Chapter 754: Gazing at the Book of Life and Death
Chapter 754: Gazing at the Book of Life and Death
"It's time!"
In Hu Ma, a single person with a single blade forced back the Pan Shan Army's troops, their aura surging and blood energy soaring. At that moment, a massive Kongming lantern rose into the sky, so large and bright that the flames within it blazed like a sun hanging in the air.
From mid-air, a brilliant light shone down, illuminating Hu Ma as he advanced with his sword drawn. Behind him, a gigantic shadow appeared.
The next moment, at the other end of the battlefield, another Kongming lantern rose, forming a pair with the first one. From another direction, they cast light on Hu Ma, revealing a second shadow.
One on the left, one on the right, both pitch-black and towering.
"Not in control of oneself, entangled with two lives. I know you were sent into this situation by the Hu family, and you're not happy about it."
As the shadows appeared, the Pan Shan King was also startled by this mysterious creature that seemed to have emerged from nowhere. He even considered stepping back, moving further away from the battlefield, but at that moment, a delicate and graceful shadow appeared beside him.
Amidst the rolling blood energy on the battlefield, she moved as if unaffected, lightly sighing as she looked into the distance. The guards beside her were shocked, but suddenly couldn't speak.
Then, she slowly scanned her surroundings, and two guards with longbows appeared, not in control of themselves, and walked towards her.
Turning awkwardly, they stood on either side of her, drew their bows, and nocked signal arrows. Then, with the strength of a nursing baby, they raised their bows high.
"Whoosh!"
Two arrows suddenly left the bowstrings, and in an instant, they flew through the air, covering nearly a hundred zhang in distance, and struck the two shadows cast by the giant Kongming lantern on Hu Ma's body. Both arrows hit the exact spot on his head, and the arrow feathers fluttered unceasingly.
"Shush, shush, shush..."
Following the two signal arrows, the other archers, though still unclear about the situation, quickly joined in. Countless arrows rained down on the two shadows of Hu Ma.
With each feathered arrow that fell, Hu Ma felt his body grow heavier.
His body was covered in countless needle-like arrows, not painful but numb. His entire body seemed to no longer be his own, as if he were a puppet, frozen in place.
Even the sword in his hand was raised, but he couldn't swing it.
"Have they made their move?"
Hu Ma clenched his teeth slightly, glancing at the corner of his eye. Just as his shadow was pinned down, above his head, in the night sky, countless arrows flew towards him, making a hissing sound. In an instant, an unknown number of arrows landed on his body.
But the Longevity Guard's body was sturdy, and even these arrows couldn't harm him. Some bounced off his body, while others penetrated half an inch into his flesh, crooked and slanted.
At that moment, in a corner of the battlefield, a figure in a wide robe emerged from the dark shadows. He held a blade and took out a whetstone from his bosom, sprinkled some water on it, and began sharpening his sword with force.
The sound of sharpening the sword seemed to overpower the chaos of the battlefield, reaching everyone's ears with startling clarity.
In that instant, on the entire battlefield, all blades, spears, and arrows seemed to have become sharper, especially the arrow rain heading towards Hu Ma, with the arrowheads flashing with a chilling light.
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
This time, all the arrows seemed to be imbued with some mysterious power, instantly piercing through Hu Ma's body.
In a flash, he became a porcupine.
But at that same moment, as his charging movements ceased, and the rain of arrows ceased with it, the aura he had cultivated suddenly began to rapidly gather back towards him from the edges of the battlefield.
Like an infinite tide, in that instant, it all flowed back into his body, and the entire battlefield fell into an eerie silence unlike any before.
"Quick, that guy's been hit by arrows..."
"Pass the Pan Shan King's order, this person is a demon, killing him won't be enough, burn him to ashes..."
"Pitch Army, Pitch Army, hurry up and follow, pour the oil, burn him to ashes..."
"..."
In the distance, the army formation continued to advance chaotically, shouting and urging the troops on. Soldiers with gourds on their backs quickly approached Hu Ma.
"Never mind!"
At the same moment that Hu Ma was turned into a porcupine, and his voice fell silent, Kindness Fairy and the others were already scared stiff.
Facing such an army formation, neither she nor Old Abacus had the ability to intervene. It was Thursday Miss who finally couldn't stand by any longer.
Although Hu Ma had told them to just watch, he wasn't their superior, just a defeated opponent. Why should they listen to him?
Not only did she not listen, but she also reached into Hu Ma's carriage and took out two Bright King Drum Hammers. With a swift movement, she leaped into the army formation, blocking Hu Ma's path and swinging the two hammers.
One by one, the soldiers and their foul-smelling gourds were smashed away by her.
Amidst the army formation, she protected Hu Ma's corpse.
