Twilight Boundary-Chapter 702 - 693: Invite the Deity Down the Mountain

"How lively, how lively..."

"Young Master Meng went to the eleventh Ghost Cave to burn incense and make offerings. Now no one can escape..."

"The Noble Zhang Family is out of luck. They're too slow, and it doesn't feel right. But the Meng family is so big, and the Hu family so fierce! Watching these two families collapse at once is satisfying, isn't it? With such a huge disaster, such a huge misfortune, we're the Theft Disaster Sect. How could we not come and watch?"

"Heh heh, the Ten Surnames being revered as supreme was a joke all along!"

"Without the ancestral altar, no one can control those things. The Theft Disaster Sect has been waiting for years, just to see the downfall of the Ten Surnames. Ever since the ancestral altar was destroyed, everything has been in chaos."

"The sky, already tainted by Tai Sui, has become unfair and immoral, self-centered—an Evil Sky. The earth, with reincarnation sealed off and yin souls unable to escape, is a Ghost Land. With the heavens chaotic and the earth in turmoil, those caught in between are but cheap bones in a Chaotic World."

"Let's see how you'll escape now, ha ha, let's see how you'll escape..."

Listening to this man's wild, deranged words, Hu Ma slowly fell silent.

The people of this Theft Disaster Sect seemed a bit unhinged, but their words still allowed Hu Ma to understand some things.

Disaster?

Was that thing in the depths of the Ghost Cave the disaster?

It reminded him of Xiang, who had also mentioned that something inside the Ghost Cave seemed to be being reared. So, was what the Meng family had brought forth those underfed, already hungry things?

This might be because it involved some fundamental and profound principles. Many had told him that the people of the Hu Family had heavy fates but thin blessings. And because their blessings were so thin, they couldn't avoid disaster.

Therefore, once those things were released, the Hu Family would undoubtedly be the first to suffer. Only... this also raised new doubts in Hu Ma's heart.

The ancestral altar once suppressed these disasters, and the Zhensui Mansion was made from fragments of the ancestral altar.

Why, then, would the Hu Family, having acquired the Zhensui Mansion, be so afraid of it?

As he was about to ask, the demon person from the Theft Disaster Sect within the Magic Altar, who had been so excited just moments before, gradually quieted. His body curled up slowly, eyelids drooping as if in conflict, yet his face still showed a thickening anticipation.

"Who told you to sleep?" Hu Ma snorted coldly, his voice low as he demanded.

"You still don't understand us, the people of the Theft Disaster Sect..." the man rallied his spirits, chuckled, and said, "You are a walking ghost of the Great Sword Catching Sect; you can't escape this disaster. The person beside you is even more so..."

"So, I can't implicate you. You've been with me too long, and I don't want you to be tainted by my disaster, so I can only sleep. But remember, wake me up when the disaster reaches Old Yin Mountain..."

"I want to see. I really, really want to see this..."

His voice grew lower, turning into a murmur, and he curled up completely as if in hibernation.

Hu Ma frowned, reached out, and grabbed his wrist. With a slight squeeze, the wrist shattered.

No one could withstand such pain without moving, let alone when Hu Ma was holding his wrist. Hu Ma would have felt any slight movement in his body, but this man showed no response. It wasn't sleep; it was more like death.

"Oh, did he fall asleep?" Only then did he hear Master Ping's voice again. "I didn't dare speak while he was awake."

"Boy, quick, while he's asleep, find a donkey cart and send him away, as far as possible."

"Don't keep the cart, and don't keep the donkey either."

"These people are jinxes. Stay with him a bit longer, and you'll have bad luck. If you kill him, you'll be tainted by his disaster. Other sects learn skills so others can't kill them."

"In their sect, they turn themselves into dung; no one dares to touch them."

Why are the demon people in this sect so peculiar?

Hu Ma frowned and said to Little Hongtang, "Go to the village, find a coffin, and lock him inside."

Logically, the best place to detain someone would be the Zhensui Mansion. Pressed under the incense burner, no one could escape.

But the people of the Theft Disaster Sect were truly peculiar. This made Hu Ma instinctively reluctant to let this man come into contact with the Zhensui Mansion.

Even when they brought a coffin, he decided it shouldn't be buried near Old Yin Mountain. Instead, after a moment's thought, he had it buried where the Meng family's Head Lady was detained. If this Theft Disaster was truly so potent, perhaps the Meng family's Head Lady should endure it first.

After finishing the task, he took his knife, brought Little Hongtang, and headed towards the village. His heart was unsettled as he thought about what the demon person from the Theft Disaster Sect had said. He was contemplating this further when he saw Little Hongtang suddenly stop and politely bow in a certain direction.

Hu Ma came back to his senses and followed suit, bowing. "Senior, about the matters in the village..."

The Mountain Lord sighed lightly. "Your Second Master deserved it."

"Then..."

He had been too busy to speak much earlier. Although he had guessed the Mountain Lord's true identity, his heart was still somewhat shaken.

Recalling what the Mountain Lord had said to him upon entering the village, Hu Ma's mind filled with incredible thoughts. He slowly raised his head, faced Senior Mountain Lord who was sitting on a tree stump, and whispered, "Can performing the Sacrificial Mountain ritual really ward off disasters?"

