Twilight Boundary-Chapter 713 - 704: New God

In the Northern Land, at the old site of the ancestral altar, now stood the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall, built upon its original location. As rolling black clouds endlessly swept towards the Old Yin Mountain, a long sigh echoed from the residence of the Zhensui Hu Family.

That was Granny's voice. She sensed that Hu Ma's last bloodline was affected, and the Soul Lamp had lit up.

The elder guarding the Ancestral Hall appeared outside the Hu Family Ancestral Hall at some point, though he did not step over the threshold. He simply looked at the Soul Lamp and sighed softly, "After all, he is still a child. Thrown into the Old Yin Mountain without guidance, he will stir up trouble, heedless of the consequences. Are you going to shield him?"

Tendrils of black smoke rose from the Soul Lamp, sketching out the form of an elderly woman. She showed no hesitation, even glaring somewhat resentfully at the meddlesome elder.

Her voice seemed to weave through the whispers of the surrounding wind, "That is a child of the Hu Family. It is only right that the ancestors of the Hu Family protect him. He has already done extremely well, better than anyone from any other sect..."

"It's just a pity that when he comes to the Ancestral Hall to offer incense, I will no longer be able to see him..."

...

...

This wisp of a yin soul flew out of the Ancestral Hall, intent on protecting the Hu Family's sole flame of lineage.

However, neither she nor the elder outside the Ancestral Hall expected what suddenly occurred.

In the direction of the Old Yin Mountain, when the Ghost Walker began the Sacrificial Mountain ceremony, a hazy mist had already settled, drawing an unknown quantity of incense smoke. In the eyes of those who walked certain Paths, this caused the Old Yin Mountain to blaze with divine light, like an oil lamp flaring brightly just before it is extinguished... 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

...Yet, no one expected that the last glimmer, which seemed like a final flare, would suddenly intensify, even breaking through its limits, suddenly blooming with a divine radiance that stretched for thousands of miles.

Within the Old Yin Mountain, Second Master wielded a willow branch to quell the disaster, having already gone through four or five whips. Hu Ma's godmother was about to lose all her hair again.

But those two straw men could not be dispersed, no matter how they were struck, and Second Master gritted his teeth in frustration.

Yet at this very moment, just as the strange wind, which had weakened and seemed on the verge of being driven out of the Old Yin Mountain, it suddenly became fierce again—even more vicious than before—surging directly at Second Master's back.

But because of this strange wind, the swirling incense smoke around them suddenly converged. It formed a vast cloud of smoke, from within which a tall figure could be vaguely discerned.

"Mountain Master..."

An unknown number of people saw it and shouted loudly, "The Mountain Master has manifested his spirit again!"

"Ah?"

Second Master was startled and quickly turned to see the figure within the rolling incense smoke.

In that moment, as if his gaze met that of the figure, he instantly felt incense smoke welling up from all directions—a torrent from the very heavens and earth around them.

Nearby, the people from the Theft Disaster Sect were already dumbstruck.

Hu Ma, however, slowly lowered the hand covering his right eyelid, thinking, The followers of Not Eating Beef must be starting their part now...

...

...

"Why perform the Sacrificial Mountain ceremony?"

"It's to find a pillar of support for us common folk..."

"You ask if this Sacrificial Mountain ceremony is useful? Ha, it's ten times more potent than the Lantern Festival in Shima Town!"

"What if our family is too poor and can't afford offerings?"

"Simple!"

"If you can't provide offerings, just burn incense. If you can't afford incense, then burn wood. A single branch of firewood, offered with sincerity, still serves the Sacrificial Mountain. If firewood is unaffordable or unavailable, just gather a handful of soil nearby. True deities never really care for such empty formalities."

"Sincerity of heart comes before a thousand sacrifices and a hundred offerings!"

...

In just a few short days, the Not Eating Beef organization had already spread word of the Sacrificial Mountain ceremony to thousands of households.

Logically, inciting rebellion was their primary role, but they weren't particularly successful at it. Nevertheless, twenty years of painstaking effort had won them innumerable hearts and widespread public support.

Now, they sought neither wealth nor profit, nor did they expect people to follow them into battle; they only asked for the Sacrificial Mountain ceremony. They didn't even ask for offerings, so the resulting impact was beyond anyone's imagination. This included Hu Ma.

Hu Ma had only thought, If you, Not Eating Beef, try to incite rebellion, not many might listen. But if you ask people to burn incense, surely some will oblige, right?

Now, it seemed they had obliged far too much.

The Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples, after two days of preparation, used the pretext of ancestral worship to distribute congee and grain, drawing people from all the surrounding villages and towns. Others, in the name of dispelling calamities and invoking blessings, rallied the entire city's populace.

Countless others scattered throughout the land also took action: some lit candles, some burned firewood. Others simply knelt by the roadside, molding earth into makeshift incense. Even those taking a brief rest in the fields clutched a few stalks of straw.

The mortal realm had long been devoid of gods; only evil spirits roamed the land. People had grown accustomed to being without protectors. Yet, when someone suggested this ritual might summon a guardian, whether they believed it or not, a sliver of hope always emerged.

Because of this hope, vast waves of incense smoke surged forth in an instant, sweeping across the land like a tidal wave.

...

...

