Cthulhu."
Baili Pangpang cried out with a long face, "But I don't want to be drenched in ashes and go bald!"
Everyone: "..."
An Qingyu's mechanical arm popped up a holographic map: "According to the information left by Michael, Hell is divided into nine levels. We may need to traverse the 'Sea of Blood,' the 'Wasteland of Bones,' and the 'Abyssal Corridor'..."
Baili Pangpang pulled out a bag of spicy strips: "Want to bring some dry food?"
Zhang Yun: "...You think this is a spring outing?"
Lin Qiye checked the equipment: "The Eternal Night Domain can shield against low-level pollution, Cao Yuan's baleful aura can deter evil spirits, and Zhang Yun's Candle Dragon True Flame can burn away evil spirits..."
He looked at Baili Pangpang: "You're in charge of... not eating random things."
Baili Pangpang: “???”
The group arrived in front of the black greatsword.
The chains binding the sword had long since broken, and a foul wind surged from the abyss, with eerie roars faintly audible from below.
Baili Pangpang clung to the sword blade and looked down: "This height... wouldn't I die if I jumped?"
Baili Pangpang: "That's even scarier, okay?!"
Lin Qiye: "Hold on tight."
"Shua——!!!"
The realm of eternal night unfolded, enveloping everyone, and they leaped down!
"Aaaaaah—!!!" Baili Pangpang's screams echoed in the abyss.
“Plop——!!!”
The group plunged into a thick sea of blood.
Baili Pangpang thrashed to the surface: "Ugh—this water...is it blood?!"
Anqingyu's detector beeped: "To be precise, it's a mixture of divine blood, demonic blood, and mortal blood, with a pollution index exceeding the standard by 999%."
Baili Pangpang: "...Is it too late for me to go back to heaven now?"
Suddenly, countless pale arms emerged from the sea of blood, reaching out to grab the crowd!
"Black King - Slash!" Cao Yuan swept his blade horizontally, severing the bloody hand with murderous intent!
"Get ashore quickly!" Lin Qiye's Eternal Night Domain transformed into a black boat, carrying everyone towards the distant Bone Beach.
The moment Baili Pangpang stepped onto the beach, he stepped on a skull with a crisp "crack".
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He clasped his hands together.
Green flames suddenly lit up in the skull's eye sockets: "It's... alright..."
"Holy crap! A talking bone?!" Baili Pangpang jumped three feet high in fright.
The skeletons on the entire beach trembled simultaneously, and countless skulls slowly rose, their jaws opening and closing:
"Welcome...to...our..."
Zhang Yun's Candle Dragon True Flame ignited: "Shall we burn it?"
Lin Qiye: "...Be polite first, then attack."
He stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Gentlemen, could you please grant us passage to the Abyss Corridor?"
The skeletons were silent for a moment, then spoke in unison:
"answer the questions……"
Baili Pangpang: "...Hell has quizzes too?!"
The Skeleton King, who was in the lead, stepped forward, waved his skeletal hand, and a blood-red character appeared in the air:
Q: How many levels are there in hell?
Baili Pangpang raised his hand: "Nine floors!"
【wrong! 】
The skeletons all raised their bone knives.
An Qingyu pushed up her glasses: "Theoretically, the 'layers' of hell are dynamic and depend on the observer's perception."
【correct!】
The skeletons put down their knives, and the second question appeared:
Q: What is Lucifer's favorite food?
Baili Pangpang: "Peony peaches?"
【wrong! 】
The bone knife was raised again.
An Qingyu adjusted her glasses: "Fallen angels don't eat; they only drink the blood of their enemies."
【correct!】
Last question:
Q: How do I make Cthulhu laugh?
Everyone: "..."
Baili Pangpang muttered to himself, "Tell me a joke?"
【wrong! 】
The bone knife gleamed coldly.
Lin Qiye pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Tell Him... Lucifer has turned Hell into an amusement park."
【……correct.】
The skeletons slowly parted to make way, their joints rubbing together with a "crackling" sound, like some kind of eerie applause.
Baili Pangpang breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew—finally finished answering them. These skeletons are actually quite reasonable..."
Lin Qiye frowned slightly, and the Eternal Night Domain silently unfolded: "Something's not right."
really--
Just as the group reached the center of the skeletons, crimson ghost fire suddenly ignited in the eye sockets of all the skeletons!
The leader, the Skeleton King, revealed his jawbone and emitted a strange "caw caw" laugh:
"Welcome...to...be...the...100,001st...victim..."
