Chapter 844: The Ten Emperor Demons of the Nether Palace

Chapter 844: The Ten Emperor Demons of the Nether Palace

Ascending to immortality held no meaning, but returning to one's homeland did—a response that seemed not quite what the State Tutor sought.

Yet, for him, the answer was no longer important.

Knowing that Hu Ma was looking for him, he had come here, curious about Hu Ma's question. And when Hu Ma asked about "returning to one's homeland," he felt a surprising sense of satisfaction.

Without rushing to reply, his face grew colder and more despondent, "The Hu Family deceived me for twenty years, causing my plans to come to naught."

"The White Jade Capital Plan was ruined in an instant."

"The Great Dharmic Religion has also expelled me from the sect."

"You destroyed my path to returning home, and you were the only person I wanted to kill in the past twenty years. Yet, here you are, asking me about the way back to my homeland?"

He slightly raised his head, fixing his gaze on Hu Ma's eyes, "Give me one reason why I should help you find the answer!"

Hearing these words, the Elder Abacus beside him couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

When the State Tutor spoke, the killing intent in his eyes seemed genuine. The State Tutor possessed great abilities but rarely took lives.

He only killed when it was crucial.

However, if he decided to kill, few in this world could escape. Admittedly, Hu Ma might not be someone he could kill, but he, himself, was standing right there. If these two fought, he might get caught in the crossfire...

Hu Ma, facing the State Tutor's interrogation, also fell silent for a moment, as if many answers flashed through his mind.

Perhaps he could blame the State Tutor for running away, saying that he owed this world an answer to his question?

Or maybe, as the previous Supreme Priest of the Great Dharmic Religion, he had a responsibility to provide an answer? But in the end, Hu Ma thought of the Unchanging Li Family and the elderly guardian of the ancestral shrine he met in the capital. Recalling their description of the State Tutor, he slowly raised his head and looked at the State Tutor, saying, "I'll make sure this life of yours isn't... like a joke!"

Upon hearing this answer, the Elder Abacus beside him immediately shrunk his neck, ready to flee.

The State Tutor's expression suddenly changed, and all the despondency in his eyes seemed to be replaced by a cold, chilling light.

A joke?

The person who had once led Du Yi to its demise and buried the first generation of reincarnators was now being called a "joke"? Perhaps, at the State Tutor's level, it was difficult for any words to shake his heart.

Only the word "joke" seemed to strip away his dignity, exposing him to the scorching sun.

After speaking these words, Hu Ma braced himself for the State Tutor's furious reaction, knowing that these words would definitely stir emotions within the State Tutor, though he wasn't sure of the outcome.

Under his gaze, he saw the State Tutor's face darken, and the clouds in the mountains gathered and dispersed, but after a long, long time, he made no move. Instead, he gave a self-deprecating smile.

Then, he looked at Hu Ma with a cold gaze and said softly, "Come find me at Great Sorrow Mountain!"

After speaking, a thin mist suddenly rose, and everything became hazy and indistinct.

In the next moment, the State Tutor had disappeared, and where he had been standing was still just an ancient pine tree.

"Is it a person or a pine tree?"

Hu Ma furrowed his brows and stepped forward, gently touching the hard cracks on the pine tree, his face showing a thoughtful expression.

With his current cultivation, very few in the world could deceive or harm him.

But seeing the State Tutor's transformation into a pine tree was still a novel sight.

This meant that there were still many techniques in the world that he couldn't see through, representing countless unknowns.

The unknown was hope, confirming that his ideas were not impractical.

"Where is Great Sorrow Mountain?"

He caressed the ancient pine, deep in thought for a while, then turned to ask the Elder Abacus.

"It's our Great Dharmic Religion's mountain gate..."

The Elder Abacus, only now daring to breathe, hastily replied, "Before Du Yi's rise, the Great Dharmic Religion only had one master, one disciple, and one incense burner, practicing outside the mountain gate, observing the Celestial Age and understanding celestial phenomena."

