Chapter 1 Before the Onset

Before this great tribulation had even begun, not everyone realized its true terror.

Even King Yang Gong of Mingzhou had been reduced to almost a solitary figure.

Originally, it was an alliance of three armies—the Food Supply Army, the White Armor Army, and the Iron Barrier Army—attacking the God-Given King of Quzhou, with the agreement that whoever captured the God-Given King would become the leader of the alliance. Their overall strength and reputation would rise to a new level, officially making them eligible to compete for the world.

Before this, the King of Mingzhou was already seen as the leader by many, with strong soldiers and an excellent reputation.

But the Battle of Fierce Tiger Pass produced an unexpected result: the King of the Iron Barrier took the pass, but the King of Mingzhou began to kill.

The King of the Iron Barrier took advantage of the victory and went north to seize the horse-breeding grounds of the Ever-Victorious Army of Mengzhou, his momentum soaring. But the King of Mingzhou, unexpectedly, parted ways with the King of the Iron Barrier on the spot and led his troops south.

He disregarded the great trends of the world and the need for careful planning. Wherever there was food, that's where he would go. Wherever there was surplus, that's where the King of Mingzhou would appear.

Naturally, many strategists and subordinates didn't understand this, but Yang Gong became incredibly clear-headed after starting the slaughter. Those who didn't understand stayed with the King of the Iron Barrier, while he went south alone.

Whoever was willing could follow.

Those who first followed him were countless people in the mountains and fields, eating porridge and fruit to survive. They had all eaten the grain that Yang Gong had seized from the powerful families in the twenty counties of the eight prefectures.

They were not elite soldiers, nor did they have fierce generals. Just the day before, they had almost starved to death and had no direction. Now, they were following the King of Mingzhou only because he promised to lead them to food and not let them starve.

Thus, evil winds rose in the world, and surplus became an army. Yang Gong transformed into a demon and began to lead this great tribulation towards the world.

"The King of Mingzhou has broken the rules and become a source of disaster. How long will it take for him to rise?"

As early as before Fierce Tiger Pass, when Yang Gong slaughtered the noble families of the twenty counties in the eight prefectures and his evil reputation spread far and wide, those who were frightened, whether inside or outside the pass, began to panic, started to discuss, and began to think in the worst possible terms.

Some guessed two or three months, some guessed half a year, and some thought it would take several years.

Still others felt that he wouldn't last at all, that he would soon be killed and become a joke.

But no one expected that in just under ten days, the name of Yang Gong, the King of Mingzhou, would suddenly resound throughout the world.

Everywhere, people rose up under the banner of Yang Gong, the King of Mingzhou. Everywhere, there were subordinates of Yang Gong, the King of Mingzhou. The wilderness was vast, like a rolling snowball.

With the guidance of those who do not eat beef, and the deliberate help of capable people from all over, this killing machine did not follow the common expectation, from one to two to three to four, but in just a few days, from one to a hundred, from a hundred to ten thousand.

When the world's surplus turns into killing, once it is unleashed, it is unstoppable.

Some hungry people had become numb and were squatting in groups on the barren land, waiting for death, after even gnawing on tree bark.

Then someone would bring them a banner of the King of Mingzhou, whisper a few words, and point in a direction.

And so, that night, the air was filled with blood, and the King of Mingzhou suddenly had an army of 30,000 men, who didn't even know each other.

Some had been ordered by noble lords to guard against the mud-legged people coming to loot grain, preparing to wear armor and carry guns for a fierce battle, only to find overnight that all their weapons and food had been replaced with paper.

Yang Gong, on the other hand, was leading a group of people who didn't know where their next meal was coming from, walking aimlessly on the mountain road when they saw piles of knives, guns, bamboo armor, and grain ahead.

It was strange. The God-Given King killed countless people, but his reputation in Quzhou was still good, and countless people helped him when he was in trouble.

Yang Gong had only slaughtered the twenty counties of the eight prefectures outside Fierce Tiger Pass, and he immediately became a demon that everyone feared.

There were also countless different people in the world who wanted to act for heaven and kill this disaster, this root of all evil, but in the end, they all failed.

Countless people who were lurking near the King of Mingzhou to kill him were secretly eliminated.

Countless people from different paths who wanted to join forces to make things difficult for the King of Mingzhou were visited by a capable person in the night. The other party paid a polite visit, and then either defeated them with their skills or simply destroyed their sect.

Over time, even the martial world spread rumors that the King of Mingzhou, Yang Gong, was protected by ghosts and gods and could not be provoked.

This was half true and half false, and it spread the name of King Yang Gong throughout the world. The slogan "Kill the big rats and protect the people" had spread throughout the world in just a few days.

