"No."

Just as the various demons and monsters outside the city became lively, within the capital, before the ancestral shrine, the Imperial Advisor waited patiently for Hu Ma. He was a patient man, arranging everything and then leaving others to do what they were supposed to do.

However, this patient wait through the night was disturbed by the commotion outside the city, causing him to pause slightly.

"Troops shouldn't be arriving this quickly."

He frowned. Few in this world understood the transmigrator better than he did, perhaps only this young master Hu among all the capable people in the world.

And precisely because he understood, he knew the weaknesses of the transmigrator. Without pressure on his shoulders, he was not grounded in his work. Though talented, his study of magic was mostly for fun.

As for more practical matters like seeking official positions or raising troops, those required cautious attention and could not tolerate the slightest mistake, which they were incapable of.

In the previous generation of transmigrators, one had raised a Bu Shi Niu (one who doesn't eat beef), but that was mostly foolishness, turning everyone into madmen. And among this generation of transmigrators, although some had raised troops, they were arrogant and unruly, amounting to nothing.

Because he understood and made arrangements, he was certain that the Changsheng King's army could not bypass the Ten Clans' network and reach the capital so quickly.

The passage of tens of thousands of troops was no small matter. How could it escape notice?

Even if he could borrow Yin to communicate with Yang through magic, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, there was no way to transport a large army thousands of miles in a day.

And if there was…

The Imperial Advisor's thought stopped there, and he suddenly paused, glancing sharply at Hu Ma.

Using profound magic to transport armies was not unheard of; it was the specialty of the Zou Gui (Ghost Walker) School. With the altar set up, they could change the world, shrinking the land and hiding rivers.

To use such a technique, one needed someone with astonishing abilities to set up the altar, essentially shrinking thousands of miles into inches. But such profound skills had long been lost.

The consumption of Zi Taisui (Purple Jupiter Fungus) alone was beyond what ordinary people could bear, not to mention the endless karma that would simultaneously burden them. Ordinary people wouldn't even dare to think about using such a technique, as they would likely be crushed and suffer the backlash from heaven and earth.

And those being transported also had extremely high requirements.

Troops were not inanimate objects, making them difficult to transport. It required tens of thousands of soldiers to follow orders without question.

Even if someone was proficient in this technique, where would they find someone willing to risk handing over these troops?

Now, outside the capital, the battle formation was just beginning and posed no threat to those within the city. But this anomaly made the Imperial Advisor increasingly uneasy.

Suddenly, sensing something, he cast a cold gaze and saw Hu Ma, who had been sitting cross-legged before him, hands forming the immovable earth seal, had lowered his hands and slowly opened his eyes.

As if he had been awakened by the commotion outside the city, he turned his head to look, a smile on his face, and said, "Strange."

"Imperial Advisor, I seem to hear people coming to pick me up outside?"

"..."

"You…"

The Imperial Advisor's face remained calm, but his anxiety was indescribable. Every moment was extremely difficult, waiting for Hu Ma to wake up.

But now, seeing him suddenly awake, he didn't feel the joy of finally being able to continue summoning the Twelve Ghost Altars. Instead, the ominous feeling in his heart grew heavier. He suddenly looked at him and shouted, "What exactly have you done?"

"..."

"..."

"Kill…"

At this moment, outside the capital, at Erguotou's command, the troops and transmigrators surged forward.

These transmigrators had been blocked outside the city, using all their schemes to no avail, and were already furious. Now that they finally had the assistance of a large army, they didn't hesitate to borrow the troops' fierce energy to attack.

Normally, in such a fierce military formation, many spells would be useless. Only the Shousui Ren (Year Watchers) could rely on their own courage and occasionally use a few unique skills.

But many of these transmigrators had already crossed the bridge, reaching at least the realm of non-humans.

Upon reaching the realm of non-humans, they had the means to use their spells even amidst the chaotic battles of the army.

Thus, various techniques appeared one after another.

The tall, thin figure who had acted earlier once again shook his arms, chanting incantations and summoning dark clouds that blotted out the sky, conjuring heavenly soldiers and generals who rolled forward in a mighty torrent.

Before the arrival of the Baoliang (Grain Protection) Army, the capital's defending army could ignore the heavenly soldiers and generals he summoned. But now that there was truth mixed with falsehood, rushing forward with the Baoliang Army, the effect was different.

The bright golden armor was dazzling, and the shining silver weapons were slashing before their eyes. Who had time to distinguish between real and fake?

Immediately, the military formation was slightly disrupted, and the Baoliang Army followed closely behind, gaining an advantage as soon as they engaged.

Looking further back, another person once again sacrificed the demon blade. Although it was clearly a blade, it jumped and danced lively in his hands, inexplicably fierce. His figure weaved through the gaps between the weapons, seeking out the heads and commanders of the capital's defending army to kill, making it impossible to defend against.

Amidst the chaos, there were those who exhaled clouds and mist, those who competed to show off treasures, and everything was a mess.

"Capture the leader to defeat the army!"

Amidst this chaos, some people had already reacted. The capital's defending troops were numerous, but they had received strict orders to only protect the city and not to venture out rashly, which naturally put them at a disadvantage in the attack.

