novelraw Chapter 808 802: I, Emperor of Fengdu
Chapter 808 802: I, Emperor of Fengdu
Am I not human?
How can humans consume incense?
Jia Ren looked down at his body, feeling everything was normal, slightly stronger than an ordinary person, yet not excessively so.
He wondered if the seemingly normal body carried oil-like black blood.
His scattered thoughts gathered, his gaze refocused, looking at the curling smoke of the burning Yellow Incense, no longer entering his nostrils.
This is a rare normal 'food', not knowing when he could replenish it, he couldn't waste the precious ration.
He was about to reach out and pinch out the white flame burning on the incense, but then thought of the brutally killed Droopy-eyed Ferryman, stopping his reckless action.
Grabbing the Yellow Incense with his right hand, he extended the burning incense head towards the black water under the boat.
The white flame extinguished, the charred tip slightly moist.
After drying, it could be used again without issue.
Jia Ren had no treasures like a Storage Bag, storing the ration burned by one-fifth close to his chest.
After finishing everything, he picked up the white lantern at his feet and turned to the old man.
"The ferry fare is a bit low?"
With the white lantern as his support, he was no longer worried about the old ghost, the roles of offense and defense had shifted.
After delivering this order, it was unlikely he would make a living this way again, with no ferry fare as a source of food.
The old man aboard the boat hadn't mentioned paying the fare, it seemed he planned to evade the bill, Jia Ren felt no guilt in fleecing him.
For this deal, he aimed to get as much reward as possible.
The wrinkled face squeezed out a smile, about to reply it was the normal fare, but as the lantern approached, he swallowed the words.
It was said the heartless Stygian Ferryman liked to engage in murder and robbery.
Surrounded by the endless Ming River, if one fell into the water, they would truly die without a trace.
"I only brought a little fare, and two pieces of wedding candy."
The voice, like phlegm from ancient times, returned, sounding particularly unpleasant to the ear.
Jia Ren glanced at the offered wedding candy, uninterested.
This stuff, not even ghosts would eat!
The old man understood the other party was not satisfied, helplessly saying, "After docking, I'll have my daughter cover it."
He was sure no more could be extracted, so he reached out and took the two pieces of wedding candy.
He himself didn't eat this stuff, but it could be exchanged with other unusual things for Yellow Incense, better than getting nothing.
"Where should the boat go?"
Jia Ren lifted two white lanterns with his left hand, not giving the other the chance to snatch away, one hand gripping the remaining paddle, asking.
No more pretending!
I am indeed a novice Stygian Ferryman.
Silence fell, the old man instinctively sat further away.
At this moment, he suspected the previous ferryman of the boat also died at Jia Ren's hands.
The 'Fierce Sha' aura emanating from him made the elderly man, on the verge of death, tremble.
He pointed behind, wordlessly conveying this was the correct direction.
So the direction was reversed, almost sending the other party back home.
With one paddle, it was relatively troublesome, moving it back and forth to keep the boat stable and progressing.
The atmosphere on the boat was quite gloomy, only the sound of the paddle stirring the water.
Jia Ren occasionally asked the old ghost along the way, correcting direction, the journey was relatively smooth.
Three hours later, he saw the long-lost land again.
Two other small boats like his were docked at the shore, the location of their ferrymen unknown.
Looking farther, a wide road stretched straight to an unknown destination, further obscured by black mist, unclear.
On the shore, familiar Red Spider Lilies grew, with ghostly green eyes flashing among the flowers. Wherever there were Other Shore Flowers, there seemed to be these ghostly things too.
In the past, he would surely be afraid, not daring to dock.
Now, with the white lantern in hand, it posed no problem at all.
He stopped paddling, relying solely on the boat's inertia to move forward.
Holding two white lanterns, a ball of white flame floated a yard away, the white flame exploding on the water surface, then dissipating.
No wonder the Droopy-eyed Ferryman insisted on getting within a yard before acting, the attack range of this Mysterious Instrument's flame was limited, only a bit over a yard.
The flame could only go straight, unable to pursue in desired directions, nor transform into a flame barrier to protect oneself.
Its practicality was somewhat lacking, but having it was better than not.
Familiarizing himself with the effects of this Mysterious Instrument to avoid fluster during combat.
The old man thought this was a threat, instinctively increasing the distance: "I'll notify my daughter to bring the fare right away."
Jia Ren said nothing, driving the white flame again.
As the boat docked, the old man dared not get off, staying stubborning on the boat.
"You're not leaving, do I have to send you off?!"
The old man felt like he was granted amnesty, hurriedly jumping off the boat.
As soon as he stepped out of the white lantern's illuminated range, his body vanished as if fading into thin air, his whereabouts unknown.
The other party didn't attack him, which was why he managed to get off the boat alive, otherwise, docking would mean the time for a white flame send-off.
It was time for me to leave as well.
Jia Ren, holding the lantern, glanced at the other two black boats, the light revealing no hidden objects.
The interior was empty, with nothing inside.
