Chapter 848: Bringing Purple Qi Back to the Mortal Realm

Chapter 848: Bringing Purple Qi Back to the Mortal Realm

On Great Sorrow Mountain, the State Tutor saw Hu Ma drawing a trail of crimson lightning, and his expression instantly changed from shock to joy.

"So, you already had the ability to take the second step of crossing the bridge?"

"..."

Previously, under Hu Ma's guidance, he had cultivated the Nine Pillar Life Incense, which was already an extreme rarity in the mortal realm.

But Hu Ma, at this extreme point, had taken the Tenth Pillar Incense, which exceeded the scope of heaven and earth and was already beyond the identity of a 'human' in this world. It added to his power, and in comparison, it matched the 'Human Not Human' realm of those who had crossed the bridge.

However, after obtaining the Tenth Pillar Incense, Hu Ma was solely focused on changing heaven and earth, and in the realm of spell techniques, there was no further progress. The State Tutor himself was deeply affected by this setback.

After returning to Great Sorrow Mountain, experiencing defeat, despondency, and constant thoughts day and night, he was only just accepting his failure. For a person like him, the failure of a plan was hard to accept, but even harder to accept was suddenly losing his goal.

The White Jade Capital Plan was a goal worth devoting all his energy and resources to.

But after the White Jade Capital Plan failed, the other things that ordinary people could achieve held no interest for him.

It was only when Hu Ma came to inquire about returning to the homeland that he once again became interested, but it was just a feeling of interest without any specific hope. Until now, seeing Hu Ma transforming into a bridge, he felt an incredibly exciting sense of excitement.

Since leaving the Capital City, this was the first time he showed genuine surprise on his face.

The Tenth Pillar Incense corresponded to the 'Human Not Human' realm, and by transforming into a bridge and borrowing the slaughter tribulation of the mortal realm, he had already reached the second realm.

Ghost Not Ghost!

This path was one he had pointed out to Hu Ma, and seeing his progress, how could he not be delighted?

"I could have transformed into a bridge long ago..."

At this moment in the Nether Palace, Hu Ma held the Crow King Malevolent Blade and advanced step by step, triggering a surging killing intent.

With a swing of his blade, the entire palace was filled with wailing ghosts and howling deities, a scene of desolation.

Whether it was the sinister officials, fierce generals, or the eerie maids and servants, they all turned into paper-thin figures in the face of the Crow King Blade that brought forth a sea of blood.

Wherever the blade passed, bodies were torn apart, and limbs were scattered on the ground. Even the heavy purple qi in the Nether Palace, resembling a continuous mountain range, was disrupted and scattered under this killing intent.

"After obtaining the Tenth Pillar Incense, I already felt that this path had not yet reached its end."

"I can merge with heaven and earth, and I can also steal from them."

"But I cannot do that. The Hu Family follows the path of annihilation, and what the Elder Lord Eyebrow left behind is also the way to change heaven and earth."

"If I set this as my goal but secretly practice the technique of stealing, wouldn't I become the most hypocritical person in this world?"

"With this thought, I even struggle to understand why the path behind the Emperor of Supreme Virtue's military arts is like this..."

"Until I found the reason why I had to walk this path..."

"..."

His heart was in turmoil, as if conversing with another self, and also as if confessing to the heavens and earth.

But his footsteps did not stop, and his blade's path was unpredictable, causing chaos in the Nether Palace.

Indeed, the Nether Palace was as terrifying as the State Tutor had described, and this terror manifested in two aspects.

One was the weight of destiny, and the other was the heaviness of the purple qi.

Because of the rolling purple qi in the palace that could transform all things, even if Hu Ma killed these officials and generals, it was in vain. Under the nourishment of the purple qi, they could quickly transform and return.

So, from the beginning, Hu Ma never thought of using his own strength to forcefully oppose the evil ghosts in the Nether Palace. Instead, he used the technique of transforming into a bridge to bring the slaughter tribulation from the mortal realm.