The troops under King Yang Gong's command expanded like a snowball every day. In just half a month, the troops acting in the name of King Yang Gong numbered nearly a million. The world was full of killings, and the noble families were collapsing like rubble.

It was not until this time that many people realized the problem.

Those surpluses in their eyes were actually people, and as long as they were people, they could learn to pick up a knife and learn to kill.

This great tribulation was not caused by anyone, nor was it led by anyone. It just needed someone to start it, and then it would immediately spread throughout the world.

This great tribulation was already in the world.

…

…

"There are two treasures in the world: the *taisui* and the people."

In the Underworld Palace, as Hu Ma transformed himself into a bridge, he could feel the terror of this tribulation even more.

This tribulation was unprecedented and would kill countless people in this world.

But only this tribulation could protect more living people in this world, so that when the time came to change the world, there would be enough popular support to fight against the *taisui*.

The *taisui* was a treasure, so it was occupied by the royal family, the noble families, and the Ten Surnames. Therefore, the reincarnated ones had to protect the people.

And he, precisely because he knew that the speed at which this tribulation would rise would be faster than anyone imagined, was now in the Underworld Palace, waiting patiently.

In a dream, the passage of time is different from reality.

In addition, with the flow of *ziqi*, his dream became the heaviest dream in the world, so he had enough patience to wait for the tribulation in the world to help him nurture this knife.

Now, he was in a state that was neither ghost nor human. His realm was not low, but he lacked the corresponding means.

But with this knife, that would be enough.

The longer he waited, the more advantageous it would be for him, but unfortunately, the ghosts in the Underworld Palace clearly did not want him to get his way. The second Emperor Ghost had already smelled the scent and arrived.

For Hu Ma, this was like an unprecedented nightmare. One by one, the great ghosts drilled into his dream, trying to eat him in the dream and then use his dream to return to the human world.

But he in the dream was not going to be captured without a fight. The Meng family ancestor became his first line of defense.

Please invite a ghost into the dream to protect the true spirit.

It had to be said that the terror of the Underworld Palace Emperor Ghost was such that the Meng family ancestor was something that no one in the human world dared to face directly. Even the national teacher back then only thought about how to send him away when he met him.

But at this moment, this Meng family ancestor was fighting the Emperor Ghost with terrifying ferocity. He did not gain the upper hand in a short time, but later, he gradually gained the upper hand.

And this upper hand came from Hu Ma introducing the Underworld Palace *ziqi* into the human world, weakening the Underworld Palace.

At this time, he had already pinned down the first Emperor Ghost.

The loss of *ziqi* and Hu Ma's wielding of the knife to kill indiscriminately had reduced the fate of this Emperor Ghost to the extreme. The Meng family ancestor became even more ferocious. The Emperor Ghost who could compete with him at first became a target.

It had to be said that the Meng family ancestor did a really good job.

The more Hu Ma made it feel uncomfortable, the more ferocious it became, using it to better defend against the enemy.

"It's like fighting crickets..."

If the other Ten Surnames knew that the Meng family could break through the roadblock so easily, I don't know how envious they would be.

If another Emperor Ghost had not arrived here from the Underworld Palace, Hu Ma even believed that the Meng family ancestor could have bitten the tenth Emperor Ghost to death bit by bit.

It was a pity that the other party came too fast. The Underworld Ghost in this tenth palace was still working hard on the Meng family ancestor's body.

The next time, rolling *ziqi* fell, and everything around was reshaped and suppressed, as if another space was located here.

Before Hu Ma, there was already a larger hall with more civil and military officials. There were sounds of dragons roaring in the hall, and golden light was dazzling. A huge body was sitting on the dragon chair in front, shouting at Hu Ma in front of the hall, making a fierce dragon roar.

There can only be one emperor under the heavens.

Therefore, two Underworld Palaces could not coexist. The ninth Emperor Ghost appeared and directly suppressed the tenth Emperor Ghost's palace.

At this time, even the imperial power on the tenth Emperor Ghost had dissipated a lot because of this. After the ninth palace descended and replaced his tenth palace, he took the initiative to become the crown prince in this palace.

Correspondingly, the power of the emperor of the ninth palace was obviously much stronger than that of the tenth palace.

The Diyi were also declining from generation to generation. The closer the imperial position was to the front, the heavier the majesty was, and the heavier the burial ceremony was when they died.

Another point was that the ninth Emperor Ghost had been in power for twenty-three years, and his luck was much stronger than that of this tenth Emperor Ghost. As he appeared, he did not hesitate at all. Under the beaded curtain, two eyes shot out a cold light, and a huge palm grabbed straight towards Hu Ma.

"Aren't you going to chat a little more to let me pass the time?"

