Twilight Boundary-Chapter 617 - 608: The Name of Zhensui Mansion

"He's been dealt with..."

With no time to spare for anything else, Hu Ma's saber strike had cleaved through Old Master Yan—or rather, it had merely severed that wisp of evil energy, that phantom image. He then swiftly looked ahead.

He saw the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky, already vast and immense, rapidly dispersing. Even the strand of immortal qi contained within was quietly vanishing, along with the various influences within Guazhou City, all returning to their rightful places.

Even his own body suddenly felt heavy; the Magic Seal he had condensed had already dissipated. He plummeted swiftly, landing on a still-intact section of rooftop within the Yan Mansion. The Heavenly General Wordless Seal in his hand felt its weight lessening.

Hastily glancing down, he saw only the golden light on the seal scattering, the words "Mandated by Heaven" fading into nothingness.

"Mandated by Heaven, Mandated by Heaven..."

Though he himself had wielded the seal, scattering the so-called immortal qi and striking down the daylight-ascending Old Master Yan, the shock in his heart was no less than that of any onlooker.

The eight characters meaning "Mandated by Heaven, Bestowed with Longevity and Eternal Prosperity" should theoretically originate from my own world. Why, then, did only the first half, "Mandated by Heaven," appear on this wordless seal? And why did it possess such awe-inspiring power, enough to scatter that immortal qi?

The Great Mighty Sky General Seal was a dharma method passed down by the previous generation of Reincarnators. How could it be so subtly connected to this immortal qi, as if sharing a common origin, yet also seemingly capable of faintly suppressing it?

He didn't have time to ponder further. He could sense that at this very moment, the influences of heaven and earth were returning to their designated places, and everyone lost in daydreams had been jolted awake.

Whether it was the people of Guazhou City, the members of the Yan Family, or those little walking ghost sword-capturers, all were staring at him in utter astonishment. He suppressed the doubts in his heart and, taking advantage of landing on the rooftop with his body slightly heavy, slowly took a few deep breaths.

Then, he slowly rose, standing upon the rooftop, looking down from his vantage point, and declared in a grave voice, "The chief culprit has been executed! Seal the blade!"

SWOOSH!

The Punishment Officer's Great Saber in his hand had been without a scabbard since this venture began, so it naturally couldn't be sheathed in the traditional way.

Thus, he simply lifted the sole of his shoe, wiped the blade clean, and then tucked it under his arm.

To capture with the blade and kill, then to seal the blade and sheathe it—that was the rule.

It signified that the malevolence had been purged, justice had been restored, and the duties of the sword-catching Hall Officer were complete; it was time to return to the Zhensui Mansion and report.

Therefore, although he merely wiped blood from the blade and secured it, to others, it was as if they heard a resonant HUM. They felt the roiling, chilling murderous aura above the Yan Mansion converging into a single point.

This finally roused the terrified onlookers from their earlier shock. Countless people, who had been holding their breath, finally managed to draw air deep into their chests.

"Holy shit, he actually killed him?"

"This guy who called the assembly, what's his background? His skills are incredible..."

"At first, I just wanted to see what was going on. Now I'm starting to feel this assembly is no joke!"

"This brother doesn't look very old; he might not have been here longer than us, but he's clearly gone much further down his path..."

"...Who do we see about getting those two Blood Food Pills? Code Name Old Sorghum?"

Even as the killing intent began to coalesce, its intimidating force still permeated Guazhou City, growing ever more grim. The first to react, naturally, were the Reincarnators from various paths.

It was only at this moment that a glint of seriousness appeared in their eyes. Whether it was the Dian Shen Fuling or the expert from the Yan Family, both now took a long, deep look at Hu Ma.

Before the Yan Mansion, Miss Red Wine was equally shaken. But as Hu Ma put away his saber, she reacted instantly, giving an urgent nod to Old Sorghum beside her. The composed and prudent Old Sorghum immediately stepped forward, his voice ringing out,

"Today, by Zhensui Mansion Order, we slew the Earth Snake God and cut down the Yan family fiend—not for Silver Coin or high reward, but to leave justice in this world!"

"We willingly bow our heads to serve as the blade of the Zhensui Mansion! So long as fiends exist in this world, we shall heed the Zhensui Mansion Order!"

"Seal the blade!"

As he spoke, he raised the saber in his hand...

...He wasn't even a saber user; he had picked this blade up from the ground. With a SWOOSH, he returned it to its sheath.

Then, without looking at anyone, he turned and departed, swiftly vaulting over a wall and vanishing into the night.

"That's the signal! Disperse, disperse..."

All the walking ghost sword-capturers reacted as well. They straightened their attire, put away their Magical Treasures, and after a quick exchange of glances, shouted in unison, "For grievances, come to Zhensui Mansion! Demons, ghosts, immortals, and gods won't be spared! I came to Guazhou for these three things!"

"Justice!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Justice!"

"And still, goddammit... Justice!!"

Amidst the shouts, they scattered like the wind, disappearing into the night as mysteriously as they had arrived.

However, only the Reincarnators understood that the sense of importance and curiosity in each of their hearts had reached an extreme. Though they were retreating, their focus on this assembly was now at its peak.

