Twilight's Threshold Chapter 498: Beyond Three Pillars - Novel Cool

Chapter 498: Beyond Three Pillars

Chapter 498: Beyond Three Pillars

"Eating the Homeless in the Mystic Path?"

Old Abacus's words caused Hu Ma to pause in his knife sharpening for a moment.

The mere mention of 'eating the homeless' was already startling, and with the addition of 'in the mystic path,' the atmosphere became even more eerie.

Hu Ma's expression remained unchanged, but he slightly lifted his head to look at Old Abacus, smiling faintly before slowly speaking, "Old brother, how do you mean?"

However, upon seeing Hu Ma's smile, Old Abacus couldn't help but sigh softly, looking at Hu Ma seriously, and saying, "What did you understand initially?"

"I..."

Hu Ma hesitated for a moment before slowly explaining, "My friend, he came to me for advice. He also had a guess, probably because he has some family business to inherit, and he's the only one who can inherit it."

"The enemy family had the chance to kill him, but they didn't. Instead, they tampered with his divine soul, and this tampering was so secretive that even the only elder who was with him at the time didn't notice it."

"Perhaps that enemy family used this method, waiting for him to inherit the family business, and then seize his body?"

"..."

He spoke slowly and earnestly, having already suspected this direction from the very beginning when he discovered the anomaly in his divine soul.

However, later, he also realized that the anomaly in his divine soul seemed even more complex. But now, as a descendant of the Hu family, there weren't many people who could be after him, and of course, it could only be the Demon Suppressing Bureau.

"It's not that simple..."

But as Old Abacus listened to his words, he slowly shook his head and sighed, "Your friend, to have guessed all this without anyone's reminder, is quite impressive. But I wonder if he ever considered this question..."

"When he got into trouble, was the elder by his side a mystic path practitioner?"

"..."

"Yes!"

Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly as he nodded slowly, "And that elder was an extremely powerful Phantom Walker."

"If that elder was so powerful, how could they not notice the problem with your friend's divine soul?"

Old Abacus shook his head, his eyes now serious as he looked at Hu Ma, "You don't trust the abilities of that elder very much, do you?"

"Boom!"

This rhetorical question suddenly startled Hu Ma, as if thunder was silently rumbling in his ears. Indeed...

From the moment he discovered the anomaly in his divine soul, he had thought of the Meng family and deduced that they might be after the Demon Suppressing Bureau.

Moreover, after dealing with the Meng family's second young master, this thing had caused trouble several times, even calling upon the old ancestor. This suggested that there was indeed a connection between this thing and the Meng family, or more specifically, with the old ancestor of the Meng family.

But there was one question in his speculation...

Could the old lady have been deceived?

And if she had seen through it, why didn't she...

"Don't underestimate the insight of Phantom Walkers. Each mystic path has its unique strengths, and Phantom Walkers often have an advantage in 'comprehensiveness.' Moreover, after something happens, they will definitely conduct a thorough investigation. It's actually very difficult for them to miss something like this."

Old Abacus sighed softly, "Unfortunately, even if they notice it, they might not have a solution."

"Soul Sealing is the most sinister and toxic method, severely damaging one's yin virtue. Only those who fear nothing dare to use it to harm others."

"Even if your friend's elder noticed it, they might not be able to resolve it. It's very likely that they couldn't find a solution, or perhaps they've already tried their best..."

"..."

Hu Ma's heart trembled as he listened to this. He looked at Old Abacus seriously and said, "Please explain how to understand this matter."

"Some things are beyond your current cultivation level, but you insist on forcing yourself to understand."

Old Abacus shook his head helplessly and said softly, "This matter involves destiny, fortune, and blessings. Your friend's family has suffered such a tragic fate, and it's inevitable that they've incurred heavy karma and fate. But they're almost at their limit."

"Even a family like this, with such a heavy destiny, isn't easy to provoke. If you forcefully reduce their lifespan, you might suffer backlash first..."

"So..."

He paused slightly and continued in a low voice, "It's better to use Soul Sealing to insert impurities into the soul, completely depleting their already diminished blessings. This way, isn't it more straightforward to eat the homeless?"

"Even the reputation would sound better, at least on the surface."

"..."

"Impurities?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Ma's heart trembled, sensing that Old Abacus was hinting at something, and it seemed to be related to some of the things the Meng family's second young master had done.

He hurriedly asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

"Your friend..."

Old Abacus paused, "I don't know him, but I do know that the most impure thing in this world isn't any filth from the mortal realm. In the mystic path, there's a consensus that the most yin and impure thing is..."

