Otherworldly Desert Dust

"Boom~~~~~~~~~!!!"

The heavy drumbeats resounded, and the ceremonial procession was particularly elaborate, primarily adorned in cold whites, showcasing the underworld people’s favorite sense of celebration.

Among them were many boys and girls with faces like white powder, holding small flower wreaths, ready to place them around the contestants’ necks.

The Hundred Demons Stage was also ready. At this moment, they were still shrouded in thick shadows. The Spirit Awakeners participating in the temple fair’s escape could only see their dark outlines, unable to discern their true forms.

Even so, the occasional bone scissors, heart-piercing sticks, meat mixing tanks, brain hooks dropping from the shadows gave off a vibe that the entire Yinzhou was about to commence an open-air barbecue festival.

The ghosts were each eagerly anticipating, but the Spirit Awakeners felt that they were the fresh ingredients.

"Boom!! Boom!!!!"

The drumbeats continued to pound, signaling the official start of the underworld’s activities.

"The Hundred Demons Night Walk has begun!"

"Travelers, you better hide well!"

The temple fair organizer, dressed in a yellow robe, announced loudly.

As soon as the words fell, thousands of Spirit Awakeners ran towards Yinzhou City...

This Yinzhou City was larger than imagined. No matter which direction you sped towards, the surrounding Yin Ants would swiftly render a street scene within a fifty-meter radius.

As a large number of Spirit Awakeners shuttled through different parts of Yinzhou City, the entire city’s appearance began to gradually emerge:

The streets crisscrossed, their minimalist white ant roads adding a touch of sophistication. Shops lined both sides, with an array of signs dazzling to the eye. Tea houses, snack stalls, handicraft shops - a bustling marketplace, with hawkers’ cries rising and falling.

There was a river in Yinzhou, but upon reaching the riverside and seeing that the liquid-like flowing water was formed by densely packed insect eggs, everyone’s facial muscles twitched in horror!

"We need to get to the other side of the bridge. There’s too many people here; it’s not safe." Captain Qin Sheng suggested.

"But where’s the bridge? We can’t see it at all." One-eyed Fei Ying responded.

The bridge surely existed. The problem was that unless you were near it, it wouldn’t render.

Most Spirit Awakeners turned back after reaching the river, unable to see where the bridge truly was.

Wu Hen surveyed the surroundings, noticing that the entire Yinzhou City had an overall fragmented feel. Where there were Spirit Awakeners, there were cityscapes. In places without people, there was nothing, as if some areas of a vibrant and busy scroll drawing had been erased, with some places purely imagined.

"Help~~~"

"Don’t eat me!!!"

A group of people seemed to be chased by something, running towards the Yinzhou River.

Wu Hen looked in that direction but only saw a blood-red dragon floating above the eaves, radiating a celebratory sheen. Its scales were painted with colorful oil paper.

"It’s the Dancing Dragon Lamp. We saw a group of Yin Craftsmen making human skin lanterns at the temple fair earlier!" Cai Jinlin exclaimed in terror.

The human skin lanterns floated, forming a long dragon, their blood-red eyes greedily eyeing the people fleeing on the streets...

A woman, slow in her escape, ran into a dead-end alley. Her screams reached the riverside, and soon the Dancing Lamp Yin Dragon opened its mouth, swallowing her whole!

Stripping skin, cutting flesh, removing bones, the female Spirit Awakener was swiftly dismembered, with thick blood splattering on the Yin Craftsmen holding the dragon lanterns.

Yet the Yin Craftsmen grinned, moving cohesively while shouting and dancing with human skin lamps. The Yin Dragon they carried, seemingly alive and like a corpse demon, continued searching for people escaping in the city!

"Run quickly! This creature is at least of Cangxia Level!" Captain Qin Sheng realized it was the leader of the Hundred Demons and told his team members.

The team’s strongest fighter, Mingyi, was absent. Moreover, during the Hundred Demons Night Walk, the aura emitted by the Dancing Lamp Yin Dragon was terrifying. Do not be fooled by the powerless female Spirit Awakener; she was at least Night Ghost level!

"Cross the river, we must find a way to cross the river!" Cai Jinlin said.

Wu Hen also witnessed the entire process of the Dancing Lamp Yin Dragon eating people. If not for Little Yi and his great protection, he would have been scared stiff.

"Little Yi, I know you crave this thick soup, but if you act now, all the ingredients will be scared away. The main course won’t show up either. Follow my lead, have the dessert, appetizers, and cold dishes first." Wu Hen said.

Wu Hen knew how to maximize benefits.

Once the Holy Father emerged, the entire Yinzhou City’s existence would be in question.

The Holy Father on the left hand elevated his upper limits.

Little Yi on the right hand elevated his lower limits...

Currently, Wu Hen needed to raise his lower limits; otherwise, his shortcomings were too glaring.

His little aunt repeatedly reminded him that the Holy Father wasn’t an invincible entity like the Desert Dust. Its capture by Wu Hen was likely due to its weakened state.

