“His unwillingness to return is within expectations.”

“Three years ago, things took a turn for the better. The plan we had waited seventeen years for finally began to move forward, but it was also from that time that deviations appeared in the plan.”

“We can’t assume that he will support us just because he is one of us. Aren’t there plenty of demon people who don't eat beef?”

“Those evil beings that descend from the sky always have the ability to bewitch people, willing to give their lives for them.”

“Therefore, how to bring back the descendants of the Hu family is not important. What is important is to ensure that he does not go astray.”

“……”

The national capital. Although the Dharma Assembly had not yet arrived, the disciples of the Ten Surnames who had heard of the National Preceptor's appearance had already arrived one after another.

Gathering the power of the Ten Surnames, they made preparations in advance.

The current National Preceptor set up an incense altar in front of the Old Palace ruins, lit five lamps in front of him, and hid four more behind him. He sat cross-legged in front of the incense altar, with tall banners on his left and right sides, but they were blank.

Five of the leaders of the Ten Surnames stood opposite the incense altar, listening quietly to his words.

Behind them were the disciples of each sect, as well as some heavily used assistants and other hall officials who stood on both sides at a greater distance.

As the recognized eleventh surname, the master of the Da Luo Dharma Sect, Dongxuan National Preceptor, was an extremely mysterious person even in the eyes of the younger generation of the Ten Surnames. Very few people had seen him take action.

Now, seeing him set up an incense altar specifically, everyone naturally held their breath and watched carefully. But after hearing the news delivered by the Zhou family, Dongxuan National Preceptor did not seem surprised. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes.

Listening carefully, one could feel that he seemed to have stopped breathing, existing between life and death.

Most of the people present had already crossed the bridge. Although they did not dare to offend the National Preceptor, they could not help but have a thought out of curiosity. They were immediately surprised to find that the National Preceptor was sitting in front of them, but at the same time, he was in the underworld, with a thought wandering, the world was boundless.

“Neither human nor ghost, neither god nor demon…”

Among themselves, some people communicated through secret sound transmission: "Look, what step has the National Preceptor reached?"

"The first three steps see fate, the next three steps see nature, and then three steps see the shackles of heaven and earth."

The person who answered sighed: "You and I are trapped between the shackles, fighting for our lives with obstacles, but I think the National Preceptor may have stepped over it."

"Became an immortal?"

"No, if he became an immortal, why would he come back to find us?"

"Maybe, it's just a state of non-immortality, success is here, destruction is here, and emptiness is here."

“……”

"Huff..."

In this oppressive silence, suddenly the five oil lamps in front of the National Preceptor were blown by an unknown wind at the same time, and four of them were extinguished at once. Even the last lamp had its flame reduced to the size of a bean, and everyone could not help but be attracted by it.

"It's time."

The National Preceptor in front of the incense altar also opened his eyes, picked up a brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and quickly wrote on the two banners.

He wrote quickly, with vigorous strokes, and each character was full of mystery.

"This is..."

"The Hu family's path has gone astray, so the National Preceptor set up a Dharma altar before the Ten Surnames gathered."

"To pull the Hu family's child's path back..."

“……”

"That's right."

The speakers were the heads of the Zhu family and the Li family. Both of them spoke in voices that others could not hear, but unexpectedly, the National Preceptor, who was writing quickly, actually picked up their words.

While writing, he said, "This is what I agreed with the Hu family before I sewed the soul. His reincarnation, guarding the corpse, and causal souls have all been filled with what we need."

"Don't envy the Hu family for being able to exclusively obtain the Town Demon Manor and be ranked first among the Ten Surnames in the matter of ascending to immortality."

"Because the Hu family has indeed paid what others are unwilling to pay."

"It's just a pity that the Hu family's child is far from the way he was originally determined. The things left in his corpse-guarding soul are incomplete, the life soul has become blank, and the things in the causal soul are the heaviest, but the most important stroke is missing for some reason."

"Now, only by adding it to him can he truly become the master of the Hu family of the Town Demon among the Ten Surnames."

“……”

When he finished speaking, he also completed the last stroke, and then threw away the brush in his hand, picked up the candlestick, and burned the banners.

Two pillars of fire instantly rolled upwards, burning the two banners completely, and a wisp of clear smoke floated away.

The National Preceptor clapped his hands, looked at the wisp of clear smoke, and sighed, "Helplessly, I can only send a letter to the Heavenly Duke to make up for this stroke."

"Send a letter to the Heavenly Duke?"

Listening to his inexplicable words, everyone felt terrified.

However, Zhao Sanyi and Chen Abao, who barely qualified to stand here and listen, had their faces changed.

They whispered, "Causality is one's own. If you change the causal soul, will he still be him?"

……

……

At this time, in the midst of the battle formation, Fourth Sister Zhou still didn't know anything, she just protected Hu Ma, waving her twin hammers, preventing the surrounding teams of soldiers from approaching, and even arrow rain and crossbows could not get close.

