Chapter 525: Twilight of the Apocalypse
Chapter 525: Twilight of the Apocalypse
When it comes to the methods of the Year Guardians against evil spirits, it's a battle of strength, where neither side gains an advantage, and success relies solely on one's abilities.
However, the Ghost Walkers' approach is different; they can achieve great results with minimal effort, without the need for direct confrontation.
Ironically, the entities Ghost Walkers often encounter can only be dealt with through direct confrontation, and attempting to use their usual methods may result in defeat.
Just like now, facing this bizarre and sinister entity, it rushed directly towards Hu Ma, intending to interrupt his incantation and forcefully consume him, merging him into itself.
Engaging in a head-on clash with this entity using the ritual altar would be challenging, even for the Gate Guardian Stones that have held strong for a decade. Hu Ma's Year Guardian body might not be able to gain the upper hand against this opponent.
So, Hu Ma lit this candle.
When he noticed the resemblance between this entity and the Mysterious Clan Ancestor Shang, Hu Ma had already prepared himself. Previously, when dealing with the Second Son Meng, he discovered the terrifying and ferocious nature of their kowtowing object, which was not something ordinary magic could counter.
Although that thing was powerful, it tended to get lost in the world of the living.
When the Mysterious Clan Ancestor Shang descended, it borrowed the eyes of the Second Son Meng to see, and in the Extinct Village, it relied on the eyes of the village's malevolent souls to observe.
With sight, it unleashed endless ferocity, but without it, it could only rage helplessly.
Initially, when dealing with the entity summoned by the Second Son Meng, Hu Ma relied on Erguotou and others, using the Three Great Mystic Arts to alter the feng shui and sever the Mysterious Clan Ancestor Shang's line of sight. Now, Hu Ma used the candle flame to confuse the eyes of the malevolent souls.
As expected, the entity seemed to be caught in confusion, and Hu Ma, still chanting incantations, took out talisman papers one by one and burned them above the lit candle.
The burning talismans were then thrown into the air.
As the talismans burned, crackling sounds filled the surroundings, and countless iron chains and shackles emerged from the darkness, intertwining and swirling towards the Clan Elder's body.
The chains crisscrossed like multiple restraints.
At this moment, Hu Ma was burning shackling talismans. To activate the shackling spell, he had to rely on the talismans.
Fortunately, he had practiced writing them extensively, and as he burned each one, it was as if he were continuously chanting the shackling spell. With the entire village as the ritual altar, every blade of grass and every tree could be utilized.
The entity realized the chains were upon it and was clearly enraged, struggling frantically. Its strength was terrifying, breaking the chains into fragments that scattered on the ground. But with each struggle, more chains appeared, like spirit serpents, wrapping around its body.
It let out a roar from the depths of a nightmare, charging left and right, desperately trying to find Hu Ma. For a moment, the entire village shook as if in an earthquake, forcing Hu Ma to pause the burning of the shackling talismans and protect the candle with his hand.
But during this brief pause, he suddenly sensed something and slightly raised his head, looking towards the outside of the village. A hint of emotion and regret appeared on his face.
...
...
"Can... can he really do it?"
Outside the Extinct Village, separated by a short distance, as Hu Ma confronted the entity, those outside held their breath in anxiety.
Left outside, the Second Young Master and the Old Sheepskin Elder had no idea what was happening within, but they could sense that the place had transformed into a hellish netherworld. The wails of malevolent spirits filled their ears, making it almost impossible to perceive Hu Ma's presence.
It was hard not to worry that Hu Ma had been devoured by the malevolent spirits as soon as he entered the village. But recalling the impressive skill he displayed upon entering, they felt that Hu Ma wouldn't be so easily defeated.
They could only suppress their anxiety and instructed others to burn incense and paper offerings, while some returned to the village with more offerings.
Gradually, bundles of incense were lit outside the village.
The young and strong men who had accompanied them began to spread out, encircling the Extinct Village, forming a massive circle. The incense smoke rose, drawn by a mysterious force, and drifted towards the village.
Without instruction, as the incense was lit, villagers began speaking to those inside the village. After all, ten years ago, this was a regular village with connections to neighboring villages through marriages and funerals, and some even shared blood ties:
"Aunt San, your village had bad luck. For the sake of food, the entire village was doomed..."
