CHAPTER 367: CHAPTER 367: ENTERING THE REALM OF THE DEAD, FOOD FOR GHOSTS

In the deep ravine at Eastern Mount, in front of the bronze gate to the realm of the dead, all the strange signs had disappeared. The black eyes in the crack of the gate and those creepy ghost claws were gone.

Only deep claw marks were left on the bronze gate.

"Hmph. Just some weak, stray ghosts. They dare act up in front of me?" Dragon Soul scoffed.

He finally had a chance to be useful, so of course he wanted to perform well. He had been attached to Johnnie’s soul all this time, and Johnnie rarely met foes who used soul attacks, so he hadn’t had many chances to show his power.

Just when everyone thought there was no danger behind the bronze gate of the realm of the dead, the yin energy around them suddenly grew even denser.

Two thick black shadows flashed through the crack in the bronze gate.

Johnnie, who had been watching behind the bronze gate, saw the masters of those two shadows. One was deathly pale, with a long red tongue hanging out, holding a club, and giving off a feeling of despair.

The other was wrapped in black yin energy, his face hidden, with countless black chains floating around him.

The ghosts that had been restless behind the gate were now fleeing in panic.

"It’s the White and Black Reapers who drag souls!" the AureonHuman Emperor’s voice rang out, with a hint of doubt and surprise.

Johnnie had heard the legends of the White and Black Reapers. The White Reaper is named Stable, known as Lord Seven; the Black Reaper is named Virtue, known as Lord Eight.

As envoys of the realm of the dead, it was normal for them to appear behind the bronze gate.

But Johnnie heard the doubt in the AureonHuman Emperor’s tone and asked about it.

The AureonHuman Emperor answered at once."I’ve met the White and Black Reapers a few times before. Back then, they were completely different from now."

"What’s different?" Johnnie asked without thinking.

The AureonHuman Emperor sounded unsure. "Right now, it feels like they barely have any mind of their own."

Hearing this, Johnnie looked more closely. It was just as the AureonHuman Emperor said.

The White and Black Reapers behind the bronze gate, though their faces were hard to see, moved with strange stiffness when they caught the nearby ghosts.

Just then, Johnnie saw a ghost struggling wildly get bound by the chains of the Black Reaper, Virtue.

The chains tightened. When the ghost was pulled to Virtue’s side, Virtue suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed the ghost in one bite.

Crunch, crunch.

The AureonHuman Emperor spoke firmly: "Johnnie, something must have happened in the realm of the dead. As envoys of the realm of the dead, the White and Black Reapers are only supposed to collect souls and catch fierce spirits that linger in the real world."

"They would never eat ghosts like that!"

Johnnie took a deep breath. No matter what had happened in the realm of the dead, he had to go in.

The AureonHuman Emperor knew what Johnnie was thinking, so he reminded him."Right now only your soul can pass through the bronze gate into the realm of the dead. The Map of Heaven and Earth, Void Sword, Seven Sword... none of them can go with you.

"Only Dragon Soul, who is attached to your soul, can help you if things get dangerous. Johnnie, maybe we should wait a bit and think of another way."

"Is there any other way?" Johnnie shook his head.

The AureonHuman Emperor fell silent. Clearly, he couldn’t find another way to enter the realm of the dead in a short time.

After that, Johnnie waited a little while. Only when the figures of the White and Black Reapers disappeared from behind the bronze gate did he start to move.

"When your soul leaves your body, Skye and I will guard your body outside and make sure nothing happens." the AureonHuman Emperor said, a bit nervous.

Johnnie nodded, then closed his eyes. Following the method the AureonHuman Emperor had taught him, he began to let his soul leave his body.

Soon, Johnnie’s soul slowly drifted away from his body.

It was a very strange feeling. The moment his soul left, he felt as if a thin, invisible film had formed between him and everything around him.

He could see and hear everything, but it all felt hazy and distant, with a strong sense of detachment.

Also, the bronze gate to the realm of the dead was giving off a powerful pull, trying to draw him straight in.

"Kid, with me here, as long as those White and Black Reapers don’t show up again, no ghost should be able to hurt you. Don’t worry." Only then did Dragon Soul speak again.

His power could crush ordinary ghosts. But when the White and Black Reapers appeared just now, Dragon Soul felt a strong sense of danger.

