Twilight Boundary-Chapter 645 - 636 Descent of the Deities

"The news about the Demon Detection Mirror was a desperate move by both families, deliberately leaked."

Observing the expression on Hu Ma's face, Tieguanyin sat quietly at the table and sighed softly. "Even the information about me being in their hands was intentionally released by them. They knew that once this news spread, it would certainly attract the Reincarnators to come and kill me. Of course, you don't need to worry too much because you came a bit early. They haven't officially sent out the news yet, and it's also because their preparations are not complete that you now have the opportunity to sit here and chat with me."

Just as I thought... Hearing Tieguanyin's words, a sudden realization dawned on Hu Ma, though his face showed little alarm. He was merely thankful that it was him who had come! Ever since he learned of this news, he had considered many possibilities. The Reincarnators had long feared the Ten Surnames. Even with his identity, he had always regarded the Ten Surnames as potential enemies. Trick Zhao and Black Magic Chen had seemed friendly when they came with their reminders. But was there deceit? Were they trustworthy? He could never fully rest his mind. He had considered early on that this might be a trap. These doubts had plagued him from the start, impossible to shake off. That's why he understood: while he could pass this opportunity to others, letting someone else come, it would be a disaster if anything went wrong, no matter who it was. Only he possessed a way to handle it.

He slowly turned his head to glance around, seeing no one or anything rushing out.

Instead, he gradually furrowed his brows. "So, all of this was just..."

"...A trap," Tieguanyin nodded. "When you entered the City of the Dead and came into this compound, you were already caught in their trap."

Hu Ma let out a slow breath, his eyes narrowing slightly, preparing to act.

The atmosphere in the room grew extremely heavy and dangerous. Just then, Tieguanyin suddenly laughed softly. "Of course, they also fell into my trap!"

"What?"

Hu Ma was about to unleash a slap. With the renowned heaviness of a Shousui man's strike, he couldn't guarantee Tieguanyin's head would remain on his shoulders. But just as he was about to act, Tieguanyin's words startled him, making his heart pound in disbelief.

Looking at the man's profound smile, Hu Ma's expression turned peculiar.

"I've waited twenty years for this opportunity."

The smile on Tieguanyin's face faded, replaced by a cold, profound expression. "Just now, when you entered the main hall, I finally had all the conditions met. And what you said made me feel that these twenty years were not in vain."

"You..." Hu Ma began, his voice trailing off.

Having considered many terrible possibilities from the start, and relying on his Zhensui Hu Family identity, Hu Ma had made numerous preparations. So, no matter how bad things got, he usually wouldn't be overly surprised. But now, he truly felt his composure cracking. His expression nearly twisted as he stared at Tieguanyin.

"You..." he stammered again, looking at the man.

"Betrayal my ass."

Tieguanyin stood up, lifted his teacup, and drained it. A cold sneer touched his lips. "Would you betray a bunch of monkeys?"

As he spoke, he pointed at Hu Ma. "The moment you entered this compound, they wouldn't rush to kill you. Instead, they'd ensure you couldn't escape."

"There's one thing you need to note. When you get out, remind the others: the Noble Zhang Family knows far more about Reincarnators than we imagined. Even their Zhang family ancestors were involved in our arrival."

"In this City of the Dead, it might seem like the Meng family is in charge, but the Noble Zhang Family did the real heavy lifting. This entire compound was constructed according to the Noble Zhang Family's Method, all for the sake of luring you in."

"Ever set fish traps as a child? It's just like that."

"No, I..." Hu Ma stammered, utterly caught off guard by Tieguanyin's drastically different demeanor, momentarily speechless.

"No need to act so surprised." Tieguanyin had already begun to tidy things in the main hall. He said blandly, "Twenty years ago, when we prepared to stir up trouble, how could we not have been prepared to face death?"

"Like you, I was accustomed to a life of comfort. I knew my backbone wasn't made of steel; I'd never willingly let myself fall into the enemy's hands—especially not the hands of the arrogant Ten Surnames."

He spoke, then smiled faintly. "The reason the Zhang family captured me was that only the Zhang family could save me."

"Twenty years ago, I was crippled. My body was collapsing, and my Lifebound Spirit Temple was destroyed."

"The only ones who could save me were the Zhang family. They would desperately use all sorts of methods to heal me, and, of course, they would also use every means possible to control me."

As he spoke, he glanced down at his body. His plain white robe was spotless and immaculate, yet he seemed to be looking at something hidden within himself. A hint of disdain flickered between his brows, but the smile quickly returned to his face. He chuckled faintly. "Fortunately, I've endured these twenty years. Their abilities weren't as great as I'd imagined."