She had used all her strength to protect him completely, but she gradually felt that something was wrong. She felt that the sound of the wind around her had become strange, and the shaking shadows were unreasonable.

Even the soldiers who were constantly rushing past in front of her, waiting for an opportunity to attack, emitted an unspeakable stench, as if corpses had been pulled back from hell, mixed among the living, consuming her strength.

She had used all her skills, moving around, drawing a circle of three zhang around Hu Ma, not allowing anyone to enter this range, but she still noticed something wrong.

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Hu Ma beside her, and saw that his body, which had been tightly closed, had somehow begun to gradually wither.

As a *shousui* (year-guardian), Fourth Sister Zhou was keenly aware and was immediately shocked.

Hu Ma was indeed lifeless, but she had seen the scene of Hu Ma turning from death to awakening.

It was not new for a *shousui* to span the yin and yang realms. In addition, Hu Ma often muttered with the Old Abacus, so she naturally understood that Hu Ma was actually practicing some powerful magic. She thought that this time was also the same.

After all, in the eyes of others, being covered in feathers and arrows, like a hedgehog, was probably the same as being dead. But in the eyes of a *shousui*, although this shape was a bit miserable, it was not unacceptable.

But now, feeling Hu Ma's body withering, and the last breath in his body about to be released, she panicked.

"Something happened!"

From afar, the Old Abacus, Fairy Miaoshan and others did not have the ability to fight the soldiers and horses, so they could not get close.

But they had been staring at Hu Ma. Although the distance was too far and the night was deep, they could not see clearly, but the Old Abacus had his own abilities and had been observing the aura. When he noticed something, he suddenly exclaimed, "Someone has used magic, and the little shopkeeper's body is being destroyed!"

Fairy Miaoshan was shocked: "What to do?"

"What else can we do? As his body is destroyed, that breath will be forced out of his body, and he will really die."

The Old Abacus was covered in sweat, panicking, "This kid entered the bardo so smoothly, so smoothly that I feel like he's going home, but this time it's really different."

"Before, those people wanted to take something from him, but this time, they want to kill him directly. Even fighting with the heavens for his life is not true death. That breath must stay in his own body..."

Miaoshan said anxiously, "Who asked you that?"

"I'm saying what to do?"

“……”

"Pass on human Qi!"

The Old Abacus panicked and said, "While that breath hasn't come out yet, pass on a breath of human Qi, and he will wake up..."

"...but his life-stealing method will be in vain."

"But there's no way. When the breath is forced out of his body, he will die."

“……”

"Ah?"

Fairy Miaoshan understood. She was listening to Hu Ma's instructions. Hu Ma had said in advance not to let her interfere, so she wouldn't interfere.

Although she saw Hu Ma being shot into a hedgehog, she only thought that Hu Ma was cultivating. Anyway, the Master had great abilities, so what was so strange about dying and coming back to life. It was not until this moment that the Old Abacus said the specifics that she became worried.

That is to say, if she doesn't help at this moment, the Master may really die?

Thinking of the Master's seriousness when he instructed her before, she was also equally hesitant. She had always been a clumsy person and didn't like to act on her own initiative. If she helped rashly, wouldn't it be possible that she would do something bad with good intentions and harm the Master from completing his magic?

Just as everyone was unsure, Little Bean Official poked his head out from behind Fairy Miaoshan. The killing aura on the battlefield was too heavy, and he, a little ghost messenger, couldn't bear it, so he could only hide.

But he heard the Old Abacus's words in his ears, and had been staring at the changes on the battlefield, especially the figures behind the soldiers and horses, which made him feel scared.

"Aunt, it's your turn!"

He suddenly urged Fairy Miaoshan, "If Master really reaches this step, only you can save him..."

Fairy Miaoshan panicked: "Everyone knows that I don't have any great abilities..."

Little Bean Official said anxiously, "But you have good fortune..."

Fairy Miaoshan was stunned, and suddenly thought of something. As a member of the Disaster Stealing Gate, she only learned two things: stealing disasters and praying for blessings.

At the same time, in the midst of the chaos, Little Red Tangerine suddenly noticed something. She suddenly raised her little head and looked at the night sky above the battlefield, as if she saw two banners, drifting over faintly.

"Brother Hu Ma is becoming unlike Brother Hu Ma!"

The Old Abacus and others did not understand and turned their heads to look at this little ghost messenger. They saw Little Red Tangerine suddenly rush forward.

Little Bean Official poked his head out to look at the battle formation's baleful aura, and was about to be knocked over.

But Little Red Tangerine suddenly stepped forward with her two legs and rushed up. She shuttled between the soldiers and horses, and was not affected at all. In a blink of an eye, she had rushed to Hu Ma's side and pointed at Hu Ma, who was in a panic at the moment, and shouted loudly:

"Quick, kiss him!"

(End of chapter)