After all, he was also, in a way, a wandering soul, and the White and Black Reapers, whose job is to take souls, are especially dangerous to him.

"Johnnie, pay attention to the thread on your arm. It’s the connection between you and your body, and it’s also the path you’ll follow to get back." said Aureon Human Emperor.

"When this thread starts to fade and slowly disappear, no matter what happens, you have to go back right away. Otherwise, your soul will be stuck in the Realm of the Dead, and your body in the real world will become a vegetable—unable to wake up!" Aureon Human Emperor said in an unusually serious tone.

Johnnie looked down at his arm and saw a white thread, just as he was told.

After everything was ready, he gently exhaled a puff of cold air and stepped toward the crack in the bronze door.

Just as he reached the door, he was thinking about how to get through the narrow opening, when the door suddenly shook and pulled him in with a strong force.

"Bang!" The bronze door slowly closed behind him.

...

The Realm of the Dead.

Johnnie looked back at the closed bronze door and frowned slightly, but he wasn’t too worried. If those ghosts could open the door from the inside, then he should be able to do the same when it was time to leave.

Now, the most important thing was to find out where he was and where Terra’s Lady was in the Realm of the Dead.

"Hey kid, head west. I can feel a strong Soul Power there." Suddenly, a dragon about as thick as an arm appeared in front of Johnnie.

He looked at it for a few moments before realizing that this was the Dragon Soul, just much smaller.

"Can you leave your soul now?" Johnnie asked.

The Dragon Soul first flew around Johnnie freely before answering."Of course I can. This is the Realm of the Dead, where real power comes from the soul. Here, I can use all my strength."

"Kid, your strength is strong, but your soul isn’t. Luckily, I’m here to protect you. And so far, you haven’t met any enemies good at attacking souls, or you’d already be in trouble."

Johnnie nodded. It was true—his soul was always his weakness.

He thought for a moment, then asked."What level is my soul power in the Realm of the Dead?"

Dragon Soul flew to Johnnie’s shoulder and said."Your soul strength is about the same as a Lesser God in the outside world, but here, it’s pretty normal."

"Don’t feel down about it. After all, you haven’t gone through the Heavenly Trial to become a god, so your soul hasn’t changed yet."

As they talked, Johnnie and the Dragon Soul walked toward the west.

Soon, they saw an old village, with smoke coming from the rooftops.

"Smoke? Are they cooking?" Johnnie was a little surprised.

Dragon Soul smiled and said."Of course. In the Realm of the Dead, there are not only evil ghosts, but also souls that can’t move on to Reincarnation yet. They still need to eat, but what they eat is different from the real world."

"What do they eat?" Johnnie asked.

Dragon Soul’s smile disappeared, and his expression became serious. He said slowly."They eat memories. They eat the thoughts of people who miss them."

"Death of the body is just the beginning. If a Divine Powerhouse’s Soul doesn’t die, they can come back again. But regular people’s soul power is too weak. They can’t live on anymore, but they can stay in the Realm of the Dead for a long time."

"Usually, the real death of a ghost in the Realm of the Dead happens when no one in the real world remembers them, no one thinks of them anymore."

"In that case, the only choices are to become an evil ghost that eats other souls, or to be completely forgotten and die forever."

At this, Johnnie suddenly thought about the ancestral halls in his hometown. There were hundreds of spirit tablets inside.

Every festival, even if people had important things to do, they would go back to the family temple to pay their respects to the dead.

In the east, people also burned paper money to remember those who had passed away.

He never realized that the real reason behind these traditions was that ghosts needed the thoughts of people in the real world to survive.

"Now you know why so many people try their whole lives to become famous and be remembered for a long time." Dragon Soul said.

"As long as someone remembers them, someone misses them, their soul will still live—even if their body is gone."

Johnnie nodded and thought for a moment. If he were really dead right now, maybe a lot of people would miss him too.

He shook his head, pushing the thought out of his mind, and followed the Dragon Soul into the village where smoke was rising from the rooftops.

But what surprised Johnnie was that, even though the village looked normal, all the doors were closed, and no souls were walking outside.

The Dragon Soul flew to the front of a house and sniffed carefully.

His expression suddenly turned angry, and he flew back to Johnnie’s shoulder, saying."Something’s wrong. They’re not eating memories from the living—they’re eating souls!"

"These ghosts are evil."