Chapter 1 My Lord, Sister, Immortal Maiden!

While Hu Ma sank into contemplation, pondering how to acquire the skills of the Dawei Tiangong General Seal, the entire town was in an uproar, barely holding itself together.

It wasn't just the common folk, shocked and questioning after seeing several altar deities suddenly die in broad daylight, transformed into wild foxes and hedgehogs. Even those in the know were scared witless.

Those were honored guests! Although self-proclaimed by the One Coin Church, they had enjoyed no small amount of incense offerings.

Meeting them during the New Year's Eve vigil required utmost respect. Yet, these were snuffed out without even a greeting?

Among the most representative figures were Grandpa Sun and the old altar master of Da Shan Bao, who gathered together, discussing the matter countless times. "The New Year's Eve Executioner has arrived. I fear none of us in this town will fare well."

"But he said he'd leave no one alive, yet grants us three days. What could this mean?"

Everyone present was an experienced hand, understanding the implication. Though they couldn't speak plainly in the town, a shared glance revealed their common thought: Could it be that we are being given time?

These three days weren't for him, but for us, to force us to bind this church leader and offer him up as atonement?

They were veterans, well-versed in the jargon.

But...

Understanding this was easy; putting it into practice was another matter entirely. "The One Coin Church leader is easy to bind. The One Coin Church only has one leader, one upper altar protector, and four powerful Dharma Kings. But the altar deities are all dead, their dharma forms broken, and the four Dharma Kings are crippled."

"If we want to act, how could that Immortal Maiden Miaoshan and White Fan be our opponents? Besides, with White Fan's quick wits, he might strike first and take down the One Coin Church leader before us."

"But the question is, how do we explain it to Bu Shi Niu?"

The more they considered, the greater the pressure. The higher their status and greater their abilities, the more they worried about this point. "We have all received favors from Bu Shi Niu and been guided to a path of survival. We came to the One Coin Church because of Bu Shi Niu's reputation."

"If we do this, even if we survive the Executioner's wrath, won't Bu Shi Niu's people have the means to kill our entire families?"

It was precisely because of this shared concern that the town, though filled with panic, had not yet descended into complete chaos. However, the pressure had shifted to Immortal Maiden Miaoshan, with people constantly asking, practically begging her to give them some reassurance.

To be fair, Immortal Maiden Miaoshan displayed remarkable composure amidst the chaos. When Grandpa Sun and others came to inquire, she simply sneered, "I've told you, there's no need to fear. What are you worried about?"

"A mere executioner, an upper hall official, how could he be a match for my church's brothers?"

"You only need to take care of your subordinates and not let panic ruin the formation of this town. When my brothers arrive, it won't be that upper hall official sealing us off, but rather my brothers cutting off his retreat here!"

Good heavens! Hearing her words, the others couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild, and a hint of anticipation arose in their hearts.

Everyone in town was afraid of the Executioner, but if experts from Bu Shi Niu came to their aid, the outcome might truly be uncertain.

Upper hall officials were appointed by the Ten Surnames, powerful figures overseeing a region, but Bu Shi Niu was the most defiant demon, paying no heed to the Ten Surnames or the court.

This was just telling them that their brothers would come to help.

After dismissing them, Immortal Maiden Miaoshan sneered, "If they knew that even our church leader was here, wouldn't they all be strutting about?"

But at that moment, White Fan rushed in, reporting the capture of the little ghost. The tail that Immortal Maiden Miaoshan had just raised drooped instantly, her pretty face turning pale as she stood up abruptly. "The message can't be sent?"

"Who has such great power that they can even block the path to the underworld?"

"The New Year's Eve Watcher certainly doesn't have that ability."

White Fan also panicked, "This matter seems even deeper than we imagined. And the most crucial thing is, if our brothers can't come to help in time, then with just the few cats and dogs in this town, I'm afraid there's no chance of survival."

Immortal Maiden Miaoshan was stunned for a long time before urgently saying, "Don't panic, don't panic. There's still a way, there's still a way."

She looked anxiously towards the inn, and had no choice but to visit again, "The situation is critical, and our brothers can't come. Doesn't that mean we can only seek help from this church leader?"

"If we really follow this method, the Dawei Tiangong General Seal isn't impossible to cultivate. In fact, it seems tailor-made for me."

Inside the inn, Hu Ma had just discussed the theory of fate with Old Abacus, and he had some ideas about cultivating the Dawei Tiangong General Seal, but time was tight and there were many things to consider.