The slaughter tribulation of the mortal realm could not cut through the purple qi, but it could sever destiny.

Purple qi required people with heavy destiny to suppress it.

The evil ghosts of the Nether Palace, with their destiny severed, could no longer control the purple qi. This would turn the purple qi into a rootless source, and at this moment, Hu Ma, by transforming into a bridge, connected with the mortal realm, allowing him to send the purple qi back.

The faster the purple qi dissipated, the weaker and even depleted the Nether Palace became.

In short, the more he killed, the richer the mortal realm became.

"Mortal realm, mortal realm..."

"Returning to the mortal realm, the incense flames of the people, is now..."

However, at this moment, the rolling slaughter tribulation that Hu Ma drew not only shocked the officials and generals but also the figure on the dragon throne, causing quite a commotion. But soon, they became excited.

Their wooden and stiff faces showed extreme excitement, even to the point of madness, quickly suppressing the fear within the palace.

All eyes were fixed on Hu Ma, filled with greed.

Hu Ma's transformation into a bridge meant he had opened a channel between the Nether Palace and the mortal realm, an opportunity to return.

Being able to bring the slaughter tribulation into the Nether Palace and then send the purple qi back to the mortal realm also meant they could leave.

For the Nether Palace, what could be more important than this?

Although the Crow King Blade had killed countless wailing ghosts, the fear in the palace was replaced by madness. Not only did the officials and generals rush towards Hu Ma, but even the massive shadow on the dragon throne could no longer contain itself.

It abruptly stood up, its enormous body towering over the entire palace, and its head hovered directly above Hu Ma.

The immense pressure and eerie aura made Hu Ma's breathing slightly labored. When he looked up, he was shocked.

Indeed, that thing was born too bizarre.

When it shrank on the dragon throne, Hu Ma could only see a vague human shape, but now, he saw a body so enormous it was indescribable.

It wore a finely embroidered dragon robe, and its features and body vaguely resembled a dragon. But on its dragon body, there were all kinds of bloated and eerie tendrils, writhing and swaying in the palace, exceedingly strange.

The dragon form was the transformation of an emperor ghost after death, and the bloated tendrils were due to their deep influence by the Celestial Age.

At this moment, they had become a part of the Celestial Age.

But despite their strangeness, they were equally terrifying. The giant body loomed over Hu Ma, almost crushing the Nether Palace, like facing a dark cloud.

All the differences were vividly displayed as the monster on the dragon throne leaned forward.

The gap was too vast.

The disparity between Hu Ma and this emperor ghost was immense in terms of realm, cultivation, destiny, and purple qi.

Even though Hu Ma had drawn the slaughter tribulation of the mortal realm, which theoretically could harm the emperor ghost, it was like a yellow cow facing a yellow hornet.

He and the Emperor Ghost were in a delicate situation.

If this were in the human world, Hu Ma's Nine Pillar Proficiency might have been able to confront this monster, but since they were in the Nether Palace, Hu Ma couldn't bring his entire proficiency into play.

In fact, he intentionally separated them, leaving the Nine Pillar Proficiency in the human world and bringing only one pillar with him into the Nether Palace, as a precaution in case he was overwhelmed and trapped here.

Even if he died in the Nether Palace, the Nine Pillar Proficiency would remain in the human world, ensuring the Grand Sky Ritual wouldn't be affected.

However, how could one pillar possibly withstand the might of the Emperor Ghost?

If this dream were considered a boundary between the human and spirit worlds, then the closer to the human world, the stronger Hu Ma's power would be.

The closer to the Nether Palace, the stronger the practitioner's power would become.

But the Emperor Ghost was desperately trying to force its way into the human world, while Hu Ma was blocking it, creating a situation where one side weakened as the other grew stronger.

"How dare you bully me even in my dream?"

