Twilight Boundary-Chapter 614 - 605: Ascending by Daylight

"What the hell?"

They hadn't acted, but once they did, it was astounding.

Hu Ma found himself squeezed outside by those walking ghost apprentices, completely dumbfounded.

Just moments ago, this group of Reincarnators had been utterly suppressed by Old Master Yan. Now that they had become ruthless, Old Master Yan appeared just as pitiful.

Clearly, he possessed a half-imperial mandate, was shielded by immortal qi, and his stiff, decaying body even had a semblance of being undying and indestructible. Yet now, he looked like a pathetic, withered old man, pinned down and gang-kicked by a group of Reincarnators.

The Bone Umbrella spread open, blocking the vast dark clouds overhead. The coffin nails pinned the iron chains, holding him firmly to the ground. Then the others rushed forward—some pulling teeth, some peeling scales, some sawing Dragon Horns...

Old Master Yan, who had known from the start that he could only live to be eighty-one, likely never imagined such a scene when a fortune teller told him he would face a catastrophe at the age of one hundred and seven.

At most, he might have thought his grave would be dug up; how could he have imagined being bullied like this?

It's said that the Yan Family spent generations, countless gold and Blood Food, and all sorts of Qi Men techniques to build this Yan Mansion, all just to trap Old Master Yan. Even so, they lived in constant fear and only by focusing their efforts on the snake pill did they barely manage to keep the Old Master contained.

Yet, when these Reincarnators brought out their hidden trump cards, it took only a moment to achieve what the Yan Family had painstakingly maintained for generations. This was truly...

...unbelievable!

...

...

"Old Master, Old Master, why haven't you fought your way out yet?"

Right there in the front yard, Master Yan, who had been beaten black and blue by the commoners and had spat out several mouthfuls of blood, was also desperately trying to look back towards the mansion, his face a mask of madness.

People's thoughts change in strange ways. When Old Master Yan was about to escape, he had been afraid. But now, beaten by the commoners and feeling that all was lost, a sense of ruin and madness had instead taken root in him, and he actually hoped Old Master Yan would emerge and slaughter everyone.

If death was to come, then so be it! A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. He would rather Old Master Yan bite him to death, as long as he took these bumpkins down with him.

But he didn't understand. He had clearly just seen, deep within the mansion, Old Master Yan's commotion shaking the heavens, as if he were about to fight his way out at any moment. Yet, for some unknown reason, after only that brief racket, it had suddenly become silent again...

Instead, from inside, bursts of excited, eerie cackles could be heard from time to time, interspersed with shouts like "Mine, mine!" and "Stab him, stab him!"

What was going on? Wasn't it said that once Old Master Yan got out of the well, there would be a million corpses, and the entire Guazhou City would be buried along with him?

Even more inexplicably, outside the Yan Mansion, Miss Red Wine sensed the Iron Threshold Army drawing closer and closer. Growing anxious, she went to the Yan Family's main gate, preparing to confront the Iron Threshold Army and buy some time for those inside.

However, she hadn't expected that the Iron Threshold Army, whose movements were immense and whose aura was fierce and menacing, would suddenly erupt with shouts of fighting and killing, as if they had engaged someone in battle.

Immediately, an overwhelming smell of blood rose, seeping through the cracks in the door and assaulting the nostrils. Even inside the mansion, much of the fear induced by Old Master Yan's rampant, malevolent aura dissipated because of it.

"That is..."

Miss Red Wine felt a wave of panic in her heart. Mustering her courage, and relying on her skills to remain vigilant, she stealthily approached the door and peeked outside. Then, her expression suddenly changed drastically, and she fiercely slammed the main gate shut.

Her face was ghastly pale, and she couldn't help but think: That Madman outside... surely he isn't... he couldn't also be a Reincarnator, could he? Impossible, impossible! Reincarnators all possess a sense of reverence; they wouldn't do such insane things...

...

...

"Quick, quick, it's almost done! Kill this thing..."

Deep inside the Yan Mansion, Old Master Yan was completely trapped. Not only was he bound tightly, but his Dragon Horns and scales were gone, and not a single nail remained on his fingers or toes. He himself was frozen stiff in mid-air, utterly immobile.

The one wielding the large vat seized the opportunity, suddenly darting forward. His finger seals changed continuously as he struck several major acupoints on Old Master Yan's back, finishing with a kick to the center of his back.

"GASP..."

Old Master Yan's body was beyond his control; his mouth suddenly flew wide open.

Burning Blade, who had long been prepared, saw the opportunity and gave a fierce shout. The red-hot blade, carrying a surging bloody aura, plunged straight through Old Master Yan's open mouth and into his stomach, then twisted viciously.

"SQUELCH..."

Detecting a gurgling sound from within Old Master Yan's body, the Reincarnators immediately leaped back, their eyes wide as they watched.

They saw Old Master Yan, still in that upward-facing posture, suddenly expel a mouthful of foul air straight up.

The last breath after a person's death is evil energy. Old Master Yan should have died long ago but had forcibly held onto this breath for twenty-six years. Now, he finally exhaled this vile breath.

"Is he dead?"

"Stone dead!"

... 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Everyone, having some understanding of creatures like zombies, sighed in relief when they saw that breath expelled. They were already preparing to quickly inspect their recent spoils of war and see what other valuables remained.

But just then, they heard a strained voice shout, "Dead my ass! The old bastard is dead, but the most crucial problem hasn't been solved yet..."

Everyone hurriedly looked up, only to see the Reincarnator wearing a dog-faced mask hovering above them. His eyes beneath the mask were already bloodshot, and his teeth were grinding audibly.

