CHAPTER 467: CHAPTER 461 THE FATE OF THE MENG FAMILY PEOPLE

Inside Shima Town, the townsfolk didn’t even know what had happened. While they were under the influence of the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods, they indeed felt a sense of something.

But they lacked the ability to see clearly how everything occurred. They could only vaguely sense that the Divine General riding the stone horse moved through the town like a true deity, wielding his divine weapon.

One after another, the plague ghosts, causing trouble, wailed in despair under his blade, unable to resist, and had their heads chopped off.

With each one killed, the pressure above their heads lightened a bit, and by the time all eight ghosts were dead, their spirits had lifted.

Cheers almost spilled out from within the town.

Meanwhile, in the inn in town, Old Master Calculation, hugging a small flag, huddled on the steps, his complexion changed dramatically as he watched the changes outside. His lips quivered until he couldn’t hold back any longer and suddenly leapt up, slamming the flag onto the ground.

"Goddammit, I miscalculated!"

"That damn ancestral master didn’t even give me a hint; I should have charged him ten times the interest!"

"What on earth is happening?"

Old Master Calculation wasn’t the only one shocked; countless others in the town were as well.

The guests in the inn, including Old Master Sun, could sense the astonishing changes in the town, knowing when danger approached and when relief followed, but they couldn’t comprehend what was happening outside.

They belonged to that kind who knew there was fighting and understood that matters of life and death were occurring, but they just couldn’t figure out what was happening or grasp the details of how the losses and victories unfolded.

Even Old Master Sun’s proud "Earth Listening" skills failed to clearly hear what was happening outside.

And because Hu Ma had lit the fire basin from the beginning, shrouding himself, they had no idea who was dealing with the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods. Could it really be the legendary Old General?

Ironically, the citizens of Shima Town were the least confused, caring less about such thoughts: "It’s the legendary Old General...

"The old tales always said the Old General had a soul. Now that plague ghosts are causing trouble in town, how could he not come out to protect the townsfolk?"

The people of the Path were either frightened by the commotion or found the state of affairs far more terrifying than they had imagined.

"How is that possible?"

In town, there were also the opera troupe Leader, a little girl carried by her grandfather to see the lanterns, a strongman balancing a large vat, mule and horse traders, a sedan chair bearer stripped to the waist carrying their master up the mountain, and a street fortune-teller, all wearing bizarre expressions.

"Eight... all eight were killed?"

The most excited was the knife in Hu Ma’s hand. This knife was incredibly fierce, thirsty for blood from the moment it was forged, but had been restrained by Hu Ma. Yet once it followed him out, it immediately received a blood sacrifice.

When it killed the first Meng Family Negative Spirit person, it was filled with malevolence, exceptionally excited, craving more. Then, following Hu Ma, it killed the second Negative Spirit person, growing even more thrilled.

But immediately, there came the third, fourth, and fifth...

No...

The knife was stunned. Had life become this easy?

Each Negative Spirit person was of an Entering the Mansion level, different from their time as human candles; they already possessed cultivation. Most importantly, they clutched spiritual tablets, and each tablet housed one of the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods.

Hot blood splashed onto the knife, and when the tablets were shattered, the surging yin qi burst out and enveloped it.

What, then, was consecrating a knife?

The most notorious method of consecrating such a knife involved sacrificing living humans. The higher the death count, the fiercer the knife.

Was this spoken of seriously?

Living humans?

Even dogs would turn up their noses at that!

We’re directly using Table Guests to consecrate me, and eight of them at that!

In this subtle transformation, the knife underwent invisible changes itself. While killing the first person, blood splattered all over; the second time, it formed a beautiful pattern; and the third time, blood spurted dozens of feet high.

But by the eighth, the blood visibly burst forth, yet when Hu Ma raised the knife, it was spotless.

The blood from the killing had vanished, as if something had secretly absorbed it...

That’s rather good. It’ll save me the trouble of cleaning the knife after killing from now on...

After slaying eight people, Hu Ma gradually slowed his horse, took a deep breath, and felt invigorated. His Divine Soul seemed to swell, throbbing with an unfulfilled excitement.

"How can that be?"

"What Sorcery was used?"

Meanwhile, witnessing the town now suffused with a rampant murderous aura, Second Young Master Meng’s expression became distorted, and he roared in anger. He was visibly trembling all over, his palms shook, and his eyes were shot with blood.

The changes had occurred too swiftly. Being twenty li away, he couldn’t see clearly. From the moment the first Table Guest was slain, he had grown anxious, eagerly wishing to see what was happening, only to be suddenly engulfed by surging evil energy that swept across half the sky.

