Twilight Boundary-Chapter 553 - 544: Lord of the Official Prefecture, 30,000 Hungry Ghosts
Before Zhu Men Town, the Heavenly Destiny General single-handedly blocked the Food Protection Army. The Meteor Hammer he wielded stirred up a fierce wind, preventing anyone from approaching.
Within the Food Protection Army, there were now a considerable number of experts. The few Negative Spirits who had followed Yang Gong into the mountains from the very beginning, along with Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and others, all assisted him in skirmishes with the Truth Sect soldiers, winning several battles through the art of Shousui.
But the crucial factor was Incense Master Xu taking action, immediately rallying several experts to Yang Gong’s side. The old brothers from various Manors were veteran practitioners of Suì; although many had not Entered the Mansion, they were formidable figures who had achieved refining life in their Five Organs. Placed in the military formation, they were each a Fierce General.
Now, seeing that the Heavenly Destiny General couldn’t be taken down, a shout rang out, and they all charged forward.
Some wielded weapons, surrounding the Heavenly Destiny General and striking relentlessly. Others took up bows and arrows, sneaking shots whenever they found an opportunity.
Zhou Datong galloped forward a few steps on his horse, arriving before Seventh Aunt, and shouted, "Where are those two dolls? Let me borrow them again!"
Before Seventh Aunt could speak, Li rushed up and kicked him in the backside. "How dare you be so rude to Grandma? Can’t you even say something nice when borrowing something?"
"..."
Zhou Datong’s expression quickly changed. Calling out "Grandma" this and "Grandma" that, he finally coaxed the gold and silver dolls over. From a distance, he shouted, and with Zhao Zhu, they each held one under an arm, squeezing them until they cried out, spraying towards the Heavenly Destiny General.
In an instant, two streams of gold and silver qi surged across the battlefield, not only spraying the Heavenly Destiny General but also affecting their own men who were surrounding and attacking him. The Truth Sect soldiers were even more thoroughly covered.
The Heavenly Destiny General, sprayed full in the face with the gold and silver qi, staggered and seemed on the verge of collapse.
The Food Protection Army roared in unison, preparing to rush forward and seize him directly.
Just then, Hu Ma’s cousin, as if hearing something, felt the fine hairs around her ears bristle slightly, and she let out a low sigh.
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma also realized their objective had been achieved and gently lifted his head.
In the next moment, a sudden altar light, tens of feet high, soared into the air from the direction of Mingzhou Prefecture. It vaguely suppressed the intense killing intent surging from all directions, as a fragrant breeze wafted over from afar.
This was not the ordinary yin wind stirred up by vindictive souls and evil spirits, but a scent akin to the incense of a mountain lord—an exotic fragrance clearly possessed only by deities who had received Worship for many years.
Although this wind seemed light, in an instant, it blew from Mingzhou Prefecture to this battlefield, suppressing the entire area.
Moreover, this incense aura was no longer pure; it carried a chillingly fierce, murderous, and bloody scent. It blew into people’s orifices, seeming to directly pierce their Five Organs, their three souls and seven souls, leaving them dizzy, disoriented, and unable to distinguish north from south.
"AARGH..."
Countless people felt a sudden shock, turning to look towards Mingzhou Prefecture, their hearts filled with fear and trembling.
Although Zhu Men Town was now a dozen or so miles from Mingzhou Prefecture, and it was night, making it hard to see anything, the silhouette of Mingzhou Prefecture nonetheless seemed to stand out against the darkness, clearly visible to everyone on the battlefield. Now, at the four corners of Mingzhou City, four Magic Flags had surprisingly risen, stationed at the corners of the city walls. From the highest wooden building in the city, windows opened to reveal a mud sculpture within, smeared with blood yet faintly showing strands of golden lines.
The mud sculpture faced directly toward the Mingzhou Prefecture government.
The four cardinal directions, plus above and below, constituted six items for suppression, interwoven to vaguely form an enormous Magic Altar, the likes of which had never been seen before.
And at the center of this city-based Magic Altar, an incense table was set. On the table were offerings of three types of sacrificial animals and six kinds of ritual offerings. A row of incense burners was arranged, the incense gathering and not dispersing, hazily transforming into a shadowy figure.
That shadow wore embroidered official robes and a tall Pearl Crown with a jade buckle on its head.
It bore an aura of nobility and mystery, compelling anyone who saw it to prostrate themselves.
The sounds of gongs, drums, cymbals, clappers, and bronze bells echoed eerily from within the city, as countless voices seemed to shout, "By imperial decree, enjoying incense, the Lord of Official Zhou descends!"
"Mortals, why do you not kneel before the deity?"
"..."
WHOOSH!
With this shout, a sudden fierce wind swept over, carrying the incense from the city directly onto their battlefield, instantly plunging everyone into a hazy, oppressive atmosphere.
Majestic divine power descended from the heavens.
It felt as if it pierced their skulls, pressing down into their very bodies. The battlefield, moments before filled with deafening clashes, seemed suddenly choked, falling utterly silent.
Whether lone souls, vindictive souls, spirits, or living people, all fell under its influence, losing their composure, bewildered, and instinctively turning to kneel in the direction of Mingzhou Prefecture.
The Lord... the Lord has manifested before the people... In their eyes and hearts, only this single thought remained.
Across the field, the only ones not kneeling were Hu Ma’s cousin, Hu Ma, Aunt Zhang, and Seventh Aunt, whose expression was inscrutable.
