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Chapter 429: Introduction to Qi Consumption
Chapter 429: Introduction to Qi Consumption
After the Year-End Guardian enters the Mansion, they reach the first layer of the Mansion Gate, which can activate the Seven Aperture Skills. Most Year-End Guardians stop at this point.
However, if one obtains the Divine Art, receives guidance, and learns the Qi Consumption Technique, they can then open the second layer of the Mansion Gate, cultivate the Dharmakaya, and possess power akin to ghosts and spirits.
Hu Ma, of course, aims to learn even more advanced skills. He came here to seek the art, and although he has just obtained the Divine Art, he hasn't verified its authenticity and isn't ready to practice it yet.
But this opportunity is truly rare.
The key to the Mansion Entry Technique lies in "Qi Consumption," and the root of Qi Consumption is related to the folk legend of "Soul Loss."
When people walk in desolate and eerie places, they are prone to soul loss. Young children who have not fully grown are also susceptible to soul loss. The reason is simple: when walking in eerie places, the soul can easily become attached to things, and if the weight of these attachments becomes too heavy, the soul can easily fall out.
Children, due to their small bodies, cannot bear the weight of their souls and are prone to soul loss.
The Divine Art that Year-End Guardians use after entering the Mansion is based on this principle. They actively attract and even consume various types of Qi to strengthen their divine soul, granting them power akin to ghosts and spirits.
However, Qi Consumption is not that simple. There are different types of Qi between heaven and earth, and correspondingly, different methods of gathering and refining.
Some people gather Qi near great rivers and lakes, while others go to high mountains and cliffs. Some sit in graveyards at midnight, and some prefer to serve in temples or government offices. There are even those who open slaughterhouses, not for the meat but to consume the killing Qi.
Of course, there are also those who practice Yin-Yang balance techniques, but these are considered evil and criminal...
These various Qi Consumption techniques are extremely difficult to master. One must proceed with caution, as a single mistake can lead to soul loss. At this point, one would require the help of a specialized teacher or a Daoist master to retrieve their lost soul.
Hu Ma has just come into contact with this Divine Art and is well aware of its dangers. Initially, he hadn't considered this path, but now, the opportunity is too precious to pass up.
The surrounding Yin souls gather, only to be scattered by him. Normally, these Yin souls would dissipate, turning into rolling Yin winds that drift between heaven and earth.
But, strangely, they are drawn by the General's Order within him, refusing to disperse. Instead, they wrap around him, even trying to actively enter his divine soul, or perhaps, to merge with something within his divine soul.
The Great Heavenly General Dharmic Technique seems to become clearer in his mind, and various techniques manifest vividly.
At this moment, as if it were his body's instinct or an involuntary decision, or perhaps due to a specific opportunity, Hu Ma suddenly reacts, as if fortune has smiled upon his heart.
Facing the rolling pure Yin Qi, Hu Ma abruptly opens his mouth.
In an instant, the rolling Yin Qi, as if finding its direction, surges into his body. In a flash, it fills his meridians and gradually merges with his divine soul.
Even Hu Ma is momentarily dazed, realizing the boldness of his action.
However, there is no time to hesitate. Normally, gathering Yin Qi is a time-consuming process, but it can be done gradually. But now, the Yin Qi is actively surging towards him, like a whale sucking in water, rushing towards the Mansion Gate. His flesh and meridians feel as if they are enduring the forging of a hammer.
His body seems on the verge of being torn apart, but Hu Ma's foundation is solid, and he manages to withstand this impact, accommodating the pure Yin Qi.
This is precisely why Year-End Guardians can use this Qi Consumption technique to cultivate their skills, as their robust bodies can contain their divine souls, preventing them from escaping.
...
"Hua!"
Hu Ma even experiences a hallucination, as the spirit elephant in his Life Spirit Temple suddenly grows in might. Unexpectedly, it opens its eerie eyes, piercing through his body and staring coldly at him.
A heavy inhalation resonates, like thunder.
The cocoon enveloping Hu Ma's body becomes thinner, and the layers of Yin Qi are gradually absorbed by him. Even the surrounding Yin winds slowly dissipate, becoming more stable.
At this moment, Hu Ma feels his divine soul rapidly expanding, to the point where his body can no longer contain it, as if his soul is overflowing from within. He feels taller than himself, towering over everything with a solemn gaze.
In any endeavor, the challenges lie in the four stages of entry, breaking the neck, perfection, and transcendence. Cultivation techniques are no exception, but Hu Ma, with a mere thought, effortlessly enters the first stage.
