jdhmnovel Chapter 344 Billions of Ghosts, the Heavenly Throne! (Page 12)
Chapter 344 Billions of Ghosts, the Heavenly Throne! (Page 12)
She parted her lips slightly and uttered a single word. Her voice was soft, yet it resounded like thunder throughout the hall.
In an instant, all the bronze armored figures froze in place.
The red light in their eyes flashed violently a few times, and then they collapsed to their knees with a clatter, their rusted joints groaning under the strain.
The lead armored warrior even touched his forehead to the ground, displaying extreme respect.
Zhang Yun, dressed in black, excitedly adjusted the camera's focus, whispering with delight, "Perfect! This scene must be sent to the real person!"
The woman in the coffin slowly opened her eyes. Her dark, jade-like eyes were initially empty and lifeless, as if veiled by a thin mist.
But in an instant, a star-like brilliance suddenly shone deep within his pupils, as if a soul that had been asleep for a thousand years had finally awakened.
Her magnificent phoenix coronet and wedding gown moved without wind, and the phoenix patterns embroidered with gold thread shimmered.
The woman sat up gracefully from the coffin, her long, black hair cascading down like a waterfall, the pearls and jade adorning her hair making a crisp clinking sound.
When her gaze fell upon Lin Qiye, her beautiful eyes instantly filled with tears. Her pink lips trembled slightly, revealing a smile that could outshine a hundred flowers.
Before Lin Qiye could react, the woman had already opened her arms and rushed into his embrace, bringing with her a delicate fragrance of orchids.
"My lord..." She buried her face in Lin Qiye's shoulder, her voice trembling with sobs, "I've waited so long..."
Lin Qiye froze completely.
His eyes widened, his hands awkwardly hanging in mid-air, and the black straight sword clattered to the ground.
He could clearly feel the soft touch of the woman in his arms, and even hear her rapid heartbeat.
But all of this happened so suddenly that it caused his brain to shut down completely.
"Wait, wait..." Lin Qiye stammered, his ears burning red, "This young lady must have mistaken me for someone else..."
"Crack! Click!"
A clear shutter sound came from not far away.
Zhang Yun, dressed in black, was holding a camera, the lens almost shoved into the faces of the two men.
He was trying so hard to suppress his laughter that his shoulders were shaking, but he still managed to adjust the angle for a close-up shot: "Keep going! Don't mind me! This is a once-in-a-millennium reunion!"
Upon hearing this, the woman raised her head and looked at Lin Qiye with teary eyes.
Her slender fingers gently caressed his cheek, her fingertips cool yet tender:
"Don't you remember me, my husband?" she said, trying to snuggle into his arms again.
Lin Qiye stumbled backward, his back slamming against the coffin with a thud. His face flushed red and then paled. "This...this fairy, please have some self-respect! I really..."
Zhang Yun, dressed in black, laughed so hard he almost fell over, his hand trembling so much he could barely hold the camera, the lens shaking violently.
He wiped away the tears of laughter, his voice full of mockery: "Seven Nights, I've been waiting for you for two thousand years, just give in!"
He then made an exaggerated throat-slitting gesture, saying, "This is your real wife. You're the one who owes this debt, and you won't admit it. You're such a scumbag!"
Lin Qiye was completely stunned, mechanically raising his finger to point at himself:
"I?"
His voice was dry, like sandpaper scraping, and his expression was somewhere between shock and absurdity.
Zhang Yun, dressed in black, nodded frantically, his black hair swaying with the movement.
He pulled out a folding fan from somewhere, and with a "whoosh," unfolded it to cover the lower half of his face, revealing only a pair of mischievous eyes:
"You'll travel back two thousand years and start having affairs~" A muffled laugh came from behind the fan. "Heh, you know what I mean! She's been waiting for you in her coffin for two thousand years!"
Lin Qiye stiffly turned his head and looked at the woman in his arms again.
Her eyes were as clear as autumn water, filled with an unyielding affection.
Those eyes stared at him intently, as if trying to etch him into the depths of his soul.
The woman's slender fingers gripped his clothes tightly, as if afraid he would disappear again.
"Wait for me... for two thousand years?" Lin Qiye murmured to himself, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
His gaze unconsciously swept over the garish red coffin—the brocade lining the coffin had faded, but its former splendor was still evident.
The coffin walls were densely covered with tiny characters, all of which, upon closer inspection, read "Longing for your return," though some were already blurred and illegible.
The thought of a woman alone in this cold underworld, sleeping in a coffin for countless years, waiting for someone who might never return... suddenly tugged at Lin Qiye's heart.
The pain came so suddenly and so intensely that it made him catch his breath.
"Could it be... really my wife?" he asked unconsciously in a soft voice, his voice trembling without him even realizing it.
Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes instantly shone with an astonishing light, and tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken string.
Zhang Yun, dressed in black, frantically pressed the shutter button, muttering to himself, "That expression is amazing! I have to send a copy to the real person too!"
.....
A distant palace high platform.
Zhang Yun, dressed in black, finally couldn't hold back anymore. He clutched his stomach and laughed so hard he was doubled over, tears welling up in his eyes.
While wiping away his tears with his sleeve, he didn't forget to adjust the camera's focus, keeping the lens firmly locked on Cao Yuan and his companions as they fled in a disheveled state.
"Hahaha...Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" His laughter trembled, his voice cracking, and his fingers shook as he pressed the record button. "This has to be shared in the group!"
In the eerie old town, countless pale paper lanterns fluttered wildly in the air.
Each lantern was decorated with a strange smiling face painted in cinnabar, and the lantern frame made a creaking sound.
