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Chapter 573: You've Mistaken the Wrong Person
Chapter 573: You've Mistaken the Wrong Person
"Can't the Heavenly Mandate suppress it?"
In Bright Province City, as the Shadow General landed, leading three to five hundred ghost soldiers, the entire battlefield was subdued. The sacred altar, set up with Bright Province City as its foundation, also experienced a sudden decline in divine might.
The three incense sticks on the altar were burning rapidly, taking on an extremely ominous shape. The oil lamp beside the main altar seemed to be instantly enveloped by a chilling aura, gradually dimming until only a bean-sized flame remained.
Behind the altar, the clay statue of the Governor God of Dark Province, placed in the shrine on the upper floor, suddenly retreated.
The external pressure was too overwhelming, forcing the Governor God to retreat, and the divine power he had brought to the outside world was pushed back.
In that instant, whether it was the two clan uncles guarding the clay statue on the upper floor or the altar guardians below, all their faces changed dramatically. They abruptly stood up, their voices filled with astonishment and surprise: "How could this happen? Where did this Mud-Booted fellow get such abilities?"
"The one who subdued the battlefield outside... is the Shadow General?"
"How could the Shadow General fall into his hands? Could it be that he has been involved in the struggle for the Heavenly Mandate from the very beginning?"
"..."
"..."
At the same time, in Bright Province City, as everyone in front of the altar was filled with terror, Hu Ma released the Shadow General and turned around. At this moment, Yang Gong had just slashed the Heavenly Mandate General with his sword.
Although he sensed that something was changing, he couldn't spare any attention for other matters. Just as he was about to swing his sword again to finish him off, he heard Hu Ma say politely: "Grain Protection General, please spare me a thin face and show mercy with your sword for now."
His words were courteous, and Yang Gong had already guessed what he meant. He blinked, but didn't strike again.
However, he still felt uneasy, so he kept the sword in his hand.
Hu Ma slowly walked past him and approached the Heavenly Mandate General. He slowly bowed to the general.
"You..."
The Heavenly Mandate General looked at Hu Ma with a puzzled expression, filled with anger, resentment, and disbelief. But now, seeing Hu Ma bowing to him, he trembled and said, "When I was bewitched by the Heavenly Mandate, you looked down on me from above, refusing to even glance at me."
"Now that my Heavenly Mandate is destroyed, you come to pay respects to me, just to mock me?"
"..."
"No."
Hu Ma gave a slight bow and then stood up, looking at him solemnly.
At this moment, the entire battlefield was subdued, and a deathly silence enveloped the area. Some people couldn't bear the pressure, their minds became numb, and they couldn't see or hear anything.
Others were simply intimidated by the fierce wind's might and dared not move, but their minds and eyes were fixed on the mysterious noble who had emerged from the ghost soldiers. They saw him bow to the Heavenly Mandate General, then stand up and speak solemnly:
"This bow is not to the Heavenly Mandate, but to you."
"I bow to you for your deep loyalty, leading your men to seek a way to survive. Although I find much of what you have done despicable, the fact that you refused to abandon the hungry ghosts and chose to share their fate is worthy of my bow."
"Of course..."
He slowly straightened up as he spoke, and said, "But this bow does not mean you shouldn't die."
"Despicable?"
The Heavenly Mandate General, Zhong Benyi, was clearly irritated by Hu Ma's words. At this moment, with his Heavenly Mandate broken and his aura suppressed by Yang Gong, he felt trapped.
The legendary noble's prestige and aura were only slightly greater than his own. It was as if his very life was in the other's grasp, yet he seemed completely unafraid, and suddenly burst into loud, cold laughter:
"What gives you the right to look down on us and say such things?"
"We brothers just want to live. We do these things just to survive. What's wrong with that?"
"Shouldn't we, the people of Bright Province, be the ones with plenty of food and fertile fields, while you, the citizens of Dark Province, starve to death?"
"You have food to eat, so you consider yourselves human, but we, without food, are seen as hungry ghosts in your eyes?"
"..."
If they were to argue, there would be many points of contention. The mysterious man before him spoke of his people's actions, which he found despicable. Zhong Benyi had heard these words countless times and didn't need the other person to say them; he understood what was in their hearts.
They would only say that they shouldn't eat people, that they shouldn't let children starve, that they should show mercy to women and children, and that they should shoulder more responsibility.
Zhong Benyi had heard similar words countless times on his journey and had even become too lazy to respond.
Now, as the mysterious noble began to speak, he guessed what the other person would say, and his heart was filled with endless frustration.
Talk, talk, talk. Talk your grandfather's talk.
There was never any reason to be found between those who stood and those who sat.
Then, amidst this endless frustration and irritation, he heard Hu Ma say, "No, you are not wrong."
The Heavenly Mandate General was stunned for a moment, unable to react immediately. Even Yang Gong, standing beside him, was frozen in place.
Then, they heard Hu Ma say calmly, "It's just that you've chosen the wrong opponent."
