Chapter 865 Sincere Heart

How could someone be so cruel?

To abandon their mortal bloodline and cut off my, Du Yi's, path to nobility in this world!

Within the Underworld Palace, the two high and mighty Emperor Ghosts revealed expressions of disbelief.

They simply couldn't comprehend this turn of events. They were no longer living beings, and their knowledge and understanding had ceased at the moment of their deaths.

Unlike the Pond God, who constantly had new corpses buried in the pond, allowing his thoughts and ideas to iterate and update, keeping him abreast of worldly affairs, they, in order to maintain their individual divine souls' independence, were limited to what they knew in life.

Even though the purple qi allowed them to think like living people, their thoughts were cold and rigid, incapable of understanding new principles.

Therefore, they never expected this descendant of a minor official to make such a desperate choice.

The key was, this choice was all for naught. What was he after?

As the founding ancestors and emperors of Du Yi, they had swept across the world with ambition and never feared anyone in their lives.

But now, for the first time, they felt fear.

Knowing what the other party sought meant they wouldn't be afraid, even if they saw the other party going berserk.

It was only when they couldn't understand what the other party sought, yet witnessed their determination, that they felt dread.

And amidst this endless horror, they listened carefully and realized they couldn't hear the knocking on the Underworld Palace doors from outside. In the past, they had intermittently sensed someone in the mortal realm worshipping the Underworld Palace.

However, the worshipper was cautious, performing the rituals stealthily, making it difficult for the Underworld Palace to locate them in the mortal realm. Now, finally, the worshipper had made up their mind to knock directly on the door, but this opportunity, waited for over twenty years, had been ruined by this person!

"Audacious beyond measure! Kill him!"

The Emperor Ghost of the First Palace and the Emperor Ghost of the Second Palace revealed expressions of madness, disregarding the dignity and propriety of emperors, and roared in anger.

Banners unfurled before them, and countless civil and military officials surged forward like a tide.

Emperors do not meet each other, so there could only be one emperor at a time, unable to appear or act simultaneously, but now they couldn't care less.

They were no longer acting as emperors, but as a group of evil spirits desperate to find the mortal realm, squeezing toward Hu Ma with all their might.

Only by devouring this person could they possibly hear the knocking from the mortal realm again, return to the mortal realm, and have the name of Du Yi once again dominate the land.

"Haha, you're afraid?"

At this moment, Hu Ma saw the two Emperor Ghosts' discomposure and the instant breakdown of their defenses, and felt a surge of satisfaction.

He laughed loudly, indulging in his freedom: "Who doesn't want to live?"

"Practicing the art of Shousui (year-guarding) my whole life, still a virgin. You think I don't want women?"

"But there's no choice. How can I avoid what must be done? Compared to my own desires, I'd rather see the mortal realm flourish and witness the despair of you, worthless dogs!"

...

Amidst the laughter, the faces of those he'd seen before flashed through his mind.

Previously, using himself as a bridge, half in the mortal realm and half in the Underworld Palace, he borrowed the mortal realm's killing tribulation to cut down the Eight Palace Emperor Ghosts, and naturally witnessed everything within this tribulation.

He thought of Shao Daozi (Burning Blade) risking bearing the Blood Pool with a false destiny to draw the killing tribulation into the mortal realm.

The destiny was false, but the spirit was real.

He saw Laozaojiu (Sweet Fermented Rice) inciting the anger of the people, teaching the world's people to hate.

He saw Shuangzhengjiu (Double Steamed Wine) opening the eyes of the world's people, allowing them to see the black hand playing tricks.

He saw Diaojiu (Engraved Wine) and Miss White Wine joining forces to slay a god, emboldening the world's people...

He saw countless reincarnators in the Northern lands, fighting against Shousui Shangqiao (Year-Guarding Ascend Bridge) by abandoning their paths of retreat, and the one person outside Hundred Entertainments Town fighting against the army with their own strength.