Although Hu Ma was killing indiscriminately, he was always on guard, not letting himself be surrounded. Now he only saw the ninth palace descending into the dream, and the other party grabbed him without saying a word.

His heart also sank slightly, and then he did not hesitate to shout: "Meng family ancestor, save me!"

At this moment, the Meng family ancestor was in the hall, biting the tenth Emperor Ghost all over with blood.

Its ferocity was great, and it did not even pay attention to the will of the spirit bearer.

But Hu Ma, who controlled the method of restraining it, suddenly felt pain all over his body, and the talisman behind him forcibly reversed its anger and went straight to the ninth Emperor Ghost in the hall.

This was a method of driving the Meng family ancestor that even the Meng family had never felt before.

"Chi la!"

The ninth Emperor Ghost was greeted by the Meng family ancestor, and immediately pressed this fierce god into the hall, with rolling *ziqi* pressing on him.

Even the Meng family ancestor's decent shroud was broken and torn at this time, looking embarrassed.

But the Meng family ancestor's ferocity was also rare in the world, and endless black palms still surged out of his body, firmly grasping the tentacles on the ninth Emperor Ghost's body. Not to mention that he had just suppressed the tenth Emperor Ghost, he had even blocked this ninth Emperor Ghost.

Unfortunately, this did not really get Hu Ma out of danger.

The ninth Emperor Ghost was blocked, but beside the ninth Emperor Ghost, there was a tall figure wearing purple-gold armor, and the tenth Emperor Ghost, who had just been released and whose body was tattered, let out a roar that was difficult for living people to reach.

Then, it turned into a rolling Yin wind, sweeping across the entire hall, and crashing down on Hu Ma, who was at the door of the hall at this time.

Following closely behind were the civil and military officials in this new palace, each revealing the appearance of an evil ghost, rolling in like a tide.

"There is not only that Emperor Ghost in the ninth palace, but also a powerful thing..."

Hu Ma's heart sank slightly, and he immediately realized the problem.

The ninth Emperor Ghost in the Underworld Palace was Emperor Yi Ding. When he was in power, he had a fierce general under his command who put down countless rebellions and made unparalleled achievements. He was also born handsome, and his relationship with Emperor Yi Ding was suitable for both ruler and minister, which was regarded as a good story.

It was a pity that he died young, before Emperor Yi Ding. Emperor Yi Ding was grateful for his achievements, so he issued an edict to let him enter the imperial tomb, which was a relatively rare example of a fierce general being buried with him.

Therefore, in the ninth palace, in addition to Emperor Yi Ding, who was blocked by the Meng family ancestor, there was also the purple-gold armored general.

One of him, plus the tenth Emperor Ghost, came from the left and right, how fierce was the momentum.

"Brother Hu Ma, run quickly..."

Before Hu Ma could react, he saw a purple figure suddenly jump out beside him.

Hong Tang was really honest and shivering in the tenth palace, only daring to hide behind Hu Ma and not even daring to show her face.

Even a palace maid in the tenth palace scared her to tremble, but now that she had arrived in the ninth palace, where she didn't know anyone, she wasn't so timid.

Moreover, she had followed Hu Ma and received so much *ziqi*. Now, her red clothes were faintly purple, and even her figure looked a lot taller, faintly looking like a girl who was a few years older.

Her body was taller, and her temper was also bigger. Now, seeing that Hu Ma had to fight two alone in this palace, she finally mustered up her courage and rushed forward.

She grabbed the legs of the purple-gold armored general and forcibly pulled this mighty general into a dog-eat-shit.

Then, the purple-gold armored general was furious and turned around to hit her, and Hong Tang also rushed up to his head.

The two of them, one big and one small, one gold and one purple, fought together in an instant, hitting all around in a chaotic manner, with Yin wind rolling and *ziqi* surging.

Hong Tang, whose whole body was about to overflow with *ziqi*, and this former dynasty general, who integrated killing, evil, ferocity, and violence, you swung your fist and I bared my teeth, you drew your knife and I pulled your legs, you roared to the sky, and I spoke娇声娇气.

Hong Tang had never fought since she was a child. Now, this was the first time she had taken the initiative to attack after beating Yang Gong's lame little ghost. She really rolled up her sleeves and kicked her legs, using all her skills, and then...

...they fought back and forth, evenly matched.

"Good Hong Tang!"

Seeing this scene, Hu Ma also suddenly looked up. In addition to feeling relieved, he also turned his gaze to the tenth palace ghost who had rushed to him.

…

…

Kill, kill, kill!

Horseshoes trampled the bones of the nobles, and the heads of the families rolled to the ground.

Yang Gong was fighting everywhere in the human world, killing a bloody path. Wherever he went, cities were destroyed, walls were pushed down, and doorways fell to the ground into flesh. Wildfires burned all over the world.

