Twilight Boundary-Chapter 736 - 727: Three Shadows

Because of Fourth Miss Zhou's sudden appearance, the entire convoy hurriedly came to a halt.

Immortal Miaoshan's heart pounded. She hastily rummaged through her bundle for her horsetail whisk, finding it only after a moment. With a wary expression, she looked out the window.

In Fourth Miss Zhou's startled eyes, the carriage curtain slowly lifted. Hu Ma revealed half his face, stared intently at her, and asked, "What happened?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing…"

Fourth Miss Zhou felt a surge of panic, but seeing Hu Ma so calm, she was at a loss for words.

Her face turned a bit red. She waved her hand and said, "I must have been mistaken. What… what do you want for lunch?"

"Anything is fine," Hu Ma replied calmly, then lowered the carriage curtain.

Filled with confusion, Fourth Miss Zhou returned to the carriage she had just left. She and Immortal Miaoshan, with whom she had been chatting so happily just moments before, now simply stared at each other blankly. Before long, Fourth Miss Zhou silently exited that carriage and returned to her own.

Hu Ma sighed softly. Her reaction was quick… I've already seen what I needed to from the Bridge. I borrowed the Shousui Path's bridge to see it. After all, with my foundation in Shousui, it's more controllable. I initially thought crossing the Bridge was extremely complicated. But now it seems that sometimes, when things fall into place, even the most complex tasks can become the simplest. Just witnessing it once was enough… At this moment, I can hardly describe my feelings. What I saw in that single glance was more than I've perceived in all my years of cultivation.

He carefully reflected on the scenes he had glimpsed, his emotions fluctuating. This… is this fate? Indeed, I needed to see for myself. No matter how much Calculation explained, or how many others discussed it, the concept of fate remained elusive. Until that very glance!

In that instant, Hu Ma felt as if he suddenly leaned backward. His posture was eerily similar to that of Cui Magu, the Negative Spirit Great Sword-Catcher, when she had come to Old Yin Mountain to kill him.

But this time, he didn't fall out of the carriage. Instead, he seemed to fall beyond this world. For a moment, it felt as if he had transcended reality, ascending to a place slightly higher than the human world, from where he could observe his human self.

He could feel his body and Divine Soul glimpsing the intricate and complex changes of this world. He even vaguely brushed against these changes, seeing his human self imprisoned in a solid realm, following its original path.

It was as if he were standing on a riverbank, looking down at fish in the water.

For that instant, he seemed to have ascended to another level, looking down upon his human self.

As he was meditating, the fearful voice of Calculation suddenly came from outside the carriage window, "You… you haven't already seen it, have you?"

Hu Ma slowly nodded. "Yes."

Calculation was so shocked he almost fell off his donkey. "Ah… Is it truly possible for someone's foundation to be so profound?"

Hu Ma didn't explain. Even the Negative Spirit Great Sword Catching technique failed against this trick of mine. He simply said slowly, "When a Shousui man is practicing, he can look inward to see his own cultivation and Cultivation Technique. Is this bridge-crossing method the opposite—an external view? Standing on another level, watching your human self…"

Calculation stammered, "I…" He had never imagined in his life that he would need to discuss crossing the Bridge with anyone.

His voice trembled as he struggled for words. "I don't know about other methods, but I have indeed heard people say that this bridge crossing is to transcend.

"When you're far from this human world, you can naturally see your human self more clearly. It's like a chess piece removed from the board, able to see the entire game. Or like ghostly gods who have shed their mortal coil and can glimpse cause and effect…

"A person's abilities reach their peak once the three Mansion Gates are opened. Only by taking this step can one see more clearly. With improved vision, abilities that were previously hidden emerge.

"The farther you are, the clearer your view becomes. You can even see the workings of the heavens, controlling wind and rain with a thought. If someone tries casting Magic to harm you, you'll see it before it even gets close.

"However, this distance is also limited.

"The farther you walk on the Bridge, the less earthly Magic can harm you. But you also become more distant from the human world, making it hard to return or to continue forward…"

Lacking personal experience, Calculation could only recount to Hu Ma what he had heard from others. As he spoke, however, he trailed off again.

He ventured cautiously, "Did you… see your fate clearly just now?"

Hu Ma took a deep breath. "Fate," he said, "is the space that this mysterious heaven allots you. In this world, how many steps you can take, how much wealth you can amass, when you are born, when you will die, your lifespan, your fortune, the measure of your fate—all these have predetermined limits…"

Calculation's eyes grew even more fearful. He whispered, "A person's fate is like their shadow… I have indeed heard that said… The heavens, in their mystery, have determined all things. People can try to calculate the heavens, but the heavens also calculate people."

But at this moment, Hu Ma didn't respond. He was lost in the terror brought by that single glance. At the same time, he finally understood what the people from the theft disaster sect had told him before. When a person steps back onto the Bridge, they can look at their self in the human world. It's like the blazing sun shining on that 'self,' casting a shadow. That shadow is their trajectory, their fate in this world. That's why it's said that a person's fate is like their shadow. But why… why did I see three shadows at once? One solid, two illusory, like maggots clinging to bone, entwining and enveloping me. It was as if… they had been stitched together! A formless panic crowded his heart, threatening to overflow.