The Red Lantern Lady also started to falter, but thankfully, being far away and with so many watching, she managed to hold her ground.
Have they finally revealed their hand?
Hu Ma faced the almost tangible, mysteriously chilling incense aura. Even he had to subtly employ the dharma method of the Heavenly General Seal to ensure he remained unaffected.
He had discreetly protected the few people around him. However, feeling the immense weight and pressure from the entity summoned from the city, he slowly adjusted, a hint of emotion in his voice as he sighed softly, To use an entire city as an altar to summon the Lord’s Golden Body... truly befitting of someone from the Hu Family...
However...
As he gradually acclimated to the pressure, he was astonished to find that the noble, mysterious shadow seemed to be covered in festering sores, and its incense fragrance was mingled with a putrid stench.
Moreover, iron chains were wrapped around its body, stretching far into the distance. The other ends of the chains disappeared into the depths of the night, as if anchored in another world.
This sight, far from being awe-inspiring, evoked an indescribable sense of desolation and oppressiveness. After a long pause, he lightly nodded toward the enormous being. So, what exactly is this thing?
"Don’t be so disrespectful!"
His Hu Family cousin gritted her teeth slightly and said, "Even if you are a sword catcher for the walking ghosts and have Zhensui Mansion’s protection, showing disrespect to the Lord will invoke Heaven’s Punishment. These words shouldn’t be said to you, a mere sword catcher; they should be said directly to him.
"But since he refuses to show himself, relaying the message through you will have to do. This is the Lord of Official Zhou, who has enjoyed two hundred years of this state’s incense and governs matters of life, death, disaster, and illness.
"And this..."
She hesitated slightly before gritting her teeth and continuing, "Was originally a gift we brought.
"He is young and ignorant. In a fit of pique, he severed the Five Evil, causing the Walking Ghost Path to lose its Protector God. Such a rash act! In this Chaotic World, with malevolent spirits proliferating and strange people emerging, does he realize into what perilous circumstances he is leading all walking ghosts?
"However, we do not intend to hold it against him. Instead, we prepared a replacement spirit tablet. If he had met us properly, he should now be with us, paying respects to the Lord of Official Zhou...
"Unfortunately, he insisted on putting on airs, forcing this confrontation."
"..."
Hu Ma listened to her words and nodded slightly, feeling that his previous speculations were now confirmed, which came as no surprise.
A smile touched his lips as he addressed his Hu Family cousin, "Is that all?"
His Hu Family cousin fell silent for a moment, gritting her teeth. She seemed to greatly dislike Hu Ma’s tone—that of an equal, yet tinged with contempt and a sense of pressure. However, her expression slowly relaxed, and she said in a low voice, "Since you are a sword catcher for the walking ghosts, have you learned the Observing Incense Method?"
Hu Ma nodded.
Amidst a field of kneeling figures, his Hu Family cousin returned to her sedan chair and retrieved a bundle of incense. With a flick of her wrist, she lit the incense and then separated the sticks.
One by one, she planted them in the open ground between herself and Hu Ma. Watching the pattern in which she placed the incense, Hu Ma realized it was a method to divine the fortune of the Prefecture, observing its destiny through the incense form.
The incense smoke spiraled upwards, wavering slightly but generally rising straight. This clearly indicated that the land of Mingzhou possessed considerable blessing and a significant destiny. However, the incense had burned for only a moment when an ill wind suddenly swept in from the north, instantly bending the smoke straight towards the south.
Some incense sticks extinguished at once, others snapped in the middle, burning erratically, creating a dim and chaotic mess.
Hu Ma frowned slightly.
Meanwhile, his Hu Family cousin spoke, a hint of vindication in her voice, "See?
"In the north, an Evil Ghost Army of thirty thousand has already entered Mingzhou...
"..."
She raised her head slightly, as if speaking not to Hu Ma but to someone behind him, or perhaps to the vast night sky itself: "We brought the Truth Sect here to collect grain and perform Zhensui. Does he think we are harming people?
"No! It is precisely us who have restrained the hungry ghosts of Official Zhou! For years, Official Zhou has suffered from famine. Cannibalism and rebellion have bred malevolent qi, which has spread, destroying all blessings in its path. Mingzhou borders Official Zhou and is a land of blessing.
"If we hadn’t been holding them back, those hungry ghosts from Official Zhou would have swept south to feast a month ago.
"We have held them off for a month. If these grain supplies were transported back to Official Zhou, it could still alleviate their suffering somewhat. But because of the delay, a million people, driven to mutual slaughter for survival, bred a hundred thousand hungry ghosts. These hundred thousand hungry ghosts then devoured each other, until only an army of thirty thousand remained.
"Just now, as the Lord of Official Zhou descended here, that hungry ghost army of thirty thousand also breached the pass. Do you truly believe Mingzhou can withstand them?
"No!"
She spoke resolutely, staring directly at Hu Ma. "The Lord in Old Yin Mountain cannot leave the mountain. Therefore, the land of Mingzhou cannot prevent the descent of the Lord of Official Zhou. Your mere few thousand Food Protection Army soldiers are a disorderly mob, untested in battle. They are no match for an army of thirty thousand hungry ghosts!
"We... we truly had good intentions at the start. If he had only deigned to look our way, things would not have reached this point. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
"And now that this dire situation has taken shape, let’s see how he intends to protect Mingzhou!"
"..."
Having said this, she paused, finally letting out a low sigh. Then she turned, entered her sedan chair, and set off back to the city.
