Twilight Boundary-Chapter 655 - 646: Ten Gates of Haishou

"Twenty years, seven arrows…"

Although Mr. Longjing spoke lightly, Hu Ma sensed a tumultuous and heavy emotion in his words.

Watching Mr. Longjing already stepping up the layers of stairs toward the Divine Descent Platform, Hu Ma couldn't help but take a deep breath. He guarded the stairs, scanning ahead from a distance with a slightly heavy heart. Damn, this pressure is no joke...

Have people from both the Meng family and the Zhang family come? No, that's not right. It seems there aren't many from the Zhang family; it's mostly Meng family members.

They say the Meng family manages things well in this City of the Dead. Looking at it now, that's no lie. The city is surrounded, three layers deep inside and out—have they brought an entire army?

Before coming in, I thought the task here would be challenging, but I never imagined the difficulty would be this high…

However, despite the overwhelming pressure, the thought of witnessing the prowess of the Reincarnator seniors made it feel very worthwhile. He chuckled slightly to himself and then nodded slowly, withdrawing his gaze.

This ritual, he would protect it.

He slowly took a step, his hands behind his back. He stepped on the ruins beneath, which were now almost entirely flattened. Only this area, a few dozen zhang square underfoot, still felt solid and real. It was marked with the footprints Mr. Longjing had left when he circled the large cauldron earlier.

Guarding this platform was akin to one man holding a pass against ten thousand, unyielding to countless attackers.

"Third Young Master, what is that evil spirit up to?"

Just then, from afar on the magic boat, an elder with a flowing long beard spoke. He wore a blue robe that seemed made of paper, adorned with imprints of copper coins. Gloomy winds surrounded him, with little ghosts holding umbrellas and ghostly gods burning incense, exuding a noble aura that even the living dared not gaze upon directly.

"Who can see into the heart of an evil spirit?"

Hearing his words, Third Master Zhang, who stood nearby and had clearly also descended from the living world, gave a sinister smile. He said in a deep voice, "He initially agreed to cooperate with us to guide us in building this Divine Descent Platform, probably to seize the opportunity to perform some treacherous, heaven-defying affair."

"He just doesn't know that while this Divine Descent Platform was indeed built according to his instructions, who here is a fool? The earth veins are already sealed, yin and yang separated. Unable to borrow the power of the earth veins, what could he possibly do?"

Saying this, he waved his large sleeve and sneered, "Brother Meng, in dealing with this evil spirit, we mustn't be careless. Let's capture him first, lest delays cause new problems!"

"Well said!"

Old Master Meng, whose body was becoming ethereal, stroked his beard with a smile and said, "Men! Apprehend this Zhang family rebel, along with that monster! Seize them both for me!"

"...Bring them alive; don't harm their lives!"

"As you command!"

His form was ethereal, and his voice was like the whisper of a gloomy wind, yet as it spread, it suddenly stirred a clamorous uproar in the misty space between heaven and earth.

In the skies above this mansion's ruins, within the misty realm, roiling dark fog surged. Several ghostly shadows, seven to eight zhang tall, emerged from the depths of the mist. All were clad in bronze armor, their great mouths agape, from which iron chains suddenly flew out with a CLANG and RATTLE.

Billowing and swirling from all directions, they shot straight towards Hu Ma, who stood upon the ruins. Like mighty pythons, they sought to instantly bind him tight and drag him from the platform.

"Armored Fierce Ghost?"

Hu Ma's gaze turned chilling for a moment. In the underworld, numerous Evil Ghosts exist, but being rootless, they need armor to become powerful. Yet, by the rules, only the Zhensui Mansion and Ghost Gate constables can provide armor to yin souls.

Moreover, those constables only wear iron armor, which is a far cry from the Golden Armored Warriors of the Zhensui Mansion!

This is clearly written in the Zhensui Golden Armor Collection. The Meng family is breaking the rules...

Of course, there are many such rules. It's not like I can do anything about it right now.

He merely sneered coldly, stepped forward, and shouted, "Grandfather is here! Which blind yin soul dares to cause trouble?"

As he spoke, he stomped the ground fiercely, channeling force from below. He swiftly reached out and grabbed the incoming chains, seizing all the myriad chains coiling around him. Then, with a flex of his arms, a thunderous ROAR was heard as every chain snapped and whipped backward.

The towering Fierce Ghosts surrounding them in the gloomy underworld had their bronze armor shatter and scatter in all directions, one by one. Their soul bodies within instantly disintegrated, merging into a cloud of sorrow.

"This evil spirit is formidable!"

At such a scene, even Third Master Zhang and Eldest Master Meng frowned slightly.

Third Master Zhang of the Noble Zhang Family couldn't help but frown deeply, his voice grim, "This evil spirit has learned Shousui techniques; even the Fourth Miss of the Zhou family is no match for him. Clearly, he cannot be underestimated."

"Brother Meng, you must be extremely careful. Don't let the landed fish break the net, nor the cooked rabbit escape its burrow. When great success is at hand, don't let him slip away..."

"Haha, rest assured, Third Master Zhang…"

But Eldest Master Meng, who had also been frowning, sneered upon hearing the Zhang family member speak, "Why else would I say that our Meng family is the most suited to capture this evil spirit?"

"They all say Negative Spirits counter Shousui. Even if a Shousui man toils for ten years, how much substance does he have left after death? Can that pittance withstand even a few blasts of this black-bristle wind?"

