CHAPTER 468: CHAPTER 462: HUMAN WATCHING GHOSTS

"...What do you take this for?"

"This isn’t just some worthless trifle; it’s a Guest! Although merely a case god, it was still revered under the Meng family’s threshold and received incense!"

It was difficult for others to comprehend the fury in Second Young Master Meng’s heart at that moment. Even the Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer beside him secretly scoffed that this Meng scion’s Qi Cultivation Skills were lacking, not even on par with his own, a Shousui man!

But for Second Young Master Meng, the situation was different. The Meng family could tolerate a member suffering occasional minor losses, but they could not accept something like this.

The Grass Head Eight Declining Gods were merely case gods, not a connection whose loss would be crippling. But the crucial point was that these Eight Decline Gods were nurtured and trained by the Meng family themselves. Now that they had been slain here by some sinister tactic, the situation was entirely different.

This meant the very foundation of the Meng family had been violated...

Consequently, Second Young Master Meng’s face also visibly contorted with furious rage and viciousness.

As his blood splattered onto the black, hanging flag, a howling gale suddenly erupted around them. The temperature plummeted as if it had become the dead of winter.

When the yin wind whipped up, Second Young Master Meng, who had been full of anger, suddenly changed his expression. All his fury seemed to vanish, leaving only a cold, indifferent look. His closed eyes slowly, slowly opened.

He appeared unchanged. He simply opened his eyes wide, gazing in the direction of Shima Town. They were at least twenty or thirty li away, with dense obstacles obscuring their view, so naturally, they could see nothing.

But as he opened them, his eyes turned a ghastly white. Vaguely, deep within those whites, strange pupils seemed to blink faintly.

Everyone nearby felt a sudden chill in their hearts. It seemed it wasn’t so much the Meng scion watching, but rather something else using his eyes to peer at Shima Town.

The moment those eyes turned toward Shima Town, Little Hongtang, who was helping Hu Ma tend the flame basin, jumped in fright, her own eyes widening.

The flame in the basin had only flickered briefly when the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods had gazed upon it before quickly recovering. Now, however, as a mere wisp of yin wind blew past, it sputtered violently, shrinking to a tiny speck, as if it would be extinguished at any second.

Her small face was etched with surprise, yet she wasn’t panicked. Instead, she suddenly seemed delighted. She pulled the basket hanging on her arm in front of her, ready to grab something the instant the flame in the basin died out.

But the result disappointed her somewhat.

The flame in the basin was nearly extinguished, reduced to the faintest flicker. Yet, it stubbornly remained in this state—on the verge of dying out but never quite doing so—making the wait agonizing.

"Hmm?"

At that same moment, Hu Ma sensed it. He whirled around, suddenly feeling as if something was watching him. An instinctive, bone-chilling unease washed over him.

Is something watching me? He suddenly understood, realizing with a start that this was the first time he had truly felt afraid.

He was currently using Magic from the Age Suppressing Book. As long as the flame basin burned, no one could see his true appearance. Even the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods, exerting their full strength, had failed to break his Magic; such was the power of this Skill.

But now, inexplicably and without warning, he had almost been seen through in an instant?

He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and focused. His Dharma Form coalesced, dispersing the surrounding yin qi, and the baleful aura on his Evil Blade intensified. Now prepared, it was even harder for anyone to see his true self.

What was that? Just by opening its eyes, it almost broke my Magic instantly. The Meng family’s power is far more terrifying than I imagined...

Although he had barely managed to defend himself, his heart sank, a heavy feeling settling within him. He knew the other party hadn’t even been looking at him specifically; it had merely been a casual glance.

If they deliberately used some specific Skill, what then?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he sensed an imminent threat. He turned nervously to look aside. In the next instant, he swung the Evil Blade horizontally, staring intently into the depths of the pitch-black night.

WHOOSH...

Meanwhile, Second Young Master Meng, having failed to see Hu Ma clearly, did not press the issue. He had invited that mysterious entity into his body to perform only two tasks for him; that glance had merely been opportunistic.

Since he hadn’t seen clearly, he immediately withdrew his gaze. Then, he exhaled, blowing a stream of air towards the town.

This breath, carried by the wind from the black flag, swept over the town in an instant.

Low sighs seemed to resonate, carrying with them indistinct, hard-to-decipher murmurs.

"A case, a den of ghosts; karmic debts entangle endlessly..."

At this moment, with the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods slain, Shima Town, previously shrouded in dense fog, suddenly blazed with light. The bustling vitality of the townsfolk instantly dispersed the thick mist.

Not far from Hu Ma lay the dismembered remains of the slain Guest and Negative Spirit. Though clearly lifeless, some resentment and yin souls still lingered about them, on the verge of dissipating and posing no further threat. Yet now, they were suddenly swept up by the yin wind.