"But after Du Yi took over the world, the founder descended the mountain, and the World-Seeing Incense was also brought to the mortal realm. That mountain gate at Great Sorrow Mountain was abandoned, and I never thought the State Tutor would return there..."

He paused, then continued, "But theoretically, that place should still belong to the Great Dharmic Religion. All dynasties, including the first emperor of Du Yi, who knew of the Great Dharmic Religion's existence, granted that place to the Supreme Priest."

"So it's actually your territory, and the State Tutor returning there is a bit inappropriate..."

"..."

Hu Ma nodded, "Then let's go there!"

The Elder Abacus became slightly concerned, "Are you sure?"

Hu Ma nodded, "Not only that, but we should check everything that might be useful. Since we're taking on the role of Supreme Priest, we should at least do a thorough investigation."

With Hu Ma's decision made, the Elder Abacus didn't dare stop him. He didn't quite understand Hu Ma's intentions and subconsciously felt that Hu Ma was taking a big risk by leaving such a significant matter to outsiders.

After all, they were outsiders.

But when Hu Ma suddenly showed interest in the Great Dharmic Religion, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. No matter the circumstances, settling this matter was the right thing to do.

The preparation was simple; all disciples of the Great Dharmic Religion, except Hu Ma, carried their founding ancestor's tablet with them.

In front of Hu Ma, he kowtowed a few times to the ancestor's tablet and lit a stick of incense.

Muttering to himself, after a while, he stood up, took the incense stick in his hand, and said to Hu Ma, "I'm ready, let's go!"

Hu Ma nodded, but then remembered something. He took out another incense stick from his sleeve, lit it, and watched the thin smoke curl upwards. Soon, a red shadow flickered, and Little Hong Tang emerged from the woods beside them, hugging Hu Ma's arm.

Ever since their trip to the capital to see her grandmother, Hu Ma had been busy, so he left Little Hong Tang at the ancestral hall to keep her company.

Now that he had other matters to attend to, he had called Little Hong Tang over.

"Little Hong Tang, do you remember saying that you came from a big black house?"

Hu Ma looked at her, and indeed, Little Hong Tang had spent some time with her grandmother at the ancestral hall, and she seemed to have gained some weight.

The ancestral hall's incense flame was now tended by the Hu Family, and its flame was unique. Little Hong Tang had also benefited greatly from it.

It was a good thing she was called back; otherwise, she would have become a chubby maid.

"Yes..."

Little Hong Tang nodded vigorously, "There are many people there, and they're scary!"

"Your grandmother found you, and she's different from those people. She's a good grandmother."

"..."

Hu Ma smiled and nodded, "Then, if Little Hong Tang goes back there again, will you dare to go?"

"I won't go!"

Little Hong Tang was usually very obedient, whether it was delivering messages, fighting, stealing, or carrying blood food, she never questioned.

But now, her face changed, and she showed a panicked expression, tightly hugging Hu Ma's arm, "Brother Hu Ma, you shouldn't go either."

"Don't worry."

Hu Ma patted Little Hong Tang's head and said with a smile, "Now I'm capable, and I'm not afraid of them."

Then he turned to Elder Abacus and said, "Let's go to Great Sorrow Mountain first."

Elder Abacus' gaze, which had been on Little Hong Tang, returned to the small ghost servant. This wasn't the first time he had seen her, but strangely, the more he looked, the more he felt she was different from other ghost servants.

Especially when he saw the direction of the incense stick Hu Ma had lit, which seemed to be towards the capital. But the incense flame of the capital wasn't something an ordinary ghost servant could enjoy.

This maid had actually gained weight?

At this moment, his experience in the jianghu came in handy. If he didn't understand something, he wouldn't ask.

He simply tucked his head in, nodded hurriedly, and followed the direction of the incense smoke.

Hu Ma followed behind and saw the marvel of the incense stick in front of the founding ancestor's tablet. It looked like a simple, light-colored incense stick, but its direction changed with the wind.