Even more terrifying were the paper figures—their bodies, as thin as cicada wings, fluttered in the wind, their paper limbs twisted at incredible angles, crawling on the ground, clinging to the walls, surging in from all directions.
Cao Yuan ran in the lead, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
The prayer beads in his hand emitted a faint golden light, and he would occasionally turn around to perform a ritual of salvation.
Each time a ray of Buddha's light flashed, several paper figures would suddenly freeze, a serene expression of liberation appearing on their faces. But this also triggered a more terrifying chain reaction—
"Woo——"
Suddenly, a mournful wail echoed throughout the ancient city, as if thousands of vengeful spirits were wailing at the same time.
The ground began to shake, and countless translucent spirits emerged from the cracks in the buildings and from the depths of the earth.
They were distorted in shape, some missing arms and legs, some with long intestines, but without exception they were all staring intently at the Buddhist beads in Cao Yuan's hand, their eyes flashing with a frantic desire.
"Holy crap! Old Cao, what did you do?!" Baili Pangpang yelled as he ran, his round body nimbly dodging a paper figure that lunged at him. "Why are they acting like they've seen Tang Sanzang's flesh?!"
Cao Yuan was also bewildered. He looked down at the scalding hot prayer beads: "I... I just helped the spirits of a few paper figures to find peace..."
Before he could finish speaking, a charred spirit suddenly sprang from the ground, its rotting hands reaching for the prayer beads! Cao Yuan was so startled that he almost dropped the prayer beads.
"They're treating you like a medium for the dead!" An Qingyu said, pushing up her glasses as she ran, the lenses reflecting a cold light. "It seems the souls of the dead in this city have been trapped for far too long..."
Most terrifyingly, the number of pursuing spirits increased, and the entire street turned into a writhing "tide of spirits".
They pushed and bit each other, trying to get closer to Cao Yuan.
Several paper figures were even torn to shreds, with scraps of paper flying in the air like a strange snowfall.
Zhang Yun, dressed in black, stood on a high place and took pictures with great enthusiasm.
He even added a narration to the video: "Dear viewers, what you are watching now is the best horror blockbuster of the year, 'The Haunted House'! The lead actor, Mr. Cao Yuan, is setting a Guinness World Record for being chased by the most ghosts!"
Panting heavily, Cao Yuan and his companions stumbled into a dilapidated hall, the howling of the dead fading into the distance behind them.
Sweat soaked their clothes, but Cao Yuan's Buddhist beads still emitted a faint golden light, illuminating the dusty hall.
"Phew... Phew... Finally got rid of him..." Baili Pangpang plopped down on the ground, his round face flushed red, his chest heaving violently.
An Qingyu adjusted his askew glasses, the lenses still stained with scraps of paper from his escape. He looked around, his attention suddenly drawn to the faded mural on the wall: "Look at this..."
On the wall, faded murals tell an ancient story.
In the painting, an emperor wearing a crown stands on a high platform, below which countless craftsmen are building this eerie city.
The most striking image is in the very center—a woman bound by chains, her face blurred, but emanating an ominous black aura.
"This...this is..." Shen Qingzhu's voice trembled slightly as her fingers gently traced the words on the wall, "I built this city to imprison the immortal. Time may pass, but you will endure..."
Li Deyang suddenly shivered as the beam of his tactical flashlight swept across a broken statue in the corner of the hall. Only half of the statue's face remained, but it was vaguely recognizable as a woman, with an eerie smile on her lips.
"So this city..." Cao Yuan swallowed, "was built by some emperor to imprison an immortal woman?"
Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the hall, like countless sheets of paper rubbing together. The group exchanged glances, their faces instantly turning pale.
"They're here again!" Baili Pangpang jumped up with a nimble leap, his movements unlike those of a fat man.
The group rushed out of the main hall, only to be met with a thick fog.
Through the mist, the paper figures could be vaguely seen gathering from all directions, the smiling faces on the lanterns appearing and disappearing in the fog...
Cao Yuan gripped the burning hot prayer beads tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white. He shook his head with a wry smile, his voice full of helplessness: "Just out of the tiger's den, into the wolf's lair..."
Suddenly, Baili Pangpang pointed to the sky and exclaimed, "Look! Isn't that...?"
Everyone looked up and saw a huge queen ant frantically flapping its wings and fleeing under the dim sky.
Its once-glossy wings were now tattered and torn, and its body was covered with shredded pieces of paper.
Even more terrifying, behind it, thousands of paper figures followed like a white wave, their paper limbs swaying strangely in the air, making a "rustling" sound.
"Isn't that the queen ant that Qi Ye and Zhang Yun were chasing?" An Qingyu pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting the eerie chase scene in the air. "Let's go, let's catch up!"
The group exchanged a glance and, without prior arrangement, rushed off in the direction the queen ant had flown.
The alleyways along the way became narrower and narrower, and the buildings on both sides gradually turned into tall black stone walls.
The wall was covered with blood-red vines, each vine adorned with a small copper bell that jingled softly as they ran.
"Are these paper figures... driving us away?" Shen Qingzhu looked back as she ran, noticing that the paper figures always kept a distance, neither getting closer nor further away, as if... escorting them.
After rounding the last bend, the view suddenly opened up before us—
A towering staircase stands majestically, each step half a person's height, constructed of dark basalt.
The surface of the steps was covered with strange runes, which were now emitting a faint blue glow.
At the end of the stairs,
A magnificent palace floated in mid-air.
The bottom was shrouded in black mist resembling chains.
The most chilling thing was the throne in the very center of the palace. The throne was completely white, as if it were made of countless bones.