He saw countless fresh faces, some proud, some mischievous, some low-key and forbearing, but regardless of their personalities or their karmic ties to the mortal realm, they all possessed transcendence and threw themselves into this great tribulation.

He even saw the Ten Thousand Mountains of Southern Border, even Digua Shao (Sweet Potato Burn), who was usually unreliable...

...Holy crap, what exactly is this guy doing?

...Never mind, it's not important to have one or two unreliable ones.

Besides, she did bring a real sense of fear to those aristocratic families, didn't she?

"Originally, I wanted to seize that last glimmer of hope, but in the end, I failed. Then..."

In his heart, he felt a sense of peace: "All I can do is prevent your pride and the killing tribulation you started from being ruined by petty people."

Hu Ma had only one thought left in his heart, so when he made this decisive choice, he felt unusually calm. Facing the overwhelming killing intent before him, he took a low breath.

Standing firm in the Underworld Palace, borrowing the countless Emperor Ghosts and purple qi he had just devoured, his body began to grow rapidly, soaring in height in an instant, becoming as tall as the two Emperor Ghosts, blocking the Underworld Palace.

At this moment, his mortal body on Mount Da'ai had completely lost all signs of life.

The rolling purple qi around him spread in all directions, turning into clouds and pouring into the four corners of the mortal realm.

This was the Eight Palace purple qi he had reclaimed for the mortal realm.

It could be considered his last act for the mortal realm, the final gift he left behind.

...

...

"How could this be?"

At the same moment when Hu Ma severed the bridge of this body and blocked the Underworld Palace, countless people were alarmed.

First, there was the Jiangtou Chen family. The head of the Chen family used "corpse language" to make the descending corpses in the coffin kowtow, hoping to draw the attention of the Underworld Palace to the Chen family's old residence at this moment. The excitement in his heart had reached its peak, but he didn't expect that after kowtowing, there was no response.

Nothing happened in the mortal realm, and the Wanmin Sheng Zhou (Ten Thousand People Living Curse) continued to roll in from all directions.

In fact, it was even more turbulent.

That was because the angry people had awakened and were gathering in groups to kill all the associates of the Changping Prince.

Even more people were directly attacking the Jiangtou Chen family.

"What...what exactly went wrong?"

It took him a long time to raise his head in confusion, looking around in a daze, his hair turning white in an instant.

The descending corpses kneeling on the ground were unresponsive, lacking aura, only displaying deathly stillness.

At this moment, outside the house gate, Chen A'bao, who had changed out of her black cloth robe and put on a red wedding dress, stood outside the threshold with a package on her back.

She quietly watched the head of the Chen family setting up an incense table and leading the descending corpses in worship. She already understood the cause and effect, bit her lip, and slowly said, "Father, you always emphasize the reputation of the Jiangtou Chen family..."

"But in the end, you want to destroy this reputation so completely?"

"..."

It took the head of the Chen family a while to react. He saw his daughter's eyes and felt inexplicably flustered.

"A'bao, I..."

"Father, I can see it, and I understand it."

Chen A'bao stared at her father with determination, her dark circles seeming to hold sparkling tears. She whispered, "The killing tribulation cannot be resisted, and the living will eventually survive."

"When the new world is replaced, some families will be deemed blameless and even meritorious for seizing the opportunity to join the killing tribulation. Some families will make a decisive decision to avoid staining their hands with blood. Even if they are not meritorious, they probably won't be liquidated afterward."

"Even the Ketou Meng family, because they died early, didn't have the opportunity to stand in front of the world's people and add to their crimes..."

"But what about our family?"

She almost despairingly dropped the package in her hand and cried, "In the face of this Wanmin Sheng Zhou, you can marry me off to avoid these karmic consequences."

"But when the new world is replaced and they start investigating these matters, who will ignore that you are my biological father just because I am married, and be willing to spare the things our Chen family has done?"

"Father..."

Chen A'bao's voice was full of despair: "You have killed our Jiangtou Chen family."

