Twilight Boundary-Chapter 727 - 718: The Tool for Slaying Evil

"Hu Shan, the original body's father?"

Hu Ma listened to the State Preceptor's words and couldn't help but be surprised. Upon examining the bones carefully, though it was impossible to discern facial features, it was clear that in life, this had been a person with a robust, imposing frame. Despite having died countless years ago, he still sat upright on the ground, spine straight, with a tattered Magic Flag beside him. Yet, it appeared as if it had been burned, leaving only half remaining.

Could he have already died here long ago? Moreover, looking at it, he had been dead for many years. Then, what is this place...

The State Preceptor seemed to have anticipated his question, sighed softly, and said, "This place is called Fox Coffin Village."

"Do you know how it got this name?"

"..."

As he spoke, he lightly waved his horsetail whisk, and the rickety Ancestral Hall door was suddenly blown open by the wind, revealing a blackened coffin inside, partially toppled. But inside the coffin, there were no bones; instead, a furry paw was visible.

Hu Ma recognized it. The coffin contained a fox's corpse?

The State Preceptor sighed. "Back then, the Hu Family obtained the Zhensui Mansion and fled back to the Old Yin Mountain. However, the Meng family was not satisfied. They once summoned a disaster to sever the Hu Family's bloodline, believing that once the Hu Family was annihilated, the Zhensui Mansion would inevitably fall into their hands."

"Sadly, they underestimated the resilience of the Hu Family members."

"..."

As he spoke, the State Preceptor looked at the bones, gave a respectful bow, and said, "Your father, Mr. Hu Shan, stood alone against the disaster, perishing alongside the calamity that descended. He then dragged his injured body into this village, sealing the disaster in the coffin and keeping watch here."

"Thus came the name 'Fox Coffin'."

"Your Granny always knew he was here, but she didn't dare let you come to pay respects, nor did she dare to come herself."

"Because this disaster is Immortal, and it awakens upon seeing a Hu. If you come, the disaster will wake again and haunt you until you enter the hole to settle the debt."

"..."

Seeing Hu Ma's tense expression, the State Preceptor stopped, smiled, and said,

"Of course, there is no harm now."

"If there is one disaster, there cannot be two. In that hole, a new disaster was born and then sent back into the hole. Only then was it truly dead."

"Otherwise, even I wouldn't have dared to bring you here."

"..."

No wonder his birth father never returned to the village after withstanding that disaster. It turns out he died here...

Hu Ma remained silent for a moment, then respectfully bowed to the bones. He considered it as fulfilling a duty for the original body.

With this matter clarified, he still had to collect the remains and send them back to Dayang Village for burial.

"Then, what about beneath the coffin?"

After bowing, Hu Ma turned to face the State Preceptor. Inside the Ancestral Hall, there was only one black coffin. However, he could clearly see a dark cave behind it. With his current abilities, he could even feel the chilling wind emanating from the cave.

"There lie the Twelve Ghost Altars!"

The State Preceptor also looked toward the cave. After a long pause, he nodded lightly and raised his hand, revealing a candle.

He blew on the candle, causing it to light up with a flame as small as a bean. He then led the way into the Ancestral Hall. Hu Ma followed, immediately noticing that this place had probably been visited before. Many spider webs showed signs of being disturbed. Thinking back to Er Guotou's experience, it became clear that the Yin Yang Two Sceneries Plate he once had was likely taken from here.

After entering the cave, Hu Ma couldn't help but be shocked. He suddenly saw that the space within resembled a tomb, far more enormous than it appeared from above.

Twelve ancient and desolate altars, adorned with eerie patterns, were placed against the walls. Some had cracks. In the center of these altars was a stone platform surrounded by bones.

"Who are they..."

Looking at those bones, Hu Ma felt an unusual sense of familiarity and subconsciously asked, his voice softening.

"They were the Bridge Crossing Walking Ghosts of the past."

The State Preceptor sighed softly. "Back then, for your Hu Family to safely leave Shangjing, a significant price was paid. The Meng family didn't want your Hu Family to leave; neither did the Evil Ghosts that crawled out of hell, nor the Reincarnated Evil Spirits."

"Thus, along the way, there were continuous bloody battles. Many died on the road. But after your family reached this place, their pursuers still caught up."

"Here, a fierce fight ensued, culminating in the use of the Twelve Ghost Altars' power to seal those evil spirits."

"However, all the Bridge Crossing Walking Ghosts perished here. From then on, the Ghost Walking Sect began to dwindle, only recently starting to recover."

"..."

"Reincarnated Evil Spirits?"

Hu Ma instantly understood. This was the reason behind the first Great Cleansing of the Reincarnators he had been searching for. Previously, he had always believed the Hu Family had initiated the cleansing of the Reincarnators. But now, listening to the State Preceptor, it sounded more like the Reincarnators were hunting the Hu Family.

Questions swirled in his mind, and he blurted out, "Why did they want to hunt the Hu Family?"

"Because they were afraid."

The candlelight flickered across the State Preceptor's face, making his expression unreadable. Even his voice sounded unusually low and eerie as he continued, "They feared your appearance!"

Hu Ma exclaimed, "Me?"

The State Preceptor looked at him intently, not answering directly but slowly saying, "The Douyi lineage, in their bid to dominate the world, used living people as sacrifices. The immense resentment generated ultimately attracted the Tai Sui. Although they ascended to become Emperor, the world was filled with unrest, and evil spirits appeared frequently. My ancestor, Cave Master Qingxuan, had no choice but to perform the Great Sacrifice of Shangjing."