"Uncle Si, the dead should not linger. Staying in the world of the living is a torment. Today, with the help of the Wandering Ghost Elder's grandson, it's time to find peace..."
"..."
The voices were not loud, and their words were not entirely coherent, but they spoke from the heart, expressing the most basic human sentiments.
This world belongs to the living, and the dead should not linger here.
At its core, this is about rules—the separation of life and death, the division of yin and yang.
...
...
"They say the Propelling Evil Hu Family are masters of Ghost Walker Techniques, but I feel like they are the teachers of the Propelling Evil Hu Family..."
However, when the incense and paper offerings burned by those outside drifted into the village, Hu Ma, who had been protecting the candle flame, felt a slight relief and slowly released his hand.
No longer needing to protect the candle flame, it burned even steadier and brighter. The fragrant smoke from outside entered his ritual altar, adding a mysterious and profound aura to it.
Without shielding the candle, it could better conceal him, and even the iron chains summoned by the shackling talisman and incantation paper were thicker than before, each one like a sturdy vine, swiftly wrapping around the old clan elder.
Understanding the reason for this change, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
Only now did he truly understand the simplest principle after learning so many spells and practicing countless techniques...
The most effective method to deal with these things was, and could only be, the aura of the living...
With this realization, he felt a sense of relief, no longer needing to worry about himself.
He focused his mind and silently recited the exorcism incantation, removing the remaining pure evil entities from the creature and eliminating the resentment and grief in the extinct village, returning the wraiths to their original pure state.
Countless massive iron chains entangled the creature, further slowing its movements. Its struggles turned into writhing, and its malevolence faded away at this moment, almost completely dissipating.
As numerous evil entities fell from its body, it lost the strength to support itself, its pitch-black body gradually lightening in color, becoming a gray, writhing shadow on the ground.
Even the clan elder's wraith, the most crucial part of the creature, had a bewildered expression on its hideous face, instinctively struggling to escape from its body.
"Those who abandon... Heaven's Will... will ultimately be abandoned by it..."
At this moment, the four sealing stones slowly quieted down and stood upright. The surging power within the village paused for a moment, and the winds calmed, creating an unusual silence.
Just then, a faint, intermittent, and blurry voice suddenly emerged, causing Hu Ma's heart to skip a beat.
Reciting the incantation, he looked forward and witnessed a bizarre scene that confirmed his suspicions.
As the wraiths fell from its body, amidst the entangled chains, only a shadow remained. It slowly crawled up from the ground, supporting the countless chains. It had no facial features or orifices, only a vague human shape, and its body was a pure, pale white, devoid of any impurities.
Standing there motionlessly, it exuded an indescribable sense of mystery and nobility.
Even the clan elder's wraith struggled to escape from its body. Unable to speak through the wraith anymore, the creature spoke these words directly.
This action went against its instincts.
Each word was spoken with great difficulty, and he could barely make out, "You and I... come from the same place..."
"You... remnants of civilization... forget your roots, break the covenant... and suffer eternal punishment..."
"..."
"What is that?"
Hu Ma was startled, feeling that something deep within him had been touched. He almost stopped the incantation to hear what it was saying.
But his quick reaction allowed him to force himself to continue reciting the incantation. His heart, however, was in turmoil, and he felt a sense of terror, as if everything had been seen through.
Yet, the creature had no eyes.
Hu Ma didn't understand why it spoke those strange words, but at that moment, as he was about to obtain the Hu Family relic, he didn't know what would happen if it finished its sentence.
Boom!
Just then, under Hu Ma's continuous recitation of the exorcism incantation, the clan elder's wraith was finally separated from the creature's body. It couldn't fully speak its sentence in front of the Hu Family relic.
As the clan elder's wraith was peeled away, the creature's body suddenly became incredibly heavy, as if losing the last bit of support from the wraith. It couldn't remain in the world of the living, and the place where it stood seemed to collapse, opening a gate to the netherworld.
Or perhaps it was the gate to hell itself, and wherever it was, it wasn't the human realm.
Even the countless chains entangled around it were dragged down by its immense power, causing the entire village to sink as if caught in an earthquake.
Boom!
Two of the four sealing stones toppled under the immense force.
The extinct village was now opened, its houses reduced to rubble. Yet, even this destruction couldn't compare to the shock in Hu Ma's heart.
(End of Chapter)
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