Even his gaze was suddenly hit by this evil energy, his eyes stung as if chilling yin winds were constantly blowing from the town’s direction. To see clearly, he had to endure these chilling gusts.

But when he finally managed to look over, he saw the events in Shima Town had concluded. There wasn’t a single Grass Head Eight Declining God left.

But for Second Young Master Meng, this wasn’t the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that this outcome appeared before him, yet he had no idea how it happened or how it could possibly occur.

In just a day or two, too many unexpected events had taken place, leaving him perplexed and deeply uneasy.

Earlier in the town, someone had accepted his bow, an act he found impossible to tolerate. Yet that incident could be rationalized: perhaps the person didn’t know his identity. Or, if they were some lawless, heaven-defying, rebellious sort, then it would make sense they dared to accept his bow.

After all, if it were truly such a rebel, one who disrespected imperial authority and plotted treason, they might indeed have accepted his bow...

Not that they truly accepted it, but rather that a seed of future trouble was planted, one that would take time to bear bitter fruit.

But now, things are different! Could there truly be such a formidable presence in that town, one capable of drawing forth such overwhelming evil energy and, in a mere instant, striking down the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods?

Impossible! These demon people... where did they acquire such potent evil energy?

This level of evil energy probably rivals that of the Zhen Sui Hu Family’s Five Evil Gods! But even the Five Evil Gods were eliminated by the Hu Family themselves back in Mingzhou...

"Heh..."

Listening to Second Young Master Meng’s angry roar, so fierce that people nearby trembled, Shousui Great Hall Officer Tie Jun, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground nearby, merely sneered. He opened his eyes a sliver to glance at the timing incense planted in the ground before him, then closed them again.

The incense stick still had a little left; midnight was still a short while away.

I still need to keep watch, keep waiting.

The Meng family, having established their legacy through Negative Spirits, rose from the humble origins of incense-burning. They surprisingly rode a wave of great fortune to achieve the esteemed status of one of the Ten Surnames. But in the eyes of the other Ten Surnames, what is the Tongyin Meng family truly worth? Do the other nine families genuinely respect the Meng family?

The answer, of course, would be yes. No family would say they don’t respect the Meng family.

Yet, while everyone respected the Meng family, none would intermarry with them. Long ago, an outstanding scion of the Meng family wished to seek the hand of the Fourth Miss of the Third Branch of the Life Nourishing Zhou Family.

The outcome was that the strong-willed Fourth Miss set her own house ablaze and even threatened to burn down their ancestral hall. The Zhou family members rushed to stop her, aghast. The Fourth Miss merely glared, questioning her parents:

"You live your lives enjoying blessings, yet you want to send me to the underworld to suffer?"

Since that incident, the Life Nourishing Zhou Family dared not broach the subject again, and the Meng family, utterly disgraced, never dared to show their faces at the Zhou residence again.

As a Great Hall Officer of the Shousui Path, I naturally show respect to the Meng family. Just moments ago, hearing about the methods the Meng family had prepared to deal with the Hu family, I couldn’t help but feel a profound wariness towards their capabilities. Their skills are undoubtedly considerable.

However, as for this level of Qi Cultivation Skills... He sneered internally, opened his eyes a fraction, then closed them again, disdaining to look further.

Second Young Master Meng had no idea he had been scorned by the Shousui man, but seeing those around him silent as cicadas in winter, with no one daring to offer a word of counsel, made him feel even more wretched. His face turned ashen, and the rage threatening to erupt from his chest was almost palpable:

"Bring the banner!"

The attending Maid dared not delay, hurriedly brought out a black banner, planting it beside him. She then quickly presented a tray upon which lay a single stick of incense.

Second Young Master Meng grabbed the incense, knelt before the banner, and bowed several times, stirring up sudden gusts of yin wind.

He’s getting serious?

Even Great Hall Officer Tie Jun was inwardly startled. The Meng family has started kowtowing; things are about to get serious...

...The Tongyin Meng family, originating from Negative Spirits, built their entire legacy on kneeling and kowtowing!

After kowtowing several times, Second Young Master Meng’s face was utterly grim. He stared fixedly in Shima Town’s direction. "A great horse mired in a small mud pit, a mere gatekeeping little ghost toying with a Mansion God..." he seethed. "You skulking, cowardly thing! To humiliate me to this extent! Today, I’ll show you the true methods of the Meng family!"

With a rage-filled shout, he withdrew a silver short knife and swiftly sliced, leaving a vivid cut on his left palm. Blood spurted out, spraying onto the banner beside him, whose surface hung limp.

The next moment, this banner, appearing incredibly heavy and seemingly impossible to be blown by the wind, suddenly unfurled completely, stirring up roiling yin winds.