Twilight Boundary-Chapter 654 - 645: 20 Years, 7 Arrows

From the inside out, a complete transformation.

If Hu Ma had to describe it, this was the sensation happening within his body at that moment.

His Lifebound Spirit Temple had been damaged from the start. After years of cultivation, it had gradually revived. The Divine Statue hidden in the darkness had also slowly begun to shimmer with golden light.

Yet, these few years of changes were not even as significant as the ones that occurred in that brief moment. He clearly felt that as the dark red mist began to turn into Purple Qi, the spiritual temple also became more vibrant.

But that was not all. When this Purple Qi flowed into the Lifebound Spirit Temple, it should have quickly dyed all the dark red mist purple. However, Hu Ma's Lifebound Spirit Temple, being so worn-out, suddenly seemed to develop an intense craving, as if parched land meeting sweet dew after a long drought.

The endless Purple Qi, usually extremely difficult to refine, in that instant, saw strands of purple mist rush into every corner and crevice of his Lifebound Spirit Temple, madly being absorbed, filling, and repairing it...

The Four Life Incense, in the same instant the Purple Qi surged in and filled the Lifebound Spirit Temple, began to be gradually suffused with purple, transforming from one Column to two Columns...

In that moment, he felt an instinctual joy, as if parting the clouds and mist to see the sun. Even the Divine Statue hidden in the darkness boomed as its eyes opened wide, filled with purple majesty, looking down upon the human world.

"Hmm?"

At the same time, Mr. Longjing was sizing up Hu Ma, watching the billowing Purple Qi surging into Hu Ma's body. He seemed to have discovered something, his expression slightly surprised.

Hu Ma also felt the Purple Qi rumble into his soul and suddenly came to his senses. He hurriedly stirred his Divine Soul and opened his eyes, only to see that the Purple Tai Sui in the large pot had been reduced to mere strands. Startled, he quickly stopped his cultivation.

Considering that Elder Longjing also needed this, he felt a moment of anxiety. "Elder, it's all been given to me. What about you...?"

Seeing the genuine worry on his face, not feigned, Mr. Longjing slowly let his surprise fade and gave a faint smile, speaking softly, "Your foundation is very good, and your opportunities and fortune are beyond what ordinary people can achieve!"

Hu Ma was taken aback and hastily asked, "Elder, is there a problem?"

"No."

Mr. Longjing smiled lightly, a distant look in his eyes, and said, "Everything is just right."

"But..."

Hu Ma looked at the large pot. Unaware and unconscious, he had consumed so much. How could he not be worried?

"This is enough."

Mr. Longjing seemed to know what he wanted to say and gently waved his hand. He then looked down at the pot, rolled up a sleeve, brought his index and middle fingers together, and flicked them towards the pot. He picked up a single strand of Purple Qi and gently pressed it against his own forehead.

BOOM!

He had only obtained this single strand of Purple Tai Sui, yet the instant he pressed it to his forehead, Hu Ma suddenly felt as if the sky were collapsing and the earth splitting asunder.

Mr. Longjing's shadow scattered abruptly, and his body seemed to trigger a wave of thunder, vast and mighty, with boundless divine power.

Vaguely, Hu Ma could even see a gigantic but dilapidated spiritual temple appearing behind him. That spiritual temple was even more ruined than the Lifebound Spirit Temple Hu Ma had seen when he first encountered Big Red Robe; it was almost beyond recognition.

Yet, when this single strand of Purple Tai Sui fell into the spiritual temple, it too blazed with light, as if suddenly awakening something.

However, this thunderous spectacle lasted only for a moment. Mr. Longjing lowered his fingers, a divine radiance seeming to flicker in his eyes, and said softly, "Remember to pass on this dharma method. Tell the other Reincarnators."

"Also, tell them my words."

"I was captured by the Noble Zhang Family and spent twenty years in contemplation, twenty years in defiance. Now, I've come to understand a few things."

"Back then, we lost not because our abilities were insufficient, nor even because of the betrayal by the State Preceptor and the Ten Surnames. We, in truth, lost to our own pride."

"At that time, we relied on our lifebound abilities to easily manipulate this world and break its rules. We stood high above, believing ourselves set apart, wanting to change it. But in our hearts, we never truly respected it..."

"Look at those who don't eat beef. Though they followed Lao Junmei, they were each taught to be wild and disorderly, skilled in minor arts but incapable of handling important matters. To put it bluntly, we never expected them to truly accomplish anything significant; they were merely used as errand runners."

Speaking to this point, he sighed softly and said to Hu Ma, "Your generation of Reincarnators hid for twenty years and naturally lost many opportunities."

"But this might not be a bad thing. At least, you've had time to better observe this world..."

Listening to his words, looking at his somewhat hollow eyes, Hu Ma suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

Yet, just as Mr. Longjing finished these few sentences, he abruptly waved his wide sleeve. The very real mansion existing within this Mist-shrouded Underworld suddenly began to crumble, its bricks and tiles disintegrating, its walls peeling away.

The solid ground before them seemed to be destroyed in an instant, then slowly reassembled, forming a staircase leading straight down to a platform below.

