CHAPTER 478: CHAPTER 472: EQUIPPED WITH BROKEN ARMOR (THREE UPDATES)

"Yes, this is truly the Meng family..."

As the eerie ghostly figures appeared one by one, Hu Ma couldn’t help but clench his teeth, feeling the invisible pressure emanating from them.

He should have understood. Killing a member of the Meng family was never going to be simple. They were a large and prosperous family, their fate lines incredibly significant, their blessings abundant. To kill them was always more than just killing a single person.

An item like the Yin General, which could overturn the incense table and destroy the Vengeful Ghosts summoned by the Meng family, seemed powerless against the Stewards who managed the ceremony tent. The Yin General could dominate the battlefield, but the threshold of the Meng family was too high for it to cross.

"You..."

Young Master Meng listened, now filled with rage. "You want me to run away?"

He understood. If he botched this task and was forced to flee by some demon people from the countryside, he truly didn’t know what fate awaited him upon his return.

Most crucially, after the Chief Steward returned, he could report truthfully. The reason for leaving was that the demon people possessed the Yin General. Even for the Meng family, avoiding such a fearsome entity was justifiable.

But Young Master Meng couldn’t accept that...

After all, if the family were to ask about the origin of this Yin General, he couldn’t possibly provide an answer. Could he say he was the one who intercepted the servant ghost and sent it to the demon people to be refined?

Hu Ma was seething, gritting his teeth slightly. Was it this difficult to kill a member of the Meng family? He himself already possessed considerable abilities and carried the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods, yet there was still such a retinue of servants specifically guarding him nearby?

Yet, as their minds raced with anxiety, upon the Chief Steward’s command, those mysterious ghostly figures gathered around, hurriedly shoving a sedan chair towards Young Master Meng, urging him to sit quickly.

"You’re not getting away!"

But in that moment, Hu Ma pressed forward again with his blade, a fierce aura rolling off him wave after wave. He hadn’t initially intended to kill this Meng family member, but now that the murderous intent had arisen, how could he possibly let him escape?

"No matter who you are, the dignity of the Meng family is not something you can offend!"

Facing Hu Ma’s assault, the Chief Steward remained calm and cold-eyed. He didn’t know Hu Ma’s background, and therefore wasn’t afraid. His position limited his concerns. Accompanying the outing had only one purpose: to bring Young Master Meng back alive. Therefore, he didn’t want to take any risks.

Seeing Hu Ma approach with the Evil Blade, exuding murderous intent, the Chief Steward was composed, quietly observing him. Behind him, a flag held by the ghostly figures suddenly unfurled, rising with a RUSTLING sound despite the absence of wind.

At first glance, the flag seemed unremarkable, not even a Magical Treasure. It appeared to be a simple banner used by Meng family members as they traveled, marking their identity and origin.

But as it unfurled, revealing the "Meng" character on it, the air grew heavy with an indescribable burden, pressing down on everyone, as if urging them to fall from the mortal realm into the underworld.

Misty and disoriented, Hu Ma felt that as soon as the flag appeared, the "Meng" character took up most of his vision. His body instantly grew ponderously heavy, as if even lifting his feet was a struggle. It affected not only him but also Master Ma standing beside him.

"What is this ghostly thing?"

Hu Ma strained to focus, feeling the flag growing larger, the "Meng" character almost etching into his mind, causing a momentary daze.

It was as if he saw a towering figure, seated in a temple filled with incense, high and revered. Just a glance made his body feel an immense weight, his knees grow heavy, as if he would automatically kneel.

The Yin General too seemed affected, its movements sluggish, as if submerged in viscous liquid. That hollow face even evinced a vague hint of confusion.

"Quickly, act now! I want to see that bastard’s head chopped off!" Young Master Meng, simultaneously enraged, shouted piercingly.

"Master, let’s go quickly," the head maid urgently advised, hastening the attendants with the sedan chair. "The Chief Steward is using the Meng family’s name to suppress him. It’s causing too much disturbance; who knows what it might alarm!"

She seemed sensible, realizing that if the Chief Steward hadn’t displayed the identity-representing banner, they could have fought the rogue together. However, once the waist card appeared, Meng family members could only leave, for it was causing too great a disturbance. A noble scion might handle matters with personal skill, but relying on reputation alone was the last resort.

Trying to escape? At the same time, Hu Ma, gritting his teeth, felt overwhelming frustration.

Young Master Meng had some abilities, but they weren’t profound. He had just figured out the extent of them and was about to deliver a fatal blow. How could he let him escape so easily?

