Chapter 1 In the Old Yin Mountains

At the moment Hu Ma bowed three times, hundreds of *li* away in the Old Yin Mountains, in the desolate village where wronged souls wandered and howled at the moon...

Upon the village's stone platform, the stone box, tightly bound by iron chains, suddenly buzzed and trembled incessantly.

The village's vengeful spirits, sensing something, cried out and scattered, trying to escape. But the four warding stones around the village emitted faint, shimmering light, transforming into four generals clad in golden armor, watching over the village and suppressing all disturbances.

Back in Qing Stone Town, before Huang Gou Village, Hu Ma felt a strange mix of emotions welling up inside him after seeing Granny's shadow dissipate.

Even though Mountain Lord had assured him this method would work, he still felt a little uneasy. Inheriting the Hu family's legacy was inevitable, but would it really be this smooth?

Reincarnated souls feared the Ten Surnames, yet he was deliberately walking into their domain. Wasn't this essentially a death wish?

But after seeing Granny's shadow, he suddenly felt like he had been overthinking things.

It had been two full years since Granny rescued him and took care of him so diligently. Perhaps, in his heart, he had grown somewhat distant?

He had to admit, he was initially moved by Granny's devotion, but as time passed, he occasionally felt uneasy. He seemed less familiar with her than with Little Hong Tang, let alone with the Hu family identity.

He was inheriting the Hu family's legacy because he realized that even if he didn't, he couldn't escape fate. So, he simply took the initiative and stepped forward.

But what about emotions?

Besides sharing the same surname, Hu, what emotions were there?

Yet, these subtle feelings vanished the moment he saw Granny.

When she heard that he wanted to borrow the family heirloom and that he planned to kill the Five Fiends, Granny didn't ask any questions or express any doubts. Her eyes were filled with endless joy.

She simply believed that the Hu family's descendant had grown up and was finally preparing to do something.

So, perhaps he really was a descendant of the Hu family, only having forgotten some things and remembered others?

He sighed softly, then gently raised his head. He saw that the wind in front of him had suddenly become exceptionally fierce.

The wind seemed to carry a sense of majesty, almost knocking him over. But he knew that this was the crucial moment, so he simply stood up, stood his ground, and didn't even close his eyes, only watching the night ahead.

The night deepened, as if turning into a thick tide, and within the impenetrable depths, there was a strange stirring. Something was approaching.

*Dong, dong, dong!*

Hu Ma seemed to hear heavy vibrations, each one like an earthquake.

He strained to look ahead, finally seeing a ball of golden light faintly emitting from the tidal night as the vibrations drew closer.

Then, the golden light grew closer, revealing two burly men in golden armor walking through the night. The golden armor shimmered, sweeping away the eerie atmosphere of the sinister night. Wandering ghosts and wild spirits, unable to escape, were instantly turned into wisps of smoke.

The vibrations came from their footsteps. Each extended a hand, together carrying a black box, walking step by step, then heavily placing it before Hu Ma.

"So, it was really borrowed. This is the Hu family's heirloom?"

Hu Ma suppressed his excitement and slowly bowed, thanking the two golden-armored warriors.

But they didn't say a word. After placing the box, one held a halberd, the other an axe, standing on either side, guarding the stone box.

*Clang!*

The chains on the stone box suddenly scattered.

Hu Ma could feel the object inside the box emitting a terrifying power. This was the Hu family's item, and it should rightfully be his.

But facing this stone box, he had an instinctive urge to flee. He wondered if it was the part of him that belonged to the reincarnated soul, subconsciously fearing the contents of the box, having an instinct to avoid it.

But this scene was unavoidable, wasn't it?

If he didn't seize this opportunity to see if it was auspicious or ominous beforehand, would he really wait until he entered the Desolate Village and formally took the item to risk it?

He gritted his teeth, his expression solemn, and slowly, he lifted the lid of the box, little by little.

*Whoosh!*

An indescribable, fierce gust of wind swept over him.

It wasn't the sinister wind that accompanied evil apparitions, nor the baleful aura of the Five Fiend Gods, but a dignified, majestic, and imposing presence that inspired awe at first sight, seemingly blowing away all the dark thoughts in one's heart.

Hu Ma's eyesight was far better than before, but now he still had to take a moment to make out the appearance of the object inside the box.

It was a dark, heavy copper mace, with *bi'an* (a mythical beast with the head of a human and claws of a tiger) patterns inlaid with a red copper-like substance, but this red copper vaguely seemed to be alive.