No matter what Hu Ma, or the mysterious noble in the eyes of the Heavenly Mandate General, said, he would have turned his resentment into spit and spat it out. But strangely, upon hearing Hu Ma's sincere words, he fell silent.
Countless words that had risen to his lips seemed to flow back like a stream, and a hole appeared in his heart, swallowing them all.
In the midst of this deathly silence, where tens of thousands had perished, Hu Ma slowly clasped his hands behind his back and spoke in a calm tone, "The ones who let you starve, they stand above you. Those who send you to your deaths in battle are right here in Mingzhou City."
"You can't feed yourselves, and your children are left to starve. You're drowning in sin, with nowhere to turn and only a few bones left."
"But all you dare do is rob the grains of the common folk in the countryside of Mingzhou."
"..."
As he spoke, his voice seemed to deepen, and his gaze towards the Heaven's Mandate General grew heavy and even angry, "If you had dared to act against the people in the city these past days, if you had the courage to complain about injustice or steal their grains, I might have respected you a little. But you didn't. All you could see was the handful of grains in the hands of those poor souls."
"So you're not fit for this."
"You've wronged the citizens of Official Province, and you've wronged these brothers who followed you in search of food."
"You don't even have the right to hate us."
"..."
With each word, his voice grew heavier, and as he paused, he said in a low voice, "You, Heaven's Mandate..."
He glanced at Yang Gong and continued, "You're far inferior to him."
"I..."
Heaven's Mandate General Zhong Benyi's heart suddenly filled with unease.
The mysterious noble before him was the one he detested, for since arriving in Mingzhou, he knew his task was to force this person out.
It seemed that because this person never showed himself, his journey had been so arduous, and it was only after this person appeared, raising the altar in Mingzhou, elevating the Red Lantern Mansion Lord, and attracting spirits and strange beings from all directions, that he suffered such a crushing defeat.
There were countless reasons to hate him.
But after listening to his words, Zhong Benyi couldn't help but recall the heartache he felt when he saw his men's pots containing only a few grains of rice, and the despair of their accusations, yet they couldn't even provide him with a satisfying meal.
He couldn't refute, and the words he wanted to curse remained stuck in his throat. These words were too clear and powerful, weighing him down.
Not only Zhong Benyi, but Yang Gong beside him, listening to Hu Ma's words, was also deeply shaken.
He remembered hearing similar words in his estate in Green Stone Town.
These were the words from the Heavenly Book.
On the battlefield around them, countless others heard these words, and a silent thunder seemed to echo in everyone's minds.
Some truths were so profound that they couldn't be forced into people's heads, while others, once spoken, would directly penetrate their minds.
"Huff..."
At this point, Hu Ma paused and then sighed towards the Heaven's Mandate General, "Thirty thousand starving ghosts, a hundred thousand disaster victims, a million vengeful souls, all innocent people, yet they are burdened with sin."
"Your desire to live is not wrong, it's admirable, but your only mistake is trusting the wrong person. You claim to stand for 'truth,' yet you can't even decide what to do."
"Now, the path to survival in Official Province is cut off, and the sins are hard to atone for. If you let them continue to follow you, die in battle, and be punished for generations, is that what you wish for? Or is there another way to atone for your sins, by becoming ghost soldiers and seeking out your true enemies."
"The innocent can live, but you are no longer innocent."
"But I can finally give you a chance to vent your frustration and atone for your sins after death!"
"..."
After saying this, he waved his sleeve and shouted, "Hate me or hate them, it's up to you to decide, I won't tell you!"
"Think about it!"
"..."
Leaving his words hanging, he turned and strode forward, his gaze fixed on Mingzhou City, and shouted, "You've played your hand well!"
His shout was filled with anger, and the Evil Suppression Golden Mace beside him trembled in response.
The billowing incense smoke in Mingzhou City suddenly stirred, like a surging tide.
"You..."
Facing his intense fury, a trembling voice echoed from the Sacred Altar, "Since you've revealed yourself..."
"Can you... please enter the city for a chat?"
"..."
"Enter the city?"
Hearing their words, Hu Ma paused and said coldly, "With things as they are, what's left to say?"
"First, we'll question your crimes, then we'll catch up."
"..."
As he spoke, he lifted the Evil Suppression Golden Mace, holding it with both hands and slowly raising it.
Boom!
The ground shook as the Evil Suppression Golden Mace in his hands, with its nine-sectioned body, spun and collided, emitting a clear and ancient sound. A vast Yin aura rose, centered on him.
The two Golden Armor Warriors who carried the iron coffin knelt on one knee at the sound, and in the next moment, the entire army struggled to keep their eyes open, feeling the overwhelming malevolent aura above them.
A mysterious, towering Grand Hall appeared in the air above the army, shrouded in darkness.
The black gate creaked open slowly, revealing the Netherworld and countless spirits and gods who shouted:
"Welcome the Pacifying Evil Office!"
(End of Chapter)
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