Twilight Boundary-Chapter 634 - 625: Underworld Expert

"Huh?"

Hu Ma was a bit puzzled by the commotion. "What big-bellied Ghost King?"

"How come I haven't even started, and you all ran away?"

To be fair, he knew his own abilities well. A Shousui man cultivated the Divine Soul, and anyone who had entered the Mansion would be considered a Ghost King to some degree in the underworld. Being a Shousui man who had pushed open three mansion gates, once his Dharma Form condensed, he was formidable even among Ghost Kings. But after all, it was one against many. Facing these fierce Evil Gods all around, it didn't seem like he could completely overpower them. Why were they so terrified?

Feeling puzzled, he instinctively wanted to ask for clarification. But as soon as he moved, the group of scattered Evil Ghosts became even more frightened, scrambling away in chaos, screaming and wailing. Hu Ma had condensed his Dharma Form, which was enormous. It was not yet fully adapted to this world; in the mortal realm, the Dharma Form was merely a phantom supported by his physical body. Here in the underworld, however, it appeared far more substantial. Although he felt immensely powerful, moving was somewhat difficult.

He chased for a few steps but couldn't catch up. In desperation, he shot his hands forward, finally grabbing one of the slower ones and lifting it to his face.

His blood-red maw gaped open as he roared, "Why are you running? What do you mean, big-bellied Ghost King?"

"Heavenly Master, spare us, spare us..."

The one he had caught was a ghostly figure dressed as a performer. It trembled fiercely in his hand, shouting desperately. As it drew closer to the blood-red maw, it let out a terrified "AAAH!" The ghostly figure suddenly disintegrated, melting in Hu Ma's hand.

"Oh no..."

From afar, another fleeing ghostly figure dared to glance back. It was even more terrified as it shrieked, "The Singing and Striking Lord has been eaten by it!"

This shout intensified the already chaotic and terrifying atmosphere tenfold. Gusts of yin wind swirled, and numerous ghostly figures scurried about like a disturbed hornet's nest, flying and darting everywhere, their shrill wails echoing continuously. The chaos radiated from this central area, spreading in all directions like an electric shock.

Hu Ma was genuinely surprised. He felt that condensing the Dharma Form consumed a great deal of his cultivation, and the wailing of ghosts all around made his head ache even more.

He felt an uncontrollable desire in his heart, a longing to swallow them all in one gulp.

But just as this darkness descended and malicious thoughts brewed in his heart, he saw a golden light shining from afar, accompanied by a voice:

"Brother, don't panic! I'm here to help you!"

"..."

As the golden light fell, the surrounding gloomy clouds instantly dissipated, and the dark, ghostly wails were suppressed. It was as if this underworld had suddenly taken on a bright and sunny feel.

Hu Ma seized the opportunity to calm his mind, hurriedly retracting his Dharma Form to prevent an unnecessary waste of cultivation.

Looking up, he saw Elder Er Guotou slowly drifting down from the dense mist. A talisman was affixed to him, shining brilliantly with golden light. It dispersed the black mist around, making him look like a golden lantern walking in the underworld.

No wonder the evil spirit he kept by his side was a Red Lantern!

He himself was also a type of lantern!

"WHOSH!"

Er Guotou landed before him. With a wave of his large sleeve, he enveloped Hu Ma in golden light, saying with a somewhat reproachful expression, "Brother, you were too careless."

"Luckily, I was worried about you and hurried down to find you. Otherwise, wouldn't you have stumbled into trouble alone?"

"This underworld is different from the mortal realm; it's perilous everywhere. Even for those who have crossed the Bridge, a single misstep in this underworld means obliteration, leaving no bones behind."

"..."

"Yes, yes..."

Hu Ma had no choice but to agree, though he felt somewhat odd. Wait, wasn't it *them* who were in danger just now, not me?

Remembering those yin souls that had been scattered and driven away, he felt a strange sense of regret, a longing to devour them all.

The strange feeling in his heart intensified. He tried to steady himself, anxious to ask, "Shousui men in this underworld..."

"Have you forgotten what I told you up above?"

Er Guotou raised his hand to stop him. "It's your first time down here, so there are surely many things you don't understand. But when we get back up, we'll discuss them one by one."

"Living people can't speak down here. With every word you utter, you lose a breath of yang qi. If you're not careful, you'll lose your life here."

"..."

Hu Ma listened and had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

He indeed needed to organize his thoughts and understand things first.

Meanwhile, as Er Guotou spoke, he pulled a complexly designed compass from his sleeve. Its face bore symbols representing the heavenly stems and earthly branches. He then flipped the compass over, revealing a similarly intricate and dense arrangement on the back, where mysterious inscriptions faintly turned. This was precisely the treasure passed down from the Old Walking Ghost lineage: the Yin Yang Two Sceneries Plate, capable of divining the states of both the human world and the underworld.

Er Guotou expertly surveyed all directions. Then, seeming to have gotten his bearings, he pointed and said, "We can't stay here long. Let's hurry and go!"