As he spoke, he merely flicked his wide sleeve and coldly ordered a little ghost beside him, who was holding a small banner, "Relay my command! Ghost Generals and ghost soldiers, advance swiftly and capture the evil spirit! Whoever seizes this fiend will receive an Incense Order, be specially permitted to return to the mortal realm, establish a commandery temple, and be granted a golden body!"

"You shall be permitted to enjoy incense offerings and draw sustenance from an entire commandery!"

Hearing this, the little ghost immediately scurried off to relay the order. A gust of gloomy wind swept through the thousands of ghost formations.

In an instant, the wailing of countless ghosts filled the air. Sheets of dark clouds suddenly rolled towards Hu Ma. They looked like dark clouds, but a closer look revealed an endless, dense swarm of little ghosts surging forward.

Forget them getting close; the sheer force of the wind they generated was enough to make one's heart feel heavy, as if sinking into an abyss.

"The most terrifying methods are often the crudest…"

Witnessing this scene, even Hu Ma took a deep breath. He didn't dare to be the least bit careless, his steps subtly traversing a few strides on the platform.

Indeed, there was a saying in the Path about Negative Spirits countering Shousui. In the realm of the living, even if a Shousui man trained diligently for ten years and acquired a host of skills, a negative spirit person could chant a curse, kowtow a few times, and invite ghostly gods to possess them. They would become immensely powerful, demonic and bizarre, and no less capable than you.

This was even more so at the stage of Entering the Mansion. When Entering the Mansion through Shousui, even in death, upon entering the underworld, a person's cultivation made their soul considerably heavier than ordinary yin souls.

But this was the underworld, where the weight of yin souls could accumulate. If the number of yin souls, each worth mere fractions of a coin, grew large enough, it was unimaginable. A wild wind formed by them could blow over, and even the fiercest Evil Ghost would have to be wary—many ants can bite an elephant to death.

Naturally, ordinary yin souls wouldn't dare provoke an Evil Ghost. However, once driven by the Meng family's dharma method, they became mindless and fearless.

If he wanted to leave, it would certainly be easy. But now that he had promised to be a protector for the Magic, how could he abandon his post midway?

Facing this vast, ghostly wind, Hu Ma slightly gritted his teeth and stood firm in his position. It was precisely where Mr. Longjing had left his footprints before entering the Divine Descent Platform.

With his current abilities, directly confronting the Meng family's almost inexhaustible Ghost Generals and Yin Generals was nearly impossible. But with the Haishou Path technique he had left behind, things were different.

One step forward, and he was in the "Wang" (Prosperity) position of this place.

Even before entering the underworld, Hu Ma had gained some insights into the Noble Zhang Family's foundations. He knew that the core of the Noble Zhang Family's—or rather, the Haishou Path's—prowess lay in ten positions. Among them were auspicious, ominous, Hidden Light, prosperous (Wang), detrimental (Sun), fashang, and Emperor Deficiency, encompassing all the changes of heaven and earth.

Standing in the Wang position now, Hu Ma could receive the blessings of this place; his Divine Soul would flourish, and his vital energy would become vigorous.

Of course, in the mortal world, the Wang position required meticulous calculation and was by no means so easy to find. But in the actual underworld, which was inherently mutable, these positions were entirely under Mr. Longjing's control—quite different from the mortal world.

Simply put, this inner city of the City of the Dead was, in fact, part of Mr. Longjing's Magical Treasure; he had merely lent Hu Ma its use.

"HMPH!"

Upon stepping into this position, he suddenly revealed his Dharma Form. Impressively, he transformed into a fierce fiend, four zhang tall with four arms growing from his ribs, appearing to face the surging Ghost Generals. He suddenly opened his blood-red, gaping maw wide.

Suddenly, with a sound like a great whale inhaling water, an unknown number of yin souls and little ghosts were swallowed into his mouth. In the next instant, he fiercely spat out a vile wind.

WHOOSH! The fierce current blew outward, like a wild wind sweeping fallen leaves. The mass of incoming clouds of yin souls and little ghosts shattered instantly. Amidst cries and shrieks, chaos broke loose.

This was the 'Great-Bellied Ghost King Bars the Way, Impervious to Myriad Lesser Ghosts'!

The resulting commotion stirred this part of the underworld, causing it to rumble and sway as if an earthquake had struck. The battle raged fiercely at its peak, and the City of the Dead even seemed to tilt slightly due to the uneven distribution of weight.

「Outside the City of the Dead」

At this moment, Zhao Sanyi of the Divine Hand Zhao Family, and Chen Abao, whose head had just been returned to his body, were keenly watching the scene unfold.

They worried about being discovered by the Meng and Zhang families, so they didn't dare get too close. However, the recent commotion had already excited them. As they waited patiently, they suddenly saw so many dark clouds gather, and were momentarily terrified. "Damn it, we've been tricked…"

"How did the Meng family summon so many big ones?"

「Elsewhere」

Meanwhile, in another area shrouded by dark clouds, Er Guotou, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes.

Gazing distantly toward the City of the Dead, he felt a shiver run through him. What the hell is this?

Isn't it just about killing someone? How did it stir such a commotion?

「Within the City of the Dead」

Meanwhile, in the City of the Dead, the Ghost King with a big belly had manifested. Seeing it swallowing ghosts and chomping flesh, clusters and swarms of little ghosts trembled. In their terror, they all defied the Meng family's ghost-expelling order, wailing as they turned to flee, even crashing into the Meng family's ceremony tent.

Eldest Master Meng's expression finally changed, and he exclaimed, "What has the Zhou Family been doing? When did Shousui produce such a formidable figure, and they knew nothing about it?"