Twilight Boundary-Chapter 719 - 710: Life, Longevity, and Prosperity

Seeing the seven Negative Spirit junior sword-catchers, full of killing intent and moving swiftly, Hu Ma was stirred. However, he first saw a figure flash beside him as someone blocked the path of those seven Negative Spirit junior sword-catchers, shouting, "Hold on!"

"If it's a duel, then let it be a duel. The victor hasn't been decided, yet you rush to kill his kin and throw people's hearts into turmoil—is this how things are done?"

Surprisingly, it was Fourth Miss Zhou, who now appeared full of anger. The seven Negative Spirit junior sword-catchers looked slightly uneasy and cautiously paused.

"Huh?" Even Chen Abao beside them was a bit curious. Tilting his head to look at Fourth Miss Zhou, he said, "This involves two major families. Do you really dare to just step in like this?"

Fourth Miss Zhou, somewhat angry, said, "This isn't about one family against another; this is Shousui dueling Negative Spirit!"

Chen Abao was even more surprised. "You call him Shousui, but he doesn't even acknowledge your Zhou Family..."

Fourth Miss Zhou replied without any hesitation, "The Great Mighty Master and the Yangming Zhou Family have their own affairs within the Path. But when we encounter other Paths, we are all of one Path."

Saying this, her eyes already full of disdain, she looked towards Cui Magu and said, "Shousui is the junior here. He has done his utmost for the Meng family's affairs and is even taking responsibility for sending Lady Meng back. Yet, your Meng family wants to kill his kin?"

This was a very straightforward reason, so much so that even Chen Abao couldn't help but feel convinced.

Even Zhao Sanyi beside them sighed and slowly stepped forward, saying, "Aunt Cui of the Cui family, the Ten Surnames must maintain some dignity."

"To save your family's Lady, the three of us have incurred social debts here!"

...

The three of them having expressed their stance, the seven junior Hall Officers then hesitated, daring not to move. Cui Magu's serene face clearly showed a frown. However, after a brief moment of deliberation, she suddenly barked, "Go!"

As she spoke, her wide sleeve, which hung to the ground, suddenly swung outward.

In the cold wind, the white, wide sleeve opened up, revealing a ghostly silhouette huddled within. It suddenly opened its mouth wide.

When this mouth opened, it was unbelievably large, black as the netherworld, and seemed capable of infinite expansion. Suddenly, emanating a chilling ghost qi, it lunged to swallow Zhao Sanyi, Chen Abao, and Fourth Miss Zhou.

Everyone was caught off guard, not expecting that at this critical juncture, she would abandon Hu Ma and instead attack these three disciples of the Ten Surnames.

And that command, "Go," was directed at the seven junior Hall Officers, who reacted quickly and rushed towards the village.

She's even attacking us, showing no consideration at all! Zhao Sanyi, startled, jumped back. He suddenly pulled a rattle drum from his sleeve, puffed his cheeks, and spat out a fierce flame that spanned tens of yards.

Meanwhile, Chen Abao let out a few eerie laughs as his body retreated. His head, however, suddenly flew off. With sharp fangs in its mouth, it uttered a series of words no one could understand.

Fourth Miss Zhou was even more straightforward. With a swift stomp, she kicked up a spray of sand, scattering it towards Cui Magu's face while she herself rushed forward.

As for the madman from the Theft Disaster Sect, he merely laughed as he stepped back a few paces, saying, "Now this is more interesting than inviting disasters."

Yet Cui Magu's form flickered, turning into dozens of white afterimages. Within a radius of several dozen yards, ghost qi permeated the air. Pale hands seemed to "grow" from the bodies of these three disciples, one gripping Zhao Sanyi's neck, another covering Chen Abao's mouth.

Fourth Miss Zhou shouted sharply. But after taking only a few steps, she found herself unable to move. She realized her feet were being held. A head emerged from beneath the ground—it was Cui Magu.

These three were disciples of the Ten Surnames and naturally possessed considerable skills. However, they were not walking ghosts and thus could not keep the Negative Spirit people's tricks outside the altar. In that instant, they experienced the prowess of this great Negative Spirit sword-catcher.

Although there were still ways for them to resolve the situation, at this critical time, they could only watch helplessly as the seven junior sword-catchers charged towards the village.

At this moment, Hu Ma sighed and stepped out from the Magic Altar.

SWIPE!

Yet, at the very moment he stepped out of the altar, five of the seven junior sword-catchers who seemed to be dashing towards the village suddenly turned back.

Their movements were bizarre; they seemed to vanish in the distance only to mysteriously reappear in front of Hu Ma, each approaching from a different direction, suddenly reaching for him.

Hu Ma was a Shousui man, his body strong and impenetrable by ordinary weapons. Yet their hands seemed to disregard his physical form, reaching straight into him. Each grasped one of his Five Organs: heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

The other two, however, continued heading towards the village.

At the same time, the numerous white shadows conjured by Cui Magu instantly returned to the front of the Magic Altar, just as Hu Ma stepped out. They immediately extinguished the brazier within the altar. Then, the shadows suddenly overlapped, coalescing behind Hu Ma.

The slender body almost pressed against his back, a pale and delicate hand gently resting on Hu Ma's shoulder.

