https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-840-The-Plot-Thickens-Chaos-Ensues/12920067/
Chapter 839: Li Family Supreme Art, Ancient Well Name Summoning
Chapter 839: Li Family Supreme Art, Ancient Well Name Summoning
"You're a real stand-up guy..."
Seeing that he actually remembered him, and especially the sentiment of the broken blade from back then, Hu Ma was pleasantly surprised.
Now, having blocked Li Family's technique, he glanced towards the Blood Pool and saw that the situation had become increasingly ominous. The Burned Blade still had the strongest killing intent, and the rolling blood pool seemed to merge into his body.
In terms of momentum, all the others combined couldn't compare to him. However, the Divine Bestowed King on the other end was also rapidly increasing his killing aura, and in a moment, it intensified several times over.
The rapid increase in his killing aura must mean he was on a killing spree in the mortal world. Those were all allies from the Three Allied Armies, all his own people.
Setting aside how the Blood Pool was seized, just this level of casualties was unbearable. He had to stop him quickly.
Hu Ma wasn't entirely sure how capable this Malevolent Wretch Elder Brother was, or if he could handle the Divine Bestowed King, but he didn't have time to ponder. He turned to him and said, "I don't need anything else. You said that when you see an injustice, you draw your blade and cut it down."
"Now this Divine Bestowed King is slaughtering tens of thousands of civilians in the mortal world. Are you going to just let it be?"
"..."
Thinking of this elder brother's temperament, perhaps only such a calamity could convince him.
However, to his surprise, the Malevolent Wretch only shook his head slowly after hearing about the Divine Bestowed King's slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians, and his face was numb, "If men don't kill, the heavens will."
"Living in this world is a bitter fate. If you're killed, what's there to talk about?"
"..."
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma had a feeling that this elder brother had experienced some changes over the years and was no longer the same as before.
Just as he was thinking this, the Malevolent Wretch shook his head again and said, "But I owe you a favor!"
"Since you said that, I'll kill him for you."
As he spoke, he numbly picked up the two broken pieces of the blade. Back then, Hu Ma had given him the other half of the broken blade, thinking he would forge the two pieces together.
Unexpectedly, he hadn't reforged them even now. He held the upper half in one hand and the lower half in the other, treating the blood pool beside him as nothing. He didn't even care if the blood water surged towards him as he approached the Divine Bestowed King.
Among those in the blood pool, his momentum was clearly the weakest.
When the other two had a connection with the Blood Pool, he completely ignored them, as if he were an outsider.
But when he approached the Divine Bestowed King, the Li Family Overseer on the side suddenly paled and exclaimed, "You know him?"
Hu Ma coldly glanced at the Li Family Overseer and said sternly, "Can't the Hu Family know capable and extraordinary people?"
He wanted to intimidate the Li Family Overseer first.
Upon hearing this, the Li Family Overseer's face changed abruptly. "Could it be that such a dangerous person was secretly trained by your Hu Family and sent to us?"
This old guy was a real headache for the Li Family. He had once been followed by a group of bandits because of his killing instinct. They willingly pushed him to be their leader, recruiting and buying horses, and gathering a group of followers, reaching the level of a Grass Head King.
If he took one more step, he would become a Grass Head King.
There were many such Grass Head Kings in the world.
But out of a hundred, rarely one would become a Grass Head King. Most of their fates were to be killed or subdued.
Only this one was different. He had killed off his own Grass Head King fate.
The bandits initially followed him out of fear, so they were careful and obedient to his every word. But later, as more people joined, it became difficult to control them. Some became unruly and slaughtered a village, crossing his taboo.
He didn't even bother to explain and killed the one who had slaughtered the village.
Those who had followed him before were originally obedient, but as time passed and his followers grew, they felt they had become familiar with him. They thought they had made contributions and dared to advise him on this matter.
They said things like considering the bigger picture and that a true man shouldn't be bound by trivial matters. So, these elders who had followed him for two or three years were all killed by him.
Some of his followers felt fearful and rebellious, and they too were killed one by one.
His killing instinct overwhelmed the bandits on the mountain, and he killed from the top of the mountain to the bottom, slaughtering all the followers he had gathered.
He also killed his own fate as a Grass Head King.
In the end, he was left alone, and like before, he wandered aimlessly in the world.
For the Li Family, such a person was a treasure. If they could subdue him, it would be a great help.
But because of his evil nature, they could only leave him be.
