Twilight Boundary-Chapter 657 - 648: Master in the Bottle

With a single arrow piercing the heavens and penetrating the Yin realm, tens of thousands of spirits bowed as the evil energy recoiled.

Mr. Longjing's first arrow came as a surprise even to Hu Ma. As it fell, the elders of the Zhang and Meng families watched with eyes burning with intensity, gazing solemnly into the sky above the Yin realm.

"Our Ten Surnames have carried a great burden for the stability of this world, put in countless efforts, and only barely managed to safeguard the peace of the underworld. Never would these tens of thousands of Evil Ghosts dare to cause trouble! But you, bold evil spirit, do you truly think you can open the heavens and destroy the stability of this world?"

"..."

"Indeed, you're an evil spirit crawling out of hell, constantly seeking to cause chaos in the mortal world..."

The Eldest Master Meng glared coldly, shouting at Third Master Zhang, "Noble Zhang Family, do you really have no means to deal with him?"

Opening the Yin realm and unleashing vindictive souls would affect the Meng family the most. Such a change in the City of the Dead would ruin the Meng family's years of painstaking work. Currently, the most outraged ones were from his Meng family.

Facing this dissatisfaction and even questioning tone, Third Master Zhang responded coldly, "These demons hide in the human world, learning powerful skills, with hearts as wild and ungrateful as wolves. But, unfortunately for them, there's still a leash in my Zhang family's hands!"

He immediately turned around, grabbing a whip from the side, and with a loud CRACK, lashed at a strange, twisted creature crouching by his side. The creature, which had a young face, had been nestling snugly at his feet. But the whip struck it hard, causing it to leap up in fear and run off frantically. Third Master Zhang cursed, "Why did I keep you? Go now!"

"HO HO, HO HO..."

The creature, now terrified of the whip, began to crawl on all fours quickly towards the ruins.

The gaze of Third Master Zhang was icy cold and unfathomable. "Daring and audacious beyond measure, you deserve a thousand deaths!" he seethed.

"Let's see how long you can bark while under this leash!"

As he spoke, his face turned grim. He addressed Eldest Master Meng beside him, "Brother Meng, I will leash this dog back. But as for that evil spirit, it will be up to you to handle it..."

The Eldest Master Meng's expression was grim as he nodded slightly. Although the Zhang family already had a plan, they had insisted the Meng family exert effort first. Even after suffering the loss from the first arrow, they were still reluctant to reveal their true methods. For what reason? he wondered.

"WOO HOO..."

Above the Divine Platform, within the ruins, endless Yin Ghosts wandered. They were already frightened by Hu Ma and dared not approach. But when the creature jumped off the wooden boat, its body exuded an errant, sinister aura that terrified them, causing them to disperse like a startled school of fish.

To these resentful souls from the underworld, it was evident that this strange entity was a highly malevolent and sinister thing.

"HUH?"

Hu Ma had long noticed this strange creature. Being Mr. Longjing's protector, even tens of thousands of Yin Ghosts could not approach, let alone this thing. With a swift motion, before it could land on the platform, he launched a punch, carrying the force of the wind as it aimed for its face.

This punch contained the incredible strength of one Purple Tai Sui; it was shockingly powerful, capable of crushing iron chunks into pulp.

Unexpectedly, this beast-like thing jumped onto the platform, possessing some mysterious instinct. Its eyes glowed with a dim Purple Qi, and the moment it landed, it slipped instantaneously into one position.

The energy from its body triggered an irresistible change on the ground. Immediately, as it awkwardly turned over, it raised its arms to catch Hu Ma's punch.

"HISS..."

What is this thing? Can it withstand my punch? Hu Ma was suddenly shocked. No way!

Then, he realized the issue wasn't its overwhelming strength or hardened body. It was that as he punched, his fist became lighter, while the creature's blocking motion seemed to receive some mysterious empowerment, hardening. With this balance shift, it was unharmed by the punch.

This creature, in the instant it drew near, had seized the "Wang" position of the Ten Gates of Haishou. With it occupying this position, a sudden change occurred on the platform.

Earlier, Hu Ma had occupied the "Wang" position, but the creature pushed him to the "Sun" position, making his punch progressively lighter. Conversely, the creature's blocking strength grew heavier, and suddenly the roles of attack and defense were reversed.

"OOF!"

Though diminished, Hu Ma's punch still landed forcefully, flipping the creature. It scraped its face on the ground as it slid, utterly panicked, screeching, and scrambling to another position: the "Fa" position.

Having seized the "Fa" position, Hu Ma was pushed to the "Shang" position.

The Haishou Sect's classifications—Good and Evil, Hidden Light, Wang and Sun, Fa and Shang, Emperor Deficiency—each stood in contrast, interlinked.

Upon seizing the "Fa" position, the injuries on the creature's face immediately healed. But Hu Ma's recent punch, which should have been harmless to himself, inexplicably caused his fist bone to ache subtly, the pain increasing.

