Chapter 756: The Two Banners and the Cause and Effect Soul
Chapter 756: The Two Banners and the Cause and Effect Soul
"It's not surprising that he refuses to return."
"Three years ago, things took a turn, and our seventeen-year plan finally started to move forward, but it was also from that moment that the plan began to deviate."
"Just because he's one of us doesn't mean he'll definitely support us. Are there not enough toothless cow-like monsters?"
"Those malevolent spirits that descend from the sky have always been skilled at bewitching people and making them risk their lives willingly."
"So, it's not important how we bring back the Hu Family's descendant. What matters is ensuring he doesn't stray from the right path."
"..."
In the capital city, the Dharma Assembly had not yet arrived, but upon hearing that the State Preceptor had appeared, the members of the Ten Surnames Sect had already begun to gather.
With the combined strength of the Ten Surnames, they made thorough preparations in advance.
The current State Preceptor set up an incense altar at the site of the old palace ruins. In front of him, five lamps were lit, and behind him, four more lamps were hidden. He sat cross-legged before the altar, with tall banners on both sides, but they were blank.
Five of the Ten Surnames' leaders stood opposite the altar, quietly listening to his words.
Behind them were the disciples of various sects, as well as some trusted officials who held positions like 'sword-wielders' and 'diviners', standing further away on both sides.
As the recognized eleventh surname and the leader of the Dalaofa Religion, Daoist Sage Hongxuan was an enigmatic figure, even in the eyes of the younger generation of the Ten Surnames. Very few had witnessed his abilities in action.
Now that they saw him deliberately setting up the incense altar, everyone held their breath and observed closely. However, after listening to the message delivered by the Zhou family, Daoist Sage Hongxuan didn't seem surprised; instead, he slowly closed his eyes.
Listening carefully, they felt as if he had stopped breathing, hovering between life and death.
Most of the people present had already crossed the bridge, and although they dared not offend the State Preceptor, their curiosity got the better of them. They couldn't help but wonder, and their expressions turned to astonishment as they realized that the State Preceptor, while seated in meditation, was simultaneously in the Netherworld, his thoughts floating freely in the boundless realm of heaven and earth.
"Neither human nor ghost, neither demon nor god..."
Among them, someone communicated using the whispering technique: "Look, how far has the State Preceptor progressed?"
"The first three steps reveal fate, the next three reveal nature, and the final three reveal the heavenly shackles."
The responder sighed: "You and I are both trapped within these shackles, fighting for our lives against the blocking tiger. But I think the State Preceptor may have already moved past them."
"Has he achieved immortality?"
"No. If he had, why would he return to us?"
"Perhaps it's just the state of being neither immortal nor not, where success and failure, and emptiness, all lie."
"..."
"Huff..."
In the midst of this oppressive silence, suddenly, the five lamps in front of the State Preceptor were simultaneously blown out by an unknown wind. Four lamps went out instantly, and even the last one's flame shrank to the size of a bean. Everyone's attention was drawn to this.
"It's time."
The State Preceptor in front of the incense altar opened his eyes, picked up a brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and quickly wrote on the banners.
His writing was swift and graceful, and each character was filled with mystery.
"This is..."
"The Hu Family has strayed from the right path, so the State Preceptor set up the ritual altar before the Ten Surnames gathered."
"We need to bring the Hu Family's descendant back on the right path..."
"..."
"Indeed."
The speakers were the leaders of the Zhu and Li families, using a voice that others couldn't hear. Unexpectedly, the State Preceptor, who was writing quickly, caught their words.
Writing while speaking, he said, "This was agreed upon with the Hu Family before I mend the soul. His reincarnation, guardian soul, and cause and effect souls have all been filled with what we need."
"Don't envy the Hu Family for having the exclusive right to the Evil Suppression Bureau and being first in line for immortality among the Ten Surnames."
"The Hu Family has indeed paid a price that others are unwilling to pay."
"Unfortunately, the Hu Family's descendant is far from what was initially agreed upon. The things left in his guardian soul are incomplete. The life soul has become blank, and the cause and effect soul contains the most important things, but the most crucial part is missing for some unknown reason."
"Now, we can only add what's missing, and then he might truly become the leader of the Curse Suppressing Hu Clan among the Ten Surnames."
"..."
As he finished speaking, he drew the last stroke and threw down the brush, picking up the candle to burn the banners.
Two columns of fire quickly rose, burning the banners to ashes, leaving only a wisp of clear smoke.
The State Preceptor clapped his hands, gazing at the smoke, and sighed, "I have no choice but to send a message to the Heavenly Sovereign to add this missing part."
"Send a message to the Heavenly Sovereign?"
Hearing his enigmatic words, everyone's hearts trembled.
Behind this group, Zhao Sanyi and Chen Abao, who barely qualified to stand and listen, had their faces change.
They whispered, "Cause and effect belong to oneself. If the cause and effect soul is altered, will he still be the same person?"
...