Until now, they suddenly realized a terrifying possibility. No wonder there were such strange people in the world. Could it be that this old guy was secretly cultivated by the Hu Family and placed under the Li Family's watchful eye to be used as a strategic chess piece?
The more he thought about it, the more shocked he became. He watched as the Malevolent Wretch approached the Divine Bestowed King, and compared to the domineering aura of the other two, his killing intent seemed exceptionally pure.
"Something's not right..."
At the same time, Hu Ma and the others also noticed the surging killing aura of the Divine Bestowed King. It seemed endless, and they began to feel something was amiss.
"Could he have been killing in the mortal world all this time?"
"This killing aura seems to have increased two or three times in an instant. If this were in the mortal world, how many lives would it have taken to fill it?"
"If that's the case, doesn't it mean he's already killed the Three Allied Armies?"
"..."
"Don't worry."
The Red Wine Lady on the other side also sensed this, as if guessing something. Her face slightly pale, she said in a low voice, "There are many brothers up there watching. They will surely protect the Grain Guard Army."
But she couldn't explain why, if the Grain Guard Army was protected, why was the killing aura on the Divine Bestowed King so terrifying?
Just then, facing the Divine Bestowed King, who was in a bloodthirsty state beyond imagination, the Malevolent Wretch Elder Brother still maintained his usual dazed and foolish expression. He slowly approached the Divine Bestowed King and then suddenly raised his blade.
The Divine Bestowed King's projection was in the Blood Pool, but he wasn't asleep, so his physical body wasn't there. He wouldn't fight with others, but the surging blood aura would still respond to others' killing intent.
The Malevolent Wretch Old Farmer raised his blade and slashed towards the Divine Bestowed King, seemingly intent on courting death.
His fluid and graceful movements with the blade made it seem as though he didn't fully comprehend the danger of his actions.
What was even more unimaginable was that as his blade descended, the surging blood energy on the Divine Bestowed King, which had already reached a peak of ferocity, seemed to dissipate like paper under his attack.
With just one slash, a large piece was cut off, turning back into a stream of blood that flowed into the Blood Pool.
And then the old farmer raised his blade again.
Another slash.
"Is he peeling a sweet potato?"
This scene caught the attention of Hu Ma and the others, who were suddenly filled with astonishment and doubt. "This old farmer's killing intent isn't strong enough, so he can only sever a portion of the Divine Bestowed King's blood energy with each strike."
"But his killing intent is too pure, causing the Divine Bestowed King to be unable to resist under his blade."
"If he keeps cutting like this, won't he eventually reduce the Divine Bestowed King to a mere skeleton?"
"..."
"The real and fake haven't been distinguished yet, but this side has already been eliminated?"
In the Netherworld, at the Blood Pool, the Li Family Overseer, upon witnessing this slash, suddenly became enraged and revealed genuine concern.
He knew the reason for the Divine Bestowed King's surging blood energy, but he never expected that the old lump, whom he hadn't paid much attention to before, would become the key at this moment.
Initially, the Divine Bestowed King's blood energy surge was supposed to overwhelm the fake, and even gain greater authority. However, if he allowed this chopping to continue, wouldn't it mean that the Li Family's efforts over the years would be completely wasted?
In his anger and astonishment, his face paled, and he slowly lifted a vermilion brush from his left hand, wiping it across the ledger held by a little ghost beside him.
With each stroke of the brush, one name was that of Guo Jiangsheng, and the other was Cao Erkui—the Burned Blade and the old lump in the Blood Pool.
Erase Names in the Netherworld!
All mortals have their fates decided.
But the Li Family could erase the names of the living, making them anomalies between heaven and earth.
Those whose names are erased by the Netherworld will be swallowed by the blood that surges from the ground, leaving no trace of their bones, as if they had never existed in this world.
The Burned Blade and the old lump were already in the Blood Pool, their fates intertwined. Once their names were erased, they would become anomalies that heaven and earth would not tolerate, and they would be immediately engulfed by the Blood Pool.
This was the Li Family's method, and although Hu Ma could block the old farmer's spell, he couldn't defend against this tactic.
However, as the Li Family Overseer was erasing the names, Hu Ma's eyebrows furrowed, and he stepped forward, his voice cold. "You use this method, unafraid of me killing you?"
The Li Family Overseer stared coldly and shouted, "Come!"
He showed no fear as the vermilion brush in his hand swiftly descended, but at that moment, Hu Ma shouted, "Forgive me!"
As his voice rang out, he had already flashed before the Li Family Patriarch, raising his hand and forcefully pressing it down on the Li Family Overseer.
