Chapter 864: The Heaviest Fate, Exorcism Master Chen

Chapter 864: The Heaviest Fate, Exorcism Master Chen

In the world of cultivation, who wouldn't want to rise above others and become the pinnacle of humanity? And once they've reached that height, who would willingly descend and speak of the weight of fate?

Gazing at the iron coffin before him, Chen Jiamushi's heart was filled with complex emotions, all of which turned into fervent anticipation as he slowly lifted the coffin lid ajar.

Chen's ancestors had been impoverished, and out of desperation, they learned the art of forensic examination from a He Clan member, ensuring they had food on the table. This skill was cherished by the Chen family, and they even kept a spirit tablet of a He Clan member in their home, offering incense and sacrifices to him every year.

There was a reason for this. It was this person who had passed on the art to the Chen family, enabling them to have a decent meal and a stable livelihood for generations.

Chen Jiamushi had been taught from a young age to be content with what he had, to practice his craft, and to not pay heed to others' idle chatter.

Families with such ancestral teachings often found themselves accustomed to being talked about.

Chen Jiamushi, from a young age, had encountered such situations and grown up listening to these idle words.

In truth, things had already changed within the Chen family by the time he was born. Although they still practiced forensic examination, the world had become filled with various divine techniques due to the Earth Deity's reincarnation.

After the Chen family came into contact with the Black Magic sect, they, with their generations of experience dealing with corpses, had honed their skills and secretly established themselves as a powerful clan, gaining a formidable reputation in the cultivation world.

However, the true aristocratic families still looked down on the Chen family.

Or rather, not just the Chen family, but all the ten surnames at that time faced the same treatment.

Despite possessing astonishing abilities, the aristocratic families began to fear them, yet they still looked down on themselves.

When a young master of the Black Magic sect, a scion of the original family, went on a boat ride and took a fancy to a young lady from a prefectural magistrate's family, he sent a matchmaker with a hefty sum to propose marriage, but they didn't even let him through the door.

The gifts he brought for the proposal were thrown back at him.

Incensed, he decided to seek an explanation, but as soon as he arrived at the door, he stopped in his tracks.

The reason? They were washing the ground.

For a forensic examiner to step on their threshold while proposing marriage was considered inauspicious.

The disdain was so profound that he didn't even have the heart to argue.

Looking back now, perhaps it was those reincarnated individuals, initially labeled as evil spirits, who had helped the ten surnames?

Chen Jiamushi was acutely aware of the situation and saw it with utmost clarity. The Duyi imperial clan and the aristocratic families had indeed become increasingly wary of the ten surnames.

These families, despite their humble origins, had acquired heavenly skills, but the aristocratic families, initially dismissive of these abilities, considered them unorthodox. However, by the time they realized their power and wanted to learn, it was too late.

The ten surnames had hidden their true skills, keeping them secret from the world. Who would willingly reveal them? Therefore, without the involvement of the reincarnated individuals, perhaps the Duyi Empire would have eventually clashed with the ten surnames, representing the cultivation world.

Either the ten surnames would overthrow the Duyi Empire and establish a new dynasty, or the Duyi Empire and the aristocratic families would eradicate the ten surnames.

This was an inevitable outcome.

In the end, it was the audacity of the reincarnated individuals that had aided the ten surnames, giving them an unexpected advantage in seizing the world.

In one fell swoop, the ten surnames became the highest-ranking clans in the cultivation world, each claiming their territory and governing the world through the system left behind by the Duyi Empire. During this period, those who had once looked down on the ten surnames and considered themselves superior were mostly dealt with one by one.

It was then that Chen Jiamushi could marry whomever he desired, and even the prefectural magistrate's family actively sought him out to convey their intentions.

Other families did the same, seeking marriage alliances with the aristocratic families, just like the Hu family. The taciturn and uninteresting Hu Shan, the young master of the Hu family, also married the daughter of the Ren family from the capital city. But Chen Jiamushi was different.

He still remembered how people would fetch water and wash the ground when he proposed marriage, so how could he possibly consider the daughter of a mere prefectural magistrate?

The Chen family had already established themselves as a prestigious clan with heavenly skills. Who would want an ordinary mortal woman? If he were to marry, it would be to the most noble bloodline.

And in this world, aside from the Duyi imperial clan, who else could claim such nobility?

They might curse the Duyi Empire with all their might, but when it came to the Duyi imperial bloodline, they spoke with reverence.

Especially since the reincarnated individuals had been ruthless, wiping out the Duyi bloodline, making it rare and precious. With the ten surnames' skills, finding this bloodline was no longer a difficult task.

However, many people sought it for various purposes, not discriminating based on gender or age.

But Chen Jiamushi had different criteria.

