"Hmph!"
Suddenly stepping into nothing was indeed alarming, but Hu Ma, with all his skills, reacted swiftly.
When he sensed sothing was wrong underfoot, he imdiately shifted the strength of his entire body, stomping hard to forcefully break through the rabbit hole. He then took a step forward, kicking up a large cloud of dirt and sand directly toward the shadowy figure's face.
As for the Punishnt Officer's Great Saber in his hand, it seed to react with its own intelligence, deftly avoiding contact with the figure. The blade trembled and missed, then twirled expertly before striking solidly towards the shadow, the attack now even more ruthless.
Typically, when engaging in a duel, Hu Ma would try to assess his opponent first. This ti, however, he didn't know who he was dealing with, so he could only unleash his Shousui skills in a rapid assault.
"Oh no..."
The shadowy figure clearly hadn't expected Hu Ma to change tactics so quickly and was visibly startled. It's just a minor Entering the Mansion Shousui; how can he be so fierce?
With a shout, the figure hastily stripped off his ragged, almost entirely black sheepskin coat. With a sudden shake, firewood and sparks from the nearby fire heap flew towards Hu Ma, enveloping him.
Simultaneously, the figure draped the black sheepskin coat over himself.
Hu Ma paid the sparks no heed; the sheer force of the wind generated by his movents blew them away. However, his vision blurred for a mont. When he slashed down with his saber, he felt only softness. Beneath the sheepskin coat, there was nothing—the figure had vanished.
What kind of skill is this? Hu Ma wondered, slightly surprised and finding the opponent exceedingly peculiar.
As this question surfaced in his mind, Master Ping's voice suddenly spoke up, "Oh dear! Have we encountered soone from the Theft Disaster Sect?"
"Theft Disaster Sect?" Hu Ma had speculated about this possibility, and with Master Ping's prompt, he quickly scanned the area while urgently asking in his mind, How do I deal with them?
"Run!" Master Ping advised. "Everyone from the Theft Disaster Sect is a harbinger of misfortune! If you encounter them, just run. If you run fast enough, you won't be tainted by their bad luck!"
Hu Ma, hurriedly monitoring his surroundings, growled, "I'm asking how to kill them!"
"Easy to kill!" Master Ping replied in Hu Ma's mind. "The Theft Disaster Sect doesn't possess any truly formidable skills. One slash to the neck, and they're sure to die."
"Do I need you to teach that?" Hu Ma was sowhat annoyed.
Then, as if a different person were speaking, Master Ping urgently continued, "When dealing with people from the Theft Disaster Sect, you must strike quickly. The longer you draw out the fight, the harder it will be to win."
"Furthermore, there's a critical taboo: do not speak to anyone from the Theft Disaster Sect. They are skilled in sealing one's mind. A single word exchanged, and you might fall into their trap, allowing malevolent energy to enter your heart and bring you under their control."
"Of course, if soone from another sect falls for their tricks, it's certain death; even the most skilled practitioner couldn't save them. But we of the Shousui Sect can replace hearts, so there's still a chance for salvation."
Another voice imdiately chid in, "Indeed, our Shousui Sect's abilities are truly formidable."
"..."
"..."
Stop the nonsense already… Hu Ma thought anxiously as he suddenly ducked to avoid sothing.
Looking closely, he saw dense, bizarre branches reaching out from all directions. He realized this place was a Demon Forest that devoured people. However, it lacked sufficient spiritual awareness; upon sensing living creatures, its branches and leaves instinctively extended to capture them.
They were dense and seemingly endless, like countless ghostly hands grasping at him. The surrounding forest was pitch black, filled with an eerie atmosphere that hinted at untold dangers lurking within. Layer upon layer, the oppressive feeling pressed down on him.
An alarm blared in Hu Ma's heart. Without hesitation, he plunged the Punishnt Officer's Great Saber into the ground, placed his hands on his ribs, and let out a deep roar.
With the Five Thunders Golden Toad Roar, all his Five Organs vibrated in unison, releasing a powerful wave of masculine energy. Instantly, the encroaching branches were blasted apart, and he heard a series of wretched screeches. Even the very cores of the demon trees were injured by this masculine energy, but their agitated movents made it even harder for Hu Ma to locate his opponent.
After years of roaming the jianghu, Hu Ma had gained considerable experience and witnessed the skills of many different sects. However, the Theft Disaster Sect was one he had little familiarity with, as they rarely made appearances in the jianghu, and he had never encountered anyone who practiced their techniques. He felt completely inexperienced in dealing with them.
And Master Ping, though always responsive, could only offer reminders at this point, failing to provide any effective strategies.
Instead, upon seeing Hu Ma's Five Thunders Golden Toad Roar, the voices all chid in, "This technique is clumsy! It's not refined, not marvelous at all! Let us improve it for you."
"Brother Huma, I caught him!"
Just then, a crisp voice rang out.
Hu Ma spun around to see Little Hongtang erging from the shadows. She was clinging tightly to a person's leg, pulling with all her might. It was indeed the shadowy figure who had managed to hide. The figure seed shocked and was struggling desperately.
"Sister Hong Tang is the best!"
Overjoyed, Hu Ma swiftly clasped his fists and executed the Four Ghosts Salute. A swirling yin wind erupted as he charged forward.
