Netherworld Retrograde

1: Chapter 1 Black Shadow 1: Chapter 1 Black Shadow Li Yelai found himself in a bizarre space, where the dense fog layered heavily around him, allowing him to see the distorted and dim light patches of the outside world through the fog.

The air around him became increasingly viscous, trapping him tightly in place, unable to move.

“Again,” Li Yelai felt desolate in his heart.

He had entered this dream once again.

Over the years, every so often, he would find himself in this eerie nightmare.

In the distance, a twisted black shadow continued to approach him relentlessly.

As always.

This time, however, the black shadow was closer than before.

How many years had it been?

It still hadn’t given up.

Li Yelai could even make out, through the thick fog, the distorted form of the black shadow, with countless tentacles spreading and twisting from behind it, vague faces and bizarre limbs emerging and sinking into it.

In the deeper shadows, there were four robust chains stretching out, tightly dragging the black shadow, restricting its advancement.

As the black shadow drew nearer, the overwhelming suffocation, as if sinking to the bottom of the sea, seemed about to kill him, until everything before his eyes turned completely dark.

The air around him was filled with fragments of sounds, like chanting screams, like mournful whispers.

The language was obscure and profound, the voice neither male nor female, but it made Li Yelai understand the meaning.

“Where are you?”

…

In an apartment in the Old City District of Border City No.3, a handsome young man suddenly woke from his sleep.

The recent dream had put a great strain on his body.

Li Yelai’s body trembled and convulsed as he struggled to sit up, suppressing the nausea, and quickly grabbed various items from the bedside table.

Among them, there were talismans, a Buddha statue, a cross, a Voodoo Doll, and even some paper money.

“Advance in full array ahead of battling soldiers.”

“Amidah Buddha.”

“Hallelujah.”

“Hurry up.”

He gasped with difficulty, muttering prayers.

Perhaps they were truly effective, or perhaps it was just psychological comfort, but Li Yelai’s emotions somewhat eased.

His violently pounding heart gradually calmed.

At that moment, the door to the bedroom was suddenly pushed open, causing Li Yelai to startle.

A young girl wearing pink pajamas, with fluffy hair yet still looking beautiful, stood at the door.

It was his younger sister, Li Yunyan.

“Did you have that dream again?” Li Yunyan yawned as she asked.

“Can’t you knock on the door?

No sense of boundaries at all!” Li Yelai immediately regained his composure and reluctantly nodded in response.

This strange dream had been haunting Li Yelai for many years.

At first, he could only see figures moving in the distance within the dream.

But over time, the dark shadow had gotten closer and closer to Li Yelai.

He couldn’t move, only able to watch as the black shadow approached step by step.

The clinic doctors couldn’t discern what the problem was, only able to prescribe some sleep aids for Li Yelai.

“Are these Eastern mystical items truly useful before a calamity?” Li Yunyan pointed to the talisman and Buddha statue in Li Yelai’s hands and asked, “Do these Immortal Gods need to fight before saving you?

And what’s with this paper money?”

“I suspect that pitch-black guy might be the legendary Black Impermanence.

Maybe the paper money can bribe him a bit,” Li Yelai said seriously.

He wasn’t sure whether these items were effective.

These were all things Li Yelai had scavenged from the antique shop where he worked.

That line of business was very murky; a CD filled with study materials from the era seventy years before the Calamity could be sold for three thousand Giant City Coins?

Li Yelai could not understand; perhaps this was the power of knowledge.

“You must trust in the wisdom of the ancients,” Li Yunyan said, “Kongzi does not speak of supernatural forces.”

“I understand, that means the old master Kongzi doesn’t want to talk and uses strange powers to confuse people.

Are you suggesting I learn from old master Kongzi and beat up that black shadow?

Actually, I’ve also thought about that…”

Hearing Li Yelai’s interpretation.

Li Yunyan’s eyes widened, and a question mark seemed to float above her head.

And Li Yelai took the opportunity to ask, “Little sis, have you noticed any changes in my bedroom?”

Li Yunyan glanced around the bedroom, somewhat puzzled, “Is there any change?

Did you buy new furniture?”

Li Yelai looked up at the ceiling, the twisted black shadow like the remnants of the night, not dispersed by the sunlight filtering through the high walls, but rather coiling on the ceiling, its dangling tentacles wildly twisting on the walls.

Yet his little sister seemed completely unaware.

He knew his condition was getting more severe.

If it was a mental illness, he had begun to have hallucinations.

If not…

then it meant that the monster had truly followed him from the dream into reality!

Either way, he could no longer stay at home.

Thus, Li Yelai watched as the twisting black shadow on the ceiling gradually disappeared, and said flatly, “No…”

He did not tell his sister about the eerie scene he had seen.

Then, stuffing beads and the cross into his backpack, he put on his backpack and left the apartment.

He was worried about staying home any longer, as it might bring danger to his sister.

No one knew what would happen when the black shadow truly found Li Yelai.

He rushed towards the nearest Guard Hall as quickly as possible.

That was the safest place he could think of.

If the black shadow truly appeared, it could taste the power of modern technology.