Chapter 13 Great Tablet Crushing Hand

The Great Tablet Crushing Hand is a special skill of the Shousui people (gravekeepers).

However, it can't be mastered simply by relying on the Shousui's unique constitution, which straddles the line between life and death. It also requires diligent training, the use of herbal medicine and talisman water, and daily practice of striking stone tablets to temper the palm with the yin energy from the stone.

Once mastered, it can be used to amplify the user's living energy. A single strike of the palm is filled with yang energy, specifically effective against evil spirits and malevolent entities, with a power comparable to the Blood Yang Arrow.

The Blood Yang Arrow is a signature move of the Shousui, but each use depletes their vital essence.

The Great Tablet Crushing Hand, however, doesn't consume the user's own qi and blood. It's a direct palm strike that can be used repeatedly.

He didn't want to use this move earlier, fearing it would scare away the unicycle man. But now that he's using it, he immediately followed up with a sweeping step, employing the mountain-opening stance taught by Second Grandpa. First, he kicked up a cloud of sand, and then struck out with his palm.

"Not good!"

Hu Ma was right. The unicycle man, upon seeing Hu Ma use the Great Tablet Crushing Hand, didn't become enraged. Instead, he immediately wanted to escape.

Encounters are different from ambushes. In an encounter, one doesn't know the opponent's full strength. There's no reason to fight recklessly. So, one usually tests the waters with thirty percent of their abilities. If the opponent's strength is unclear, it's best to make a quick retreat.

Only fools would blindly fight when someone suddenly appears at their door, with unknown intentions.

This unicycle man was no fool.

He initially thought Hu Ma was a zougui (ghost runner). But upon attacking, he discovered he was a Shousui. This already raised his guard. Then, seeing that he even possessed a special skill like the Great Tablet Crushing Hand, which immediately broke his Corpse Fiend Little Ghosts, he immediately sensed danger and became unsure of the guy's strength.

While urgently chanting incantations to have the Little Ghosts, which hadn't been killed, surround Hu Ma, he himself tried to flee.

Before running, he didn't forget to grab a handful of meat strips from the unicycle, taking these treasures with him.

His reaction was already quite fast, but Hu Ma was already prepared.

After all, it was a case of the prepared mind against the unprepared. How could he let him escape? Because he rushed over too quickly, the Little Ghosts didn't even have time to entangle him before he reached the man's back and struck out with his palm.

"This is outrageous!"

The man, sensing the heavy palm force behind him, knew he couldn't escape. With a furious roar, he suddenly swung his scythe and viciously slashed at Hu Ma's face.

Now, fighting for his life, he dared not hide his true abilities any longer. A surge of malevolent aura erupted from his body. He was incredibly strong, and the scythe in his hand made a whistling sound as it cut through the air. The sharp, eerie blade was aimed directly at Hu Ma's eyes, cutting straight towards them.

"Good grief!"

Hu Ma instinctively retreated, dodging the blow.

Burning incense is borrowing power. The zou ling ren's (spirit borrowers) techniques are certainly not as exquisite as the Shousui's, but when they erupt, they carry a strange and ruthless force that makes one wary of being too careless in front of them.

More importantly, the man, after using the scythe to force Hu Ma back, didn't press the attack. Instead, he retreated further, creating distance. At the same time, he quickly tore open the front of his shirt, revealing a festering sore in the center of his chest.

"You bastard, I don't know where you ran out from, you Shousui, daring to block your Grandpa's life-threatening affairs here? I think you're ignorant, selling life-saving medicine in front of Yama..."

While cursing, he rapidly shook his head and chanted incantations. The festering sore began to spread across his body.

At the same time, the blood he spat out transformed into a cloud of poisonous mist, quickly drifting towards Hu Ma. It vaguely carried a chilling ghostly aura, as if a sudden storm had risen in the field, engulfing Hu Ma.

A Life Curse!

This zou ling ren didn't know where Hu Ma came from. Logically speaking, even among the Shousui in Mingzhou, there weren't many who could stand against him. Hu Ma must be someone of considerable renown.

But having become accustomed to acting arrogantly under the Five Fiends, how could he tolerate such humiliation? In Mingzhou, there were no influential officials. Even the people in Plum Blossom Lane or the yamen had to carefully serve him when they saw him coming, not daring to resist.

Now, this Shousui, who came out of nowhere, dared to make him suffer such a loss. He was momentarily angered. Escaping was, of course, the priority, but since he couldn't escape, he had to make a decision immediately.

He would directly use a Life Curse to poison the opponent to death.

In reality, if they were fighting normally, he still had many moves he hadn't used. But being cornered wasn't about determining victory or defeat, it was a matter of life and death in an instant. So, he directly used his trump card.

For a time, the night was hazy, filled with the sounds of ghosts wailing and demons howling. The air was thick with poisonous and evil气息.

When the poisonous mist spread, even Little Red Tangerine and the donkey, which had been trying to shrink its butt, were affected. After Little Red Tangerine was affected, there was no impact, only the green cloth tied on her wrist, became a little turbid, but this turbidity also quickly disappeared.