Elder Abacus followed wherever the incense smoke led, and his movements were peculiar. His figure seemed to flicker like the incense flame, shifting left and right, gradually becoming somewhat hazy.

Even he had to concentrate to keep up with him, gradually ignoring the surroundings.

He vaguely felt that he had only walked for the time it took the incense stick to burn.

Just as the incense stick in Elder Abacus' hand was about to burn out, he saw Elder Abacus stop. The last wisp of incense smoke drifted towards a mountain in front of them. Hu Ma, with Little Hong Tang on his shoulder, also stopped at the foot of the mountain.

To their surprise, they found themselves in front of a strange mountain, surrounded by dense pine trees and peculiar rocks.

Looking around, they saw mountains and valleys all around, as if this mountain stood alone in the world, isolated from the rest.

"Is this Great Sorrow Mountain?"

Hu Ma surveyed the surroundings for a while and spoke softly, but in the dead silence, his voice sounded exceptionally clear.

Elder Abacus quickly ducked his head and whispered, "It seems so."

"This mountain isn't on any map. Only the incense stick in front of the founding ancestor's tablet can guide us."

"I know this method, but it's my first time here."

"..."

"Then follow me."

Hu Ma put down Little Hong Tang, who was on his left shoulder, and took her hand.

Little Hong Tang was always vigilant, but seeing that they weren't going to the black house from her memory, she felt a little relieved.

Following Hu Ma, they slowly climbed the mountain path, along a stone path covered in moss, towards the mountain. The mountain was quiet, without even the sound of birds.

They thought they would directly ascend the mountain, but unexpectedly, they only reached the mountain's waist when they saw a row of dilapidated stone houses and a stone slope covered in wild grass. Hu Ma stopped and saw on the slope, the State Tutor, with his back to them, bowing before the incense table.

With his level of cultivation, he probably knew that Hu Ma was coming even when Hu Ma was still at the foot of the mountain.

But the current Hu Ma was extremely respectful. He bowed to the incense table in front of him, offered incense, and his movements were meticulous.

And this extremely simple scene, commonly seen among the common folk, caused Hu Ma to feel somewhat bewildered. The State Tutor had once been the Grandmaster of the Great Dharmic Religion, and even now, he was the most capable person in the mortal realm, one could even say without equal.

The ghosts and deities worshipped by the commoners were, to him, like a passing gust of netherwind, fleeting upon touch. Even the demonic heavens and ghostly earth were merely tools to be manipulated by him.

Yet now, he had knelt and offered ten pillars of incense, and was about to kowtow. What was he honoring?

What could be worthy of such reverence from a man like him?

Although he didn't understand, he followed the rules. When he offered the incense, he didn't speak, but quietly waited by the slope.

After the ten pillars of incense were lit, the State Tutor slowly turned around and walked towards Hu Ma, glancing at Little Hong Tang by Hu Ma's side, before taking a step forward.

The two walked in silence for a while, and then the State Tutor suddenly spoke to Hu Ma in a calm tone, "You find this strange?"

Hu Ma nodded, "When we were in the capital, you only burned one pillar of incense, and when you left, you gave that pillar of incense to me."

"The Great Dharmic Religion has always only burned one pillar of incense, and that is the pillar of World-Seeing Incense."

The State Tutor calmly explained, "But I no longer belong to the Great Dharmic Religion, so naturally, there are more things that I hold in reverence."

Hu Ma furrowed his brows slightly and turned to look at the State Tutor, "Are there still things in this world that you hold in reverence?"

"There are many."

The State Tutor slowly replied, "Only the ignorant are fearless. I know much more than you."

"It feels like you're insulting me?"

Being insulted would usually make one angry, but since he had won the duel in the capital, Hu Ma was more open-minded and didn't mind. He smiled as he walked alongside the State Tutor, "Since I've come, you should tell me."

"I have many questions to ask, and only you can answer them."

"Why are the three realms of the Great Dharmic Religion: World-Seeing, Entering the World, and Heaven?"

"Why did the Great Sage create a sect originally named Great Virtuous Master, but later changed it to Heavenly General?"

