Twilight Boundary-Chapter 568 - 559: Red Lantern Suppresses Hungry Ghosts (Only one update today)
"I brought that robe for you."
On the side of the hungry ghost army, when Hu Family’s eldest cousin arrived at Heavenly Destiny General Zhong Benyi’s camp, he was sitting motionless in his chair, his eyes vacant.
He looked deeply affected, his expression defeated. The successive pieces of news had become too much for him to bear.
He had dispatched troops, believing they could achieve miraculous results. Instead, they were obliterated throughout Mingzhou without a sound. This, in turn, galvanized Mingzhou’s spirit, unexpectedly bolstering the opposing Food Protection Army and leaving everyone dumbfounded.
"How could this happen? Is this the might of the Ten Surnames’ disciples? My five brothers and ten thousand followers didn’t die in the Official Zhou famine, yet they perished in Mingzhou, without even making a ripple?"
...
He too was prideful, but now that Mingzhou was setting up the altar, suppressing the ghost qi of the hungry ghosts, he felt as if a mountain weighed down on his head, suffocating him.
Hu Family’s eldest cousin looked at him, a sense of pity welling up. Not every disciple of the Ten Surnames is like this, she thought, wanting to console him. What that particular cousin did was unexpected even for us; even among the Ten Surnames, his actions were considered extremely domineering and unreasonable...
But in the end, she too was exhausted. There were too many things she couldn’t understand herself, so how could she persuade others?
So, she could only sigh and say, "You need to admit you lost this battle."
"If you had listened to us from the start and concentrated your forces here to crush the grain bandits, he wouldn’t have been able to suppress you so easily, even if he set up the Mingzhou altar. But you insisted on creating chaos in Mingzhou, and instead, delivered yourself right into his hands..."
...
Listening to her words, the Heavenly Destiny General’s brow furrowed tightly. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, glared at her, and said, "I will wear that robe, and I remember what I promised you."
"But give me grain. I want to lead my brothers to confront them formally, to personally avenge them."
"I want them to have a full meal before they go!"
...
Hu Xi was silent for a long time before she slowly spoke, her voice somewhat deep, "It’s not that we are unwilling to give you this meal. You are from the Path; you should understand that your hungry ghost army is different. If they are full, they’ll have even less strength to fight."
The Heavenly Destiny General immediately became furious, shouting, "Then, are my brothers destined to become starving ghosts?"
"They don’t have to die."
Hu Xi sighed softly. "You still have enough men. As long as you win this battle, they’ll survive. If you win, I guarantee there will be enough grain and forage for them to live well."
As she spoke, the maid behind her brought something forward. Unexpectedly, it was a food box. She looked at the Heavenly Destiny General with a complex expression and whispered, "The things inside this box..."
"No need."
The Heavenly Destiny General waved his hand, not looking at her, only glancing at the food box in her hands. "There’s too little, not enough for my brothers to eat."
"Alright."
Hu Xi remained silent for a long time, then commanded the maid beside her to bring over a tray.
On the tray lay an extremely strange garment, neither like armor nor cloth, with faint traces of blood inside. It looked inexplicably bizarre, exuding a malevolent aura that made one afraid to look directly at it.
The Heavenly Destiny General didn’t want to pay them any mind now, but upon seeing this garment, he had to take it with both hands. His expression showed a hint of respect, but alongside the respect, there was also a trace of fear, grief, and sorrow.
Hu Xi placed the food box beside the sedan chair, then commanded her people to return, simply saying, "I will go into the city and have a proper talk with Third Uncle and the others, just..."
The Heavenly Destiny General kept a cold face, not looking at her. Ultimately, she sighed softly. "Wait for my news."
She was gone for an hour. The Heavenly Destiny General continuously raised his head, looking at the tightly closed city gates and the towering city walls. Several times he almost lost his temper but remained silent. He had not eaten all day, yet he did not even glance at the food box.
Two hours later, with no sign of grain, command flags suddenly rose high above Mingzhou City. Then, billowing incense smoke blew out from Mingzhou City’s high walls, surging into the hungry ghost army’s camp.
Inside, only mournful wailing was heard, along with a cold voice angrily shouting, "At this point, still only thinking about grain? The time has come, deploy the troops!"
"Remember what you said! Whether Official Zhou can still have this sliver of fortune depends on you!"
...
At this moment, the Heavenly Destiny General closed his eyes deeply. After a long time, he whispered, "I always knew. I always knew they wouldn’t even give us this last full meal..."
No one knew what he was thinking at this moment, but ultimately he got up, put on that garment, then picked up the Meteor Hammer to check. Finding it broken, he tossed it aside, casually grabbed a large spear, and walked out of the tent.
"Brothers, on the battlefield, we fight for our lives, snatching grain from the tiger’s mouth! If you want to live, follow me for this one last slaughter!"
...
...
"Those Evil Ghosts are coming..."
And in the Food Protection Army, as various troops and miracle men converged, their momentum growing ever stronger, they were about to use Mingzhou’s vast fortune to forcibly enter Mingzhou City. When they heard the hungry ghost army had mobilized, they were not only unafraid but instead rallied their soldiers to meet them head-on.
"KILL!"
After days of probing, both sides had somewhat gauged each other’s strength. As the great banner waved, they charged at each other. Squadrons of soldiers collided in an instant, splattering endless flesh and blood.
