Twilight Boundary-Chapter 718 - 709: Shousui Battles the Negative Spirit

"As a junior in the jianghu, what you're doing is disrespectful."

Hu Ma's reprimand was merciless, making even Zhao Sanyi and the others tense up. However, to their surprise, the person who entered from the forest didn't get angry. Her pale face, framed by white mourning clothes, creased with a slight frown as she said, "You should have guessed my identity!"

"I have come with the Meng family's sincerity. As long as you tell me where Young Master Hu is, I have something to say to him."

...

"Matters of the jianghu should be settled within the jianghu. I came back to the village for the New Year, yet you're all knocking on my door..."

Hu Ma's expression was somber as he spoke coldly, "You didn't even send a formal notice, which is already disrespectful. And this time, the Meng family made the first move. Do you still expect to hear pleasantries from me?"

This remark suddenly included Zhao Sanyi and Fourth Miss Zhou, causing their old faces to blush.

They too had come directly, without sending a notice or bringing any gifts.

Chen Abao, however, was utterly unfazed and shameless.

Hu Ma continued, "Besides, if someone from the Hu Family wanted to show mercy, they would have appeared by now. Why must you come to me?"

The Negative Spirit Great Sword-Catcher Cui Magu seemed to agree with Hu Ma's words, slowly lowering her head, but she quickly lifted it again. Her cold face now held a touch of grim resolve, "He may not want to see me, but I *must* see him."

"In the current jianghu, the only one who can find Young Master Hu is likely you, a sword-catcher. If you refuse, then we'll have no choice but to test our skills!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sanyi was taken aback and said, "Aunt Cui, given your seniority, isn't this against the rules?"

He genuinely sympathized with Hu Ma. The man was just trying to observe the New Year rites, and yet these outsiders had to come and disrupt his peace, all because of that damned Young Master Hu...

But his words had no effect on Cui Magu. As she spoke, she had already stepped forward, "This concerns the Meng family's last thread of destiny. How can we still care about rules or no rules?"

Zhao Sanyi was momentarily choked up, unable to utter a word.

At that moment, Hu Ma smiled at the Negative Spirit Great Sword-Catcher and said, "Then please, proceed!"

Even Cui Magu gave him a slightly surprised look, remarking, "You certainly are straightforward."

"I don't wish to kill you, but I won't hold back. If you find you can't withstand it and are willing to ask Young Master Hu to come out, then we can stop. Just make sure your pleas for mercy are loud enough; I'm afraid I might not be able to hold back my hand!"

Her voice was soft, maintaining a degree of composure even at such a critical moment, but her actions were swift and without delay.

From beneath her stark white mourning robes, a hand suddenly emerged, gripping a white mourning stick. Her movement was precise and unwavering, striking directly towards Hu Ma.

It was a direct and dignified strike, her aura profound and focused, possessing the bearing of several grandmasters.

Disciples of the Negative Spirit Sect were skilled in combat, often employing sinister and bizarre tactics; rarely did they display such a majestic and imposing aura.

As the stick struck, it seemed to compress the surrounding air, which then violently contracted before suddenly exploding outward. Those nearby felt their skin prickle as if by a chilling wind, their hairs standing on end. Even the towering ancient trees nearby swayed violently, as if groaning in misery.

The faces of Zhao Sanyi and the others paled in alarm.

They were disciples of the Ten Surnames, each possessing unique abilities capable of suppressing the various Paths in the world.

But in every Path, the Great Sword-Catcher—though often from an outer sect—would possess immense personal skill, enough to earn the reverence of their main family, who would Worship them with utmost respect and entrust them with the power of life and death.

Facing the merciless strike of this Negative Spirit Great Sword-Catcher, they themselves wouldn't necessarily dare to meet it head-on, let alone this young walking ghost...

Wait...

Has that kid lost his mind?

