Chapter 1 Rising Chaos

Chaos was already rising in the city, everywhere were silent and bizarre scenes.

However, Hu Ma, descending from the ancestral hall, was already resolute, turning a blind eye to it all. He went straight to the incense altar set up earlier by the National Preceptor and the other members of the Ten Clans.

Old Abacus, standing beside him, held a set of clothes and helped him change. Surprisingly, it was a purple Daoist robe. Hu Ma didn't mind, putting it on and looking himself up and down, before taking the peach wood sword.

Looking into the distance, he could see shadowy figures on the rooftops and city walls of Shangjing City.

The Transcendants (zhuan sheng zhe) were already in place, perhaps even disguised, but what they looked like was currently unknown.

In Shangjing City, the Grain Protection Army had already separated and guarded the outside of Shangjing City. In fact, that afternoon, the Ever Victorious King had also arrived, and the Grain Protection Army could have returned to Ming Prefecture.

However, Hu Ma discussed it with Erguotou, and they decided to have the Grain Protection Army stay and serve as the guarding soldiers for this Dharma Assembly. After all, the benefits of this Dharma Assembly were what the Grain Protection Army deserved.

Before the incense altar, Old Abacus stood on the left, serving in place of his Daoist page.

Aside from the wrinkles on his face, there were no other issues.

Erguotou had agreed to Hu Ma's request, standing on the right side of the incense altar, now serving as the assistant officiant of this Dharma Assembly.

Lady Red Lantern and others were not idle either.

After Erguotou led the incense from each of the Ten Clans out of the city, he hung huge red lanterns at each of the major city gates, their light eerie, covering the ground.

Personally hung by him, each lantern could seal off a city gate.

Inside Shangjing City, the demonic aura was now overwhelming. Early that day, when the Ten Clans left the city, many clever people realized what was happening and hurriedly followed them.

Among them were even the Qingyuan Hu family and Hu Ma's maternal Ren family. They rushed around frantically for several days, but ultimately gained nothing, not even understanding what was happening in the city.

As for the common people who remained in the city, their purple qi flowed away, gradually seeing clearly what their prosperity really looked like.

One by one, people who should have died long ago had their flesh and blood peel away, struggling on the ground in agony.

One by one, the wronged souls that had been summoned back wandered the streets, not knowing where to go.

And many of the ordinary people who had previously found everything perfectly reasonable suddenly realized, "Mother... Mother, no, that's not right."

It was impossible to describe the chaos of that moment. Many people only realized at this point that the people around them had actually died two years ago.

Months ago, they had seen people who were already dead return home as if nothing had happened, living normal lives. It was clearly a bizarre and terrifying thing, but they hadn't noticed, living together in peace for so long, only realizing it now.

This confusion and pain, the enormous shock, seemed to shatter countless people.

Some were even scared to death.

The invisible sense of terror seemed to form an invisible force, instantly filling the vast Shangjing City, dark clouds covering the sun.

At the same time, Hu Ma, holding the peach wood sword, gently flicked it forward and shouted in a deep voice:

"A pillar of incense towards the heavens, rise!"

"..."

Before him was the Avalokiteśvara incense of the Great Luo Dharma Sect. He had almost been crushed to death by this incense burner when he fought the National Preceptor earlier.

But now, the incense burner was his.

And now, lighting these incense sticks at this Dharma Assembly was equivalent to carrying Shangjing City on his shoulders.

If the Dharma Assembly succeeded, the city would be preserved; if the city was destroyed, the Dharma Assembly would fail, and he would die.

The incense sticks placed in the incense burner were also particular: as the chief officiant, how much Dao one possessed determined how many incense sticks could be lit in the incense burner.

If the Dongxuan National Preceptor were to hold this Dharma Assembly, he would not be able to light any incense sticks at all; he could only borrow this one Avalokiteśvara incense.

Because he had gone too far on the bridge, his fate was too light, not even worth one incense stick.

But now, Hu Ma flicked the peach wood sword, and in the incense burner, one incense stick after another suddenly burned brightly.

In addition to that one Avalokiteśvara incense, he lit nine incense sticks in a row, arranged in a line, with wisps of green smoke drifting.

Even then, he hadn't used his full strength; one incense stick was left to protect himself.

"Our little shopkeeper is really different now."

Behind the incense altar, Old Abacus looked at the nine incense sticks, a rare sight in the entire history of the Great Luo Dharma Sect, and couldn't help but be surprised, his expression a mixture of emotion and gratification.

He said to Erguotou beside him, "Right Protector, the little shopkeeper is now one of the people in this world with the heaviest fate. Those who have gone on the bridge, although they have gained abilities, their fate will become lighter and lighter, further and further away from this world."

"Only this little shopkeeper, not only has his ability grown, but his fate is also heavier than ordinary people."

"..."

He and Erguotou knew each other, but they hadn't interacted much in the Lady Red Lantern Society before.

Now, meeting again, their identities were different.

Erguotou also looked at Hu Ma and said in a low voice, "What realm is he in now?"

