Twilight Boundary-Chapter 398 - 394: Sacrifice of the Witch

"Men, what are you afraid of? As long as we have the Red Lantern Lady, no demon or ghost dares to cause trouble at our mine."

After driving away that Guest, Hu Ma was quite satisfied. However, he couldn’t show it on his face. Instead, he carried the red lantern and took large strides around the mine, his body stirring up the evil energy and eradicating the lingering gu insect aura in the valley. Finally, he leaped into the air and hung the red lantern on the archway, casting a ghostly yet bright red light.

The Meat Cutting workers, who had endured countless shocks throughout the night and nearly lost their lives several times, felt as if they had survived a great disaster. They all knelt and bowed to the Red Lantern in reverence. Although the witches were still causing chaos nearby, a deep awe toward the Red Lantern Lady had already taken root in the workers’ hearts. It seemed that worshipping the Red Lantern could even bring peace to their minds.

In the midst of this profound reverence, Calculation was rather dumbfounded. He stared at the Red Lantern with its ghostly glow on the archway, and at Hu Ma, who was walking toward the valley knife in hand. Could our Red Lantern Lady be this powerful?

That little thing just established the temple. Supposedly, that wild fox’s cultivation should be much more advanced than hers...

Hu Ma, having hung up the Red Lantern, looked out of the valley but did not relax. Instead, he sighed softly, "These witches have made a significant decision..."

Overhead, the Red Lantern’s light quietly cascaded down, piercing through the pitch-black darkness and revealing hidden, shadowy outlines. Hu Ma saw the dense, wind-blocking forest beyond the valley. He also saw, by a tree close to the valley, a pallid and indifferent face. It stood at the valley’s edge, hidden in the darkness, until the ghostly red light illuminated it, causing it to slowly blink.

It wasn’t just a single face; beside the densely clustered trees outside, there were countless human faces. They stood by the trees—old and young, women and children. When the Red Lantern illuminated the valley’s exterior, they had been silently standing there in the darkness all along. Before the Red Lantern was hung, they were as if nonexistent. The sudden illumination of their faces was startling. Each one wore black witch robes with silver adornments on their heads, reflecting a ghostly glow under the Red Lantern.

Even Old Master Sun, standing nearby, was startled upon witnessing this scene and let out a low cry. Being a clever man, he had already dismissed the thought of taking action after seeing that the entity invited by the Magic King of the One Coin Sect had been driven away. He was contemplating how to portray himself as an outsider. But now, as Hu Ma hung the Red Lantern and he glanced outward, he was startled. The lifeless faces were more terrifying than seeing ghosts in the dead of night.

"Why?" Hu Ma chuckled softly, taking the initiative to speak to the old man. "Old sir, you merely believe your apprentice is clever, knowing how to secretly send messages, but didn’t you consider that these witches were also well prepared?"

Old Mr. Sun opened his mouth but was at a loss for words.

The intangible silence seemed to meld with the night, exerting an inexplicable pressure on people.

It seemed that this was orchestrated by the Wugong Clan Chief. Or rather, he had agreed to it from the beginning with these people. It was not a decision solely made by the Wugong Clan Chief, but a major event that the entire witch community had decided to undertake together. First, they used Monkey Wine to seal the valley, ensuring the items inside couldn’t be transported out and wouldn’t be harvested in a short time. Then the Wugong Clan Chief prepared himself, bringing Nengneng and Wuya into the valley, using the fear of the people inside to refine gu insects.

If they could successfully refine them, they would naturally control the situation in the entire valley. However, to guard against unforeseen events, these witches waiting outside the valley were prepared as a backup plan. If they could win with strategy, they would. If not, then all the witches would storm in, slaughter all the Meat Cutting workers in the valley, and seize the items within the mine, regardless of the cost.

Based on what Hu Ma had just heard in the cabin, the only surprise in the Wugong Clan Chief’s entire plan was the disappearance of the Monkey Wine meant to seal the valley. He didn’t know where it had run off to, so he had to let the witches outside replace the Monkey Wine and use gu on the people inside the valley. The people from the One Coin Sect thought they had exposed all the witches’ tricks by catching those using gu in the forest, but little did they know they had stirred up a hornet’s nest. As soon as the witches received the signal, they all flocked to the valley. They still considered this to be the struggle of a few individuals, but for the witches, this had long been a significant affair concerning their entire community.

However, they had initially just sealed the mine. So, when did they decide to mobilize the whole community to come here and plot against the blood food mine? Hu Ma thought for a moment and couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. It was precisely this Red Lantern overhead. Initially, the witches only sealed the valley, perhaps undecided about taking such a drastic step. However, when the Red Lantern was hung, they became frightened. After weighing the situation, they orchestrated this chilling display.