He had taken out a White Bone Umbrella, an extremely mystical item, and was spinning it above Old Master Yan's head, temporarily separating Old Master Yan from the dark clouds above.

The Reincarnators had also thought that killing Old Master Yan would resolve the issue of the dark clouds.

Now, looking again, it was clearly not so.

Old Master Yan had exhaled his mouthful of evil energy, but it had unexpectedly also triggered a change in the dark clouds overhead. Rolling and surging, the cloud mass hung low, then descended rapidly like a waterfall, pressing down on the umbrella.

His umbrella, unlike ordinary objects that borrowed power from evil spirits and ghostly gods, was suffused with divine light and was extremely mystical. Yet now, it was being deformed by the pressure of the rolling dark clouds, its canopy misshapen and its inner frame bent into grotesque shapes.

Compared to Old Master Yan, the dark clouds overhead were clearly the more critical threat. The dog-faced Reincarnator had barely managed to hold out until the others below finished off Old Master Yan, expecting them to come and help him...

But unexpectedly, when the people below looked up and saw that the umbrella was about to collapse, their expressions changed drastically, and they all turned tail to flee.

"?"

Dian Shen Fuling: "#￥%&*@..."

"WHOOSH!"

At that very moment, the mouthful of evil energy Old Master Yan had suddenly expelled began to rapidly rise and steam. Unimpeded by the umbrella's barrier, it instantly shot towards the mass of dark clouds.

The two energies intertwined. In an instant, muffled thunder rumbled overhead, and a strange transformation abruptly occurred.

Enveloped by layers of chilling wind, everyone felt their vision blur, their bodies becoming incredibly light. A strange sense of euphoria welled up from the depths of their hearts, and it was as if some kind of ethereal immortal music drifted to their ears, reverberating, surging directly into their eardrums, and sinking deep into their souls.

Looking up, they saw only that expanse of dark clouds rapidly unfurling, growing larger and larger as it met Old Master Yan's final breath of evil energy, swiftly changing its shape.

The world seemed to suddenly become translucent, as if the sun had appeared in the sky at midnight, scattering myriad rays of light.

The Yan Mansion, and even the surrounding rubble, flowers and plants, corridor pillars, and even the ridge-beast stone carvings, all seemed to lose their weight at this moment, floating up one after another and heading into the dark clouds.

Not only that, but also the Yan Family Ancestors, clansmen, House Generals, and spirit evils scattered all around.

They, whether alive or dead, whole or fragmented, all had translucent, illusory figures pulled from them at this moment. These figures flew into the sky, drifting about. Human shapes intertwined, riding auspicious clouds and immortal cranes, their expressions dazed yet euphoric.

Countless Divine Souls and numerous spirit evils appeared and disappeared within the cloud layers, drifting to and fro, resembling some kind of Immortals' ceremony tent.

And within that ceremony tent, the mass of evil energy transformed into a human figure, precisely resembling Old Master Yan. It seemed to have completely lost its former rotten and grotesque appearance, instead exuding a dignified immortal bearing. Surrounded by figures, it laughed heartily, thoroughly content and pleased.

"That is..."

The Reincarnators below, no matter how capable, had never witnessed such a wondrous sight. They were all stupefied, looking up and asking blankly, "What in the world did we just see?"

"Damn it, is this the legendary Daylight Ascension?"

...

Inside the Yan Mansion, those Yan Family members—the madams and young misses—who had already been scared out of their wits by the great chaos, now all had dazed expressions. They were giggling foolishly as if they were seeing something wonderful, completely enraptured.

"Yes, he's succeeded!"

In the front courtyard, Master Yan, who just moments ago had been beaten into a bloody pulp by those bumpkin commoners, gazed at the ethereally drifting Old Master Yan. He suddenly clapped his hands in joy, exclaiming, "Old Master has become an Immortal!"

"This Emperor's destiny is now our Yan Family's!"

"HEE HEE, HEE HEE! Old Master awaits the Emperor's destiny, but how old is he?"

"Even if he attains it, the ones to benefit will be us, his descendants! So let the old man suffer this one hardship. Our Yan Family will be Emperors for generations, and the very first will be me... Us!"

...

As he spoke, his expression changed. He sat down heavily on the ground, waved his wide sleeve grandly, and turned around. Only then could it be seen that blood was seeping from his eyes, nose, ears, and even from the wounds inflicted by the commoners, all of it swiftly floating up towards the sky.

His blood-soaked face looked utterly terrifying, yet he wore an expression of lofty superiority, gazing down upon the human world. Clearing his throat, he declared, "Now, We ascend to the great throne! All ministers who have rendered meritorious service shall be rewarded!"

"Huh?"

Meanwhile, in the front courtyard, the crowd of commoners and jianghu figures, who just moments before had stormed in filled with righteous indignation and had indiscriminately beaten the Yan Family members, were now also dazed, their expressions unfocused. A sinister, bloody aura oozed from their bodies, making them all appear blood-soaked as well.

Yet they seemed utterly unaware, merely kneeling one after another before Master Yan and crying out, "Emperor! Emperor! We pay our respects to the Emperor!"

"We humble commoners mistakenly intruded upon the Golden Throne Hall, but at least we were present for the Emperor's accession! This can at least be considered the merit of 'accompanying the dragon'! We beg the Emperor... beg the Emperor to reward us with a high official position to hold!"

"We pay our respects to the Emperor! We pay our respects to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor, long, long live the Emperor!"