Chapter 586: Killing Ghosts and Absorbing Qi
Chapter 586: Killing Ghosts and Absorbing Qi
Wielding the Punishment Official Saber, he once again ventured into the darkness of the night, vaguely realizing that this was an opportunity to hone his skills.
Earlier, in Stone Horse Town, after refining the Great Might Heavenly General Seal, he had already pushed open two of the three gates of the Mansion. With the recent encounters and clashes, he had faced formidable foes, and with a sufficient supply of blood food, his abilities had further improved.
Gradually, he began to glimpse the scenery beyond the third gate of the Mansion.
Opening the third gate, he had reached the most formidable level of the Mansion—the ability to receive incense offerings with one's soul and traverse the netherworld with one's physical body. In simpler terms, it meant walking the netherworld with a living body.
In truth, Ghost Walkers didn't need to wait until this late hour to open the first gate. Some skilled practitioners could even borrow the path of the netherworld while ascending the steps of the Mansion. But as the founder of the Ghost Walkers, he had never attempted it, having learned the skills of the New Year Guarding Mansion.
However, Ghost Walkers borrowed the path of the netherworld through Dharma Gates. What if he could traverse the netherworld with his physical body? Combining the Mansion with Ghost Walking would create an impressive spectacle.
Hu Ma had also considered that since he had taken over the Pacifying Evil Office and wielded the Golden Cudgel, he could even defeat Mansion Deities. This ability was far superior to the meager skills he had gained from the Mansion.
What is ability? Power is also ability, and it is one of the greatest abilities.
So, now that he possessed the Pacifying Evil Office, did he still need to continue on the path of the Mansion and endure such hardships? After careful consideration, his final answer was still: Yes!
Perhaps it was because of his identity as a reincarnator, an innate lack of security, that even with the Pacifying Evil Office, he still felt uneasy. That was why he yearned for the feeling of having all his abilities within himself.
Even though his skills as a Mansion practitioner seemed insignificant compared to the Office, and he rarely had the chance to use them, he still decided to learn.
And to push open this third gate, his current identity as a Ghost Walker Executioner was quite useful.
Kill!
Kill ghosts and slay demons, exorcise evil and suppress malevolence!
The more intense battles he experienced, the more solid his abilities became. The more Yin spirits and monsters he defeated, the more he nourished his soul by absorbing Qi, and his Dharma body grew stronger.
This wasn't a shortcut, but rather the most practical and effective path. Ordinary Mansion practitioners dared not take such risks, fearing trouble. Many chose to join the battlefield or serve under the Ten Surnames to atone for their sins.
Now, he seemed to have found his path. After all, it was common knowledge that the Ghost Walker Executioner was a Mansion practitioner.
Thus, as the Pacifying Evil Office opened, shaking the world, and the Grain Protection Army entered Mingzhou City, with the rise of fortune, he wasn't idle. Instead, he seized the opportunity to point out ghosts and unleashed a bloody storm.
Following Zhang A Gu's list of ghosts, he traveled south and north, not only dealing with several evil spirits but also summoning Sweet Potato Burn to assist him.
On his way to Tea County to slay a Grass Head Wild Deity, he sensed an eerie atmosphere filled with ghostly energy upon arriving at the location. He searched the area but found no trace of the performer.
He then summoned the Measure Heaven Boots and searched several times, finding no one. Instead, he spotted a troupe of performers with a donkey, driving a cart, taking advantage of the night to travel. He stopped them and said, "May I ask where the leader of the troupe is? Please come out and speak with me."
They were in the middle of a desolate area with no one around, and the troupe was startled to see a man with a Ghost Head Saber under his arm and a smiling mask on his face blocking their path.
The leader of the troupe was timid and quickly ordered his men to grab their weapons. With a forced smile on his face, he hurried forward and said, "Brother, why are you blocking our way in the middle of the night? Do you need money and want to borrow some?"
"I don't need to borrow money."
Hu Ma said, "I just want to ask the leader a question. As performers who are used to traveling the rivers and lakes, why are you risking traveling at night when the world is unsafe?"
'Who would want to travel at night and run into you?' the leader thought to himself.
But he could only force a bitter smile and say, "We wouldn't dare travel at night, but we passed through a shortcut earlier, a route we knew well. We should have been out in half a day, but this time we got lost inside."
"After walking for half a day and seeing the sky darken, we took out our costumes, paid our respects, and finally found our way out. We've already delayed our journey, so we hope you'll be kind and let us pass. We still need to go and perform for our employer..."
Hu Ma nodded and said, "Please take out your costumes, and I'll take a look."
"What?"
The leader was terrified. "Brother, you want to take our costumes too? These are our tools for making a living. We have two strings of coins and half a bag of millet here. Please take them and leave us our tools for earning a living."
Hu Ma didn't have time to argue with them. He frowned and said in a low voice, "Take them out!"
Using his Ghost Whisper ability, he exerted his powerful soul, suppressing the other party, making them seem bewitched. They obediently unloaded the donkey cart and took out the costumes from the boxes, placing them on the ground.