However, the donkey's butt was different. It actually swelled up with sores, becoming like the man's festering sores.

"So, you're not hiding anymore?"

Hu Ma, facing the blood mist, knew what the other party meant.

He wasn't necessarily trying to use this blood mist to deal with him. His main goal was to force him back, so he could use other moves.

But he just wouldn't retreat. He welcomed the blood mist as it engulfed him. Suddenly, he raised both hands and pressed them against his waist and ribs. Then, several gurgling sounds came from within his body, and his internal organs vibrated.

"Haa!"

The sounds of his five viscera resonated, shaking the surroundings.

It was a hand of the Five Thunder Golden Toad's roar, full of yang energy to ward off evil, deafening. At the same time, the blood mist was shattered and dispersed.

"Pfft!"

At the same time, the festering sore on the man's chest suddenly exploded, oozing pus and blood.

"What the hell?"

He cried out in agony. His voice trembled, and he simply couldn't describe the fear in his heart at this moment. In his blurred vision, Hu Ma now looked like an evil ghost in the night.

A single toad's roar shattered his Life Curse. Just how many abilities did this person possess? Could he already be a Shousui who has entered the Fu (府)?

He couldn't see it, couldn't understand it. It was as if no matter how many abilities he used, the other party could easily break them. Finally, he couldn't care about anything else. He reached out and tore off the towel wrapped around his head, revealing a stick of incense stuck into the flesh of his head.

It was extremely strange.

He gritted his teeth, his knees weakened, and he suddenly knelt on the ground. Then, his head fell straight down.

"Thud!"

His head hit the ground, assuming a five-body prostration.

Of course, he wasn't kneeling for mercy. Instead, he was using this posture to directly invite the Five Fiend Lords to descend.

No matter how many special skills a zou ling ren had, there was always a trump card: inviting spirits. With his head hitting the ground, the Five Fiend Lords would possess his body.

No matter how many abilities you have, they won't work...

Of course, he wouldn't have so easily invited the Five Fiend Lords. The five incense burners had come in advance to create the Five Fiends Formation. Now, he hadn't even done his part properly, yet he was already inviting the Five Fiend Lords to save his life. His fate would certainly not be good.

But things had come to this point. What other choice did he have?

His forehead made solid contact with the ground, and he was about to shout for the Five Fiend Lords to save him.

But he suddenly realized something was wrong. When his forehead touched the ground, it felt as if it had touched something soft.

He abruptly raised his head and saw Hu Ma right in front of him. With a soft smile, he had placed his foot under his forehead just as he was about to prostrate himself.

At this moment, the despair in his heart almost exploded. But he took advantage of the momentum and leaned back, flipping his body out of the way, and kicked over the unicycle.

There were still many meat strips on the cart. As it overturned, the meat strips fell to the ground. Each one seemed like a seed, taking root and stirring up layers of eerie malevolent aura.

Within this countless malevolent auras, arms stretched out, looking like living things. They grabbed Hu Ma's legs, robes, and even his hand holding the knife.

In the blink of an eye, he was like a ball of flesh and blood ghosts, holding Hu Ma tightly inside.

The meat-selling man didn't stop for a moment. He didn't take the opportunity to rush at Hu Ma. Instead, he used the opportunity to retreat, and at the same time raised his hand to steady the incense on his head. Then, he opened his mouth wide and prepared to bite down hard.

He knew that if the other party was a Shousui who had entered the Fu, his last resort would definitely not be able to trap him. So, he just wanted to buy time.

Even if a zou ling ren couldn't invite their master, they could at least send a message.

This Shousui made him despair, unable to even invite the Lords over. But it also made him realize that the problem wasn't simple. He was just in Mingzhou on business. How could he so easily encounter such a difficult opponent? There must be someone plotting something...

He had to tell the Five Fiend Lords...

No matter how strong or capable the Shousui was, could he prevent him from reporting to the Lords?

But just as he was thinking this and was about to bite down hard, the corner of his eye caught sight of the other party smiling again. He said softly, "After fighting for so long, haven't you realized that you've been in my altar all along?"

All around him were arms grabbing him, but he suddenly lifted his foot lightly and stomped down hard.

With a "chi" sound, an invisible force erupted from under his feet, and the arms pulling at him were torn apart, with pieces of flesh splattering in all directions.

At the same time, he looked at the Life Curse emissary who was about to commit suicide by biting his tongue in order to send a message. He just silently chanted incantations and pulled out a grass rope from his sleeve, then gently threw it forward.

Vaguely, this grass rope seemed to transform into a chain, instantly covering the man's entire body, binding him tightly. His shoulders were heavy, as if he was wearing shackles.

The moment he was shackled, the man couldn't even say a word, let alone bite his tongue.

He didn't understand what this change was. He was so shocked that his mind was muddled.

"I told you, I'm actually a zougui!"

Hu Ma smiled, gently hooked his finger, and the man involuntarily stood up blankly. Looking at the fear in his eyes, he chuckled, "I came this time to teach your Lords how to write the word 'rules'."

(End of Chapter)