In the Old Yin Mountain, the Mountain Lord had long been prepared to reveal himself. From the very beginning, when Hu Ma had promised him that the people of the world would perform the Sacrificial Mountain ceremony, he had been waiting for this moment.

However, at that time, he only knew of the Walking Ghost Path. He understood that this "world" Hu Ma spoke of was merely a vague concept.

No single Path could represent the world, not even the Walking Ghost Path.

He would go to ward off disasters simply because he was born to do so, to prevent those entities from rampaging through the human world.

Yet, even so, when he had already manifested himself, poised for an all-out strike, he was suddenly stunned.

Immediately, he turned and looked at the countless people worshipping in this world. For a moment, he even felt a human-like sensation, as if sinking into a distant memory, seeing the ancestral altars of old, with the devout prayers of countless billions.

Then, he suddenly felt his eyes grow hot and sighed softly, I am but a sinner. How can I accept this?

He had once stood before billions, yet was reduced to a solitary yin soul hidden in the mountains, witnessing this rampant malignant energy and the people's despair.

At this moment, feeling the rolling tide of incense smoke, his first thought was one of deep shame.

And then, he felt the incense smoke continuously expanding, still growing. Through this incense smoke, he heard aspirations from the hearts of the people—aspirations far greater and purer than simply helping the Old Yin Mountain fend off disaster.

So, he stood amidst the incense smoke, gazing into the distance. Then, his heart growing ever more resolute, he looked deep into the forest and saw Hu Ma nodding slowly at him.

He also saw, outside the Old Yin Mountain, someone leading eight incense holders. At their head was an old farmer with gentle eyes.

"It is time!"

"Return the god to the people!"

...

Return the god to the people?

It was impossible to describe the impact those four words—"Return the god to the people!"—had on the Mountain Lord's heart. But just as he would ward off disasters without hesitation, he had no second thoughts now.

Thus, he simply smiled amidst the incense smoke and then gently swept his great sleeves.

The sound of the suona rose!

The oxhide drum beat!

The sound of bronze gongs echoed!

These were incense gatherings convened by the Not Eating Beef organization in various places. As All People chanted the name of the Old Yin Mountain, the Blower beside them puffed out his cheeks and, with all his might, blew the suona.

The high-pitched sound soared into the clouds, as if to sweep away all the gloom under heaven.

And amidst the music, the thousands at the incense gathering began to shout louder. Their murmured prayers turned into loud cries, their bodies moving in spontaneous dances.

Roars surged from their chests, transforming into mighty shouts, as if trying to awaken something.

The endless incense smoke surged, instantly rendering the Mountain Lord's figure clearer and more imposing, like a true deity looking down upon the world. But this was not all; even more incense smoke, guided by the Mountain Lord's gesture, flowed towards other locations.

The nearest, and most affected by this incense smoke, was Dayang Village, where countless offerings had already been made to its Old Fire Pit.

And then, from the Old Fire Pit, the ethereal forms of Dayang Village's countless deceased ancestors emerged from the pit ash. They appeared as a dense, somewhat unsettling collection of shadows.

But enveloped in the swirling incense smoke, these shadows underwent a mysterious and bizarre transformation. They merged and grew, transforming from disparate soul bodies into a single, unified entity.

In an instant, they coalesced into a tall, mysterious human figure clad in coarse cloth garments, its face indistinct.

The blurred face signified that it could represent any of one's own ancestors.

And this was not limited to Dayang Village. In various villages within the Old Yin Mountain that preserved the ancient tradition of the Old Fire Pit, worshipped by later generations, similar phenomena occurred: figures emerged from these pits.

Or rather, they awoke!

Baptized by incense smoke, reborn in the fire pit—these were the New Gods.

Beside the Sacrificial Mountain's incense table, countless mountain spirit evils previously influenced by the Mountain Lord, including Hu Ma's godmother, were also affected by the incense smoke at this moment, undergoing various transformations.

Some became more substantial, while others manifested wisps of ethereal forms, clustering around the Mountain Lord or the figures from the fire pits, looking at themselves in amazement.

Mountain spirit evils, shedding their yin nature, accompanying gods, receiving true Sealing and names—thus becoming Attendant Gods!

Ah, so it is...

In the mountains, Hu Ma abruptly rose to his feet. Witnessing the scene he had longed to see, a wave of genuine delight surged through him.

Simultaneously, far beyond the mountains, the Meng family's eleven envoys of calamity had already conjured gusts of yin wind. Yet, at the very moment the Old Yin Mountain's divine light blazed forth, an invisible pressure pinned them down. Their feet seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move even an inch.

...

...

"Big Senior Brother, that is..."

The Eight Gate Masters of the Not Eating Beef Sect, who were rushing towards the outskirts of Old Yin Mountain, also perceived this astonishing change, momentarily struck with awe.

"New Gods!"

Senior Brother No-eating Cattle, disguised as an old farmer, spoke softly, his voice tinged with a long-absent excitement, "The Demon Dragon has been slain; destiny is now unfettered."

"These village families making offerings to the Old Fire Pits are unaware of their tradition's origins. This is because they have forgotten or, more accurately, someone deliberately made them forget."

"This is our most ancient tradition and our most primal form of prayer. All the gods in our world were once born from these Old Fire Pits."

"The fire pit is where ancestors are interred, and it is where gods are born."

"The death of humans gives birth to gods."