Twilight Boundary

"Oh no..."

When Hu Ma felt the chilling ghost qi, his heart suddenly trembled.

The two groups present displayed very different emotions. The Red Lantern Lady's Club was celebrating their victory, cheering and eager to set off fireworks.

Meanwhile, the Green Clothes Gang was mourning as if at a funeral, anxious and directionless, uncertain of their future.

Of course, some had long expected the Green Clothes Gang to lose. These individuals had already found new alliances or even defected to the Red Lantern Society. At this moment, they feigned sadness but were actually overjoyed, thankful they had chosen sides early on.

But in their excitement and regret, they all forgot about the presence of the green-clothed evil ghost.

This ancestor of the Green Clothes Gang was the most crucial figure in this duel of Magic. How could he be willing to accept defeat?

The Green Clothes and Red Lights Fighting dictated that the winner would build a temple, and the loser would find nowhere to stand.

Its importance to this duel was evident from the great cost it had expended to bring people here.

At the sound of a cold snort, everyone shuddered.

They hurriedly looked up and saw, on the other side of the stage, hanging beside the Green Clothes Gang, the green cloth that bore the evil ghost mask representing Old Master Qingyi.

Now, under the influence of some chilling power, the surrounding fire pits and torches turned eerie, casting their green glow onto the mask.

The once rigid mask appeared to change expressions, as if eyes opened and a corner of its mouth curled up.

The sudden appearance of tusks, now interlocking, seemed ready to devour.

"Oh no, Old Master Qingyi is angry..."

Only then did everyone realize that although Old Master Qingyi had lost the round, he didn't seem willing to accept this outcome.

CLATTER...

Before a thought could pass through their minds, a dry, eerie gust of sinister wind WHOOSHED up, especially on the side of the Green Clothes Gang.

This wind was peculiarly sinister, harboring an inexplicable chill, seemingly mingled with indistinct, cold laughter. It swept through the place, causing four or five people in the Green Clothes Gang to suddenly leap up, mouths wide open, screaming,

"Old Master Qingyi, spare..."

"..."

Before they could utter the second word for mercy, they suddenly fell, their bodies shriveling rapidly.

As if all their flesh and blood had been drained instantaneously, leaving only a skeleton wrapped in oversized clothes, they fell silently to the ground.

These were the people who, despite the Green Clothes Gang's defeat, hadn't died yet and had helped Old Master Qingyi arrange the duel.

Caught off guard by this scene, the members of the Green Clothes Gang stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly shouted and fled in all directions.

Old Master Qingyi had gone mad, venting his anger, killing his own people...

The crowd scattered in chaos, but amidst the screams, they clearly heard the eerie, ghostly laughter.

The chilling wind blew against their faces, making it impossible to open their eyes or see the way clearly. Occasionally, someone would stumble and fall during their escape. They writhed on the ground, curling up into balls, or murmured incantations before ultimately succumbing, their bodies reduced to skeletal remains.

Even their souls were extracted and swallowed by the ghost mask with its open mouth.

Only a group of strange disciples remained. They wore green pants, their braids were tied, and they had red dots on their foreheads. Their expressions were sinister yet slightly panicked, but they did not move.

These were the Green-clothed Children of the Green Clothes Gang, akin to the Red Fragrance Disciples of the Red Lantern Society.

They were the most loyal to Old Master Qingyi, so they were spared.

On the Red Lantern Society's side, witnessing the sudden chaos erupting among the Green Clothes Gang, everyone was startled, instinctively jumping up to distance themselves further.

Then, as Old Master Qingyi fumed, Sweet Potato on the stage cried out loudly.

She and Old Gentleman Cai Yi hadn't yet had a chance to leave the stage. Suddenly, they heard Old Master Qingyi's cold laughter and sensed the sinister wind—a wind that felt like it could strip bones and extract souls.

The sinister wind swept up from below the stage, bypassing Old Gentleman Cai Yi and heading straight for her.

She immediately comprehended what was happening. Attempting to flee in a panic, she already felt the wind's pressure behind her, as if held by an invisible hand.

This power was too strong, on a different level than herself; no amount of learned Magic could resist it.

Her face changed dramatically, and in a moment of desperate resolve, she directly leaped across the stage, rushing toward the Red Lantern Society's contingent while shouting, "I swear allegiance to the Lady! I beg the Lady to save my life!"

As her cries sounded, her body suddenly collapsed.

One of her legs seemed to be pulled by some invisible force, dragging it backward.

And that dragged leg visibly shriveled and withered, as if deprived of all flesh and blood.

Yet, Sweet Potato was about to be pulled back by the green-clothed evil ghost's force. But at that very moment, it seemed her cries had indeed moved the Red Lantern Lady. The red lantern on this side of the stage suddenly blazed with an intensely resplendent light.

The crimson glow, thick as blood, spilled from the lantern, illuminating most of the stage.

Simultaneously, it enveloped both Old Gentleman Cai Yi and Sweet Potato in its red light.