"How could this be?"

Another person who was most surprised was the National Master on Mount Da'ai, who had been paying attention to Hu Ma's great dream.

Originally, he had seen Hu Ma wreaking havoc in the Underworld Palace, and seen that this killing tribulation had begun, but finally someone had knocked on the door of the Underworld Palace.

He was disappointed, but helpless, because he had already reminded the descendants of the Hu family about these things.

He was too reckless, underestimated the Underworld Palace, and underestimated the world's aristocratic families.

Aristocratic families didn't simply refer to a particular surname or person, but to the persistence of wanting to sit above everyone else for generations.

With this persistence, anyone could become an aristocratic family.

With this persistence, there would always be someone standing opposite the common people. How could you not accept it?

But when he saw Hu Ma blocking the Underworld Palace with his body, he suddenly jumped up, feeling his scalp tingle and his disappointment and dissatisfaction disappearing at this moment, replaced by complete disbelief from the inside out:

"How dare he do this?"

"Isn't he going to start the Luotian Grand Ritual to expel Tai Sui? How can he bear to let the Zhenshui Hu lineage be cut off in this world?"

"..."

"He had already thought about this when he first entered the Underworld Palace?"

The old abacus next to him was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground, wailing, "He...he left a letter when he entered the Underworld Palace..."

"If he dies, give the letter to the Right Guardian of the Red Lantern Society, and ask him to preside over the human grand ritual, and say that even if he blocks the Underworld Palace with his body and becomes a suppressing object, he can still help with the Luotian Grand Ritual..."

"..."

The National Master's face was a mixture of green and white: "He made this preparation when he entered the Underworld Palace?"

His voice seemed to tremble. At this point, he finally understood that the Hu family descendant's ruthless and decisive move was not made rashly.

This Hu family descendant's vision was even greater than he had imagined.

No wonder he seemed so reckless in everything he did after entering the Underworld Palace.

It turned out that he was more ruthless than ever, first ensuring that he would become a suppressing object, so that even if he died, it wouldn't hinder the overall situation.

He left this world's killing tribulation to the reincarnators. If the world's clans, or even the Ten Surnames, wanted to resist this killing tribulation, the reincarnators would have the strength to fight. But if the Underworld Palace was truly invited to the mortal realm, then everything would be over!

Therefore, from the moment he entered the Underworld Palace, he had made this preparation.

Either use the killing tribulation to eliminate the Underworld Palace, or even take the opportunity to open the path home.

Or block the Underworld Palace with his body, risking leaving his divine soul in the Underworld Palace, and becoming a suppressing object, to prevent the Underworld Palace from reaching the mortal realm.

"But...was it necessary to go this far?" "You won't get any benefits, the Hu family won't get any benefits, and the Mingzhou King won't get any benefits..."

"Even those reincarnators, who are destined to die, won't get any benefits..."

"But you..."

The National Master spoke in a low voice, trembling.

An unprecedented impact, finally accumulated from twenty-four years ago until now, created the biggest wave, and shattered all his pride in an instant.

...

...

"Something's not right..."

Not everyone knew that Hu Ma had entered the Underworld Palace, and not everyone knew that he had abandoned his mortal body to block the Underworld Palace.

However, no one could ignore the rolling purple qi flowing into the mortal realm.

Accompanied by the endless purple qi, surging in all directions, this world suddenly became heavier, and the land became fertile. As long as seeds were sown, there would definitely be a good harvest.

The mountains and fields were lush and green, full of vitality. These changes might not be visible until the autumn harvest, but another obvious change was astonishing.

Everywhere, countless patches of black Tai Sui were turning white.

Black Tai Sui turning into white Tai Sui meant that it was no longer poisonous and could be eaten.

The world had countless redundant people who were destined to starve to death, but with these white Tai Sui, they had something to fill their bellies and could survive.

Even the timing of this purple qi entering the mortal realm was so perfect.

