CHAPTER 443: CHAPTER 437: THE MAGIC OF PHYSICAL SANCTIFICATION

After making things clear with Monkey Wine, Hu Ma finally felt a bit of relief in his heart and pondered to himself.

He had invited Er Guotou, Miss White Wine, Sweet Potato, and others for two reasons. Firstly, to share and discuss the information obtained from Big Red Robe; the matter seemed very urgent and was closely linked to the survival of the Reincarnators. Secondly, having them nearby served as strong support, making him more confident in dealing with those currently surrounding the town, or even some unknowns within Not Eating Beef.

The only problem was, Hu Ma didn’t know how long it would take Monkey Wine to rush to Mingzhou from here. After all, when Hu Ma himself had made the journey, it had taken him a full seven or eight days on the road. Even if Shousui rode a fast horse and rushed with all his might, it would still likely take two days. Monkey Wine practiced Witchcraft. Although he promised to accomplish this with the utmost speed, the exact time required was uncertain since he had never been to Mingzhou and couldn’t judge the distance.

It’s a pity that if I had also broken through the Three Column Tao, I could make long-distance calls, and things would be much easier.

But among the living, the only person Hu Ma knew of who had surpassed the cultivation of three incense was Miss White Wine. It seemed she had only managed to break through due to a lucky coincidence, so her dharma method couldn’t be taught to others.

There’s no help for it; I just have to wait.

That so-called Great Hall Officer Tie Jun outside said he would start a massacre in three days. Has a day already passed?

Let’s first think about how best to handle this situation!

Quietly sorting through his thoughts, Hu Ma took a shallow breath before looking at his left arm. The black fingerprint mark was still clearly visible, like an eerie cage. Is this what had previously made me feel so disoriented?

I originally planned to rely on my cultivation of Shousui’s dharma method for Entering the Mansion to drive it out. Unexpectedly, it emerged on its own through communication among Reincarnators and was then sealed by a Reincarnator elder.

Unfortunately, because of it, the greater plan was almost ruined.

There were still some doubts in his heart. If it hadn’t unexpectedly emerged and, in a way, helped seal itself, the secrets left by Big Red Robe might have been even more substantial and complete.

Suppressing the displeasure in his heart, he thought silently. Although this thing had been sealed, he still needed to cultivate the Great Mighty Sky General Seal with utmost effort and speed to strengthen his divine soul and remove it. Otherwise, once the seal Big Red Robe had left with his last breath weakened and this thing escaped, the trouble would be immense.

Now that he had Entered the Mansion, the road ahead was clear. He could retrieve the Hu Family’s token. With it, he could open the Zhensui Mansion and gain a certain understanding of things. But this mark was like a thorn in his flesh. If it wasn’t removed, he couldn’t accomplish anything. And to remove it, the Great Mighty Sky General Seal currently seemed to be the most suitable and quickest path to achieve his goal.

Facing the danger outside, he had to stay here a while longer and have more interaction with Not Eating Beef. This was also because it concerned the Not Eating Beef dharma method, which required more experience to be discovered here.

Only, the dharma method of Entering the Mansion was incredibly difficult; where should one even start?

Thinking to himself, he breathed slowly, sensing his inner state. He felt his divine soul vibrate and rumble; even a slight movement seemed to bring boundless pressure upon his body.

The divine soul is too heavy.

He understood his own state by combining it with the principles of the Great Mighty Sky General Seal.

People had three souls: one for reincarnation, one to guard the corpse, and one that stood for cause and effect. However, reincarnation and such were rarely seen in this world. If a divine soul left the body, it often just became one of the wandering ghosts. And these wandering ghosts varied. If it was just ordinary people passing away, their souls would simply wait to disperse. Occasionally, they might return on the seventh day, lingering in nostalgia for their past lives, but as time passed, they would quietly disappear.

However, if there were grievances, resentments, hatred, or obsessions, or if misdeeds full of evil energy were committed in life, these could strengthen the divine soul. Similarly, upholding righteousness with a heart full of justice could also make it stronger. Even if such a soul turned into a ghost, it would be more formidable than ordinary ghosts. There were even some who, due to good deeds in previous lives, coincidences, or future incense and Worship from descendants, gradually gained cultivation. Not only did their divine soul last long without dispersing, but it also grew stronger, becoming guardian yin spirits of the family or Guests who partook of incense.

The dharma method for Shousui people Entering the Mansion originated from this. To put it plainly, it was: humans cultivating ghost skills. However, in human cultivation of ghost skills, the power of the ghost skills isn’t the focus. Rather, it’s about how one continues to live in the world as a living person after cultivating them.

As Hu Ma understood, it could be summed up in four words:

Saintly flesh.