As Sweet Potato was about to be dragged away, the falling red light dispelled the force pulling her, driving it off the stage. She then hurriedly scrambled and crawled over to the Red Lantern Lady's Club's side.

Meanwhile, the green-clothed evil ghost, having been forced off the stage, grew furious. Its swirling, sinister winds, carrying surges of even greater ire, pressed down onto the stage.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The two forces collided and intertwined on the stage, twisting the entire wooden platform as if it were a length of rope.

Countless splinters of wood and torn cloth flew wildly, scattered in all directions.

This was a clash between the two most powerful evil spirits in the Mingzhou area. Everyone present had some abilities, yet they felt oppressed and terrified just standing by, unable to keep their eyes open.

Hu Ma, on the other hand, didn't hesitate, retreating quickly without looking back.

Although he really wanted to witness what a fight involving someone like the Red Lantern Lady looked like, he still had to prioritize his own life...

As he fled swiftly from the stage, he caught sight of Manager Xu and Old Calculation, who owed him twenty Blood Foods. Even Incense Master Zheng was there, along with other familiar figures from the society like Worships and Shopkeepers. All were clutching their heads and fleeing even faster than him.

Yet directly opposite their frantic escape route, a crowd suddenly came charging, their arrival heralded by a loud shout:

"Where are the Red Fragrance Disciples? For our Lady, cut down these evil ghosts that lost both the battle and their dignity!"

"..."

"Yang Gong?"

Hu Ma looked up and saw Yang Gong and a group of Disciples with red sashes tied around their waists sprinting from the other side of the street, against the fleeing crowd.

They each exuded an intimidating aura as they drew incense sticks and inserted them atop their heads.

And in front of them, the two protectors hadn't moved either; they were merely casting their spells, offering them to the red lantern.

On the green-clothed evil ghost's side, the Green-clothed Children eerily raised their heads, about to charge onto the stage.

Indeed, everyone's way of making a living is truly different now... Hu Ma thought, and though he already considered Yang Gong a good brother, he only quickened his pace of escape.

No one knew how this battle would unfold. The duels had originally been chosen to avoid such direct slaughter. Little did they expect they couldn't escape it after all. Now, the confrontation between the Red Lantern Lady and the green-clothed evil ghost threatened to dismantle the entire town.

They fled for over a hundred feet, daring not to stop, wishing only to escape the town entirely.

But just then, the clear, crisp sound of a chime suddenly rang out from outside the town.

This sound, ethereal and melodious, wasn't particularly loud but was exceptionally clear, like a refreshing stream pouring into the town from afar.

The bloody, deadlocked battle between the Red Lantern Lady and the green-clothed evil ghost seemed to be significantly weakened as a result.

The fleeing members of the Red Lantern Society were suddenly transfixed. Their urge to escape vanished, replaced by a reverent awe for the mysterious presence at the town entrance as they looked toward the town gate.

Then they saw, shrouded in the night, what appeared to be a procession moving toward the town.

They seemed to be living people but were encased in an indistinct mist that no one could truly discern.

One could barely make out figures holding banners and staffs, and others striking chimes. Some carried a palanquin, while ghostly shadows danced and played merrily beside it.

Seeing such a procession, everyone felt an inexplicable horror. Those quick to react lowered their heads swiftly and tightly shut their eyes.

Hu Ma did the same, his initial glimpse bringing a frightful realization.

He thought of Granny.

When Granny had returned to the ancestral hall, it seemed a similar ceremonial procession had received her, resembling this scene.

However, the one that welcomed Granny had seemed even grander, of a higher specification than this.

He couldn't quite pinpoint the differences, only feeling that the one for Granny was more mysterious and larger in scale.

But he also recognized where these people came from and hastily lowered his head,

merely ensuring he committed this fleeting sight to memory.

This ceremonial procession encircled the central palanquin. Ethereal and illusory, suffused with an eerie atmosphere, it moved from west to east. It entered Zhu Gate Town and swiftly reached its center.

Long before they arrived at the stage, the fierce battle between the Red Lantern Lady and the green-clothed evil ghost had already ceased.

Even the Red Fragrance Disciples and protectors, along with the Green-clothed Children, had all knelt.

Within the palanquin, a soft laugh sounded, followed by a hand emerging from inside.

As this hand extended, two vortexes of chilling wind formed before the palanquin, slowly converging toward its front.

Faintly, before the palanquin, two figures appeared: a woman in red palace attire with her hair in a cloud-like bun, and a man in green clothes with a livid face and sharp fangs.

Both respectfully knelt before the palanquin, their bodies huddled, receiving the hand's gentle caress.

"If you duel, you must acknowledge defeat."

"If, after dueling, you still wish to fight, then what is the point of having you duel at all?"

"..."

The voice from the palanquin spoke softly, with a hint of teasing.

The two figures kneeling before the palanquin bowed simultaneously to the person within, not daring to harbor even the slightest grievance.