If there had been this purple qi earlier, and a way to survive, the people of this world might not have been motivated to start this killing tribulation.

Moreover, the changes brought about by the gathering of purple qi were not limited to this. The redundant army had prosperous fortune and was invincible. Even the Pond God, who was using meager foundations to suppress the disasters of the Thirty-Six Caves, was suppressing them even more steadily at this moment, preventing them from being born.

Purple qi nourished all things, and the changes were subtle, but this purple qi was too vast for others not to notice.

"What is that kid doing?"

On the Meng Hu Pass (Fierce Tiger Pass), Erguotou (Second Pot) obtained the Zhenshui Jinjian (Suppressing Evil Golden Whip) borrowed by Hu Ma, and killed the world's corpse-occupying gods, promoting the return of divine power to the people.

His heart was originally pounding, but now he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

And throughout the world, those reincarnators who had not yet found a good way to leave, and those experts from various sects who had chosen the right path in this killing tribulation and survived, also felt the turbulent and terrifying purple qi returning to the mortal realm.

With this purple qi, how much more weight had the world gained?

Therefore, while they were launching this killing tribulation, someone else was doing something else?

They didn't know what was happening inside the Underworld Palace, but there were capable people who could calculate, see, and inquire.

So, when they learned about what was happening in the Underworld Palace, which had appeared at the same time as this mortal killing tribulation but had been kept hidden, a wave of shock swept through everyone's hearts.

The impact of this event was no less than being struck by lightning!

"The Hu family descendant reclaimed the Eight Palace purple qi, and...would rather cut off the Hu family bloodline to block the Emperor Ghosts of the Underworld Palace with his body?"

This ruthlessness and decisiveness was difficult for the people of the world to understand.

It gave rise to deep fear and awe, and also made those Ten Surnames who had recognized their mistakes and turned back secretly wipe a sweat:

Fortunately, they didn't fight this killing tribulation to the end, otherwise, who could face the Hu family's ferocity?

He was even willing to cut off the Hu family bloodline, so whose bloodline would he not dare to cut off?

...

...

"He's a real man..."

The reincarnators who were still in the mortal realm, after learning about this, were first stunned, then a little frustrated.

"All the smart guys found a good way to run."

"Now, even this local is coming to compete with us, is there no justice?"

"I just want to make a big show, am I wrong? Is it not allowed?"

"..."

"Save him!"

But some people sighed, while others were not willing to give up. On the Meng Hu Pass, Erguotou's face was filled with anger that was almost out of control. He suddenly stood up and kicked over the stone weight beside him.

He strode out of the altar, and in a roar, his figure suddenly flashed into the Yin realm, rushing towards Mount Da'ai. He didn't know where Mount Da'ai was, but after all, he was sitting in the world's altar and could calculate where Hu Ma's physical body was now.

"The ones with thick eyebrows and big eyes are the most likely to do big things!"

At this moment, he was furious, thinking fiercely: "I haven't left yet, how dare you leave?"

"Who will I entrust this little red light to in the future? Who will remember what we have done for the people of this world?"

"We are already destined to die, but you cannot die, how dare you die?"

"..."

"Is this also in your calculations?"

On the other side, in the Northern lands, after learning about this, Miss Red Wine immediately rushed to Shang Jing and shouted angrily into the depths of the Twelve Ghost Altars. Her previous trust and admiration for Tie Guanyin almost collapsed at this moment.

She knew what Tie Guanyin, who had appeared to be free and had immediately fallen into a deep sleep under the protection of the Twelve Ghost Altars, had done.

The plan to start a killing tribulation in this world to cut off the destinies of people, the inevitable death of the reincarnators, and the dedication to this killing tribulation were all promoted by Tie Guanyin.

She had even secretly done many things to ensure the success of this killing tribulation.

All the reincarnators could die, because since death was inevitable, they only sought to leave a mark in this world.

But that didn't include Lao Baigan (Old White Spirit)!