With the left hand, he picked up two lanterns, and with the right hand, he grabbed the last oar that he found quite handy, and boldly went ashore.
Rows of ghostly green eyes feared the white flames of the lanterns, none daring to come near.
Carrying two white lanterns, he proceeded along the Great Dao.
Occasionally, eerie winds and strange crow calls echoed, giving an inexplicable feeling of being watched.
A black crow kept following behind, as if sensing the impending deathly aura, ready to take advantage of the leftover remnants.
The raucous crow calls were disturbing, so he turned around, quickened his steps, and two white flames shot forth.
One in the front, one in the back, the two directions did not overlap, showing a slight deviation.
The black crow was quite nimble, dodging the first, but... its body willingly collided with the second flame.
The white flame burst open, and the burning black crow flew several zhang away before crashing to the ground.
Apologies, I anticipated your trajectory of evasive action.
Though the extraordinary power is gone, it does not mean the prior insight is lost.
Inertia is a formidable force that most living beings maintain.
Similar to game maneuvers, why do some people consistently fall victim to others' skills, resulting in flashes moving graves?
Judging the opponent's flying speed and movement preferences, the second white flame hitting the target was unsurprising.
The same treasure used by different people can yield varying power levels.
With the black crow dead, the feeling of being watched was dispelled, everything returned as before.
Only the haunting winds continued to linger, uncertain if they were bizarre demons.
The white lanterns had covers protecting them, no worries of extinguishing.
He tucked the oar under his arm, tightened his clothes, and quickened his steps involuntarily.
After a short while, a towering city gate and a Black Stone wall came into view, with "Fengdu" faintly visible written above.
It's difficult to determine how vast Fengdu is, with the sky shrouded in black mist offering low visibility, muddled beyond ten zhang.
After approaching, clearly visible on the left and right gate panels were two different one-horned ghost faces, one green, one purple.
The four eyeballs moved back and forth, scrutinizing all entrants.
The deterrent effect of the ghostly figures on the city gate far exceeds that of old hangman ropes and droopy-eyed ferrymen, the two white lanterns likely won't calm the scene.
Unless always choosing to float on the Ming River, one must eventually land to gather more information, restore strength, and find ways to leave.
Jia Ren's steps did not stop, holding a white lantern in his left hand, gripping the oar tight in his right, involuntarily quickening his pace.
As he passed holding the lanterns, the four eyeballs on the city gate scrutinized through human-like perplexity, then disbelief, finally in a humble manner.
"Emperor, welcome home."
Jia Ren, whose body was tense, always ready to strike, froze for a moment, suspecting an ear malfunction, or a discrepancy in received information.
What were they calling him?
Emperor? Home?
Mistaken identity? Or am I indeed the Emperor of Fengdu?
The identity of the Emperor of Fengdu could explain the consumption of incense, after all, the Emperor represents a divine level.
Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns seemed suspicious, arranging such an unusual identity?
Being a Supreme Elder of Lingbao Sect, having long been in a position of power, Jia Ren carried an unspeakable majesty, nodding without affirming.
Just as he was about to leave, he considered the potential risks of his identity.
Why did I become a mortal?
Are subordinates attempting to usurp the position of Emperor of Fengdu in a rebellion?
Endured heavy damage from battles among higher-level experts, leading to a realm drop?
Under uncertain circumstances, caution remains crucial.
This identity of Emperor of Fengdu appears unusual, yet... currently, he is weak, only gaining a bit of extraordinary power through the white lantern.
Regardless of world, strength is needed to command, without sufficient power, an empty identity... is merely trouble.
The more who know of this identity not only can't protect me, but become death warrants.
"Don't casually divulge information about me, if leaked, I will hold you accountable!" Jia Ren spoke without turning back, accelerating his pace to enter.
Uncertain if the Gatekeeper Ghost Faces will keep the secret, compared to leaving the place, entering Fengdu to regain strength is the best survival method.
"We will comply with your command!" The two Gatekeeper Ghost Faces responded respectfully.
Jia Ren quickened his steps all the way, searching for a while without finding a disguise.
He fished out sugar paper from his bosom, pale skeletal fingers tucked it back in, the red sugar paper shell horizontally placed punctured with two holes, covering his face.
The sugar paper was too small, horizontal placement could cover the eyes, barely counting as a makeshift mask.
With the face slightly concealed, he shouldn't easily be mistaken for the Emperor of Fengdu, of course, it's best to quickly find a proper mask.
Aside from that, try to enter the emperor's palace to find ways to enhance strength and recover.
Inside Fengdu, it appeared as if two worlds, upon entering the city, all kinds of strange species could be seen.
Walking paper men, talking chamber pots, drifting green ghost flames, and mobile coffins...
Every moment challenged the limits of ordinary people's comprehension.
Paper men and ghost flames were manageable, Jia Ren's extensive knowledge of bizarre demons made it less shocking.
But the talking chamber pot was the hardest to endure.
Would it scare the urine back if it suddenly spoke while urinating?
This mobile coffin wouldn't be Fengdu's version of a mobile home?