The scar-faced old man had been practicing Taking Yin to Replenish Yang for many years and could even steal life force. However, it only allowed him to maintain nearly sixty years of Pure Yang Power at his ripe old age, and even then, it was only close.
Now, suddenly seeing this young man before him possessing genuine Sixty Years of Skill and a child fate, how could he not be shocked?
If I had such cultivation, I would have long since entered the inner circle—why would I be stuck here for so many years?
He could hardly describe the abrupt shock in his heart at this moment, yet it was too late to issue a warning.
As Hu Ma tore apart his white bone whip, the surrounding beggars had already gathered. The dim light created chaos, and they hadn't noticed what had just happened. Instead, they began using the tricks they had at hand against the person in the middle.
These beggars were from the Beggar Gang. Not all of them were skilled, but they knew how to throw lime and splash dog blood, and the sticks they wielded were studded with nails. Two or three of them were also working together, preparing to throw a torn net.
Being surrounded like this, even the most skilled person would have a hard time coping.
Not to mention, Godmother Cui cherished her life the most. Seeing that someone from the other side had charged in, she was already busy casting a curse, summoning paper men that mingled among the beggars.
This was well-known in the jianghu as the Dog Beating Formation of the Pingnan Road Beggar Gang.
However, they didn't get a close look. The moment they surrounded him, Hu Ma, who had already resolved to use his true skills, didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Hu Ma suddenly stood firm, raised his hand to his ribs, and let out a low roar. The rolling Thunder Sound seemed to echo like a thunderclap in the forest; vaguely, it was as if rumbling thunder blasted within the woods.
"Three Column Tao, Five Thunders Sound Together!"
"CRACK..."
The roar made the beggars around Hu Ma freeze. Those close by were stunned, their ears bleeding, their Divine Soul gone and breath cut off—they had been shaken to death.
Those further away seemed momentarily shocked out of their senses, forgetting what they were doing, their raised sticks hanging motionless in mid-air.
The swirling yin qi, mixed with paper men, flew toward Hu Ma but suddenly dissipated outward with the roar. The paper men drifted lightly away, caught fire in mid-air, and scattered to the ground like ghostly flames.
"CRACK..."
The two altars before Godmother Cui abruptly cracked.
She turned her head sharply, as if seeing a ghost. Also shaken and dizzy, she was overwhelmed with instinctive fear. "What happened?"
"I've learned these skills, and if I can't use them freely, it's truly frustrating..."
At the same moment, Hu Ma murmured, employing the Three Column Tao and Five Thunders Sound Together. It gave him unprecedented satisfaction.
His true cultivation was Three Columns. One Column equaled twenty years of Pure Yang, so three Columns meant sixty years—a full cycle.
This was already the highest limit that countless cultivators on different Paths could achieve.
Not only was breaking through the Three Column Tao a significant hurdle, but for many on various Paths, even reaching and maintaining the Three Column Tao was an extremely challenging task, requiring a life akin to that of an ascetic monk.
It was only someone like Hu Ma who, while still in a child body and, in fact, already dead, had been forcefully fed top-grade Blood Tai Sui by Granny, allowing him to reach the level of Three Column Tao in an exceedingly short period.
Moreover, regardless of depletion from cultivation or injuries sustained, he always replenished quickly. It was like steel forged by repeated refining, making his foundation extremely solid.
"SWOOSH!"
Having used his true cultivation, he no longer held back, a surge of killing intent rising within him.
He suddenly swung his blade and charged out, using the Shousui man's techniques. But now, he did so with many times the ferocity and ruthlessness as before.
He didn't bother with the nearest beggar, who was already dead from the shock. Hu Ma simply moved forward, and with a flash of his blade, severed the heads of several more beggars. Their heads rolled across the ground.
His figure weaved through them, and blood flowed like rivers.
Unleashing his true abilities, killing them was like cutting grass. Those beggars not killed by the initial shock were swiftly decapitated by his blade.
The blade had dulled, but it didn't matter; with a little more force, he could still cleave through bone.
Where did this fiend come from?
The scar-faced old man and Godmother Cui, seeing Hu Ma break through their encirclement, were so terrified their souls nearly scattered.
Of course, we don't care about the lives of these disciples and grand-disciples, but still—that was twenty-odd living souls, gone just like that? Even if you're slaughtering chickens, would you kill twenty in a row without your hand even trembling? Even when we use our Methods to harm people, we do it one by one. How did such a ferocious person, reeking of murderous aura, show up... Who the hell is the real villain here?
Just as they were thinking this, they saw Hu Ma, blood-soaked, charging out from among the corpses. In the shadows of the woods, they could vaguely see a chilling smile on his face.
THUD. THUD.
The beggars who had been shocked to death earlier only now began to fall, stirred by the wind of Hu Ma's passage. They toppled like silent wooden stakes.
"Not good!"
