"Ding dong~ Ding dong~"
A series of bell sounds echoed from the depths of the white fog. Fang Ming and the other two immediately became alert. In this Changsheng Realm, there were only resentment spirits and nothing else. Once they encountered each other, they were enemies, not friends!
Believing in the kindness of resentment spirits was less likely than a sow learning to climb trees.
The existence of painters was truly miraculous. It was estimated that among all resentment spirits, there were no more than two who could truly be called kind.
"Be careful."
Fang Ming whispered, fixing his gaze on the source of the sound.
"Ding dong~"
The sound grew closer. A horse-drawn carriage slowly swayed through the white fog, appearing before Fang Ming and his companions and stopping.
"Do the three of you need a ride?" The coachman held a tattered oil lamp. Beneath his ragged clothes was a writhing mass of flesh, covered with eyes of various sizes.
"Who are you?" Fang Ming asked warily.
"Is this the first time the three honored guests have come to the Changsheng Realm?" the coachman asked doubtfully.
"Yes."
"I see." The coachman chuckled. "I am a Ferryman of the Changsheng Realm. I will proactively approach guests with strong power to offer my services."
"He's not lying," Nannan said softly.
The coachman and the horse beneath him were both formidable spirits. They couldn't hide the changes in their blood flow from Nannan when they lied.
Hearing Nannan's words, Fang Ming's mind was made up.
"I want to travel east until I see a stone. Do you know the direction?"
The coachman chuckled upon hearing this. "You think too little of me, sir. Not just a direction, but even entering any world of resentment spirits, as long as you have the coordinates, I can take you there with ease!"
Fang Ming was delighted. He was worried about how to go east, and unexpectedly, someone came to offer help.
However, he didn't have a single coin of currency from the Changsheng Realm.
"We don't have any currency. How can we pay you?"
"You worry too much, sir. There is no currency in the Changsheng Realm. You only need to provide some of your internal resentment qi." The coachman said with a smile.
However, the amount of "some" would be determined by the coachman.
"Paying with resentment qi?" Fang Ming was confused. "Isn't the Changsheng Realm full of resentment qi? Why do you still need it?"
The coachman was very patient. Resentment spirits visiting the Changsheng Realm for the first time would always have such doubts. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Because this white fog cannot be absorbed directly. It belongs to Lord Changsheng. If we absorb it, we will gradually lose our will and become food for others."
"Changsheng?" Fang Ming frowned. Speaking of this person, he hadn't seen him for some time. Moreover, the coachman's words seemed to reveal something significant?
Was the Lord Changsheng the same Changsheng he met in Baimu Village?
"What do you mean by losing consciousness and becoming food for others?" Fang Ming asked, voicing his inner doubts. The coachman explained, "If you absorb this white fog directly, your will will be gradually corrupted by it, eventually turning you into walking dead. Such existences are precisely the food source for us normal resentment spirits. Devouring them will not affect our will."
I see.
Fang Ming reached out and grabbed a handful of white fog, attempting to absorb it into his body. He wanted to see if it was as the coachman said.
"Sir, no!" The coachman quickly stopped him. This thing, once absorbed, would be as addictive as drugs. Although these resentment spirits lived here, they avoided this white fog as if it were a flood or a fierce beast!
But Fang Ming had already absorbed the white fog into his body. He felt a warm current flow into him and, upon careful inspection, found nothing unusual.
Strange.
Fang Ming looked at the coachman. "Why don't I feel anything unusual? Are you trying to trick me?"
The coachman stared at Fang Ming in disbelief. "Impossible, how could that be?"
Once these white fogs began to be absorbed, they couldn't be stopped. Yet, this fierce spirit before him could absorb and stop at will. If this person could absorb the white fog without any side effects, wouldn't that mean... Thinking of this, the coachman's countless eyes widened, staring at Fang Ming in shock.
A big figure, an absolute big figure!
"I have eyes but cannot see Mount Tai. Please do not blame me, sir." The coachman quickly jumped off the carriage and knelt down. Fang Ming then noticed that his true form was like a large octopus, covered in eyes, with eight tentacles like human arms crawling on the ground.
Fang Ming was taken aback by the coachman's sudden apology and quickly said, "Get up quickly. I'm not exactly a big figure."
Not a big figure?
Hearing this, the coachman became even more fearful. Aren't all big figures usually modest like this?
"I wouldn't dare," the coachman said fearfully.
Fang Ming was somewhat helpless, so he pretended to be angry. "I order you to get up quickly and take me east!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The coachman scrambled back onto the carriage and then beckoned Fang Ming to get on. "Sir, please get on. We can depart now."
