Chapter 1495: Causality

Causality

Chu Muyun was silent for a long time:

"Is there really no... method to find a specific soul?"

"If you insist, there is one." Sun Bumian answered slowly, "Behind the Temple of the Dead that bears the Ghost Path Foundation, there is an ancient well... Through karmic entanglement, the ancient well can allow specific souls to manifest, and you can converse through the ancient well."

"...Can you only converse?"

"?"

Sun Bumian looked at Chu Muyun suspiciously, "What else do you want to do?? The ancient well only establishes a connection with the soul, just like making a phone call... Only those in the River Styx are the actual souls."

Chu Muyun shook his head and didn't say anything more, but fell into deep thought...

"Strange, why does it look like a city ahead?" Jian Changsheng suddenly spoke.

That wasn't "one" city, but rather more like a mixture of cities from different eras. From primitive tribes, to ancient city gate towers, to dilapidated modern western-style buildings, and then to contemporary high-rise residential areas, buildings from different eras connected and stretched endlessly. Rather than calling it a city, it was more like a "graveyard" buried along with the ghosts in the River Styx.

"That is a Ghost City."

"Different regions of the River Styx correspond to the deceased of different eras. The further upstream, the older the era. And when the memories of the ghosts in the River Styx from when they were alive intertwine, they will manifest into the places they were once most familiar with... When these memories reflect on both banks of the River Styx, they become these kinds of Ghost Cities."

"Occasionally, ghosts falling from the River Styx will appear in the Ghost City, wandering in the places that left the deepest impression on them. Do not startle them."

"What happens if they are startled?" Jian Changsheng asked, not believing in the superstition.

"...Very bad things will happen."

Sun Bumian felt like he was a tour guide carrying a small flag. Every time they arrived at a place, he had to explain the scenic spots and historical background to this group of "Dusk Tour Group" tourists.

If those clinging pests from the Ancient Vault of the Ghost Path saw this, they would probably be Emotionally Broken again.

...

The moment Chen Ling and the others stepped into the Ghost City,

In the depths of the Ghost City, within a certain dead and dust-covered courtyard.

Numerous extinguished Torchlights were scattered messily all over the courtyard. A handful of snow quietly piled up on the desolate ground in front of the door. Faint sounds of music, a woman's coquettish complaints, and a man's boisterous laughter sounded from the empty nothingness, as if the resentful spirits that once existed here were reveling.

Suddenly,

As if pushed by fate, a dust-covered silver coin was pushed off the small theater stage in the center of the courtyard, falling onto the ground with a crisp sound.

Ding-dang——

It bounced and lightly hopped over the threshold, continuously rolling down along the bloodstained steps...

A cold wind from an unknown source swept past the main gate of the courtyard. A wooden sign full of cracks hung on the wall, elegantly bearing the three large characters "Ma Family Residence".

The dust-covered silver coin bounced and hopped out from the courtyard, slowly rolling in a certain direction along the twisted and bizarre street.

By the side of the street,

A street sign stood silently:

[Ice Spring Street].

...

"...Mm?"

Chen Ling, shuttling through the streets of the Ghost City, suddenly turned his head to look in a certain direction.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Chen Ling freeze, Jian Changsheng asked in some doubt.

"Nothing, just suddenly had a... baffling feeling." Chen Ling glanced at the nothingness beside him, "I just feel like something bad is about to happen."

[Audience Expectation Value +3]

[Current Expectation Value: 68%]

"???" Jian Changsheng's expression instantly changed drastically.

Jian Changsheng couldn't trust Chen Ling's "intuition" any more than he already did. Every time Chen Ling said something like this before, very bad things would happen.

"Everyone be careful." Sun Bumian's nerves were similarly taut, "Living people walking in the world of the dead will draw the hostility of the 'Ghost Path'... It should have already set its sights on us."

"Ghost Path? What is that?"

"The world of the living has the Heavenly Dao and fate, and the underworld also has the Principle of the Ghost Path. The so-called 'Ghost Path', you can understand it as the will of the Ancient Vault of the Ghost Path. Although it doesn't possess intelligence in the true sense, here, it is the master of fate, truly omnipotent." Sun Bumian paused for a moment,

"Although it won't directly attack us, it will trigger 'Causality'. The longer we stay in the Ancient Vault of the Ghost Path, the stronger its hostility towards us will be."

"Causality?"

Jian Changsheng raised an eyebrow,

"What does that mean? Is it very formidable?"

...

Ding-dang——

The coin rolled along the twisted and disordered street.

Directly in front of it, a once magnificent and massive manor stood silently:

[Stars Chamber of Commerce].

The silver coin passed through the gap in the manor's iron gate, gently curving around the remains of the fountain in an arc... At the same time, the broom placed in the corner of the wall slid down bizarrely, its end hitting the fallen dustpan.

As the dustpan bounced up from being pressed by this force, the silver coin that happened to roll here was carried and thrown high into the air...

Then accurately flew into the gap of the second-floor window.

Ding-dang—— Ding-dang——

The silver coin bounced twice on the floor continuously, then continued to roll forward, finally hitting a table leg, spinning and coming to a stop on the floor.

In the silent office,

A wandering ghost looked down at that shining silver coin.

After seeing that silver coin, the ghost's hollow pupils became visibly excited, as if an instinct carved deep within the ghost was provoked. His body trembled violently!!

"Money!"

"Money!!"

"Money!!!"

"It's all mine!!!"

Yan Shang's voice roared crazily in the empty office. Phantoms gathered around him one after another, seemingly all ghosts that once lived in this manor... They trembled under Yan Shang's roar, and the entire manor in the Ghost City began to shake slightly!

Yan Shang was like an out-of-control ferocious beast, grabbing that silver coin with both hands and raising it high above his head!

"I'll give you the Coal!!"

"Give all your money to me!!!"

Rumble rumble——

The main gate of the Stars Chamber of Commerce opened amidst a burst of creaking sounds,

Pieces of Coal spewing out from the Stars Chamber of Commerce's Warehouse rolled outward along the slanted street in a dense, dark mass. Their numbers were truly too great, a dense, dark mass like a surging black river, washing through the various streets!

...

"Causality... how should I explain this to you?"

Sun Bumian scratched his head, "Simply put, every single thing we did in the past, every person we killed, will leave a 'Cause'... and such 'Causes' in the Ancient Vault of the Ghost Path are very likely to be utilized by the Ghost Path, becoming the 'Effect' used to deal with us..."

"..." Jian Changsheng shook his head honestly, "Don't understand."

"What's that sound?"

Chu Muyun's ears twitched, and he immediately looked in a certain direction.

Everyone's gazes also followed. When that mighty river of Coal rushed straight towards them, everyone present except Sun Bumian was dumbfounded for a moment...

"What the hell... is that?"

Sun Bumian answered without hesitation:

"Your 'Causality'!"