Well, now. Even the retreat has a sense of ceremony? Hu Ma hadn't anticipated this. Miss Red Wine really is thorough... he thought.

This grand show had ended, but its echoes still lingered. Now, they just had to see how word of it would spread elsewhere.

As he pondered, he leaped down from the rooftop, treading across the rubble and shattered tiles within the Yan Mansion, and walked straight ahead.

The walking ghost sword-capturers could vault over walls and rooftops, but he had to use the main gate. They could kill and vanish immediately, but he still had matters to attend to. The blade of the Zhensui Mansion did not strike the living. The Earth Snake God was slain, and that was that, but the Yan family's affairs still needed to be settled.

According to the rules, since he had destroyed the Yan family, their crimes—using the toad gu to harm the people of Guazhou and practicing alchemy for longevity—must be reported to the Lord of Guazhou. Otherwise, the case must be brought back to the Zhensui Mansion. No matter who asked, there must be evidence for corroboration.

Therefore, upon descending, he first looked towards Old Master Yan's corpse. Such a transformed dragon zombie was material evidence.

But one look made his heart jump. Holy shit?

Old Master Yan's Dragon Horns had been sawed off, his claws clipped, his Dragon Scales peeled, and even most of his fangs were gone...

This damn thing doesn't look like a subdued zombie; it looks like it's been robbed blind...

Fortunately, it was still sufficient as evidence. Hu Ma raised his hand, and a "Shackle" talisman landed on Old Master Yan's corpse, pinning it in place. Where the talisman fell, no ghostly gods dared approach.

He then continued outward. There was still much to do. The Yan Family Master had to be apprehended, and both the Iron Threshold King of Guazhou City and the Lord of Guazhou had to be informed, one by one.

He refused to believe they were uninvolved in this affair.

But as he took a large stride forward, an inexplicable alarm struck him again. He remembered that when he had first found Old Master Yan, the Iron Threshold King's soldiers had already arrived outside the Yan Mansion. Why was it so quiet now? And outside...

Holy shit, who arranged a whole alley of bonsai?

Seeing the mountain of soldiers' corpses piled outside the Yan Mansion, impaled and pinned by countless weapons, his face turned green.

Who did this?

He looked towards the Lord Temple of Guazhou, an uneasy feeling growing in his heart. Why is there no sound at all?

Could it be that the Lord of Guazhou has also...

"Zhensui sword-capturers slay demons and expel evil! We, the common people, all bear witness..."

Just as Hu Ma was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of this operation, he suddenly heard a deafening roar from nearby. He saw crowds of commoners thronging the front courtyard of the Yan Mansion.

They, too, had initially been bewildered by Old Master Yan's daylight ascension. Now, finally understanding what had transpired, someone had taken the lead in shouting.

One person began, and in an instant, the ground was covered with kneeling figures, among them numerous jianghu figures, their voices even louder.

Of course, the perfect timing of their kneeling couldn't withstand close scrutiny. He clearly saw a few people among them winking at him. This was truly impeccable service; they had even considered the commoners' public sentiment and reaction for him, the Great Hall Officer.

"Zhensui sword-capturers act only for justice; we do not accept the kneeling of the people..."

He reacted extremely quickly, suddenly stepping back and shouting in a stern voice, "I come from Zhensui Mansion. I may be one man, but the blade is not singular."

"Our Zhensui Mansion opens its Mansion Gate wide, believing only in this justice, only in the righteous of the world! We cannot stand those evil spirits, nor can we abide those rampant fiends! Today, those executing the Demon Suppression Order were not just me alone! Neighbors seeking justice and warriors of the jianghu—all serve as sword-capturers for our Zhensui Mansion!"

WHOOSH!

These words seemed to bring the crowd to a boil, especially those jianghu heroes who had come from all directions. Initially, they had intended to cause trouble for this Zhensui sword-capturer, but later, they had inexplicably followed the commoners in seeking justice. Now, their spirits soared.

They felt as if they had transformed, becoming walking ghost sword-capturers who had stormed the Yan family to slay fiends.

Amidst the elation, the cheers rose, spreading rapidly from the Yan Mansion throughout the entirety of Guazhou City.

"This is bad, this is bad..."

Amidst this heart-stirring fervor, lurking in the shadows, Calculation stared blankly at the impassioned citizens filling the city, his voice trembling. "This is big trouble..."

He spun around abruptly, looking at Wuya, who was gazing with a face full of admiration at Hu Ma, the great sword-capturer of the Walking Ghosts, completely oblivious to the white-robed figure that had flashed past the mansion gate. Calculation's voice quivered, "Good apprentice, do you know which evil spirits are the most formidable?

"It's not those that harm people, nor those that hide away to imitate human Cultivation. The truly formidable evil spirits are those that destroy the very foundations of this world, making everything you believe no longer trustworthy, turning things that shouldn't exist into actual realities…

"This Walking Ghost Family… killing kin, sealing a Hall Officer, throwing open the Mansion Gates, summoning the world's righteous heroes in the name of justice…

"…This damn thing was originally a joke!

"But starting today, others will believe this joke. They will revere the justice of the Zhensui Mansion and deeply trust its name…

"This Zhensui Mansion has forged a path that shouldn't exist in this world…

"If the common folk discover how capable they truly are, who would still believe in those nobles and masters?"