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Chapter 781: The Three Realms of the Upper Bridge
Chapter 781: The Three Realms of the Upper Bridge
"Perhaps I am old, and I don't understand why you do such useless things?"
As Hu Ma finished his last sentence, his thoughts turned inward, and in his peripheral vision, he saw the sudden silence on the State Preceptor's face.
He knew the impact of these words, and he knew how furious the State Preceptor would become.
The State Preceptor knew that he hadn't stepped onto the bridge, so it was impossible for him to imagine that he could cultivate the Longevity Mother Technique. Perhaps, even his initial self hadn't thought of it, but the one who saw this wonderful point was actually another person, Zhou Zhiming, the manager of the Zhou family, who nurtured life.
When he brought the Iron Cavalry Hall Official to greet him in the midst of the Pan Mountain Army formation, the timing was strange.
Seeing himself and speaking to him, it was also strange.
Later, when he left, but kept the Zhou family's daughter by his side, it became even stranger.
At that time, Hu Ma had already decided to cultivate the Nine Pillars of Dao Practice, abandoning the path on the bridge, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious about the skills on the bridge. He had also learned about the realms of the bridge guests from the old abacus.
Common sense dictates that breaking through the Gateway of Three Doors is equivalent to entering the realm of transcendence, where everything exists in illusion, with mysterious techniques making it difficult to distinguish superiority. However, in general, there are still several realms.
The first step onto the bridge is called "Beyond Human."
After walking a distance, it becomes "Beyond Ghost."
After another distance, it reaches the realm of the most skilled among the roadblocks, known as "Beyond Divine."
The Beyond Human Realm represents the loss of human characteristics and freedom from the constraints of heaven, earth, ghosts, and gods.
Just like Hu Ma at this moment, with a heavy fate and holding a powerful treasure, if he were to engage in a real fight, most bridge guests wouldn't dare provoke him. But in terms of realm, others were indeed superior.
The simplest example is that on the bridge, even in the Beyond Human Realm, one can survive being beheaded or changing bodies.
This is not the beheading of the Trickery School or the Spirit-Bearing School, but after truly having one's head cut off, either reattaching it or transferring it to someone else's body, and still living. This is already a skill beyond human capabilities.
But Hu Ma couldn't do it; as a true human, if someone were to cut off his head, he would die.
Skills are skills, and realms are realms; they cannot be compared.
Also, because Hu Ma is still a human, he is susceptible to the techniques used by others, bearing the brunt of them. In his confrontation with the State Preceptor, almost every move landed on him, relying solely on his Nine Pillars of Life Incense to withstand the attacks.
Of course, it was also because all of his skills were human techniques that the State Preceptor could so easily subdue him.
Not stepping onto the bridge meant not reaching the Beyond Human Realm, an unsolvable problem.
Until Zhou Zhiming appeared, chattering away and telling him many things, from the proper path of longevity, abandoning the physical body to cultivate the soul, to the Zhou family's life-nurturing techniques.
Although he claimed to want the Great Deity Law of Zhou's family, he somehow opened Hu Ma's mind. The latter half of the law left by Lao Jun Mei had been erased, seemingly cutting off his path, but what if it was intentional? The manager of the Zhou family, who nurtured life, admitted that the Zhou family's techniques were wrong, which was why they encountered roadblocks on the bridge. When Lao Jun Mei left his techniques, he erased the techniques after the bridge. Was it because they had also taken the wrong path?
This doubt was the reason Hu Ma sincerely sought guidance from Zhou Zhiming, the Thursday Miss.
And as Zhou Zhiming spoke about the chivalrous code of the Jianghu, revealing the Zhou family's cultivation techniques without reservation, Hu Ma's heart finally stirred, beginning to realize a certain possibility...
The Big Belly Ghost King, a ghost-eating glutton.
Eating ghosts and absorbing their energy, strengthening the divine soul, seemingly just a cultivation method for entering the mansion.
But Long Well Scholar had already warned him that eating ghosts wasn't truly eating ghosts, but rather refining energy.
Refining energy can indeed strengthen the divine soul, but once it reaches a certain level, it becomes less effective, requiring further advancement.
On the way back to the capital, Hu Ma realized that this was the refinement of techniques.
Other schools had some advanced techniques that couldn't be learned without stepping onto the bridge, but only the Longevity Mother Technique, which was based on the physical body, had no unattainable techniques as long as the foundation was strong and the divine soul was powerful enough.
Even this was the Heaven and Earth Immovable Seal technique comprehended by the manager of the Zhou family, who nurtured life.
For this reason, combined with the items left for Brother Er Guotou early on, Hu Ma had the confidence to return to the capital and even dared to confront the State Preceptor, allowing him to be restrained and using the opportunity to carefully observe the sacrificial rituals of the Dalaofa Religion.
Now, having witnessed the sacrificial rituals and the opponent's techniques beginning, Hu Ma directly interrupted them.
Heaven and Earth Immovable Seal! With this seal activated, even if the heavens were to collapse, it wouldn't affect him. Borrowing strength was out of the question.
These were just Hu Ma's thoughts, and the State Preceptor naturally didn't know them. He was suddenly annoyed when he saw Hu Ma using this technique, and in his haste, he reached out to grab Hu Ma, but his hand merely passed lightly through Hu Ma's body.
The current Hu Ma was unaffected by all techniques, and the State Preceptor's body, being a manifestation of techniques, couldn't touch Hu Ma, who was no longer in the realm of heaven and earth.
