Chapter 449: Fame and Fortune
Shang Lu and his seven companions walked carefully along the gravel road. They didn’t know how far they had walked when they suddenly saw the shadow outline of a building vaguely emerging in front of them.

This time, the seven people did not send out paper figures, wooden kites, or witch rats to investigate.

Their previous experiences had made them realize that in the dangerous land of the underworld, puppet witchcraft might not be useful, and it might even easily alert the enemy and attract the attention of evil spirits.

Although they didn’t use puppets, the seven of them still had a way.

Lu Dao chanted a spell and quickly drew a few strokes in front of his body with his right hand.

Wisps of witchcraft energy flowed out from his fingertips, transformed into witchcraft spells, and flew into everyone’s eyes, instantly giving them a brief improvement in vision.

Even though it was dark ahead and there was blood mist, one could still see clearly – except for Lu Yang.

Because Lu Dao only drew six witch spells and did not give them to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang looked around and saw that everyone’s eyes were shining with witchcraft except him. He hurriedly whispered: “Uncle Lu, there’s me too. I haven’t received the witchcraft blessing yet.”

He thought Lu Dao had missed it, but Lu Dao looked at the shadow outline in front of him and said without turning his head: “Your eyes are in trouble and cannot withstand the curse. It is easy to make the changes worse.”

When Lu Yang heard this, he immediately lost his temper.

The condition of his eyes was indeed not good, especially when he was hung up by the faceless ghost on the paper bridge. He looked behind him involuntarily, causing resentment to rush into his eyes, aggravating the strangeness of his eyes.

At this moment, not only did everything I saw appear in black and white, but my eyelids were also red and swollen like steamed buns, and extremely itchy.

If Lu Dao and Xu Shan had not cast witchcraft on him to suppress the itching and pain and relieve the swelling, I’m afraid that by now, either his eyes would be so swollen that he couldn’t open them, or even his skin and flesh would be scratched off.

“Brother Lu, don’t be anxious. We will tell you once we have a clear view of the situation ahead.” Shang Lu comforted him.

Lu Yang urged: “Then take a quick look, what is that thing ahead?”

“It’s a temple.”

Shang Lu’s eyesight was already very strong, and after being blessed by Lu Dao’s “Clairvoyance” spell, he could instantly see the situation of the building in front of him from the darkness and blood mist.

“Palace?”

Lu Yang was stunned when he heard this, and muttered, “What kind of temple would there be in this ghost place?” But he heard Bai Lingxu beside him exclaiming, “There is a platform in front of the temple, it seems to be an altar. Ah, there is also a rack next to the altar, and there are livestock hanging on it… No, not livestock, but people! Where are the heads of these three people? Why are there no heads?”

Shang Lu also saw this scene: “Their heads were placed on the altar.”

Lu Dao also saw it and hissed, “This is a pedestrian festival!”

“Who was sacrificed? What else is there beside the altar? Are there any reminders left by the supervisors?” Lu Yang asked repeatedly, scratching his head anxiously, hating himself for the strange changes in his eyes. He couldn’t see the strange situation in front of him in the first place.

Unlike Lu Yang, Shang Lu and the other six saw it very clearly.

In front of them stood a temple.

The palace is not high, but wisps of black air are flying out from inside the palace, making it look extraordinary and breathtaking from a distance.

This palace was neither made of stone nor wood. Instead, it was made of dead bones as beams and pillars, rotten corpses as walls, and heads as tiles. Although it was weird and terrifying, it was consistent with the style of the underworld, and did not surprise Shang Lu and his six companions.

Instead, it was the altar in front of the temple and the “human sacrifice” hanging on the altar that made the six people frown.

Because they all saw that the three people who served as sacrifices must have died not long ago. The wounds from their stomachs were still fresh and blood was constantly dripping down, attracting a group of crawling corpses. They tilted their heads back and opened their mouths wide, wanting to drink the blood.

However, not a single drop of blood flowing from the three corpses fell to the ground – the blood drops fell into mid-air and then disappeared out of thin air, as if an invisible mouth sucked away the blood before it could reach the crawling corpses on the ground.

Not only that, the three corpses were still festering from their limbs to their torsos, and the rate of festering was quite fast. The rotten flesh and blood did not fall to the ground, but also disappeared out of thin air.

It was as if the three corpses were not rotting, but were being gnawed and eaten by something invisible.

The most important thing is that these three corpses were all wearing witch robes.

Bai Lingxu exclaimed, “I recognize the head on the left. He is Ma Wenxiang from the Witch House of Baizhi County. I have done business with him before. He is best at sacrificial rituals. I didn’t expect that he would become a sacrifice in this dangerous place of the underworld today.”

Lu Dao took out a notebook from his arms and quickly drew a few strokes on it.

Shang Lu took a glance and found that he was drawing a simple map of the dangerous place in the underworld, as well as precautions.

