Twilight Boundary-Chapter 651 - 642: Zhou Family Stealing Magic

"Isn't that Fourth Miss Zhou from the Zhou Family? And you still want to teach her a lesson?"

Amidst the chilling laughter, Hu Ma naturally heard Senior Longjing's words. At first, he found it intriguing, then his heart hardened. Then I'll teach her a lesson!

Although Fourth Miss Zhou's skills were not bad, and her Dharma Form was exquisite, she had always been suppressed by Hu Ma's Great Mighty Sky General Seal. It doesn't seem all that impressive...

"What Great Mighty Master? Just some heretical path! How can it compare to our Zhou Family's Righteous Skill?"

Facing Hu Ma, Fourth Miss Zhou also reacted, exclaiming sternly. However, she was young and lacked experience; indeed, her words felt quite hollow to her.

While learning at home, her elders had taught her that once outside, when encountering those who weren't under the Zhou Family's control and who didn't comply with the Shousui lineage's Dharma Forms, one must be extremely cautious. Outwardly, however, one must show the utmost disdain, so as not to damage the prestige of the Zhou Family.

Among those Dharma Forms, the Great Mighty Master was at the forefront.

Amidst her shouting, she clenched her silver teeth, twisting her slender waist, causing her Dharma Form to ripple. Dark clouds gathered and scattered around her, and strong winds arose.

Outwardly arrogant, she nonetheless understood in her heart that relying solely on her Dharma Form gave her no advantage. But if she went over to pick up the twin hammers again, it would be too much of a loss of face. Therefore, she had no other choice but to directly activate the Treasure Bottle Seal.

In an instant, amidst the misty changes of the underworld, her mysterious and sacred Dharma Form suddenly sprouted arm after arm, all enigmatic and unpredictable, each executing unique trump cards.

The pair of arms in front, however, held a crystal clear, pure jade bottle, from which an eerie, undulating sound seemed to emanate.

"What's this?"

Even Hu Ma sensed danger at this moment. Furrowing his brow, his attacks became even more savage as he utilized the Soul-locking Whip, Heart Piercing Nails, and Big Stone Breaking Hand, directing them all towards her.

Looking closely, he saw Fourth Sister Zhou, her bearing solemn and utterly mysterious. Her Dharma Form coalesced above her body, seemingly ever-changing. Logically, when Entering the Mansion to perform Shousui, the greater one's skill, the more solid the Dharma Form should be, appearing like a true, malevolent deity.

But now, her Dharma Form was completely indistinct, as if a hundred or a thousand different Dharma Forms were superimposed.

The only things clear were herself and the jade bottle she held.

Yet, one was ferocious, the other serene. In their engagement, Hu Ma was internally shocked; an unprecedented sense of astonishment churned within his heart.

I'm being restrained!

No matter which technique he wanted to use, Fourth Miss Zhou would intercept him before his next move. No matter how deeply I hide my follow-up, it's as if she can see right through it.

He exerted all his strength to throw a punch, but no matter how fast it was, she was already prepared, neutralizing its force with yielding strength, quietly defusing it. When he deployed his trump cards, regardless of whether they were insidious or righteous, she effortlessly dismantled them.

In an instant, after several exchanges, Hu Ma was already suffering hidden losses, barely holding on by relying on the foundation of his Dharma Form.

Indeed, I'm at a disadvantage!

Since I started practicing the Great Mighty Sky General Seal, I haven't suffered such a loss.

"Excellent..."

Witnessing this scene, even the Meng family disciples suddenly grew invigorated. "Fourth Miss Zhou's skills are truly remarkable!"

"Back then, our Meng family's young master wanted to propose to her. She deemed it a great humiliation and caused quite a ruckus, which was a significant loss of face. It infuriated the Elder Grandmother; her face practically turned green with rage, and she smashed several antique teacups."

"She just cursed that the Zhou Family, with their martial artist background, were truly without manners, completely shaming respectable families."

"But afterward, she actually announced that she would only marry someone who could defeat her in skill. The Elder Grandmother laughed again at that."

"This girl is quite unreasonable. When she said someone had to defeat her, she meant specifically in the skills of a Shousui man. No matter how outstanding others' abilities were—even if they could invoke Negative Spirits or alter destiny—she claimed those weren't 'true skills' because they weren't innate to the person."

"But when it comes to the skills of the Shousui Path, who in this world is her match? Clearly, she wasn't very clever; making such a statement doomed her for life."

"Of course, having such confidence also speaks to her great skills. Now, it's fortunate she's helping the Meng family take down this evil spirit and repaying the favor owed to the Zhang family!"

Hu Ma, having also tested her with several moves only to be restrained each time, vaguely understood. Something's not right...

Senior Longjing's recent warning suddenly became clear to him.

The business of stealing magic wasn't new. Hu Ma himself had stolen magic before. Back when he was at the Ascension level, the Ghost Cave Li Family had helped him steal plenty of trump cards from Shousui practitioners.

But now it appeared the Zhou Family had stolen even more.

All Shousui practitioners who Entered the Mansion, after their death, were to be managed by the Zhou Family, unless they voluntarily underwent Power Dissolve to enter their own ancestral tombs.

But the pain of Power Dissolve was not something an average person could endure. Moreover, having been local heroes with formidable skills in life, they were naturally unwilling to fall into desolate oblivion after death. Thus, ninety-nine percent of Shousui practitioners who had Entered the Mansion, upon death, willingly allowed themselves to be recruited by the Zhou Family.