Facing that fearsome strike, one that could startle the forest and terrify ghosts, Hu Ma, his eyes cold and hard, seemed utterly oblivious to the danger. The Punishment Officer's Great Saber roared as he swung it directly to meet the mourning stick.

His stance, surprisingly, displayed a profound stability, like that of a deep abyss or a towering mountain, revealing an extremely solid foundation.

Of course, others didn't know that ever since he'd acquired this Master Ping who resided in his Dharma Form, his entire skill set, from top to bottom, had been subjected to countless, meticulous corrections.

Hu Ma's teeth itched with frustration at the sharp-tongued bottle, but despite his anger, he had listened to every point.

He had even used the past few days of the New Year holiday, while teaching Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu, as an opportunity to hear Master Ping's commentary.

Now, as he made his move, his right arm underwent Death Transformation, ghost qi fueling the saber's vicious aura as it met the mourning stick. Then, his right arm shifted to Reincarnation, channeling a full sixty-year cycle of his cultivation to execute the Big Stone Breaking Hand. This technique was integrated into the saber's momentum—a fusion of life and death, one grimly cold, one fiercely burning—as he met the opponent's mourning stick head-on.

The ferocious force of the impact instantly exploded, the very ground seeming to tremble violently. Zhao Sanyi and Chen Abao both retreated slightly. It was their first time witnessing Hu Ma in action, and their eyes were wide with surprise.

Fourth Miss Zhou, upon seeing this, initially showed a flicker of displeasure on her face, as if reminded of some unpleasant experience. But after watching a few more exchanges, she found it utterly mesmerizing.

Such beautiful and solid skill was indeed something only a Shousui man could possess.

Amidst their shifting thoughts, Hu Ma had already exchanged several blows with Cui Magu. Remarkably, he met every single strike head-on, never stepping outside the bounds of the altar. The only sound was the clash of saber and stick, a noise so sharp it felt like it could pierce their eardrums.

However, the brazier within the Magic Altar in front of him would occasionally erupt with flames several meters high, and the twenty-four small altar flags whipped about fiercely, as if they might be uprooted by the invisible Power qi at any moment.

"A Shousui man combined with a walking ghost... there's really something to this?"

Zhao Sanyi, with his keen eye for detail, couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise. Cui Magu appeared to be wielding only the mourning stick, but in reality, her Negative Spirit abilities had already arrived like clinging shadows.

Invisible ghostly shadows wove around her, even more insidious than the mourning stick itself. However, they were conveniently blocked by the Magic Altar beneath Hu Ma's feet. This seemed to weaken the Negative Spirit practitioner's abilities, forcing her to rely solely on her martial arts to engage him.

"The Ghost Walking Altar is indeed formidable, but..." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Fourth Miss Zhou added, "Our Shousui man's abilities are still more dependable."

At this point, her initial discomfort had faded, replaced by a growing sense of delight as she watched.

It was commonly said that Negative Spirits countered Shousui; this was why the Tie Jun Great Sword-Catcher was ranked below her. Yet, this Shousui, Hu Ma, also cultivated the Ghost Walking Altar. Standing upon it, he could guard against the Negative Spirit's insidious maneuvers, and thus, he had actually managed to hold his ground against Cui Magu...

The two—one at the Three Mansion Gates realm, the other already at Shangqiao—had clashed for several rounds. The fact that the Shousui man hadn't died was tantamount to a judgment of their relative strength.

But with this exchange, Cui Magu's expression had already changed. The white paper tassels fluttering on her mourning stick suddenly detached and drifted downwards.

Each shred of paper seemed to carry an immense, chilling weight. If even one were to land on a person's head, it felt as if it could draw out their Divine Soul. Even the Magic Altar Hu Ma had set up flickered erratically under their influence.

His altar, though appearing simple, was actually the Ghost Walking Righteous Kill recorded in the Age Suppressing Book, capable of borrowing Heaven and Earth Mana. But now, suppressed by these paper shreds, it seemed to be completely cut off.