What caused its current weakness?

The Black Divine Death Sword certainly had a nemesis. Once it showed holiness, the risk of being sensed by its nemesis existed.

So Wu Hen and Little Yi agreed that they’d handle the earlier dishes themselves before the main course. Better wait as long as possible, never lose out!

"The Yin Dragon is coming!" Little Stutter was so nervous that his speech was clear.

"Follow me; the bridge is this way." Wu Hen quickly noticed that the Lu’an River had boats.

When a boat passed through an empty area, the boatman noticeably ducked as if dodging a bridge surface...

Upon entering Yinzhou, everyone highly regarded Wu Hen’s intelligence. Now, they didn’t hesitate and ran in his direction.

After running about a hundred meters, the White Bone Tavern emerged along with those painted boats in the river, which previously appeared to bob in an empty space. Approaching them made it clear they were enjoying themselves aboard.

"There really is a bridge!! Cross the bridge quickly!!" Cai Jinlin exclaimed.

The group hastily ran onto the bridge. The bridge appeared slowly, intentionally hindering the travelers’ escape.

A layer of deathly fog drifted from the Lu’an River, and the white "stone bridge" finally surfaced. The group hurriedly ascended the bridge, but some stopped at the bridgehead, their faces pale as they pointed to the floating figures beneath the bridge!

One-eyed Fei Ying, at the back of the group, sensed something wrong with the Bone Bridge and immediately removed her eye patch to inspect the bridge.

Beneath the bridge, masses of people were hung like drying meat, with invisible ropes around their necks, their tongues horrifically protruding, and faces contorted.

As people climbed the Bone Bridge, those hanging "people" below opened their eyes one by one, then began to frantically swing their bodies, performing a large rope-swinging motion beneath the bridge...

The wildly swinging "people" flung themselves onto the Bone Bridge, wrapping their ghostly monkey-like hands tightly around the people on the bridge, then plunging them into the Lu’an River filled with insect eggs!

"There are hanging ghosts under the bridge!!" One-eyed Fei Ying saw this scene and shouted to her team members.

Before her voice faded, a hanging ghost had already lunged at Wu Hen, who was at the front. Wu Hen, unaware of the ghosts on both sides of the bridge, continued to rush forward...

"Swish!"

Suddenly, Wu Hen’s right hand moved, a Jade Profound Piercing blade slicing precisely through the hanging ghost’s head!

The hanging ghost’s head and body split, falling back into the Lu’an River.

Wu Hen didn’t stop and kept running towards the river’s far bank.

"Swish swish swish swish swish~~~~~~~~~"

More and more hanging ghosts flung themselves onto the bridge. Some latched onto the travelers, while others snatched heads mid-air, and some even used nooses to loop around people’s necks...

Those caught around the neck couldn’t break free and were dragged under the bridge, undoubtedly soon becoming another hung meat string!

Besides Captain Qin Sheng’s and Cai Jinlin’s team, other Spirit Awakeners rushed to the newly found bridge.

Compared to the hanging ghosts, the Dancing Lamp Yin Dragon was the more terrifying entity. Driven to this point, they had to crowd onto the bridge.

The stronger ones could kill the lunging hanging ghosts, while the weaker ones, depending on luck, seldom escaped death from the targeting hanging ghosts.

"Wu Hen, slow down." Captain Qin Sheng saw Wu Hen rushing off the bridge and quickly shouted.

Wu Hen’s extraordinary hearing caught Captain Qin’s call.

But how could he slow down? In a corner courtyard on the other side of the bridge lay a crystal-clear Little Yuan You.

If he slowed, someone else would snatch it away! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"First, enhance my basic combat power; otherwise, I can’t unleash the full potential of the Mystical Jade Mask."

As he passed through the mist, the contour of a special mask appeared faintly on Wu Hen’s cheek.

If it came to basics, Wu Hen, who wielded the Mystical Jade Mask, could match Thunder Bright Realm experts. However, this body was too weak. Its speed and strength only reached five times that of an ordinary person.

Yuan You could directly enhance physique. For each increase, Wu Hen’s strength with the Mystical Jade Mask expanded exponentially.

Little Yuan You didn’t significantly improve Little Yi but greatly boosted Wu Hen’s physique strength visibly.

"Mingyi said, ten times an ordinary physique was only Second Rank."

"One Little Yuan You boosts two to three times. If I find another, I can reach Second Rank Physique."

Second Rank Hearing, Second Rank Physique, already Night Ghost-level strength...

Coupled with the Mystical Jade Mask...

He could directly confront even a Thunder Bright Realm Ghost Bride!

"Roar~~~!"

A soft growl sounded from the courtyard.

Wu Hen’s extraordinary hearing quickly captured it.

As he pushed the door open, a pack of White Bone Evil Dogs leapt out from the courtyard. Luckily, Wu Hen remained on guard, or else the moment he stepped in, he would have had his flesh gnawed off!