He sought for ten years, and during this time, he married the mother of Abao and had Abao.

At times, he felt hopeless, but finally, he found a woman. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, she had already passed away from illness and been buried for three days.

Others would only sigh in helplessness, but Chen Jiamushi was different; he was an expert in the art of dealing with corpses.

He used countless Earth Deities and summoned numerous Golden Grand Ages, employing every method to reverse life and death, ultimately saving her and having her bear him a child.

But this woman was not meant for the mortal realm, and the child was also different from others. He was born in a coffin, neither truly alive nor dead, destined to be a reincarnated individual...

Yet, Chen Jiamushi couldn't bear to give up on the child.

The child carried both his bloodline and the Duyi imperial bloodline; how could he let him die? With the blood of both the Black Magic sect and the imperial family, he was the most noble bloodline in the world.

The one with the heaviest fate!

Although, in terms of fate and destiny, no one had ever seen this child, making him almost non-existent in the world.

But as long as he lived, Chen Jiamushi would forever have an advantage over the other nine surnames, possessing the path to immortality of the Duyi Empire.

Initially, the National Teacher had deceived the ten surnames, claiming that the Duyi Empire was helpless against the Earth Deity and could only await their demise. But how could that be possible?

The Duyi Empire wasn't foolish; they had already gathered countless experts, devising a more sophisticated path to immortality through sacrifice, using the world as an offering to the Earth Deity and forging true immortality.

At that time, they would rule over the world, serving the Earth Deity as heaven and establishing themselves as emperors, eternal and revered, for all time.

However, this path held no good for anyone, so the Duyi Empire had to be eradicated.

But now, the situation had changed.

As long as this bloodline remained, this path would be Chen Jiamushi's...

All he needed to do now was invite the ruler of the Nether Palace to acknowledge this mortal bloodline.

Once the Nether Palace's emperor recognized this bloodline, it would become the only legitimate Duyi lineage in the mortal realm.

……

……

These thoughts had been brewing in Chen Jia Zhushu's mind for many years, never shared with outsiders.

Even his own daughter, A Bao, and the head of their clan, were unaware. They only knew that his younger brother lay within the coffin.

There were risks, of course, but compared to the eternal hierarchy of the human world...

Chen Jia Zhushu's face twisted into a crazed expression. He took a deep breath, exhaling onto Qing Xiang, and wisps of smoke drifted into the coffin.

In the next moment, the coffin lid was suddenly pushed open.

Lying within was a body dressed in imperial robes, its face deathly pale, dark circles under its eyes. From birth until now, it had always been a member of the Dou Yi bloodline...

Chen Jia Zhushu's face contorted with madness. He leaped up, his posture mysterious and bizarre, almost comical. He stuck three incense sticks into the incense burner outside the coffin, then beckoned for boundless purple energy to flow into his mouth, strand by strand.

Finally, the body began to tremble, slowly rising from the coffin.

Then, Chen Jia Zhushu's face became solemn as never before. He carefully guided the body to the incense burner.

From his mouth came incoherent words, a secret passed down in the Chen family: "With the bodies, make them follow my instructions."

And Chen Jia Zhushu was indeed teaching it, making it bow before the incense burner, worshipping his ancestors...

The stiff head knocked on the cold floor tiles, making a loud thumping sound!

……

"Dong dong dong."

In the Palace of the Dead, behind Hu Ma, the door also made a loud thumping sound, as if filled with endless urgency, as if someone was impatient to enter, or perhaps, to take something from within the palace.

"Did you hear that?"

The second palace's Emperor Ghost, now looking at Hu Ma's expression, seemed like a living person, cold and disdainful, as if watching a joke: "Do you intend to sever all life?"

"Then what is this bowing before the altar?"

"You merely believe in the heresies of the outside world, baseless rumors, and yet there are still ignorant children like you who believe in them."

As he spoke, he slowly rose, and on his body, endless imperial might unfurled. Huge tentacles extended from beneath his dragon robe, filling the entire palace, as vast as the earth, with Hu Ma's realm.

And the voice seemed to come from all directions, from a mysterious place, flowing into Hu Ma's ears: "I was born to be the human emperor. Even if all human bloodlines were lost, there would still be countless people fighting to become my descendants!"

"You speak of severing life, but do you think they would agree?"

"..."

"..."

"Indeed, people have a self-destructive nature..."

At this moment, Hu Ma couldn't help but recall the words Red Wine Lady had said before unleashing that slaughter, the words she had given him on behalf of Tie Guanyin.

Why would he need the Emperor Ghost of the Palace of the Dead to remind him? He himself was the bridge between the human world and the Palace of the Dead, half in the human world, half in the Palace of the Dead. He was very clear about the human world, even clearer than the last two Emperor Ghosts in the Palace of the Dead.