"Let's go." Fang Ming was the first to climb onto the carriage. Nannan flew up directly. Qing Mian was a bit large, so he reverted to his煞纹 (Sha Wen - ominous patterns) and attached himself to Fang Ming.
Entering the carriage, Fang Ming surveyed the interior. Two benches made from unknown skulls were inlaid on the sides. A low-level giant-mouthed spirit was attached to the carriage wall, its mouth open to reveal some simple food—various unknown pieces of meat.
As for other decorations, they were all strange trinkets. Nannan, somewhat disgusted, sat on Fang Ming's lap, hugging his waist and dozing off.
"Sir, please make yourself comfortable."
The coachman reminded him, then cracked his whip. The carriage slowly began to move.
"Ding dong~" The rhythmic bell sound rang out again. Fang Ming sat inside the carriage, looking out the window.
However, apart from the vast white mist, he could see nothing else. It was unavoidable, as the mist in the Changsheng Realm was too thick. It would be a miracle to see the scenery in the distance.
After some time on the journey, Fang Ming discovered that the Changsheng Realm was an endless plain, with no other geographical features, not even a small hill.
Perhaps out of fear, the coachman dared not make a sound along the way. Nannan had already fallen asleep in his arms. Fang Ming, feeling bored, fiddled with the small ornaments in the carriage.
Suddenly!
"Boom—!"
"Quack! Quack!..." The fierce spirit pulling the carriage was startled, and the carriage suddenly shook. Nannan's eyes instantly opened, and she looked out the window with a solemn expression.
"Quiet!" the coachman yelled, and the carriage slowly quieted down.
"Roar!" The ground trembled nearby, and a roar came. Then, a resentment spirit hundreds of meters tall flew up, staring furiously at the sky.
"What's going on?" Fang Ming asked the coachman.
"You don't need to worry, sir. Two冥煞 (Ming Sha - underworld spirits) are just fighting." The coachman said indifferently. "It's nothing. Please sit tight, we'll accelerate and leave this place."
In the Changsheng Realm, encountering such events was commonplace. The coachman was already skilled at it. He whipped the fierce spirit pulling the carriage, and the carriage sped up, the scenery on both sides whizzing by.
But those two fighting冥煞 seemed to have a grudge against this carriage. Before they knew it, they had caught up. The two冥煞 fought as they approached the carriage, and the aftershocks of their battle caused the carriage to shake uncontrollably.
"These two." The coachman was somewhat annoyed. He stood up aggressively, looked up at the sky, whipped it, and then raised the tattered oil lamp in his hand. The lamp emitted a faint glow.
Although the light was weak, it was strange in the white fog, like a beacon.
However, the two冥煞 in the sky had completely lost their temper and paid no attention to the small carriage below. In their eyes, the carriage was as small as an ant, and they didn't notice it at all.
"Roar!" One冥煞 roared, and lightning gathered in the sky, then crackled down towards the ground.
The coachman was startled and quickly sat back in his seat, desperately channeling resentment qi into the oil lamp. The lamp's glow intensified until it enveloped the entire carriage.
"Boom, boom, boom." A series of lightning bolts fell, and the battle in the sky entered a white-hot stage.
This was a苦役 (kǔyì - hard labor) for the small carriage. Despite the protection of the lamp's light, it was still battered by the lightning, making it sway precariously. Cracks began to appear all over the carriage body, and it looked like it wouldn't hold on much longer.
"You're finished! I'm telling you, how dare you damage a Ferryman's carriage!" the coachman cursed at the sky. "When I report this to Lord Changsheng, both of you will die!"
Although the coachman was only of fierce spirit strength, their industry had a powerful backing. The Ferrymen in the Changsheng Realm were personally protected by Lord Changsheng!
But the two冥煞 couldn't hear him and continued their fierce fight.
"Nannan, please protect us." Fang Ming had no choice but to ask Nannan to intervene. If they continued to be beaten like this, the carriage would be completely destroyed. "I know." Nannan replied, then stretched out her small hand. Suddenly, streams of blood surged from the void, enveloping the entire carriage. The lightning strikes only splashed blood flowers upon impact, causing little damage.
After all, these lightning bolts were merely the aftershocks of the battle. Nannan's current strength was more than enough to block them.
*Hoo!* Suddenly, a sonic boom sounded. Fang Ming's heart leaped, and he quickly told the coachman to stop.
"Stop!"
"Whoa~" The coachman quickly stopped the carriage. He had also noticed the abnormality above.
A "mountain" was smashing down from the sky, and if the carriage had run a few more steps, it would have been at the impact point!
"Boom!" The "mountain" fell. Due to its immense size, the white fog couldn't completely conceal its body. It was revealed to be a冥煞 as large as a mountain!