Twilight Boundary-Chapter 608 - 599 The Yan Family is Ruined

Killing was easy, but killing was a grave matter. Especially in this world, facing such a situation with a teeming crowd before you, one couldn't know their fate, their blessings, or whether they possessed a hidden trump card. Furthermore, one couldn't know if killing them would invite retribution from a Vengeful Ghost, or if it would be recorded as karmic debt in the unseen realm. Thus, for Reincarnators, killing was something to be avoided if possible; survival was the priority...

But that was all before this Reincarnator grand gathering was initiated.

Previously, they dared not show their faces. When two individuals met to cooperate, they had to be exceedingly cautious, even needing to exchange secret codes before meeting. But now, regardless of their previous fears, a large group had gathered here. Even those who still dared not reveal themselves participated in this bustling event, albeit with masks.

And the habit of not daring to kill was subtly affected after witnessing Hu Ma's methods. Maybe taking the lead by killing wasn't really as risky as they imagined?

"Look at this mediocre fellow who initiated the gathering," someone remarked. "He lacks great skill yet managed to get into the Zhensui Mansion as a great hall officer. Wielding that Ghost Head Blade, he kills people as easily as chopping melons and cutting vegetables, without even batting an eye."

"So are we being too cautious?"

"..."

Gradually, some couldn't hold back. There were indeed many minor monsters in the Yan Mansion. They couldn't just stand by and watch one person clear them all out, could they?

Besides, they still hoped to get those two Blood Food Pills from him...

So, gradually, people started to join in. The commotion in the Yan Mansion was becoming unstoppable.

The Iron Gate Yan Family was undoubtedly a top-tier aristocratic family. Within the Yan Mansion alone, their private servants and House Generals were clad in armor, highly skilled in martial arts, fiercely loyal, and unafraid of death. Furthermore, various chambers housed experts from the Path, along with numerous mechanisms, hidden Magical Treasures, spirits, and evil spirits. But now, all of it suddenly seemed like a joke.

Groups of House Generals charged forward, wave after wave, to protect the four major Dingzi within the mansion. However, led by the walking ghost Great Sword Catcher, the intruders cut them down—blades rose and heads fell, and blood flowed like a river. The House Generals were not only unable to stop these people but couldn't even hinder them for a moment. The slaughter continued until the Ghost Head Big Blade in Hu Ma's hand grew excited, the wind from its swings carrying a wild, cackling laughter.

As for the various traps and mechanisms, they had long been discovered by those with sharp eyes. Before they could even be activated, someone had already set them ablaze.

The Yan Mansion's head steward, seeing that the situation was dire, cried out in alarm. Hitching up his robes, he rushed into a room in the Yan Mansion sealed with talismans, intending to retrieve an old artifact for defense. However, upon entering, he saw a walking ghost Little Sword Catcher toying with his family's treasure. Nearby, three other walking ghost Little Sword Catchers were reaching for it, shouting, "Give it to me! Give it to me!"

The one holding the artifact dodged while admiring it, taunting, "Not giving it to you, not giving it! You want it? Then first tell me if Laozao is..."

Meanwhile, the second steward ran into the eldest young mistress's courtyard. Pushing the door open, he immediately kowtowed. A parrot was kept in this courtyard—it was a spirit capable of human speech. It was said that if it cursed someone to die, they would inexplicably lose their life. It was time to seek its aid. But as he entered, he saw several walking ghost Little Sword Catchers surrounding the parrot. One of them was even holding it by the neck, shouting, "Call me Daddy! Call me Daddy..."

"..."

As for the other mystical entities and Path experts, they were either dead or injured. A few unlucky Yan Family Old Masters and Mesdames were forced to seek protection in the Ancestral Hall, only to find it already smashed to pieces. Several ancestral figures in official robes were kneeling, facing the wall, and slapping their own faces, crying out, "I was wrong, Grandfather! I was wrong, Grandfather..."

"...Has it been three hundred times yet?"

"..."

"How, how could this happen..."

Everyone in the Yan Family, high and low, was devastated by the sudden chaos, feeling their entire worldview shatter. "The Iron Gate Yan Family... how could we be so vulnerable?"

"Do the families of the Ten Surnames truly possess such power? No, that's not right... Even the Ten Surnames shouldn't be able to treat our Yan Family as if we were nothing..."

"..."

In terms of their own standing, the Yan Family had always believed that even if they couldn't match the Ten Surnames, they shouldn't be far behind. This was especially true considering the Hu Family, one of the Ten Surnames, which had been declining for twenty years, so neglected that even dogs ignored them. Moreover, being suppressed by the Haishou, they were surely no longer comparable to the Yan Family...

But now, just a single Sword Catcher had arrived and brought the Yan Family to the brink of collapse?

To be honest, no blame could be put on the Yan Family for appearing so panicked; they simply hadn't expected things to involve them. Initially, they had thought the decisive confrontation would be over the Earth Snake God. Who could have guessed the intruders were actually aiming to ransack their home and exterminate their entire clan?

CRASH! BANG!

And as these Dingzi were uprooted one by one, House Generals were slaughtered and thrown into disarray, creating rivers of blood. All sorts of rare and strange treasures within the mansion were either snatched away or smashed to pieces merely for the sound of it. Even the people within the Yan Mansion were scared out of their wits. They tried to flee but couldn't get out, and their cries to their ancestors for salvation went unanswered. The once imposing Iron Gate Yan Family appeared to have crumbled to ruin in an instant.

