Twilight Boundary-Chapter 425 - 419 Yin Corpse Causes Trouble
"Something happened?"
Hu Ma also sensed, in that brief moment, the intense smell of blood and ominous aura. He quickly put away the scrolls on the table, stuffed them into his jacket, and stepped out the door.
Looking forward, he saw several figures at the inn’s main entrance. The term ’escorting’ was used because neither the One Coin Sect Leader, Immortal Miaoshan, nor Bai Shanzi appeared willing; they kept glancing inside the inn as they walked toward the west side of the town, casting furtive glances in Hu Ma’s direction.
Even I only just smelled the blood, yet so many experts have already appeared. The One Coin Sect truly has masters as numerous as clouds...
Watching this scene, Hu Ma couldn’t help but silently praise, Especially Immortal Miaoshan and Bai Shanzi. Weren’t they just in that house on the east side of town? In the blink of an eye, they’ve made it here?
But the thing that’s coming over...
His thoughts shifting, he glanced toward the adjacent room, faintly hearing Old Calculation inside, shouting for his pants.
"What pants are you looking for?" Hu Ma cursed angrily. "Wrap yourself in a blanket and come out quickly to take a look!"
"Wrap myself in a blanket? Is that proper? Don’t I, an old man, have any shame?" Old Calculation, annoyed, shouted from inside. There was a sound of rummaging through chests and cupboards, mixed with a woman’s surprised cry and Old Calculation’s mischievous laughter, before the window of the room was soon pushed open.
Old Calculation poked half his body out. He wasn’t wrapped in a blanket but was instead wearing a pink garment. Behind him, two heavily made-up faces were vaguely visible, along with glimpses of red bellybands.
"What on earth is it? This is the main altar of the One Coin Sect! How can an evil spirit be causing trouble here?" Old Calculation urgently looked toward the west side of the town and sniffed the air. He seemed to have something on his nose, as he wiped it twice before taking another deep sniff. His expression immediately grew more anxious.
"Besides, besides this... this aura, why does it feel like..."
"Familiar, is it?" Hu Ma nodded, lowering his voice. "I feel the same. Could it really be that thing that escaped from our mine?"
Yin General!
Hu Ma recognized that familiar ominous aura and smell of blood, but it seemed even more intense than when he had first encountered it at the mine.
Yet something felt strange. After escaping from the mine, this entity had eluded numerous search parties, vanishing as if into thin air. How had it suddenly appeared in Shima Town now?
If it really is that entity, its coming here makes some sense... Old Calculation’s eyelids twitched with surprise as he whispered, "This is the place with the most living people in these mountains..."
"Whether it is or isn’t that thing, we should go check it out." Assessing the situation, Hu Ma nodded to Old Calculation.
If it truly was the entity that escaped from the mine, it had a connection to his blood food mine, so he couldn’t remain uninvolved. He also needed to be prepared for any unforeseen events.
If it wasn’t that entity, it was still an evil spirit causing chaos in the town. Since he was a guest here and had received benefits, he couldn’t simply stand by while the One Coin Sect’s main altar was in trouble. While he didn’t need to be the first to rush over, it wouldn’t look good if he didn’t even show his face.
"You go first..." Old Calculation, still disoriented, said hastily. "I’ll find my pants and follow right behind you..."
Hu Ma took a deep breath, his brow furrowed slightly. He determined the direction and was just about to move when he saw Bai Shanzi suddenly leap over the inn wall from one end, landing lightly and walking towards him.
Just moments ago, Bai Shanzi had clearly been escorted with the One Coin Sect Leader toward the west side of the town. Yet now, he had hurried back, looking troubled and hesitant, as if he wanted to say something to Hu Ma.
At the same time, using the keen hearing of a Shousui man, Hu Ma faintly heard a commotion to the west of the town, indicating that a fight had already broken out.
"Brother Wu, rest assured," Hu Ma said before Bai Shanzi could reach him, his tone extremely polite. "Since something like this has happened, even without you asking, I was planning to go over and see if I could lend a hand." After all, the Magic they had received hadn’t shown any major issues so far, so he had to consider it True Skill.
Since they had received True Skill, its providers were exceptionally kind, deserving immense gratitude. Hu Ma understood propriety. Having been given such a precious Skill, and now seeing trouble in their territory, shouldn’t he rush to help?
Besides, things were clearly so urgent over there. Why would Bai Shanzi go to the trouble of turning back to find him? It was obviously to ask for help.
Saving someone is like extinguishing a fire. No need for delay. With this thought, he activated his Ghost Ascending Stairs ability, his form instantly appearing on the rooftop.
Light-footed and agile as a phantom, his body seemed to float, not touching the ground as he leaped across rooftops and scaled vertical walls as if they were flat ground. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight, heading west.
"I..." Bai Shanzi had finally managed to break away from the group to speak with Hu Ma privately. However, before he could even get close, he saw Hu Ma WHOOSH! onto the roof.
