Chapter 88

The contents of the Hu Clan's Year-End Scroll were mysterious and domineering, but seemed to carry great risk.

Of course, it might also be that his own cultivation was too low, making this technique too forced, and he had unknowingly created a flaw. The thing in the river had accepted his offerings before, which could be considered as agreeing to his conditions.

But now, it was clearly suspicious.

However, once the ritual was performed, it was done. Within the time it took for this incense stick to burn, it wouldn't dare to directly attack, but it was clearly trying to prevent him from reaching the shore before the incense burned out.

Perhaps, these river drifters popping up to stop the boat's progress were due to its indulgence.

Hu Ma was slightly alarmed and hurriedly began to think of countermeasures.

At the same time, Yang Gong and another Hongxiang disciple, seeing that the waves around the boat were not right, jumped up high. Looking towards the opposite bank, although it was hazy and unclear, they could vaguely glimpse the boats and houses on the other side.

Knowing that they were not far from the shore, they hardened their hearts. The two exchanged a look, simultaneously formed a mudra, and raised their feet.

"Something's wrong..."

But just as he raised his foot, the Hongxiang disciple suddenly realized something and shouted to Yang Gong, "Brother, the feet don't touch the ground, we can't invite Niangniang's (venerable goddess) power!"

"..."

Yang Gong also gritted his teeth and shouted, "We have to risk it!"

As he spoke, the hand forming the mudra suddenly moved to his mouth, and he bit his fingertip. He bit very hard, fearing that the blood would not be enough. As the blood gushed out, he applied it to his face.

He quickly painted, and in a few strokes, his face was covered in blood, looking strange and grotesque. On this eerie river, it looked even more bizarre.

When the other Hongxiang disciple saw this, he was shocked, knowing what he was going to do, but he couldn't care less and hurriedly imitated him.

"Red Lantern Niangniang protects life, using blood as oil to illuminate the light!"

"..."

After the two finished painting the blood talismans on their faces, they simultaneously shouted in a low voice, and a surge of Yin energy gushed out of their bodies.

A strange scene appeared. As they chanted the mantra, the blood talismans painted on their faces seemed to come alive, twisting and wriggling. The next moment, they both reached into their pockets, took out a polished yellow copper nail, and pierced it into their right cheeks.

They actually pierced through both cheeks, inserting it horizontally across their faces. Blood flowed, and they shook their heads towards the river, splashing blood everywhere, looking like two devils from hell.

"Drip" "Drip"

The blood甩shuaǐ flung out by them dripped into the river, as if giving birth to some kind of magic.

The river drifters surrounding the boat, with their cyan, stiff, or swollen faces, were burned by the blood, making a sizzling sound, and fear appeared on their faces as they retreated, making way to the side.

Even the wind and waves that had inexplicably risen, trying to pull the boat back into the river's center, subsided a lot when their blood was splashed into the river.

"What is this?"

Hu Ma was originally facing away from them, but he suddenly felt a burst of eerie coldness behind him, making him terrified.

For a moment, he thought he had returned to the time when the Tan'er Sect attacked, and the Red Lantern Niangniang descended before him.

"Is this the skill they learned from the Red Lantern Niangniang?"

Hu Ma took a look and was startled.

These two hadn't made a move just now, but when they did, they were frighteningly evil.

They were really using themselves as human candles to display power that didn't belong to them, and this one move burned away a large portion of their life force.

But now was not the time to sigh, and he took advantage of this opportunity to come up with an idea.

He stuck the incense stick, which had only a little left, into the boat, took a deep breath. His lungs, which had begun to refine, could hold far more oxygen than usual.

He stored the air in his chest, and without hesitation, jumped directly into the dark river, where no one knew what was inside. His whole body crashed into the water, creating a splash, and the next moment, he disappeared.

"Brother Yang Gong, did this kid run away?"

The Hongxiang disciple on the boat was shocked and shouted to Yang Gong, enduring the severe pain in his cheeks.

Yang Gong stared with red eyes, his voice a little slurred, and shouted, "Don't talk nonsense, if he ran away at this time, what did he come over for?"

"Hold on, don't let those things get close..."

"..."

And under the boat, Hu Ma jumped into the water, as if entering an ice cellar. The surrounding cold pierced into his body.

He couldn't see anything in front of him, and he felt that the river water had no buoyancy, pulling him down. He wanted to wave his arms and swim upwards, but he felt as if his legs were tangled in weeds, and he couldn't even move.

"Don't panic, don't panic!"

He forced himself to calm down. If he panicked and inhaled water, it would be a disaster.

Fortunately, his chest had begun to refine, and his breath-holding ability was stronger than others. He forced himself to open his eyes and look down. He only saw pale hands grabbing his legs.

Because his vision was not clear, he could vaguely see that there were countless things at the bottom of the river, climbing up his legs and onto his body, with layers of Yin energy climbing up his chest.

"Three incense sticks' worth of cultivation..." Hu Ma didn't dare to be careless, knowing that he didn't have many chances. Now underwater, no one could see, so he didn't hesitate to mobilize all three incense sticks' worth of cultivation.