At that very moment, from deep within the Yan Mansion, the clanking of iron chains could be heard. Along with it came thunderous gasps and furious roars, as if something, sensing the collapse of the Yan Mansion, could no longer restrain itself and was desperate to break free.

"Ruined! Utterly ruined! The Yan Family made countless plans and calculations, yet never foresaw such a calamity..."

In the front courtyard, Master Yan, still bewildered as to why he hadn't been killed yet, felt his heart turn to ash. The roars from deep within the mansion terrified him. His eyes lost focus as he desperately peered towards the outside of the estate.

Where is the Iron Threshold King? The Iron Threshold King's army should have entered the city by now! Why haven't they arrived yet?

Impossible! The Yan Family cannot be destroyed by you like this!

When it comes down to it, the Iron Threshold King is a true House General of the Yan Family! Once he leads his grand army into the city, what can you jianghu demon people possibly do in the face of proper, imposing battlefield formations, no matter what tricks you have?

All of you will pay a heavy price for this!

"..."

It seemed as if God Himself had heard his desperate cries. Outside the Yan Mansion, the sound of uniform, heavy footsteps grew, approaching from the distance. The momentum was like that of a thousand troops and ten thousand horses. Even over the high walls, the great banner of the Iron Threshold King could be seen rapidly drawing near.

RUMBLE!

The imposing aura of slaughter from the battlefield pressed closer, its presence truly extraordinary. Merely the sound of those heavy footsteps seemed to make the entire Yan Mansion tremble. And the thundering of hooves amidst the gallop, along with the clang of swords and armor, seemed more terrifying than any commotion caused by ghostly gods. Even the bustle in the Yan Mansion was gradually subdued by this noise.

"Oh?"

Many of the walking ghost Little Sword Catchers, who had been rummaging around the Yan Mansion looking for amusement, paused in their activities.

"The Iron Threshold King's army really has arrived?"

"Are we supposed to retreat?"

"..."

Those who roamed the jianghu, even if they possessed genuine skills, would not provoke government officials unless it was absolutely unavoidable. And those in the Path, no matter how great their abilities, truly had no desire to challenge an army. When numbers increased, so did the sheer force of presence. Ordinary ghosts and evil spirits would have to steer clear, let alone these trained, uniformed, battle-hardened soldiers who carried a potent killing intent. In their presence, all manner of spirits and specters had to make way.

It was the same now. Even the walking ghost Little Sword Catchers, despite their individual skills, knew they had to make way when necessary.

If they truly confronted them, who knew what unexpected variables might arise?

But, even as they thought this, they were conflicted. That walking ghost Great Sword Catcher was still leading people towards the last Dingzi in the Yan Mansion. Most of the Reincarnators attending this gathering were with him. If they left now, wouldn't they miss out on all the excitement...

...No, more importantly, wouldn't they be too embarrassed to ask for the two Blood Food Pills he had promised them earlier?

RUMBLE!

But they didn't have much time to think. The Iron Threshold King's soldiers advanced with incredible speed, reaching the outside of the Yan Mansion in the blink of an eye. Even from outside, they could hear the sounds of slaughter and shouting from within, prompting them to dispense with formalities. A massive siege wood, carried by two rows of soldiers clad in iron armor, was brought forward with immense effort.

CRACK! With a loud snap, the main gate was breached, and countless soldiers rushed in.

Master Yan, in the front courtyard, was ecstatic upon hearing the arrival of the Iron Threshold Army. He hurriedly scrambled to his feet, intending to have the Iron Threshold King order the complete slaughter of these lawless walking ghost Little Sword Catchers.

But as he rose, he was stunned.

...

...

"General, there's no one here..."

「At this moment」

The Iron Threshold King, accompanied by several of his protector Generals and leading three thousand elite soldiers of the Iron Threshold Army, had entered Guazhou City, his heart burning with anxiety. He knew the Yan Family could not be allowed to fall. Hearing the sounds of chaos from within the mansion and smelling the thick scent of blood even from a distance, he had disregarded all formalities, ordering his men to forcibly break down the Yan Mansion's main gate and swiftly leading his troops inside.

But upon entering, he too was stunned, seeing the courtyard empty, not a single soul in sight.

"No, this isn't the Yan Mansion..."

The Iron Threshold King was the son of one of the Yan Family's closest friends and knew the Yan estate intimately. With a single glance, he realized that nothing in this courtyard—not a blade of grass, not a single brick or pavilion—bore any resemblance to the Yan Family's characteristic grandeur. I must have lost my senses, he thought, to have actually gone to the wrong place. He hastily whipped several of his subordinates, ordering them to find the correct location. Unexpectedly, when they searched again, they still ended up at the wrong place.

Clearly, the chaotic screams of the Yan Family were resounding nearby, constantly reaching his ears. Clearly, every landmark on this street was familiar to him. Yet, the vast Yan Mansion, which occupied more than half the street and should have been right here—the very Yan Mansion he had visited just a few days ago—was nowhere to be found, as if it had vanished into thin air.

"General, we can't find it..."

His men, their faces bearing fresh whip marks, cried out in terror, "General, the Yan Mansion should be right here, but our men have searched everywhere and can't find it..."

"It's as if... as if someone has hidden it!"