At this moment, he clenched his teeth, even considering coming in his true form, but in his heart, he knew this was absolutely forbidden.
As the one who had ventured the farthest on the bridge, he had already reached the Beyond Divine Realm.
At this level of cultivation, various techniques are but a thought away, seemingly divine yet not quite. In the mortal realm, he still possesses a physical body, and this body is his only weakness.
Without this flaw, he would be worthy of the title "Immortal."
"The Zhou Family..."
In the blink of an eye, he fixed his cold gaze on Hu Ma, took a few steps back, and sat cross-legged. Then, another State Preceptor emerged from his body, took a step, and vanished from his original spot.
"What's going on?"
At this moment, in front of the small Taoist temple of the Lifespan Pavilion, the Ten Surnames Manager, who had just been bowing reverently at the incense table, stood up.
Some of them looked up, while others lowered their eyes, all sensing a subtle tilt in the Imperial Capital. They whispered, "Just now, there was someone carrying the Ghost Altar on their back, but now, that person is gone. This city is in danger..."
"Could it be that this religious ceremony hasn't even started, and we're already facing defeat?"
"..."
"Mr. Zhou Zhiming..."
Just as everyone's eyes grew tense and they whispered among themselves, the State Preceptor appeared beside them.
He looked calm and composed, slowly approaching Zhou Zhiming. He bowed deeply and said softly, "I was discussing matters with the young master of the Hu Family, requesting the Twelve Ghost Altars to come to the city. However, we encountered a minor issue."
"I wish to seek guidance from the Zhou Family on a method to counter this technique."
"..."
Upon hearing his words, Zhou Zhiming showed a hint of surprise and smiled, "The State Preceptor, who has studied both heaven and humanity, seeks guidance from me?"
The State Preceptor straightened up, slightly swaying his dustbrush, and said with a smile, "The Zhou Family is the original Longevity Bridge family. But I wonder, is there a way to counter the Heaven and Earth Immovable Seal on the Longevity Bridge?"
"What?"
Zhou Zhiming looked very surprised, "This seal was passed down by my ancestors, and I have further developed it. Only after that, I was able to grasp its essence. I've never used it in front of others, so how does the State Preceptor know about it, and why does he ask for a counter?"
The State Preceptor observed Zhou Zhiming's surprise but didn't question how Hu Ma could learn the Zhou Family's secret technique. He smiled gently and said, "The Hu Family descendant has indeed learned the Longevity technique. Using this method to escape beyond heaven and earth is commendable, but it's wasting time."
"He actually knows it?"
Zhou Zhiming's face lit up with surprise, as if slightly indignant, but he shook his head and smiled bitterly, "State Preceptor, you're giving me too much credit!"
"I only know this technique, and it's just a turtle's retreat, not suitable for use. It's just a way to enter the Beyond Divine Realm. As for how to improve further or break it, I have no idea."
"Otherwise, the Zhou Family's roadblock would have been removed long ago."
"..."
Listening to their conversation, the people around couldn't help but change their expressions. Someone exclaimed, "That young man knows this technique too?"
"A descendant of the Hu Family has learned the Longevity technique. What's his intention? Is he marrying into the family?"
Another person spoke up, "That young man is hiding like a turtle? Even if we can't break his technique, we can still hold him accountable. If that doesn't work, we can threaten his relatives from the Hu Family. If he doesn't comply, we can cut them all down!"
"Or kick the Hu Family out of the Ancestral Hall? His father and the White Family's grandmother are buried there. Can we..."
"..."
"Don't speak nonsense."
The Ten Surnames Manager, Zhou Zhiming, sighed, "Even if we Ten Surnames wouldn't stoop so low, if we did, he's using this technique now, and even if he's unaware, his soul is wandering beyond the heavens. How can you threaten him when he doesn't even know?"
"That's true."
Someone else sighed, "The Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall, we all share in its glory and shame."
"Even the ruined Meng Family has to set up a paper figure to bow there. If we can use the ancestors in the Ancestral Hall to threaten others, wouldn't the Stone Pavilion Alliance become a joke?"
As their eyes flickered, they all turned to look at the State Preceptor.
The State Preceptor observed them quietly, and when the voices subsided, he sighed softly, "The Zhou Family's technique is the Longevity Mother Technique, allowing one to transcend heaven and earth, and it's unbreakable."
"But this young master of the Hu Family, with his shallow cultivation, won't make us wait for a year or two. Since time has been wasted, we must adapt. I think it's time to ask you all to go to the Ancestral Hall and burn incense."
"..."
"Burn incense?"
Hearing this, everyone fell silent. Someone whispered, "Disturbing the ancestors is a big deal. Moreover, to involve the Ancestral Hall, all Ten Surnames must agree. If the Hu Family doesn't consent, burning incense won't help, right?"
"I have my ways."
The State Preceptor nodded lightly, "The issue is that time has been wasted. Before the religious ceremony is fully prepared, those malevolent spirits must not be allowed to reach the Capital City, or the foundation of immortality will be unstable, and all our long-term planning will be for naught..."
He bowed deeply, "Everyone, thank you for your efforts..."
Hearing this, the others exchanged glances and then coldly smiled, "We said we'd hold them off for a day, and now it's just a little longer. What's the trouble?"
"At worst, we'll block them outside. Let's see if, with our disciples' intervention, they can still enter the Capital City!"
(End of Chapter)
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