There were many methods for strengthening the divine soul. Some relied on incense, others on rituals of evil skills, and some absorbed essence from Tai Sui Blood and Flesh. However, they all had a common point: the larger the divine soul, the more the physical body struggled to bear it. Consider an ordinary person. If they rushed to the Divine Platform and joined the deities in enjoying incense and Worship, they might end up disoriented and in a daze. This would be due to accidental contact with something, making it impossible for their own body to carry their divine soul. Negative spirit people, when inviting Guests down, had to burn their own life force like a human candle. This was because the Guests were too heavy; even a mere wisp descending could be unbearable for the host. The Shousui people were much the same. So, cultivating the divine soul wasn’t the most important thing; what mattered was being able to always bear its weight.

No wonder Immortal Miaoshan said that the Great Mighty Sky General Seal was too dangerous...

The more clearly he perceived himself, he realized he had only just crossed the threshold, barely inhaled a few breaths of yin qi, and already his divine soul felt so heavy that his body almost couldn’t bear it. What would happen if he continued to cultivate according to this method?

Linking the words of Immortal Miaoshan with Big Red Robe’s final guidance, Hu Ma understood. He now knew why so many people in Not Eating Beef desired to learn this dharma method but ended up in trouble because their vitality was too light.

To put it bluntly, it was because their divine soul grew at an astonishing pace, and their bodies couldn’t withstand it. They had no choice but to actively enter the painting to undergo refinement, to have the skills weighing down their divine soul scraped off.

He even realized how crucial Big Red Robe’s final piece of advice had been.

Official status?

Only those with official status could suppress this dharma method, allowing themselves to learn its skills without being crushed by them?

This made sense. The Great Virtuous Master of the past, or rather, Lao Junmei, also wielded immense power and held official status...

But for me...?

He was slowly deducing when he heard movement outside. He opened his eyes and glanced towards the door, sensing someone approaching. They seemed to pace outside the door for a while, hesitating before cautiously knocking, "Little Manager, Little Manager, have you returned?"

"I’ve been looking for you!"

Hu Ma glanced at Little Hongtang, who was squatting by the door acting as his protector. He watched as she pouted and pulled the door open. To Calculation, who stood outside, it seemed as if a gust of cold wind had blown the door open.

Hu Ma sat up slowly from the couch inside the room and said, "Come in and speak."

While speaking, he poured a bowl of tea from the table—already cold—and offered it to Calculation, motioning for him to sit.

"Why so polite?"

It was the first time Calculation had received such courteous treatment from Hu Ma. He said blankly, "Why bother with such formalities at a time like this? We should quickly think about how to escape..."

"On my way here, I saw chaos among the people in the town. Some are going outside to kowtow. Others are demanding an explanation from the One Coin Sect..."

"It was expected," Hu Ma shook his head, temporarily uninterested in the town’s situation, and just comforted Calculation, saying, "I’ve thought about escaping. I’m fairly confident about it."

These words brought a joyful surprise to Calculation. Hu Ma then added, "But I’m considering that bringing a donkey, then a horse, and finally you, will be a bit of a hassle..."

"Ah?" Calculation was flustered, "I’m ranked after the donkey and the horse?..."

"After all, the one coming is that Great Hall Officer named Tie Jun..." Hu Ma sighed, continuing, "Actually, if any other Hall Officer from outside had come, as a Shousui man, I might have tried to break through and forcibly escape. But since the one who came is a Shousui Great Hall Officer, how can I be sure of escaping?"

"Isn’t that true!" Upon hearing this, Calculation slapped his knee heavily and lamented, "Who would have expected this Tie Jun to come? The West Ridge Road area isn’t even under Shousui’s jurisdiction..."

"I remember there used to be only a few small Hall Officers here with a few errand runners, helping people mediate disputes and distributing Divine Incense. I thought the One Coin Sect had picked the best spot. Who could have imagined it would alarm a Great Hall Officer and cause such a big stir?"

"...If I had known a Great Hall Officer would come, honestly, we wouldn’t even have claimed that blood food mine!..."

"Looking at the situation, I can’t blame the One Coin Sect alone for being unreliable. It’s the unexpected arrival of this Tie Jun, the Great Hall Officer, an event normal people couldn’t have foreseen."

Hu Ma mulled it over silently, nodding a little. He then voiced his lingering doubts to Calculation, "But the question I want to ask you isn’t about these things."

"I want to ask your advice on a very important matter. Don’t play dumb with me, Old Bro...."

Calculation’s heart lurched, and he quickly said, "What do you want to ask?"

Hu Ma pondered briefly and then directly asked, "People of the Path talk about fate. But what exactly is this fate?"

Calculation couldn’t help but be taken aback. "What?"

Hu Ma took a deep breath and looked at him seriously, "This is the crucial question. Understand it, and we can all live. If we don’t understand it..."

"...Old Bro, I won’t look out for you then; I’ll be busy saving myself!"