Chapter 433: An Insider's Shortcut
Chapter 433: An Insider's Shortcut
"Using pinyin as a passphrase, it seems this old brother's cultural level wasn't that high in his previous life..."
Hu Ma's heart immediately filled with warmth as he squinted and carefully examined the words, slowly deciphering their meaning: "I set up the Dragon Tiger Barrier to test one's courage, the Three Gates Soul Search, and the Twelve Stage Soul Refinement, to prevent the loss of the Dao lineage..."
"An insider, don't be long-winded, just go in..."
"..."
"What a convenient little shortcut left by an insider..."
Hu Ma carefully read through the passphrase several times, quickly clarifying his thoughts amidst the dilemma of whether to enter or not. The scales tipped in favor of entering.
Knowing where a reincarnator was, he couldn't help but want to meet them, especially since the Non-Vegetarian Sect represented the most powerful reincarnators and their descendants. Who knew what secrets might be hidden within? Ever since learning about the Evil Suppressing Office, Hu Ma had wanted to understand the previous generation of reincarnators, and now he couldn't pass up this opportunity.
Even if he decided to enter, he needed to be cautious. Hu Ma took a deep breath and retrieved three incense sticks from the bamboo tube he carried. After lighting them, he soon saw the courtyard's yin wind stir, and Xiao Hong Tang crawled in through the window.
The large tree in the courtyard swayed its branches and leaves like a coiling snake, trembling slightly, but it did not move further. It quickly regained its stillness, remaining quietly in place.
"I have an important task to attend to. Xiao Hong Tang, keep an eye on me, and wake me up immediately if anything happens!"
Hu Ma carefully instructed her, placing a large blood food pellet into Xiao Hong Tang's hand. He then took out several items from her basket and arranged them in the hall.
He needed to set up an altar, even if it was a simple one, around himself to prevent any accidents.
Entering this painting also required considering the possibility of unexpected events, even though it was left by a reincarnator. The basic precaution of guarding against surprises was necessary, so that if something went wrong, this altar could quickly return his divine soul to his body.
Instructing Xiao Hong Tang was another precautionary measure.
As a Shou Sui person, his divine soul, even if only partially projected, remained closely connected to his body. If his divine soul encountered danger, Xiao Hong Tang's reminder would jolt him back to his body.
It was similar to when he followed the Mountain Lord on a night tour of Old Yin Mountain in his dream. If his body had been disturbed, he would have awakened from the dream and returned to the village.
"Don't worry, Brother Hu Ma..."
Xiao Hong Tang nodded repeatedly, blowing on her small hand and rubbing it vigorously.
"Such a positive attitude..."
Hu Ma praised her, ruffling Xiao Hong Tang's hair, finally feeling at ease.
He returned to the painting, no longer hesitating. Instead, he carefully observed it, focusing his mind and gathering his energy. The more he looked, the more mysterious and eerie the painting seemed, as if his divine soul was uncontrollably drawn into the cave.
"This is also one of the thirty-six caves, so it's the same nature as the ghost cave guarded by the Cave Li Clan, right? But the Cave Li Clan guards a real ghost cave, while this one is sealed within a painting?"
Before officially entering the painting, Hu Ma silently thought to himself, "Could it be that the reincarnator who left this diagram has greater abilities than the Cave Li Clan?"
"No, it's not that the ghost cave was refined into the diagram, but that the diagram was refined into a secret path..."
"..."
Although he had already entered the mansion, he still held a sense of awe for these mysterious and unfathomable methods. He breathed steadily until his mind calmed, and then with a thought, his divine soul projected.
In a leisurely manner, he entered the painting, feeling as if it were growing larger, eventually engulfing him entirely. It was as if he had floated into the painting.
For a moment, he felt weightless, and then his body became light. The surrounding scenery changed and transformed. When he finally saw where he was, he realized he was on a mountain with a stone staircase in front of him. The path twisted and turned, leading straight up the mountain.
Looking up, he could vaguely see that deep within the path, shrouded in clouds and mist, there was a mysterious cave.
Turning around, he saw that behind him was an endless expanse with a grand atmosphere. The path he had taken was nowhere to be seen. And beside him, the figure that had bowed to the mountain earlier was, upon closer inspection, not a person but a stone statue.
The statue wore a beaded crown and wide robes with loose sleeves, suggesting an extraordinary identity.
Reciting the information on the painting that only reincarnators could see, he took a deep breath, made a decision, and entered the painting without further hesitation. He strode forward.
Now that his divine soul had projected into the painting, he felt no physical weight, but the world within the painting was so real that it seemed as if he were truly experiencing it. Each step was arduous, as if his energy was limited.
