Chapter 469: The Octagonal Divine Procession
Chapter 469: The Octagonal Divine Procession
"Hmm?"
Sensing the strange movement on his arm, Hu Ma's expression suddenly changed, and he turned, swinging his blade horizontally. With a powerful slap on his left arm, he suppressed the malicious intent within.
The malevolent Qi on the blade instinctively retracted into the blade, but Hu Ma's force was more than enough, and with a loud slap, he suppressed the evil within his left arm.
For a moment, he was surprised. The thing sealed inside his left arm was extremely difficult to remove. Da Hong Pao had helped seal it, and he had used the Dark General's finger to nail it into his bone. Yet, at this critical moment, it still dared to attempt an escape.
Was it also disgusted by the methods of the Meng family's young master? Thinking about it, it was almost laughable. The young master's methods were indeed cruel, ruthless, and decisive.
Hu Ma had thought that the most brutal method he had witnessed since his reincarnation was the sweet potato blood sacrifice that burned down three villages, and the monkey wine that slaughtered his entire Witch Clan.
But he never expected to witness an even more brutal method so soon.
It was the young master of the Meng family. His audacity far exceeded Hu Ma's imagination. Refining the Dark General could be considered a casual act, and the Grass Head Eight Decay God was intended to ruin the Lantern Festival Fair. But now, the young master was using the Meng family's signature skill, serving the living as ghosts...
...He had already overheard the young master's conversation with the Iron Horse Magistrate earlier, so what more was there to say?
This was also a tactic aimed at him, just like the Dark General's ghostly platform and the shadow soldiers watching his every move. But now, their methods were even more blatant and venomous.
If one had to find a comparison, what he was doing now was no different from what Lady Cui had done to him back in Dayang Village, when she buried the nightmare-suppressing object under the crooked-necked tree to harm him.
The only difference was that the scale was larger, and it involved a mass grave and a chaotic graveyard.
The crucial point was that all of this was happening right before his eyes. He had witnessed everything, and if he hadn't come to Stone Horse Town, he would have been clueless, manipulated, and suffered a great loss.
But fate was indeed mysterious. Because he had come here, the Meng family's sinister methods had once again unfolded before his eyes, making the situation even more intricate.
So...
Hu Ma's eyes turned cold, and he clenched his teeth. The Meng family never forgot about the Hu family, and as a descendant of the Hu family, how could he ever forget them? However, he had always been cautious and fearful of being discovered. But at this moment, he truly and genuinely felt a renewed desire to kill the Meng family, and this desire was not solely driven by anger.
It was because of fear! In this world where various eerie methods could take one's life, how could anyone not be afraid of such a powerful family constantly plotting against them?
To be honest, even when Hu Ma decided to get involved in this matter, it wasn't out of nobility for the One Coin Sect, or for the No Beef Sect, or for the townspeople. It was because he knew that the Meng family had come specifically for the Hu family.
He wanted to see the methods the Meng family had prepared.
Now, he had seen it!
"Since it's come to this, I'll use the Hu family's Year Guard Scroll and your Meng family's Soul Communication Technique to fight against you!"
His thoughts raced, and he gritted his teeth, taking out a piece of life incense from his pocket. He was about to call Little Red Tang to truly set up the altar and reveal his identity as a Hu family member.
The Meng family had a backup plan, and Hu Ma had also prepared to set up the altar in Stone Horse Town in case the Meng family gained the upper hand. This way, he would have a chance to fight back.
Of course, setting up the altar would be troublesome. The Meng family would immediately know he was in Stone Horse Town, and it would be difficult to hide his Hu family identity. Many things might become very passive afterward.
Furthermore, even with the altar set up, there was no guarantee that he could keep the Meng family's lives here. He could only intimidate them and make them understand that the Hu family was aware of their intentions, similar to beating the mountain to warn the tiger.
By setting up the altar, he could gain at most a 30% advantage. But with the reincarnatee yet to arrive and Stone Horse Town isolated and without support, what better option was there?
Just as Hu Ma was thinking about setting up the altar, in an instant, he suddenly sensed something amiss.
Countless ghost flags were waving, and an endless stream of evil ghosts were crawling, laughing, and making a ruckus, about to engulf the entire Stone Horse Town. The townspeople, including the members of the One Coin Sect and those invited to witness the ceremony, were terrified, but they had no way to respond.