"That way!"

"..."

Seeing his family's treasure so useful in Er Guotou's hands, Hu Ma felt a twinge of envy.

But it's not so bad leaving it with him for now, he comforted himself. After all, I wouldn't know how to use it even if I took it back...

After confirming the direction, Er Guotou tugged at a sash at his side, drew out a handful of Yellow Paper, and scattered it into the air with a RUSTLE. A road paved with Yellow Paper instantly appeared beneath their feet. Er Guotou chuckled, motioned for Hu Ma to follow, and strode forward along this path. The surrounding yin mist seemed to obscure everything, yet it could not hide the road paved with Yellow Paper.

In the mist, eerie, mournful sounds or low cries echoed intermittently. It seemed as though shadows were constantly trying to crawl out of the yin mist and onto the paper path.

"We're on an urgent journey, don't come making trouble!"

Er Guotou would occasionally grab a handful of gold and silver paper money, scattering it along the way. This sent the nearby yin souls scrambling for it, too busy to try climbing onto the Yellow Paper path.

"These yin souls have sensed the aura of the living and want to follow us back to the mortal realm," he explained to Hu Ma beside him as he scattered the money. "Just toss some paper money to placate them."

"The underworld is perilous, but you don't need to fear with me around. I've come down for a stroll quite a few times before."

Yes, yes, of course...

Hu Ma finally understood the source of his earlier bewilderment.

When it comes to the skills of the Walking Ghost Path, Elder Er Guotou is far more proficient than I, a supposed scion of the Walking Ghost Family...

I'm this old, and this is my first time in the underworld, and in my physical body at that. Meanwhile, he's not only been down many times but has even found the Hu Family's treasure trove in the underworld...

It just feels so strange...

The two continued along the road paved with Yellow Paper. They felt various landscapes rapidly receding beside them—mountains, forests, and even structures resembling villages and palaces. However, everything was shrouded by yin souls, making it difficult to see clearly. Suddenly, they heard the RUSHING sound of water ahead. A few steps further, the Yellow Paper road abruptly ended. A vast, boundless river, its waters dark and murky, lay before them, blocking their path. Huge shadows swam within the river from time to time, and occasionally, human-like figures could be seen struggling desperately on the surface.

Faced with the rolling, baleful aura emanating from the river, Hu Ma grew wary. Er Guotou, however, seemed unfazed. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a paper bridge, and waved it in his hand. The paper bridge immediately caught fire, burning to ashes in moments. The next moment, a solid, intricately crafted bridge appeared beneath their feet, stretching across to the opposite bank of the river.

Er Guotou stepped onto it directly, and Hu Ma followed. However, as soon as Hu Ma set foot on it, the bridge showed signs of cracking. Er Guotou quickly turned back to warn him, "I almost forgot you came down in your physical body! Be careful. Although things burned in the mortal realm become real here, they're merely manifestations of intent. You Shousui men are heavy. A moment of carelessness, and you might just make my bridge collapse!"

"The river below is incredibly treacherous. If you fall in, even those who have crossed the Bridge can't climb back out..."

"..."

Hu Ma trod cautiously along the bridge, employing a Shousui man's lightness skill. Though he knew it would consume yang qi, he couldn't resist asking, "If things burned by the living become real here, then if descendants burned an entire army for their ancestors, wouldn't those ancestors become kings directly?"

"..."

"What are you thinking?"

Er Guotou chuckled. "While items burned in the mortal realm are useful here, the key isn't *what* is burned, but the sincerity behind it."

"The more sincere the people in the mortal realm are when they burn things, the more valuable those things become down here. This bridge is the same; the more sincere the person who offered it, the sturdier the bridge."

"Furthermore, there are also burned high towers, fine steeds, clothes, jewels... Oh, and those paper men..."

"..."

As he spoke, he shook his head, remarking with a hint of lingering relish, "TSK, just like they're alive..."

"Damn..."

This remark left Hu Ma momentarily stunned. How are you so familiar with this? Don't tell me you've actually tried it? he thought secretly.

As they talked, the two crossed the river and continued onward. With an expert guide like Er Guotou leading and the Yin Yang Two Sceneries Plate illuminating their path, what should have been a treacherous journey through the underworld turned into something like a sightseeing tour. Hu Ma felt his horizons greatly broadened.

The underworld had no sun or moon, making it difficult to discern the passage of time. It felt as though they had crossed the river, climbed a mountain, and passed through mist-shrouded, gloomy valleys, the White Bone Slope, and the Ghost Hall.

Just as Hu Ma's four columns of cultivation had gradually dwindled to less than three full columns, a rolling, baleful aura suddenly surged towards them from ahead. The aura was so chilling it felt like it could cut one's face, making the heart pound. The piercing wails accompanying it were startling to behold. To Hu Ma, this baleful aura seemed even fiercer than that of the Five Evil Gods.

Er Guotou also stopped and whispered, "Brother, I haven't failed you. Ahead lies the City of the Dead."