“What the heck? How did I become the main force while fighting?”

Hu Ma was shocked by his own actions. He was clearly just a sidekick at the start…

They were all fellow villagers, and he didn't want to show off in front of them. After all, he hadn't crossed the bridge yet, nor had he fought anyone who had, so he didn't know how big the gap was.

Being able to cooperate and fight against this old monster from the Yan family was only thanks to the power of the Dawei Tiangong General Seal and the advantages of being a Shou Suiren (Night Watchman).

…Besides, if they succeeded, the reputation and benefits would still be his, wouldn't they?

But he didn't expect that after only a few exchanges, he felt something was wrong. Whether it was the spirit-burdened priest of the temple or the friend who used the large vat, both were quite skilled. Together with him, they barely managed to hold off this fierce and malevolent Old Master Yan.

But after only a few rounds, the two of them actually began to retreat in unison, their attacks full of hesitation, and the pressure fell on him.

Seriously? It hasn't even been long, and you're already selling out your teammates?

Hu Ma couldn't help but feel a bit bitter in his heart when he suddenly noticed something and his heart skipped a beat.

It was Old Master Yan who was acting strange. Unlike other zombies or demonic entities, this old thing, after crawling out of the well, not only didn't lose any of his corpse energy, but actually seemed to be getting more and more terrifying.

Layers of black gas spread out around him, like dark clouds, and even tiny sparks of electricity could be seen flickering within. This cloud of black gas seemed to be attracting the dark clouds above the vast Guazhou City, covering the city with darkness.

The wind and rain intensified, the world changed color, and evil permeated the streets and alleys.

Many of the people in Guazhou City felt as if their souls were suppressed, a stench drilled into their nostrils, and a feeling of nausea and lightheadedness arose in their chests.

Above their heads, the dark clouds grew thicker and thicker, but there was no feeling that it was about to rain. Instead, the air felt increasingly dry, as if the moisture of the human world was being sucked away by the dark clouds above, becoming increasingly arid.

It wasn't just moisture!

Even the ashes, dust, and the air of human life were being taken away. Even those with weak wills and insignificant destinies felt as if their souls were about to fly away.

The dark clouds that were slowly gathering overhead seemed to be stealing everything from the human world.

As the dark clouds gathered, the vast Guazhou City was becoming more and more…

…light!

Hu Ma, who was directly facing off against Old Master Yan, suddenly understood.

“Like Guanzhou, Guazhou is becoming lighter and lighter…”

“Even in ordinary places, the appearance of a drought zombie would cause red earth for miles, widespread plagues, and a miserable life for the people, but this Old Master Yan is even more sinister…”

“What's frightening about him isn't just the incomplete imperial aura, but the xian qi (immortal energy). If this thing is left here, I'm afraid that Guazhou will soon be plagued by natural disasters and epidemics. Before long, this fertile land will become a place as wretched as Guanzhou!”

“…”

But these consequences were still a long way off. In the present, it was because of the changes in Guazhou City that Old Master Yan was becoming more and more troublesome and difficult to deal with.

It is said that strength comes from the ground, but now, facing him, he felt a sense of weightlessness. The knife in his hand also felt light, and his own strength and skills were becoming light and weak…

How was he supposed to fight like this?

Both the spirit-burdened priest of the temple and the one who used the large vat sensed this strangeness and had no choice but to stop. It wasn't that they didn't want to contribute, but they didn't understand what kind of situation this was.

They had seen people cross the bridge, and they had fought fierce and malevolent beings before.

But they had never encountered a situation where the more they fought, the lighter they felt, and the more they were unable to use their skills. They couldn't help but feel uneasy, and their attacks became unsteady. Even the reincarnated spectators who had been laughing and joking couldn't laugh anymore, and their expressions changed drastically.

“Everyone, be careful. This is something related to the so-called 'xian.' Our land is becoming lighter…”

At this critical moment, Hu Ma could only grit his teeth and use the Fa Guan (Punishment Official) saber to hold on. His Dawei Tiangong General Seal Dharma form condensed, and he fought fiercely against Old Master Yan.

It wasn't that he didn't feel himself becoming lighter. The feeling became clearer as he attacked, but by unleashing the power of the Dawei Tiangong General Seal, he was still able to support himself and not suffer as much as others.

He even unexpectedly felt a long-lost sense of exhilaration amidst this extremely dangerous fight.

Even though this old monster was ferocious and terrifying, and his power was immense, and he was tainted with all kinds of evil energy, his own Second Fan Gate skills were truly inadequate against him. Even his Dharma form seemed like it would be dispersed directly by a mouthful of corpse energy.

But deep in his soul, a certain sense of excitement was stirred up. The Dawei Tiangong General Seal became more and more condensed, allowing him to vaguely feel a bit of truth, gradually approaching completion.

This was how it should be!

Good skills also needed good opponents to nurture them.