In another blink, Hu Ma was gone.
"You’re really something else!" Bai Shanzi was momentarily stunned. He stamped his foot in frustration. All he could do was vigorously fan himself with his fan, conjuring a gust of wind to propel him, and hastily chase after Hu Ma, feeling utterly helpless. The skills of a Shousui man may not look elegant, but damn, they sure are fast!
PHEW...
Hu Ma’s movements were swift, and in no time, he arrived at the west end of Shima Town. From afar, he saw a chaotic convergence of torches and lanterns, like a fiery dragon, all moving towards a central point. Gazing at the center, his heart leaped in shock.
He had heard the earth-shattering noise from afar, but now, up close, he saw countless bodies lying scattered about. It looked like a slaughterhouse.
Chunks of corpses littered the ground, entrails strewn everywhere. They looked as if they had been torn apart. Furthermore, there were shriveled, desiccated bodies, as if drained of all blood. The ground was soaked, appearing as if it had been washed by an overwhelming rain of blood.
In the town’s west end, many buildings had collapsed. Among the ruins were disciples of the sect in mourning clothes, patrolling and guarding the area. There were also many merchants who had originally lived and conducted business on this west side of town; now, they were all either desiccated corpses or piles of mangled flesh.
And in the midst of this charnel ground stood a creature covered in rotting flesh, fresh blood dripping from its body. It wore tattered talismanic armor, and its ferocious aura alone was enough to make one’s heart pound in terror even from a distance.
With just one look, Hu Ma confirmed that it was indeed the Yin General that had escaped from the mine. He had searched for it for so long without success, and now it had appeared in Shima Town.
Currently, two figures were engaged in fierce combat with this savage and brutal creature: Old Master Sun and the former Altar Master of Great Shanbao, an Old Shousui surnamed Tang.
Employing their Shousui man skills, the two of them flanked the ferocious creature, raining blows and weapon strikes upon its body. However, the Yin General stood firm, charging left and right. Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang struggled to subdue it.
"Quick, quickly capture it!"
Two teams of sect members in mourning clothes bravely charged forward. They held red strings threaded with Copper Coins.
They leaped and dodged, working in pairs, pulling the red strings taut. The Copper Coins strung on them vibrated, emitting a strange spiritual power as they attempted to bind the ferocious creature.
However, as soon as they got close, they cried out in pain. Blood began to seep from their Seven Apertures and even their skin, forming a strange blood mist that drifted towards the Yin General. Terrified, they quickly retreated.
They only stopped after retreating a good seventy or eighty feet.
On another side, people were busy casting spells, trying to control the entity.
For instance, Grandma Wu’s son-in-law took a bowl from a dark-complexioned, stout Maid beside him. He spun it in his hands a few times and then suddenly slammed it down hard onto the ground.
He shouted, "Swiftly!"
With a CRACK, the bowl shattered. The onlookers immediately shot him strange glances.
The son-in-law’s face flushed red with embarrassment, and he exclaimed, "Damn it! This thing has no Divine Soul! My ghost-subduing Skills are useless against it!"
Elsewhere, the imposing Store Manager of Wanma Gang stood silently amidst the crowd. He took out a white paper doll, murmured a chant, then bit his finger and used the blood to draw eyes and a mouth on the doll’s blank face. He then directed the doll towards the Demon Corpse.
Suddenly, the paper doll began to sway and jerk. It had come to life! It opened its mouth, revealing sharp fangs, and bit down hard on the web of his thumb. The Store Manager shuddered in pain and quickly threw the doll to the ground. When he looked again, the doll had reverted to its original appearance, but it now exuded an even more sinister and malevolent aura.
This unexpected turn of events made him gasp. He hastily stomped the doll flat, wondering, What exactly is this thing? Why is it so wickedly vicious?
"No wonder Bai Shanzi was in such a rush to call me over for help..." Standing on the rooftop, Hu Ma had taken in the entire scene and suddenly understood.
This Yin General was an extremely malevolent entity. Ordinary people, or even cultivators from various Paths who lacked special techniques, couldn’t get near it without having their vital blood energy drained from a distance.
Moreover, various strange skills that targeted the three souls and seven souls were ineffective against it. Thus, when this creature rampaged into town, only Shousui men who had entered the Mansion Gate could temporarily suppress it.
Shousui men could undergo Death Transformation, preventing their blood from being drained.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Immortal Miaozhen of the One Coin Sect, who was standing anxiously nearby, spotted Hu Ma.
She immediately grew agitated, rushed over, and called out, "I was just about to find you..."
"I know!" Hu Ma didn’t need her reminder. He replied softly, but his movements didn’t pause for a second. He charged straight forward, leaping from the rooftop directly into the battle, his figure descending like a Divine Weapon from heaven.
He was a man of principle, after all. Having received such a valuable gift, helping them deal with a Demon Corpse was only proper. There was no need for them to ask repeatedly.