The ghost qi of the entire hungry ghost army was now suppressed by the Mingzhou Magic Altar, making them less malevolent than before. Meanwhile, the Food Protection Army was formidable, their surging blood qi also possessing demon-quelling properties. As the great battle ignited, the struggle was unexpectedly neck and neck.
However, right at this moment, from within Mingzhou City, suddenly behind the hungry ghost army, a haze of incense smoke came hurtling forward.
Within the Food Protection Army were numerous skilled individuals, each leading troops against the hungry ghosts. Just as they seemed to be suppressing the enemy’s ferocious aura, they were caught off guard. The hungry ghost army before them seemed to transform, their soldiers and horses turning fierce, surging forward with a gale of ominous wind.
In their panic, they could visibly see within the steaming blood qi above the enemy a tall, noble silhouette with cold eyes. With a wave of his sleeve, a gale rose within the Food Protection Army.
"This is trouble..."
In the Food Protection Army, Think Tank Iron Mouth, carrying six large flags on his back, was preparing to use a Strange Skill to aid them. However, he was suddenly engulfed by the fierce wind, immobilizing him. Various commanders in the army felt as if fierce ghosts were wailing in their ears, their very souls nearly blown away by the gale.
Not only that, but even the playful and ruckus-making spirits scattered around Mingzhou, and the candles on the scattered altars, flickered violently in the wind, threatening to be extinguished.
This single move, once unleashed, caused all forces in Mingzhou to tremble in fear. The awe of a zhou lord, bestowed upon the hungry ghosts, suddenly turned into a sweeping force, crushing everything in its path, pressing the Food Protection Army so hard they couldn’t even lift their heads.
"He is indeed ruthless and bold. Nothing he does is simple, making one both angry and annoyed with him."
Inside Mingzhou City, Third Uncle Hu stood before the main altar, holding a Command Flag, sighing softly, "Unfortunately, does he not understand even the simplest thing? In a walking ghost duel, it’s not just about whose altar is higher or larger, but also about the power of what is invited onto the altar..."
"Mingzhou spirits are certainly hard to deal with, but which among them could withstand the ferocity of an Official Zhou Lord? Unless he’s truly thinking of inviting the Lord from Old Yin Mountain to appear?"
"...Or perhaps, he can only invite the Zhensui Mansion out!"
...
...
"Second Master was right..."
「Meanwhile, in Zhu Gate Town」
At this moment, watching the fierce wind blow, Hu Ma also confirmed his thoughts, sighing softly, "When distant relatives come to visit, you see what they bring..."
"These distant relatives are truly troublesome, deliberately choosing such an Official Zhou Lord and forcing him before me, wanting me to knock him down, eh?"
"Unfortunately, they’re too small-minded. The things they’ve prepared are not up to standard!"
...
Saying this, his face suddenly darkened. He looked fiercely toward the Red Lantern Lady’s temple in Zhu Gate Town and shouted, "Aren’t you going yet?"
The Red Lantern Lady had already been so frightened when Hu Ma ordered her to fetch that Official Zhou Lord that her red glow had dimmed. Truthfully, she would rather have stayed and watched children than go. But she dared not refuse, so she reluctantly moved, her red light gradually brightening.
Even as Hu Ma kept a stern face, he couldn’t help but want to laugh inwardly at her dawdling. He took the Demon Suppression Golden Mace in his hand, silently making preparations.
Outside the city, the hungry ghost army, bolstered by the Official Zhou Lord, was now unstoppably ferocious. In an instant, they had thrown the Food Protection Army into chaos, with soldiers and horses scattered. Someone even rushed to Yang Gong’s side, trying to protect him and lead him away quickly.
But Yang Gong gritted his teeth and held on, refusing to retreat. He only stared at the ethereal image of the Official Zhou Lord hovering above the hungry ghost army, his teeth clenched in hatred. But in that very instant, suddenly behind the Food Protection Army, a blood-like red light filled the entire sky.
Everyone looked up in panic. They saw a red lantern fly high into the sky, casting the surroundings in a blood-red hue. It was accompanied by over a hundred other lanterns, flickering lively and playfully, like frolicking children.
As the red light shone down, the ominous wind blowing from the hungry ghost army’s side quietly receded. The Food Protection Army felt a surge of energy, and they could even faintly hear a song echoing in their ears:
"Worship the stone horse, hang the red lantern, a single Copper Coin invites the ghost soldiers."
"Invite ghost soldiers by the thousands, by the millions, to reclaim the grain and provisions, to honor our ancestors..."
...
Numerous childlike voices rang out over the battle formation, seemingly suppressing the deadly wind and murderous intent that filled the air. Everyone was stunned into stillness, momentarily forgetting the slaughter, their ears filled only with the crisp, playful sounds and the strange, clear children’s song.
"How could this be?"
Inside Mingzhou City, the person at the main altar, who had been looking forward with cold indifference, completely disregarding the Food Protection Army’s forces, shuddered in shock when the red light illuminated the sky. "This little case god actually..."
"A case god?"
And in Zhu Gate Town, Hu Ma smiled faintly, gently tapped the Demon Suppression Golden Mace on the ground, and whispered, "Why do I feel like it’s a Mansion God?"