"They spent twenty years trying to pry information from me. And I spent twenty years finally convincing them to execute this plan."

"It wasn't easy," he added, "but in the end, I won the bet."

Hu Ma was truly at a loss for words. "Then what about what you said... the beauty trap, the child...?"

"It's all true." Tieguanyin chuckled. "Their family's second young lady is a good person. She even bore me a child."

"Then you..." Hu Ma began.

"However..." Tieguanyin cut Hu Ma off, his smile still in place but now carrying an unnerving chill. "I had my own children twenty years ago. And I had a maidservant who, despite my status, always carefully tried to please me." His voice grew heavy. "...So, who will pay for her life? And the lives of my two children?"

"What?"

Those words struck Hu Ma like a bolt of lightning.

"The Noble Zhang Family calculated everything about me, but in the end, there were some things they couldn't predict."

Tieguanyin said faintly, "They assumed that if they gave me a child, I would become wholeheartedly loyal to the Zhang family. They believed that offering me a chance to become an Immortal would make me eternally grateful and eager to help them cleanse the Reincarnators."

"Indeed, their grasp of a Reincarnator's psychology was quite precise."

He paused, then suddenly smiled. "But they don't understand. I am so detested by this world that it's impossible for me to have offspring again."

"After all, the Nightmare Killing of the Dou Clan and over a hundred thousand members of the royal family brings a heavy backlash. In terms of sin and karmic debt, I am an unprecedented case in this world, severely rejected by it."

"They don't understand. They thought I was merely gravely injured, my foundation fundamentally harmed. Yet they used nightmare magic to conceive a son for me, planting an Evil Ghost in my house as my child. They never anticipated that every time I see him, I only find it utterly laughable!"

"Nightmare Killing over a hundred thousand members of the royal family..." Hu Ma murmured, a sudden alarm ringing in his mind. "Wait, the one who performed the Nightmare Killing of over a hundred thousand members of the royal family... wasn't that..."

Tieguanyin observed Hu Ma's reaction with an amused, even mischievous, smile. He nodded. "You're slow on the uptake. I thought you would have guessed the moment you saw me."

"The people of this world may not know the name Guanyin, but Reincarnators do. We also know that while Guanyin Bodhisattva has both male and female Dharma Forms, our generation instinctively reveres the female form."

"Of course, I knew she had taken on the task entrusted by Lao Junmei, a burden carrying immense karma. So, I merely helped divert some of the attention from her, as a side task."

"And frankly, if I hadn't borrowed the name Tieguanyin, the Noble Zhang Family might not have been willing to expend so much effort to save me."

"So..." Hu Ma began, an unspeakable shock gripping his heart. "Senior, you're actually the one who single-handedly cursed over a hundred thousand members of the Dou Clan and the royal family, severing the Yi Dynasty's fortune..." His voice trailed off, then he uttered, "...Mr. Longjing?"

"We... we all thought you were already..."

The man in the pure white robe—or rather, Mr. Longjing—laughed. "Dead, right? I certainly deserved to die."

"Cursing the royal family incurred a terrible backlash. Lao Junmei, Big Red Robe, Tieguanyin, even that State Preceptor who betrayed us—they all thought I would surely die after completing that deed."

He spoke slowly, a faint smile on his face. "However, that State Preceptor, as insidious as his schemes were, underestimated the ruthlessness of the Ten Surnames. When I learned that Noble Zhang had killed my wife and two children under the guise of exterminating a 'foul demon,' I suddenly no longer wanted to die."

"By taking the codename Tieguanyin and allowing myself to fall into the Zhang family's hands, I knew they would try to use me, but also that they would do their utmost to save me."

"I knew the Zhang family spent twenty years confirming I was a cripple, using bloodline ties to ensnare my heart and make me truly submit to them."

"But what the Zhang family didn't know was that the precise reason I went to them was to avenge my children."

"And they also had no idea what changes would occur if a truly crippled Reincarnator came into contact with the Purple Tai Sui."

After he slowly finished speaking, he looked seriously at Hu Ma. "So, young brother, are you prepared?"

Hu Ma had endured too many shocks in such a short time. His reactions were sluggish. He subconsciously asked, "Prepared for what?"

"The Zhang family has given me far too much," Mr. Longjing said, a sharp glint in his eyes. "I'm eager to return it all."

Mr. Longjing chuckled. "Additionally, it truly is time to teach you newcomers some important things."

"They all call us evil spirits. But in reality, we should be Immortals descended to the mortal realm, shouldn't we?"