Twilight Boundary-Chapter 573 - 564: You’ve Mistaken the Person

"Not even the Mandate of Heaven can suppress it?"

In Mingzhou City, as the Yin General landed, leading three to five hundred ghost soldiers, they suppressed the entire battlefield. The Magic Altar, established with Mingzhou City as its base, also saw its divine power suddenly plummet.

The three incense sticks on the Magic Altar were all burning rapidly, twisting into an extremely ominous shape. The oil lamp beside the master of the Magic Altar seemed to be instantly enveloped by a chilling aura, gradually dimming until only a bean-sized flame remained.

Meanwhile, on the floor above the Magic Altar, the clay sculpture of the Official Zhou Prefecture Lord in the shrine retreated with a sudden WHOOSH.

This was because the external forces were too overwhelming, directly pushing back all the Mana that the Official Zhou Prefecture Lord had manifested from elsewhere.

In that instant, the expressions of both the two clan uncles guarding the clay sculpture of the Official Zhou Prefecture Lord upstairs and the person guarding the Magic Altar below changed drastically. They shot to their feet, their voices filled with panic and surprise, "How could such a thing happen? Where did that mud-legged peasant get such power?"

"The one outside who suppressed the battlefield... is it the Yin General?"

"How could the Yin General fall into his hands? Could it be that he has been involved in seizing the Mandate of Heaven from the very beginning?"

Likewise, in Mingzhou City, while everyone before the Magic Altar was terrified, Hu Ma, who was outside, had already turned around after releasing the Yin General. At that moment, Yang Gong had just managed to strike the Heavenly Destiny General with his blade.

Although he sensed that something was changing, he couldn’t afford to worry about anything else for the moment. He was preparing to swing his blade again, intending to kill the general first and foremost. Just then, he heard Hu Ma laugh. "Food-Protection General, please do me a small favor and stay your hand for now."

The words were spoken politely, and Yang Gong, having guessed something, blinked and refrained from striking.

Still, he was uneasy in his heart; the blade remained raised in his hand.

Hu Ma then walked slowly past him and, to everyone’s surprise, bowed deeply to the Heavenly Destiny General. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"You..."

The Heavenly Destiny General looked at Hu Ma in utter confusion, a maelstrom of anger, resentment, and disbelief churning within him. Now, seeing Hu Ma suddenly bow to him, his voice trembled, "When I was enthralled by the Heavenly Mandate, you stood aloof, unwilling to even spare me a glance."

"Now that my Heavenly Mandate is shattered, you come to bow to me. Are you here to mock me?"

"No."

Hu Ma, however, merely gave a slight bow before straightening up, his gaze fixed solemnly on the general.

The entire battlefield was now suppressed, enveloped in a deathly silence. Some couldn’t withstand the immense pressure, their minds ceasing to function, their eyes unseeing, their ears unhearing.

Others were simply petrified by the ferocious might, daring not to move. Yet, their entire attention was riveted on the mysterious nobleman who had emerged from the ranks of the ghost soldiers. They saw him bow to the Heavenly Destiny General, then rise and speak with solemnity:

"This bow of mine is not for the Heavenly Mandate, but for you."

"I bow to your profound loyalty, for leading your men in search of a path to survival. Although much of what you have done is beneath my contempt, the very fact that you never abandoned the hungry ghosts, that you were willing to live or die with them, makes you worthy of this bow."

"Of course..."

Saying this, he slowly straightened up fully. "This bow does not mean you shouldn’t die."

"Beneath contempt?"

The Heavenly Destiny General, Zhong Benyi, was clearly incensed by Hu Ma’s words. His Heavenly Mandate was broken, and his imposing presence was utterly crushed by Yang Gong.

This legendary noble’s power and aura aren’t much greater than mine, yet it feels as if my very life is in his hands! Despite this, Zhong Benyi showed no fear, instead bursting into cold laughter.

"What right do you have to stand there condescendingly and say such things to us?"

"We brothers only wanted to live! Everything we did, we did merely to survive! What is so wrong about that?"

"So, it’s perfectly fine for you people of Mingzhou to have abundant food and fertile lands, while we, the people of Official Zhou, are doomed to starve to death?"

"You have food to eat, so you call yourselves human. We have no food, so in your eyes, we are nothing but hungry ghosts?"

If there were to be a debate, there were many points to argue. The mysterious man had said that many of his people’s actions were beneath contempt; Zhong Benyi had heard such words countless times. He knew what would be said before the other even spoke.

They’ll just say we shouldn’t eat people, shouldn’t let children starve, should give way to women and children, shoulder more moral responsibility, and that I’m covered in sin.

Zhong Benyi had argued over similar remarks countless times on his journey and had long grown weary of them.

This mysterious noble has only just opened his mouth, and I already know what he’s going to say. It’s endlessly irritating!

Blah, blah, blah! To hell with your talk!

There’s no reasoning between those who stand and those who sit.

Then, amidst this boundless resentment and irritation, he suddenly heard Hu Ma say, "No, you are not wrong."

The Heavenly Destiny General was stunned, momentarily unable to react. Beside him, even Yang Gong stood frozen in place.

Then, they heard Hu Ma’s calm voice continue, "It’s just that you’ve chosen the wrong opponents."