"What do the two words 'Heavenly General' mean?"

"..."

The State Tutor listened without rushing to answer, but instead looked at Hu Ma and said, "You should answer me first, why are you asking this now?"

"Ever since the capital, you've been the Grandmaster of the Great Dharmic Religion. At that time, you didn't even care much."

"..."

"Because there was no need."

Hu Ma explained, "When I saw the path of the Grand Sky Ritual, I knew that the Ten Clans' sects would disappear. After I obtained the ten pillars of incense and gained the ability to carry the Twelve Ghost Altars and other objects of equal rank, that was enough."

"I only needed to collect the Seal, Stone Weights, Book, Fruit, and Order of the Five Pillars, perform the Heaven-Earth Transformation, and that would be enough to expel the Grand Heavenly Lord. Anything else would be a burden."

"The Hu family's path is destined to eradicate the sects, and I cannot become a thief of techniques."

"But now..."

He paused for a moment before slowly saying, "I have a reason."

The State Tutor could sense the sincerity in Hu Ma's words, but he didn't answer directly. Instead, he lowered his gaze.

Looking at Little Hong Tang by Hu Ma's side, he spoke softly, "I think your Hu family already knows many things."

"Otherwise, why would this little ghost stay in the Hu family?"

"..."

"Grandma left her to me."

Hu Ma exhaled lightly, patted Little Hong Tang's head, and said, "When we were in the capital, I asked Grandma about Little Hong Tang's origins. Grandma told me, but as soon as she started, I realized that Grandma didn't know Little Hong Tang's true origins."

"To her, Little Hong Tang was just a minor ghost servant she picked up in the capital."

Hu Ma looked down, and Little Hong Tang was curiously looking around, not paying attention to his words, which slightly relieved him. But he still lowered his voice and used his ghostly whispering skill to speak to the State Tutor:

"At that time, Grandma wanted to go to the capital to persuade my birth mother, who had left Old Yin Mountain. But my mother's determination was already set, so Grandma didn't say it out loud."

"It was on that trip back to the capital that she found Little Hong Tang. Her soul root was already severed, and she couldn't enter the Netherworld. She had been refined by someone and wouldn't dissipate like ordinary wandering ghosts. She held a Book of Eight Characters in her arms, indicating that she had no master to rely on..."

"Seeing the numerous scars on her body, Grandma knew she had suffered greatly."

"At that time, the Hu family had already lost its influence, and there were many powerful families in the capital who could refine this minor ghost servant."

"Although Grandma was furious about this act that harmed the heavens and defied reason, she didn't have the ability to find the person who did it. So, she brought Little Hong Tang back to Old Yin Mountain, fed her with blood, and slowly nursed her back to health. Of course, this little girl also developed a greedy appetite..."

"This isn't really a bad habit. I think, even if I don't have other skills, I can still afford to raise her."

"..."

After saying this, Hu Ma continued, "But it was me who later discovered the many peculiarities about Little Hong Tang."

"Grandma was too good to her, she didn't need her to fight or steal."

"Many abilities, but I didn't find anything."

"..."

"Maybe she did discover something but chose not to speak of it."

The State Tutor listened to Hu Ma's account and slowly spoke, "The White family matriarch is also a highly capable person, but her kindness is her downfall, sealing her fate to not venture far on the bridge."

"I believe you when you say she doesn't understand the true nature of this minor ghost servant, but it's impossible that she didn't notice the strangeness about this minor ghost servant. I think she did discover something but didn't want to tell you."

"Because..."

He turned to look at Hu Ma and said, "She didn't want you to get involved with the entities of the Nether Palace."

"The Nether Palace..."

At the mention of these two words, Hu Ma's expression became slightly solemn.

Even in the lifeless Great Sorrow Mountain, a cold wind suddenly blew at the sound of these words, chilling to the bone.

Little Hong Tang inexplicably felt a sense of fear and moved closer to Hu Ma.

