Twilight Boundary-Chapter 752 - 743: Questioning Fate on Life and Death

"Hold on..."

Hu Ma listened, stunned. "What was the first thing you said?"

The Zhou Family Head paused, his expression unchanged, and smiled. "Naturally, it's about the matter of marriage between you and my young daughter."

"She is, after all, a daughter of our Yangming Zhou Family. Although she ranks fourth among this generation of the Zhou Family, that's because when I was young, I focused on learning skills and was unwilling to break my Yuan Yang Body. Consequently, I married late, which is why she ranks behind the children of several of my uncles and cousins."

"But if we're talking about status, she is the legitimate eldest daughter of our Yangming Zhou Family. Could it be that she doesn't match you, an heir of the Zhen Sui Hu Family?"

"..."

Hu Ma was almost amused to the point of laughter by his words. "She's the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yangming Zhou Family, and you arrange such a significant matter with just a few words?"

The Zhou Family Head sighed and said, "A girl of her age was taken by you to the Old Yin Mountain and didn't even spend the New Year at home. Now that you've left the mountain, she has accompanied you all this way, traveling through much of the jianghu. The situation is set; you mustn't deny it."

Why did this reasoning sound so similar to what Second Master said?

Hu Ma understood his implication. To argue about this would be disrespectful to Fourth Miss Zhou, so he decided not to discuss it further.

He just tilted his head slightly, sizing up this Zhou Family Head, and asked, "Then what do you mean by the matter of Immortal Ascension?"

The Zhou Family Head, Zhou Zhiming, clearly wanted to say more about Fourth Miss Zhou, but Hu Ma's question made even him pause and fall silent for a moment.

Then, looking into Hu Ma's eyes, he said in a low voice, "Have you not realized it on your journey so far? The chaotic era has already begun, and thus, the day of this world's decline is also inevitable."

"In fact, for the past twenty years, the Ten Surnames have been trying to prevent this Chaotic World."

"The world's intrinsic weight has already been gradually diminishing. Once the Chaotic World truly arrives, the rate of this diminishment will accelerate even further. You are here in this town, raging, yet you are unaware that in a short while, when the grasshead kings begin to slaughter each other, far more tragic events will unfold."

"Furthermore, with those evil spirits stealing the world's weight and Tai Sui looming overhead demanding sacrifices, who among us, the Ten Surnames, can truly escape?"

Speaking to this point, he looked into Hu Ma's eyes and said solemnly, "Only by achieving immortality!"

"Only then can one escape this great calamity and transcend this world!"

"The Ten Surnames have been shouldering the world's destiny—or rather, nine of them, as your Hu Family has not contributed in these past twenty years."

"But while shouldering the world's destiny, don't assume we did it merely for our own peace and security, or just to delay the world's descent into chaos. In truth, it is our Nine Surnames that have extended this world's life by twenty years. However, the final tribulation is now imminent..."

"If we do not make plans now, what are we waiting for?"

"..."

Hu Ma listened to his words without arguing. Instead, his gaze suddenly sharpened like a sword as he asked, "Senior, do you believe in achieving immortality?"

Zhou Zhiming replied, "I believe there is a path on the Bridge."

Hearing this, Hu Ma actually laughed. "Then what are you afraid of?"

Zhou Zhiming suddenly fell silent, merely looking at Hu Ma. For a long time, he did not answer the question.

"I will go to Shangjing," Hu Ma said slowly, meeting his gaze directly. "But there's no need for you, senior, to escort me."

"My purpose in going to Shangjing is not for whatever you have prepared. It is to bury my biological father and then to offer a stick of incense at Granny's place. As for what you are currently concerned or worried about, I am actually well aware."

"Living a second life, whether to believe in this life or the past one—I have my own judgment, so there's no need for your concern. However, since you are here, senior, perhaps you could do me a favor and ask the National Master Dongxuan a question on my behalf when you return."

"The Daluo Dharma Sect is skilled in divination. And for Reincarnators, there's the saying of 'forty-nine derived from the Great Expanse, with one that escapes.' Help me ask him: his Daluo Dharma Sect, with all their ability, can they calculate up to fifty?"

"..."

Old Master Zhou suddenly froze. After a long moment, he slowly raised his sleeve in a salute to Hu Ma and said in a low voice, "Young friend, I will wait for you in Shangjing."

Hu Ma returned the salute. "This junior still has matters to attend to, so I won't detain you further."

With these words, he turned and left the small courtyard.

Zhou Zhiming, the Zhou Family Head, also sat in the small courtyard for a few more moments, his expression unreadable. Then, he rose to his feet, and with a flicker of his figure, he was already outside the town.

Currently, an earth-shattering, bizarre wind was swirling around the town, preventing the soldiers outside from entering. The Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer, mounted on his horse, watched coldly. It was only when the Zhou Family Head appeared that he turned his head in surprise.

"He refuses to come with us?"

"..."

The Zhou Family Head sighed. "Young people prefer to walk their own paths."

The Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer nodded slowly. Ever since he learned of this person's identity and his connection to the one who abstains from beef, he knew this endeavor would not be smooth.

However, seeing that the Zhou Family Head seemed to have resolved his concerns and was preparing to leave, he found it somewhat strange. "Old Master, are you not taking the young lady with you?"

The Zhou Family Head shook his head. "A grown daughter cannot be kept. She herself is unwilling to leave with me, so what can I do?"

Saying this, he waved his large sleeve and strode towards the outskirts of the town.

"That's not..."

The Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer was somewhat taken aback. "What do you mean she's unwilling to go with you? The young lady is chasing after you right now..."

"Father, Father..."

