Twilight's Threshold Chapter 840: The Plot Thickens, Chaos Ensues - Novel Cool

Chapter 840: The Plot Thickens, Chaos Ensues

Chapter 840: The Plot Thickens, Chaos Ensues

Suddenly, Erguotou turned his head, looking at the smile on Red Wine Lady's face, and his heart was filled with shock. "The decisive battle is not here, then where is it?"

"Hasn't Tieguanyin Lady already explained everything? What else is she hiding from us?"

Red Wine Lady seemed slightly anxious, but she narrowed her eyes slightly and said softly, "Although Tieguanyin is trapped in Old Yin Mountain, she has been observing this world. She understands this world the most and has the most ideas."

"When I was in Old Yin Mountain, I talked to her, and even after she went to the capital, we stayed in contact at the Life Spirit Temple. Perhaps she thought I was clever, so she told me a lot about this world."

"Including how to truly fight against the Ten Surnames in this battle!"

"That is..."

Red Wine Lady's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she said in a low voice, "A rebellion from below, a world-shaking slaughter!"

Erguotou's heart was startled just by hearing these eight words, and he looked at Hu Ma, who was single-handedly withstanding the Ancient Well Summoning of Li Family's technique.

Hu Ma had already been deprived of his Nine Pillar Dao Arts by the Li Family Overseer, but he still stared coldly, with only one pillar of incense remaining. However, this last pillar of incense displayed an unimaginable determination, as he remained unmoved and unshaken despite the summoning.

The Li Family's technique was indeed formidable.

The State Tutor had instructed Erguotou to cultivate the Nine Pillar Dao Arts because it represented the limit of the State Tutor's understanding.

The fact that the Li Family could summon the Nine Pillars of Incense with a single call meant that this technique was indeed stronger than the State Tutor's.

But at this moment, Hu Ma still had one pillar of incense left, and he hadn't even fully displayed its true power. Yet, he had stopped.

Because the corner of his eye had already noticed that in the bloodstained pool, the blood energy on Shaodaozi's body had reached a certain level, clearly giving him the confidence to join forces with the Malevolent Wretch to defeat the Divine Bestowed King.

Perhaps the process of defeating him wouldn't be easy, but they had to take action.

"Great Master of Hu Family..."

At this moment, the Li Family Overseer's full attention was also on Hu Ma, and he shouted sternly, "Still not stopping?"

"This technique of the Li Family has been cultivated for twenty years, and it was not meant to be used on a young man like you..."

A sense of regret could be heard in his shout.

The Li Family had cultivated this technique for twenty years, of course, not intending to use it on Hu Ma, or even on anyone else.

The key to the Ancient Well Summoning technique was intimidation, not actually attacking anyone. Its greatest strength lay in accumulation, so when it erupted, no one dared to underestimate its power.

In fact, it had already been used once, and even if it was sealed again, its power and intimidation would be greatly reduced.

But having it was better than nothing, and he still wanted Hu Ma to admit defeat and then seal the well.

However, facing his warning filled with bitterness, Hu Ma completely ignored him. His gaze had already turned towards Red Wine Lady, and his heart understood that what Red Wine Lady wanted to do was different from what she had initially said.

"Tieguanyin said that they had all taken the wrong path."

At this moment, Red Wine Lady also looked at Hu Ma calmly and said softly, "Including the State Tutor, he studied the Reincarnators too closely, so he also took the wrong path."

"But only you still have the hope of taking the right path. So, with the first scene taken down by the Reincarnators, we will give you a great gift!"

"Catch it!"

"..."

As she spoke, her expression suddenly turned cold, and her ten fingers blossomed like lotus flowers, slowly forming a hand seal.

Then, she raised her eyes to look at the Blood Pool and called out softly, "Shaodaozi."

"It's starting!"

"Shua!"

Almost as soon as Red Wine Lady called out Shaodaozi's name, the young man suddenly opened his eyes. In his eyes, there were two silver needles, one positive and one negative, which melted as Red Wine Lady cast her spell.

In an instant, he remembered who he was and understood the situation, his surroundings, and where he was.

The shadows from their respective histories faded from his body, but the endless blood energy empowered by the Blood Pool still remained. As the shadow disappeared, this infinite blood energy suddenly fell into emptiness, like a rootless tree.

Or like a towering wave, suspended in the sea.

Hu Ma's voice, at this moment, became hoarse, "You..."

Red Wine Lady looked at Hu Ma and smiled, "You knew from the start that only by doing this could you possibly win the battle against the Ten Surnames, right?"

"Don't think of carrying everything on your own. Don't even think of defeating the Ten Surnames with a hundred pillars of incense, as you can't even lift them."

"Don't think that by truly defeating the Ten Surnames, you can change heaven and earth."

"To create a new heaven, this world must bleed..."

"..."

"..."

As Hu Ma listened, his initial suppressed emotions surged, and his blood boiled, but in the end, it turned into a sigh. He raised his head and looked towards the mortal world.

In the Netherworld and the mortal world, time flowed differently. The Blood Pool, located in the deepest part of the Netherworld, caused time to slow down. During this battle, six or seven days had already passed in the mortal world.

