Twilight Boundary-Chapter 649 - 640 Miss Zhou

If it's time for action, then let's get to it. Now that I'm more established, I do miss the reckless thrill of fighting for my life with a blade, like when I first entered the jianghu!

After nodding to Mr. Longjing, Hu Ma stretched his limbs and slowly walked forward. His movements seemed relaxed, but beneath the black robe, his body was already quietly practicing, and his fists were secretly clenched.

From the beginning, he understood that for a task of this level, secrecy was paramount, and it involved many layers. To accomplish it, he either had to use the Demon Suppression Golden Mace or borrow the power of a Reincarnator. Thus, the Punishment Officer's Great Saber, which he was accustomed to using, had been left behind.

Although he appeared unarmed, as he continued practicing, his muscles and bones began to crackle and pop. A fierce aura, too potent for even the black robe to conceal, gradually emanated from his body, giving him the cold, grim demeanor of a resentful ghost from the City of the Dead.

"Oh dear, help...!"

Seeing Hu Ma approach, the group of Evil Ghosts tethered to the large cauldron became terrified. They trembled and howled, then suddenly squatted down, pulled out lengths of Bone Firewood from under the cauldron, and began to swing them at Hu Ma's head, shrieking, "Someone's trying to steal the Immortal Soup! Anyone who can still move, hurry and help! The evil spirits from the courtyard have reached the Immortal Cauldron! Come help!"

Their shouts immediately threw the surroundings into chaos. Those still able to move amidst the ruins were startled and scrambled towards the commotion, yelling, "Quick, quick, grab your weapons, grab your weapons! Where is Fourth Sister Zhou? Why isn't she here? Quickly, go get Fourth Sister Zhou to help! Oh no, don't tell me she's gotten lost down there again?"

SWISH!

Chaos erupted all around. A flurry of white bones struck towards his face, iron chains clattered, and ghostly visages flickered before him.

But Hu Ma, stepping forward, was already prepared. Though his advance was not swift, he was acutely aware of the dangers here and had resolved to make this a quick battle. Of course, this wasn't to show off; he just deeply understood that delays breed trouble!

As countless ghostly apparitions swirled up an eerie wind and rushed towards him, he suddenly flung open the black robe wrapped around his body. His aura surged. In that instant, he unleashed his Three Column Tao, his feet scraping the ground as he activated a mystical Shrinking Ground technique, dashing straight into the horde of Evil Ghosts. He had reserved only one Column of cultivation for defense, to respond to any sudden changes. With all three Columns of Tao fully unleashed, his body radiated an intense heat, his power immense and heavy. How ferocious he was!

With a resounding CRASH, the Shousui man's formidable physique, bolstered by the Three Column Tao, shattered the countless White Bone Sticks raining down on him. The charging force of his attack obliterated half the bodies of the ghostly figures before him. In the next moment, he first executed a Banlan Hammer, crushing a group of ghostly figures. He then followed with a whip-like strike of his hand—his Soul-locking Whip technique—instantly decimating the majority of the Evil Ghosts that had pounced from beside the cauldron.

Only at this moment did he vaguely realize, "Actually, my current abilities are more than sufficient."

Since Entering the Mansion, he had learned the Great Mighty Sky General Seal from the "not eating beef" entity, taken Monkey Wine's advice to take a huge leap forward, pushed open two Mansion Gates, and seized the opportunity during the Zhensui Mansion's display of power to slay ghosts and perform Qi Eating, thereby solidifying his Dharma Form. The most crucial step had been using his Dharma Form and the wordless seal to suppress Old Master Yan's immortal qi, then decapitating him, achieving a perfect culmination and pushing open three Mansion Gates. Each step in this process was something an ordinary Shousui wouldn't even dare to imagine. Although his progress was rapid, his foundation was exceptionally solid, a model of its kind.

Previously, he hadn't quite appreciated this. The Zhensui Mansion operated on such a high level that with the Demon Suppression Golden Mace in hand, any other skills would pale in comparison. Even wielding the Punishment Officer's Great Saber would draw most of the attention. After all, when you're focused on cutting someone down with a knife, it's hard to notice how heavy your own fists are. But now, that strength was clearly manifesting.

The shadowy figures chained here by the Meng family to guard the large cauldron were likely each equivalent to a Ghost King in the human world. The green-clothed evil ghost from his past wouldn't even qualify to trim the toenails of these Bottom of the Pot Ghosts, let alone the Red Lantern Lady... who is now a Divine Fragrance Hall Official, the newly promoted Mansion God of Mingzhou. Best not to bring her up.

Yet, for such formidable Bottom of the Pot Ghosts to fall so easily into his hands gave Hu Ma an unexpected sense of their vulnerability. His confidence surged. He glanced towards Mr. Longjing, thinking inwardly, Always going on about Shangqiao. Times have changed... Our generation believes in steady, solid progress, and being invincible among our peers!

Nearby, Mr. Longjing, perhaps sensing Hu Ma's glance, perhaps not, took the pipe from his waist. He then pulled some tobacco shreds from his inner pocket, slowly began stuffing his pipe, and said calmly, "Be careful!"

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma, being a Shousui man whose physical body walked the underworld, reacted with extreme speed. The moment Mr. Longjing spoke, he sensed something was amiss. He abruptly stepped back and took a defensive stance. Lowering his gaze, he saw that ghostly figures had already seized his legs. When he tried to raise his arms to shake them off, he found his arms were also being held fast. More were wrapped around his waist and clinging to his back.

