Twilight Boundary-Chapter 426 - 420 Fierce Battle with Demon Corpse (Part One)
SWISH! Hu Ma leaped from the roof ridge. Still in mid-air, he suddenly reached out, casting a Soul-locking Whip. However, it wasn’t aimed at the Yin General but swept toward a nearby member of the One Coin Sect. The whip coiled tightly around the waist knife in the man’s hand, pulling it toward Hu Ma. Since his own weapon hadn’t been forged yet, he had to borrow one. As he descended, the knife flew into his hand, and Hu Ma smoothly slashed downward, executing the Mountain Opening technique.
The move was so powerful that it forced the surrounding crowd to close their eyes and step back, causing the lanterns to sway violently. Though the simplest of stances, it was incredibly striking.
The surrounding area was already in an uproar, terrified by the ferocious Demon Corpse. When they suddenly witnessed this display, they all looked up, a chorus of silent praise for its might rising in their hearts.
WHOOSH! Unexpectedly, the Yin General seemed to sense Hu Ma’s approach. Despite being caught in a pincer attack by Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang, it stiffly turned. Its rotten face, with eyes like black holes, stared directly at Hu Ma as it suddenly opened its mouth wide.
A blast of corpse qi, like black smoke thick with the overpowering stench of blood, shot straight at Hu Ma in mid-air.
SWOOSH! In mid-air with no way to evade, Hu Ma, having Entered the Mansion, reacted with extreme speed. He swiftly raised his sleeve to shield his face, using the force of the corpse qi to lean back slightly. At the same time, his hands clasped together, and a torrent of yin qi surged forward, colliding with the wave of corpse qi and knocking the Demon Corpse back several steps.
"Young brother Hu, you’ve come at the perfect time!" Seeing this, Old Master Sun immediately shouted his approval and charged forward, joining Altar Master Tang to attack the Demon Corpse from both sides.
He and Altar Master Tang had already exchanged several blows with the Demon Corpse and were feeling unsure. The creature was incredibly fierce. Even a Shousui who has Entered the Mansion must be cautious, or it could tear off chunks of flesh.
More importantly, this thing exuded corpse qi and could drain blood from a distance. The people nearby were in disarray—some injured, some terrified, and unable to evacuate quickly—while other uninformed sect members were rushing in like headless flies. A moment’s carelessness, and it could break free, instantly costing several lives.
Although he and Altar Master Tang, both Shousui who had Entered the Mansion, managed to keep it contained by flanking it, they couldn’t stop its desperate, injurious attacks. However, with Hu Ma joining, three Shousui who had Entered the Mansion now fought it, each occupying a corner, effectively sealing it in.
The nearby experts and the Sect Hierarch seized this opportunity to loudly warn everyone else to stay back to avoid losing their lives. Other experts quickly began evacuating the surrounding merchants and sect members to prevent them from being caught in the crossfire.
A strange scene unfolded: everyone watched as the three Shousui who had Entered the Mansion surrounded and battled the Demon Corpse. The trio moved with power and ghostly agility, employing various techniques to land solid blows on the creature.
Among them, Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang were seasoned Shousui. They had arrived in a hurry without their weapons, but even bare-handed, they displayed formidable strength and unpredictable prowess. Although Hu Ma had only recently Entered the Mansion, he was armed. Combined with his solid foundation and well-honed martial skills, he seemed to be holding his own against Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang.
Initially, I felt some pressure, Hu Ma thought. But after a few exchanges, I’ve noticed this Demon Corpse seems somewhat afraid of me. It doesn’t dare to get too close, only taking hits. This realization bolstered his confidence, and his attacks grew increasingly fierce.
Under the combined assault of the three Shousui who had Entered the Mansion, even a true zombie would have been pulverized. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, despite Hu Ma and his companions clearly having the upper hand, the Demon Corpse seemed unaffected by the countless blows it had sustained. If anything, it grew even more ferocious.
As Hu Ma’s attacks quickened and he drew nearer, the living had all retreated, leaving a wide, empty space. An ominous sense of danger filled the air. The Demon Corpse seemed to steel itself. Suddenly, its body tensed. Ignoring the heavy blows from Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang that landed on its neck and ribs—likely breaking countless bones—its neck lolled grotesquely onto its shoulder.
Seizing the opportunity, Hu Ma lunged forward with his knife, aiming to sever its neck with a single strike.
Yet, just as his knife was about to connect, a thunderous roar erupted from within its tattered chest. Its mouth then flew open wide, spewing forth dense corpse qi along with a torrent of countless vindictive souls. The eruption of vindictive souls was so sudden it even snapped its lolling neck straight. The gaping maw was aimed directly at Hu Ma, and innumerable vindictive souls surged toward his face.
