Twilight Boundary-Chapter 709 - 700: When One Disaster Arises, Another Follows

At this moment, it wasn't just this Young Master Meng who felt a sense of smug satisfaction. Even the several Negative Spirit Great Hall Officers by his side harbored their own thoughts, their gazes quietly sweeping over those Great Lords, hearts filled with a mixture of emotions and sighs.

Initially, they truly thought this Eldest Young Master was mad. He was willing to invite disaster upon his family merely to bring the Hu Family to ruin—a tactic typical of a declining household, hardly a mark of brilliance. The Ten Surnames were all reputable families; even in conflict, they shouldn't resort to such ruthless methods. But it wasn't until now, after hearing the three conditions proposed by the Eldest Young Master, that they finally grasped his true intentions.

Currently, both Eldest Master Meng and the Lady were missing, and the Meng family was lacking a Lord to oversee its affairs. The Lord of the Meng family was different from others; not only must this person lead, but they must also become the foremost Incense Burner before the Ancestors to truly hold great power. Theoretically, even if the Eldest Young Master was the legitimate son, it wasn't his turn to lead. The Second Old Master and the Third Old Master were next in line to burn incense for the Ancestors. Even if he became the nominal Lord, the influence of those below him would still determine the weight of his words.

However, by capitalizing on the Ancestors' slumber and securing the approval of several other families, the Eldest Young Master had managed to rightfully become the Lord of the Meng family. More importantly, he had obtained a guarantee to enter the Stone Pavilion. This was the most crucial matter. Afterward, even the Second Old Master and the Third Old Master below would have no grounds for complaint, for their own descendants in the higher echelons had already been pushed forward to invite disaster and were eliminated. The current Eldest Young Master was now the sole bloodline of this Meng family generation. Even if those two harbored resentment, they would have to swallow their pride and accept it.

Thus, by leveraging the strength of the Zhao, Chen, Zhou, and Wang families and clearing away the demon people causing havoc everywhere, the Meng family could consider this calamity averted. Protections were now in place, both internally and externally. This demonstrated that Young Master Meng's seemingly reckless and mad actions were, in fact, brilliant and meticulous in every aspect, perfectly controlled. If he hadn't first invited disaster, the other Surnames wouldn't have felt any urgency. Had he invited only a few calamities, these families might have even enjoyed the spectacle. Now, looking at the outcome, every step demonstrated a meticulous mind and brilliant execution, achieving unexpectedly potent effects.

It was enough to make one marvel: even a sinister person possesses a sinister person's capabilities.

"Truly admirable!"

The Negative Spirit Great Sword-Catcher and the Inquiry Great Hall Officer exchanged a quiet glance, understanding each other's thoughts. The Meng family was currently in turmoil due to demon people, its Lord was missing, and the Ancestors were asleep, leaving them at their weakest, both internally and externally. The Eldest Young Master's ability to turn the tide under such circumstances was a clear testament to his skills.

As they were engrossed in their own deliberations, the Lords of the four families—Zhou, Zhao, Chen, and Wang—after some discussion, found themselves unable to refuse. Seeing their expressions, this Young Master Meng, Meng Siliang, shifted his posture slightly, a faint, unreadable smile playing on his lips, ready to assert his control over them.

But just then, a bird suddenly plummeted from a swallow's nest in the rafters.

As fate would have it, it landed right in the hand of the Zhao Family Lord, chirping incessantly.

Upon hearing its cries, the Zhao Family Lord's face lit up with joy. "Excellent, excellent! There's news of the Lady!"

"Hmm?" Young Master Meng's expression suddenly darkened upon hearing this; it was completely unexpected. He had prepared three conditions, of which the second was the least important. He never thought that this one would actually receive a response. As his face contorted with anger, he demanded, "Gentlemen, you must have seen it? It is indeed the Hu Family colluding with those demon people, committing such shameless acts!"

"No, no," the Zhao Family Lord hurriedly interjected. "Not only was it not the Hu Family, but they actually provided significant help in this matter."

Meng Siliang sneered, "And you believe that?"

The few family Lords wore complicated expressions. After a moment's pause, one said, "We… we do indeed believe it. The Hu Family has always been kind-hearted, and their reputation is impeccable. How could we not believe them?"

Whether they truly believed it in their hearts was unknown, but in the current situation, they had no choice but to feign belief.

Young Master Meng's face grew cold. "Then quickly bring my mother back. She mustn't be subjected to any grievances. However, gentlemen," he continued, "shouldn't you also lend the Meng family a hand? Those demon people plaguing the Meng family scatter like the wind. It matters little if other demon people hide themselves; only that self-proclaimed Grasshead King, Longsheng, is the most conspicuous and cannot escape. Since he has broken the rules, why don't you gentlemen eliminate this menace?"

Upon hearing this, the few family Lords paused slightly before asking him, "And what about the matter of collecting the disaster?"

Young Master Meng let out a cold laugh, still unhurried, leisurely toying with the teacup in his hand. "You gentlemen are righteous and have helped my Meng family eliminate the demon people. I will naturally keep my word."

The men exchanged glances, just as they were about to make a decision, a sudden gust of sinister wind swept in from the courtyard. This wind felt malevolent, chillingly dim. The exquisite porcelain cup in Young Master Meng's hand abruptly shattered into countless pieces without any warning. Tea splashed all over him, startling him to his feet.