...
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Si Zhou remained unaware of everything, only protecting Hu Ma and wielding her double hammers to keep the surrounding troops at bay, even the rain of arrows and powerful crossbows couldn't get close.
She had exerted all her strength, protecting Zhou Si with utmost care, but gradually, she sensed something amiss. The wind around her sounded strange, and the swaying shadows seemed unnatural.
Even the soldiers and horses galloping past her, ready to strike, emitted an indescribable putrid odor, as if they were corpses brought back from hell, mingling among the living and draining their vitality.
She had already exhausted all her tricks, moving agilely around Hu Ma, drawing a circle about three zhang in diameter, preventing anyone from entering this range. Still, she sensed something was wrong.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Hu Ma beside her, his eyes tightly shut. But at some point, his body had begun to wither.
Zhou Si, as the Year Guard, was highly sensitive to such changes, and she was shocked and pale with fright.
Indeed, Hu Ma had stopped breathing, but she had witnessed his revival from the brink of death.
Year Guards straddled the realms of Yin and Yang, and it wasn't uncommon. Moreover, Hu Ma occasionally whispered with the Old Abacus, so she naturally understood that he was practicing some formidable Dharma Gate. This time was probably no different.
After all, in others' eyes, a body full of arrows, like a porcupine, might as well be dead. But to a Year Guard, such a sight, though gruesome, wasn't unacceptable.
However, feeling Hu Ma's body withering, his last breath about to escape, she panicked.
"Something's wrong!"
From a distance, the Old Abacus and Kindness Fairy, among others, lacked the ability to confront the soldiers and horses. They could only watch from afar.
But they kept a close eye on Hu Ma, even though the distance was too great and the night too dark to see clearly. The Old Abacus, with his skills, observed the qi, and when he sensed something, he suddenly shouted, "Someone is using a Dharma Gate! The shopkeeper's body is being destroyed!"
Kindness Fairy was alarmed. "What should we do?"
"What else can we do? As his body is destroyed, that breath will be forced out, and he'll truly die."
Sweat beaded on the Old Abacus's forehead as he anxiously said, "This boy's entry into the Intermediate Realm was too smooth, so smooth that I felt like he was returning home. But this time is different."
"Before, those people wanted to take something from him, but this time, they're trying to kill him directly. Even if it's not a real death, that breath needs to remain within his body..."
Kindness Fairy interrupted, "Who asked you?"
"I'm saying, what should we do?"
"..."
"Transfer breath!"
The Old Abacus anxiously explained, "Before that breath leaves his body, transfer a breath of vitality, and he'll wake up..."
"But his soul-stealing technique will be in vain."
"There's no other way. Once that breath is forced out of his body, he'll die."
"..."
"Ah?"
Kindness Fairy understood. She had listened to Hu Ma's instructions, and he had told her not to interfere. So, she didn't.
Although she saw Hu Ma pierced like a porcupine, she thought he was just practicing. After all, the Grandmaster had such great abilities; dying and coming back to life wasn't unusual. It wasn't until now, when the Old Abacus gave specifics, that she became worried.
In other words, if she didn't help now, the Grandmaster might genuinely die?
Recalling the Grandmaster's solemn instructions, she felt conflicted. She was always a bit slow, disliking taking matters into her own hands. If she helped rashly, wouldn't she risk doing more harm than good and preventing the Grandmaster from completing his Dharma Gate?
Just as everyone was undecided, Xiao Douguan poked his head out from behind Kindness Fairy. On the battlefield, the killing intent was too heavy, and as a small ghost servant, he couldn't bear it, so he hid.
But he had heard the Old Abacus's words, and he kept a close eye on the changes in the battlefield, especially the shadowy figures behind the soldiers and horses, which made him feel afraid.
"Gong Gong, it's your turn to step in!"
He suddenly urged Kindness Fairy, "If the Grandmaster has reached this point, only you can save him..."
Kindness Fairy was also anxious. "You all know I don't have any great abilities..."
Xiao Douguan hurriedly said, "But you have good fortune..."
Kindness Fairy was stunned. Suddenly, she thought of something. As a member of the Robbing Calamity Sect, she had only learned two things: robbing calamities and blessing prayers.
At that moment, amidst the chaos, Little Red Tang, standing beside her, suddenly sensed something. She lifted her small head and looked towards the night sky above the battlefield, as if seeing two banners fluttering faintly, drifting towards them.
"Hu Ma is changing, no longer resembling Hu Ma!"
The Old Abacus and the others didn't understand, turning to stare at this small ghost servant. Suddenly, Little Red Tang dashed forward.
The malevolent qi of the battle formation was so strong that Xiao Douguan almost fell over.
But Little Red Tang, in an instant, sprinted through the soldiers and horses, unaffected, and in a flash, she reached Hu Ma. She pointed at Hu Ma and shouted to Zhou Si, who was panicking at that moment, "Quick, kiss him!"
(End of Chapter)
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