Master Ping, noticing this, imdiately shouted again, "What kind of crude technique is this? It's not refined, not marvelous! We must improve it for you!"
"Just shut up already!"
Initially, Hu Ma had kept Master Ping around because the entity was useful, and he hoped to learn more skills to protect himself. Now, however, he was thoroughly annoyed. Perhaps I should just absorb them and be done with it? he mused.
Following his salute, the person whose leg Little Hongtang held was struck full-force by the yin wind. He shivered violently, his face turning ashen.
Despite this, he mustered a burst of strength, clearly intending to flee. But Little Hongtang's grip on his leg felt as heavy as a mountain; he could neither escape nor shake her off.
He was filled with indescribable shock and horror. What kind of little ghost is this?
This brief delay allowed Hu Ma to swiftly draw his saber and charge forward. The individual, seeing this, gritted his teeth, raised both hands high above his head, and then clapped them together forcefully.
As Hu Ma's saber reached him, the man prostrated himself fully, bowing deeply before Hu Ma, his head hitting the ground with a thud.
"I was wrong!"
"Spare , Old Master..."
"..."
"Hmm?"
This reaction thoroughly surprised Hu Ma. Nevertheless, the Punishnt Officer's Great Saber did not stop. He rely angled the blade, bringing the flat of it down hard on the man's head.
BANG!
Half of the man's head was smashed into the dirt by Hu Ma's blow. He made no sound, completely knocked out cold.
「... ...」
At the very mont the shadow in the forest was knocked unconscious by Hu Ma, back in Dayang Village, Tie Shoupeng and his several disciples, who had been standing with dazed expressions, suddenly shivered. They snapped back to their senses, their eyes instantly filling with boundless terror.
"This is bad! How did we get so bewitched..."
"..."
However, no one paid them any attention now. All eyes were fixed, staring blankly at the fire pit.
They saw Second Master, his lower body completely engulfed in flas, his legs no longer visible. His entire being was illuminated by the fire, exuding an indescribable aura of mystery.
As he walked forward, the flas in the fire pit blazed so fiercely that bystanders couldn't help but step back. However, Second Master remained composed. The fire and smoke around him swirled together, vaguely revealing a blurry shadow. This shadow bore faint golden flashes and seed to carry an ancient, primal energy that washed over the Divine Soul, enlightening it, inspiring an instinctive reverence.
And this shadow was now supporting Second Master, guiding him step by step across the fire pit, advancing towards Tie Shoupeng.
"Is that... is that..."
Words could not describe the shock of those who witnessed this scene. So suddenly noticed that the sticks of incense brought over from the old fire pit had burned into curved shapes—a sign that the ancestors in the pit were kowtowing.
"Has Heaven itself manifested?"
Amidst the astonishnt, the Old Clan Chief remained stunned for a long, long ti before finally jolting back to reality.
Two streams of tears flowed from his aged eyes as he abruptly dropped to his knees.
Following his lead, the clansn from all the surrounding villages knelt one after another. This obeisance, naturally, was not for Second Master, but for the manifested shadow.
"Brother Yang, we should also pay our respects."
Even Old Master Sun and the others nearby were jolted from their shock by this. They hurriedly followed the example of the villagers, bowing in reverence, their bodies trembling slightly. Having learned a lifeti of skills and witnessed countless strange and wondrous things in the jianghu, they were now seeing the most awe-inspiring sight in this remote, small village.
As everyone bowed their heads, Second Master slowly, step by step, walked the entire ten-zhang length of the fire pit.
When he erged from the fire pit and stood before Tie Shoupeng, Tie Shoupeng imdiately collapsed to the ground. He struggled to keep his eyes open, trying to look up at Second Master, yet he seed too afraid to et his gaze directly.
All eyes were fixed on Second Master. Everyone could see clearly that his bare feet showed no signs of burns or injuries. Even his rolled-up trouser legs and the coarse commoner's clothes he wore were completely unscathed, without the slightest trace of being singed.
A miracle!
So many eyes were watching, clearly and unmistakably. He had not relied on any skills from any known Path, nor had he employed any deceitful tricks to fool their eyes. He was just an ordinary old man who, through his own virtue, had walked step by step across the fire pit.
"Divine protection, treading fire barefoot..."
The most deeply moved were so of the village elders. Tears stread down their faces as they murmured, "Our village... our village has produced a Saint..."
In these villages, there was little profound scholarship, and individuals with heaven-defying abilities rarely appeared. But soone like this, who had perford a miracle by walking through fire, was a Saint in their eyes.
Second Master walked over, still looking sowhat dazed. He slowly turned to look back at the fire pit, as if gazing into a dream. Only when he ca to his senses did he realize everyone around was bowing to him.
Previously, they had shown him respect, but that was on account of Hu Ma, out of deference to Hu Ma's master.
But now, they were bowing to *him*.
For a mont, a myriad of emotions churned within him, leaving him tongue-tied. Then, as if struck by a realization, he turned and knelt before the pit of roaring flas.
In his heart, it was as if this act of treading fire had brought a sudden, profound understanding. His eyes were slightly red and swollen, as though all his pent-up grievances had surfaced at once. He whispered, "Mountain Master, so you were watching over us all this ti..."
"Fellow villagers, it is ti for the Sacrificial Mountain ceremony..."
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