Twilight Boundary-Chapter 807 - 795: Zhen Sui Ritual

"The so-called dharma meeting and blessing meeting are for expelling evil spirits and spreading blessings."

"If a place's feng shui is poor, with heavy yin, nurturing evil spirits and hindering humans, then the negative energy must be dispelled; such a gathering is called a blessing meeting."

"If a place has spawned evil objects that constantly cause chaos, even the best feng shui will be ineffective, and the negative energy can't be completely expelled. Then the evil objects must be driven out or directly suppressed to prevent harm; this is called a dharma meeting."

Having openly shared his thoughts with the reincarnators, Hu Ma felt considerably more relaxed on his way back to the Hu Family Mansion. Once back, he inquired about the relevant dharma meeting matters.

This part was simple; whether it was Calculation or Immortal Miaoshan, or even the little Ghost Bean Official beside Miaoshan, they all had some knowledge.

Piecing it together, it becomes a mastery: "Although the two differ, there are common aspects in their execution."

"In essence, the key lies in guarding, wandering, and suppressing—these three elements are indispensable."

"First is the main sacrificial individual, standing at the altar, driving out evil and suppressing spirits."

"Second is inviting the Zhou's Protector God to protect, circling the city and guarding the people."

"Third is establishing a suppressive item at the altar, ensuring that it can subdue what lies beneath the city, preventing uprising."

"..."

"Indeed, these things exist."

Hu Ma listened and said, "Then let it be done this way. Naturally, I will guard the altar; for wandering, invite those good friends to undertake it, and as for the suppressing, there's nothing to say; invite the Twelve Ghost Altars, which will suppress everything."

Calculation hurriedly added, "The Twelve Ghost Altars have received incense from all over the world for a hundred and fifty years, they can suppress anything, but are you sure you can invite them?"

Hu Ma nodded slightly and said, "The State Preceptor invited the Twelve Ghost Altars by borrowing my cultivation; I have remembered his method in my heart, and that subtle connection remains."

"If that's the case..."

Calculation pondered for a long time, whispering, "Then only one important matter remains."

"Convince the Ten Surnames to move their ancestral hall."

"..."

"Oh?"

Hu Ma looked over at him; the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall is the foundation of the Ten Surnames in Shangjing City, the Hu Family among them.

"Only one between the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall and the Twelve Ghost Altars can remain in Shangjing City."

Calculation knew the impact of these words was significant, and said cautiously, "To lay it bare, whether it's the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall or the Twelve Ghost Altars, both bear the incense of the world to suppress Shangjing City."

"Currently, Shangjing City is full of Purple Qi, almost taking up the weight of a sizeable nation's city. Why does it condense without dispersing?"

"It's because the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall suppresses it."

"But when you invite the Twelve Ghost Altars back, the weight becomes overly heavy; the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall must make room."

"The State Preceptor can dismiss this issue in his dharma meeting because he plans to separate Shangjing from the human world, avoiding the confrontation of the two, but in your dharma meeting, you want White Jade City to remain in the human world, so this issue is unavoidable."

"..."

"Then I will go and speak to them."

Hu Ma sighed lowly, then skipped to a different topic.

"This is such a big issue, it seems impossible to resolve smoothly..."

Calculation felt a bit uneasy in his heart, reckoning such a significant affair is unlikely to have the Ten Surnames easily agree—moving the ancestral hall is akin to moving graves to some extent.

But seeing Hu Ma resolved, he also gathered his spirit, whispering, "Then there is only one thing left, this dharma meeting should have a name!"

"The State Preceptor's dharma meeting is the State Preceptor's; now that you have taken it over, this dharma meeting is yours. If the name is not proper, the words will not be smooth, and if the words are not smooth, the dharma will not be effective. Therefore, giving this dharma meeting a name is very important!"

"..."

This somewhat surprised Hu Ma; after a brief contemplation, he smiled slightly and said, "Then let it be called the Age Suppressing Dharma Meeting!"

"Age Suppressing..."

Calculation looked deeply at Hu Ma, and quietly agreed; no matter what Tai Sui may be, it's still a god in the view of Daluo Dharma Sect and the world.

The name for this dharma meeting could be seen as highly disrespectful.

Even though the dharma meeting itself aims to suppress the things beneath Shangjing City, often in matters concerning ghostly gods, even if done, it should be spoken nicely—expelling ghosts should be called inviting gods, curing ghosts should be termed expelling evil.

Hu Ma was indifferent to this.

Age Suppressing, Age Suppressing; if it is considered disrespectful, the Hu Family ancestors had done this long ago.

Moreover, this time's dharma meeting, though conducted according to the usual dharma meeting format outwardly, at its core, it still adheres to the method recorded in the Age Suppressing Book, which Er Guotou previously mentioned—the last dharma method described therein.

Having made all arrangements, Hu Ma changed into clean clothes the next morning and went directly to the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall.

Knowing there's something so strange beneath the city, naturally makes it hard to sleep peacefully. Even walking on the streets, there's a cautious feeling, as if afraid of stepping too heavily and disturbing something underground.