With that thought, Hu Ma stood below the archway, within the Red Lantern’s glow. He slowly folded his hands behind him, squinting as he gazed outward. In the darkness beyond the valley, the expressionless faces, occasionally illuminated by the red light, stared back at him. Both sides remained silent, yet no one spoke a word.

SQUEAK. SQUEAK.

In stark contrast to the silence outside the valley, the inside was incredibly lively.

It had to be admitted, this Monkey Wine, or rather Wu Song, was truly a genius! Through a prior Gu Fighting session, Reincarnators among ordinary people were often considered geniuses, having many more opportunities to learn skills than others. But Monkey Wine was a genius even among Reincarnators. He had just recently withstood four formidable opponents: the Nine Heaven Lotus Holy Mother; an Entering the Mansion Shousui; Wuya, who had swallowed the Black Tai Sui and transformed into an eerie figure; and the Wugong Clan Chief, who was embodied in a mysterious gu insect with strange Divine Skills—and yet he still survived. The combined efforts of these four—at what level would one dare to hold their ground? But he managed to hold on, with three of his seven manifestations remaining, an unimaginable feat.

And now, by borrowing the bones of the Five Evil, I instantly drove away the Nine Heaven Lotus Holy Mother, alleviating almost half of Monkey Wine’s stress, and crippled much of the Divine Skills of the mysterious gu insect. The pressure on him instantly decreased, granting him an excellent chance.

And now, he was taking advantage of this chance...

Treating illnesses?

Just now, I created an opportunity for him to capture Wuya. Assuming three manifestations closed in, he would have had countless chances to destroy Wuya’s body. Regardless of what was inside Wuya’s body, as long as that body was destroyed, it would be rendered helpless. But he didn’t. Instead, the three manifestations captured Wuya, and the gu insects on his body swarmed, crawling into Wuya’s body.

If this method were used for harm, it would be the cruelest form of torture. But Hu Ma knew Monkey Wine wouldn’t do that to Wuya. So, he was trying to use the gu insects on his own body to disperse something within Wuya?

He couldn’t help but sigh softly, "Damn sister-complex..."

Since Wu Song couldn’t free himself now, I naturally have to handle these witches outside on my own. His hands, clasped behind his back, tightened their grip on the black bone and the hilt of the saw-toothed knife. Cold and sinister energy swirled around him as he stood tall, his form seeming to meld with the Red Lantern, blocking the mouth of the valley.

"Wuya, Wuya..."

「Elsewhere,」 the gu insect in which the Wugong Clan Chief was embodied emitted intermittent cries, trying to awaken Wuya. But now, Wuya, with the gu insects invading her body, stood stiffly in place. For a very long time, she remained like a puppet, unresponsive.

Meanwhile, Hu Ma’s approach from behind also placed immense pressure on the Wugong Clan Chief. He couldn’t understand how his divinely-crafted gu insect, which he had refined using his own body as a vessel, had its Divine Skills so easily broken by the opponent. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The Red Lantern Society Han people had some skills, but in his memory, they were only like Zhuang Erchang. How could this one be so formidable?

Terrified, he finally emitted a sharp, eerie sound.

The witches, who had stood quietly by the trees outside the valley—so silent and obedient it almost made one think they lacked souls—now moved suddenly. Because they were so silent and obedient, their movements seemed strangely synchronized. They each took out various Gu Bowls from beside them and then knelt quietly. With devout expressions, they earnestly bowed toward their Gu Bowls, slowly and continuously.

One bow, two bows.

Due to their sheer numbers, their collective kneeling seemed to generate a sound like rushing wind. Gradually, semi-transparent figures appeared one by one around them, circling the Gu Bowls and bowing with them. There were already many witches outside the valley. Now, with these semi-transparent figures appearing and bowing alongside them, it seemed as if the entire forest was densely packed with people.

Inside the valley, even Old Master Sun, who had achieved Entering the Mansion, couldn’t help but pale, stumbling slightly as he subconsciously searched for an escape route. Calculation, who had just sighed in relief, glanced outside and was suddenly scared deathly pale.

Hu Ma’s expression also tensed slightly. He put away the black bone he was holding. Facing the witches kneeling silently outside the valley, he let out a heavy sigh. He saw that as the witches bowed, more and more semi-transparent figures appeared around them. Each was expressionless, only knowing to follow their movements and bow toward the Gu Bowls. Many even bore traces of mutilation or insect-eaten marks on their bodies.

Gradually, formless black vapor emerged with their bows. The moon above, already gloomily obscure, was further shrouded by this black vapor, forming a huge and eerie shadow.

Evil God!