Facing the monster, Hu Ma wasn't intimidated. He suddenly slashed with the Demon Emperor Saber in his hand, using a Blocking Technique, and the surging killing intent on the blade forced even the Emperor Ghost monster to retreat slightly to avoid its sharp edge.

Hu Ma took the opportunity to step back, then suddenly stomped his foot and shouted sternly, "I am Master Hu Ma of the Evil Suppression Mansion, the Meng Family Ancestor! Come to my aid and help me repel the enemy!"

The stomping and calling out was a way to summon a deity.

This was the first time he had summoned a deity, and he had to strictly follow the ritual rules. Since he had done it once before, this time it would be simpler.

As soon as the Emperor Ghost retreated, it immediately extended a hand-like, claw-like appendage towards Hu Ma's face, accompanied by a gust of chilling yin wind that seemed capable of blocking one's divine soul and freezing the body.

But as the claw reached out, a tall, eerie figure in tattered funeral clothes appeared behind Hu Ma, grabbing the claw with immense force.

The countless tentacles and overwhelming strength of the Emperor Ghost were unexpectedly blocked by this figure.

This unexpected turn of events surprised even the Emperor Ghost, who roared in anger and scolded, "You, the son of an Imperial Clerk, dare to secretly observe the Divine Grace?"

"..."

The Duyi people revered the Celestial Age as a deity, and the Meng Family Ancestor was a manifestation of one of the Celestial Age's tentacles, belonging to the divine realm.

The Emperor Ghost wasn't afraid, but it couldn't tolerate its servants touching the Celestial Age.

It became even more furious and aggressively pressed towards Hu Ma, and the tentacles on its body wrapped around the Meng Family Ancestor one by one.

It seemed to be trying to use this method to pull the Meng Family Ancestor into its camp.

"Not good."

However, during this process, Hu Ma kept watching.

This was his first encounter with the Nether Palace, and he fought and scolded as needed, but he remained cautious.

No one knew what other oddities the Nether Palace held besides destiny and purple qi.

As soon as he saw the Emperor Ghost's strange behavior, he didn't hold back. His feet followed an unusual direction, and he took several steps.

This technique was from the Ghost Walking school's Astral Walking and Fighting, but it had been modified by the Meng family. The original technique was a display of divine might, using one's body to defeat malevolent spirits, but after the Meng family's modification, it became strange and awkward, giving off an eerie, twisted feeling.

This technique was perfect for restraining the Meng Family Ancestor.

Spirit Summoning was one of the easiest skills to learn, as long as one had a strong and fearless body.

However, the risks of this skill were also enormous.

What if the summoned entity refused to leave after completing its task?

Although Spirit Summoning practitioners treated the entities they summoned with respect, they also secretly studied methods to send them away.

Other practitioners had it easier, but the Meng family summoned their own ancestor. How could they send him away? Forcibly sending away their ancestor would be disrespectful, and if the Meng Family Ancestor became unhappy, the consequences would be unimaginable.

So, publicly, the Meng family could only invite and serve their ancestor by bowing.

But in secret, the Meng family had been researching ways to forcibly send away or even restrain their ancestor. As they were well-acquainted with the Hu family, they adopted this Astral Walking and Fighting technique from the Ghost Walking school.

They modified it into a method to restrain their ancestor, passing it down only within the direct lineage. This method could be used to forcibly send away the ancestor if he was unwilling to leave.

It could even exploit the ancestor's weaknesses to dominate him.

This was in line with the principles of Spirit Summoning.

From summoning deities, worshipping ghosts, to gradually restraining and controlling the summoned entity, was a necessary process.

Of course, this method alone wasn't enough; other conditions had to be met.

For example, this technique required the summoned entity to be restrained by a powerful force.

One could then take advantage of the situation.

The Meng family had this method but never had the opportunity to use it. It was only during their downfall that they taught it to Hu Ma.

Now, with the Meng Family Ancestor restrained by the Emperor Ghost, the situation was perfect.