So many transmigrant evildoers were mixed in, making it even more dazzling. The capital's side only wanted to quickly stabilize the situation, and immediately many capable people broke through the formation and charged out.

Their eyes were fixed on Erguotou, knowing that he was the key, and they rushed to his side at the same time.

Someone raised his hand, and a dark rope shot out from his sleeve like a spiritual snake, coiling towards him.

Someone took out a silver mirror from a bag behind him and shone it on him.

Even more people took out a gourd, releasing golden light, chanting incantations, trying to take Erguotou into the gourd.

"F*ck…"

Facing such powerful techniques, Erguotou was clearly a little frightened.

According to his usual habits, let alone so many capable people from the Ten Clans, even if he encountered just one, he would have to plan his moves carefully, understand the situation clearly, and even set a few traps and invite some helpers before daring to fight with such a person.

He had never imagined that one day he would be jointly targeted by so many people.

"Thinking about it, Lao Baigan (Old Bai Gan), that fellow with the thick eyebrows and big eyes, is the most skilled at causing trouble…"

He was helpless in his heart, but he could only grit his teeth: "But this brother trusts me so much. As his older brother, how can I let him down?"

Thinking this, standing next to the red lantern, he put one hand behind his back, a cold smile on his face, and shouted, "Heh heh, you dare to cause trouble for me in my altar?"

With a wave of his hand, an altar flag flew into his hand, spinning in the air, and rolling magical power, accompanied by the army's fierce energy, crashed in all directions.

These techniques that had come before him, no matter how brilliant, were immediately blocked outside.

Seeing this, Zhao Sanyi and the others were completely dumbfounded, knowing something was wrong. They stared wide-eyed and looked forward: "You… how could you raise such an altar? Could it be that you… you really are?"

"Of course."

Erguotou smiled at him and said, "I heard you've been looking for Young Master Hu, haven't you?"

"Everyone says the Baji (Trickery) School has sharp eyes. I've shown my face to you so many times, how haven't you recognized me?"

"..."

"..."

"Quickly…"

At the same time, inside the capital, in front of the old Hu family's mansion.

The Second Ancestor of the Qingyuan Hu family was already sitting in the altar, with a Taoist boy from the Da Luo Fa (Great Canopy Dharma) Sect standing beside him.

He would give instructions from the side on what to do.

The trembling Second Ancestor had once been a capable person from the Zou Gui (Ghost Walker) School, only falling to the Rufu (Entering the Mansion) realm after the split.

Now, sitting back in the altar, he felt the magical power surging around him, the world in his hands. For a moment, he was extremely excited. For this dreamlike event, turning over and becoming the master of the house overnight, even someone of his age couldn't suppress his excitement.

Now, hearing the unusual commotion outside, the Taoist boy said loudly, "The Wang family helped refine the capital's defending army, and the Zhou, Zhao, and Li families are helping outside. The Sun family is ready to take action at any time, which should be enough to block those evildoers."

"But when it comes to military formations, the Zou Gui School is still the most skilled. Now that it's noisy outside, please let the Second Ancestor use a banner first to dampen their spirits!"

"..."

"Easy, easy. I will obey any command."

The Second Ancestor of the Qingyuan Hu family smiled, agreeing, and slowly raised the banner, preparing to cast the spell.

But at this moment, the smile on his face suddenly froze, and he stayed there.

The Taoist boy frowned and said, "Why did you stop?"

"Hu…"

Words could not describe the fear and panic on the Second Ancestor's face, his breath reversing: "The Zou Gui School is no longer… no longer…"

Before he could finish speaking, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

And before the ancestral shrine, Hu Ma straightened his clothes leisurely, looked directly at the Imperial Advisor, and slowly said, "Zou Gui still bears the name Hu, but it's not the Hu of Zhen Sui Hu (Suppressing Calamity Hu) anymore."

At this time, he looked at the Imperial Advisor as if he were looking at the biggest joke in the world, his smile carrying mischief and pleasure, as well as undisguised sarcasm: "Didn't you say earlier that as long as the Hu family returns, they won't be able to escape your grasp?"

"How could I not know such a clear thing? But I do need to come back. If I don't come back, I won't be able to understand these tricks you're secretly running."

"But while I can come back, the Zou Gui Hu family doesn't need to come back."

"..."

He spoke softly, exhaling slowly, and looked at the Imperial Advisor seriously: "I have entrusted the Zhen Sui Shu (Suppressing Calamity Book) to someone else."

"Someone trustworthy, and whose skills in the Zou Gui path far surpass mine."

"Whoever obtains the Zhen Sui Shu obtains the general outline of the Zou Gui path. Therefore, now I am not the head of the Zou Gui School. I am just the Da Dao Guan (Chief Official) of the Zou Gui sect."

"You have to wait for the Ten Clans to be complete before you can hold this dharma assembly…"

"But the Ten Clans can't be complete from the beginning."

"..."

Facing his stern gaze, the Imperial Advisor fell silent all of a sudden, and countless unexpected and maddening thoughts surged in his heart, but when they reached his lips, he only felt tired and couldn't speak.

The Hu family's actions were indeed too ruthless, so ruthless that they exceeded his imagination every time…

(End of this chapter)