And with Shousui yin souls being recruited by the Zhou Family, all the trump cards of the world's Shousui men fell into the Zhou Family's hands. How could their dharma methods not be formidable, fortified as they were by the collective vital essence of the people of the world?

No matter from which lineage or path you inherited, she could discern your origin and spot your flaws at a glance.

No matter how fierce your techniques or how brilliant your trump cards, before the Zhou Family, you had no secrets.

Understanding this, and looking again at Fourth Sister Zhou, Hu Ma realized that her ever-changing Dharma Form was actually equivalent to numerous Shousui yin souls, each excelling in different skills.

A thousand shadows represented a thousand variations.

No matter what techniques he employed, he could not best these thousands of entities. It seemed he was fighting one person, but in truth, he faced countless Shousui experts.

「Meanwhile...」

"Seventh Master, hurry! That kid is about to be beaten to death by the Fourth Miss. Be careful he doesn't run away!"

On the other side, the Meng family disciples looked nervously at the blind man who was rapidly making calculations, urging him anxiously.

"He can't escape."

The blind Seventh Master chuckled coldly, his fingers moving even faster in his calculations. Beside him, two plump little ghosts swiftly stretched out their hands, catching the wisps of air stirred by Hu Ma, sniffing them carefully, and reporting back to him, enabling him to calculate even faster.

The Meng family disciples who understood the situation felt their hearts leap into their throats.

The Noble Zhang Family hadn't sent many people. Aside from Third Young Master Zhang, the most mysterious among them was this blind Seventh Master.

He was an expert in Meteor Chasing.

One look at his eyes, and you would know how much effort he had poured into this particular trump card.

The so-called Meteor Chasing was akin to a meteor chasing the moon. It allowed one to deduce an opponent's origin, birth details, and more in an extremely short time. In the Path, if someone had these details figured out about you, your life was essentially in their hands.

But because this move was too mysterious and too dangerous, those who mastered Meteor Chasing inevitably paid a price. Seventh Master's eyes were such a sacrifice.

To learn Meteor Chasing meant certain blindness; this was an ironclad rule in the Haishou sect.

Now, he took advantage of Fourth Miss Zhou suppressing Hu Ma to calculate swiftly, watching as Hu Ma's fate was slowly, piece by piece, laid bare by his deductions.

「Back with Hu Ma...」

The Zhou Family's dharma methods are indeed formidable. My skills and trump cards are all rendered useless...

At that same moment, Hu Ma quickly retreated, understanding the formidable nature of the Zhou Family's dharma methods and swiftly contemplating a counter.

He couldn't deny that for a fleeting moment, he wanted to abandon Shousui skills and use the trump cards from the Age Suppressing Book against her. But a glance from the corner of his eye caught Senior Longjing, who resembled a street loiterer at a bustling market, circling the large cauldron without even a look back.

Could someone who hid in an enemy's home for twenty years be so magnanimous, not fearing his assistant would suffer a loss?

No, he must have already seen the crux, deliberately testing whether I could figure it out...

His mind suddenly cleared. Hu Ma retracted his Dharma Form and observed intently. His gaze shifted from Fourth Miss Zhou's ever-changing Dharma Form to the one constant: the jade bottle she held in her hands.

Is that the key?

His mind raced, replaying the details of their confrontation. Fourth Miss Zhou seemed to be constantly listening to a sound from the jade bottle. Each time Hu Ma made a move, she would first slightly incline her ear, as if receiving guidance from some voice within the bottle.

That's right, she's too young. No matter how exquisite her Dharma Form is, she can't master those transformations. Something within the jade bottle is helping her discern the flaws and informing her of my weaknesses.

Comprehending the crux, his mind settled instantly.

Hu Ma ceased retreating. Instead, suddenly, his Dharma Form quaked, his spirit surged. The Great Mighty Sky General Seal extended its four arms, fists collided, and palms clasped together. Mysteriously, it triggered changes in the mortal world.

「Gunzhou, Shima Town.」

A pair of boots and a suit of Broken Armor hanging on a large tree in the old residence of the One Coin Sect were caught by a sudden gust of wind. The branches swayed, and the items fell to the ground. The instant they touched the earth, they vanished, dropping directly from the mortal world into the underworld.

In the next moment, the soul light above Hu Ma's head flared. A pair of brand-new Heaven Measuring Boots, emblazoned with intricate underworld scripts, appeared at his feet. Simultaneously, his body was suddenly adorned with a tall, majestic suit of armor that shone with divine light, embedded with a red copper ghost face, making him resemble a descending deity.

And at that very same instant, he let out a deep shout and strode forward, his aura seeming to devour a thousand miles.

The long-suppressed instincts of the Great Mighty Sky General Seal were unleashed at this moment, its four arms flailing as it surged forward with immense, unstoppable force.

Enough thinking.

I won't think about what skills to use, nor what trump cards to employ.

Against such a dharma method that calculates an opponent's skills to perfection, instinct is the only way.

BOOM!

Just as he charged, body first, into the collision, Fourth Miss Zhou's eyes snapped open wide with disbelief. Her ears registered only a terrified shout from within the jade bottle, "Heaven Measuring Boots that Span Ten Thousand Li! Hundred Battle Unbreakable Armor—!"

"Milady, be careful!"

But amidst the shouts, she had no time to react. Hu Ma slammed into her with his whole body, sending her flying.