This thing can manipulate the positions of the Ten Gates of Haishou left by Mr. Longjing? 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Hu Ma was greatly startled. He saw the creature cackling gleefully as it turned to glance at him, drooling hungrily. Then it jumped, disappearing from view.

It had already moved from the "Fa" position to the "Yin" position.

In this position, the creature became hidden. Even if it was right before Hu Ma, it remained invisible; he could only sense it as a fast-moving entity.

"BANG!"

Though Hu Ma couldn't see it, he guessed its intent and quickly stepped forward to block the staircase.

With a forceful punch, he flushed it out, then launched a barrage of trump cards towards it.

Yet the creature was instantly enraged, screeching wildly and leaping between positions, tearing and biting like a ferocious beast as it attacked Hu Ma.

Hu Ma's skills far surpassed it. But with its ability to switch positions—seizing a propitious position, a prosperous position, or a hidden position—it was constantly changing, causing Hu Ma to suffer various setbacks.

The ground beneath his feet, once his greatest ally, became a constraint now that the creature had intruded.

Meanwhile, on the wooden boat, seeing the creature's effectiveness—greater than that of the myriad Yin Ghosts—Eldest Master Meng's face softened slightly. Signaling the ghost soldiers once more, they seized this chance and surged forward, intending to use this opportunity to force Hu Ma away from this place.

This is truly peculiar, Hu Ma thought, his heart tensing. How to handle it? It appeared bizarre and maniacal, yet it was evidently concocted with Purple Tai Sui and various Secret Techniques, making it unexpectedly troublesome.

The crux lay in its capricious motion, allowing it to manipulate the ten positions. Mr. Longjing, too, might not have foreseen this. Despite possessing extensive Shousui expertise, he found this hopping thing could leave him momentarily helpless.

His Shousui abilities were sufficient for self-defense but inadequate to harm the opponent.

"Isn't it simple to deal with this?"

As this question lingered in Hu Ma's mind, he unexpectedly heard a voice rising abruptly from within him, "The Shousui Sect has numerous trump cards."

"Had we been in the mortal world, the Haishou Path wouldn't dare face a Shousui man. Once spotted, they're doomed. Though currently within the Yin realm, a place of endless transformations that perfectly suits Haishou methods, it isn't unstoppable."

"..."

The unexpected voice startled Hu Ma internally. "Who are you?"

"I am Master Ping of the bottle. I am knowledgeable about everything, leaving nothing unsaid. I conceal all my skills within, specifically to guide Shousui through confusion..."

As Hu Ma's doubts arose, a meticulous voice followed, "Should you have questions, ask freely!"

"Is it that jade bottle?"

Sounding surprised, Hu Ma recalled swallowing the jade bottle Fourth Miss Zhou had been carrying. It had caused turmoil inside him, and only after absorbing the Purple Tai Sui could he suppress it. He never expected it to speak and offer guidance!

Could it have switched sides from the Zhou family so swiftly?

The jade bottle said, "Those loyal to the Zhou family have fled with Fourth Miss Zhou. I am Master Ping of the bottle; I only understand and clarify dilemmas, without discriminating who asks..."

This thing can hear my thoughts? Hu Ma pondered urgently, then cautiously asked, "How do I handle it?"

Master Ping's voice promptly replied, "I have a technique: Three Sheep Mountain Opening, Five Ghosts Carry the Fate. Within inches, it is invincible!"

"..."

Hearing these details, Hu Ma couldn't help but feel both astonished and delighted. His earlier suspicion dissipated as he listened. His Great Mighty Sky General Seal had reached perfect proficiency and even exceeded it.

What he lacked was that after opening the double Mansion Gates, he had never learned any Shousui trump cards. He possessed immense strength but could only use brute force.

Now, hearing this guidance, he felt an epiphany. He took a step, seizing the "Zhao" position, one of the five Yin positions, situated directly opposite the "Yin" position.

In this spot, he became increasingly visible to the opponent; any stray arrows or rock fragments would aim for this position. Conversely, the opponent in the "Yin" position remained unseen—a clear advantage the creature would never contest.

By securing this position, Hu Ma immediately punched, smashed, and twisted his body, striking three points consecutively.

To onlookers, it appeared as if he had triplicated, the winds from his fists roaring.

"THUD!"

The creature, unable to evade, was struck down by a fist. The blow snapped seven or eight of its ribs instantly, and it spewed blood, screeching in agony.

Simultaneously, on the Divine Descent Platform, Mr. Longjing was about to nock his second arrow when, unexpectedly, blood spewed from his mouth.

How could this be?

As a protector, Hu Ma's role was to secure the area, allowing Mr. Longjing to shoot the seven arrows unimpeded. Although he focused on repelling enemies, much of his attention was on Mr. Longjing. He had just reclaimed control of the domain and injured the creature. Seeing Mr. Longjing suffer collateral damage, Hu Ma instantly sensed something was wrong and restrained much of his punch's power.

At that moment, the fallen creature, enraged, howled in protest, turning to cry out to the wooden boat.

Aboard the boat, Third Master Zhang, his face obscured, shouted menacingly, "You wretched creature, still not using the Heart Piercing Nail...?"