Chapter 739: Snatching Life from the Heavens (Third Watch)
Chapter 739: Snatching Life from the Heavens (Third Watch)
Never had he experienced such a perilous situation, where his two greatest abilities were suddenly suppressed at the same moment.
The Evil Suppression Bureau was due to the chaos of the ten doors, making it impossible to call upon its power.
But the Great Thunder General's spell form was something he had cultivated himself. Although he had taken a shortcut, it was still a gradual process of understanding and condensation. How could it be so easily suppressed and even taken away in front of these two people?
His heart was filled with reluctance and unwillingness, but he couldn't use his two greatest abilities—the Year Guard and the Ghost-Walking. Instead, he felt a sense of powerlessness.
This feeling of powerlessness even caused a bizarre thought to suddenly emerge in Hu Ma's mind...
Could it be that these two abilities weren't truly his own, which was why he couldn't use them? The Great Thunder General's ability was linked to Lao Jun Mei's life.
The Evil Suppression Bureau was linked to the lives of the Hu family's descendants.
Because he had never wholeheartedly committed to either of these two, these two abilities...
Had never truly belonged to him?
"Bold demon, release my friend..."
At that moment, a loud shout came from not too far away. A delicate figure strode forward, her steps graceful and her fists powerful. As soon as she appeared, she launched an attack towards the back of the woman in red.
Although her punches were fierce, she still maintained the dignity of a noble family member. Even when punching to save someone from behind, she shouted to avoid appearing like an ambush.
It was Si Zhou who had arrived.
Although Hu Ma had told them to wait, Si Zhou wasn't his subordinate and naturally didn't listen.
Realizing the situation, she rushed over to lend a hand.
"Hehe, a Zhou family member?"
But the woman in red, known as Daughter of Red, merely laughed coldly. She allowed Si Zhou's punch to land on her body, but as she swayed, it was revealed that she was just a paper figure. The real woman appeared three zhang away, holding a string of white beads.
Each bead was crystal clear, resembling polished white bones.
"As expected, the Hu and Zhou families are in cahoots, both being lackeys of the Dalaofa Religion!"
With a cold laugh, she snapped the string of beads and scattered them forward. Each bead transformed into a white-clad female ghost, rushing towards Si Zhou. This was the ability to scatter and form soldiers.
The people of the Soul Punishment Art were skilled in raising, controlling, and refining ghosts, but this woman's ability to scatter beans and form soldiers was astonishing, as each bean possessed the power of a ghost.
Si Zhou's Year Guard ability was already at the pinnacle among the Hu family, but she was momentarily trapped by the woman's attack.
However, just as she restrained Si Zhou, a gust of yin wind blew towards her, causing her to lightly dodge.
It was Little Red Tang, who had stealthily rushed over from the darkness to hug her leg. But the woman evaded her, and the red thread in her hand flew towards Little Red Tang's wrist, pulling her towards her. Surprisingly, she couldn't be moved.
The woman was slightly surprised and took a closer look at Little Red Tang, suddenly realizing, "A little ghost from the Underworld?"
A hint of envy appeared on her face, and she said gently, "Little sister, would you like to come with me?"
"I'll buy you candy!"
"..."
Little Red Tang glared, baring her fangs, and snapped the red thread with a crunch. She retreated while glaring.
Her ultimate move was to hug legs, and now that she couldn't hold on, she had to escape quickly.
Amidst Hu Ma's gloom, he realized that Si Zhou and Little Red Tang had rushed over to rescue him, but he hadn't expected the woman in red to be so formidable, preventing even these two from saving him.
His spirit sank further, and he felt the nail embedded in the Great Thunder General's forehead drilling deeper, causing excruciating pain in his own forehead as if it were nailed into his own body.
Not only could he not use his Year Guard ability, but he also couldn't control the scattering of his own power, making it difficult.
Just then, at the dharma altar, Kindness Fairy had rolled up her sleeves and shouted, "I'm going to help the Supreme Teacher!"
"Oh no, no, no, Fairy, you can't go..."
Xiao Douguan desperately tugged at Kindness Fairy's sleeve, saying, "Everyone's abilities are much stronger than yours, Fairy!"
"You're going to your death..."
Kindness Fairy was furious and picked up her dust brush, threatening, "How dare you show such disrespect to the Supreme Teacher?"
Xiao Douguan panicked and covered her head, saying, "Fairy, have you forgotten which sect you belong to? Even if you want to help, you don't need to go up there!"
"I advised you to choose this sect because it's easier to protect yourself..."
Kindness Fairy suddenly realized and frowned, "I don't think the abilities in this sect are of much use."
"Look at the sect. The senior brothers have never expected me to accomplish anything significant."
Xiao Douguan said, "That's not related to the abilities you learned from the Fairy."
As she spoke, she gestured and explained, and Kindness Fairy hesitated, half believing and half doubting. Eventually, she decided not to go help but instead inserted the dust brush into her collar. She searched through her bundle and took out a gourd.