He was in a hurry and took large strides, taking three steps at a time, quickly turning a corner. Suddenly, a shocking tiger's roar filled the air, accompanied by a nauseating stench.
Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see a bull-sized striped fang beast with fierce eyes, patterned fur, and a blood-filled maw. It had just crawled up from the mountain's edge and was now staring directly at Hu Ma. Without hesitation, it pounced towards him.
If they were outside, Hu Ma, with his Shou Sui abilities, might not have been afraid. But now, being inside the painting, he was as vulnerable as any ordinary person. Facing a beast that seemed even larger than the tigers he had encountered in his past life, he couldn't help but shiver.
Nevertheless, he bravely approached the tiger and executed a slide tackle...
...There was no other way; the secret passphrase clearly stated this method.
His body slid smoothly under the tiger, and he extended his fist, punching towards the two bells above.
"Roar!"
The tiger leaped over him, landing a few feet away, and with a painful cry, it retreated into the forest.
"So, a slide tackle actually works?"
Hu Ma was surprised, examining his fist with disdain before shaking it off. He hurried deeper into the mountains and soon reached a flight of stairs leading to the mountain's waist.
The terrain here was slightly gentler, but a wide river flowed calmly by. Dense fog hovered over the riverbank, and within it, a ferocious monster could be vaguely seen, floating like dead wood. Its dark and eerie gaze slowly approached the shore, seemingly choosing its prey.
On the left, three to five mischievous children played on the riverbank.
On the right, an old woman was washing clothes with a beating stick, unaware of the creature in the river.
The ferocious creature in the river was already closing in on the group of children, and it seemed that the next moment, they would be devoured by the water dragon.
What should he do?
Although he was still at a distance, he could pick up a stone and throw it, but if he saved the children, the old woman would surely perish.
What should he choose?
Hu Ma's mind instantly made a decision, and he sprinted towards the riverbank.
The water dragon in the river also accelerated, rushing towards the playing children. Hu Ma's anxiety grew as he ran faster.
Finally, the water dragon reached the children, opening its maw. Hu Ma also arrived behind the washing woman, and with a burst of strength, he kicked her into the river.
"That's it, now it's fair."
Watching the water dragon return to the river, satisfied, Hu Ma crossed the bridge with a sense of contentment as the riverbank was now empty.
As he continued forward, a tall archway came into view, marking the first Ghost Gate. Even from a distance, the area was filled with dark and eerie energy, with floating ghost shadows. Deeper within, three more black archways could be seen, each more imposing and menacing than the last.
Beyond these three archways, a strange staircase led upwards, shrouded in mist. Occasionally, eerie and terrifying figures appeared, climbing up only to fall back down.
"Is this the Three Gates and Twelve Tribulations?"
Hu Ma recalled the painting's mention of the Dragon Suppressing Tiger, a test of courage, and the need to pass through the Three Gates and Twelve Tribulations to ascend the mountain, enter the cave, and glimpse the secrets of Heavenly Dao.
The man-eating tiger and water dragon ahead were trials that even a reincarnate couldn't avoid. The first test was to see how a mortal, unarmed, should subdue a ferocious tiger.
The second test involved five children and an old woman; how should one choose to act fairly?
These were trials that even a reincarnate couldn't escape, but for them, the tests were simple. A slide tackle and a kick were all it took.
As for the Three Gates and Twelve Tribulations, they were clearly extremely dangerous. The Three Gates were also known as the Three Ghost Gates, and they held the secret of soul-searching. The Twelve Tribulations, on the other hand, were the Twelve Bone-Stripping Stages, and ascending them would be like enduring a thousand cuts...
...When it came to torment, the reincarnate was the expert!
Hu Ma sighed, taking each step towards the Ghost Gate, where ghostly energy surged and towering figures loomed beneath the archways. Their eerie gazes pierced through the ghostly mist, like two eerie lanterns, fixing upon his face.
Hu Ma straightened his chest and approached with large strides. Turning around, he found himself beside the archway, in front of a stone wall.
The wall was unremarkable, with only two strange triangular symbols standing side by side on the smooth surface. One pointed upwards, and the other pointed downwards.
Hu Ma recognized this as an elevator...
He approached the wall and raised his finger to press, but instead of the wall opening, a green malevolent ghost palm suddenly stretched out from the Ghost Gate, spreading flat on the ground.
Realizing this, Hu Ma slowly lifted his foot and stepped onto the ghostly hand. The ghost hand then lifted him up towards the pitch-black hole.
The hole was now right before his eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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