CHAPTER 358: CHAPTER 355: DEMON PEOPLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PRISON (THIRD RELEASE)

"An Evil Ghost that crawled out of hell?"

Hu Ma listened, and couldn’t help but feel a shock in his heart. He focused his attention on the Mountain Lord but dared not answer rashly.

"The boundary of dusk, the division of yin and yang, hall gods and evil spirits—each follows its own rule."

The Mountain Lord was silent for a long while before saying in a low voice, "But do you know that there is another type of evil spirit in this world? They ignore the boundary of dusk, wander beyond yin and yang, use human bodies to commit demonic deeds, and disrespect heaven and earth, the court, and laws.

"They hide in the human world only to create sin and chaos, to disturb the world. They perform blood sacrifices without regard for human life, even toying with the court and defiling the imperial palace...

"...Sometimes, you make me feel like you’re one of them!"

"..."

Hu Ma was extremely shocked hearing this, but this time, he forced himself to face the question calmly.

He knew the Mountain Lord had the ability to hear the good and evil in people’s hearts, yet he didn’t want to be detected.

He merely furrowed his brows, then slowly said, "There are countless evil spirits in this world, each with its own harmful methods. I’ve heard Granny talk about them, and I’ve heard the Old Master of the Dongzi Li Family say something similar... but what does this have to do with the Emperor’s fate?"

The Mountain Lord looked directly at Hu Ma, his voice low. "It has nothing to do with the Emperor’s fate we’re discussing, but it has to do with our attitude towards the Emperor...

"These evil spirits crawl out from the underworld, put on human disguises, and hide in the human world. If you carefully examine the disasters and bloody accounts from across the land in the past century, you will see their traces..."

Here, he sighed gently before continuing, "You don’t hear their movements now because, twenty years ago, they faced a Great Cleansing. The Ten Surnames joined forces to kill and eliminate them, making them vanish without a trace.

"But twenty years ago, they acted erratically and cruelly, making people tremble at the mere mention of them.

"For instance, in the previous dynasty, there was an evil spirit who even managed to infiltrate the court as a Magician and defile the imperial palace. He truly achieved a position just beneath one person but above tens of thousands, wielding overwhelming power. Ultimately, he attempted Immortal Ascension, using the Emperor’s name as a pretext for a blood sacrifice of one hundred thousand people...

"The State Preceptor of Yidu tried to stop him and destroy his Blood Altar, but this instead enraged him, causing a massive rampage. He even skinned the Emperor and hung the remains in the Golden Throne Hall..."

"..."

"Damn..."

Even Hu Ma was shocked upon hearing this from the Mountain Lord.

Hu Ma had heard about the Emperor’s skinning before and had occasionally speculated. Listening now, was it truly done by a Reincarnator?

This guy climbed so high and went so far... A hundred thousand people sacrificed—how many sweet potatoes does that equal? He intended Immortal Ascension, but this... this doesn’t seem like an Immortal Cultivation world, does it?

His voice was a bit hoarse as he cautiously asked, "And then?"

"This demon person..."

"..."

The Mountain Lord sighed softly and said, "Of course, it finally took the joint effort of the Ten Surnames to capture this demon person. They also rooted out many Evil Ghosts, killing a number of them. As for the demon person, his soul was shattered and ground, ensuring he would never reincarnate.

"Because of his great treasonous act, this world became a Demon World, an Evil World, where evil spirits couldn’t be subdued, and demons flourished everywhere, causing chaos..."

His voice grew softer, as if there were things he didn’t want to discuss.

After a long silence, he sighed softly and said, "Of course, what I’m telling you isn’t just about these affairs.

"I’m merely expressing some sentiments. These beings have mysterious origins; some even say they are Ten Generations of Vengeful Ghosts that crawled out of hell. Although they act wickedly, defying all laws and orders, intriguingly, they sometimes utter cryptic words that baffle people, as if...

"...’The court is all but skeletons, and Great Power lies among the people.’

"When that demon person skinned the Emperor, he urinated in the court while speaking those words. He faced three thousand Iron Armor Forbidden Guards, the National Guardian, and skilled individuals dispatched by the Ten Surnames—all alone.

"Heh, that duel, using Shangjing as the altar and gambling the fate of a nation, was truly a sky-darkening, earth-shattering event.

"Since the emergence of skilled individuals and experts in various Paths, no such duel has ever happened again..."

"..."

When Hu Ma heard this, he almost couldn’t suppress the shock in his heart. There’s no doubt about it, he thought. It isn’t just the Mountain Lord who holds such views; even without listening to the Mountain Lord’s narrative, I could directly confirm it.

This Magician must indeed be a predecessor among the Reincarnators. The notion that ’Great Power lies among the people’—how could such an idea emerge in a world dominated by noble families?

Moreover, the Mountain Lord’s account truly revealed how grandly these predecessors played their game back then, even disclosing some secrets...

...Wasn’t this the figure who triggered those Great Cleansings?

Damn, you skinned the Emperor and conducted a sacrifice of one hundred thousand people. If they didn’t cleanse you, who would they cleanse?

Quickly pondering this, he realized it was a rare opportunity to understand what Reincarnators looked like in the eyes of beings like the Mountain Lord. He promptly asked, "But what did this demon person want to achieve?