After putting away the notebook, Lu Dao turned around and discussed with Zishu Xunshou and Xu Shan.

“The corpse hall ahead is likely to be filled with danger and strange things. We were dragged into the underworld without any preparation this time. It’s not a good idea to risk exploring it. We should find a way to bypass it. Next time, when we have enough tools and utensils, we can go in and explore again.”

Zishu Xunshou and Xu Shan nodded at the same time, agreeing to bypass the strange corpse hall ahead.

They saw clearly that the gravel road outside the corpse hall was not a single road leading into the corpse hall, but was divided into two.

One path goes into the Hall of Corpses, and the other goes around the outside to the back of the Hall of Corpses.

Since you are planning to take a detour, you must make sufficient preparations.

The Rat Patrolman made witch seals with his hands and released several witchcraft spells in succession to conceal the breath and voices of everyone.

Xu Shan also activated the formation plate, releasing rays of witchcraft light to protect everyone.

After doing all this, the seven people continued on their way.

Soon they arrived in front of the Hall of Corpses, and Lu Yang finally saw the horrifying appearance of this ghost hall, as well as the heads and corpses that had been “gnawed” to pieces on the altar outside the hall.

Lu Yang swallowed secretly. He didn’t want to become a human sacrifice like the three wizards from other counties. He held his breath and followed everyone to bypass the Hall of Corpses.

They did not disturb the strange existence in the hall of bones and went around to the back of the hall smoothly. After walking carefully for a hundred steps, the seven of them ran wildly.

However, after running a few hundred steps along the gravel road and turning a bend, their eyes suddenly widened.

“what happened?”

Shang Lu and his seven companions were surprised to find that the Hall of Corpses, which they had clearly left behind, had appeared in front of them again.

The three corpses on the altar at the entrance of the temple were exactly the same as the ones they had seen before.

No, it can’t be said to be exactly the same, because in the past period of time, the three corpses have been eaten a lot.

“Are we back here?”

“Is it a ghost wall? Or is it a way back?”

The seven people were talking in low voices, and suddenly the voices stopped.

However, they discovered that there were two more people in their team for unknown reasons.

A fat man with a tall paper hat on his head and a ragged cotton jacket with the words “Living Impermanence” embroidered on it. He held a piece of paper in his left hand and a pen in his right hand. There was a knife stuck in each shoulder, but there was no bleeding and he was not in pain. Instead, he looked smiling.

But this smile, no matter how you look at it, is eerie and creepy.

The other person was pale and thin, with unkempt hair and a dirty face like a beggar, and his head was broken, bleeding uncontrollably.

He was wearing a white shroud with the words “Death has its share” embroidered on it. He held an abacus in his left hand, a shriveled rice bag on his shoulder, and a paper ingot in his right hand, looking sad and unhappy.

No one knew when these two strange uninvited guests appeared beside the seven people, and even Zishu Xunshou and Lu Dao did not notice them.

So they were all shocked.

Without any hesitation, he immediately attacked “Life Impermanence” and “Death Destiny”.

“The Impermanence of Life” and “The Fate of Death” were instantly torn apart by the fierce attack of the crowd, but before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, they reappeared strangely.

Seeing this, the seven Shanglu were horrified and were about to launch a second attack. But this time, “Living Impermanence” and “Death Fate” did not give them another chance.

The tall hats and gold ingots of the two men suddenly flew out, split into several pieces, and pressed down on Shang Lu and his seven companions.

Whether it is a tall hat or gold ingots, they are all made of straw paper, light and weightless, and can be blown away by the wind.

But at this moment, Shanglu and the other seven felt that the tall hats and gold ingots were as heavy as a thousand pounds, pressing them to the point where they couldn’t breathe and couldn’t exert any strength.

When I looked closely, I found that there were words written on the tall hat and the ingots.

The word “fame” is densely written on the tall hat, while the word “profit” is written all over the ingot.

Therefore, what suppressed the seven people of Shanglu was not ordinary flattery and gold ingots, but fame and fortune.

In other words, it is their own desire for fame and fortune.

To the extent that even Rat Patrol and Lu Dao were suppressed and had no power to resist.

In one’s lifetime, except for those who can really see through the world and be calm and inactive, the rest of the people are all running for fame and fortune.

Even those who practice cultivation are no exception.

They pursue breakthroughs in their cultivation and seek immortality, which is “profit”.

And if one cannot break through and become an immortal, one must earn a reputation during one’s lifetime and after one’s death.

Now that fame and fortune are pressing upon me, it is naturally as heavy as a mountain and difficult to withstand.

The different attitudes towards “fame and fortune” can also be seen from the circumstances in which each person was suppressed.

People like Lu Dao and Zi Shu Xunshou were suppressed by the tall hat, and the ingots were just a bonus.

It can be seen that among “fame and fortune”, they value “fame” more, so they are more influenced by “fame”.