The corpses of the servants on the ground, along with the shattered memorial tablets, were all swept up, haphazardly coalescing in mid-air.

Soon, bursts of cackling laughter echoed. The shattered fragments seemed to animate as if something bizarre squirmed and struggled within them, peculiar, blurry shadows writhing out from each piece.

Some crawled on the ground, others ran with difficulty, while yet others had small flags impaled on them. They were a blurry, teeming mass, as if they had crawled out from the very earth, instantly multiplying to an unimaginable number.

HEE-HEE, HA-HA...

Upon emerging, these eerie, indistinct shadows uttered creepy, strange laughs. Some even moaned mournfully, their twisted limbs and bodies contorting in the air as if they had just crawled out of hell.

Greedy, frenzied, grotesque...

After this brief, frenetic outburst, some of the shadows suddenly turned their attention to Shima Town. The town, alive with joyous citizens and bustling with human vitality, seemed to hold a fatal allure for them.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH...

Without the slightest hesitation, they swarmed toward Shima Town. Their dark, teeming mass made the chilly wind feel even heavier and more oppressive. Amidst the blur, black flags unfurled, swaying as if to guide their path...

"What in the blazes are those things?"

Catching a glimpse of this, Hu Ma felt a sudden, sickening lurch of foreboding in his heart.

He held the Evil Blade, the Great Mighty Sky General Dharma Form still coalescing around him, completely unworried that these things could harm him. Crucially, however, the creatures showed no inclination whatsoever to approach him.

They had merely escaped and were now surging directly towards Shima Town. Faced with their overwhelming numbers, even if he wanted to stop them, he wouldn’t know where to begin.

A case, a den of ghosts... This is real trouble now...

At the same time, in Shima Town, the citizens were cheering enthusiastically. Yet amidst this boundless jubilation, a vague sense of discomfort began to creep in. It was as if an indistinct, overwhelming cacophony of laughter and clamor constantly echoed at the edge of their hearing, making them feel deeply uneasy.

Unaware of what was truly happening, a distinct unease brewed in their hearts—a restless, agitating sensation that left them thoroughly disturbed.

「In the inn」

Old Calculation was holding the small flag. He watched as the flag drooped further and further, his expression suddenly changing. This time, however, it wasn’t fear, nor a desire to flee.

Instead, it was profound, almost incredulous disbelief. "Every case god suppresses a den of little ghosts," he murmured. "Slaying a case god releases these little ghosts. They scatter with the wind, merely adding a few more wandering ghosts to the world..."

"But the Meng family... That Meng whelp! He actually intends to feed the ghosts on the spot?"

"That bastard..."

He muttered, suddenly overcome with an uncharacteristic fury, "You’re breaking the rules!"

"Even if you had the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods slaughter everyone in this town, you could later claim it was an accidental injury to bystanders during a duel..."

"But you, to force this karmic debt onto his head, you blew in the yin wind, fed the living to the ghosts, and deliberately turned this entire town into a ghost den! Even as a member of the Meng family, you are flagrantly breaking the rules!"

This was a frame-up—a blatant and inescapable one.

Of a human’s three souls, the Karma Soul records the karmic debts of one’s current life. Hu Ma had slain the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods, yes, but the Evil Ghosts those gods had suppressed were now entering the town to devour its people.

Therefore, the karmic debt for all these deaths would be recorded against Hu Ma. The more karmic debt he accumulated, the heavier his Karma Soul would become, potentially leading to his instant death if it grew too burdensome.

Amidst the rising panic, the black mist outside the town could be seen growing even thicker than before—oppressive, heavy, like dark storm clouds gathering immense weight, descending from the sky, poised to completely engulf Shima Town.

"Feeding the living to ghosts, confounding yin and yang..."

Outside the town, even the Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer couldn’t help but let out a low sigh. He slowly closed his eyes, as if unwilling to witness the unfolding human tragedy any further.

At the level of the Ten Surnames, has it really reached a point where even a young master from one of their families can so utterly disregard all rules and reputation?

Amidst this chaos, Hu Ma reined in his horse, blade in hand, and looked out over Shima Town. Ghost Flags fluttered and spectral forms roamed. A slight daze washed over him—a mixture of bewildered suspicion and a touch of weariness.

Yet, just as he was lost in this daze, a piercing pain suddenly shot through his left arm. Vaguely, he could feel that the thing hidden within his arm was desperately trying to tear through his flesh and escape.

Within the tumultuous yin wind, half of its shadowy form could almost be seen as it vehemently shouted towards a certain direction in Shima Town, "You bastard! What do you think you’re doing?"

"A Hu Family member is right here, and you dare frame him to his face?!"