Twilight Boundary-Chapter 808 - 796: The Human Skin Ledger

What exactly did the Monkey Wine tell them, for these Six Family Heads to cooperate so obediently?

In less than a day, the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall was dismantled, and the Zhou, Chen, Zhao, Sun, Zhu, and Li families each sent their descendants who had not yet crossed the Bridge, to take a stick of incense from the ancestral hall.

This was not because they were being difficult, but because they had already crossed the Bridge and were no longer human, so they could not bear the incense; only their direct descendants who had not yet crossed the Bridge could do so.

Not only these six families, but even the noble Zhang family and the Undying Wang family also sent people back.

As for the Meng family, which no longer had any descendants, a paper man substituted, and also took a stick of incense out of the city.

The Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall, which had been holding back the world for 23 years, was dismantled just like that, leaving only nine empty shells, with only the incense of its ancestral hall left.

The old man guarding the ancestral hall was sweeping the dust in front of the hall, sighing slowly, "They've all left, what about your Hu Family?"

Hu Ma looked at him and said, "Last night, didn't you say you had something to tell me?"

The old man guarding the ancestral hall nodded, leaned the broom against the wall, and bent over to a small room where he usually stayed.

He took out a pot of cold tea, invited Hu Ma to sit down, and said slowly, "Dong Xuan was the smartest person I've ever seen, smarter even than his master and the ancestral master of their Daluo Dharma Sect, but he was somewhat overly arrogant."

Hu Ma gazed at him intently and suddenly said, "Who are you?"

The Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall was the cornerstone of the Stone Pavilion Alliance, and the greatest benefit to the Ten Families; those who guarded the hall were not ordinary people.

Especially when this old man mentioned the National Master Dongxuan, the attitude he displayed showed he was of great seniority.

"I'm just someone with a light fate."

The old man guarding the ancestral hall gave a bitter smile and said, "People with a light fate are easily forgotten, and magic cannot stick to them, so I was chosen to guard the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall."

"Of course, people with a light fate also find it hard to achieve big things. Whatever they want to do, their influence on the world is minimal, changing nothing."

"But you, your fate is so heavy, you were born to accomplish great things, even if you don't want to, you'll be pushed onto the stage."

"..."

Hu Ma looked at him quietly and suddenly said, "You seem to know a lot about the State Preceptor and the Ten Surnames."

"After watching for more than twenty years, it's hard not to know..."

The old man guarding the ancestral hall smiled slightly and said, "The Ten Surnames can boast with a big face that they've done their best to extend the world's life for twenty years."

"But look at the things they've done, sealing reincarnation, cutting down Human Demons, sacrificing the Three Corpses, dismantling the Life Bridge, destroying the ghost gate, leaving the world full of holes and smoke rising everywhere. People want to clean up, but where to start?"

Hu Ma kept looking at him intently and suddenly said, "Since you know so much about their deeds, do you know their confidence?"

"Confidence comes from insight."

The old man guarding the ancestral hall said, "Twenty years ago, Dong Xuan's vision was better than theirs, his skills were greater too, so when Dong Xuan said something was what it was, he invited them to the Stone Pavilion to make an alliance, letting them divide the legacy of Douyi and set the opportunity for immortality."

"For the Ten Surnames back then, there was simply no reason not to agree!"

"With no emperor in the world, they divided the emperor's authority, enjoyed the benefits without sitting on the throne, naturally not worrying about being seen by the Tai Sui."

"So, although the Ten Surnames never actually sat on the throne, they effectively sat as emperors for twenty-three years, though they were never seen by the Tai Sui, but even sitting for a day, many things were different."

"This was the biggest reason Dong Xuan could persuade them at the time, but now, more than twenty years later, many things have changed."

"..."

Hearing this, Hu Ma was not surprised at all: "So, the State Preceptor is not the most capable person in the world now?"

The old man guarding the ancestral hall listened, shook his head slightly, and suddenly smiled, "Dong Xuan certainly has great abilities, is highly learned, and skilled in various techniques, but among the Ten Surnames' masters, none would dare to say they could beat him in a direct confrontation..."

"But the Ten Surnames haven't been idle; they've seen many things on their respective Bridges."

"In terms of ability, Dong Xuan's skills may be unrivaled, but within the Ten Families Sect, each has a unique skill that he cannot suppress."

"For instance, the Meng family can serve their ancestor well and even invite the ancestor to possess them, something Dong Xuan cannot handle; when the Meng Family Ancestor possesses, he can only send the deity away."

"And in the Shousui Sect, they have the Heaven and Earth Unmoving Seal; when deployed, it's a golden body that is impermeable, unaffected by all techniques, and he can only stand by the side waiting."

"The other sects' skills are hidden even deeper."

"Dong Xuan doesn't even know what the current mother form of the opposition truly is, so how dare he claim to overpower the Ten Surnames?"

"In just the simplest magic alone, it's already this subtle situation, let alone others."