The Dawei Tiangong General Seal was a good set of skills, and he had learned it seriously, but he soon obtained the Zhen Sui Ji Jin Jian (Appeasing Evil Golden Mace) and other powerful weapons, which almost made him abandon his skills as a Shou Suiren. He didn't have the chance to fully master this Dharma form.

Instead, now that he didn't plan to use the mace and encountered a monster like Old Master Yan, he rediscovered the feeling.

Thinking like this, his strikes became heavier and heavier, and his Dharma form became more and more solid.

In this dark night, thunder rumbled and sabre light rolled around him.

From a distance, it looked like a strange ghost god with three heads and six arms was fighting fiercely with the monster covered in chains, as if people were falling into an illusion.

Usually, Hu Ma relied on the power of the Fa Guan saber when he attacked, but this time, it was actually the ferocity of his own aura that suppressed the saber. The saber in his hand was just a weapon, and the truly ferocious one was himself.

“Ah, this…”

As Hu Ma felt the ferocity of the Dawei Tiangong General Seal and fought fiercely with the old monster, even the reincarnated people around him gradually noticed something was wrong. They widened their eyes and were shocked by the bravery of this Da Tang Guan (Hall Official):

“Good heavens, he dares to take on this old monster with the body of a Second Fan Gate cultivator?”

“No wonder he dared to mingle with the Ten Surnames, and no wonder he has the courage to gather other reincarnated people with his skills!”

“This guy is a real man…”

“This brother just told us to be careful. What the heck is that so-called 'xian'?”

“I seem to have vaguely heard that it's the biggest secret of the Ten Surnames?”

“…”

“Is this the time to talk about this?”

Hu Ma, who was in the midst of the fierce battle, inadvertently heard a few of their comments and was immediately speechless. He even lost some energy while swinging his saber.

Seriously, I'm still holding off Old Master Yan here!

Compared to this half-imperial life, dragon-transformed zombie monster, his own skills were indeed far behind. Fighting him with two experts was fine, and it was okay for him to resist for a while longer than others by relying on his Shou Suiren foundation since everyone else's strength was weakening, but asking him to fight him one-on-one?

That was too much, wasn't it?

This was indeed a good opportunity to hone his Dawei Tiangong General Seal, but he couldn't throw his life away…

At this moment, he clearly felt the Four Pillars of Daoism within his body rapidly diminishing. To deal with this Old Master Yan, he could only grit his teeth and unleash the Dawei Tiangong General Seal. If he was even a little slow, he would feel that light, uncontrollable sensation.

“Am I really going to have to use the Zhen Sui Ji Jin Jian?”

Hu Ma couldn't help but have this thought, but he knew that if he used it, all his previous efforts would be in vain, and he felt a little unwilling.

Things had already reached this point. If he used the Zhen Sui Ji Jin Jian, these reincarnated people might be frightened away all at once. Even the Hu family might be ridiculed.

This Old Master Yan of the Yan family, although strangely outrageous, was not known to outsiders.

When others saw you using the mace, they wouldn't think much of it, they would only think that you, the ghost-hunting Hu family, had come to this small Yan family and had to use the Zhen Sui Ji Jin Jian to kill an old immortal. It would only make you, the Hu family, seem to lack confidence and have to do everything yourself.

Of course, those who knew the details of this Yan family would probably think it was reasonable to use the Zhen Sui Ji Jin Jian, but he was afraid that those who knew would pretend not to know and would use this opportunity to laugh at you!

“Crack…”

Just as everyone was thinking, they suddenly heard another thunderclap outside, with astonishing power.

Everyone hurriedly looked over and saw a black shadow coming with a saber. He strode through the collapsed houses and walls, heading straight for Old Master Yan.

Facing the old monster who was no longer human, whose body was steaming with black evil energy that had already formed dark clouds covering the entire Guazhou City, he didn't hesitate and rushed directly to the other party's face, fiercely chopping down with his saber.

“Swish…”

At the moment of striking, no one knew what method he used, but endless flames suddenly erupted from the saber.

From a distance, his strike looked as if it had pulled out several zhang (丈, approx. 3.3 meters) of fire, majestic and awe-inspiring, like using computer effects.

“Whoosh!”

Old Master Yan seemed to have sensed the danger as well and suddenly turned his head, spraying a stream of corpse energy towards him. This corpse energy was connected to the dark clouds in the air, and the blast was like a flash flood, directly engulfing the figure.

But precisely in the next moment, a spark tore through the dark clouds and chopped down, but after all, it was crooked, and only struck Old Master Yan's shoulder.

With a “chila” sound, the monster's arm was actually severed.

As this arm landed, even the dark clouds gathered in the air seemed to sink slightly, and the feeling of lightness that everyone felt in their bodies became more solid.

“Another one who crossed the bridge?”

The reincarnated people were all shocked and stared with wide eyes, but they soon discovered, “He hasn't crossed the bridge…”

“But this brother isn't using the skills of the human world. His saber has been stained with the blood of the Blood Pool…”