Demon Emperor

Chapter 31 The Gates of Hell Open
Ruan Hu lit an incense stick, held the fragrant sachet in his hand, and recited a passage from the "Wonderful Fragrance Celestial Maiden Universal True Scripture," thus summoning the celestial maiden from the other realm.

In sight.

A celestial maiden descended from the sky, her flowing robes and ribbons landing one after another.

Upon meeting, Ruan Hu immediately asked, "If we know the entrance and method to the Ghost Gate of a certain underworld, how can we eliminate the ghosts and spirits near that Ghost Gate and seize the underworld realm of those ghosts and spirits?"

Miaoxiang Tiannu immediately understood: "Your Majesty actually knows the method to open the Netherworld Ghost Realm of that Prince Ma?"

Ruan Hu did not deny it: "Exactly, rather than waiting for people to come to us, we should take the initiative."

Ruan Hu had made up his mind that this time he would no longer passively wait for the opponent to make a move and then respond.

Instead of being passive, they took the initiative and struck first during the Qingming Festival.

Lord Ma is not important.

The important thing is that Ruan Hu has his eye on the group of ghost soldiers in the other party's possession, and what kind of spirit companions he can obtain after killing the other party.

Ruan Hu thought to himself, "If we had that batch of ghost soldiers, along with the magic that the witch used before, it could be incredibly effective if used at a crucial moment."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Maiden was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, as long as you open that Gate of Hell and guard the pass to prevent them from closing it, you will be fine."

"Leave the rest to me."

The Heavenly Maiden must have long coveted Lord Ma and his Netherworld, just like Ruan Hu, but she was powerless to do anything about it.

Hearing that Ruan Hu was about to attack him, and even had a way to open the gates of hell for him.

This means you've seized control of the enemy's lifeline. It's like the enemy has someone open the city gates for you during a siege; how can you possibly fight like that?

He was naturally overjoyed.

Even when she spoke, she became somewhat alluring towards Ruan Hu.

Ruan Hu: "They are all ghosts and gods, while my men are all living people. How can they possibly defeat them?"

The celestial maiden said, "I have tomb incense, which is originally used to allow descendants to see their ancestors, but it can also be used to see ghosts."

"As long as it is lit at the gate of hell, the ghost can be seen by people."

Ruan Hu: "So what if you see it? Mortal weapons can hardly harm any ghosts."

The celestial maiden said, "As long as you smear it with chicken blood, you can kill the ghost."

Ruan Hu: "That simple?"

The Heavenly Maiden said, "It's nothing more than a ghost that failed to possess anything. Once someone catches it and finds its weakness, it'll be nothing to worry about."

"I'm afraid that the ghost will find something to rely on in the human world, which would make things much more troublesome."

"For example, the ghostly soldiers that Your Majesty encountered before were possessed by people using evil magic, which caused such a huge commotion."

"However, such methods of turning beans into soldiers are not something that ordinary people can learn, and the cost of using them is very high, so they should not be used lightly."

Ruan Hu then inquired in detail about the origins of the Horse King. Although he had heard some legends, he still did not understand what exactly the Horse King was.

Ruan Hu: "Is Lord Ma a ghost or god of the underworld, obeying the orders of the Great Emperor of Fengdu?"

Myo-hyang Celestial Maiden: "Yes, but not entirely."

Ruan Hu: "What do you mean by that?"

Miaoxiang Tiannv told Ruan Hu: "The underworld is just like the human world, with various ghosts and gods guarding one side and each having its own power."

"Some declared themselves kings, while others pledged allegiance to one side and obeyed its commands."

"Some may appear to obey orders, but in reality they control their own territories, and even the emperors and gods above cannot do anything to them."

"This is exactly what Lord Ma is like."

Ruan Hu roughly understood and blurted it out.

"Fan zhi?"

Ruan Hu hadn't expected that even in the underworld, the order would still be so chaotic and disorganized.

Even the highest-ranking emperor has to deal with these soldiers under his command.

It seems.

Whether it's the world of the living or the world of the dead, there isn't much difference in some places.

So-called gods and spirits sometimes have no different way of dealing with people and problems than emperors and kings in the mortal world.

Miao Xiang Tian Nu, unaware of Ruan Hu's thoughts, continued to speak of the Horse King.

"Lord Ma has thirty wandering gods under his command, seventeen ghost generals from five directions, and three groups of ghost generals and ghost soldiers."

"They rode horses, donkeys, and mules respectively, and the leading ghost generals were known to outsiders as the Black Horse General, the Zouyu Chief, and the Iron Black Ghost."