The hall fell into a dead silence. Everyone stared at each other in dismay. This ominous sign seemed to cast a pall over their hearts.

At that very same moment, deep within the Old Yin Mountain, Hu Ma sat upright at the Magic Altar. With a mere flicker of his mind, he ignited the fourth Life Incense. Thanks to Eldest Master Meng, he had already thoroughly understood the Meng family's dharma methods and the matter of inviting disaster. Of course, mere understanding was insufficient to actually invite disaster.

But as it happened, when it came to direct blood relatives of the Meng family, he possessed one whose seniority was even greater than that Young Master Meng. And as for inviting disaster, what did it matter that the Meng family controlled a few Ghost Caves? The Hu Family's power might not rival the Meng's, but he, too, had connections within the Ghost Caves. In fact, to prevent Xiang from acting recklessly, he had even sent that specific copper coin along with the message.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he set up the altar, performed the incantation, and took up the Life Incense. In terms of cultivation, one Column was worth thirty years. For ordinary people, refining it into themselves would make it an inseparable part of them. Hu Ma, however, was different. His one Column of Life Incense was created using stakes and could be freely taken and used within his Lifebound Spirit Temple. Of course, having already refined it into Life Incense, inviting disaster this way would inevitably implicate him to some extent—not to the point of shortening his lifespan, but a reduction in fortune was certain.

But the Hu family never had much fortune to begin with; what room was there for it to fall further?

As he thought this, changes began to manifest within the Magic Altar. As he cast the spell, a resonance occurred on the other side of the Old Yin Mountain, within the blood food mine not far from Shima Town.

At that moment, Calculation sat in the blood food mine, his face etched with worry, continuously tossing copper coins and scrutinizing the divination patterns. Ever since the Ancestral Master's wooden statue had inexplicably developed a crack, he had been plagued by intermittent anxiety. Even when his young disciple Wuya, feeling sorry for him, brought him good wine, he had been too preoccupied to touch it. It was only now, upon seeing a favorable divination, that his heart had begun to relax slightly.

Yet, at this very instant, before he could analyze it further, he suddenly heard a loud CRASH from the courtyard. He saw the stone weights topple, and a wooden post abruptly flew out.

In the next second, the post was engulfed in a swirling, icy wind. Faint Wandering Souls could be seen drifting around it. They circled above the blood food mine for a few moments, then, as if sensing something, rushed northward over the mine amidst ghostly wails and chants.

"That is…" Calculation, startled, leaped to his feet. Looking down, he saw that the copper coins had been disturbed by the commotion and had flipped over. The ominousness of the hexagram was now glaringly apparent.

He slapped his thigh, utterly dismay Lösungen. "Damn that Meng family! Go on, cause chaos, keep causing chaos! All this trouble, and they always end up bringing great disaster upon themselves! Your family's Madman was only pretending, but the ruthlessness of the Hu Family is terrifyingly real!"

"Brother Hu wouldn't use this copper coin to alert me unless it was a matter of utmost importance."

Meanwhile, in Lingshou Prefecture, within the Ghost Cave, Xiang held the letter and the copper coin, speaking earnestly to Old Master Li, "Besides, he only thought of this strategy because when he left, I told him that the entities within the cave were becoming too powerful and were on the verge of breaking free. I believe Brother Hu orchestrated this partly to help us as well."

Old Master Li listened, nodding slowly, and said warmly, "The jianghu has its own rules. He saved your life back then, which is why we gave him this copper coin. By rights, upon seeing this copper coin again, no matter how difficult the request, we must fulfill it."

"Father, I know." Xiang looked at Old Master Li with determination. "I've realized that when the entities in the cave can no longer be suppressed, you intend to sacrifice your own life to contain them. Therefore, no matter what, I must help Brother Hu with this."

Having said this, a resolute expression settled on her face. She slowly rose and walked to the mouth of the cave. She lit a stick of incense, drawing the souls drifting in the air to this place.

Upon receiving the letter, she had already arranged for a rooster to be brought and hung upside down at the cave entrance. As the souls drifted over, the rooster thrashed, its body tensing violently.

The next moment, Xiang, holding the rooster, kowtowed before the cave and burned the incense. From the depths of the cave, a sinister cackle echoed.

Within Lingshou Prefecture, the population was sparse, consisting mostly of the children of the Dongzi Li Family.

Now, to the west of the Ghost Cave, in a hole beneath a desolate slope, a clutch of snake eggs lay. As a gust of cold wind blew out from the depths of the cave, a crack suddenly appeared on one of the eggs.

Soon, a slender serpent with eerily patterned scales crawled out, its movements stiff, its eyes glazed. Inch by inch, it struggled, slithering out of the hole and heading south.

As the snake picked up speed, slithering past the boundary set by the Dongzi Li Family thirty li away, the sky abruptly darkened.

One calamity arose, and a second followed…

In other directions, eleven groups of Meng family disciples, holding their calamity-inducing artifacts, stood before the boundary lines, not yet having taken a step across. They had received no orders, so they merely stood guard.

However, at that very moment, they were struck by a surging gale, as if shoved by an invisible colossal hand. Powerless to resist, they involuntarily took that fateful step forward.

In an instant, winds surged and clouds roiled. Ghosts wept throughout the land, and a formless, thundering roar shook the human world.