In Shangjing City, it's still as bustling as before, the streets teeming with people, each face beaming with smiles, carrying a deliberately lively air.

Yet upon closer observation, it seems as if those ignorant of the truth also exhibit that instinctive caution, their feet half-raised, walking on tiptoes.

Recalling Calculation's reminder, Hu Ma understood, "With the State Preceptor gone and the Wang family fleeing, Shangjing City is no longer stable."

"Now, the citizens of Shangjing City are only half-raising their feet, but when they start using only their toes, what's beneath will no longer be suppressed."

"…"

This dharma meeting must be held, and the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall must be relocated.

Hu Ma knew handling this wouldn't be easy, but was prepared. Unexpectedly, upon arriving at the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall, he saw countless carriers, sedan bearers, laborers, all gathered in the distance, with several lords seated in a pavilion.

Upon seeing him from afar, they smiled and gestured, inviting him to the pavilion for tea, even politely offering him a cup.

"What brings the esteemed uncles together here?"

Hu Ma, seating himself politely, asked with a smile before drinking the tea.

He could recognize among the group Zhou Zhiming, the Zhou Family's Master, and another dressed flamboyantly, in a style reminiscent of Zhao Sanyi, likely Zhao Qizhi from the Divine Hand Zhao Family.

The others, though unfamiliar, he could roughly associate with the Zhu Family, Sun Family, Chen Family; the Wang Family Master had already fled, the Zhang and Meng families were gone, and the rest were present.

Seeing Hu Ma's politeness, they laughed and said, "We are here to request incense, waiting to inform you."

"Requesting incense?"

Hu Ma was truly stunned, somewhat surprised if their 'requesting incense' meant what he thought.

"Indeed."

The Zhou Family's Master Zhou Zhiming smiled and said, "Twenty years ago, Douyi severed the bloodline, and the Twelve Ghost Altars were on the verge of breaking."

"The world cannot lose the object that stabilizes incense flames, so the National Master Dongxuan borrowed a stick of incense from each of our Ten Surnames to build the ancestral hall in Shangjing, thus stabilizing the nation's fate and preventing the world from collapsing over the past twenty years."

"But what's borrowed must be returned, and now the time has come."

"This time, we intend to retrieve the incense from each family, return it to the clan for worship, and not get involved in Shangjing City's chaos."

"…"

The words were extremely straightforward, but Hu Ma didn't believe a single word.

After the initial surprise, he picked up the tea they had pushed towards him, took a slow sip, and then raised his head.

Drinking this tea signified that he spoke with them as the Hu Family Head, seeking neither falsehoods nor lies, but truth.

The Zhao Family Master smiled and said, "There's a very clever person outside the city, who convinced us, so we're withdrawing from this mess, clearing the space for you, to see your capabilities."

"A clever person?"

Seeing the Ten Surnames' reactions, Hu Ma was utterly perplexed: 'Monkey Wine?'

"The State Preceptor has accepted his loss and willingly retreated. We are mere observers and won't interfere unnecessarily. However, since the young friend of the Hu Family has taken on this role, he must be cautious."

The Zhou Family Master seemed to perceive Hu Ma's surprise, smiling, "In a few months, it will be mid-July, and the Stone Pavilion Alliance was predetermined. Now, the Ten Surnames are missing some families. We just hope the young friend of the Hu Family doesn't delay too much."

Upon them mentioning the Stone Pavilion Alliance, Hu Ma's sense of bewilderment only intensified.

Now that the State Preceptor is defeated, is there still a need for the Stone Pavilion Alliance to exist?

Facing Hu Ma, the Zhou Family Master merely smiled faintly and said, "Young friend of the Hu Family, in this world, there are three types of people: one type does everything for themselves, only thinking of benefits without putting in effort;

Another type only puts in effort without gaining any benefits;

The third type both gains benefits and puts in effort. We initially wanted to be the first type, but ultimately, we became the third type."

"Twenty years ago, the Ten Surnames and the State Preceptor established the Stone Pavilion Alliance, with many rules within, which now have all become jokes."

"It was agreed that if there was trouble, we would protect each other's bloodlines, but this rule was personally broken by the State Preceptor, and it wouldn't be incorrect to say that you broke it as well."

"Although there are many such rules, some are beneficial to the world, such as: keeping watch over the world, no chaos, stabilizing the world for twenty years, extending life by twenty years."

"For example, prohibiting private contact with those evil objects, to avoid disordering the world's lifespan."

"Of course, this rule was also broken by the Wang family, which is why the State Preceptor was defeated, and the Wang family master fled without hesitation, thus the Ten Surnames are now reduced by one."

"Nonetheless, ultimately, there is one more rule: the incense of the Ten Surnames was to stabilize the world. Now that we have decided to relocate the incense, it signifies that the rules set within the Stone Pavilion are effectively all erased."

"But rules are rules, and the agreement within the Stone Pavilion Alliance still stands. Whether the Hu Family suppresses the age or expels evil, as long as everything finally isn't lacking, everyone can still consider themselves on the same path..."

"The matters agreed within the Stone Pavilion, regardless of the outcome, are ultimately supposed to end with a statement."