There's no difference from last time.
"We're crossing the bridge now, watch out for those strange figures at the entrance!" Chu Tian cautioned Chu Xinghe.
The latter nodded, his expression one of excitement.
Soon, Chu Tian noticed.
The soul-reaping figures from his last visit were gone. This struck him as very strange. However, with no monsters blocking the way, it was safer. The path was clear...
They crossed the Blood River Bridge, then navigated the Nine Springs, all the way to the Shore Flower Valley. Finally, they entered the reversed waterfall and ascended the spiral staircase...
Along the way, Chu Tian observed that the number of souls reaching this point was significantly higher than during his previous visit. These souls seemed devoid of intellect, merely walking towards their destination blindly. Though they remained silent, they appeared quite crowded.
Descending the stairs, they entered the desert region, bathed in a pervasive yellow light. In the distance, the majestic Xuan Guan stood tall.
"We're here, up ahead is... the Ghost Gate!" Chu Tian narrowed his eyes.
"You've been here before? This sandstorm is too much!" Chu Xinghe shouted, shielding his eyes with his hand.
Chu Tian paused at his words. That's right, he remembered that during his last visit, the weather was calm, with no such sandstorm. Now, everything was obscured by a hazy yellow, with a strong wind from an unknown source whipping up the desert sand. However, Chu Tian didn't dwell on it, as weather was unpredictable.
"Let's go..." Chu Tian grabbed Chu Xinghe, and with a few flashes of movement, they reached their destination. Here, even more souls were crowded, standing motionless.
"The gate is closed?" Chu Tian looked up, noticing another discrepancy. During his last visit, powerful souls would occasionally breach this sandy expanse and enter the dark purple portal. This time, the dark purple portal had not appeared. Instead, two massive red doors stood tightly shut. Each rivet on these enormous doors was a hundred meters wide, testament to their overwhelming scale.
"Little Tian, what's the situation inside the Ghost Gate? When will this gate open?" Chu Xinghe asked curiously, looking at the crowded souls around them.
"I don't know. There weren't these souls when I came last time, and the gate was open," Chu Tian replied.
"What did it look like inside?" Chu Xinghe continued to inquire.
"I don't remember!"
"You don't remember?" Chu Xinghe frowned.
"Yes, it's said that leaving the Ghost Gate requires memory cleansing, so I don't recall what happened inside!" If it were anyone else, he would have long since told them to get lost with so many pointless questions.
"I see!" Chu Xinghe nodded, then asked, "Then how do we get in?"
Chu Tian couldn't answer this question either. He could only lead Chu Xinghe closer to take a look. Moving his body, he arrived before the cluster of souls, at the closest point to the Ghost Gate.
"Scram... did you ask this lord's permission to cut in line?" Chu Tian瞬移ed over, only to hear an angry roar from behind. A bronze soul, shining with a dazzling light, lunged at him to attack.
Without turning his head, Chu Tian simply waved his hand. With a splash... the soul froze in mid-air. Then, its powerful soul body gradually transformed into yellow sand, flowing down and being blown away by the wind.
Only then did Chu Tian slowly turn around. He looked at the souls at the very front, closest to the gate. These souls were no longer transparent. Some even shimmered with different colored lights. However, as Chu Tian turned, these souls almost uniformly took a step back. Clearly, these souls were powerful figures in life. The reason they feared Chu Tian so much was that the one he had just dispatched was their leader. Or rather, the strong individual who had defeated them when vying for a closer position to the portal. Thus, they had been taken as subordinates. That fellow was very strong; among the countless souls present, none were his match. Yet, this person before them... had annihilated him with a mere wave of his hand. This was even more terrifying. How did this person... arrive here?
"I ask you, how long has this place been closed?" Chu Tian saw that none of them were stepping forward to avenge the one who had turned into sand, and so he began to question them.
"Reporting to the esteemed deity, I've been here for over three hundred years. I should be among the earliest arrivals. The Ghost Gate has never been opened! Esteemed deity, you... you should run!" A more quick-witted individual, hearing Chu Tian's question, suppressed the fear in his heart, responded, and urged Chu Tian and the others to flee.
"Three hundred years?" Chu Xinghe was taken aback. He didn't know if the time flow here was the same as on Blue Star. Hearing this soul say he'd waited for three hundred years, he wondered how long they would have to wait – hundreds, or even thousands of years?
Chu Tian also frowned slightly upon hearing this. Just as he was about to ask the soul why they should run, suddenly...
"Which soul dares to commit murder before the Ghost Gate? This lord will apprehend you and bring you to the eighteen levels of hell for judgment!"
Hearing this voice, Chu Tian smiled slightly. It was about time! As long as someone was willing to speak, he feared being met with a closed door!
"Huh?" However, as he turned, he saw no one. But he did notice that three large holes had appeared on the tightly shut gate. One above, one below, arranged in an inverted '品' shape. Chu Tian stared for a long time before realizing. They were two eyes and a mouth.
"This lord is asking you! Why aren't you speaking?" This gate, it was a living entity.
"Which soul are you asking? I'm not a soul, why should I answer you? A mere gate panel dares to call itself a lord? Hurry and open the gate, or Chu San Ye will dismantle you today, you understand?" Chu Tian hadn't realized at first, but seeing the gate act so arrogantly, how could he show it any respect? If it came to arrogance, Chu Tian was the ancestor. Because those more arrogant than him had all been crushed by him.
"You... Aiya Aiya... You're human... Wah wah wah, that's great! This lord hasn't tasted what human is like. Today, I'll swallow you and savor the flavor!" The gate panels of the Ghost Gate discovered Chu Tian and Chu Xinghe's identities and became incredibly excited.
"Who are you calling out to, son? Go beat him!" Chu Xinghe was also quite annoyed. He stepped forward, placing himself in front of Chu Tian, uttering these words and gesturing for Chu Tian to...
Chu Tian rolled his eyes. How had he never realized before that his cheap father was such a comedian? He couldn't possibly refuse him, so he waved his hand and directly slapped. A massive palm appeared out of thin air, as if intending to slap the gate panel's mouth, flying directly towards it. The strong souls behind them, witnessing this scene, were dumbfounded. This lord actually dared to fight the gate god of the Ghost Gate, and even slap its mouth? This was going to cause major trouble! One by one, they looked alarmed and began to run backward.