Twilight Boundary-Chapter 750 - 741: Killing Like Cutting Grass

"Haha, where did this martial artist come from?"

"Before a fat sheep gets its head chopped off, it always tries to scare people with its horns..."

Hu Ma drew his blade and strode boldly towards them, but the Grain Searching Team soldiers clearly didn't take him seriously. Amidst their laughter and jokes, they lightly tugged their reins, suddenly accelerated, and charged forward. They brandished long black Hook Spears, each measuring three zhang, pointed straight ahead.

Their weapons had a spike and a hook at the tip. High on their horses, harnessing the momentum of their mounts, their charge was ferocious and terrifying.

But at this moment, Hu Ma took a deep breath. The Punishment Officer's Great Saber in his hand seemed to sense his inner fury, and suddenly, it emitted a loud, clear hum.

In an instant, with a deliberate shift in his footwork, he surged forward, his blade moving like a dragon. A mere shake of his body deflected the Hook Spears that had struck him. Then, his blade spun, slicing through three or five Grain Searching Team soldiers and their horses, cutting them in half.

Blood spurted like fireworks in the night, and the killing intent in Hu Ma's heart seemed to be utterly unleashed.

It surged forth, the gleam of his blade like a searing brand, as he directly confronted the other soldiers gathering around him.

"Such audacity!"

"He dares to kill our soldiers! Capture him!"

Seeing blood, everyone in the town went mad. Those in the inn stoking the fires pulled out burning logs. A fierce woman rubbing salt grabbed a nearby hook used for hanging meat. The butcher's apprentice picked up a cleaver as wide as a human face.

From doorways all around, some grabbed nets, others wielded ropes, and they surged out in a dense mass.

This overwhelming killing intent could likely suppress many dharma methods in the jianghu.

But Hu Ma would not be suppressed. He didn't even use any dharma methods, relying solely on the skills he had painstakingly acquired.

They were fierce, but Hu Ma was fiercer. The Shousui man's skills, which he had painstakingly honed for so long, were now pushed to their absolute limit as he used his movement technique to weave through the enemy.

At times, he employed the Ghost Ascending Stairs skill, stepping on walls as if they were flat ground; seven or eight heads flew high under his blade. At other times, his charge was like thunder, crashing head-on into the mounted soldiers, sending them, men and horses alike, flying four or five zhang.

Upon landing, both men and horses were reduced to a bloody pulp.

Savagery awakened in his heart, and he slaughtered them like weeds.

In the night, even Immortal Miaoshan and Fourth Miss Zhou's expressions changed drastically. It wasn't that no one charged towards them, but the few who got close were sent flying by a single punch from Fourth Miss Zhou. Then, Little Douguan puffed his cheeks and blew out a breath.

A yin wind swirled around the large cart, causing the soldiers' vision to blur, making them unable to clearly see their targets' location.

If things had settled down, they might have been found, but Hu Ma's unrestrained slaughter continuously drew their attention.

This group indeed had many ways to avoid the Grain Searching Team, which made them even more puzzled as to why Hu Ma chose to confront them directly.

What did he want me to see by telling me to open my eyes?

Fear was evident on Fourth Miss Zhou's face. "Actually, my father warned me about such matters when I left home."

"I also told Hu Ma exactly what my father said."

"But I don't understand. When my father told me, I thought he made a lot of sense."

"But when he made me open my eyes and look, I just felt overwhelmed with guilt..."

"The little shopkeeper is trying to find his identity..."

Calculation, beside the cart, seemed to see deeper than the others. He sighed softly and said, "For a person to live in this world and clearly understand their destiny, they must first know their own identity."

"His fate is too heavy, too complex. Though he seldom speaks of it on this journey, he understands the suffering in his heart. I think he constantly wonders who he truly is."

"But who could he be?"

"Born in a village, learning skills in the jianghu, one of the downtrodden common folk struggling in this world—that identity suits him best..."

"So, he wouldn't hide. He had to draw this blade."

"Since common folk cannot escape such things, why should he use another identity to do so?"

Sighing, Calculation watched the murderous Hu Ma, a faint feeling of resentment towards his own master stirring within him.

Am I a Reincarnator or a descendant of the Hu Family?

At that moment, the sound of his blade slicing through bone, a sound that could easily excite a man, left Hu Ma exceptionally calm.

The strange records in the Book of Life and Death had filled him with endless bewilderment. Looking up, everything seemed preordained; no matter which path he took, it felt wrong. Strangely, it was by looking down, by embracing the lower path, that his heart found clarity. Ultimately, I cannot abandon the humanity of this world.

Perhaps it's because I am, at heart, an ordinary commoner, so I naturally feel a sorrow for my own kind...

Beneath the facade of the carefree Reincarnator and the lofty Ten Surnames, I am just a timid man in hiding.

That's why I cannot turn a blind eye when I witness such things.

It's only because, deep down, I'm always afraid—afraid that such things could happen to me too...

Ever since meeting the State Preceptor in Fox Coffin Village, he had felt uneasy. Unexpectedly, now that he was confronting himself honestly, his heart felt clear and bright.

Take Immortal Miaoshan, for instance. Even if someone from the theft disaster sect can frankly admit they know nothing, why would it be so hard for him, even with two other identities, to admit he was just a timid, ordinary commoner? Was it really that difficult?

