Twilight Boundary

Beside him, two maidservants stood as protectors, one holding a chime and the other a horsetail whisk.

Caught off guard upon seeing the noble of the Meng Family spitting blood, they panicked and hurried forward to help, but the Meng Family member pushed them away. His face was deathly pale, a bloody streak flickered in his eyes, and the veins under his skin moved menacingly like worms.

Panicking, one turned around to open the box on the cabinet, while the other lightly struck the chime to summon their evil spirit protector.

But Meng Sizhong suddenly grabbed her arm and whispered harshly, "Do not call them…"

"I…" He choked on his words, almost vomiting blood again. After holding it in for a long moment, he slowly managed to say, "My Living Soul is wounded; it can't see outsiders…"

"Huh?"

The maidservant holding the chime was stunned. The other maidservant quickly took out a Blood Food Pill with golden patterns from the box and brought it to his mouth. Seeing he didn't take it, she anxiously asked, "Young Master, did you just… meet with that family?"

"I met them and delivered the message. My task is done."

Meng Sizhong remained silent for a long time before he slowly opened his mouth and ate the Blood Food Pill. His complexion didn't improve, yet a hint of resentment appeared in his expression. "It's laughable…"

"I originally thought that Third Grand-uncle sent me to deliver a message for the Meng family, such a prestigious task, truly… truly to support me!"

The two maidservants were a bit flustered. "Then…" one began, unsure what to say.

But he waved his hand, signaling them to say no more. His expression was bleak as he said in a deep voice, "Let's go. We'll talk after leaving here."

"No matter what else happens here, we cannot stay…"

"Ruined my cultivation, damaged my Living Soul…"

He muttered in a low voice, growing increasingly angry, until, at the end, a hint of fear crept into his tone. "After the Hu Family suffered so much, they've become ruthless…"

The maids exchanged panicked glances. "Then…" one stammered.

But he waved his hand, signaling them to say no more. His expression was bleak as he said in a deep voice, "Let's go. We'll talk after leaving here."

At the same time, Hu Ma, having learned the Meng Family man's name, glanced slightly toward the old tree stump. Receiving an approving look, he immediately looked into the Magic Altar.

"Old Master on the Magic Altar, spare my life! Young Master Meng, save me!"

Now, with the Meng Family noble having fled, the green-clothed evil ghost within the Magic Altar finally knew fear—or rather, was thoroughly scared out of its wits. It kept kowtowing, pleading for mercy repeatedly, never stopping.

"What creature causes such a catastrophe and still begs me to spare its life?" Hu Ma yelled fiercely, chanting a curse again.

The soap-clothed figure in the rice circle had already pinned the green-clothed evil ghost to the ground. Upon hearing the killing curse, a sinister wind surged, and the execution continued, a fierce murderous aura rolling towards them.

No one heeded the green-clothed evil ghost's pleas for mercy. The great blade fell, CHHHK! A head rolled off.

At that exact moment, in a small, unknown town within Mingzhou Prefecture, stood a heavily guarded manor. In its deepest part, a human skin—housed in a luxurious green coffin, receiving daily incense, and regularly fed Blood Food—suddenly split into four or five pieces.

A despairing scream instantly reverberated through the wilderness.

Mingzhou Prefecture had six or seven places that had only just found a brief peace.

Mysterious hauntings by evil spirits had driven the people of these places frantic, although these areas also had their experts of the Path.

These experts naturally discerned that the source of the disturbances was the green-clothed evil ghost who had previously lost a duel against the Red Lantern Lady in Zhu Men Town. However, they vaguely guessed that behind this green-clothed evil ghost's haunting was the shadow of someone from an aristocratic family.

Hence, in the past few days, they had mostly striven to expel evil as much as possible and protect a few citizens.

Yet as the hauntings by evil spirits grew more frequent, they felt increasingly uneasy. This continued until, about a One Incense stick's time ago, the green-clothed evil ghost was suddenly seized, bringing some semblance of calm.

Commoners believed the matter settled once the green-clothed evil ghost was seized, celebrating joyously.

Only those experts of the Path understood that the capture of the green-clothed evil ghost was merely the beginning.

Instead, from the moment the sun reappeared, a sense of apprehension had hung over them, and they waited silently.

Among them was the Shopkeeper in the Grass Heart Hall of Mingzhou City. Under the orders of the young lady, he had lit a candle on the counter and sat beside it, his gaze fixated on the flame.

He could feel that the young lady, who usually disliked showing her face, was also on the second floor, paying attention to the candle.

Within the government yamen of Mingzhou Prefecture, the long-unseen Executioner had changed into official attire and was sitting upright, staring at the Order Arrow on his table.

In a certain plum blossom lane, someone stared into the water well in the yard.

Apart from them, there was no need to mention the Red Lantern hanging in Zhu Men Town, lit even during the day.

The head of the green-clothed evil ghost was cut off. To Hu Ma, it appeared more like an illusion, hazy and uncertain.

Just one slash, CHHHK! Yin qi surged out, forming fierce gusts of wind, intermingled with desperate cries that grew from small to large, suddenly rushing out of the rice circle.