Round-headed and square-bodied, divided into nine sections, one *zhang* and eight *chi* long, as thick as a human arm, it lay quietly in the box, yet one could feel the heavy aura it contained.

"This... is the Hu family's heirloom?"

Hu Ma didn't examine the black mace too closely. The doubts he had felt earlier vanished upon seeing the copper mace. Facing the copper mace, he felt a heavy pressure on his soul, and a strong sense of intimacy.

It seemed that something in his blood was resonating with the copper mace. He could even feel his body craving to pick it up.

So, Hu Ma took a deep breath, reached in, grasped the mace handle, and slowly lifted it.

He couldn't lift it.

The mace looked incredibly heavy, but now that he reached for it, it seemed even heavier than it looked. With all his strength, Hu Ma couldn't even budge it.

But at this moment, Hu Ma raised an eyebrow, and suddenly, with a low roar, all three pillars of his Daoist cultivation were unleashed. His body, tempered by the Year Keeper's method, suddenly burst forth with all its power.

Now, even Hu Ma didn't know how much strength he had used.

He rarely needed to use all his strength to do anything anymore.

But now, facing this copper mace, he actually used all his strength, and finally, grasping the mace handle, he lifted it up, little by little.

Little by little, he moved it out of the black box.

But it was only barely lifted out. Trying to raise it above his head was impossible. Moreover, after pulling the copper mace out of the stone box, he couldn't even sustain his Year Keeper strength. Suddenly, his hand slipped, and the copper mace fell straight to the ground.

*Bang!*

In that instant, it seemed as if the entire Ming Prefecture trembled a few times.

It wasn't a real tremor, but as if the soul had suddenly been stimulated, causing dizziness and vertigo. Even Little Hong Tang, who was watching from afar, fell on her backside, rubbed her nose, and only stared blankly at the copper mace.

The moment the mace fell to the ground, it stuck straight into the earth, standing upright. The nine sections of the mace gradually collided and vibrated, forming a roar like that of some ferocious beast. An imposing aura suddenly spread out in all directions.

In that instant, the wailing of ghosts and the aura of resentment that echoed throughout the land were scattered under the pressure of this aura.

In Huang Gou Village, the little ghosts who had been brought over by the Five Fiends and disturbed by the dark-clothed figure, and had fled into every corner, fell to the ground at this moment, crushed into pancakes and gradually disappeared.

At the same time, on Zhang A'gu's altar, she watched helplessly as the straw figure caught fire, unable to do anything. The Five Fiends were too powerful; she couldn't summon anyone to help.

If the fiends weren't being cautious, she would have already been consumed and killed by their baleful aura.

But just as she was about to give out, Seventh Granny, who had been watching with a smile, seemed a little worried and called out to her, "Big girl, just a little bit more! Keep trying!"

Seventh Granny didn't know what was going on; she just saw that Zhang A'gu seemed to be running out of strength, so she was cheering her on.

But this shout really hardened Zhang A'gu's heart. The memory of her mother being killed ten years ago, the ten years of fear, the ten years of being beaten and scolded, all surfaced in her mind, and she was no longer afraid of the backlash.

Even if there was a backlash, it had to come to her, which meant it would be brought into the altar.

So, with a loud cry, the black bone she held in her hand was crushed, and her voice echoed in the altar: "Evil spirit, come into the altar and talk to me..."

*Whoosh!*

In that instant, the oil lamp in front of Zhang A'gu, which was about to go out, suddenly burst into flames, illuminating everything around. A wild wind blew in from all directions, and vaguely, some solemn sound seemed to echo.

The night became incredibly heavy, so heavy that it seemed to create illusions. A tall and imposing aura slowly appeared behind Zhang A'gu's altar.

Because she was the one who had set up the altar, she didn't turn around, but she could feel the changes behind her. She clearly saw that it was a tall, towering palace, with a high roof ridge and heavy, ancient black doors.

Before the doors, two powerful and fierce guardian beasts seemed to emit a fierce, cold light from their eyes.

The next moment, these long-sealed black doors suddenly slowly, heavily, opened a crack, and one could vaguely hear that illusory, soul-shaking voice.

"The Town Demon Bureau opens, slaying the wicked and vanquishing evil!"

"..."

The next moment, a dark, black token was suddenly thrown out from the slightly opened doors.

Zhang A'gu was now stunned, her heart filled with indescribable excitement, her mind only echoing the phrase: "The Town Demon Bureau, has opened?"

(End of Chapter)