The noble families were attacked by him, and countless died in the flames of war. Even more were押 to the front of the city with steel knives hanging over their necks.

"Demons are in power, the world is unfair, and bandits openly come to seize my ancestral property. They dare to boast shamelessly. They deserve to die, they deserve to die!"

Countless people cursed, and countless wronged ghosts wailed, crying blood and tearing up the words with tears. Yang Gong could have explained that he only wanted to take grain. Those who were willing to open their granaries would not be killed, and he could even leave them with enough food.

But over time, he stopped explaining. He was tired.

He just picked up the head of a noble lord who had cursed him the most fiercely before his death, weighed it in his hand, and then smiled: "The neck of the noble lord doesn't seem to be stronger than anyone else's..."

…

…

Hu Ma's dream, Underworld Palace.

Now, he felt that the tribulation in the human world was becoming more and more turbulent.

When he transformed himself into a bridge, that tribulation had only just begun. Now, when he looked again, he saw that it had become a vast ocean.

He even needed to use his own bridge to suppress it in order to avoid scaring the Emperor Ghost in the Underworld Palace. And it was a good time for the tenth palace Emperor Ghost to rush in front of him.

"Twilight Boundary divides Yin and Yang."

"It is a crime to reverse the order for a ghost to violate the dream of a living person!"

"It should be killed!"

When Yang Gong shouted, he suddenly stood up. The *Xiao Huang* saber, which had been ringing and was hungry and thirsty in his hand, suddenly raised. The rolling sea of blood behind him raised waves, and endless killing intent surged to the knife.

The light of the saber was fierce, suppressing the glory and *ziqi* of the entire hall.

The *Xiao Huang* saber had long been unbearable. It had been given its name by Hu Ma, and it knew that it had a chance to surpass all fierce weapons.

But after all, it had not been done yet, so it turned into hunger and rang from time to time, until this moment.

"Hua la!"

The tenth palace Emperor Ghost rushed in front of Hu Ma. Even though most of the *ziqi* in the tenth palace had been introduced into the human world by Hu Ma, and even though it had been torn to pieces by the Meng family ancestor, with blood and flesh blurred and suffering unspeakably, it still had 30% of its foundation left.

At this time, when it finally touched Hu Ma, a look of joy appeared on its strange face, and its body was huge, like a mountain.

But it never expected that Hu Ma's body also suddenly soared when he raised the knife.

He used the Great Majestic Heavenly Duke General Seal with this stick of incense, his soul light dazzling and his Dharma form森然. It was just that unlike the human world, he had three heads. In this dream, his Dharma form only had one head.

But it was the fierce and evil head with a cyan face and fangs, eyes like copper bells, a black body, and evil flames rolling around him. He looked a head taller than the tenth palace Emperor Ghost, and he held the fierce knife high in his hand.

"Drink!"

From a high position, he grabbed the tenth Emperor Ghost who had rushed in front of him with one hand.

The next moment, he raised the knife and dropped it.

A big head fell from the tenth Emperor Ghost's body, and endless tentacles twisted and struggled painfully, gradually withering.

At this moment, the fierce *Xiao Huang* saber made its name and rang.

At this time, in the human world, the sky was suddenly clear and cloudless, but lightning and thunder struck out of thin air, and the mountains and seas rolled back.

Somewhere in the human world, where the Diyi imperial tomb was located, a seismic event, which had never happened before, erupted. Mountains collapsed and the earth cracked, and landslides occurred. One of the imperial tombs built here was shaken down by the earthquake.

Originally, these imperial tombs were carefully selected and had excellent Feng Shui, so there was no possibility of such a thing happening. But this imperial tomb was overturned because of this, revealing countless jewels and treasures in the tomb, which benefited a food supply army that passed by here and earned a lot of expenses.

The Underworld Palace also suddenly became dead silent with the fall of that head. Whether it was the ninth palace Emperor Ghost who was entangled in a roll with the Meng family ancestor, or the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, or the generals who were buried with him.

Even the other Emperor Ghosts outside the Underworld Palace who were smelling the scent and coming forward felt a kind of instinctive fear because of this knife.

"Did you see that?"

At this time, when the world was dead silent, Hu Ma grabbed the head of this tenth palace Emperor Ghost and shouted coldly at everyone: "The emperor's neck is not so hard!"

"What is said about the human world's killing and cutting off life, it is just the people opening their eyes to look at the world!"

"When you recognize you, you are the emperor, enjoying all the glory, wealth, and honor in the world. It is also a matter of course to use a golden hoe to cultivate the land!"

"When you don't recognize you, what are you?"

(End of this chapter)