“Terrible!”

“The Meng family is lying! The Mandate of Heaven is no longer in Shangjing. We've been deceived for twenty years!”

From the perspective of those in the know, Hu Ma's Ti Bian Mace shattered the golden statue of the Guan Prefecture City God, waking up the hungry ghosts. Little did they know that the most terrifying thing now was a group of people being jolted awake from their dreams.

As the Guan Prefecture City God let out a miserable scream and his golden statue shattered, all the aristocratic families, esoteric figures, great ghosts, and malevolent spirits in the world shuddered as if waking from a nightmare. A chilling sense of dread arose from the depths of their souls.

They all looked up in the direction of Guan Prefecture, sensing the change there. Their first reaction was fear, followed by horror and anger:

“The late Emperor was skinned, but the world is still ruled in the name of the Yi. Everyone knows the imperial bloodline is gone, and a new emperor will inevitably appear, but the world still believes that the Mandate of Heaven has belonged to the Du family for the past twenty years.”

“Who the hell could have imagined that this was all a deception!”

“The Zhenchong Bureau disappeared twenty years ago and has now reappeared in the world. The first thing they did was strike down the Shangjing Mandate and the Prefecture God. This… this means that the Zhenchong Bureau has been unrestrained by imperial power for twenty years…”

“No wonder the Ten Great Families have been suppressing the grass-roots warlords everywhere. Could it be that they were just worried someone would seize the Mandate of Heaven ahead of time?”

“…”

“…”

“How can the power of this mace be… so overbearing and unreasonable?”

As Hu Ma unleashed this mace strike, countless gods and ghosts inside and outside the city, and even in this world, were frightened. The most panicked and bewildered were the Hu family members. They cried out in disbelief, “The new emperor hasn't been chosen yet, so the Mandate of Heaven still belongs to the old imperial lineage…”

“But… but how can he disregard the imperial decree?”

“…”

Hu Ma knew the reason, but he also knew that this key involved some deep secrets of the Zhenchong Bureau, which could not be divulged or explained to them, so they remained puzzled.

“It's very simple…”

But amid their panic, they heard a faint sighing voice beside them. They turned their heads sharply and saw a young nobleman in green robes, with a wry smile on his face, sighing softly:

“This means that your Qingyuan Hu family's understanding of the Zhenchong Bureau is completely wrong, ridiculously wrong…”

“But, it's not just you who are wrong…”

“…”

When he raised his head, one could see the inexplicable resentment surging in his eyes, and he gritted his teeth, “We, the Meng family, were also wrong…”

“It's the National Preceptor!”

“He… he deceived all of us!”

As he spoke slowly, his expression seemed to become distorted, even fearful, “No wonder the Zhenchong Bureau had to be hidden for twenty years, no wonder the National Preceptor, who received the late Emperor's mandate, also hid himself…”

“No wonder this branch of the Hu family, forsaking such great wealth, would rather risk the suffering of their bloodline being severed and their souls being obliterated, than to withstand this Zhenchong Mace…”

“Such a powerful weapon, but without the restraint of the imperial decree, who knows what consequences it will bring?”

When this person appeared, the three Hu family elders, who had been slightly relieved from their initial shock and suspicion, suddenly heard his words and their faces became even more astonished and suspicious. They trembled and said, “Meng family nephew, what you're saying is… is…”

“Haa…”

The young nobleman remained silent for a long time. After a good while, he seemed to digest the resentment and distortion on his face bit by bit, and a warm smile reappeared on his face. Then, he sighed softly.

He said to the Second Master Hu, “Uncle, rest assured, I came here under the orders of my elders, and my words count. Although we lost this calculation, it's not our fault.”

“If we're talking about losing, we didn't lose to him, but we lost from the very beginning.”

“However, since we've lost, the things the Meng family promised can't be easily done. But you don't need to worry, I'll plead with him and won't let him go too far. At least, I'll ensure you can return safely…”

“…”

“Too far?”

Hearing his words, the three Hu family elders even lost control of their expressions, and a hint of jealousy flashed across their faces. "This matter has consumed so much effort, and you're just brushing it aside with a few casual words?"

"We are the ones who are surnamed Hu, so why do we need you, surnamed Meng, to come and plead on our behalf?"

For a moment, they felt suppressed and anxious, but the successive shocks were too great, and they couldn't say anything.

And the young nobleman in green robes, after dropping these words, had already lifted the corner of his robe and slowly climbed the city wall of Ming Prefecture. Looking down at the chaotic battlefield outside the city, he sighed and clapped his hands gently.

“Zhenchong Bureau, Zhenchong Mace, they are indeed heavy…”

Outside Ming Prefecture City, the sky had already brightened. The hungry ghosts had revived, and the fighting had stopped, but the severed limbs, broken arms, and rivers of blood on the battlefield still gave people a sense of instinctive horror.

Everyone looked at the noble who had struck down with the mace, changing the world's colors. They had countless words stuck in their throats, wanting to say them but daring not to.

While everyone was watching, Hu Ma was also looking down at the Zhenchong Mace in his hand, feeling its heavy weight. For a moment, he seemed to lack the courage to lift it again.

