Twilight Boundary-Chapter 663 - 654

"This is bad..."

Everything happened too quickly. Eldest Master Meng was still torn about whether to directly invite the Meng Family Ancestor when he suddenly saw two more arrows fly out from the Divine Descent Platform. The shock nearly sent his soul flying from his body.

These two arrows were not like the previous ones, which had such a grand display that their consequences were immediately apparent.

But for Zhang and Meng, these were even more terrifying.

The most frightening aspect of the Nightmare Technique was that sometimes, after an opponent cast a spell, you had no idea what they were doing.

You knew the opponent had cast a spell, but before the Nightmare Technique manifested, you could only passively wait for the results, constantly on edge. In this world, it wasn't uncommon for those from the Haishou Path to deliberately inform the target family after casting a spell, even coming to their door to apologize.

Now, both of them felt this heart-pounding terror, afraid yet not knowing what they should be afraid of.

Eldest Master Meng immediately turned his head to look at Third Master Zhang. Seeing the clueless expression on the latter's face, he knew Third Master Zhang didn't understand either. Hmph! Eldest Master Meng scoffed inwardly and then shouted, "In this world, for every strike of Haishou Magic, there is a counterstrike!"

"The Haishou Sect's methods are different from other Magic. For every spell cast, thirty percent of the effort is dedicated to harming the target, while seventy percent is focused on preventing backlash. Therefore, even the most powerful practitioners cannot use it frequently."

"For every spell cast, one needs to rest for ten days to half a month. And this... this evil spirit has cast five arrows in a row! What's going on?"

...

"How can an evil spirit be measured by common logic?"

Third Master Zhang also cried out anxiously, "Brother, you've already made an agreement with my Zhang family! What are you waiting for?"

"My Zhang family could withstand his previous arrows, but if he continues..."

...

"Understood!"

Eldest Master Meng knew the stakes. Although he had his own ideas, he secretly hoped the evil spirit would cast a few more spells, making Noble Zhang pay a slightly higher price.

But that was only when he understood the situation. Now that he didn't, he dared not gamble. He feared the Meng Family would suffer. He knew that summoning the Meng Family Ancestor now might become a joke when word got out, but he couldn't care less about that anymore.

Taking a fierce step forward, he disembarked from the magic boat and immediately drew a stick of green incense from his sleeve.

He held it with both hands, then prostrated himself completely, as if pushing a golden mountain or toppling a jade pillar. Holding the green incense high above his head, he declared, "I beseech the Meng Family Ancestor to open its eyes and exterminate this abomination!"

SWISH!

Seeing Eldest Master Meng truly summon the Meng Family Ancestor, Third Master Zhang was both alarmed and overjoyed.

He quickly turned his back, not daring to look.

All around them, the endless Ghost Kings and Ghost Generals, at the very moment Eldest Master Meng raised that stick of green incense, sensed an extremely heavy and terrifying crisis. They even ignored Hu Ma on the stone platform.

Here in the gloomy Underworld, group after group, they laid their various weapons on the ground and kowtowed silently.

Within the City of the Dead, the resentful ghosts recently awakened by Mr. Longjing seemed to be suppressed; their cries and surging movements weakened considerably.

The next moment, as a wisp of green smoke curled upwards from the green incense in Eldest Master Meng's hands, the ancient, ever-thickening dark clouds in the sky above the Underworld actually seemed to shrink, slowly parting to either side.

Deep within the endless dark clouds, an immense eye revealed itself, looking down with a chilling gaze.

Not good!

On the stone platform, Hu Ma felt a sudden jolt in his heart, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

Even though Mr. Longjing had given him assurances earlier, he couldn't afford to dwell on that now. His body was rigid, and he dared not even breathe too heavily.

He quietly hid the giant hammer, which had already felled countless Meng Family Ghost Generals, behind his back.

CRACK...

And on the Divine Descent Platform, Mr. Longjing seemed to feel the Meng Family Ancestor's gaze sweeping over him from above. At this moment, as a heavy solemnity filled the air and no one dared to breathe, he merely gave a faint smile. He turned slightly and spoke in a low voice,

"Old friend, we meet again..."

"Compared to our meeting twenty years ago, you seem... even less human?"

...

BOOM!

At the very instant the Meng Family Ancestor's gaze fell upon Mr. Longjing's face, its visible eye seemed to contract violently.

The next moment, the Meng Family Ancestor, which had initially only cast a glance, seemed to grow tense. Instantly, an endless surge of power, fierce and terrifying, descended like a flood along with this gaze, landing entirely upon him.

The being, which had only revealed an eye, now desperately pushed forward, as if its entire face was emerging.

Although it was expressionless, judging by its straining appearance, it seemed to desperately want to force its entire body through.

How can this be?

In all directions, no one dared to speak; they didn't even dare to harbor any thoughts, fearing it might attract disaster.

Only Eldest Master Meng had the clearest and most sensitive perception. But his heart was also pounding wildly, and he cried out inwardly in disbelief, The Meng Family Ancestor... why does the Meng Family Ancestor seem enraged?

Its... its gaze... If it intensifies just a little more, I'm afraid... I won't be able to withstand it...

...

The power of negative spirit people had almost no upper limit; it all depended on who they kowtowed to.