Using Reverse Astral Walking, Hu Ma dragged the Demon Emperor Saber across the ground, creating strange runes.

When his steps were set, Hu Ma raised the saber and pointed it directly at the massive back of the Meng Family Ancestor. The runes on the ground also appeared on the ancestor's back as promised.

The Meng Family Ancestor instantly became furious, experiencing excruciating pain. He didn't know that the entity he had summoned was now betraying him; he only wanted to vent his frustration.

The Emperor Ghost in front of him became the perfect target, and the two ghostly figures began to fight fiercely within the Nether Palace.

The Emperor Ghost couldn't wake its servant anymore.

"A fight between ghosts is just what I need..."

Seeing that the technique had succeeded, Hu Ma was delighted, and his gaze immediately shifted to the other figures in the palace.

It had to be said that the Meng family wasn't just good at bowing; they also had many ideas in secret. But this method to counter the Meng Family Ancestor might never have been used in the Meng family, as they would never have the courage to do so. Yet, it fell into Hu Ma's hands, and it was just right.

As he thought this, the Punishment Official Blade in his hand surged with blood energy, slashing through half the hall.

The officials in the hall might be fake, burned into existence, but their official robes and identities were real. They were helping the Emperor Ghost increase its destiny and suppress the purple qi.

Through this slaughter tribulation, Hu Ma was using their destinies to make the purple qi in the Nether Palace even more unstable. It surged like a tide, like a sea, flowing into the human world through him, who had transformed into a bridge.

There was no need to do anything special; the key was to take his time.

As long as he introduced the Purple Qi into the human realm, the Nether Palace would shatter and fall, and the Emperor Ghost would weaken.

Once the Purple Qi faded to a certain extent, he could then execute the Emperor Ghost with a single strike.

During this process, Hu Ma felt an endless surge of Purple Qi coursing through his body, cleansing and refining his divine soul.

In his previous cultivation, he had never deliberately stolen the heavenly weight or actively sought the Purple Qi, but even if he had tried, it would have been impossible to find a source of Purple Qi as vast and pure as the Nether Palace, almost surpassing the combined amount of the Ten Clans.

In this process, his Dao cultivation underwent an indescribable transformation. Originally, he only had two and a half pillars of Life Incense, which were purple, but now one pillar after another was being refined by the Purple Qi.

In an instant, it was as if ten years of cultivation had passed, and the feeling was indescribably wonderful.

Of course, another person who benefited, and perhaps even more so than Hu Ma, was Little Hong Tang.

The Purple Qi on Little Hong Tang's body was originally obtained from this Nether Palace. It could have been taken away, but now that the Purple Qi was leaking out, and she was still holding onto Hu Ma's clothes, hiding behind him, she became a target for the surging Purple Qi, unknowingly absorbing a significant amount.

She looked like a small person sculpted from Purple Qi, and even her red clothes seemed to be turning purple.

...

...

"Is this Meng Family's Technique?"

At the same time, on Great Sorrow Mountain, the one who was most delighted was surprisingly the State Tutor.

In the area where Hu Ma was located, countless strands of Purple Qi rose from the ground, filling the entire valley like clouds, and then forming thick dark clouds that floated aimlessly in the mountains, a strange phenomenon that had already frightened everyone on the mountain.

"What's going on... What..."

The Wang Family members felt as if they had been dumbfounded.

They were no strangers to the Purple Qi; under the State Tutor's instructions, they had once stolen the Purple Qi from the four directions to forge the White Jade Capital.

They had thought that the Wang Family had the most contact with the Purple Qi and the broadest knowledge among the Ten Clans, but now they realized they were like a novice compared to a master.

The surging Purple Qi on Great Sorrow Mountain seemed endless, as if it were free for the taking. Anyone who witnessed this would think they were dreaming.

In contrast, the State Tutor widened his eyes, observing the changes in Hu Ma's aura: "You have a method to counter the Meng Family Ancestor. This... doesn't this mean you've overcome the Meng Family's obstacle?"