"..."

At this point, he sighed deeply and said, "Back then, Dong Xuan thought he had surely won, having calculated everything twenty years ago."

"Only now does he realize that he was not only tricked by the Hu Family back then, but twenty years later, even those he thought he had in his grasp have had their own plans long before..."

"No matter how skilled he is, should he go and cause a scene like a shrew at the gates of the Ten Surnames?"

"We can only leave, we can only accept our fate."

"But those truly ambitious are the Ten Families..."

"..."

At this point, he paused slightly, focusing on Hu Ma, and said, "Dong Xuan just wants to become an immortal. When faced with Tai Sui, the only way he could think of to win was far more important than becoming immortal itself."

"But some people truly want to become immortal."

"They did not intervene this time, partly because White Jade City was not what they wanted, and partly because they saw something from their own bridges and developed greater ambitions."

"Compared to being hindered by obstacles and having to obey Dong Xuan, they would rather break through these barriers, step into the Return to Hometown Realm, and achieve true freedom."

"..."

"Is this what you wanted to tell me?"

He slightly tilted his head, looking at the elder guarding the ancestral hall, with an unabashedly inquisitive look in his eyes.

The ancestral hall elder also looked at him and said in a low voice, "I'm just reminding you that compared to the ability to shoulder burdens, the Ten Families' ability to dodge trouble is greater."

"Since the day the Stone Pavilion Alliance was established, it has been the greatest trouble in this world."

"Although now the Stone Pavilion Alliance has become somewhat of a joke, once something that makes the Ten Families wary leaves a mark, it's not so easy to erase..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Hu Ma became serious: "What's inside the Stone Pavilion?"

"A ledger made of human skin."

The elder did not hesitate and revealed everything: "The rules written on that skin peeled from the Emperor are the foundation of the Stone Pavilion Alliance."

"The Emperor's skin?"

Hu Ma was briefly stunned, and then found it unbelievable: "Isn't that skin in the hands of the Meng family?"

More than just in the hands of the Meng family, it was even torn apart by myself, and from the feel back then... it was indeed from the Emperor's family.

"If they didn't make the Meng family truly believe, why would they willingly act as walking ghosts and carry that ominous item deep within the underworld that brings utter ruin?"

The elder chuckled coldly and said, "That skin is indeed from the royal family, but it belongs to the Crown Prince, and was peeled hand in hand by the State Preceptor along with a few others, and given to the Meng family."

"The real Emperor's skin has always been hidden in the Stone Pavilion."

"After all, to Tai Sui, it serves as a ledger..."

Hu Ma's expression turned slightly serious; indeed, this was something the State Preceptor never mentioned, and the other six families remained collectively silent on this point. He wasn't sure of its use, but couldn't help but feel concerned.

"Just remember it, no need to dwell on it too much. After all, your Hu Family ancestors knew of the skin's existence but still chose this path." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The elder sighed lightly and waved his hand, saying, "Since this path was chosen, do what needs to be done. There's no rush to move the Hu Family's incense offerings; I will look after them here."

"Focus on what you should do. I, too, want to see in place of the deceased what path your Hu Family will forge."

"..."

Upon hearing that, Hu Ma finally reacted, turned his head to see that dusk was approaching, and the entire city was eerily silent. Unaware of when it started, the once bustling and peculiarly lively Shangjing City began to suffer various hardships and afflictions.

Some walking on the road suddenly found their flesh slowly peeling away, and some, previously hale and hearty, suddenly fell to the ground, cries of pain echoing endlessly.

Heavy fog appeared in Shangjing City, faintly shrouded in a layer of Purple Qi.

The former Shangjing City, though strange and uncanny, somehow achieved a subtle balance. Now, with the Ten Families withdrawing their incense offerings from Shangjing, the Purple Qi within Shangjing City began to disperse uncontrollably.

With the dispersal of Purple Qi, this Shangjing City, once sustained by it, was like a beautiful woman stripped of her painted skin, revealing a skeletal appearance.

Even the door to the Wang Family's Pharmacy, sealed with the flesh and blood pill furnace, suddenly shattered, blood-colored tentacles reaching out like Nine Netherworld Demons searching for something in the human world.

The city's populace also turned apathetic at this time, each figure seemingly taller, their feet lifting uncontrollably off the ground.

Merely using their toes to slightly touch the ground, they floated silently down the streets.

It was also at this moment that the street-cleansing drum suddenly sounded.

The beats, carrying a mysterious magic, returned the city to an eerie silence.

Hu Ma stood up, left the ancestral hall, and turned to see the elder had already picked up a broom, gently sweeping as a misty green fog rose, enclosing the small ancestral hall.

The enchanting mist overlapped in layers, unavoidably causing unease.

Hu Ma sighed deeply, took a step forward, walking straight down the mountain where the reincarnators were already waiting for him, everything ready, and this ritual shall commence!