And at the moment it rushed out of the rice circle, a whirlwind formed, bending the trees of Old Yin Mountain in its fury.

Many heard the dying scream of the green-clothed evil ghost. The more they were of the Path, the deeper their cultivation, and the closer they walked with evil spirits, the more clearly they heard this scream.

Meanwhile, in the Grass Heart Hall of Mingzhou City, the Shopkeeper saw the candle before him suddenly extinguish without the slightest hesitation. In shock, he jumped up and called upstairs with a trembling voice, "Young Mistress, it's dead! It's truly dead!"

"That was a Great Evil Spirit that had come into its own! And it… it just died like that…"

Before he could finish, he suddenly fell silent. The young lady didn't come downstairs, but her cat ran down. It fixed its amber eyes, staring unwaveringly at the extinguished candle on the counter.

In the government yamen of Mingzhou City, the Executioner watched as the 'Execute' Order Arrow on his desk suddenly, silently, leaped from its Order Arrow Pot and CLATTERED to the floor.

He abruptly stood up, chills running down his spine as he looked at the 'Execute' Order Arrow. He remained silent for a long time, and in the end, without even picking it up, he hurriedly walked out.

In the plum blossom lane, someone watched as the clear water in the well suddenly took on a faint tint of blood.

He held his breath for a moment, then after a long time, muttered in a low voice, So, it's really here?

Indeed, at that moment, the entity most terrified was the Red Lantern hanging at the entrance of Zhu Men Town. At the moment the green-clothed evil ghost's scream sounded, the lantern began to tremble violently, the flame inside almost extinguishing.

What in the world is happening? the Red Lantern Lady wondered. I'd finally obtained the Incense Order and the chance to build my temple. I was just about to make my mark... And now I find out there's someone in this very Mingzhou Prefecture capable of cutting off my head?

Her heart trembled. She wanted to ask the noble in the residence, "Is it alright if I don't build the temple?"

But when she cautiously peeked out, she was so terrified she nearly fell to the ground. In the residence, the noble was gone. Not only him, but his maidservants, his sedan chair, the servants he had brought—all had vanished. Even the things he'd brought were gone.

That was a noble from the Meng Family! How could he leave so quietly? Why did he forsake even the simplest ceremonial procession? How could he leave without giving me any instructions?

After thinking for a long time, the Red Lantern Lady suddenly realized: Could it be that he, too, feared that person?

「... ...」

Meanwhile, in Old Yin Mountain, Hu Ma slowly exhaled and looked inside the rice circle.

The green-clothed evil ghost had been executed, but an evil presence remained in the circle—one that had been incidentally held when the green-clothed evil ghost was detained.

This presence currently cowered in a corner of the rice circle, prostrating and trembling.

And when Hu Ma looked towards Incense Master Zheng, Incense Master Zheng too was striving to see clearly who was sitting on the Magic Altar; yet, unfortunately, he could not.

Having been detained, all Incense Master Zheng could perceive was a place of solemn majesty: a towering hall he could sense but not touch, surrounded by stern figures in soap clothes, with malevolent flames blazing ahead. He couldn't see anything clearly, only felt oppressed by an ancient, heavy aura, rendering him immobile.

He had seen the Meng family junior undergoing punishment and the execution of the green-clothed evil ghost, yet he had no opportunity to speak or plead.

However, his primary soul was not yet dispersed, and his human capacity for thought remained. Therefore, he was actually the one most aware of what was happening and knew where this figure before him had come from.

He had caused chaos in seven lands, and this person hailed from the one place among those seven where he least expected anyone to appear.

Long before the Meng Family member had spoken, he had vaguely guessed something, but even he dared not believe it.

As a Ghost Walker, he understood what he was dealing with. No matter how incredible what he saw, at its core, this was a duel between Ghost Walkers.

He had been the one to act, using the Yellow Banner as the Magic Altar, stones as sacrifices, and withered branches as a sword. Leveraging the nobleman's power, he had commanded the green-clothed evil ghost to wreak havoc across a state.

Never before had I commanded such a powerful evil ghost. I even began to feel almost omnipotent.

Then, he saw another Magic Altar being set up elsewhere. With a single command, not only was the troublesome green-clothed evil ghost detained, but even he, the one who had set up his own Magic Altar, was also detained…

Just who could possess such domineering power?

Only he knew that the first Yellow Banner to be severed had pointed south. This meant that the one who finally appeared had come from that very place he himself had added to the list out of a petty grudge.

It couldn't possibly be…

...

As Incense Master Zheng pondered, Hu Ma, on the Magic Altar, looked down at the evil presence that was Incense Master Zheng beneath the Magic Altar. He contemplated for a long moment, then suddenly exhaled a breath of yin qi towards the brazier before him.

He could turn his organs from living to dead and could naturally exhale yin qi to extinguish flames.

And after extinguishing those flames, nothing obstructed Hu Ma's view of Incense Master Zheng. He stared intently at him and said, "Raise your head. Look at me."