As a Year-Guardian, at such close range, he didn't give the Li Family Overseer any chance to dodge or cast a defensive spell, and even the countless little ghosts surrounding the Overseer were all suppressed.
At this moment, the level of their confrontation was so high that it seemed to have returned to a state of simplicity.
Hu Ma merely struck out and then pressed down.
The Li Family Overseer's body instantly shattered and decayed, starting from his cold face, inch by inch, turning into flying ash. The brush in his hand also fell.
"Chi la..."
This palm strike was extremely simple, but it triggered countless changes between heaven and earth.
At Tiger Pass, the two Li Family ladies suddenly felt a surge of excitement, as if they had lost something.
In the Li Family mansion, the bronze mirror in front of Madame Li suddenly developed a crack, and she was momentarily stunned.
In various places, numerous observers of the battle between the Hu and Li Families were present, including those skilled in reading the atmosphere. In an instant, they discovered that the Li Family's location had undergone a terrifying change in fortune, and their faces paled. "This battle has just begun..."
"And someone has already died?"
"..."
"You're a Year-Guardian, unbeatable in close combat, but you've underestimated the Li Family!"
In the Netherworld, after Hu Ma struck out with that palm, amidst the blood mist, a cold voice sounded beside him. "If you want this life, take it. In the eyes of the Li Family, what is life and death?"
As he spoke, a shadow slowly wriggled and grew in the blood mist, quickly reaching a height of over half a person, its body translucent.
It was still the Li Family Overseer, but his flesh and blood had vanished, leaving only a light and fluttering shadow.
Could it be that the dead become ghosts?
Hu Ma looked on coldly, then suddenly focused his attention. After death, all humans turn into ghosts, but they must first pass through the netherworld body and gradually lose their three souls within seven days, transforming into ghostly beings.
But this Li Family Overseer had died in an instant and transformed into a ghost.
However, as this was a critical moment, Hu Ma had no time for further thought. He immediately focused his attention on the Li Family Overseer.
This was the crucial moment. If he could win this battle, he would kill the ghostly Overseer, shattering his soul. Hu Ma would show no mercy.
"Don't even think about it."
As this thought arose, the Li Family Overseer also spoke coldly. "You're a Ten Pillar Incense Year-Guardian, and even the State Tutor couldn't do anything to you in the mortal world. But in the Netherworld, the Li Family is also indestructible. How can you possibly defeat me?"
"Don't underestimate the Unchanging Li Family..."
He sighed softly. "Even the State Tutor, in the Netherworld, would lose to the Li Family. How much more so you?"
As he spoke, countless white flags emerged from his soul, layer upon layer, circle upon circle, infinite in number and size.
It was as if the entire visible world had turned into a vast white expanse, even blocking the Blood Pool. And as the flags changed, the Li Family mansion in all directions crumbled completely.
Wisps of purple aura rose, reinforcing the white flags and forming strange exorcism patterns.
Between the white flags, the Li Family Head was solemn, unfolding the List of Wrongs in his hand and slowly reciting Hu Ma's name:
"Elder of the Dark Mountain, Governor of the Evil Suppressing Mansion, Hu Ma, for your evil deeds in Mingzhou Prefecture, your sins are unforgivable!"
"May this punishment serve as a warning to all under heaven!"
"..."
"Stand back!"
At this moment, Hu Ma's expression also changed, suddenly reminding Erguotou and Red Wine Lady.
He had long known that the Li Family managed the Blood Pool and held the List of Wrongs, which recorded the names of those who had committed sins. According to reason, within the sect, there were many heaven-defying and earth-shattering matters. Once a sin was committed, the punishment would be swift.
Earlier, when he was in Mingzhou, in order to alleviate the calamity of hungry ghosts, he took on the sins of others. At that time, he should have faced backlash, but strangely, the Li Family withheld the punishment.
And it wasn't just towards him; the Li Family treated everyone the same.
His name was on the list, yet they neither questioned nor punished him, only keeping it for a crucial moment. They intended to use the power of heaven and earth to restrain him. This method was far more powerful than any soul-summoning technique within the sect.
The Li Family had two great arts: Name Summoning and Soul Capture. To avoid their techniques, one had to ensure their name couldn't be called. Thus, capable people of this generation had made early preparations.
However, the Li Family was equally prepared. They borrowed the power of the Blood Pool and retained the ability to call upon the names of any capable person in the mortal world.
As Hu Ma became more vigilant, the Unchanging Li Family received the order from the Li Family Head. Some Li Family members had been waiting, their faces grim, gathering in the courtyard of the Li Family estate around an ancient well, with a weight stone placed on top.