But borrowing even a sliver of power would consume something. This was a fixed constant, unalterable.

Eldest Master Meng had only burned one stick of green incense, but he hadn't expected the Meng Family Ancestor to be so proactive that even he could barely withstand the power.

Yet, on the Divine Descent Platform, Mr. Longjing merely smiled faintly as that colossal and heavy gaze pressed down. It seemed to want to grind him, body and soul, into powder, and then swallow even that powder.

But above his head, his already dilapidated Lifebound Spirit Temple flickered with purple light. Alternating between bright and dim, it highlighted the temple's clarity and reality, just barely withstanding the Meng Family Ancestor's gaze.

The next moment, he had turned around and continued preparing his sixth arrow, his face pale, almost transparent.

But a smile played on his lips. "Since old friends are meeting, why not a bit more intensity?"

"Without you, how would I have the strength to loose this sixth arrow?"

...

...

"This is terrible..."

Third Master Zhang suddenly realized something. Mustering his courage, he took a look.

That single glance almost made him collapse. Everyone knew the Meng Family Ancestor's power, and they knew its gaze was unbearably heavy. But this glance revealed Mr. Longjing calmly preparing his sixth arrow. Suddenly, Third Master Zhang understood.

He...

He mustered all his strength and screamed, "That evil spirit intends to borrow power! It's going to use your Meng Family Ancestor's power to cast the Nightmare Technique!"

"Hmm?"

Eldest Master Meng also noticed this. He looked up abruptly, scarcely daring to believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.

The Meng Family Ancestor's gaze meant death to whomever it fell upon. Yet the evil spirit on the Divine Descent Platform had actually withstood it?

He didn't know what changes this would bring, as nothing like it had ever occurred before.

But he sensed something was amiss; he even felt the pressure above his head lighten. This was because the Meng Family Ancestor's attention had shifted entirely, captivated by the evil spirit.

At this point, he couldn't afford to worry. He didn't know if the evil spirit could truly withstand the Meng Family Ancestor's gaze or if it would perish in the next moment. Nor did he know if the evil spirit truly possessed the ability to borrow power for the Nightmare Technique.

Panic-stricken, he quickly raised his head and shouted, "Quick, dismantle that stone platform!"

As he yelled, seeing his soldiers slow to react, he himself leaped from the magic boat. Being a spirit body, he rapidly grew in size. His large sleeves struck out—not towards Hu Ma, but crashing down fiercely, directly onto the stone platform.

Dismantle the stone platform!

Only by dismantling the stone platform could their opponents lose their foundation, allowing the Meng Family Ancestor to crush those two evil spirits instantly.

He now regretted not dismantling the stone platform first, regardless of the consequences, instead of inviting the Meng Family Ancestor. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Of course, this was hindsight. Before this scene had occurred, he had never imagined that the Meng Family Ancestor's gaze could be blocked.

Or even... held fast!

...

...

BOOM!

With Eldest Master Meng personally taking action, the dismantling of this stone platform proceeded at an unimaginable speed.

Piece by piece, chunks of the stone platform crumbled from below, falling into the City of the Dead. They transformed into wisps of Purple Qi, which then gathered into pools, formed small rivers of Purple Qi, and flowed downwards, creating a lake beneath the stone platform.

Compared to the Purple Tai Sui that Hu Ma and Mr. Longjing had just come into contact with, this amount was hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times greater.

All at once, it seeped into the City of the Dead, completely wasted.

Previously, dismantling the stone platform involved letting the little ghosts gnaw at it, allowing these Purple Tai Sui to be recovered afterward.

Naturally, that process was slow.

But now, he was willing to waste this endless Purple Tai Sui to quickly dismantle the stone platform and end this matter.

Hmm?

On the stone platform, Hu Ma could feel the ground beneath him growing lighter and less stable, which startled him.

Without the stone platform, if I face the Meng family, I'm afraid I wouldn't withstand a single blow.

Most importantly, Mr. Longjing had left a path for him on this stone platform. Following this path would lead him directly to Shangqiao, allowing him to evade the Meng family. But now, with the stone platform being dismantled, the Haishou Sect's ritual space would disappear, and this path would naturally vanish too.

Do I need to escape quickly?

Just as he saw not only Eldest Master Meng but also his ghost soldiers and Ghost Generals reacting and rushing over, the stone platform began to crumble even faster. Ominous winds howled around him when suddenly, a green talisman beside him ignited.

It was the green talisman Er Guotou had given him, a life-saving measure for when he had no other way out, allowing Er Guotou to rescue him.

But at this moment, the green talisman silently and spontaneously burst into flames.

Accompanied by its eerie, verdant light, a Command Flag instantly appeared, planting itself on a corner of the stone platform.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The next moment, more Command Flags appeared one after another, forming a Ghost Altar that enveloped Hu Ma.

Even this stone platform was encircled by the Command Flags, and its collapse was immediately halted.

Immediately after, a black-robed figure descended from the sky. With a sweep of his large sleeves, he repelled countless ghost soldiers and Ghost Generals who had charged onto the stone platform.

"Anyone else?"

The figure turned. With thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a full beard, it was none other than Brother Er Guotou. He stood protectively in front of Hu Ma, glaring fiercely in all directions, and roared, "I'd like to see who dares bully my little brother!"