Yet, the waist card seemed to exert an indescribable force, pinning him down, making him incapable of movement. He had practiced the Great Mighty Sky General Seal and shouldn’t have been suppressed like this. Previously, when facing the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods, he had felt their heavy gazes, but by merely condensing his Dharma Form, he had remained free and at ease, possessing the power to command spirits and rebuke ghosts. So why had it changed now, facing this flag? Did the Tongyin Meng family’s underworld ceremony tent truly possess such divine might? Could it be that not only was the Yin General unable to leap over the Meng family’s threshold, but even he himself would be suppressed by it?

As this invisible authority weighed down, the Chief Steward stationed before the flag merely watched Hu Ma silently and sighed, "As Ritual Officer, accompanying the Meng family through mortal and spiritual realms, I’ve seen countless brash souls..."

"Unfortunately, the Meng family’s dignity, capable of suppressing demons, suppressing kings and princes, could easily suppress you..."

...

...

As the Chief Steward subdued Hu Ma, Young Master Meng was pushed onto the sedan chair. This invisible disparity seemed inescapable. Some would always be unwilling, unconvinced, yet only able to kneel.

「Yet at that moment, within Shima Town, at the grand residence of the central altar, a breeze wafted through the ancient elm, its leaves RUSTLING like a low sigh.」

"Fate and circumstance align, just as the young Master once said..."

With a sigh, the entire tree quivered gently, and items tied to its branches began to fall. Among them were armor, boots, and an official seal.

Hu Ma, gritting his teeth, braced himself against the ethereal pressure and desperately continued Condensing his Dharma Form, trying to stand upright. Yet the Dharma Form he condensed was bare. The Divine Soul Condensing made his form appear larger and fiercer, with an air of savagery, but it was essentially intangible, a specter born of the spirit’s strength.

He wore simple clothing, and so did his Dharma Form—fierce and intimidating but empty-handed and unadorned, only wielding the General Order at full exertion. This indicated he had yet to cultivate corresponding Divine Skills or trump cards, nor did he possess any powerful Magical Treasures.

Now, as Hu Ma felt the heavy pressure from that waist card and clenched his teeth, back in Shima Town, at the grand residence of the central altar, the branches of that ancient elm tree suddenly began to tremble. An old suit of armor tied to the highest branch dropped unexpectedly, vanishing the instant it touched the ground.

The movement was subtle and silent. Even Immortal Miaoshan and Bai Shanzi hadn’t noticed; only the Big Senior Brother did. He sighed softly, casting a glance at the branch where the armor fell. His expression betrayed a sense of reflection.

「Meanwhile, outside the town, Hu Ma abruptly stood up.」

His Dharma Form had been bare, reflecting his present appearance, clad in a tattered Taoist robe. But now, an eerie black light began to manifest upon the robe, spreading and intertwining, gradually forming the semblance of armor.

Before the armor appeared, no matter how solidified his Dharma Image, how domineering, he was a mere commoner with the title of Heavenly Duke General, which seemed unfitting. But once donned in the armor, he immediately exuded the grandeur of a daunting Great General.

The mysterious force weighing overhead suddenly seemed to crack open as Hu Ma stood tall. Even Master Ma beside him felt the pressure lift. Instead, as he rose, the Chief Steward, dressed in black and wearing official attire, staggered backward. His cold eyes reflected shock and incredulity, unable to comprehend this change.

Wearing the armor symbolized status; he would no longer be suppressed by this will.

"Your Meng family is indeed formidable," Hu Ma said, his voice filled with rage even as he disregarded the armor’s origin for the moment. "Are you so terrifying that you can suppress everyone in this world with mere reputation?"

He hadn’t fully understood the Great Mighty Sky General Seal, having achieved it only recently. Yet he vaguely grasped that the Seal Technique required not only "official status" for cultivation but that its power and expression were intertwined with his real-world identity—a complex, intricate relationship. The Hu family’s descendant’s identity, not eating beef, the General Order... all seemed to have relevant effects.

But there was no time for such ponderings now. He spoke quietly, his eyes cold as he gazed ahead, "Precisely because of this, it’s crucial for your family to experience a loss..."

With a low shout, he hefted his blade. In that instant, the weapon seemed to resonate with his determination, its ferocity unmistakable.

He was, after all, someone who had used eight case gods to consecrate this blade the moment it was forged! What could possibly dare to suppress him?

A spiraling murderous aura erupted, akin to a tempest, WHOOSHING as it surged and sliced towards the towering Chief Steward.