"Why would he do such thankless work? Could it be that he wanted to become the Emperor himself?"

"..."

"The Emperor..."

The Mountain Lord remained silent for a moment before speaking softly, "Regarding these evil spirits, no one knows what they want. Some say they aim to seize the country, while others claim they are madmen who want to learn all kinds of Paths and master the most powerful evil skills.

"Some even say they crawled out of the Ghost Gate to drag the living world into hell and let the living taste the Ten Halls of Netherworld...

"But of course, there are many opinions. Yet I always feel that someone who could say words like that doesn’t seem so cruel...

"So, I tend to believe one unsubstantiated theory..."

"..."

Hu Ma was slightly startled, instinctively lowering his voice. "What’s that?"

The Mountain Lord was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Those Evil Ghosts crawling into the human world aren’t competing for the throne or anything like that. They’re after... slaughtering Tai Sui and seizing the heavenly mandate!"

"Huh?"

Suddenly hearing this, Hu Ma was dumbfounded, his voice seemingly changing pitch. "Slaughter Tai Sui?... You mean Master Tai Sui?

"And what is seizing the heavenly mandate?"

Slaughter Tai Sui? Aren’t people like Second Master, who work as Meat Cutting workers, slaughtering Tai Sui every day? Even the Blood Food Gang, like Red Lantern Lady’s Club, is in the business of slaughtering Tai Sui. How could this become a Reincarnator’s goal?

"It’s not that simple."

The Mountain Lord sighed. "Master Tai Sui descends to nourish widespread evil spirits, and even I can’t fathom what that entity is. People in this world only know to offer sacrifices, not daring to provoke or probe too deeply. Otherwise, they mysteriously go mad and die, or transform into evil spirits.

"Yet, there are individuals daring enough—it’s rumored—to say that Master Tai Sui accompanies the heavenly mandate upon Entering the World. If they can find the source of Tai Sui, they may obtain the heavenly mandate, receive Great Power’s blessing, and achieve soldier resolution to immortality.

"Of course, this claim is vague and unsupported. But as far as I know, including that disruptive evil spirit from before, many have indeed attempted to find the source of Tai Sui, while the Ten Surnames covertly obstruct them.

"As for the specifics..."

He paused slightly. "That’s something even I can’t understand. Perhaps, one day, you’ll be qualified to see."

Hearing the Mountain Lord say this, Hu Ma already understood what he was trying to convey.

Thoughts raced like lightning through his mind. Yet, he showed only a faint smile and then said, "Senior, these things you mention, I hadn’t considered. Whether it’s picking the Emperor or slaughtering Tai Sui, I’ve never even heard of them before."

Saying this, he met the Mountain Lord’s gaze directly, unafraid of what might be seen, merely smiling. "Although I don’t know those evil spirits, there are some things I certainly don’t mind admitting.

"Compared to noblepeople and hall masters..." He paused slightly, then met the Mountain Lord’s eyes and spoke softly, "I certainly favor the common people more.

"At least, compared to the high and mighty noble families, compared to those using this chance to force me out in Plum Blossom Lane, and compared to the government—which does nothing other than collect taxes and distribute Divine Incense, and might as well not exist—it’s these common people that I find more agreeable."

"..."

Pausing slightly, he then addressed the Mountain Lord, "As for the various things you said about evil spirits...

"Heh, I haven’t dealt with them yet, but I’ve seen quite a few man-eating Evil Ghosts and evil gods.

"Right now, it’s hard to imagine what surprise they might bring.

"Surely, you’re not worried that there’s one among us..."

"..."

"Oh?"

The Mountain Lord looked at Hu Ma with some surprise. Then he reacted, slowly shaking his head and smiling. "That wouldn’t be the case.

"Those evil spirits possess the capability to crawl out of the underworld and achieve possession of humans. They can appear anywhere, wearing human skin and committing harmful deeds. Therefore, one must always be cautious of them blending in, no matter what is being done."

As the Mountain Lord spoke slowly, Hu Ma sensed a profound dread in his words for those evil spirits, or Evil Ghosts. It led him to wonder if even the Mountain Lord, with such profound Mana and an extraordinary presence, feared Reincarnators.

But just as this question rose in his mind, he suddenly heard the Mountain Lord’s tone shift with a soft sigh. "However, concerning your matters, and the affairs of the Hu Family, there is no need for such worry.

"These Evil Ghosts can appear anywhere. However, they won’t appear here, not in matters concerning the Hu Family and the Zhensui Mansion."

"..."

This decisive statement made Hu Ma’s heart skip a beat. This time, he didn’t conceal his shock and quickly looked up at the Mountain Lord, asking in surprise, "Why?"

"It seems your Granny mentioned them to you but didn’t tell you much."

The Mountain Lord laughed. "That Great Cleansing was led by your Hu Family, who hunted them down and killed them.

"Why would they dare approach you and court their own deaths?"

"..."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Hu Ma truly couldn’t control his expression of extreme surprise.

The Mountain Lord sensed the shock within Hu Ma and couldn’t help but find it amusing. "Otherwise?

"What do you think the three words ’Zhensui Mansion’ are meant to suppress?"