But now, the slaughter was sweeping across the human realm, and even the several families within the Ten Surnames who had hidden their strength were already surrendering. The true return of the divine to the people was almost complete, just one step away...

But even at this moment, there were still people coveting the Dou Yi identity, doing such things.

......

"So it was the Chen family..."

On Mount Dai, even the National Teacher's face changed at this moment, and he suddenly turned to look southeast.

Just then, even he had hesitated for a moment, witnessing the changes in the human world: Zhou and Zhao families turning against their clans, Sun family completely letting go of themselves, Zhu family scared into hiding in the mountains, unseen. This slaughter could no longer be stopped, and the pure concentration of fate between heaven and earth was unprecedented...

It was as if everything was leading to a final outcome, and the two-hundred-year calamity would finally be concluded here.

But unexpectedly, even at this time, there were still people secretly worshipping the Palace of the Dead, even willing to bring its existence back to the human world.

"Then... if something from the Palace of the Dead were to come out, what... what would happen?"

Beside him, Laosuanpan, not having sufficient cultivation, could only see Hu Ma sleeping, and in his dream, he saw the National Teacher lighting incense sticks, sometimes extinguishing one, sometimes two or three at once, his heart as nervous as a cat.

But he understood expressions, and clearly, the National Teacher's face was still shocked, yet with a hint of relief, now suddenly filled with worry.

"It can't be stopped."

The National Teacher slowly spoke three words, then explained: "The laws of the human world, with me as the most revered, I am the non-divine person on the bridge. But in terms of distance from the Grand Age, any one of the previous Emperor Ghosts in this Palace of the Dead far surpasses me."

"Their descent into the human world is like the Grand Age's consciousness entering the human realm."

"This slaughter..."

"Unprecedented and unheard of, even surpassing my understanding, but in the end, it's still just a joke..."

"..."

"Then we..."

Laosuanpan listened, his face changing, urgently said: "Why are we still sitting here chatting about the heavens? Can't you..."

Speaking halfway, he suddenly remembered that the National Teacher and he were not of the same path, and he became a little desperate, stammering: "At least, bring him back from his dream, after all, he's your successor..."

"Bring him back?"

Hearing this, the National Teacher could only smile bitterly: "From the moment he killed the first Emperor Ghost, he couldn't return. The cause and effect with the Palace of the Dead had become too deep..."

"He was too reckless..."

"The Emperor Ghost of the Palace of the Dead, the Emperor Ghost of the Palace of the Dead, if that's something the human world can deal with, why would the Old Lord and Dragon Well have used such a great price to seal them?"

"..."

"..."

"It's time to return to the human world..."

And at this moment, the knocking on the palace door grew louder and heavier, though clearly lacking in strength, unable to break through the palace doors, but the urgency was evident.

Within the Palace of the Dead, the two Emperor Ghosts had already begun to coldly laugh.

The first palace's Emperor Ghost remained seated on his throne, indifferently observing the minuscule Hu Ma below, as if this two-hundred-year-old's son was not even worthy of his attention.

But the second palace's Emperor Ghost stood up, laughing loudly, and the countless officials and soldiers around him joined in, their mouths stretching to their ears, a fanatical and terrifying sight.

In the dimly lit hall, a figure shrouded in layers of dark energy approached, intending to bypass Hu Ma and directly confront the one who knelt before the Hall of the Underworld.

Initially, they only sought to capture Hu Ma, using him as a bridge to return to the mortal realm. But now, with someone worshipping and offering sacrifices, even Hu Ma became insignificant. They could simply bypass him and find a descendant in the mortal realm, naturally returning to the human world.

Moreover, even capturing Hu Ma wouldn't be difficult.

"Roar!"

As they surged forward, the first to move was Meng Jia Laozugong, whose body was already battered and broken, yet the ferocity within him was awakened. With a furious roar, he charged towards the front.

Unfortunately, a long spear pierced through him, nailing him to the Golden Throne Hall. The divine and ghostly figures didn't even spare him a glance, and they had already passed by.

Rolling dark winds swept in, as if the heavens and earth were merging, endlessly vast.

Xiao Hong Tang, whose body constantly emanated purple qi, suddenly felt a sense of fear. She struggled to extend her small arms, wanting to block the ghosts for Hu Ma.

Unfortunately, being inherently timid, as the terrifying figures closed in, she couldn't help but shut her eyes.

Then, she suddenly heard Hu Ma's laughter beside her: "Hehe..."

She secretly opened one eye to glance at Hu Ma, only to see him standing up, his Phoenix Emperor's sword still gripped in his hand. But on his face, there was no longer any killing intent; only a cold, mocking expression.

"As I thought, you can't have any illusions about us..."