People like Lu Yang and Bai Lingxu were more strongly suppressed by Yuanbao, because one of them was thinking about a breakthrough every day, while the other was always thinking about business.

What Shang Lu didn’t expect was that Gongshu Ling’s Wu Jia was also suppressed by Gao Mao and Yuan Bao.

Does this puppet wizard actually have a desire for fame and fortune?
Or are these strange things in the dangerous place of the underworld so terrifying that even Gongshu Ling, who was remotely controlling the witch armor outside the dangerous place, was suppressed by them with “fame and fortune”?
Although he was puzzled by this matter, Shang Lu had no time to think about it. All his energy was focused on fighting against the suppression of “fame and fortune”.

Fortunately, Sanniang was not suppressed by “fame and fortune”.

I don’t know if it’s the weirdness of this place that has no effect on Sanniang, or if Sanniang simply has no desire for fame and fortune.

At the same time, what surprised Shang Lu, Lu Dao and others was that the two strange creatures, “Impermanence of Life” and “Fate of Death”, did not take the opportunity to attack and kill them after suppressing them with “fame and fortune”, but hung them on the altar outside the corpse hall for human sacrifice.

Instead, he waved his hand, releasing black air that wrapped around the seven people and dragged them towards the Hall of Corpses.

“The City God weighs souls and determines good and evil. The good live and the evil die.”

The two ghost creatures, “Life Impermanence” and “Death Fate”, shouted in unison with sinister laughter and sharp cries.

“Om-“

The door of the Hall of Corpses slowly opened amid the shouts of “The Living Are Impermanent” and “The Dead Are Destined”, and a smell of corruption blew out.

At the same time, Shanglu and the other seven were dragged by the black air, pushed by the tall hats and gold ingots of “fame and fortune”, and they walked towards the Hall of Corpses involuntarily.

The crawling corpses near the altar in front of the temple saw another living person coming and wanted to swarm over and tear the living person into pieces and eat him.

As a result, the wind in the corpse hall blew and instantly turned it into a pool of rotten flesh and blood.

It can be said that he was driven by “profit” and died for “profit”.

Shang Lu and his seven companions were quickly dragged into the Hall of Corpses.

The hall was not completely dark. There were lights burning in the corners, giving the hall some dim light.

With the help of these dim lights, Shanglu and his seven companions saw that there was a statue enshrined in the corpse hall.

Different from the statues in other temples, the statue enshrined in the Corpse Hall is actually a flesh-and-blood statue.

But the flesh was bloody and rotten, revealing the white bones beneath the skin.

The altar in front of the statue was covered with dust, and the incense burner on the table contained only burnt incense sticks, like hands raised high in hopes of help.

There is a desk in the center of the corpse hall.

Behind the table, sat a man wearing a dark red City God robe.

The City God’s robe was ragged and dirty, just like this world.

The “City God” inside the robe is nothing more than a skeleton.

After Shang Lu and the others were brought in, they did not move.

The seven people of Shanglu have been working hard to break free from the suppression of “fame and fortune”, especially after entering the strange and eerie Hall of Bones, getting rid of “fame and fortune” and recovering strength as soon as possible has become the top priority.

But the more you struggle, the greater the power that comes from “fame and fortune”.

On the contrary, if you give up struggling, the power emanating from the high hats and ingots of “fame and fortune” will be alleviated.

Just as the seven people were thinking about countermeasures, several shrill shouts rang out:
“Shengtang——”

Immediately, several ghost figures appeared in the yamen and stood on both sides of the City God’s dry bones.

Each of them held their heads high, with a defiant look and a face full of arrogance that was like a fox borrowing the power of a tiger to bully others.

“It’s the thief!”

The seven people from Shanglu recognized them at a glance. These guys who were occupying the magpie’s nest and taking advantage of the tiger’s power were the He thieves.

Although He Zei did not wear uniform wizard robes like the teachers and students of the Three County Wizard Academy, the seven people could tell by the evil and resentful aura emanating from them.

Why did He Zei become a ghost messenger in this hall of corpses?

There are also human sacrifices outside the temple…

“Could it be that the mountain ghost who ‘grants every wish’ is causing trouble?”

Shang Lu suddenly thought of a possibility and found it incredible at the same time.

“What god’s power did the mountain ghost steal that could actually be effective in the underworld?”

If it was just a rice thief, Shanglu would not be afraid at all.

In their team, there are not only the two commanders Lu Dao and Xu Shan, but also the Wei Wu Zi Shu Xun Shu.

As long as you don’t encounter the bandit leader “Emperor Shennong”, you can handle it.

But the problem is that they are now constrained and suppressed by the high hat of “fame” and the ingots of “profit”, and they cannot display their abilities at all.

However, in the hands of those thieves, there were treasures from the Corpse Hall.

(End of this chapter)