PD -Chapter 130 Ambushing the Ghost Gate

Hidden among the line of souls, I secretly looked up and saw the towering fortress ahead. Beneath it stood a tightly shut black gate. Just as expected, it appeared to be made of black jade, remarkably similar to the black jade I had encountered before. The two gate panels were probably five or six meters tall, massive and imposing.

Standing before the gate were two burly Underworld officers dressed entirely in black. They held long axes in their hands and wore bamboo hats draped with black veils, concealing their faces completely.

“Lord Rakshasa, please present your Underworld Seal.”

One of the black-clad officers cupped his hands respectfully and spoke in a hoarse, aged voice.

Shentu, still disguised as a Rakshasa, immediately extended her right hand. A black seal materialized in her palm. The two gate guards promptly bowed toward the seal before beginning to inspect the travel permit of the first soul behind her, verifying its identity.

At last, the first soul’s rope restraints were removed.

One ordinary soul after another passed inspection without incident. Before long, it was almost Liu Xiaopeng’s and my turn.

I couldn’t help feeling nervous.

According to Shentu’s earlier explanation, Ghost Gate Pass was guarded by eighteen powerful evil ghosts and Underworld soldiers. We needed to eliminate them one by one without alerting the rest of the Underworld.

That made a surprise attack our best option.

According to our plan, the first step was to take out the gate guards stationed on the outer perimeter. The ideal moment would come after they finished checking all the souls’ permits and opened the gate.

As I reviewed the plan in my head, my anxiety only grew.

After all, who had ever been to Ghost Gate Pass before? This was my first time, and naturally I was nervous as hell.

The officer removed the restraints from the soul standing in front of Liu Xiaopeng, then immediately walked over to him. He tore the permit from Liu Xiaopeng’s chest. The bright red seals stamped on the document suddenly emitted a dark crimson glow resembling molten lava the instant they touched the officer’s hand.

The officer then produced a ledger-like book and appeared to compare the information recorded inside. Several minutes later, he put the permit away, untied Liu Xiaopeng’s ropes, and walked toward me.

The process started the same way.

The officer ripped off my permit and spent a long time checking it. Then he whispered something to the other officer.

But instead of removing my restraints, he ordered me out of the line and made me stand off to one side.

My heart skipped a beat.

Had they discovered that my permit was forged?

But if that was the case, why hadn’t they noticed anything wrong with Liu Xiaopeng’s?

As I was still thinking about it, I noticed that the two officers had stopped inspecting the remaining souls altogether. Instead, they walked to the front and seemed to be discussing something with Shentu.

My heart sank lower and lower.

I had no idea what was about to happen.

After quite some time, the two officers strode back toward me with vicious expressions.

Only then did I notice that each of them was carrying a pair of shackles.

I’m screwed.

The thought flashed through my mind.

As panic crept in, my disguise naturally became less convincing. One of the officers seemed to notice me glancing up at them and immediately pointed his axe at me.

“Don’t move!” he barked in his raspy voice.

I gritted my teeth.

A surge of ruthlessness rose within me.

Maybe I should strike now.

Liu Xiaopeng wasn’t far away. If we acted by surprise, taking down these two officers wasn’t impossible.

Besides, I had already observed the surroundings. The fortress walls of Ghost Gate Pass were extremely high. Even if there were other evil ghosts or officers stationed on the battlements, the blowing sand would probably prevent them from seeing what was happening below.

What’s more, we hadn’t spotted any guards on the walls at all.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, killing intent erupted within me.

I snapped the rope binding my hands and was just about to charge the first officer when Shentu, still in her Rakshasa form, suddenly made her move.

Her bizarre spiked club swung twice.

Bang! Bang!

The blows landed squarely on the backs of the two officers’ heads.

Both officers collapsed instantly.

Their hats tumbled to the ground, revealing their true appearances.

Neither of them looked human.

Though I had already prepared myself mentally, I still couldn’t help widening my eyes in shock when I finally saw their faces.

“You’ve definitely been put on the Underworld’s watch list,” Shentu sighed. “One of the Yin entities you’ve dealt with probably sold you out.”

I froze.

Thinking back to the way the officer had repeatedly compared my information against his ledger, it seemed Shentu was right.

I had probably become one of the Underworld’s specially monitored individuals.

Come to think of it, that wasn’t surprising.

Among the supernatural incidents I had handled, there had been plenty of Rakshasas and ghost officers from the Underworld. Some Yin entities had even escaped from my hands.

It was entirely possible that they had reported me once they returned to the Underworld.

I sighed.

Staring at the two unconscious officers lying on the ground, I still felt as though I were dreaming.

“Are… are these the legendary Ox-Head and Horse-Face?” I muttered under my breath.

One of the officers had an extraordinarily long horse-like face.

The other possessed a pair of horns growing from his forehead and an enormous nose, resembling a water buffalo.

“Quit standing around and drag them away already!”

Shentu shot me an annoyed glare and waved her hand, ordering Liu Xiaopeng and me to move.

We immediately dragged the two officers’ bodies behind a nearby sand dune beside the fortress.

At the same time, Shentu picked up her Underworld Seal and inserted it into the enormous black gate like a key.

A deep rumble echoed through the air.

The giant black gate slowly opened a narrow crack.

With a wave of Shentu’s hand, the waiting souls filed forward one after another and entered through the gates of Ghost Gate Pass.

Liu Xiaopeng and I exchanged a glance and followed at the very end of the procession.

Behind the massive black jade gate stretched a long, narrow tunnel shrouded in darkness.

Along both sides of the passage, pairs of ghost officers stood at regular intervals holding lanterns.

They had been standing motionless like statues, and when the countless souls began pouring through the gate, they clearly hadn’t figured out what was happening.

Then, in the very next second, I saw Shentu instantly revert to her female form.

Crimson light flickered in her hand.

At the same time, the eyes of those previously dull, zombie-like souls began glowing with the same eerie red light.

The souls were like starving wolves awakening from a deep sleep.

Without hesitation, they lunged at the ghost officers lining both sides of the tunnel.

Some officers reacted too slowly and were immediately torn apart. Heads flew, bodies split open, and the red-eyed souls ripped them to pieces.

Others farther back had already begun responding, gathering together to resist the attack.

“What are you two standing there for?!”

Shentu shouted at Liu Xiaopeng and me.

Then her figure flashed forward, charging deeper into the passage.

Liu Xiaopeng and I exchanged another glance.

Without another moment’s hesitation, we rushed straight toward the gathering ranks of Underworld soldiers.