Facing these countless hungry ghosts, the townspeople of Stone Horse Town should have been filled with fear and screaming. But strangely, there was none of that. Instead of chaos, the town suddenly fell into a deep, eerie silence.
It was as if a black cloth had suddenly covered the town, and in the next moment, as the crowd of ghosts entered, the entire town fell into a deathly silence, devoid of any light or human voices.
Not only did all sounds in the town disappear, but the entire place seemed to transform into a black lake. Even the Yin ghosts that had entered the town seemed to hesitate for a moment.
"What's this now?"
Outside the town, Meng Jia Er Gongzi, who had already summoned something unknown, also seemed surprised by this change. His cold and empty face now showed a hint of strangeness as he stared blankly in the direction of the town.
The Iron Horse Magistrate beside him also sensed something amiss and slowly opened his eyes, revealing a look of astonishment.
"Clack... Clack... Clack..."
Just as the entire town fell into an eerie silence, and the sky seemed to darken, a series of crisp clapper sounds suddenly rang out in the pitch-black night.
The clapper sounds were exceptionally clear, but they seemed odd in this atmosphere. These sounds were usually made by street performers to attract patrons and announce the start of their performances.
Now, with the entire Stone Horse Town terrified by the eerie ghost cries, who would have the mind to watch a show?
Yet, the clapper sounded at this very moment.
And just as the clapper sounded, a lantern lit up in the darkness, illuminating a clown's face painted with oil colors, its eyes, nose, and mouth twisting and moving. The eyes shone brightly.
As the town was in darkness, this lantern stood out, attracting the Yin ghosts that flew towards it. The painted face suddenly burst into loud laughter, and with a palm covering its mouth, it spat forward, releasing a flame cloud that burned within a range of several dozen feet.
Countless vengeful ghosts were incinerated by this flame cloud, sizzling and crackling.
As if ignited by this flame cloud, lanterns in the town began to light up one by one, illuminating an area of three to four feet.
In this light, the performer on the stage stepped to the clapper's rhythm, waving a large flag in his hand with great might, capturing countless Yin ghosts that had entered the town. He then shook it forcefully, scattering their souls.
Drums and gongs sounded, and horns blew, creating music that soared into the sky, dispelling numerous evil spirits.
On the streets, many figures stood up. A street performer spun a large barrel with great skill, capturing numerous eerie ghost shadows into his barrel with each swing.
A food vendor used both hands to fry something in a pot, but it was not food; instead, struggling and wailing Yin ghosts were being thrown into the boiling oil.
"Grandpa, carry me, carry me..."
A little girl urged an old man with a white beard to carry her, but suddenly, the old man's expression changed, and he laughed, "No need for Grandpa to carry you, carry Grandpa instead..."
So, the trembling old man put her on his back, and with the little girl's shoulder as a pivot, he flipped over. Slowly, he crawled into the little girl's backpack, and then she took off the backpack, faced forward, and shook it vigorously.
Performers, fortune-tellers, street vendors, and businessmen all emerged, facing the Yin ghosts that had entered the town and using various methods to counter them. Meanwhile, a few people slowly made their way through the crowd towards the town entrance.
Their skills were so exceptional that even the town's residents didn't notice them.
This Lantern Festival Fair was supposed to have a Dharmaraja blessing but no Divine Parade. However, a Divine Parade suddenly appeared, dispersing the evil ghosts summoned by the Meng Clan in an instant.
In the lively Divine Parade, various extraordinary individuals appeared, smiling and gradually leaving the town.
Leading the way was the first performer to stand up, the leader of the opera troupe. He wore a black costume and had a playful smile on his face. He swaggered towards Hu Ma, tilted his head, and gave him a once-over, seemingly with a hint of disdain.
But in the next moment, he clasped his hands together and then lightly patted his chest with his right hand as he bowed to Hu Ma, saying softly, "Jin Chen'er, the top disciple of the No Beef Noodle Sect, pays respect to our wise teacher."
Following his lead, the barrel performer, the monkey trainer, and the one carrying the old man on his back all rushed over and bowed to Hu Ma, saying, "Chen Erhe and Song Da Niu, disciples of the No Beef Skin Sect, pay respect to our wise teacher!"
Throughout Stone Horse Town, many of the previously bewildered and miserable residents suddenly stood up, shed their disguises, and appeared on the streets, rooftops, behind trees, and even in the oil pot.
They all bowed to Hu Ma and said, "Disciples of the No Beef Sect, following orders, pay respect to our wise teacher!"
(End of Chapter)
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