It was as if the air around him had been sucked away. Suddenly, he heard endless, bizarre whispers, each trying to bore into his mind. He felt an involuntary heaviness; his limbs grew leaden, his thoughts muddled, and he could barely keep his footing.

This Negative Spirit Great Sword-Catcher, with a single, swift change in tactics, had simultaneously suppressed his Magic Altar and even sealed off the versatile applications of his Shousui abilities.

Within the Magic Altar, he himself was the suppression object, effectively borrowing the Mana of this corner of heaven and earth. Yet, this woman's seemingly effortless strike had actually managed to suppress this very heaven and earth?

His heart tightened. Steeling his resolve, he poured his Three Column Tao into the incense burner. The two and a half columns of Tao that had been Refined by the Purple Tai Sui were incredibly dense and heavy. With this power, he stomped his foot hard. A rolling torrent of baleful qi surged from his saber, instantly spreading in all directions.

Cui Magu's expression shifted slightly. With a gentle wave of her sleeve, she swept the rolling baleful qi into it. Looking at Hu Ma, her brow furrowed slightly.

She murmured to herself, "Those capable of becoming a Great Sword-Catcher are truly no ordinary figures..."

"It's said that in the Walking Ghost Sect, the Great Hall Officers are mere figureheads, while the lesser sword-catchers are the ones who truly take lives. Looking at you now, it seems not all of the Four Great Hall Officials fit that description."

"But I don't have time to waste on you here!"

As she spoke, she gently untied a white ribbon at her cuff and tossed it to the ground. Her sleeve then slowly unfurled, revealing itself to be exceptionally wide, so much so that it trailed on the ground.

As she dragged her sleeve and walked forward, Hu Ma's expression abruptly turned grim. He looked down and saw the flames in the brazier on the altar, as if under an invisible pressure, uncontrollably curling inward towards the center of the Magic Altar, and the flames themselves had turned an eerie, ghostly blue-white.

The incense on the altar was burning at an astonishing rate, as if it would be consumed entirely in mere moments.

The twenty-four altar flags left by Brother Er Guotou were instantly stretched taut by an unseen wind, the threads on the foremost few already showing clear signs of fraying and tearing.

Most terrifyingly, as Cui Magu slowly walked towards the altar, her cold voice followed, "A Seven Mansions Sword-Catcher. This man still has abilities he hasn't used, and he's deliberately trying to stall for time. We cannot afford to drag this out."

As she spoke, her gaze fixed solely on Hu Ma, she said slowly, "So, don't just stand there. Go and kill those people performing the Sacrificial Mountain ritual up ahead. The more you kill, the better. Let's see how he continues to stall then."

...

From the moment she appeared, she had brought seven or eight Negative Spirit minor sword-catchers with her. Now, upon hearing her command, they saluted silently and, as one, rushed towards the Sacrificial Mountain site ahead.

Meanwhile, within the Magic Altar, Hu Ma's face turned cold upon suddenly hearing these words.

Hu Ma was certain this woman hadn't even used thirty percent of her true strength against him.

She seemed to be holding back some truly formidable techniques, unwilling to waste them on a mere "sword-catcher" like him. She was clearly saving them for "Young Master Hu."

Even so, the fight could have continued. But now, without another word, she was resorting to such a vicious tactic?

This woman, with her serene expression, was utterly ruthless and her methods cruel, making decisions without the slightest hesitation.

The Sacrificial Mountain ritual was underway in the village, a rite meant to ward off all evil influences. However, the people from the Negative Spirit Sect, despite carrying ghosts, were still living beings.

Living people could disrupt the sacrificial altar. Indeed, they could potentially slaughter those performing the Sacrificial Mountain and the onlookers, creating a veritable sea of blood. The Mountain Lord and the New Gods could suppress the ghosts these Negative Spirit practitioners carried. However, the practitioners themselves, relying on their genuine abilities, were still far beyond what the ordinary villagers could hope to withstand.