He spoke to the ghosts of the Hall of the Underworld, his voice carrying an air of endless fatigue: "If you had any good intentions, you would have doomed yourself to eternal damnation."

"But fortunately, from the start, I've prepared for the worst-case scenario..."

"..."

After all, he had killed the one from the Eighth Palace, and even the Second Palace Emperor Ghost, didn't truly dare to underestimate him. His face slightly changed, and he coldly laughed: "With things having come to this point, are you trying to stop a flood with your arms?"

"Perhaps I'm not the one trying to stop the flood..."

Hu Ma looked at them, and instead of disappointment, he faced the Hall of the Underworld with a chilling smile. He stared at the cautious Second Emperor Ghost and said: "I don't care how many filial descendants you have in the mortal realm."

"But since I've come, I'm here to change everything."

As he spoke, his face showed a mocking expression, and he fixed his gaze on the cautious Second Emperor Ghost: "Do you think I led you into a dream, and after killing the Tenth Palace Emperor Ghost, it was to give you a chance to capture me?"

"No?"

Hu Ma shook his head with a smile: "I just want to ensure that even in the worst-case scenario, I can keep you in my dream!"

"You..."

Upon hearing these words, the Second Palace Emperor Ghost's face suddenly changed, and even the distant First Palace Emperor Ghost, high above, seemed to sense something. In an instant, their eyes blazed with intensity, and a chilling aura emerged. From the dream's Ninefold Heavens, they looked down.

"I'm even disappointed by their actions, as I never expected those flesh-eating people to retain any conscience..."

At this moment, Hu Ma's smile wasn't feigned. Beneath the smile, there was a chilling and ruthless determination: "If there are people like them in this world, then there are people like me."

"As long as I remain here, you will never return to the mortal realm!"

"..."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression turned cold. He raised his Dharma Seal, and his body's projection blocked out the heavens and earth within the Hall of the Underworld. All around, there were faint signs of collapse and rumbling sounds. Even the increasingly heavy knocking from outside was suppressed.

It was as if some boundary between yin and yang had suddenly divided the world, with him at its center.

All the civil and military officials, including Xiao Hong Tang beside him, struggled to stand. They fell, and those who remained looked up in bewilderment, unsure of what had just transpired.

Amidst the laughter, he clenched his teeth.

On Da Ai Mountain, the ground around his body, which had been emitting rolling purple energy, made the entire mountain seem like a fairyland of purple mist.

But at this moment, the purple energy suddenly ceased, as if a waterfall had risen to the heavens.

Hu Ma's entire being seemed to have lost its vitality, and only the purple energy beside him remained, vast and mighty, with him at its center, pouring into the mortal realm.

"You..."

The Second Palace Emperor Ghost, and even the entire court, were suddenly shocked. Their steps faltered, and a chilling aura surrounded them.

Hu Ma merely smiled at them: "I am the bridge, and I can open it. I can also close it."

"After all, if we're talking about the weight of fate, my fate is also heavy. Especially now that our Hu Family Ancestral Hall is in the Capital City, I'm also an emperor..."

He laughed loudly: "If we're talking about the weight of fate, I'm the heaviest person in this world. As long as I stand in the heavens and earth, all laws will come to me first. As long as I block the Hall of the Underworld, anyone who wants to worship here will have to ask me first..."

"But you're still here!"

The Second Palace Emperor Ghost stared at Hu Ma with a twisted expression: "You entered the Hall of the Underworld with your mortal body. Even if you don't agree, using your Hu Family's mortal bloodline, we can still borrow your shadow to create a new body."

"What if I sever my mortal body?"

Hu Ma smiled at him: "What if we Hu Family no longer have a bloodline?"

The Ninth Palace Emperor Ghost hadn't expected this turn of events, and even his face twisted with shock. For the first time, an expression of astonishment, anger, and fear appeared on his face.

"Fortunately, I've been too busy to marry."

Hu Ma smiled at them: "And I, the only one left to subdue the Hu Family. There's no one else."

"So, I'm the best person to block your path."

"As long as I block you, the mortal calamity will be fulfilled. The Grand Ritual of the Lofty Heaven will be completed. The Grand Age will be captured. All wishes will be granted, and there's nothing else I desire. So, why must I remain in the mortal realm?"

"Haha, stay and keep me company!"

"..."

Upon hearing his words, the Hall of the Underworld fell silent with shock.

The Emperor Ghosts of the Hall of the Underworld were innately arrogant. No matter how Hu Ma presented himself, no matter how arrogantly he spoke, and no matter how arrogantly he acted in killing the Emperor Ghosts, they still viewed Hu Ma as a descendant of the Dharma Seal, speaking from a position of superiority.

But at this moment, they truly felt an indescribable fear.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end