Fourth Miss Zhou had already chased out from the town by this time. The moment she saw her father, she had things she wanted to say. However, seeing her father looking quite solemn as he invited Hu Ma into the courtyard to speak, she knew better than to interrupt. But once their conversation was over, it should have been her turn, right?

Who would have thought that after rushing and hurrying to catch up, he had actually left?

...Left?

She truly lacked the ability to catch up, so she could only return dejectedly and ask Hu Ma, "What did he say to you?"

Hu Ma glanced in the direction the Zhou Family Head had departed and said, "He said that if I were willing to hand over the Great Mighty Master's dharma method, he would betroth you to me."

Fourth Miss Zhou was instantly dumbfounded. "?"

Hu Ma gave her a calm look. "Don't worry, I refused."

"??"

Fourth Miss Zhou was even more bewildered. After a good while, her cheeks flushed red, and she said indignantly, "That's too much!"

Hu Ma glanced at her, then turned to make his preparations.

Fourth Miss Zhou fumed, "That's completely against the etiquette of the jianghu! How can they just demand someone else's Magic?"

…

…

"Are they starting to worry too?"

Having declined the Ten Surnames' "kindness," Hu Ma took a deep breath. He watched as, following the departure of the Zhou Family Head's party, the strange wind outside the town also began to subside. It was like a giant curtain slowly falling, signaling that the time had come for both sides to show their true strength.

Recalling the undercurrents in the Zhou Family Head's words, a peculiar complexity stirred in his heart. He felt as if the old Lord from the Shousui Sect had been trying to convey some very subtle things to him.

He started with the critical points within the Shousui Sect, then mentioned the 'tiger blocking the path on the Bridge,' then the hidden profundities of the Great Mighty Master, and finally, the concepts of a First Life and a Second Life...

As he pondered, his heart was faintly stirred.

"No need to say more, and no need for help. Since I've already come this far, I must overcome this tribulation before Shangjing myself."

Seeing Calculation, Immortal Miaoshan, and even Little Douguan looking like they wanted to say something but hesitated, Hu Ma directly raised his hand to stop them. He then instructed the most reliable Little Hongtang, "Look after the coffin, and don't startle the livestock. Once I've cleared the path, we'll head to Shangjing."

"Granny is waiting for us there!"

"..."

Little Hongtang nodded vigorously. Hu Ma, feeling reassured, dismissed other thoughts, picked up his saber, and turned to walk out of the town.

By now, the black, eerie wind had gradually died down. The soldiers who had come to investigate also reined in their horses. A moment ago, they had been rushing to assess the situation when they were suddenly met by that powerful gust, so strong that they couldn't even control their mounts.

Now, their hearts were filled with apprehension. Even though they saw the strange wind had dissipated, they dared not rashly charge into the town. Instead, one of them shouted, "Which expert is ahead?"

"Could there be some misunderstanding?"

Those who could compete for merit and lead troops under a grasshead king naturally possessed some discernment.

Seeing how bizarrely this gust of wind had arrived, they guessed that the newcomer was no ordinary figure.

The Ten Surnames would not directly interfere in the struggles between grasshead kings, and grasshead kings, in turn, would not rashly provoke extraordinary individuals from the jianghu.

To ask this question was already a show of proper courtesy.

"There is no misunderstanding."

Hu Ma, however, with the Punishment Officer's Great Saber tucked under his arm, walked out of the town's defensive perimeter. His potent blood energy caused the Punishment Officer's Great Saber to brim with killing intent. The mounts of the distant soldiers were clearly agitated by this, growing restless and nearly throwing their riders.

"I am merely a Martial Artist from the jianghu. Seeing you use people as provisions has filled me with indignation. Have your king come out to meet me!"

Hu Ma spoke in a deep, resonant voice, ensuring that everyone in the chaotic surroundings heard him clearly.

"What kind of unproven stray dog dares to demand an audience with our Pan Mountain King?"

Hearing Hu Ma's disrespectful words, and compounded by the surrounding chaos, the leader of the soldiers instantly became enraged. With a loud shout, he pointed his horse lance forward and roared, "Seize this man at once! Prepare him as army rations to support the siege!"

BOOM!

With the command given, thundering hooves surged forward in unison. The earth trembled, and the momentum was like a landslide.

The astonishing baleful aura around Hu Ma was dispersed by the charge of their iron hooves.

The power of a military formation was terrifyingly fierce, its killing intent so overwhelming that even ghostly gods would retreat.

"To seek one's fate at the threshold of life and death... such a grand formation is indeed worthy of the determination with which I seek this answer..."

Hu Ma took a deep breath. He knew the terror of such a military formation and understood that such a large army was far more than a simple accumulation of ordinary individuals. There was no telling how many highly skilled jianghu figures were hidden within its ranks.

Furthermore, who knew if Reincarnators were also concealed within such a massive army, ready at any moment to present him with a "grand gift"?

But the more unknown, the harder it was to be anticipated, wasn't it?

He gritted his teeth, the Punishment Officer's Great Saber in his hand ringing, and charged headlong towards the thundering iron hooves in the darkness.

Alone, he charged into the army formation, to question his destiny at the precipice of life and death!

…

…

"Our plan hasn't even been implemented, and he's charged into the trap himself?"

Behind the rolling military formation, someone expressed surprise. "This really gives us a headache. I haven't even arranged the Thirty-Six Stratagems yet!"

"This person has traveled so swiftly, taking only One Incense to traverse each frontier. If we don't act soon, he may unravel the secrets of Lao Junmei..."

"If it really comes to it, even if we have to risk destroying what he left behind, we cannot let it fall into their hands..."