Baili Pangpang: “???”
The next second—
"boom--!!!"
Countless bone knives, bone spears, and bone arrows shot out from all directions!
"Damn it! You bunch of bone scum have no sportsmanship!" Baili Pangpang dodged the bone spear with a roll, then pulled out an electromagnetic cannon. "I'll treat you to barbecue!"
"boom--!!!"
A single electromagnetic cannon shot was fired, blasting seven or eight skeletons away, sending bone fragments flying everywhere!
A skull, blown to bits except for its head, rolled to Baili Pangpang's feet, still stubbornly muttering:
"Hell...Tourism...Integrity...Business..."
Baili Pangpang kicked it away, yelling, "I don't believe you!"
"A bunch of skeletons dare to be arrogant?" Zhang Yun sneered, and the Candle Dragon True Flame ignited in his palm. "Let me disinfect you!"
"call--!!!"
Crimson gold dragon flames swept across the wasteland, instantly burning the skeletons with a crackling sound, and filling the air with a burnt aroma.
Baili Pangpang sniffed: "You know... it smells pretty good?"
A charred skeleton struggled to crawl over and handed over a flyer:
[Hellish Specialty Ash Rice - Buy One Get One Half Price]
Zhang Yun: "..."
He kicked the skeleton back into the fire: "Shut up!"
Cao Yuan's black blade exuded a terrifying aura; with each strike, more than a dozen skeletons were torn apart.
A skeleton, trembling and holding a bone shield, pleaded, "Big...brother...let's...talk...about...it..."
Cao Yuan said expressionlessly, "Speak."
Skeleton: "Can...no...please...don't...cut off...my...head..."
Cao Yuan: "Alright."
"Shua——!!!"
With a swift turn of the black blade, the skeleton was cleaved in two at the waist!
Skeleton: "..."
His upper body crawled on the ground in protest: "Say...yes...no...cut...his...head......"
Cao Yuan: "I wasn't beheaded."
Skeleton: "..."
An Qingyu's mechanical arm popped out a holographic keyboard, quickly hacking into the skeletons' soul network:
"According to Article 666 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law of Hell, those who defraud tourists should be compensated for mental distress."
The skeletons collectively crashed: "..."
A moment later, the leader of the Skeleton Kings, trembling, handed over a domino:
[Compensation...plan...optional...selection...]
1.
Free Hell Hot Spring Day Trip
2.
Skeleton Knight Lifetime VIP Member
3.
autographed photos of die-hard fans
An Qingyu pushed up her glasses: "I choose number four."
Skeleton King: "?"
"boom--!!!"
The robotic arm fired a high-energy particle cannon, blasting the Skeleton King into dust!
An Qingyu: "Sorry, it was a slip of the hand."
Seeing that the number of skeletons kept increasing as he killed them, Lin Qiye sighed and sheathed the Black Box Sword.
He walked to the remains of the Skeleton King, squatted down, and whispered:
"If you want to play, I'm happy to play along."
"Eternal Night - Devouring the Heavens!"
"Shua——!!!"
Endless darkness spread out from him, all the skeletons froze instantly, and the will-o'-the-wisps in their eye sockets were extinguished!
The wasteland fell into dead silence.
Lin Qiye stood up and clapped his hands: "Let's go."
Baili Pangpang stared in disbelief: "That's it?"
Lin Qiye: "Yes, they are just sealed by Eternal Night and will recover in ten minutes."
The words had barely left his mouth when a "click-clack" sound came from afar—
A skeleton emerged from the ground, waving a white flag wildly!
Then, the second, the third...
In the blink of an eye, all the skeletons in the wasteland raised white flags, and several even waved glow sticks. The words written on their bones were:
[Awesome!]
[Looking for a carry]
[Eternal Night God Fan Club]
Everyone: "..."
After passing through the horde of skeletons, the group finally arrived at the entrance to the Abyss Corridor.
Baili Pangpang glanced back and saw that the skeletons were arranged in a square formation, shouting in unison:
"Respectfully...seeing off...the...big...sir..."
"Next...time...I'll...come...again..."
Zhang Yun's lips twitched: "These skeletons... are they sick in the head?"
Cao Yuan stroked his chin and said quietly, "No, they have simply come to realize a truth."
Baili Pangpang: "What truth?"
Cao Yuan: "I'd rather provoke Cthulhu than the Night's Watch."
Everyone: "..."