But now, what Lao Baigan had done was too shocking, exceeding everyone's expectations.

She knew nothing about it, and hadn't even guessed it, but she believed that Tie Guanyin, who was secretly promoting the world's trends, must have known about it, and might have even...

...deliberately promoted it!

"No!"

But facing Miss Red Wine's anger, a soft and faint reply sounded from the depths of the Twelve Ghost Altars: "This is not something I can calculate."

"Although he left his corpse as a suppressing object, and reclaimed the purple qi to return to the mortal realm, increasing the chances of success for the Lao Jun Mei path from 30% to an unimaginable 70%..."

"But the path left by Lao Jun Mei doesn't have this step."

"Even when he knew that someone was secretly contacting the Underworld Palace, possibly bringing unprecedented despair to this fragile mortal realm, he originally had another choice."

"That was to return to the mortal realm and find the person who was secretly contacting the Underworld Palace. As long as he found that person and stopped them, the Underworld Palace could still be ignored and would not affect the mortal realm..."

"Therefore, his entering the Underworld Palace was entirely his own choice."

"..."

"But..."

Miss Red Wine's voice was trembling: "He's not stupid, if he could avoid it, why would he go in?"

"He was chosen by both the reincarnators and the Da Luo Dharma Sect, he is the chief priest of the Luotian Grand Ritual!"

"Even if he did nothing, this killing tribulation would succeed, and the Ten Surnames would be defeated by us. Whether he sat back and enjoyed the fruits of success, or enjoyed all the glory, it was all laid out before him..."

"What was he after, that he had to seek death?"

"..."

Tie Guanyin's voice, after a long time, sounded softly: "Perhaps, he took this risk not for himself."

"Did you think that Lao Jun Mei chose to cooperate with the Hu family just because...the Hu family was ruthless?"

"..."

Miss Red Wine was a little surprised by this: Wasn't that the reason?

"Reincarnators are destined to die."

Tie Guanyin sighed faintly and said, "This is something that I, Lao Jun Mei, Long Jing, and Da Hongpao understood a long time ago."

"We have no way out, but we refuse to bow to Tai Sui, so we must do something."

"Even if a civilization disappears, it will always leave behind some beautiful things. As people destined to die, our only purpose is to leave these beautiful things in a world that still has hope."

"But when Lao Jun Mei proposed his path, he was also hesitant and conflicted. After all, we are not saints, and we cannot ask other reincarnators to be selfless and desireless saints."

"Therefore, even if we are willing to give everything to help this world fight against Tai Sui, sometimes, in our hearts, we will have a little hope..."

"Choosing the Hu family is not because the Hu family is ruthless, but because the Hu family is kind."

"Because they are grateful, they know our sacrifices, so when we give everything for this world, they are unwilling to see us with no way out..."

"..."

Speaking of this, her voice was no longer so calm and steady. After a long time, she spoke softly: "He is seeking a path for us..."

"We..."

Miss Red Wine was shocked by Tie Guanyin's words: "Seeking a path for us?"

"Yes."

Tie Guanyin smiled slowly and said, "If it weren't for us, how would he have willingly entered the Underworld Palace and taken such a great risk when everything was already settled?"

"Therefore, this is not something I calculated."

"We give everything for this world, and will there finally be someone in this world who will consider us, and find a little bit of hope for the reincarnators in the midst of despair and death?"

"This is Lao Jun Mei's most subtle but unspeakable hope in his heart..."

"Cannot be calculated, cannot be said, only depends on people's hearts..."

A long silence, and finally, a low sigh: "And this Hu family descendant did not disappoint Lao Jun Mei, and is worthy of the name of the Zhenshui Hu family. He did think of it, we shed our blood for this world, and he gambled his life to seek a way out for us..."

"Perhaps, it will really fail, but since there is such a sincere heart, then we..."

Until this time, her voice gradually became firm, full of relief, and she seemed to have secretly gritted her teeth: "How could we not do our best to help him once more?"