The expressions of the scar-faced old man and Godmother Cui finally changed drastically. Without a second thought, the scar-faced old man turned and dashed toward the edge of the forest.
But Hu Ma had already unleashed his true abilities; how could he let him escape? Employing the Ghost Ascending Stairs technique, Hu Ma was behind him in an instant, chopping down on his back. A metallic CLANG resounded as another notch appeared on his blade.
This old bastard is actually impervious to blades and spears?
Hu Ma, his eyes red with bloodlust, didn't even care about his blade. He intended to fiercely strike a few more times to see how long the old man could last.
The scar-faced old man staggered from the blow but quickly turned around. Forcing himself to gather his wits and relying on his longevity to protect his body, he desperately engaged Hu Ma with his bare palms.
Although he was terrified and wanted to flee, his skills were genuine. In his panic, Hu Ma struck him several more times, but he truly seemed impervious, like iron. Sparks flew, yet he remained uninjured.
"Brother Hu Ma, I'm here!"
Just then, Little Hongtang, who had been watching the whole time, wanting to help but unable to find an opening, jumped down from a nearby tree.
She landed directly on the scar-faced old man's neck, covering Master Shou's eyes with her small hands, and yelled, "Brother Hu Ma, hit him quickly!"
Good job, Little Hongtang! Hu Ma was instantly delighted. Our little ghost really knows how to look out for me.
Taking advantage of Master Shou's vision being blocked and his mind thrown into chaos, Hu Ma suddenly swung his blade, slicing open the old man's flesh and leaving a terrifying wound on his chest.
Master Shou was shocked. Though frightened before, he hadn't been truly terrified of anything. Now, however, he lost all courage. He retreated, clawing at whatever was on his head, and shouted, "Quick, Sister Cui! I have a little ghost riding on my neck!"
"My Magic has been broken!"
"..."
Godmother Cui was also taken aback. She had, of course, noticed Master Shou wanted to escape, but now they were in the same boat; they could only advance or retreat together.
In her panic, she abandoned the altar, raised a shoe sole, and frantically began hitting Master Shou's head, cursing, "I'll teach you, you little wretch, to recklessly ride on people's heads!"
"You dare curse my Little Hongtang?" Hu Ma was immediately enraged.
He was actually a bit surprised. How could a little ghost riding on someone's neck break Master Shou's Magic? There's no time to think too much. If Little Hongtang stays on that demon person's neck, he might have a way to deal with little ghosts. She could easily suffer a loss if I'm not careful.
With a swift Mountain Opening strike, he lunged forward, kicking up a cloud of dirt and sand into the face of Godmother Cui, who was still swinging the shoe sole. Seizing the opportunity, he thrust his blade into Master Shou's chest, right where his heart was, and with a forceful twist, gouged it out.
"UGH..."
Master Shou let out a muffled groan, gazing in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest as he slowly collapsed.
Wiping the dirt from her face, Godmother Cui was also horrified. A chill ran down her spine. She threw the shoe sole away and turned to flee.
But Little Hongtang, quick as a flash, grabbed her legs from behind. Caught off guard, Godmother Cui stumbled and fell to the ground. Hu Ma rushed forward and, with all his strength, severed her head.
Then, he kicked the last unbroken altar.
"KACHA..."
The altar shattered. In the air, only one Evil Ghost was still entangled with the Red Lantern Lady. The Red Lantern Lady, still in a fit of temper, grabbed it and swallowed it whole. Her fury had not yet subsided; her hair was disheveled, and her hands were on her hips.
After a moment, she seemed to calm down slightly, then suddenly realized her current appearance was rather unseemly. She quickly wiped her mouth and glanced around stealthily, afraid someone might have seen her.
By this time, the Red Lantern overhead had already extinguished and was slowly falling to the ground.
Is it over?
Hu Ma, having just cut down Godmother Cui, immediately pulled Little Hongtang to him, checking her all over, worried that she might have been harmed by some technique from those two demon people.
Little Hongtang often helped him in fights, but she had never been involved in anything this perilous.
Upon checking, however, he was somewhat surprised to find Little Hongtang perfectly fine, without a scratch on her. The only thing was that the green cloth tied to her wrist now had some black filth on it, which was gradually fading away.
Was it because of this green cloth? Hu Ma vaguely guessed that the cloth the mountain lord had personally tied onto her wrist must have some special effect. Was it meant to protect Little Hongtang?
Finally feeling somewhat relieved, he patted Little Hongtang's head, remarking with emotion, "Thanks for your help!"
Sister Hong Tang truly is remarkable.
"But..." After only a brief moment of relaxation, Hu Ma quickly jumped up again. "There's still unfinished business over there!"
As he spoke, he took a deep breath and pulled out all three incense sticks from the incense burner. Instantly, all the parts of his body that had been engaged in refining life reverted to a state of death.
Just like when he first arrived in this world, he became a dead man again. Then, he slowly raised his head, looking toward the Magic Altar on the hillside.