What are these ghosts?

A quick thought made him realize: these were the remnants of the ghostly figures he had just smashed to pieces! An ordinary yin soul would have long since dissipated, but these had somehow taken the opportunity to latch onto him. They pulled and tugged, iron chains clanking, trying to drag him beneath the large cauldron.

However, Hu Ma's physical body was already in the underworld, and with his solid foundation, he stood firm. These little ghosts couldn't budge him. Yet, he frowned, noticing something peculiar. These Bottom of the Pot Ghosts... they can't be killed?

Not only were they unkillable, but more ghostly figures kept crawling out from beneath the cauldron, each dragging chains as they relentlessly pounced on Hu Ma. From within the large cauldron, sounds of gleeful laughter and triumphant shouts echoed, encouraging these little ghosts to redouble their efforts and quickly drag Hu Ma under.

Mr. Longjing, using a thin, lit piece of wood to light his pipe, slowly reminded him, "Immortal qi doesn't disperse. Therefore, these little ghosts, tainted by immortal qi, also cannot be truly killed. Individually, they aren't powerful, but in such numbers, even you can't hold out for long. There's a name for this situation: Little Ghosts Challenge Yama!"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Hu Ma felt a surge of exasperation. Although these little ghosts couldn't move him, their sheer numbers were becoming a nuisance. Steeling himself, he endured the increasing weight on his arms. Suddenly, he pressed a spot beneath his ribs. His Five Organs resonated, emitting a dull thud.

HMPH!

With this muffled sound, his soul light erupted, instantly forming a three-zhang-tall Dharma Form with four arms, a blue face, and sharp fangs. This technique, the Five Thunders Golden Toad Roar, was unleashed simultaneously with the manifestation of his Dharma Form. It also carried the imposing might of the Great Mighty Sky General Seal. In an instant, the Bottom of the Pot Ghosts clinging to him were blasted away, their chains clattering as they flew towards the cauldron's edge.

But it wasn't over. Hu Ma suppressed the urge to devour these Evil Ghosts, slowly took a step back, raised his hands, and performed a distant bow.

Four Ghosts Salute.

However, this Four Ghosts Salute had evolved. Two hands of his Dharma Form were tightly clenched, while the other two were open. In the clenched hands, his left held the General Order, and his right, the wordless seal. The weight of this gesture was indescribable. With this bow, an intense yin wind instantly swirled forth.

The Bottom of the Pot Ghosts were crushed as if by an invisible mountain. They wailed and tried to scatter, but the chains held them fast. They were flung into the air like kites, their forms squeezed and then violently exploding. Even the great cauldron, steaming with Purple Qi and seemingly possessing infinite weight, trembled faintly under the force of this bow, the concoction within it gurgling and bubbling.

"Hmm?"

Having just taken a puff from his pipe and not yet exhaled, Mr. Longjing was visibly surprised by the Dharma Form Hu Ma had manifested. He paused for a moment before slowly blowing out a stream of smoke. His gaze towards Hu Ma now held a greater degree of interest.

"Not a bad performance this time. At least I didn't disgrace us Reincarnators, right?"

Hu Ma himself felt this deeply. The true capabilities of a Shousui man could only be genuinely experienced through such direct confrontations. He had now truly mastered the way of the Shousui, his foundation exceptionally stable. Even the most common abilities, when he executed them, displayed extraordinary power.

Yet, just as this thought crossed his mind, before he could speak, he suddenly heard a loud shout from behind, "Which vile miscreant dares to act so wantonly here?"

Instantly, a tremendously heavy gust of wind accompanied the voice, powerful enough to push aside even the gloomy fog.

SWISH!

Without a moment to think, Hu Ma spun around, extending one hand, and caught a massive copper hammer in his grip, not moving an inch. Focusing his gaze forward, he was surprised to find that the wielder of the twin hammers was a woman with a pale face and a slender waist. Behind her followed a group of figures exuding the aura of living humans, each brandishing weapons like sabers, spears, swords, and staves as they rushed over.

At this moment, Hu Ma was manifesting the Great Mighty Sky General Seal. This Dharma Form, even when displayed in the mortal realm, exuded an awe-inspiring, majestic presence that ghostly gods would not dare to encroach upon. Now, in the underworld, it appeared like a veritable giant, its power shaking the netherworld. The Meng family disciples rushing over were also visibly frightened by this sight, their pace slowing for a moment.

But the woman wielding the twin hammers scrutinized him without a trace of fear, her face showing only surprise. She shouted, "Under whose tutelage did you learn this Magic? State the name of your Master!"

Solid metal? Hu Ma, in turn, scrutinized her. He was surprised by the immense weight of the copper hammer. How could such a delicate-looking young woman wield something like this? Even among Shousui, known for their formidable strength, it was rare to see anyone directly wielding such massive, heavy hammers. He couldn't help but speculate about this girl's identity.

Narrowing his eyes, he replied coldly, "You are not yet qualified to know the name of my Master."

The woman instantly flew into a rage. She dragged one hammer back, then swung the other overhead towards him. It descended like a dark, oppressive storm cloud as she shouted, "I am from the Yangming Zhou Family! Tell me, am I qualified to know or not?"