He took a deep breath and looked outside. He saw that the sky was already dusky, reaching twilight. An entire day had passed. Calculating the time, the Bu Shi Niu brothers that the One Coin Church had sent for should have responded by now.

Just as he was thinking about this and preparing to continue studying the cultivation method of the Dawei Tiangong General Seal, he heard Little Red Tangerine "eh" a sound of surprise.

Turning his head to look, he saw Little Red Tangerine poking her head down from the roof beam, staring in a daze at a small insect that had flown into the room. Her eyes were almost crossed, and her face was very puzzled.

This little insect also looked strange. At first glance, it seemed no different from ordinary insects, but after flying into the room, it circled the oil lamp continuously, but unlike moths, it didn't actually fly into the flame.

"The first task I gave Monkey Wine, it's completed so quickly?"

Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly. Following the method that Monkey Wine had told him before, he stared at the insect. Seeing it circle the oil lamp three times, then reverse three times, he was immediately certain. He gently opened his palm and reached out to the insect.

The insect seemed to sense Hu Ma's energy. It slowly flew over, hesitated slightly, and then landed on Hu Ma's fingertip.

Then, it bit down.

He didn't feel any pain, but Hu Ma didn't turn his hand into a dead hand to resist the insect's poison. Instead, he deliberately felt it, and soon he felt a trance before his eyes.

Dimly, strange illusions appeared, as if he had transformed into a tiny insect, slowly flying in the forest at night, passing through clusters of trees, and entering a desolate village where not a single living person remained.

"This is Monkey Wine's method to help me investigate the person who sealed the town?"

Hu Ma deliberately slowed down his thoughts, so that he could feel the change more clearly, and his heart became more and more surprised.

Witchcraft was a great art, and Monkey Wine had learned the skills in this art very well. It was more magical and flashy than the trickery art.

Now, the feeling it gave him was as if he had really become a character in a mythological story, transforming himself into an insect and flying into the enemy camp to scout for information.

Vaguely, he followed the insect and flew into the dilapidated ancestral hall in the village.

He saw that there were already many silent men wearing iron armor. Each of them had a deep and concentrated energy, as hard as stone sculptures. They stood on both sides, and the surroundings were lit with torches and oil lamps, illuminating the area like daylight.

However, there were many insects in the wilderness villages. Now it was late summer and early autumn, and insects were still everywhere. This insect did not attract attention. It flew all the way into the hall, saw the candlelight on the table, and several rows of upright tables and chairs.

On the two grand master chairs at the head, an old man wearing iron armor, not very tall, but with an especially large head, looked to be about forty or fifty years old, sat on the left.

The grand master chair on the right was occupied only by a man wearing a blue robe and cloth shoes, with neat hair, and a delicate porcelain bowl placed beside his hand.

The two were smiling and talking by the light of the oil lamp beside them.

"The Meng family's young master came to us for help, we have no reason not to help, but we also have to ask the young master to be considerate."

The man wearing iron armor said, "I am a hall official of the Zhou family. I have inherited a skill, and I also eat their salary. Since the Zhou family has given the order, I must come to serve immediately and destroy this gang of bandits."

"The New Year's Eve Watcher is always efficient in doing things, not to mention bearing the name of an Executioner. Dealing with this gang of bandits, if it takes more than an incense stick's time, people should laugh at him."

"But Young Master Meng wants me to delay it for three days first. If the Zhou family blames me for this later, I'm afraid I will get a reputation for being incompetent."

"Lord Hall Official is right."

The man wearing iron armor was polite to the man in the blue robe, but the man in the blue robe showed no pretense to the man in the iron armor. He came up and called him "Lord", speaking with great respect. He bowed slightly first, then smiled and said:

"The hall officials in various places are all responsible for clearing out rebels and stabilizing the world. Even the Ten Surnames families only admire you and have no intention of being condescending."

"I came to ask you to do something, just wanting to take the opportunity to clear out these rebellious traitors and make an extra altar. This matter has already been written in a letter to the Zhou family, so you don't need to worry."

"Young Master Meng, you are humble, but don't say such things again."

The man wearing iron armor said with a wry smile: "You are the Meng family's young master, and I am a disciple of the Zhou family. How dare I receive the title of 'Lord' from you? I can't disobey your orders, but without the permission of the Zhou family, I dare not get involved in other matters."

"But I don't know, although this One Coin Church has the shadow of Bu Shi Niu's demon, there are only a few cats and dogs. It's already laughable for me to rush from Xiling Jiao Prefecture to deal with them."

"You, a direct descendant of the Meng family, have come to this wilderness to build some ghost altar, which is even more puzzling."