Senior Mountain Lord met his gaze and spoke gently, "One can ward off disasters even without performing the Sacrificial Mountain ritual."

"It's just that a god is not efficacious without incense. If the Sacrificial Mountain ritual is performed, I will have more strength."

Hu Ma heard a complex emotion in these words, and his heart felt as if struck by lightning. He stared, stunned, at the Mountain Lord.

"Do not show such sentimentality. If I ward off disasters, it will not be for your Hu Family."

The Mountain Lord's shadow blurred, but his voice was very clear and calm as he slowly said, "You have been walking the jianghu for quite some time, so you must have gained some insight and know the name of the Hall God. But in fact..."

"...there was never any such thing as a Hall God."

"The world calls us Hall Gods, but we have never belonged to any halls. After the ancestral altar was destroyed, they forcibly appointed us as Lords, yet we have never belonged to the Prefecture, not even for a day."

"The people of the world have given us countless names, but none of them matter. Like those old companions of mine, our existence, both in life and beyond, is illusory. We simply belong to the hearts of the common people in the countryside; awakened by incense, we watch over this land and its waters."

"We are born of incense, and thus we protect the incense. Actually, we originally didn't even have the ability to speak with you. We don't need to speak; we can hear the good and evil in human hearts and know their inclinations..."

"Now, I am just a remnant soul, tainted by karma, which has resulted in my current appearance."

"So, you speak of suppressing disasters..."

Senior Mountain Lord suddenly chuckled. "Of course, we can suppress disasters."

"Because I was born of the world's incense. We, who came into existence along with the ancestral altar, were meant to suppress disasters and pray for blessings."

"Indeed!"

At this moment, Hu Ma couldn't even describe the shock in his heart.

The Hall Gods, once supreme, recipients of incense from countless millions, were such existences.

But having truly heard this answer, the strange feeling in his heart could no longer be controlled. He exclaimed, "But, Senior, wasn't the Zhensui Mansion born from the ancestral altar? Then, my Hu Family... does that mean we have a grudge against you... against the Hall Gods?"

"The Zhensui Mansion originated from the ancestral altar, yet it is no longer the ancestral altar," Senior Mountain Lord listened to Hu Ma's words, smiled slowly, and said, "At least, twenty years ago, it never was."

"The Old Gods hold no grudges against the Hu Family, nor is that the reason for our existence."

The Mountain Lord looked at Hu Ma and said slowly, "So, to me, your identity as a member of the Hu Family doesn't matter."

"Once, because I couldn't bear to see the people suffer, I risked exposing my identity to slay the Green Clothes. And you, because of my words, were willing to kill the Five Evil, and single-handedly supported the Food-Protection General. The young man in the village willing to let these people catch their breath under this demonic heaven and ghostly earth..."

"...that is what truly matters!"

Seeing Hu Ma listen to these words, his expression already heavy, the Mountain Lord now laughed cheerfully and said, "Your heart is unsettled."

"I noticed this from the first day I met you. Never have I seen a young man with such a turbulent heart."

"I used to be cautious of you because your heart was so chaotic, but now I think I was being petty. Having been forced to become entangled in so much worldly karma, I too sometimes dwell on such unimportant matters."

"You've already taken root in the village, haven't you?"

"I..."

Having his innermost thoughts suddenly laid bare by the Mountain Lord, Hu Ma was inexplicably startled. After a long pause, he smiled wryly. "Senior, if this is so, then even if the Sacrificial Mountain ritual is performed, how confident are you that you can ward off that disaster?"

The Mountain Lord listened to his words, smiled slightly, and said, "One should only ask what their heart desires. The moment I start considering the odds of success, it means I've lost my original intention."

"...Yes, Senior!"

Hu Ma understood the Mountain Lord's words and gradually made a decision in his heart. Clearing away all distracting thoughts, he paid deep respect to the Mountain Lord, then slowly said, "But even if you don't consider it, I must."

"Senior, if the people of Old Yin Mountain perform the sacrificial ritual for you, how much of your mana can you recover?"

The Mountain Lord hadn't expected him to be so persistent with this question. After a long silence, he said softly, "Perhaps enough to ward off one disaster." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Hu Ma said slowly, "Then what if all the people of the world were to perform the sacrificial ritual for Senior Mountain Lord?"

Listening to his words, the Mountain Lord's expression gradually became somewhat surprised. After a long pause, he said slowly, "You just mentioned the old grudge between the Hu Family and the ancestral altar, and now you trust me so readily?"

"My heart is somewhat chaotic, but Second Master is my mentor. I believe in the principles he trusts."

Hu Ma spoke slowly, with a confidence even the Mountain Lord couldn't have anticipated. He straightened up, looked at the Mountain Lord, but then softly gave instructions to Little Hongtang, "Now that midnight has passed, it is the sixth day of the first lunar month."

"Little Hongtang, go run some errands. Tell Aunt Zhang, Seventh Aunt, and the Red Lantern Lady."

"All the walking ghosts of the world, on the eighth day, are to light incense and perform the Sacrificial Mountain ritual."

As he gave the instructions, a truly relaxed smile spread across his face, and he said, "With the disaster ghosts descending upon the world, then we shall invite the gods out of the mountain!"