He has taken the first step in the Grand Heavenly General Seal technique.
At this moment, as Hu Ma abruptly opens his eyes and looks ahead, the surroundings are filled with an eerie solemnity.
The vengeful ghosts that had pounced on him but were not shattered by the Five Thunder Golden Toad Roar seem to sense the terrifying aura emanating from him. They shrink into balls, trembling on the ground.
As Hu Ma's voice thundered, he seemed to awaken like a demon god, and a vague shadow emerged from his body, blurring his features and creating a sinister Dharmic form. His arms slowly extended, casting a shadow over the entire area.
But upon closer inspection, it wasn't just his arms; beneath them, there appeared to be another arm holding something indistinct.
"Huff..."
The demon corpse, or the Shadow General, which had shown no reaction and stood motionless, ignoring even Elder Sun and Elder Tang, suddenly became startled upon seeing what Hu Ma held in his hand.
Like a dead body suddenly coming to life, greed and fear simultaneously surged within it to an extreme.
It seemed unable to speak, but the movement of its corpse seemed to form some sort of strange language. The surrounding vengeful spirits swirled around, forming an array, and with a strong gust of corpse aura, they rushed towards Hu Ma.
This corpse aura was even more terrifying than before, capable of corrupting Dharmic bodies. Even Elder Sun and Elder Tang couldn't help but turn pale, retreating and preparing to leave.
At that moment, Hu Ma's blurred body seemed to have absorbed a significant amount of Yin energy, and his sinister aura reached a critical point.
"Hah!"
He took a powerful step forward and slapped forward with his palm.
His eyes gleamed with a demonic light, and everyone around felt as if they were hallucinating.
As he slapped, it didn't seem like a human action but rather that of a malevolent god or a heavenly general descending from the heavens, exuding a chilling aura and striking out with a demon-subduing seal.
"Puff!"
With this slap, or perhaps due to the talisman in the shadow's hand, all the vengeful spirits scattered, as if a thick black mist had been split in two.
The Shadow General's eyes widened in terror, and his body stiffened as he jumped back, not forward, his face filled with fear that overwhelmed the greed that had been dominant just a moment ago.
In the next instant, Hu Ma's palm struck the demon corpse's forehead, flipping it over and sending it flying. It crashed into a roof, causing an unknown number of bricks, stones, and tiles to shatter, and dust rose into the sky.
When his palm made contact with the demon corpse's forehead, a faint imprint appeared, and then a faint light flashed across its forehead before disappearing into its flesh without a sound.
At the same moment, several Dharmarajas who were swaying and chanting, summoning spirits, suddenly opened their eyes, startled by Hu Ma's startling action.
It seemed they had successfully summoned something, but at the critical moment of their summoning, Hu Ma's disturbance disrupted the process, and they awkwardly raised their heads.
Their gaze fell upon Hu Ma's fierce demeanor, his towering divine soul, and the rolling dark wind as he struck the Shadow General with that palm.
"Plop..."
They felt as if something had touched them, their knees weakening, and they knelt involuntarily.
But in that moment, they were not just representing themselves; they were in the process of inviting the Temple Guest to descend upon the Temple. Although they were in a daze and unsure if the Temple Guest had arrived, their kneeling created a strange situation.
It was as if the objects they carried on their backs, meant for the Temple Guest, were now bowing to Hu Ma.
"Wuu..."
However, this eerie and sinister scene lasted only for a moment, fleeting like a coincidental illusion, leaving no lasting impression.
The entire town seemed to calm down for a moment, and the formed vengeful spirits scattered with Hu Ma's slap, blowing out of the town, causing an unknown amount of strong wind to swirl.
At the other end of the town, the tall tree that overshadowed the entire second courtyard began to sway without any wind, casting scattered shadows in the lantern light.
The ferocious demon corpse, flipped over by Hu Ma's strike, seemed unharmed, its hands covering its forehead in fear. On its stiff face, a look of terror appeared, and it turned and fled.
Its body flashed as it rushed out of the town and into the depths of the forest.
Everyone was astonished, voices trembling in disbelief: "It ran away? How could such an evil thing run?"
"How could a corpse demon possibly run? It doesn't even have the consciousness to escape. What...what is this thing?"
"..."
Amidst the cries of fear, someone suddenly realized something and stared at Hu Ma in a daze.
The fact that the corpse demon could escape was already strange, but what was this thing that had driven it away with a single slap?
(End of Chapter)
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