Twilight Boundary-Chapter 610 - 601: The Imperial Edict’s Corpse

"Damn that undying Old Master Yan, living in a well and chained up with iron chains?"

"As expected, when people get old, their children and grandchildren are unfilial…"

"..."

"?"

Something felt off about their serious analysis, but there was no time to worry about it now. Clutching the Punishment Officer's Great Saber tightly, Hu Ma patiently waited for the experts around to make a move.

Being just at the second mansion and encountering such a bizarre thing, it wouldn't be right for him to take the lead, right?

Unexpectedly, the Reincarnators around seemed to have the same idea. One by one, they all wore serious expressions, yet no one made a move. Only when the atmosphere grew awkward did someone suddenly pick up a stone from the ground and throw it into the distance.

"CLUNK!"

The stone fell into the well with a dull thud. All the Reincarnators took a step back in unison, their expressions now even more cautious.

Yet, there was no movement from the well with an extremely bizarre aura. Instead, the wind in the small courtyard suddenly vanished, leaving only the chilling sound of breathing. Soon, something began slowly emerging from the well's mouth.

"What is that…"

A glimpse was enough to shock everyone simultaneously. They first saw a pair of...

...Dragon Horns!

No one had ever seen a True Dragon, but those horns evoked an instant association with such creatures. They were about a foot long, branching like deer antlers. As these Dragon Horns appeared, a head covered in purple scales followed through the well's mouth.

However, the scales were neither bright nor mystical, appearing patchy and mismatched, much like a fish that had been dead for months, with most of its scales fallen off, dirty and rotting.

Even the smell was like that of a dead fish. As it emerged from the well, a thick stench assaulted the nostrils.

"RATTLE…"

Next, the whole creature emerged from the well, and everyone's expressions grew peculiarly strange. "What is this thing?"

They all knew it was Old Master Yan, yet it was hard to associate it with a human. Its head bore crooked Dragon Horns, and it wore a tattered, filthy Dragon Robe.

Its body was stiff, with limbs twisted and long nails black and strange, curled into spirals. It was also wrapped in thick iron chains, all broken off, leaving only stubs.

It appeared alive, yet its eye sockets seemed hollow, staring at everyone with empty black holes.

"Buried alive?"

Seeing this, the walking ghost with a pig mask, who had earlier warned everyone, warned in a low, stern voice, "Be careful!"

"This Yan Family truly is audacious. There were rumors that Old Master Yan refused to die to extend his life. In reality, it was probably the Yan Family's descendants with wild ambitions, treating him like a demon to be cultivated."

"For these nobles, it's common to seek treatment for life extension, but for someone so close to the Emperor in fate, adding even a year is incredibly difficult."

"Perhaps Old Master Yan genuinely wanted to extend his life, even delusionally thinking of becoming an Emperor. But as he neared the end, living each day became agony. Yet, his descendants didn't want him to die, burying him alive here."

"Using this Method to nurture imperial power, it's no wonder the Yan Family is so prestigious, surpassing the other two major families in Guazhou. Even after the Iron Threshold General became King, they could still control him, treating him like a mere dog…"

"Yet Old Master Yan suffered a great misfortune. Now he's become a monster, or rather…"

He paused, then spoke in a grim voice filled with dread, "A zombie, a spirit-infused zombie!"

"When a mortal becomes a corpse, resentment arises, and weapons can't harm them."

"When a General becomes a corpse, evils overflow, and bloodlust soars."

"And this ghastly creature, already like the Emperor's resurrected corpse, damn it… it's beyond the norm!"

"..."

"..."

The others around turned pale at these words. Even Hu Ma thought, That guy was actually telling the truth…

...Those Yan Family descendants really are unfilial!

"..."

"RATTLE…"

But just then, as the creature emerged from the well, it suddenly looked up, its chest heaving violently. The swirling smoke and Purple Qi in the courtyard were suddenly sucked in as if by a giant whale.

In the next moment, that purple-scaled face displayed a crazed and eerie expression, suddenly spewing a blast of corpse breath at the crowd.

WHOOSH!

A swirling, chaotic breath surged out of its mouth, sweeping left to right like a gale.

Hu Ma was prepared. When that old evil spirit inhaled the murky smoke in the courtyard, he was ready, yet still felt his spirit shaken, inwardly exclaiming in alarm.

He felt the breath's heaviness, and more importantly, the sense of superiority. Despite its monstrous nature, it genuinely contained some imperial aura, suppressing his soul as if it could be blown away by this wind.