Calculation, thinking Hu Ma wouldn't ask anything further, was about to slip away. But then he suddenly heard Hu Ma's hoarse voice from inside the carriage, "The method you mentioned—killing oneself to seize fate from the heavens—what exactly is it?"

Calculation shivered internally. A twinge of worry made him instinctively reluctant to tell Hu Ma.

But ultimately, he didn't have the courage to conceal it. He slowly explained, "Life and death are matters of fate. People are born according to their fate and should die according to it. Back in Guazhou, Old Master Yan of the Yan Family took a Pill to extend his life, attempting to seize fate from the heavens.

"But he ultimately relied on external objects and fell short, becoming a laughingstock in the eyes of others. What if he hadn't taken the Pill, but instead relied on his own abilities to break through that limit?"

Hu Ma listened, undeniably taken aback. "But he had already lived for nearly a hundred years. He was supposed to die then."

Calculation murmured, "That applies to both you and me. People have a natural lifespan, and they can also die prematurely. Originally, dying at the end of one's natural lifespan was considered a proper death. But nowadays, the heavens are in flux. Even those who die prematurely are counted, attracting the attention of the unseen forces that calculate your fate.

"So, if one could first enter the Intermediate Yin, thereby attracting this unseen calculation, and then forcibly return to the world of the living, snatching more fate for oneself… Compared to the method of crossing the Bridge, one is to evade, the other to alter. But the purpose is the same: ultimately, it's all just to take one more step.

"However… this method is extremely difficult. It cannot be faked. One must face a true life-or-death crisis to deceive the heavens."

Hu Ma found the method increasingly familiar as Calculation spoke. Entering Intermediate Yin, altering the unseen calculations… He suddenly realized and asked, "This dharma method you're describing, why does it sound so similar to the Meng family's Method?"

Seeing Hu Ma had figured it out, Calculation gave a wry smile and nodded. He murmured, "Among the various sects, there are indeed many abnormal magic practices. But if you were to compare them, the Meng family's is the most… solid.

"The Meng family's dharma method isn't righteous, but they must rely on themselves to carry the burden of that utterly evil and defiled ancestor of theirs. Ironically, this demands an extremely high level of cultivation from them. For other dharma methods, invoking a Negative Spirit is the easiest way. But this particular cultivation dharma method allows not the slightest error.

"The Daluo Dharma Sect's 'Walk the Yang Pass' dharma method was developed by borrowing from various Paths, and it borrowed most heavily from this very Meng family's Method!"

Hu Ma listened patiently, but his mind was a raging tempest, like turbulent seas with colossal waves. Despite the shock in his heart, he immediately steered the conversation away, not revealing that he not only understood the Meng family's dharma method but had even grasped its crucial points.

He meticulously compared Calculation's description of the life-stealing skill with what he knew, noting the differences. His heart was gradually stirred. He was naturally wary of the Daluo Dharma Sect's dharma methods, but as he listened, he couldn't find any fault with this particular one.

Lost in this internal conflict, he deliberated inside the carriage. Outside, the group continued their journey on horseback. Unbeknownst to them, the sun was already beginning to set in the west when, from up ahead, they heard the clamor of gongs and drums.

A scout who had gone ahead to check the road returned to report. Due to the ongoing battles between various forces, many villages had been laid waste. However, there was one village ahead that still had people. They were currently celebrating a wedding, blowing horns and beating drums, and any passing guests were welcome to join the table.

Immortal Miaoshan, weary after a full day in the carriage, wanted to go over and find a place to rest. Just then, Little Douguan poked his head out and said, "Auntie, with all this fighting and chaos, who would be holding such a grand celebration? Besides, I see ominous, swirling winds up ahead, and the air reeks of blood. I'd say there's definitely a demon causing trouble!"

Immortal Miaoshan said, "Then what do you suggest? We've been traveling all day. Even the Sect Hierarch must be tired."

Little Douguan thought for a moment, then said, "There's only one road, and they're blocking it. We're here to escort the spirit, so we can't turn back; otherwise, the deceased might bring misfortune upon their household. Let's just head straight for them! They're making a racket with their celebrations, so we'll make a racket too! Let's raise our white banner. When they see we're a funeral procession, perhaps they'll let us pass!"

Immortal Miaoshan agreed and gave the order. The servants in the entourage were already prepared. They each took out white linen cloths from their robes and wrapped them around their heads. Some also took out suona horns, gongs, and drums and began to play their instruments with gusto.

Just as the last rays of the evening sun disappeared behind the mountains, a dazzling red glow emanated from ahead. In contrast, their own procession was a sea of stark white. Both groups were making loud music—one celebratory, the other mournful—as they gradually drew closer to each other.