It was a Divine Platform wreathed in Purple Qi, surrounded by numerous tall stone pillars, all carved with draconic figures of divine beasts.

Even without an introduction, Hu Ma recognized it at a glance:

Divine Descent Platform!

It was the Divine Descent Platform created by the Meng family and the Zhang family in collaboration, specifically to reveal all the Reincarnators in the world.

Mr. Longjing gazed at this Divine Platform and let out a gentle sigh, his expression tinged with emotion. He turned and looked ahead, spotting a black fishing boat in the distant Mist-shrouded Underworld, slowly rowing towards them.

At the bow stood two men in wide robes. One of them was looking this way with a chilling gaze. "Mr. Tie, you truly have betrayed us after all."

"Our Zhang family supported you for twenty years, yet we couldn't win your loyalty. You still sought to abandon your wife and child, harboring ill intentions. It seems the term 'evil spirit'..."

"...is perfectly suited for you!"

As his voice fell, a strange, screeching cry suddenly erupted from the boat. It came from a young man with a hunched figure.

His appearance was extremely bizarre: a huge, fleshy tumor grew on his shoulder, his eyes held a cruel light, and his mouth was full of crooked teeth. Especially when he heard the phrase "abandoning his wife and child," he began to screech incessantly, pointing accusingly at Mr. Longjing.

"Heh, is that my child?"

Mr. Longjing seemed somewhat troubled. He scratched his head and sighed, "My cultivation is gone, but my eyesight remains."

"How could your Zhang family's Creation Technique deceive me?"

"If it weren't for creating this abomination, and needing to borrow Second Miss Zhang's womb for it to be born into this world, I might have truly left a bloodline for your Zhang family. But alas..."

As he spoke slowly, his gaze gradually turned cold and sharp. "You people are far too eager to control me. Is it because you saw she was believing my words more and more, becoming more convinced by me, so you felt she was becoming uncontrollable?"

"You created this vile fetus, causing her to lose her life, yet you still want to use this thing to control me?"

Saying this, his voice was filled with anger, and he displayed a rare, cruel expression.

"WAAH! WAAH..."

Hearing his words, the expressions of those on the boat turned grim, but the creature suddenly began to leap about, crying loudly.

"There, there, your father doesn't want you, but it's alright, your grand-uncle is here..."

Third Master Zhang lowered his head and gently stroked the creature, as if coaxing a cat or a dog.

Then he looked up at Mr. Longjing, his voice cold as he said, "Wasn't it your deceitful words that confused my sister, causing her to forget her ancestors and believe only your nonsense, even to the point of wanting to help you escape?"

"A person like that, who betrays her family—what pity is there in her death?"

"As for your malicious intentions..."

His gaze swept towards the Divine Platform, and he suddenly burst into laughter. "Did you really think no one could see through your little scheme?"

"So what if you betrayed us? So what if you came into contact with immortal qi? Had it not been so, how could we have truly lured these reincarnated evil spirits over?"

As he spoke, he clapped his hands lightly. The wooden boat, having rowed about thirty zhang out, suddenly stopped.

But then, from all directions, more wooden boats and the shadowy forms of Evil Ghosts appeared in the Mist-shrouded Underworld. Patches of red light glowed in the darkness—countless burning incense sticks held by wandering gods.

And deeper in the underworld, one could see tall ghostly figures. Ghost Generals clad in heavy armor, along with their ghost soldiers, were clustered around numerous tall statues of Lords.

Is it a trap?

Seeing this scene, Hu Ma couldn't help but feel his heart sink.

Mr. Longjing was deceiving the Noble Zhang Family, but the Zhang family was also deceiving Mr. Longjing. Their preparations were far more thorough than imagined. Ghost soldiers, Lords serving the Meng family—all were ready. They had laid an unprecedented net in this City of the Dead.

And with the gathering of so many yin souls and Ghost Generals, even the balance of this City of the Dead was affected, beginning to tilt.

"Your biggest problem is that you're all too clever..."

Aboard the magic boat, Third Master Zhang's voice was indescribably sinister. "The Divine Descent Platform you proposed, the Demon Detection Mirror—they are all real. Only something real could lure us in. Everything went according to your calculations."

"And the Purple Tai Sui we prepared, this underworld mansion—they are also real. Only then could you invite these evil spirits for us. Now they are trapped. What more do you have to say?"

Hearing his gleeful voice, even the creature beside him grew excited, screeching wildly.

"We both got what we wished for, didn't we?"

Mr. Longjing nodded gently, a smile on his face. He turned to Hu Ma and said, "Little brother, if you can't hold out, follow the path I left for you. Go deeper. With this Purple Tai Sui as your foundation, they won't be able to stop you on the Bridge."

"But as long as you can still manage, be my protector!"

Hu Ma nodded vigorously. "Rest assured, Elder. But if I can leave, what about you...?"

Mr. Longjing smiled. He slowly turned and stepped onto the staircase, walking towards the Divine Platform, and sighed softly, "I spent twenty years preparing seven arrows for this Noble Zhang Family, for this world..."

"What could be more important, or more satisfying, than letting me loose these seven arrows?"