"The original purpose was to ascertain the Tai Sui's origin and thus send away the calamity. Unexpectedly, not only was its origin not discovered, but an even fiercer entity was drawn forth. Do you know what that was?"

"..."

Hu Ma also looked on, his voice deep, "Reincarnators."

"Reincarnators, you say?" The State Preceptor chuckled upon hearing this. "They are also Tai Sui—a group of living Tai Sui."

"Compared to the original Tai Sui, which is masterless and without consciousness, they are far more rampant. They came specifically to seize the order of heaven and earth."

"Upon their emergence, they destroyed the ancestral altar. Since then, they have hidden in the human world, committing all sorts of evil to steal the order of heaven and earth."

"It was I, along with the ancestors of the Ten Surnames, who guided them to fight against the Duyi Royal Family, a conflict that ended with both sides suffering heavy losses. But even then, we knew that as long as evil spirits persisted, natural disasters would not cease."

"Even with the Douyi destroyed and the Tai Sui trapped, these Reincarnated Evil Spirits would continue to steal the order of heaven and earth. They have their own origins and all wish to return, so they would inevitably compete for this world's Purple Qi."

"And one day, when they eventually leave, this world will inevitably be depleted. Countless living people will be plunged into misery, and everything will be destroyed in an instant."

"So, from that time onward, I discussed a matter with your Hu Family ancestors."

"..."

At this point, he paused, gazing at Hu Ma, and softly stated, "A plan to eradicate the evil spirits!"

"Their leader was named Lao Junmei. They obtained his remains and extracted his Immortal Fate. Then, using methods related to Purple Qi refinement, they searched for a person with a sufficiently heavy fate, performing Soul Sewing to combine with them and thereby peer into the secrets of the Reincarnated Evil Spirits. Unfortunately, many such attempts failed."

"We realized this was because no one's fate was weighty enough."

"So, we decided to create a person whose fate *was* heavy enough."

"During this selection process, the Hu Family made their most ruthless decision: they cut ties with the Qingyuan Hu Family and gambled the fortunes of the Ten Surnames on an unborn child."

"I, in turn, acquired the Zhensui Mansion for the Hu Family and stripped it of imperial authority, ensuring this child would be its sole future master. Thereafter, I performed a Heaven's Mandate ritual for you. Using the Daluo Dharma Sect, I summoned the Eight Sceneries of Netherworld to diminish your worldly blessings and thereby increase the weight of your fate."

"Ultimately, the Immortal Fate entered your soul, and you did not die. With that, we succeeded in the first step. The rest was simply waiting."

"The Hu Family hid here in the Old Yin Mountain, waiting for you to survive and grow up."

"..."

He paused here, ignoring Hu Ma's now deathly pale face, sighed gently, and continued, "For many years at the outset, we saw no success. You were merely muddle-headed, perverse and difficult, like a madman."

"Seeing you in that state, your mother couldn't bear it and left the village. Your father, perhaps feeling guilty towards you, was always silent and withdrawn."

"Your Granny didn't know the full extent of it, but she knew your grandfather and father had done certain things involving you. So, while she pitied you, she was also angry with your father, and their relationship was strained."

"They were all watching you, uncertain of what you would become."

"Even we had come to believe we had failed, that the Immortal Fate truly couldn't be stolen. But we never expected that one day, when the Meng family could no longer hold back and decided to move against you, by a twist of fate, you would actually succeed."

"When she saw you had become a different person, your Granny finally understood what we had been doing..."

"..."

"Enough..."

As the State Preceptor spoke, Hu Ma felt as if struck by lightning. An indescribable fury surged through his heart, his eyes turning blood-red.

"What you're saying... what you're saying..."

"..."

He clenched his teeth, wanting nothing more than to furiously rebuke this man, even to draw his knife and kill him.

"What I'm saying is true."

The State Preceptor sighed softly, slowly retreated a step, and bowed to Hu Ma. "Hu Ma, my young friend, you have suffered greatly."

"I have been watching you: watching you awaken in the village, confused and disoriented; watching you experience fear, struggle, and bewilderment; watching you conceal your identity to survive and learn skills; and watching you frequently caught in dilemmas, acting with hesitation..."

"These reactions are all normal. You were affected by the Immortal Fate and forgot the past, the reasons behind everything. Yet, deep down, you still remembered who you are, which is why you couldn't see these matters clearly."

"Even the Meng family—it was I who subtly pushed them to seek you out."

"Only when the pressure from the Meng family became sufficient would you be driven to find more Reincarnators to counter them and resolve your problems. The more you cooperated with these Reincarnators, the more you would gain their trust. Your identity as a member of the Hu Family would enable you to help them..."

"..."

Reaching this point in his explanation, he slowly rose. The candlelight in his hand quietly illuminated Hu Ma's face. "I know that from the moment you first saw me, you've been prepared to flee to the Bridge at any moment. But abandon that thought!"

"Everyone on that Bridge is your enemy."

"From the moment of your birth, you have been stained with the blood of those evil spirits!"

"You are the only one who can stop this group of living Tai Sui."

"You are the Master of Demon Suppression, born to annihilate them—you are the instrument for slaughtering evil!"