"Although I don't know what you're trying to do, Sister Kindness, I don't understand every word you say..."
In the midst of her busy thoughts, she spared a glance at Hu Ma, thinking to herself, "But I really admire you. You can't just die here, can you?
In the Intermediate Realm, Hu Ma gently opened his eyes.
He felt no pain from a thousand arrows piercing his heart, nor was he startled by the oppressive and eerie space. Instead, everything seemed natural, and when he looked up, he noticed that this Intermediate Realm was different from his previous visits.
He saw countless floating corpses around him, each in a different pose, drifting in the air.
Some were in pitiful states, as if hacked by blades and axes, while others had fierce expressions, as if they had been chopped in half by a single blow. The corpses were densely packed, and there were all sorts of them; at a glance, there seemed to be thousands upon thousands.
Among them, only a small portion appeared to have died on the battlefield, while most were tattered commoners with stiff, wooden, and hopeless expressions on their faces.
They all had their eyes closed, devoid of any consciousness, not moving an inch.
Amidst this multitude, Hu Ma opened his eyes and patiently waited.
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
Indeed, he didn't have to wait long before he heard the familiar rustling sound, along with the additional sound of someone fiddling with an abacus. He looked past the floating corpses and saw the monster covered in eyes slowly approaching.
As it twisted its body, it split into two, then four, instantly covering the entire Intermediate Realm, and lightly floating towards each floating corpse.
Two of them attended to each corpse, one fiddling with the abacus, and the other recording.
Despite the countless dead, they remained calm, and Hu Ma could even sense a sense of joy from them.
Then, as they gradually approached, Hu Ma gently pushed aside a nearby floating corpse, revealing his face, and smiled slightly as he looked at them.
He said, "Hello, nice to see you again..."
"Ah..."
The monster, amidst the countless floating corpses, suddenly saw Hu Ma's face and froze in terror.
After a while, it let out a deafening scream, hugged the old, tattered ledger tightly, and turned to run.
"Bring that thing to me!" Hu Ma shouted sternly, not even bothering to cultivate the Meng family's techniques, and chased after it.
However, he didn't know if it was because of the previous visits that made the monster more cautious, but it was running incredibly fast, and with the old ledger in its embrace, Hu Ma couldn't touch it like he did last time.
Nevertheless, although the monster was prepared, Hu Ma was also ready. With a stern shout, an invisible roar reverberated through the world, and Hu Ma reached out with his large hand.
Having fought in countless battles, Hu Ma had cultivated an aura that chilled the entire battlefield. Now, in the mortal realm, he seemed to have already lost his breath, but like a tiger, he refused to give up. His formidable aura remained.
Moreover, having entered this place twice before, Hu Ma understood that the Intermediate Realm theoretically didn't exist; it was merely a mutual perception between divine souls, and theoretically, there was no spatial distance.
The last time, he had only touched the old ledger briefly and caught a glimpse of many vague pieces of information.
This time, if he could grab the ledger, he would undoubtedly be able to see everything clearly, both past and future.
At this moment, his determination surged, and with all his might, he reached out to grab it, as if affecting the world. The densely packed floating corpses, entangled in cause and effect, began to move, forming a cage that trapped countless strange creatures around him.
In the Intermediate Realm, nothing had substantial existence; everything depended on destiny. Hu Ma's destiny was exceptionally heavy, and he had cultivated a powerful presence. With this movement, he could use his heavy destiny to pull the other floating corpses, helping him block the monster.
Hu Ma, without hesitation, closed in, reaching for the old ledger in its embrace.
Unlike the last time when he only touched it with his fingertips, this time, he firmly grasped it in his hand.
The monster, caught off guard, revealed panic and fear in its countless eyes as it was grabbed by Hu Ma. It screamed, "You shouldn't have seen..."
But Hu Ma didn't have time to say anything. The moment he held the old ledger, countless streams of information flooded into his mind from the ledger in the monster's embrace.
His three lives and all his past experiences became crystal clear.
...
...
"Is he really dead?"
At this moment, under the banner of the Mountain Pan King, someone caught sight of Hu Ma being surrounded on the battlefield, with only a burly man wielding two large hammers by his side. It seemed he was about to be trapped by the army, causing doubt and suspicion.
The slender woman beside the Mountain Pan King spoke coldly, "It's just the beginning. It's time for you to make your move."
As she spoke, she turned north and narrowed her eyes.
"Is he forcing those who plotted against him to act now?"
At the same time, Old Abacus realized Hu Ma's intention and felt his heart race, but suddenly, he heard a loud thud behind him.
Startled, Old Abacus turned around and saw the coffin of Hu Ma's father, Hu Shan.
For some unknown reason, the coffin lid suddenly moved as if someone was pushing it from within.
Was this a ghost?
(End of Chapter)
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