CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 449: SEALING THE CORPSE IN THE COPPER COFFIN

"Huh? They’ve left?"

Noticing the billowing dense fog outside the town slowly dissipating and the oppressive pressure rapidly fading, even Hu Ma, who was standing at the town’s entrance, couldn’t help but be taken aback. He was certain that subduing the Yin General would provoke the other side, yet the enemy seemed to have merely glanced at the town before leaving. It made him curious. Did they truly keep their word, saying three days meant exactly three days?

But not having to act for now was a relief.

Even though he was prepared and ready to run if needed, his Magic body had just been formed, and he was not yet familiar with it. Facing the unfathomable Shousui Great Hall Officer and the Meng family disciples, He couldn’t deny his nervousness.

Being able to delay for a day was indeed his good fortune.

As he breathed a sigh of relief, silently contemplating these thoughts, Immortal Miaoshan, standing not far away, also came to her senses. She hurried to the edge of the town and first peered into the woods. After confirming that the outsiders had retreated, she turned in surprise to Hu Ma, "Hierarch... Uncle-Master!"

She had seen Hu Ma practicing the Great Mighty Heaven Master General Seal and witnessed how he stomped the Demon Corpse underfoot with a single move. She was utterly awestruck. Now, walking towards Hu Ma, her legs felt weak, and her voice carried a tremor.

Indeed, anyone would be puzzled by the transformation this junior manager from the Red Lantern Society had undergone in merely two days. But in her eyes, there was only deep admiration and awe.

At this moment, she called him Sect Hierarch because, beyond that, she was at a loss for words. If it were an ordinary person, after such a fierce battle, the customary concern would be to ask if they were alright or if their injuries were serious.

But this was the Not Eating Beef Lord. Anything he accomplished seemed perfectly natural. How could he possibly be injured?

"Tonight should be peaceful."

Hu Ma saw her approaching, so he temporarily set aside his confusion and the pressure he had felt when facing the Shousui Great Hall Officer and the Meng family. His expression became serene and unruffled. He withdrew his foot from the Yin General’s head and casually glanced at Immortal Miaoshan, saying, "Isn’t there a coffin business in the town? Go wake the owner for me and get a coffin to collect this corpse!

"...Preferably a copper coffin. If he has one ready-made, that’s best. If not, use a wooden coffin first and then have him quickly cast a copper one for me!"

Immortal Miaoshan felt that Hu Ma’s instructions were perfectly natural and immediately said, "Yes, I’ll go instruct him right away."

Of course, there was a coffin business; the owner was even a minor leader in the One Coin Sect. Immortal Miaoshan, having managed the uprising for many years, was well acquainted with using coffins.

She hurried back into the town to summon the coffin maker, that minor leader, to arrange matters, while Hu Ma temporarily waited outside. He confirmed he had subdued the Yin General and also checked the stone horse.

With no immediate findings, he decided to take the Yin General back first. After all, this was a significant gain—a harvest that seemed no less important than the completion of his Magic body. He had not only captured the Yin General but also the ghost soldiers attached to it.

Although there weren’t many, just a few hundred, it was enough.

If more trouble arose, using the General Order to command the Yin General, leading a few hundred ghost soldiers in a charge—who in the jianghu could possibly stand against them?

Precisely because of this, he urgently needed to inter the Yin General in a copper coffin to seal its deathly aura. Every bit of aura that leaked out would weaken this weapon.

Humming softly to himself, Hu Ma circled the stone horse, examining it for some time. He tapped and knocked it a few times and then signaled Little Hongtang to extinguish the fire in the brazier. Confirming that those outside the town would indeed no longer come to cause trouble, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Immortal Miaoshan arrived with the owner of the coffin shop, dragging a black iron coffin. "There’s no copper coffin," she said, "but there’s a ready-made iron one. It was originally commissioned by that good son-in-law as a birthday gift for Grandma Wu; it has patterns with brass inlay. Since our sect needs it, we’ll take it now and have another one made for him later."

Hu Ma wasn’t picky. Finding something so fitting on short notice was the best outcome. He ordered the coffin lid to be opened. With a command, the Yin General, which lay prone on the ground, jumped upright and lay itself straight into the coffin.

Not only that, but as it leaped into the coffin, a gust of ghostly wind and a strong scent of blood filled the area. Vague, intertwined shadows of numerous vindictive souls swirled around, following it into the coffin. Even the coffin lid closed by itself.

"This is..."

The men from the coffin shop were, quite naturally, astonished by this scene. Immortal Miaoshan’s expression, however, turned grim, and she ordered them to stop dawdling and move the coffin away at once.

However, even though the iron coffin was heavy, requiring two horses and several workers to drag it in initially, now with the Yin General inside, it felt rooted to the spot, immovable even with all their might.

"Well, we are transporting a distinguished Guest in there, after all..." Hu Ma remarked, lending a hand to lift the coffin smoothly onto the cart. The two horses strained, slowly dragging it towards the town.