The furnace fire suddenly burned extremely strongly, and the fire poured into his whole body, making it as hot as charcoal.

Those things in the river were scorched by the furnace fire, screaming and releasing his body.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he suddenly made his limbs dead, cold and ice-cold. This coldness reduced the impact in this cold water.

He struggled with all his strength and swam towards the opposite bank. Using the breath he had taken on the surface, he swam seven or eight *zhang* underwater in one breath, rushing to the shore, and then suddenly popped his head out of the water. On the shore, he searched for ropes in the boat.

There were many ropes on the boat, used for pulling nets, catching fish, tying boats, and bundling goods.

Hu Ma directly took a bundle of the longest ones, used all the strength in his arms, and threw it hard towards the river, shouting:

"Hold on!"

A gust of Yin wind stirred on the river, and the rope was not supported, watching as it fell into the water.

But when the Little Hongtang on the boat saw it, she ran down from the boat, grabbed the end of the rope, and pulled it into the boat. Yang Gong was originally facing away from the shore and didn't see clearly how the rope was thrown, but he subconsciously grabbed it, turned it around twice, and tied the rope around his waist.

"Come over..."

Hu Ma wrapped the rope around a tree on the shore, then grabbed it with both hands and pulled hard.

At this time, he displayed the most skilled ability of a *Shousui Ren* (Year-Guardian), his feet sinking into the mud, and his arms bursting out with amazing strength, pulling the rope back little by little.

With his pulling, the boat and Yang Gong and others on the boat finally broke free from the wind and waves and quickly approached the shore.

When they were still more than ten feet from the shore, they couldn't help but jump up.

But also at this moment, the incense stick inserted at the bow of the boat, the last bit of ash, was suddenly blown off, burning to the end.

In an instant, a wave of about three feet high rose in the river, pushing flatly towards the shore.

Under the river surface, a huge monster could be vaguely seen, carrying a grim Yin energy, staring with a pair of brown, strange eyes.

And the river drifters, as if driven by some kind of force, simultaneously stretched out their pale, stiff palms, reaching towards the river bank.

But just as he felt that his whole body seemed to be completely submerged by this invisible Yin energy, and even卷juǎn about to be卷juǎn rolled back into the river again, Hu Ma had released the rope he was pulling and stood firmly.

Facing the river water rolling towards the shore, and the demons and monsters in the river, his face did not show the slightest fear, and his feet stood firmly on the Yin and Yang positions.

He slowly raised his hands in front of him, and bowed gently towards the river.

Four Ghosts Salute the Door.

He had now refined both hands and feet on the surface. Because the old shopkeeper felt guilty, he had also seriously told him this unique skill.

Therefore, at this time, Hu Ma bowed forward slightly, which was the authentic Four Ghosts Salute the Door unique skill.

His body was hazy, as if wrapped in Yin energy. An invisible force from the netherworld pressed forward as he bowed forward.

Now the river water had risen three feet high, looking like a wave about to hit the shore. Inside the wave, there were vaguely countless strange things, each stretching out pale palms or吐tǔ spitting out gloomy Yin energy.

But as Hu Ma bowed forward, the invisible force squeezed. The waves that climbed onto the shore were actually pressed back into the water. The things inside screamed in horror, following the river water back down.

Not far away, the people were worshiping the river water, already pale with fright when they saw the river water coming ashore. When they saw Hu Ma gently bowing and sending the river water back into the river, they widened their eyes, thinking they had seen a god.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yang Gong and another Hongxiang disciple had also turned around.

Their feet stepped on solid ground, and their temperament changed again. They looked fiercely towards the river, simultaneously pulled out the copper nails from their faces and held them in their hands, with fierce red light flashing in their eyes.

The thing in the river was furious when it saw that the river water had been bowed back by Hu Ma, and was about to launch an even bigger wave.

But it suddenly saw the people standing by the river. Hu Ma's hands were in a saluting gesture, his body was ethereal, unlike a living person. On his shoulder was a little girl wearing a red dress, with two pigtails on her head, snarling fiercely at it.

Next to him were two men with strange temperaments, holding blood-stained copper nails, with a sinister power hidden in their bodies. This made it hesitate for a moment, and the wind and waves in the river slowed slightly.

"Go!"

When Hu Ma saw that the river water was slightly calmer, he understood in his heart, and immediately said in a low voice, carrying the Huangmao丫头(yellow-haired girl), and slowly retreating with Yang Gong and others, their eyes only staring at the river water.

They retreated three or four *zhang*, seeing that the river water no longer had any major movements, and then turned around and ran wildly.

The surrounding people were all staring at them blankly, not daring to ask or stop them.

On the other bank of the river, the Qingyi Gang people were even more unwilling in their hearts when they saw the suddenly fierce river water, but who dared to go into the river at this time?

In the river water, a huge shadow floated up, close to the surface of the river.

Below the surface of the river, there seemed to be two blue eyes, staring at the crowd fleeing on the river.

Beside it, there was a chilling coldness, and lonely, helpless shadows were floating quietly on the water.

With the dispersal of the fog on the river, they also slowly disappeared into the river.

Only the sunlight remained shining on the river, but it was empty, and there was nothing left.