Old Abacus sucked in his teeth and said, "Theoretically, he's still in the Entrance to the Mansion (ru fu) realm, but those who have gone on the bridge definitely can't beat him, and they have to be careful of being pulled off the bridge by him."

"The most important thing is that although he's not like those who have gone on the bridge, unable to avoid the Dharma, ordinary Dharma can't kill him... If someone really can kill him, then they're in for a bloody disaster, his life is too valuable!"

"Techniques can be great, but they can't be greater than Heaven and Earth, and he, heh heh..."

"No matter who kills him, within twenty years, their family will be wiped out, even the Heavenly King can't protect them."

"..."

How could Erguotou not be filled with emotion when he heard this?

This was the little brother he had promoted with his own hands, especially after discovering that this was actually his junior brother.

His karma with this world, besides Little Red Lantern, was greatest with this person.

But clearly, their relationship was so close, so why did things become so awkward with the Transcendants?

He felt even more that it was important to find Tie Guanyin as soon as possible and understand the mysteries surrounding the Transcendants themselves.

"Whoosh!"

At the same time that Hu Ma lit the incense, when the green smoke drifted over, Shangjing City

roared, the entire city, as if a giant beast arched its back.

The people of the entire city felt their bodies lighten, as if they were slightly taller than usual.

Some soybeans that were being dried in the courtyards even jumped a little.

But at the same time, Hu Ma lifted his Dharma robe and stomped his foot fiercely. In the wisps of green smoke, his figure seemed to undergo some changes, vaguely showing the appearance of three heads and six arms. This stomp was so heavy that it caused Shangjing City to sink slightly.

It was as if something was arching its back, and he had forcibly stepped it down.

But now was not the critical moment. As soon as he stomped his foot, he followed up with a large sleeve, forcefully sweeping it forward.

His lifelong skill of keeping vigil, his sleeve filled with wind, swept out like a heavy hammer. If someone were in front of him, they would be smashed into pulp.

And now, being in the midst of the Dharma Assembly, this sweep was even more imposing. The sky above the vast Shangjing City seemed to directly summon a gale, roaring and sweeping across the city, scattering in all directions outside Shangjing City.

The air pressure in the entire Shangjing City seemed to drop suddenly, as if the air had been抽空, and in these winds, faint traces of purple qi could be seen.

In some places, the purple qi even formed clouds, all floating towards outside the city.

The Grain Protection Army, guarding around Shangjing City, was the first to meet this purple qi, as if their bodies had been washed all over.

Purple Taisui!

Shangjing City was so strange because it had dozens or even hundreds of times more purple qi than other places.

This purple qi was not normal; it had been secretly stolen by the Wang family.

Previously, people only knew that the Meng family was the most energetic in stealing the bounty of heaven and earth, but now, the Wang family could be ranked above the Meng family.

After all, the Meng family only stole for their own use, while the Wang family wanted to create a Jade Capital (bai yu jing).

They thought that even after becoming immortals, they would still be high above, and still have the prosperity and liveliness of this Shangjing City. Therefore, in the Wang family's calculations, the entire Shangjing City was filled with immortals.

Everyone could be immortal, always maintaining their current appearance, forever and ever, serving the descendants of the Wang family as they do now. Behind this plan was the purple qi that did not belong to Shangjing City, all condensed into Shangjing City.

And the first thing Hu Ma did when he started the altar was to send this purple qi out of the city, returning it to the people of the world.

Because this originally belonged to those outside.

Shangjing City should have been the last place in this world to fall into chaos, but as a result, the surrounding area was barren for thousands of miles, with wars and chaos.

This was because the bounty of heaven and earth had been stolen, only nourishing Shangjing City in one place.

As this purple qi rolled out of the city, chaos immediately broke out in the city, rising to a higher level than before.

This extraordinary purple qi had been barely kept in the city. When the ancestral halls of the Ten Clans were no longer suppressing it, the purple qi had already begun to flow away, and the balance within Shangjing City had been broken.

Now, with Hu Ma sweeping his sleeve, the purple qi rolled away, as if tearing away the last fig leaf of Shangjing City, revealing the true forms of countless people who should have died long ago or had already died.

And the people who were supposed to be alive, and who were unaware of this, inexplicably felt themselves becoming lighter and lighter.

Only a little bit of their toes touched the ground, and many people even felt their toes floating up.

…

"Crack..."

At the same time, the weight of Shangjing City reached its lightest point in history.

Shangjing City

A huge cracking sound rang out, countless houses collapsed, and huge cracks wandered through the entire city like giant snakes.

Countless people were panicking and crying.

Beneath the Wang family's pharmacy, endless evil qi spewed out, instantly forming rolling black clouds.

At the same moment, before the incense altar, Hu Ma suddenly took a few steps forward, just like when the National Preceptor borrowed his body to invite the altar, Daoist talismans appeared under his feet, emitting great light. Then, the peach wood sword pointed in the direction of Old Yin Mountain.

"Twelve Ghost Altars, come!"