She shook it and then removed the stopper. Xiao Douguan, standing nearby, had already jumped to the side and lit a fire with a firelight, carefully igniting the dry yellow wild grass.
The Kindness Fairy, Miao Shan, aimed the gourd's mouth at the faint flames, meeting Xiao Douguan's expectant gaze.
The next moment, something seemed to spew out from the gourd, and the flames surprisingly formed a fiery line, extending straight ahead with incredible speed, reaching Hu Ma and the others. The wild grass swayed, and the flames grew more intense, burning brighter.
"This is..."
Even the anxious and restless Old Abacus, who seemed to be making a critical decision, was stunned by Miao Shan's move.
The banners that were already out were slowly pushed back into their sheaths, and everyone stared with widened eyes.
As the fire started, even the Red Daughter and those in the Harmful Origin Sect were slightly startled. Those in the Harmful Origin Sect had to lift their lanterns higher to avoid getting burned.
The Soul Punishment Door members squinted, exhaling a gust of yin wind to prevent the fire from spreading towards them. Taking advantage of their distraction, Hu Ma, with his keen senses, clenched his teeth, ready to rise, but to his surprise, he couldn't.
As he tried to get up, the nail seemed to drill into his forehead, causing excruciating pain, as if he had become a snake nailed to a board.
The intense pain reached its peak, causing his resentment to suddenly dissipate, and his thoughts became uncontrollable.
The Great Deity General Bodhimanda was almost flawless, so how could a single nail from the enemy so easily pin him down? How could his divine soul be suppressed, rendering his abilities useless?
It was fate!
He vaguely understood in his heart, recalling the glance he had taken on the bridge.
It was because his life was a sewn-together entity, three lives twisted into one, each with immense influence and weight in this world. They could only be entangled but never truly unified.
And because they were not unified, it was possible for the enemy to pin him down and even separate this life from him.
If it were just one life, then when the enemy pulled out the Great Deity General Bodhimanda, they would also pull out his own life. It was impossible for him to remain while his bodhimanda was taken away.
The intricacies and complexities of this situation were too profound to be summarized in a few words. Only when the enemy forcibly extracted the bodhimanda did he truly feel the distinction between these three lives. Only on the brink of death, with his life flashing before his eyes, could he glimpse the truth.
At that moment, Hu Ma suddenly grasped the key point, gritting his teeth.
This nail was pinning the Great Deity General Seal, or rather, his life. In a daze, Hu Ma could almost see a nail piercing through his Life Spirit Temple.
In that instant, he had no time for other thoughts or to verify the truth. His determination rose, and with a firm heart, his Three Pillar Dao Practice suddenly burned out, and purple qi swirled around him.
A thunderous boom!
Both the Harmful Origin Sect and the Red Daughter's faces changed, and they quickly looked down.
They saw the Great Deity General Bodhimanda, which seemed to have become a tangible reality at that moment, incredibly heavy, dragging the chains wrapped around it with a clanking sound. But on Hu Ma's side, it had become eerily silent, as if he had stopped breathing.
After a brief moment of surprise, she quickly exerted her spiritual power, causing the chains to clank as she tried to pull the Great Deity General Bodhimanda into the coffin to seal it.
But at that very moment, Hu Ma exhaled softly.
By voluntarily burning out his Three Pillar Dao Practice, he had returned to the state of emptiness.
The human body has life energy, and the Dao practice is this life energy. With the Three Pillar Dao Practice burned out, it was as good as being dead, with no difference.
Normally, when the physical body dies, a breath of misfortune is exhaled, followed by entry into the Intermediate Realm, awaiting the separation of the three souls and seven spirits, becoming a true dead person.
Upon entering the Intermediate Realm, one's consciousness dissipates, which means one cannot think...
There is only a feeling of extraordinary lightness.
It was as if, upon reaching the Intermediate Realm, he had almost detached himself from the Great Deity General Seal and his identity as a Hu family member. At this moment, he was just himself, free from those troubles, alone, carefree, and at ease.
"Shh, shh, shh..."
At the same time, an incredibly subtle sound seemed to echo in his ears, as if something enormous was approaching.
The gaze of that thing fell upon him, filled with surprise and helplessness.
It seemed wrong, but seeing that Hu Ma had indeed sunk into the Intermediate Realm, it could only modify his lifespan and weight, rewriting them in the book.
Just as Hu Ma was about to fall into a deep sleep, two spots on his chest suddenly burned with pain.
These were the spots where his grandmother had once pierced him with an iron hook to hang him, which had healed long ago, but now they ached as if the hooks had re-entered his body.
Amidst this pain, Hu Ma regained consciousness, understanding that he had indeed entered the Intermediate Realm state as Old Abacus had described. A surge of determination rose within him, and he forcefully opened his eyes, anger welling up and spilling out of his eyes.
The Yin Communication Meng Family's cultivation method appeared in his mind, crystal clear, word for word.
"Yin Communication Method cultivates the Dao practice, competing with the heavens for lifespan."
"Come!"
(End of Chapter)
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