"Oh no..."
Just as the performer's costumes were laid out on the ground, facing Hu Ma's cold and piercing gaze, one of the Xiao Sheng costumes suddenly let out a startled cry and rose into the air, fleeing into the depths of the night at a surprisingly fast pace.
Hu Ma couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, confirming his suspicions.
The performer knew that the Ghost Walkers' executioner would come knocking, unwilling to accept their fate yet afraid to resist. So, they borrowed the troupe's costumes to conceal their presence and prepared to relocate.
The troupe had various costumes, allowing them to impersonate all sorts of beings. Ghostly movers loved to target them.
Now, seeing the performer startled and taking off, Hu Ma let out another cold laugh and quickly caught up with him. It was only then that the troupe members snapped out of their daze, noticing their costumes scattered on the ground. In a panic, they realized one was missing, and they immediately began pounding their chests and stomping their feet, cursing loudly, "What a madman! He chose to steal one of our costumes instead of taking the two copper coins! In the middle of the night, too..."
"... "
The Grass Head Wild Deity, having borrowed the costume, was running at an incredible speed, almost disappearing into the night. Suddenly, a burst of cackling laughter filled the air, and paper figures began floating all around in the darkness. Behind them, a tall and menacing ghostly figure appeared, exuding an intense aura of malevolence.
The Grass Head Wild Deity was terrified, letting out a pitiful scream as he knelt on the ground and began wailing, "Please spare me, Great Executioner! I truly dare not offend the Pacifying Evil Office, nor dare to offend the Meng Family Patriarch..."
"I only ask for a way to survive, I don't even want my possessions. Please spare me..."
"... "
Hu Ma emerged from the darkness behind the Grass Head Wild Deity, his smiling mask concealing a sinister gaze. "Don't you know that by not offending either side, you end up offending both?"
"I'll spare you the suffering; just one strike!"
"... "
With that, he slashed the deity with his sword, feeling that his New Year's Guarding Dharma image had become even more refined. However, compared to the beginning, the difference was not as noticeable.
"Hmm?"
On the other side, behind the eerie and terrifying figure, Sweet Potato Burn's head poked out, examining the troupe's costumes scattered on the ground. He then turned to look at Hu Ma and said, "Senior, this is different from what you said. This dish is far from reaching the level of a Ghost King."
"This one is too timid. After being summoned by the Sacred Altar, he feared we'd come after him, so he abandoned his territory and fled. Of course, he's no match for us. If he were in his valley, it would take some effort to deal with him."
Hu Ma, without hesitation, took out a list from his pocket and said, "However, since you're not satisfied, I'll give you a few more. Just follow the list and eliminate them one by one."
Sweet Potato Burn's voice trembled as she eagerly took the list, scanning it up and down. Her breath caught in her throat as she exclaimed, "Really... all for me?"
Seeing her excitement, Hu Ma hesitated for a moment, but then thought, 'With so much going on, why overthink it?' He said, "Not only will I give them all to you, but I'll also provide you with an Executioner Order to facilitate your actions outside."
"Just remember to follow the rules. Punish only the main culprits and spare the living. I've been in this business for a long time, and it's only now that I've managed to secure the position of a Great Executioner in the Ghostway. I'm willing to share the good opportunities with you, but if you cause trouble, it will reflect poorly on me."
"... "
"I understand!" Sweet Potato Burn nodded eagerly, "If something happens, I'll take full responsibility and won't implicate my brothers. I'll handle it myself."
"Is that so?" Hu Ma was surprised, "What did you do in your past life?"
Regardless, Sweet Potato Burn had made her intentions clear, and the first person to step onto the stage set up by the Pacifying Evil Office appeared.
...
...
At the same time, about a hundred li away from Mingzhou City, there was a man riding a large green mule, dressed in black coarse cloth, with a full beard. He was drinking from a wine gourd and sighing deeply, "This trip across the bridge was indeed strange, but the gains were plentiful..."
"I thought that by crossing the bridge, I'd attract the attention of the Ghost Walkers' headquarters, but there wasn't even a hint of movement. Perhaps the Ghost Walkers' headquarters only has that foolish young master left, and they can't spare the time for me?"
"I can take advantage of their lack of awareness and further assist Little Red Lantern, increasing her abilities..."
"... "
The more he thought about it, the happier he became, even humming a little tune. Logically, he wasn't far from Red Gate Town, but he wanted to show off and also be cautious. He decided to inquire if there was any news from the Little Red Lantern first. He took a red lantern from the mule's back and gently tapped it, causing it to light up. He held it in his hand and swung it around, intending to summon the Little Red Lantern to his side.
However, after several attempts, he furrowed his brows in confusion, "Why isn't it responding?"
He quickly put away his wine gourd and straightened himself. He issued an Imperial Decree, summoning the wandering souls nearby to inquire about the situation. But what he heard made his head spin, "What?"
"My red lantern has become a Mansion Deity?"
(End of Chapter)
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