胡 Ma stood strong against the Evil Ghost, never retreating even half a step, but his Divine Soul was on the verge of shattering, his soul light dimmed, and his executioner blade had become serrated from the battle.
Even Little Hongtang found himself punched unknowingly, leaving his left eye bruised.
Yet, before them still lay ghostly shadows in abundance, seemingly endless in number. Behind these layers of shadows stood two Emperor Ghosts, each occupying a corner. Hu Ma had tried several times to rush forward, wishing to defeat one to vent his frustrations, but his attempts remained unfulfilled, and instead, he suffered two hidden losses.
If they can't be killed, then they can't be killed...
To imprison you here for eternity without parole is not unacceptable either...
He calmly accepted his fate, the pressure so great he could no longer shield Little Hongtang from the Evil Ghost. Yet he gritted his teeth and charged into battle one last time, when suddenly he heard knocking from behind.
"No, that's not right…"
Hu Madou was startled by the sound, abruptly turning: "At this time, there shouldn't be anyone knocking on the Netherworld Palace door, it's been blocked…"
But in that moment of bewilderment, he realized: "Someone's knocking on my door?"
At this thought, he couldn't help but worry: "Who could it be?"
"I just blocked the Netherworld Palace and now someone seeks me with human power—aren't they afraid of causing a huge mess?"
"..."
Yet as this concern arose, Hu Ma heard a cold laugh: "Descendant of the Hu Family, you are truly still young…"
"There's much to learn yet!"
"..."
The next instant, Hu Ma felt his scalp tingling.
Under the assault from the ghosts of the two Kingdoms, he felt his body, which had already become somewhat light, suddenly weigh heavily as an unimaginable power surged into him.
"The Yin Yang Road is broken, life and death form the bridge, reincarnation turns, achieving greatness without loss!"
"..."
As the State Preceptor's cold voice thundered like muffled thunder in his ears, the two Emperor Ghosts suddenly noticed the change in Hu Ma.
Just before when Hu Ma broke his own bridge to block the Netherworld Palace, even though they were furious, they dared not exert too much pressure. The only way to capture Hu Ma alive was to force him to clear the path or force him to reform the bridge; any other fate would weaken the Netherworld Palace's position.
After all, the Netherworld Palace's location was so deep, different from human world time—although it seemed like not long had passed since people started knocking at the Netherworld Palace door, it might have been several days, and those in the human world might have discovered and destroyed it.
But now it's different—the sudden appearance of a bridge on Hu Ma showed new hope.
The two Emperor Ghosts, disregarding any identity, along with the civil and military officials, the entire ghostly wind in the palace, simultaneously reached for Hu Ma.
Yet at the same time, the State Preceptor's ceremony was complete, and with a loud shout:
"Master of Zhensui Mansion, receive the magic!"
"..."
"What the hell…"
At this moment, Hu Ma felt an indescribable pressure descend upon him, making his previously light body suddenly as heavy as a mountain.
In some respects, this nearly reached the magnitude of the human world's tribulations, far beyond the human world's and its emptiness to listen, now seemingly connected to a massive root system from outside the Netherworld Palace.
One end plunged into his body, while the other was rooted deep within the human world.
"Boom!"
Utilizing this strength, he wielded his saber tightly in front of him, pushing forward heavily with the technique taught by Second Master.
Not only did he push away the tidal wave of Evil Ghosts surging to his front, but even the two Emperor Ghosts retreated slightly.
"Is it the State Preceptor?"
"That old man, he truly couldn't resist making a move?"
"A wise man doesn't truly get provoked!"
"..."
Pushing away the phantoms filling the palace, Hu Ma understood the reason behind everything.
Upon first reaching Da'ai Mountain, Hu Ma had already seen the State Preceptor's discouraged state, wondering if he could provoke him into action to help with the matter in the Netherworld Palace, and given his attitude of holding nothing back, it seemed possible.
It was just that the human world's tribulations were more formidable than he had imagined.
So even with the power to slay eight palaces, he didn't use him, and the last two palaces proved to be more terrifying than expected.
Is it now too late for the State Preceptor to intervene?
"With Huangquan Naihe Bridge, I assist you, carving a path of life amid inevitable demise…"
As he contemplated, he felt at his back, centered with the root system, a peculiar stone bridge extending far from the Netherworld Palace, seemingly endless.
Hu Ma stood firm on the severed bridgehead, confronting the Netherworld Palace Emperor Ghosts. Further down the bridge, the shadow of the State Preceptor seemed to intermittently appear, somberly stating, "With me guarding the bridge here, the Netherworld Palace shall never reach the human world!"
"Is he creating an opportunity for life for me?"
At that moment, Hu Ma realized the State Preceptor's intentions, his heart skipped a beat.
He had to deal with the two Emperor Ghosts, unafraid of demise, but feared them using his path to return to the human world.
Hence, he needed to sever the Life Bridge, stand against the Netherworld Palace, sealing the door, deciding not to return to the human world—and neither would they.
Yet the State Preceptor surprisingly used the underworld Naihe Bridge to open a path of life, maintaining his connection to the human world. Should he triumph, he could return via this bridge, and if defeated…
…he could sever the Naihe Bridge, thereby still locking the Netherworld Palace door.
"Such a tactic exists?"
Hu Ma understood the principles, yet his knowledge fell short of the Preceptor's, thus he couldn't help but marvel:
