Twilight Boundary-Chapter 717 - 708: 108 Golden Armors Emerge from Yin Mountain

"The celestial phenomena were in chaos, and the fight had begun."

In Old Yin Mountain, although she didn't possess the same foresight as her family elders to discern the world's trends, her own intelligence made it easy enough to guess the extent of the chaos unfolding outside.

Thus, Zhao Sanyi, Chen Abao, Fourth Miss Zhou Ying, and the Madman from the Theft Disaster Sect all felt a looming pressure. They looked at Hu Ma with anxiety and worry, unsure how to persuade him.

Given their relationships, speaking casually wasn't easy. However, the Madman from the Theft Disaster Sect, lazy and unrestrained, simply said to Hu Ma, "Once blades draw blood, it's no longer interesting. Moreover, even the act of fending off disasters has become dull."

"The outcome of the struggle between Hall Gods and disaster ghosts doesn't rest in your hands."

"Why don't you ask Young Master Hu to come out? Let us talk to him directly."

"..."

"If not in our hands, then in whose?"

Hu Ma ignored their gazes. He calmly rose and began to make arrangements, placing a suppression object here and a brazier there.

He was setting up this Magic Altar with unprecedented earnestness. Since his abilities had grown, he rarely prepared an altar with such seriousness. However, to the others, his meticulousness merely made him seem unpracticed.

After all, as a Shousui of the Walking Ghost Sect, it was reasonable for him to set up an altar; his somewhat clumsy technique while doing so was also quite understandable.

"It's in the hands of those Old Masters, brother..." the Madman from the Theft Disaster Sect said. "They can easily send these pond gods back to their ponds, or they can truly sit back and watch the Meng family exterminate the last of your Hu Family's bloodline."

"This was supposed to be a contest on the fighting stage, but now others entirely decide the outcome... Utterly tedious!"

"..."

Saying this, he glanced towards the cliff where two eagles fought a host of pythons. The eagles had long gained the upper hand, but the sight had lost its appeal.

When you see yourself as a bystander, you become curious about who will win or lose. But when you can simply raise your hand to help one side win, it loses all interest.

Even Zhao Sanyi added, "The walking ghosts have been in decline for twenty years. I know they recently welcomed the Hundred Ghosts Return to the Altar, greatly increasing their Mana, but they are still mostly village folk, not even considered Martial Artists. The Negative Spirit sect, however, is teeming with talent!"

"The Hu Family's battle with the Meng family has already cost the Mengs dearly. Considering this final stage..."

"...should we really try to persuade them to spare the Meng family?"

"..."

Hu Ma stood within the altar, looked at him, and smiled. "By rights, I shouldn't be the one to say this."

"But since you've asked, I will answer on behalf of Young Master Hu:"

"No mercy!" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"..."

"No mercy? You!"

Zhao Sanyi, stunned by this exceptionally blunt reply, felt a surge of anxiety and wanted to say more. But Hu Ma, standing on the altar, suddenly stomped his foot. In an instant, a torrent of flame erupted from the brazier before him.

The next moment, twenty-four flags flew up from behind him and settled around the altar. The altar was established in an instant, Mana surging powerfully. Zhao Sanyi and the others hastily retreated a step.

Their eyes, stung by the brazier's light, didn't clearly see Hu Ma on the altar as he quietly uttered some words.

「Meanwhile」

Outside Old Yin Mountain, thirty-six gigantic white lanterns had turned day into night. The Disaster Senders from the Meng family, positioned outside Old Yin Mountain, seized this opportunity to advance relentlessly.

The thirty-six Lords they faced had been enfeoffed by Douyi and had enjoyed the world's incense for decades, even centuries. Consequently, the newly risen pond gods in Old Yin Mountain, aside from the mountain lord, lacked sufficient Mana to resist them.

For these pond gods, already struggling to suppress disasters, now facing the assault of the Lords, it was like being attacked from front and rear.

The mountain lord within Old Yin Mountain, facing the encroaching shadowy menace from beyond the mountain, also felt the grim pressure. With a silent sigh, he drew upon the mountain's incense and surged forth to meet the threat.

But he hadn't taken many steps before he suddenly stopped.

He saw that, at the edge of Old Yin Mountain, in the sky blackened by the Lords, a great wind had inexplicably arisen. Thunder rumbled, and dark lightning surged, accompanied by a voice:

"Zhensui Mansion Order: Dusk is the boundary, day and night are distinct! True Gods to their posts, Yin Gods make way!"

"..."

The next moment, the Lords of the Yin God Temple, who had been following the thirty-six gigantic white lanterns to the borders of Old Yin Mountain and were about to step within, suddenly halted. In somber silence, they looked up at the golden light before them.

It emanated from the direction of Old Yin Mountain. From the depths of the netherworld, heavy footsteps sounded as two Golden Armored Warriors approached, holding halberds, their imposing presence pressing close.

Their dazzling golden armor seemed to tear through the ghostly fire around them and the darkness they brought. The dignified Lords, facing these two Golden Armored Warriors, could not help but halt their steps.

Then, another two appeared, each holding chains.

Behind them, two more, then another two. One by one, Golden Armored Warriors marched out from the depths of darkness, row after row, their bodies wreathed in an extraordinary murderous aura and somber might.

The Hundred and Eight Golden Armors, all emerging from the Zhensui Mansion at once!

Since the Zhensui Mansion's establishment one hundred and seventy years ago, there had never been a moment requiring all Hundred and Eight Golden Armors to deploy simultaneously.

But now, without any warning, they all manifested in the human world.

