Then, he finally became aware of an abnormality drifting in the air.
Abnormalities were to be expected; in fact, it would be stranger if there *was* anything normal in a place perpetually shrouded by eternal darkness. Yet, Huai Shi couldn't shake the feeling that something was fundamentally wrong.
Gazing at the debauched banquet before him, a sense of unease inevitably welled up in his heart.
Much of the chill brought on by his Death Perception stemmed from the wanton, jeering participants within the hall, but a crucial portion of it seemed to have no discernible source.
Or perhaps, this anomaly was hidden so perfectly that Huai Shi couldn't find the slightest trace of it.
Huai Shi picked up his fan and, peering through a gap in it, observed them one by one.
The Evil Ghosts, who had become debauched and violent after drinking, and the Court Officials, who appeared even more sinister, were either singing loudly, reciting poetry, or gathered in small groups of two or three, amusing themselves with the game of tosspot.
Still others were feasting with abandon, indulging in pure Gluttony.
Some of the more refined ones had even drawn curtains and were engaging in incense appreciation on the spot, loudly praising the elegant aromas.
When the drinking was at its height, someone sighed in resignation, "What a pity! We have good wine and good music, but no bright moon to admire. Wouldn't that make it even more delightful?"
"A bright moon? Isn't that simple?"
The Snake-faced Doctor on the dais laughed heartily. He casually pulled a sheet of white paper from his sleeve, cut it into a round disk with scissors, and tossed it towards the dark, cloud-covered Sky Dome outside the hall.
The white paper flew into the sky, expanding rapidly. Like a jade disk, it cast down a brilliant glow, transforming into a bright moon.
This technique of Paper-cut Moon was truly astonishing. Bathed in the pale light, the revelry of the Court Officials in the hall became even more unbridled.
The host of demons sang at the top of their lungs, dancing and making merry.
But Huai Shi felt himself growing increasingly dazed, almost groggy.
It wasn't just the alcohol suddenly going to his head; the Transformation of his Source Substance had attuned to the dark pulsations of this place, causing the scene before Huai Shi's eyes to rapidly become illusory.
A gust of cold wind swept through, bringing a wave of coolness, while the din inside the hall grew even louder.
But in Huai Shi's eyes, that cold wind seemed to ripple the scene before him, as if a hanging brocade curtain had stirred, revealing a narrow gap at a seam of nothingness.
"You noticed it so soon?"
In that instant, the Raven within the Book of Fate sighed, "Now, don't go saying I deliberately scared a child."
A crisp snap of fingers echoed by Huai Shi's ear.
In an instant, the splendid illusion was torn apart, revealing the darkness hidden behind darkness.
A Hell clinging to the back of Hell.
Huai Shi gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.