It was not taken back to the inn, however, as there were too many prying eyes there. Given its unique nature, it was first delivered to Immortal Miaoshan’s courtyard and placed beneath a large tree, allegedly brought from West Kunlun, for shade during the day.

"That Demon Corpse... the Demon Corpse has been subdued?"

Now, as the fourth watch approached and dawn was breaking, the commotion outside had ceased. Naturally, many people in the town who had been concerned throughout the night peeked out to gather news.

Hu Ma hadn’t officially presented himself to others as the Not Eating Beef Lord, and it wasn’t even known that he was the one who had subdued the Demon Corpse, so Immortal Miaoshan handled everything.

Having witnessed the night’s events, the immortal was full of confidence, her earlier cold and indifferent demeanor restored. In response to the crowd’s inquiries, she merely gave a cold laugh. "Subduing one troublesome Demon Corpse, what’s so extraordinary? Yesterday, it rampaged in because we were unprepared, and that thing was peculiar. This time, we were ready. Not taking it down *that* would have been extraordinary!"

Even Old Master Sun and the others were somewhat surprised. They had faced the creature and understood how tricky it was, but seeing Immortal Miaoshan refusing to elaborate, they could only restrain their curiosity.

Yet, thinking of the forces that had surrounded the town, a sense of unease lingered. "Then... what about that Shousui Great Hall Officer outside?"

With a flick of her horsetail whisk and a cold smile, Immortal Miaoshan replied, "When soldiers come, we send generals; when water rises, we use earth to block it. That Great Hall Officer has a formidable reputation, but with the One Coin Sect’s main hall here, anchoring our destiny, how dare they act so recklessly? Tonight, I waited outside the town for them all night, and they didn’t even dare to show their faces. When the Lantern Festival arrives, we’ll see what tricks they have up their sleeves!"

Hearing this, everyone was immediately startled, their expressions a mix of hesitation and awe.

The immortal’s arrogance doesn’t seem feigned. It seems even the fierce Great Hall Officer outside can’t easily challenge the One Coin Sect, backed by the Not Eating Beef Lord... For now, we must endure and not bind her and throw her out!

Glimpsing the crowd’s flickering gazes pleased Immortal Miaoshan. Her admiration for this Chosen Sect Leader grew, and the sect’s troubles seemed entirely insignificant. My martial brothers may dupe me in minor affairs, but they are indeed reliable when it comes to important matters! They meticulously chose Shima Town as the main hall, claiming this place would make me prosper. Now, look, isn’t that precisely the case? Decades without a Sect Hierarch, and I’ve found one! Not only can he help me resolve our current calamities, but this might also be where the One Coin Sect rises to fame and our grand endeavor is to begin right here...

Amidst the lively gossip spreading through Shima Town about a mysterious expert aiding the One Coin Sect in easily subduing the malevolent Demon Corpse, Hu Ma had already returned to the quiet, deserted headquarters mansion. His mind raced.

This One Coin Sect headquarters... I can’t keep it, he thought.

If asked whether his skills were now formidable, the answer was undoubtedly yes. Having achieved the Dharma Form, his abilities had significantly increased, even stirring a desire to test himself in combat.

But one must have self-awareness...

Recalling the pressure from the standoff with those outside the town, a tremendous burden loomed in his heart. The Shousui Sect’s blade-wielding Great Hall Officer and the Tongyin Meng family’s young master—neither of these two were easy foes!

Even with his completed Shousui Magic body and preparations in town, ready to set up an altar using the Age Suppressing Book, he was still uncertain about facing them.

Against such opponents, unless I obtain the Hu Family’s token, I shouldn’t even think of confronting them... And it would be two against one.

Yet, as he contemplated leaving, a doubt crept in again. The information given by the Big Red Robe earlier continued to linger, offering no clarity...

The Big Red Robe advised me to awaken the stone horse and said I need to get something from within the Not Eating Beef... But what exactly is it?

Upon his return, he had already examined the stone horse at the town’s entrance. He found it to be merely a stone sculpture with nothing unusual. He even tested it using the subtle control over Power typical of a Shousui man, revealing it to be solid inside.

How is this thing supposed to be awakened?

Time was too pressing, leaving no room for detailed investigation. Could it be that if I truly have to flee, I’ll need to take that stone horse with me?

"Uncle-Master, are you resting?"

Deep in thought, he heard footsteps echo from outside as an exuberant Immortal Miaoshan approached. She hesitated at the door, not daring to enter, and asked cautiously.

Hu Ma sighed helplessly. This is your place, why would I be resting here?

He straightened his face and said, "What do you want?"

"Ah..." Immortal Miaoshan replied eagerly, "This disciple wouldn’t dare disturb Uncle-Master’s rest. I only saw that Uncle-Master toiled all night and had someone prepare a bowl of egg flower soup for you..."

Egg flower soup at a time like this? Hu Ma felt somewhat exasperated. He let out a light sigh and said, "Bring it in then!"