Knives and halberds in hand, they pointed directly at the Lords who had appeared in daylight. A fierce wind swept through as an intangible voice boomed: "You Yin Gods, manifesting in daylight is a capital offense! Now, by offending a True God, you shall be stripped of your divine ranks and your golden bodies destroyed!"

"What?"

This scene not only terrified some onlookers watching Old Yin Mountain but even startled the Lords within Old Yin Mountain.

One of them had tried to resist. He never imagined that just as the thought of a second desperate struggle formed in his mind, he would suddenly see the billowing golden light and witness row upon row of Golden Armored Warriors appearing.

That kid actually dared to bring these things out? These were forged from the golden bodies of his old comrades! And now, with New Gods born and enjoying incense, these armors were acting as their Dharma protectors? His heart stirred with emotion as his gaze fell upon the Golden Armored Warriors, a flicker of interest in his eyes. Still, he ultimately had to consider that kid's reputation…

...

"Your grandpa is sitting right here on the altar; where do these wild ghosts get off causing trouble in my domain?"

Similarly, in mountain villages, when a Walking Ghost on an altar saw Evil demons causing disturbances, he would be filled with indignation. Ghost Walkers were generally good-natured, but there were limits. The greatest taboo was disruption during an altar setup; for evil spirits to charge in at such a time was a grave provocation.

The Old Walking Ghost on the altar flew into a rage. He snatched several offering eggs, chanted incantations, gestured in the air, then flung one egg, striking the possessing entity and knocking it out of the body.

Immediately after, a straw rope darted out of his sleeve. As he chanted, it flew swiftly from the altar, its end visibly forming a loop, as if binding something unseen.

This was precisely one of the Four Great Curses of the Zhen Sui Hu Family, passed down by Walking Ghost Aunt. This Old Walking Ghost was advanced in age and a slow learner, but this was enough to catch the entity.

"Heat the oil!"

Binding the troublemaking entity with the straw rope, he roared, "I'm going to fry it up and have it with my wine!"

Similar scenes unfolded in many places.

Originally, the skills of Ghost Walkers and Negative Spirit people varied greatly. The Hu Family's twenty-year decline meant that among Ghost Walkers everywhere, forget achieving Shangqiao, very few had even entered the ranks of established practitioners. In theory, they hardly had the ability to contend with Negative Spirit people, but now things were different.

The Hundred Ghosts Return to the Altar had greatly enhanced the powers of Ghost Walkers everywhere. Those who could summon one of the Hundred Ghosts could contend with the Negative Spirit people.

And those who couldn't summon one of the Hundred Ghosts could still borrow their Mana, allowing them to fight on even terms.

Furthermore, Hu Ma, through Walking Ghost Aunt, had passed down the Four Great Curses of the Hu Family. This emboldened even the less skilled Ghost Walkers, giving them the confidence to fight against evil spirits.

These changes had only occurred in the past few months, so the various Negative Spirit factions were unaware and were caught off guard, suffering an unexpected setback.

As for the Evil Ghosts who had stormed the Blessing Meeting, the situation was more complex. The Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples, who were bent on rebellion, had painstakingly organized a relatively peaceful Blessing Meeting, trying not to provoke anyone. Yet, so many troublemakers had shown up?

The Lord of the meeting poked his head out from behind a tent, asking in confusion, "Who wants child children? Who wants to accept my incense?"

This left the Evil Ghosts causing trouble at the incense table dumbfounded. The Blood Food Gang fanatics who had followed them were also stunned. After a long pause, they suddenly all knelt. "Alliance Hierarch Old Master..."

"Why are you here?"

"..."

In terms of jianghu reputation, the Meng family certainly had it, but so did the Not Eating Beef Sect. And as it happened, most of the large Blessing Meetings targeted by the Negative Spirit troublemakers were hosted by people from the Not Eating Beef Sect.

"The significance of the twelve disasters shouldn't be so trivial... Golden Armored Warriors, the Hundred Ghosts Return to the Altar, plus the people from the Not Eating Beef Sect—surely that's enough to hold out until nightfall? If we can drag it out until night, the Meng family will undoubtedly be annihilated!"

But just as his mind was stretched taut and he steeled himself to this resolve, he heard voices from outside the woods. He had been pondering how to make his Magic Altar even more potent, but now his heart suddenly eased, and he looked ahead with a sigh of relief.

Within the woods, a black mist had risen at some unknown time—a telltale sign of someone preparing to manifest via the Yin Road.

From the depths of the mist, footsteps gradually sounded. Soon, a woman dressed entirely in white mourning clothes, accompanied by seven or eight shadowy figures, slowly emerged.

"Who is the Walking Ghost Great Sword-catcher?"

Her features were pale, her complexion ghastly white, yet her eyes were as deep and cold as chilling lightning. Seeing her arrival, even Zhao Sanyi and the others nearby paled, their expressions wary.

Hu Ma naturally knew who she was but didn't rush to question her. Instead, he turned to Fourth Miss Zhou beside him and asked, "Among the Great Sword-catchers of the Ten Surnames, what's the rank of your Zhou Family's brilliant Old Master Tie Jun?"

Fourth Miss Zhou clearly hadn't expected him to ask this. After a brief silence, she said in a low voice, "Third."

"Then the Sword-catchers in your Zhou Family aren't all that impressive..."

Hu Ma nodded, then looked squarely at the woman. "I am the Walking Ghost Great Sword-catcher, and I know why you're here."

"My Young Master will not see you!"

"What you're proposing is unacceptable!"

"Scram!"