This mace was definitely not something that the Hu family could possess. The karma on it was definitely not something that the Ghost Walker family could bear. As a transmigrator, he was already burdened by the problems left by the previous transmigrator. Now, it seemed like he was burdened with an even bigger one.

But perhaps, this wasn't a bad thing?

Just as he was thinking, a mournful sound of blowing and beating suddenly rang out from the direction of Ming Prefecture City. Two rows of white banners lined up out of the city,

And in the middle of the banners, there was no sedan chair, only a young man in green robes, with his hands behind his back, walking. He had a smile on his face and seemed to be hurrying, arriving in front of everyone.

Whether it was the awakened hungry ghosts or the Grain Protection Army lined up beside them, they all felt a strange sense of coldness. Ghosts and demons usually took advantage of the night to harm people, but under these white banners, there was a terrifying coldness even in the daytime.

“Greetings, brother…”

Just as everyone's hearts were trembling, wondering what was about to happen, they saw the young nobleman in green robes between the banners stop abruptly ten zhang away from the noble holding the mace.

With a face full of smiles, he cupped his hands from afar, bowing deeply and saying, “After twenty years, the Zhenchong Bureau has reappeared in the world. Brother Hu is extraordinarily talented and courageous. Meng Siliang, a junior of the Meng family, is here to congratulate you, brother.”

Because his face was pale, as if he rarely saw the sun, he looked a little younger, but from his eyebrows and temperament, it could be seen that he was nearly thirty years old. Now, facing Hu Ma, he actually called him "brother" with every sentence, being very affectionate.

However, while he was being polite, many people around, hearing him announce his family and call this noble "brother," felt a thud in their hearts:

"Could this be that Meng family?"

"We usually can't even see one of these high-ranking members of the main family. What virtue or ability do we have to see two of them in one day?"

“…”

“…”

“Finally willing to come out…”

Seeing the young nobleman in green robes appear, Hu Ma's heart also settled slightly. He had long known that the Meng family was behind this matter, but he didn't know when they would appear, or even if they would appear. Now, he felt relieved.

He also looked at this Meng family's eldest son very carefully. But just like his own face was covered by the altar and couldn't be seen clearly, he also had something strange about him. At first glance, he seemed to see his appearance clearly, but in the blink of an eye, he forgot.

It seemed that the Ten Great Families were all vigilant, especially in this kind of situation where they openly showed their faces. They wouldn't easily let others see their appearance clearly, to avoid certain harmful spells.

So, meeting the other party's warm and kind face, Hu Ma also suddenly showed a smile and nodded to the other party in a warm and friendly manner, saying, "Brother Meng, I've long heard of your great name. Greetings."

"I've never left Old Yin Mountain, but I've heard a lot about the Meng family's movements. I was thinking of visiting the Meng family when I had time, but I didn't expect to meet you here first. I wonder what wind blew someone of your status here?"

“…”

"Easy, easy to say."

The Meng family's eldest son seemed a little surprised by Hu Ma's politeness. His smile became even more affectionate. "I'm just following the orders of the adults in my family to walk around and see the suffering of the people."

"My Meng family has always been concerned about the world, and wherever we go, we eliminate evil and pacify unrest."

"Now that I've come to Ming Prefecture, I've seen the yin and yang out of order, monsters harming people, ghosts and gods without masters, disobeying orders, and living people dying unjustly. I should have taken action, but I didn't expect to meet Brother Hu here."

"Seeing Brother Hu's actions just now, striking down the Guan Prefecture City God with one mace, your majesty is awe-inspiring and I admire you greatly. But I'm a little puzzled. Earlier, you issued the Order of Seven Kills, breaking all the rules…"

He paused, looked up at Hu Ma, and smiled, "Aren't you worried that the ghosts and gods in the dark will see it and come to your door sooner or later?"

Hu Ma raised the Zhenchong Mace in his hand, and the Meng family's eldest son's face suddenly changed slightly.

Then he heard Hu Ma laugh and say, "Netherworld sins?"

"I've always believed in that, so I refuse to do anything against my conscience. Now, I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder when these ghosts and gods will come and settle the score with me?"

“…”

The Meng family's eldest son forced a smile and said, "Ordinary people all have three souls, and their sins and karma are recorded on their bodies. When they die, they enter the Netherworld to weigh their good and evil. Every drink and every peck, they can't escape…"

"Very good."

Hu Ma smiled, held the Zhenchong Mace in his hand, and said, "I was just about to ask you, brother, to help me witness it."

Seeing that his reaction was wrong, the Meng family's eldest son said in a deep voice, "Witness what?"

Hu Ma smiled at him, and the Zhenchong Mace in his hand slowly released, the tip of the mace falling to the ground. The earth suddenly rumbled and trembled, and even the banners behind the Meng family's eldest son suddenly trembled, and the slender shadows under the banners were unable to stand still.

And Hu Ma shook his sleeves, and his surroundings were hazy, vaguely as if he was in a high hall, and said coldly, "Help me witness, see if these so-called heaven and earth ghosts and gods dare to convict me!"