This sudden attack caught even Hu Ma by surprise. Misty, translucent figures of vindictive souls swirled before him, too numerous to count. They reached out, their cries and screeches filling the air as they clawed madly at him.
Simultaneously, seeing Hu Ma strike and topple the Yin General, Old Master Sun and Master Tang sprang into action. They reacted instantly, closing in from either side. Each used their trump cards, one grabbing its left arm, the other its right, and slammed the Yin General to the ground.
CRACK! CRACK! Their strength was immense. Seizing the opportunity, they forced the utterly ferocious Yin General down. Its knees slammed onto the solid bluestone pavement with a sickening CRACK, the impact shattering the stones into a spider-web pattern.
But the vindictive souls it had spewed were unstoppable. They surged straight towards Hu Ma like a black fog, filled with the eerie, flickering shapes of countless figures.
"How can this be?" This unexpected turn of events startled the onlookers. Already keeping their distance, they now retreated even further in disbelief.
"Vindictive souls?"
"This thing looks like a Demon Corpse, but how can a Demon Corpse command vindictive souls like a Guest?"
"...What in the world is it?"
Some, seeing Hu Ma ensnared by the vindictive souls, grew anxious and wanted to help. But the swirling, clawing souls were unlike anything they had seen before, making it impossible to get close. They could only watch Hu Ma helplessly.
"Why is that thing targeting the young Shousui?"
"Damn it! Could this Demon Corpse actually be intelligent? Did it pick out the one with the weakest power first?"
Where did all these vindictive souls come from? Hu Ma wondered, a chill running down his spine as they swarmed him. If an ordinary person were caught in this, their Living Soul would be torn from their body, and they’d die instantly. As a Shousui who has Entered the Mansion, I’m not afraid of them, but having them swarm around like this is incredibly annoying. He took a step back, slightly evading the brunt of the souls’ assault, then planted his feet firmly. He raised a palm, pressing it to his side at the waist, and his voice boomed like spring thunder: "HAH!"
This was the Five Thunders Golden Toad Roar technique. Now that he had Entered the Mansion, it was different. His Five Organs vibrated like thunder, his entire body surged with vital energy, brimming with yang power. The vindictive souls that came close instantly dissipated like snowflakes landing on boiling water. They were simply not on the same level. For vindictive souls to approach a Shousui man was suicide.
WHIRR... But Hu Ma hadn’t expected that after the vindictive souls were dispersed, they would transform into wisps of yin qi that coiled around him. Because he had been forced to use the Five Thunders Golden Toad Roar, his Five Organs had to generate life, producing yang energy. And these wisps of yin qi, like an insidious breeze, took advantage of this moment when his Five Organs were active, swirling around him as if trying to bore into his body.
He quickly activated Death Transformation to block them. But he sensed something was wrong and shot a sharp, wary glance at the Demon Corpse.
Further ahead, Altar Master Tang and Old Master Sun still had the Demon Corpse pinned down. Old Mr. Sun, radiating ferocity, had gripped the Demon Corpse’s neck, looking as if he was about to rip its head off. Old Altar Master Tang of Great Shanbao held it down firmly with one hand while raising his other to shift the eyepatch on his face.
He had two distinct eyes. One, currently covered, was bloodshot from using a trump card earlier that could make a person’s blood boil. He had now switched to his other eye. This eye glowed with a faint blue light and appeared blind, covered by a layer of mist. Now, as he focused this eye, the surrounding temperature plummeted. This eye was another of his trump cards, harvested from a blind man whose fate had been fraught with hardship. Looking at someone with his right eye could make their blood boil; looking with his left eye could make their blood congeal.
When in a duel against living opponents, no physical contact was necessary; a mere gaze would suffice. But against this malevolent Demon Corpse, he had to press it down and activate his power directly, intending to freeze it solid.
Both were Shousui who had Entered the Mansion. At such a critical moment, neither dared to hold back, unleashing their full strength. Any physical entity, whether human or monster, would be forced into submission if caught by these two.
But a strange sound suddenly erupted from within the Yin General’s mangled chest, followed by an explosive blast of corpse qi. Ethereal shadows materialized all around, desperately clawing towards the Seven Apertures of Altar Master Tang and Old Master Sun. Altar Master Tang and Old Master Sun, their minds thrown into chaos and caught off guard, were both forced to release their grip, staggering back several steps.
The Demon Corpse, its bones seemingly all broken, rose in a grotesque posture. Its torn flesh appeared to knit back together, instantly restoring it. It now looked even more terrifying than when it first appeared. Its arms rose stiffly. Its black, hollow eyes, filled with an indescribable ferocity and malice, locked onto Hu Ma as it lunged forward.
At that very moment, Hu Ma dispersed the yin qi around him. A chilling realization struck him. It’s no coincidence, he thought. This thing didn’t just happen to arrive in town... It followed me here!