"..."

Compared to the strange phenomenon of the Purple Qi, this was undoubtedly the most delightful surprise for the State Tutor.

He enjoyed witnessing the resolution of such difficult problems, appreciating the ingenious ideas derived from human minds.

Back when they were in the capital, during their confrontation, the State Tutor had seen many unexpected actions from Hu Ma, many of which were truly remarkable.

However, at that time, Hu Ma was destroying his own ritual, so while the State Tutor secretly praised him, he couldn't bring himself to appreciate it. But this time was different. From an objective standpoint, these actions were enough to earn his strong admiration.

While admiring Hu Ma, the State Tutor didn't forget to glance at the ten pillars of incense burning before him. He noticed that one of the pillars had burned down quickly, leaving less than three inches remaining.

But the other pillars of incense were clearly affected, burning more vigorously.

As the incense smoke rose, a precious sandalwood fragrance filled Great Sorrow Mountain, overpowering the bloody smell.

He couldn't help but start to worry, and in a low voice, he spoke to Hu Ma: "Using the Slaughter Tribulation to sever the Nether Palace's destiny is an ingenious move..."

"The problem is that this Human World Slaughter Tribulation has begun, but it hasn't reached its full potential yet..."

"Now that you've entered the dream deeply, the other Emperor Ghosts in the Nether Palace have also seen you..."

"..."

In the Nether Palace, Hu Ma heard the State Tutor's voice, knowing that he was using his spiritual power to communicate with his dreaming self. He looked up and saw that this Nether Palace was already showing signs of decay.

The more Purple Qi was lost, the lighter the Emperor Ghost's weight became, and the Meng Family Ancestor grew increasingly ferocious. If this were the only Nether Palace, then this dream invasion could be considered an easy victory.

Unfortunately, at the same time, several other auras were rapidly approaching.

Once he learned the location of the Nether Palace, it would send him dreams, as this tenth Emperor was the closest to the human realm and the most recent one. But after staying in the dream for a long time, others would also come.

Taking a deep breath, he indeed felt, as the State Tutor said, that the Human World Slaughter Tribulation was about to begin, but it needed time to brew, and currently, it was far from enough.

The problem was that by the time this slaughter tribulation was fully brewed, the destiny between heaven and earth might already be insufficient, and even if he wanted to pursue the Return to Homeland Realm, he wouldn't have enough confidence.

At this moment, under the State Tutor's reminder, Hu Ma casually swung his blade, beheading a figure resembling a military general on the altar. Then, he slowly raised his blade, looked down at the crimson blood on the Crow King Malevolent Blade, and muttered to himself: "You are already smart enough to understand this slaughter tribulation and know how powerful it will be once it starts..."

"But you still don't fully understand that this slaughter tribulation is different from what you imagine. It will begin faster and more fiercely than anyone can imagine..."

"As long as I build this bridge, when I swing this blade, it will exceed everyone's expectations..."

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly saw that above the Nether Palace, rubble was falling, as if a giant face had opened a hole in the sky, slowly approaching the breach.

The hole only allowed one eye to peer through, and as its pupil slightly rotated, it landed on Hu Ma's face. From just this one pupil, one could see his excitement, greed, and ferocity.

Hu Ma held his blade across his chest, looked up at it, and smiled viciously: "I steal the Purple Qi for the human realm, and the human realm nourishes my killing intent..."

"Emperors, it's time to set out..."

...

...

The heavenly slaughter intent emerged, and the stars shifted.

As Hu Ma held his blade across his chest, intimidating the Nether Palace, waiting for the Human World Slaughter Tribulation to gain momentum, in the human realm, Duke Yang Gong of Mingzhou was slaughtering in all directions, triggering a corner of this Human World Slaughter Tribulation, a shocking and unexpected wave that rapidly engulfed the entire world.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end