The Celestial Maiden Miaoxiang also told the story of the Horse King, who was said to have been an official in charge of horse stables in ancient times.

The horse stables didn't just raise horses; they raised everything that could be ridden, even cattle and sheep.

Some say that the Horse King was a general's horse that became a god after it died.

Even more extreme, some say that they were two originally different deities who merged into one a hundred years ago and became one god.

In Shintoism, this is not unusual.
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The Qingming Festival has arrived. During the day, families in the city go out to climb mountains, worship their ancestors, and some people invite monks, Taoist priests, and shamans to perform rituals.

Night had fallen, and at this time Ruan Hu once again led his men to the gate tower of the West Market.

All the longswords were soaked in rooster blood, and the arrows had been soaking in rooster blood all day.

Previously, Ruan Hu had asked the Heavenly Maiden Miaoxiang, "Why is this mere chicken blood so effective against ghosts? Could it be that this rooster possesses magical power or some mysterious aspect?"

Miaoxiang Tiannv: "Because since ancient times, this place has believed that chicken blood can ward off evil spirits, which is the yin and yang law of this realm."

Ruan Hu exclaimed in amazement, "The power of the wishes of all living beings is so great!"

Ruan Hu then asked, "If we leave this Xicheng region and go to other places, will this chicken blood still be effective?"

Miaoxiang Tiannu: "If this legend and custom have not existed in the local area since ancient times, then it is close to non-existent. However, most places also have secret techniques for exorcising ghosts, such as replacing chicken blood with dog blood. This is to follow local customs."

At this moment, Ruan Hu squatted in front of the gate tower, waiting for the appointed time.

The time has come.

Then they saw several sorcerers, who seemed to have been captured from somewhere, dancing in front of the West Market gate tower.

The leading shaman held the soul-summoning bell that Ruan Hu had obtained from the ghost shaman of the Hell Path, and began performing a ritual at the gate tower.

After a long wait, something strange happened at the gatehouse.

Late at night.

A thick fog appeared out of nowhere.

The mist rose from the main street of the West Market, and in the distance, the layers of buildings and shops of the West Market gradually disappeared, and in the darkness, a desolate underworld could be vaguely seen.

If there is someone born with the eye of Dharma, look inside.

Deep within, one could see a sinister temple, surrounded by a dilapidated ghost town.

There are also camps around the ghost city, where one can see ghostly horses and ghostly soldiers that appear and disappear intermittently.

Ruan Hu, clad in armor and wielding a sword, stood in the center of the formation.

Everyone got ready and appeared, pressing forward.

The executioners took their positions, forming layers upon layers of ranks.

The crossbowmen are cocking their bows. Rows of bows rise and fall, aimed at the gates of hell.

Logically speaking, as the emperor, Ruan Hu should not be involved in such fighting and killing on the front lines.

Sitting in the palace, high above the halls of power, controlling everything—that is what an emperor should do.

But Emperor Ruan Hu is different; how can he become stronger if he doesn't take the lead?

"Everyone should perform their duties!"

Do not act rashly.

Today, Ruan Hu will seize the underworld palace of the Horse King, take his ghost soldiers, and cut off his horse's head.

Just as Ruan Hu lit the tomb incense and before he could do anything else, strange sounds came from the direction of the gate tower of the Gate of Hell.

"Dong dong dong dong!"

"?"

Ruan Hu's ears immediately perked up; it sounded like horses' hooves, and it was coming from inside the Gates of Hell.

This doesn't seem like a typical Qingming Festival ghost returning to life; it's more like a massive army of ghosts marching through the land.

However, Ruan Hu had only just made his move, in the blink of an eye, how could the other party have reacted so quickly?

However, Ruan Hu didn't think about that and immediately shouted.

"Enemy attack!"

"Seal off the border."

At that moment, the smoke from the tomb incense drifted into the Gates of Hell.

Suddenly, shadows appeared out of nowhere in the gate tower and the depths of the street, where there had been nothing there before.

Those were ferocious demons riding ghost horses, ghost donkeys, and ghost mules, each with a hideous and malevolent face leaping out of the darkness and charging towards the mortal world.

As soon as they rushed out, they saw the scene outside and, like Ruan Hu, felt caught off guard, even more shocked and terrified.

"what happened?"

There are ambushes outside.

"Oh no, someone must have betrayed us."

"There is a traitor!"

At that moment, a volley of arrows was already heading towards them.

(End of this chapter)