He hurriedly utilized Condensing the Great Mighty Sky General Seal Dharma Form, which summoned and silenced demons, unaffected by suppression, allowing him to steady himself precariously.

But the group of walking ghost apprentice sword-catchers around him was greatly alarmed, tumbling in the wind, leaving Hu Ma dumbfounded. They really stayed because they thought they could handle Bridge challenges or fights with people on the Bridge.

Or are they just stubborn, sticking around for the spectacle despite not knowing if they can handle it?

…

In reality, these Reincarnators each had unique skills. They weren't all knocked over in one blow; some weren't good at direct confrontations, while others wisely dodged.

Some had prepared defenses, only to be overwhelmed by the command of imperial mandate within the corpse breath. Regardless, they appeared embarrassingly disheveled on the surface.

When the corpse breath had passed, only three were left standing.

Besides Hu Ma, who stood firm using the Great Mighty Sky General Seal, the other two included the one with a pig mask who revealed the Hualong Well's secrets, and another with a dog mask, whose trump card was still unknown.

Before they could delve further, and because the three of them remained standing, Old Master Yan, who had emerged from the well, had his corpse breath surge, and the chains wrapped around him seemed to come alive.

Like pythons, the chains suddenly lashed out. Seeing a dark blur rushing towards him and the other two Reincarnators, Hu Ma hurriedly raised his Punishment Officer's Great Saber to block.

"CLANG, CLANG, CLANG…"

A few heavy, sharp clangs sounded, and Hu Ma's arms went numb; he almost lost grip of his saber.

The force of this thing far exceeded expectations.

He couldn't think further. After blocking the chains, he blew on a black bone, sending a torrent of baleful aura surging, yet it had no effect on the old evil spirit and instead caused it to pounce forward, its black claws gleaming.

"SMACK!"

But just as suddenly, the figures with the dog and pig masks stepped forward to intercept.

"Damn it, you dare spit at me?"

At this moment, the Reincarnators blown away by the corpse breath were infuriated. Someone quickly climbed up, dusting off their rear, clearly pissed off this time.

In remote places where no one watched, taking a fall was nothing; encountering such a thing and getting knocked down made sense. But not here, not in front of so many people from their hometown; who wasn't concerned about their reputation?

With an agitated shout, he pulled out a straw man and slammed it into the ground.

Seeing his stance, the Reincarnators nearby hurriedly moved aside, expecting him to perform something remarkable.

Unexpectedly, he tossed the straw man onto the ground, pulling a few red strings from it and quickly throwing them toward others, binding some people by the arms, others by the legs or wrists.

Then, he pointed forward, shouting, "Brothers, charge!"

"Don't worry, no matter how strong this thing is, my treasure here will take the hits for you…"

"Even if it twists off your heads, it won't harm you at all…"

"..."

The others nearby grew instantly furious. "Damn, you're shouting so fiercely, but you want us to go?"

"What if your crappy straw can't hold up?"

"..."

The guy looked embarrassed, scratching his head, and said, "If it doesn't hold up, then it'll be your heads falling off."

The Reincarnators around him were enraged. "Who the hell would step up?"

Soundly frightened by the oddity before them, none dared close in for combat, opting instead for distant chanting and spell casting.

Meanwhile, the serious fight against Old Master Yan was being carried out by Hu Ma and the other two Reincarnators. The one with the dog mask, wearing a long robe and tall in stature, charged straight towards Old Master Yan.

Facing the chains curling around him and the dark fingernails snapping fiercely, he took a deep breath, raised his right hand with the index and middle fingers touching his forehead, then stomped fiercely, causing the ground to tremble.

"WHOOSH!"

He was instantly enveloped in a sacred and weighty aura, incense smoke swirling around him. His demeanor transformed as he stood steadfast against the furious and fearsome Old Master Yan, confronting him head-on.

"Is this one a Negative Spirit?"

Hu Ma, watching from the side, felt a slight surprise. He used a Method for inviting a spirit to possess him, but how is his Negative Spirit imbued with such divine intent, unlike the sinister ways of the Meng family?

It took a moment before he realized. "Ah, this person is indeed a Negative Spirit, yet what he is channeling is a Hall God!"

He worships a Hall God; his skills are unmatched by ordinary Negative Spirits.

But those Hall Gods are far beyond Lords; they are extraordinarily mysterious and have not appeared for a long time. How did a Reincarnator like him manage to get close to a Hall God?