If Hu Ma—or rather, the mysterious noble in the eyes of the Heavenly Destiny General—had spoken any other words, Zhong Benyi would have unleashed his pent-up resentment. Yet, upon hearing Hu Ma’s earnest statement, he fell silent.

Countless words had risen to his lips, but now they seemed to flow backward like a retreating stream, as if a hole had opened in his heart and swallowed them all.

And in this deathly silent, oppressive atmosphere, Hu Ma slowly clasped his hands behind his back and said calmly, "The ones who cause you to go hungry are above you. The ones sending you to the battle formation to die are right here in Mingzhou City."

"You can’t fill your bellies, so you cook your own sons and boil your daughters, laden with sin. You’ve reached a dead end, with nothing left but skin and bones."

"Yet you only dare to rob the grain of the common villagers here in Mingzhou."

As he spoke, his voice seemed to deepen, and his gaze, fixed on the Heavenly Destiny General, grew heavy, even angry. "If, during these past few days, you had dared to strike against those in the city, dared to complain to them of injustice, dared to seize their grain, I might hold some admiration for you. But you didn’t. All you can see are the few grains of food in the hands of the destitute."

"That is why you are inadequate."

"You have failed the people of Official Zhou, and you have failed these brothers who followed you in search of food."

"You don’t even have the right to hate us."

His voice grew heavier with each word. He paused slightly, then said in a low voice, "This Heavenly Mandate of yours..."

Glancing at Yang Gong, he slowly continued, "is far inferior to his."

"I..."

The Heavenly Destiny General, Zhong Benyi, suddenly felt a pang of unease in his heart.

This mysterious noble before me... I hate him. Ever since arriving in Mingzhou, I knew my burden was to force this very person out.

It seems it was precisely because he remained hidden that my path became so difficult. And it was only when he finally appeared—establishing the Mingzhou Magic Altar, raising the Red Lantern Lord, summoning spirits and strange people from all directions—that I suffered such a crushing defeat.

I have ten thousand reasons to hate him.

Yet, listening to his words, I can’t help but recall the bitterness of seeing only a few grains of rice in my followers’ pots, the despair of those who verbally abused me yet, in the end, wouldn’t even provide a single satisfying meal...

I can’t refute it. The curses forming in my belly can’t escape. His words are too clear, too heavy; they’ve completely suppressed me.

It wasn’t just him. Yang Gong, standing beside him, listened to Hu Ma’s words, his eyes revealing a deep shock.

I remember hearing similar words back in the Manor at Green Stone Town.

These are words from the Heavenly Book.

On the battlefield around them, who knew how many had heard these words clearly? A silent uproar seemed to crash through everyone’s mind.

Some truths can be hammered into a person’s head without ever sinking in, while others, once spoken, burrow directly into the mind.

"PHEW..."

Having said all this, Hu Ma paused, then sighed toward the Heavenly Destiny General, "Thirty thousand hungry ghosts, one hundred thousand disaster victims, one million vindictive souls—all were innocent, yet all ended up laden with sin."

"Your will to survive is not only blameless but admirable. Their only mistake was to wrongly trust you. And to think you even use the word ’Truth’ as your name, emblazoned on your banners, yet you can’t even distinguish what truly needs to be done."

"Now, the path to survival for Official Zhou is severed, and your sins are difficult to erase. If you let them continue to follow you, to die in battle and then be condemned for generations, is that what you wish? Or perhaps, there is another way to atone: to transform into ghost soldiers and seek out your true enemies."

"Innocent people may live, but none of you are innocent any longer."

"But I, ultimately, can give you a chance after death to vent your grievances, an opportunity to atone for this sin!"

Having said this, he waved his large sleeve and declared, "Whether you hate me or them, you have your own judgment. I don’t need to tell you!"

"Think on it!"

Leaving his words hanging, he ignored them and suddenly turned, striding forward. His gaze fixed on Mingzhou City as he shouted, "You people have truly played a fine hand!"

His roar was filled with anger, and the Demon Suppression Golden Mace at his side vibrated with a resonant hum.

In Mingzhou City, the thick, swirling smoke from the incense was instantly agitated, resembling turbulent waves.

"You..."

Facing his chilling anger, a trembling voice echoed from there, relying on the Magic Altar, "Since you have shown yourself..."

"Could... could we ask you to enter the city for a discussion?"

"Enter the city?"

Hearing their words, Hu Ma paused briefly, then said in a cold voice, "Now that things have come to this, what is there left to discuss?"

"Accusations first, then we’ll talk!"

As he spoke, he raised the Demon Suppression Golden Mace, holding it aloft with both hands, slowly lifting it higher.

BOOM!

The ground trembled. The Demon Suppression Golden Mace in his hands, its nine sections rotating and colliding, emitted a clear, ancient sound. Torrential yin qi suddenly centered on him, weaving and surging.

Behind him, the two Golden Armored Warriors who had brought the iron coffin heard the sound and simultaneously knelt on one knee. In the next moment, the entire military formation found they could not open their eyes. They could only feel an overwhelming, baleful aura pressing down from above.

Vaguely, a hazy, grand hall materialized above the military formation, imposing and irresistible.

The pitch-black doors opened slowly with a CRACK. From the surrounding underworld, endless ghostly gods followed with a great shout:

"Summon Zhensui Mansion!"