"Do you know that Elder Lord Eyebrow and Dragon Well Scholar were determined to exterminate the entire Du Yi Imperial Clan, leaving none alive?"

The State Tutor asked an unexpected question, speaking slowly.

Hu Ma was slightly taken aback and replied, "Wasn't it to sever Du Yi's fortune and prevent the Celestial Age from further intruding into the mortal realm?"

"That's just one reason."

The State Tutor slowly explained, "Moreover, if it were only for this matter, they wouldn't have had to bear such a heavy slaughter."

"The real reason is because of the Nether Palace..."

As he spoke these words, a hint of mockery appeared on his face, "The Du Yi Empire ruled for two hundred years, and there were eleven emperors in total."

"They include the first emperor who established the ritual to invite the Celestial Age to strengthen the army, and the second emperor who, through the Great Dharmic Religion, inquired about the origins of the Celestial Age. These eleven people have the deepest connection with the Celestial Age and are the most revered."

"Most of the Du Yi emperors, except for the first two, died early. But as members of the Imperial Clan, even in death, they are different from commoners. They enjoy the grand rituals of the world and are considered guests of the Celestial Age."

"Have you ever wondered if they are truly dead or somewhere else?"

"..."

This sentence suddenly sparked countless thoughts in Hu Ma's mind.

The Du Yi Dynasty was cut off by Elder Lord Eyebrow and Dragon Well Scholar, and seventeen thousand members of the Imperial Clan became wailing ghosts. But there was indeed something strange about it.

The mortal Imperial Clan was cursed to death, and the Netherworld was divided among the Ten Clans twenty years ago. However, no one has ever mentioned the previous Du Yi emperors. Could it be that they truly perished without a trace upon death?

At this moment, the State Tutor slowly revealed the answer, "They are all in the Nether Palace."

"Not only did they want to skin the emperor, but they also cursed to death the seventeen thousand named members of the Imperial Clan because these royal descendants are the bridges for the entities of the Nether Palace to enter the mortal realm."

"Elder Lord Eyebrow and Dragon Well Scholar used an extremely clever and ruthless method, cutting off their bridge and turning them into rootless water. They became wandering deities without incense offerings or anyone to remember them, slowly dissipating."

"This is a very ingenious and cruel method that can sever the foundation of the Nether Palace and kill the enemy in an unseen manner."

"But in the end, it's a desperate measure. Elder Lord Eyebrow and the other reincarnators chose this plan because they didn't have the means to deal with the Nether Palace."

"Their plan succeeded, but the entities in the Nether Palace didn't willingly disappear..."

"And if my judgment is correct..."

"..."

He lowered his head again and looked at Little Hong Tang, speaking softly, "This minor ghost servant is from the Nether Palace."

Hu Ma listened, not entirely surprised, but he stopped walking and looked at the State Tutor seriously, asking, "What does this have to do with the question I asked you?"

"To answer your question about returning to the homeland, I must mention Elder Lord Eyebrow."

The State Tutor also stopped walking and looked at Hu Ma, slowly saying, "I've always thought that Elder Lord Eyebrow and the others were very clever. They used the most appropriate method to deal with the people of the Nether Palace. Now, we just need to continue forgetting about the Nether Palace, and they will never pose a threat again."

"But after all, they are on that path."

He slowly spoke, "You asked me about the way back to the homeland, and I can tell you that it does exist, and it's right behind you. But this path wasn't discovered by the Great Dharmic Religion or the reincarnators."

"The previous Du Yi emperors were on such a path. If you want to make further progress, you need to meet them."

"Although their incense offerings have been cut off for twenty years, I believe they haven't all died out yet, and they might even be finding ways to return to the mortal realm."

"In this world, your destiny is already rare."

"But each of these eleven people has a heavier destiny than yours, and they also have the incense offerings of an empire and a mysterious connection with the Celestial Age, along with various strange phenomena."

As he spoke these words, his expression became somewhat intense, even mocking, "If I tell you that the answers you seek are related to these entities, will you still ask me how to walk this path?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end