Twenty years ago, a strange well appeared in Zhangzhou. The locals often heard voices from the well, calling out their names, leading them to believe someone had fallen in. When they reached the well, they would lose their souls.
During the midnight hour, they would come to the well and throw themselves in, committing suicide.
A member of the Li Family passed by and noticed the well's strangeness, considering it a treasure. The entire Li Family moved to this place, using the weight stone to cover the well, and for twenty years, they secretly empowered it with a secret technique day and night.
Now, with the weight stone on the well, it had gone twenty years without calling out names, but no one knew how much power it had accumulated.
Until now, the Li Family had finally received a message from the Great Master, and they gathered together. They burned incense and kowtowed, and the Li Family members, except for the Li Old Lady, who was of the highest generation, moved the weight stone together.
The well was exposed to the sky, and a surge of yin energy shot straight into the clouds.
The Li Family members were in a panic. They quickly wrote Hu Ma's name and birthdate on a talisman and threw it into the well.
The next moment, a gust of yin wind that could change heaven and earth blew out from the well, howling through the sky. Faintly, it seemed like a human voice, faintly echoing, calling out a name:
"Governor of the Evil Suppressing Mansion, Hu Ma!"
"..."
"Ancient Well Summoning, sealing the soul and stealing life?"
At this moment, Hu Ma clearly saw the ancient well, especially since he was in the Netherworld, and it was indeed targeting him.
He could even feel that as his name was called, his cultivation was rapidly draining, endlessly flowing into the well.
The Ten Pillar Incense Dao Cultivation was not easy to achieve, but for this well to take it away was simple. Even though his cultivation method was different from others, the loss was real and irreversible.
It was at this moment that Hu Ma finally realized the terror of the Li Family's techniques.
Not only had they prepared for Name Summoning, but they had also made arrangements for the very source of Name Summoning. According to Hu Ma's fate, if anyone in the mortal world tried to call his name and cast a spell, they might be dragged down by his heavy fate and suffer backlash.
But the Li Family was different. They had secretly nurtured this well for twenty years, stealing the techniques of the Blood Pool and infusing them into the well.
When the well was unsealed, the power it unleashed was comparable to the entire Blood Pool in an instant.
Most importantly, because this technique didn't truly kill Hu Ma but aimed to take away his cultivation and trap him in the well, the Li Family wouldn't suffer any backlash from heaven and earth.
The situation had reached this point, and the technique was complete.
The Soul Punishment Dao only had two outcomes: success or failure, leaving no room for entanglement.
Now that the technique was complete, its ferocity was revealed, like a deadly blade unsheathed, destined to strike at the neck.
This strike couldn't be blocked; it could only be dodged, but not entirely.
If one had just stepped into the Non-Human Realm, they might be able to dodge three-tenths of the Li Family's technique's power. In the Non-Ghost Realm, they could dodge five-tenths, and in the Non-Divine Realm, they might avoid seven-tenths.
At the State Tutor's level, with an extremely shallow fate, they could dodge nine-tenths.
But the problem was that the Li Family had been preparing this technique for twenty years. Once unleashed, it would shake heaven and earth. Even one-tenth of its power would be enough to kill anyone.
Standing firmly in the mortal world, Hu Ma couldn't dodge even one-tenth of it.
Even if he used the Immovable Seal of Heaven and Earth, this technique wouldn't spare him, just like how every text message would reach its intended recipient; this technique would find him.
This was the Li Family Supreme Art, a non-divine technique.
It was one of the most formidable techniques between heaven and earth, and it was said to be among the top six most powerful skills in this generation.
Hu Ma's Ten Pillar Incense Dao Cultivation was no match for the ancient well. As his name was called, he instantly lost three pillars, followed by one pillar after another, making his body lighter and lighter. In the blink of an eye, only one pillar remained.
"Great Master Hu..."
At this moment, the Li Family Head's figure was ethereal amidst the swirling white flags, and he shouted sternly, "This shouldn't have escalated to a situation where both sides suffer."
"If you surrender now, my Li Family might still have a chance to reseal that well..."
...
...
"This is bad..."
Erguotou, standing nearby, witnessed this scene and his face paled. He waved his hand, summoning the Shrine Banner, intending to assist Hu Ma. But Red Wine Lady suddenly stopped him, "Don't do anything pointless."
"The victory or defeat doesn't lie here. Tieguanyin has other arrangements for these matters."
(End of Chapter)
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