Not good! Fourth Miss Zhou, both shocked and furious, urgently wanted to step forward and help. However, Cui Magu had already turned around. Softly parting her pale lips, she blew a chilling wind towards them. It was eerily sinister. Enveloped by this wind, Fourth Miss Zhou, Zhao Sanyi, and Chen Abao felt overwhelmed by illusions, forced to focus solely on self-defense.

"Disciples of the Ten Surnames each have their skills, but if one has not achieved Shangqiao, then one has not achieved Shangqiao."

Standing behind Hu Ma, Cui Magu said softly, "They are as such, and so are you!"

As she spoke, she tugged Hu Ma, stepping back. However, this retreat was merely superficial. Within that single step, Hu Ma felt the world spin as if he were falling.

As he fell, he felt no ground beneath him, as if he had suddenly plunged into a lake. The scene from the human world rapidly vanished. The sound of clattering chains reached his ears; it seemed Cui Magu was dragging him directly into the underworld.

Behind her, a massive bridge had appeared, seemingly connecting heaven and earth, leading straight to the deepest parts of the netherworld.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

She had delved deep into the underworld and could sense the profound influence of the bridge. Convinced she had suppressed this somewhat skilled walking ghost sword-catcher, she whispered, "Now, take me to him!"

"Walking on the bridge, no matter where he is, it'll be quick!"

...

Hu Ma sighed, saying, "Do you really want to see him?"

A strange feeling suddenly bloomed in her heart. The next moment, she felt dazed; everything before her seemed like a mere reflection, shifting and shattering.

After a moment's daze, her pupils trembled slightly. She realized that, apparently, only she had arrived on the bridge. Hu Ma remained standing in the human world. His figure even grew clearer as he slowly turned to look at her.

Something's wrong! Cui Magu's face suddenly changed drastically, and her other hand reached for Hu Ma's shoulder. Simultaneously, huge ghostly figures emerged from both her sleeves.

One suddenly shrank, attempting to embrace Hu Ma around the waist, while the other opened its mouth wide, intending to swallow Hu Ma whole.

However, at this very moment, soul light suddenly concentrated on Hu Ma's body. In an instant, he manifested the Great Mighty Sky General Seal. It was as if an Evil God suddenly emerged from within him, its blue, grim face instantly rushing towards Cui Magu.

CRACK!

Simultaneously with the appearance of this Dharma Form, the chains descending from the bridge shattered and scattered. The Negative Spirit junior sword-catchers clinging to Hu Ma's Five Organs felt as if struck by lightning. Their large hands dropped as their souls were torn from their bodies and voraciously devoured by the Evil God.

"You..."

The shock in her heart at that moment was indescribable. Her pupils twitched violently as she urgently retreated. She intended to drag this overwhelmingly ferocious Evil God even deeper onto the bridge, to suppress him with its heavier power.

However, she was not allowed to exert any force. The green-faced, fanged Evil God already had a fierce glint in its eyes. With a deep roar, like rolling dark thunder, it instantly shattered the shadowy underworld bridge behind Cui Magu, returning them to the human world.

"Who on earth are you?" Cui Magu's voice turned sharp, slightly distorted, as an appalling guess instantly surged from the depths of her heart.

It was impossible for her to encounter someone, even with her Shangqiao status, whom she couldn't pull away from. Unless this individual's fate was so profound that it was beyond the reach of her current identity. Then he...

As she pondered this possibility, her expression suddenly twisted. The funeral clothes draped over her head exploded. Amidst her snow-white hair, strands of Purple Qi gushed upward, and a soul shadow completely enveloped in Purple Qi flew out.

The Purple Qi emanating from this single soul body was even more intense than that of Old Master Yan of Guazhou. It darted straight towards Hu Ma's face.

However, Hu Ma didn't even glance. The Great Mighty Master's Dharma Form had four arms: two were open, and two were clenched into fists. Now, the clenched right fist suddenly shot forward, veiled in divine light. It smashed her soul body back into her physical form.

It looked as if he'd slapped it back in.

Even the roiling Purple Qi dissipated at that moment, withdrawing.

Cui Magu staggered backward, unexpectedly collapsing to the ground, her face a mask of terror, as if she had seen a ghost.

Meanwhile, Hu Ma gazed deeply at Cui Magu before suddenly turning to leave. His form was like the wind; he vanished in an instant. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he returned, holding two lifeless bodies. These were the two Negative Spirit junior sword-catchers who had just headed towards the village.

Tossing them in front of Cui Magu, he slowly said, "I haven't achieved Shangqiao, but that doesn't mean I have no way to deal with the abilities of people who have."

"I just have one troubling dilemma..." He couldn't resist glancing at the right hand of his Dharma Form. It held a Treasure Seal. This seal, initially a wordless seal, now bore four characters after he had slain Old Master Yan of the Yan Family.

"Subject to the Mandate of Heaven!"

...

Yet it was precisely because of these four characters that his gaze appeared somewhat confused. I was born with a destiny marked by 'Life,' and the Great Mighty Sky General Seal granted me 'Heaven'… But now, where am I to find the 'Longevity' and 'Prosperity' characters for the next phrase?

"I had intended to discern things more clearly by crossing swords with someone like you, who has achieved Shangqiao. But you... you have been a real disappointment."