Chapter 12 That's the Meng Family...

As these gloomy ghost shadows appeared, and he felt the intangible pressure emanating from them, even Hu Ma couldn't help but grit his teeth.

He should have known that killing a member of the Meng family wouldn't be so simple. For them, with their vast family and weighty destiny, their blessings were so profound that killing them was never just about killing one person.

Even a treasure like the Yin General could overturn the incense table and destroy the wronged spirits summoned by the Meng family, but it was rendered useless against this group of attendants in charge of the ceremonial guard because the Yin General could dominate the battlefield, but the Meng family's threshold was too high for it to cross.

"You..."

The Meng family's young master was furious upon hearing this: "Let me escape?"

He knew that if he messed up this mission and was forced to flee in such a disgraceful manner by a wild rogue cultivator, he had no idea what fate awaited him upon his return.

The most crucial thing was that the head attendant could truthfully report that the reason for their retreat was because the rogue cultivator possessed the Yin General. Even the Meng family could be excused for avoiding such a formidable entity.

But the Meng family's young master couldn't...

...After all, if the family inquired about the origins of the Yin General, he couldn't explain it. Would he have to admit that he intercepted a ghost slave and helped him refine it?

Hu Ma gritted his teeth in anger. Was it so difficult to kill a member of the Meng family? He already possessed considerable abilities and carried the Caotou Eight Decay Gods (Cao Tou Ba Shuai Shen) on his person, yet this group of servants specifically guarded them?

Amidst their anxiety, as the head attendant gave the order, the strange ghost shadows accompanying them crowded around a sedan, hurriedly pushing the Meng family's young master to sit inside.

"Leave him behind..."

At that moment, Hu Ma charged forward again, a torrent of fierce energy rolling around him. Having already resolved to kill a member of the Meng family, how could he let him escape?

"No matter who you are, the Meng family's dignity is not to be trifled with!"

Facing the charging Hu Ma, the head attendant's eyes turned cold. He didn't understand Hu Ma's background and, of course, wasn't afraid.

Limited by his position, he didn't care much about anything else. He had only one goal in coming out: to bring the Meng family's young master back to the mansion alive. Therefore, he didn't want to take any risks.

Seeing Hu Ma wielding a fierce blade and his face full of murderous intent, he remained calm, coldly watching him. Suddenly, a flag held by the ghost shadows behind him fluttered to life in the absence of wind.

At first glance, the flag seemed ordinary, not even a magical treasure. It appeared to be just a banner used to clear the way for the Meng family's descendants when they traveled, symbolizing their status and origins.

But as it unfurled, revealing the character "Meng" on it, something indescribable filled the air, heavy and oppressive, as if forcing people from the mortal realm into the underworld.

In a daze, Hu Ma felt that the "Meng" character on the flag occupied most of his vision, and his body suddenly became incredibly heavy, as if he couldn't even lift his feet.

Not only him, but even Ma Ye beside him was affected.

"What kind of ghost thing is this?"

Hu Ma strained to see, feeling the flag growing larger and the Meng character about to imprint itself on his mind, even causing a moment of distraction.

He seemed to see a towering figure sitting in a temple surrounded by incense smoke, high above, supremely noble. Just one glance from it made him feel an endless weight, his knees heavy, as if about to automatically kneel.

Not only that, but even the Yin General seemed affected, its movements slowing as if trapped in a viscous liquid, a vague look of confusion appearing on its empty face.

"Hurry, kill him! I want to see his head chopped off!"

At that moment, the Meng family's young master was furious, shouting loudly.

"Young master, hurry! The head attendant is borrowing the Meng family's name to suppress him. The commotion is too great; who knows what it will attract!"

The head maidservant urged, pushing the sedan to leave quickly. She seemed to understand that if the head attendant hadn't revealed the flag representing their identity, they could have joined forces to deal with the villain.

But once the token was out, the Meng family's descendants could only leave because the commotion was too great. It was one thing for the scions of aristocratic families to rely on their own abilities, but borrowing the family's name to suppress others was the last resort.

"Trying to leave?"

At the same time, Hu Ma gritted his teeth, a strong sense of unwillingness rising within him.

The Meng family's young master had some ability, but not much. He had just figured out his weaknesses and was about to strike a fatal blow. How could he let him escape so easily again?

But the token seemed to possess an indescribable power, pressing down on his head, making it impossible to move.