Not difficult at all!

This is precisely my opportunity!

As he cut and slashed, a powerful resolve surged within Hu Ma's heart. That strange entity in the Intermediate Yin Realm has clearly grown wary of me. My third attempt to cross the Life and Death Pass might not succeed, but what if...

What if I enter with all these people?

Faced with such a calamity in the human world, let's see how that entity will calculate these fates!

His heart grew ever clearer. Suddenly, with a powerful slash, he cleaved the black iron hook net enveloping him, along with the man holding it, into two pieces.

Then, his foot stomped down with a thunderous sound. The two horses charging at him reared up in terror, only to be cut in half by his blade. Taking a deep breath, his entire body underwent Death Transformation, and a gust of yin qi blew outwards.

Caught in this yin qi, the souls of at least seven or eight men were blown from their bodies, leaving them frozen stiff.

In that moment, Hu Ma wasn't using any profound abilities.

His true trump cards were the Great Mighty Sky General's Dharma Image and the Zhensui Mansion. But now, amidst the chaos and needing to guard against the soldiers' evil qi, he resorted to the simplest of dharma methods. Yet, fueled by his sheer imposing aura, he created utter chaos, sending men and horses flying.

What began as these men charging at him had transformed into the Grain Searching Team retreating in terror, while he advanced like a god of slaughter.

TSK!

A sharp sound came from behind. A fierce-looking woman, wielding an iron hook, lunged for Hu Ma's eyes.

Hu Ma raised his hand, caught the iron hook, and with a twist, mangled both the hook and the woman's hand as if they were a pretzel.

The woman shrieked like a pig being slaughtered, but Hu Ma swiftly pulled her in front of him, pressing the Punishment Officer's Great Saber to her neck.

"Hero, don't kill me..." the woman screamed in terror.

Amidst her cries, Hu Ma slowly slit her throat.

A deep WHOOOOM echoed...

Suddenly, from the center of the town, the heavy sound of a bullhorn blared, its call carrying for dozens of li in the deep night.

This town was merely one of the Grain Searching Team's encampments. Witnessing such sudden chaos, many were undoubtedly terrified. Left with no choice, they sounded the horn. Once sounded, the main army, twenty li away, would surely receive the signal and come rushing.

Yet, Hu Ma seemed utterly unconcerned. He kicked over the large cooking pots, toppled the racks of human meat, and slaughtered all two hundred-odd members of the Grain Searching Team present, along with their helpers.

Normally, he was a man who valued cleanliness, preferring not to be stained by blood when killing. But now, he couldn't afford to care. He fought until he was drenched in blood, the lamplight casting a ghastly pallor on the scene. Finally, he even chopped in half a dog that was cowering in a corner, scavenging for entrails.

But at that very moment, outside the town, the distinct sound of neighing, like thunder, could be heard. Regiment upon regiment of soldiers approached, each led by a general mounted high on horseback, clad in iron armor and brandishing a large banner.

Having heard that their camp was under attack, they were charging over, full of murderous intent, to investigate.

Blade in hand, Hu Ma marched out of the town to meet them.

Then, unexpectedly, a great wind suddenly gusted from outside the town. This wind whipped up dust and debris, making the heavens and earth hazy. The lights within the town simultaneously shrank to the size of beans, their illumination instantly halved.

The vanguard of the enemy soldiers had already reached the outskirts of the town and were about to charge in when, suddenly, someone blocked their path.

The person rode a peculiar horse with a dozen or so legs, a short body, and a large head. He looked comical, yet he sat with the stillness of a deep abyss and the majesty of a towering mountain.

Facing the vanguard of several dozen iron-clad cavalrymen who had charged to the very front, this person took a deep breath and let out a sudden, thunderous shout.

That troop's horses halted abruptly, their riders stiffening. Then, one by one, they silently tumbled from their saddles.

In the flickering firelight, their faces could be seen, deathly pale, bleeding from their Seven Apertures. They had been killed by the shockwave of the shout.

Is it him?

Hu Ma was slightly stunned upon seeing the figure on the strange horse; he had met him before.

At the same time, a thought flickered through his mind. Realizing something, he slowly turned his head and saw a person emerging from the shadows behind him.

He wore a gray, coarse cloth robe with billowing sleeves and a serene expression. He was clearly standing there, yet before he stepped out from the shadows, Hu Ma hadn't noticed him at all; he couldn't even clearly discern his appearance.

Just as the large-headed, short-statured man's fierce shout struck down a troop of soldiers, the wind outside the town howled again, shrouding the area in an obscuring haze and temporarily preventing the other soldiers from advancing. The people by the carriage also reacted.

Especially Fourth Miss Zhou. Upon seeing this man appear, she rubbed her eyes and cried out joyfully, "Father..."

The person behind Hu Ma merely nodded slightly to her, then turned his gaze to Hu Ma. Clasping his hands lightly, he smiled gently and said, "Young friend, are you heading towards Shangjing?"

"I am Zhou Zhiming, humbly serving as the Lord of the Zhou Family."

"I was entrusted by the State Preceptor. Knowing that this journey would not be peaceful, I came specifically to meet you..."