"The Shadow Bridge Meng family, the very thing they worship."

"Touching it brings harm, and encountering it shortens one's life... Your friend probably wouldn't encounter it, but if he does, it would be troublesome..."

"..."

Hu Ma's heart was filled with shock as he listened to these words.

As Old Abacus spoke, he paused briefly, as if considering if he had said too much. He shook his head and whispered, "If my guess is correct, the only elder by your friend's side is no longer in this world, right?"

Hu Ma's expression grew somber as he listened. After a long while, he whispered, "Yes."

"That's her response."

Old Abacus sighed softly, saying, "She sacrificed her blessings to return to the ancestral hall to watch over your friend and prevent more calamities from befalling him, ensuring he retains this last bit of fortune."

"Your friend..."

He slowly continued, his gaze shifting to Hu Ma, "Has it been tough for him?"

"It's manageable."

Hu Ma replied slowly, "Just busy."

Old Abacus exhaled steadily, saying, "That's already good. Otherwise, he might have crumbled under the pressure long ago."

Hu Ma fell silent for a moment, his mind flashing back to past events. No wonder the Ghost Matron had returned so abruptly; it was as if she had been forced back by the Meng Family's ghost. At the time, I couldn't see or understand that the ghost was sewn onto my body.

After a long silence, he suppressed his sigh and looked up at Old Abacus, asking, "Since that's the case, what should my friend do?"

Old Abacus paused for a moment, looking at Hu Ma, "Your abilities have grown, and you've developed your own insights. In the art of techniques, you've reached a high level. Since you've come to ask for me on behalf of your friend, you must have an idea in mind..."

"What was your original plan?"

"..."

'Damn, it's Old Abacus...'

Hu Ma couldn't help but feel a bit helpless: 'We've talked this far, why not just be open about it...'

But since they were still adhering to the last line of decency and Old Abacus wasn't really planning to sleep in his bed, he could only use that cover to slowly think it over. "His idea is quite simple."

"If the opponent intends to harm, merely protecting oneself is insufficient. One should borrow strength to strike back, or it's a waste..."

"Have you heard of cultivation beyond the Three Pillar Incense Hour?"

"..."

"Beyond the Three Pillar Incense Hour?"

Old Abacus was visibly startled, whispering, "Does this mean giving up on being human?"

Hu Ma narrowed his eyes at him, neither confirming nor denying.

Old Abacus sighed, "As a human, the limit is the Three Pillar Incense Hour. If an ordinary person cultivates to this level, they are naturally free from a hundred illnesses and can live over a hundred years."

"But if you want to break through this limit, it becomes complicated. You enter a non-human realm, and all sorts of Dharmic Gates are extremely malevolent."

"You're young, so you might not know that in the past, there was the Truth Sect, which specialized in harming others with evil methods."

"Each person they harmed increased their cultivation by one pillar. Their disciples were called 'Pillar Realmen' based on their cultivation. For example, a Ten Pillar Realman had killed ten people!"

"..."

Hu Ma was stunned by this revelation, "Is it that simple?"

"Simple?"

Old Abacus scoffed, "It's about killing, and killing virtuous people, truly virtuous people."

"Moreover, this method is no longer feasible nowadays. With the Grand Duke's descent, chaos reigns, and the Mystic Paths are affected. In the past, killing one person granted you the title of a Pillar Realman, but now, even if you kill a hundred, you might not gain an extra pillar of cultivation..."

"I've heard that some Demons nowadays use blood sacrifice to break through their cultivation, but their methods are all deeply sinful."

"..."

Hu Ma listened with a furrowed brow, "You make it sound so complicated. What about the people from the Ten Aristocratic Families?"

"Hehe, how could they be the same?"

Old Abacus chuckled coldly, "They have their own methods. But those outside the Ten Families can't learn them, and even the fallen Ten Families..."

He paused, looking at Hu Ma, "Can't learn them either!"

Hu Ma observed the old man's mocking expression and fell silent for a moment. "I didn't think that deeply. I consulted a master, and indeed, there's no easy way to break through the Three Pillar Incense Hour."

"I don't understand the killing of virtuous people you mentioned, but I know someone who raised bugs and cultivated to the Five Pillar Incense Hour..."

"Fundamentally, cultivation beyond the Three Pillar Incense Hour involves acting through the surplus of the Divine Soul. And speaking of surplus, my friend... doesn't he have something sewn into him?"

"..."

"Wow..."

They had been talking for a long time when Old Abacus suddenly realized, his body jolted, and he trembled, "So, this was your plan all along?"

(End of Chapter)

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