He cultivated the Great Might Heavenly Duke General Seal (Da Wei Tian Gong Jiang Jun Yin), which was supposed to be immune to such suppression. Earlier, when facing the Caotou Eight Decay Gods, he had felt their weighty gaze, but he had broken free with the condensation of his Dharma Idol (Fa Xiang), displaying the might of summoning gods and commanding ghosts.

But now, facing this flag, why had things changed?

Did the Yin Division ceremonial guard of the Tongyin Meng family truly possess such divine power that not only could the Yin General not cross the Meng family's threshold, but even he would be suppressed by it?

As the invisible majesty pressed down, the Meng family's head attendant, standing before the flag, merely watched Hu Ma silently and sighed, "As a master of ceremony, accompanying the Meng family in the yin and yang realms, I don't know how many arrogant people I've seen..."

"Unfortunately, the Meng family's majesty can suppress all demons and ghosts, even kings and generals. What makes you think you're any different?"

"..."

"..."

As the head attendant suppressed Hu Ma, the Meng family's young master was pushed into the sedan. It seemed that the intangible gap was always insurmountable, that there would always be people who were unwilling and unconvinced, but could only kneel.

But at that moment, in the Stone Horse Town (Shi Ma Zhen), at the main altar's mansion, a gust of wind blew through the old elm tree, its branches rustling as if sighing softly.

"The confluence of cause and effect is exactly as the young master said..."

Amidst the sigh, the tree branches trembled gently, and the objects tied to the treetops began to fall one after another.

Among them were armor, boots, and an official seal.

Hu Ma was currently gritting his teeth, desperately condensing his Dharma Idol in an attempt to stand up straight against the invisible pressure.

However, the Dharma Idol he condensed was originally bare.

The condensation of his spirit made him appear much taller, with a blue-faced and fanged, ferocious appearance, but this was not a physical entity but a magnified illusion projected by his spirit.

He wore cloth shoes and a blue robe, and so did his Dharma Idol. Although its appearance was awe-inspiring and ferocious, it held nothing in its hands and wore nothing on its body. Only when unleashing his full power would he hold the General's Seal.

This meant that he had not yet cultivated corresponding divine abilities or special skills, nor did he have any powerful magic weapons to rely on.

Now, as Hu Ma felt the heavy pressure brought by the token and gritted his teeth, the branches of the old elm tree in the main altar's mansion in Stone Horse Town suddenly shook.

A piece of worn-out armor tied to the highest branch fell to the ground, disappearing the instant it landed.

The movement was quiet and soundless, unnoticed even by Fairy Miaoshan (Miao Shan Xian Gu) and White Fan (Bai Shan Zi). Only the eldest apprentice brother noticed it, casting a glance at the branch from which the armor had fallen.

His expression seemed to be filled with emotion.

Outside the town, Hu Ma suddenly stood up.

His Dharma Idol was originally bare, reflecting his current appearance in a tattered Daoist robe. But now, the robe suddenly began to glow with dark light, spreading, connecting, and gradually forming the shape of armor.

Without the armor, Hu Ma's Dharma Idol, no matter how solid and domineering, was just a commoner, and the title of Heavenly Duke General seemed somewhat undeserved.

But with the armor on, it instantly exuded the aura of a majestic general.

The mysterious will that had been pressing down on his head seemed to be lifted at this moment. Hu Ma stood up, and not only that, but even Ma Ye beside him no longer felt the pressure.

Instead, as he rose, the tall attendant in black robes, dressed in the style of an official, stumbled back.

A pair of cold eyes revealed intense surprise, almost unable to comprehend the change.

Wearing armor symbolized status and immunity to the will.

"Your Meng family is indeed powerful; has it become so terrifying that it can suppress the people of the world with just an identity?"

Hu Ma didn't have time to wonder where the armor came from. His heart was full of anger. He had cultivated the Great Might Heavenly Duke General Seal for a short time and hadn't fully understood it.

But he vaguely understood that this seal not only required an "official status" to cultivate, but also that the power and manifestation of the seal seemed closely related to his status in reality, a complex and closely intertwined matter.

The identity of a descendant of the Hu family, not eating beef, the General's Seal... these seemed to have corresponding effects.

However, he didn't have time to delve into it now. He just spoke softly, his eyes fixed on the front: "But precisely because of this, it's necessary for someone from your family to die..."

With a low roar, he raised his blade, and in an instant, it seemed to sense Hu Ma's state of mind, vibrating and humming with extreme ferocity.

After all, he was the one who used eight court gods to consecrate the blade from the beginning. What dared to suppress him?

A rolling evil aura arose, like a whirlwind, sweeping and crashing before the tall attendant.

(End of chapter)