At Tiger Pass, the Three Allied Armies had been engaged in fierce battles for several days and were in a dire situation.

During the day, the Quzhou sorcerers, the Punishing Soul Sect's experts, and the powerful private soldiers and generals of the aristocratic families guarded the pass. The Three Allied Armies sent troops to attack, and this side naturally had people to receive them. The two sides took turns defending and attacking, fighting and killing, using all their abilities, leaving onlookers dazzled.

Among the Punishing Soul Sect, the Immortal Warrior appeared, his body pierced with three transparent holes, yet he could still kill two more people before falling.

Among the Three Armies Alliance, there was the Firecloud General, with his red cape billowing as he charged forward, his flames burning fiercely, turning his enemies into ashes.

Inside Tiger Pass, there was someone who kept a Ghost General by his side, suppressing their opponents and not allowing them to raise their heads.

Outside Tiger Pass, someone had invited the Pond Deity to sit in town, dispelling evil and filth, slaying ghosts and demons.

On this side, there was a Name Caller, and as long as he called out the name of his opponent, no matter how powerful or strong they were, they would become silent corpses overnight.

On the other side, someone took out a black lantern and shone it on the Name Caller when he was calling out names, causing the caller's tongue to develop a malignant ulcer. Although his mouth was open, he could only call out his own name.

You cast curses, I cast Gu.

You have an army of evil ghosts, and I have the essence of mountain spirits.

Both sides are filled with various experts, each displaying their extraordinary abilities. After several days of intense battles, neither side could gain a clear advantage.

In the end, the Tiger Pass is home to the Punishing Soul Sect, filled with experts, each with exceptional and profound skills. On the other side, the Three Allied Armies consist of reincarnators and Bull-Not-Eater disciples from various sects, all with unique abilities and limitless magical techniques. The battle was fierce, with both sides evenly matched.

However, what troubled the Three Allied Armies the most was the Vajra Army within Tiger Pass.

Every night, they would launch fierce attacks, their blood qi overwhelming, making it difficult to resist.

On the first day, the Grain Guard Army and the Yin General fought desperately to hold them off, enduring an entire night.

The second day, a skilled strategist arrived with a plan, distributing green talismans to be pasted on the army camps, preventing the Vajra Army from locating them.

On the third day, the Blood Vajra Army did not leave the pass, seemingly having gone elsewhere.

On the fourth day, the Blood Vajra Army's blood qi surged even stronger, and they poured out of the pass like a dark, overwhelming force. Their momentum seemed to suggest that they would annihilate the Three Armies Alliance in one fell swoop. Fortunately, someone brought a hundred carts of straw, setting up a grand Soul-Confusing Formation, causing the Vajra Army to spend the night cutting grass.

Night after night, they endured, barely holding on, but their situation was dire and bitterly difficult.

After all, even with numerous experts and ingenious strategies, the Punishing Soul Sect's experts were not to be underestimated. Any tactic used by the Three Armies Alliance would be seen through by the next day, and they would make corresponding arrangements.

Some methods that could evade the Blood Vajra Army could only be used once, and as the days passed, everyone's minds were exhausted...

When it came to counterattacking the Blood Vajra Army, their blood qi broke through all tactics, leaving the Three Armies Alliance helpless.

"It's a shame that we agreed that whoever defeats the Divine Bestowed King would become the leader of the Three Armies Alliance, allowing us to cooperate and challenge the heroes of the world. Now, we've all become mere decorations?"

In the tent of the Grain Guard Army, Yang Gong had lost the heroic spirit he had when he first left Mingzhou. With a bitter smile, he said, "In this battle, we rely on various experts to help us survive each night and capture each formation."

"We pretend to be in charge, giving orders from above, but what can we really do?"

"We can only drum up support and urge for more provisions and supplies."

"..."

"Even urging for provisions and supplies to stabilize the troops is challenging."

Speaking was Xu Xiangzhu, the former leader of the Red Lantern Lady Association, and now the overall commander of the Grain Guard Army. With a bitter smile, he said, "When we left Mingzhou, we first fought in Huzhou and then reached Tiger Pass."

"Because in Huzhou, we didn't receive much grain. All the food, drink, and supplies we have are what we brought from Mingzhou. Along the way, we've consumed a lot, and now, stuck at Tiger Pass, we have very little left..."

"Moreover, the grain transported from Mingzhou was also robbed by bandits on the way here, with only one-tenth of it reaching us."

"If this stalemate continues, we might all go hungry."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Gong and the others were shocked. "There are bandits stealing grain?"

The army was currently engaged in bitter battles day and night at Tiger Pass. The thought of running out of provisions and supplies was unimaginable.

"They're everywhere."

Xu Wensheng sighed softly, "It's still late spring, and it's a long way until the autumn harvest. There are many rebels and bandits in the surrounding areas. Do you know why the Divine Bestowed King was so kind as to open the passes, allowing us to advance to Tiger Pass and gain half of Quzhou?"

"Precisely because it's chaotic outside the pass!"

"We're blocked at Tiger Pass, with the Divine Bestowed King's Blood Vajra Army in front and bandits and rebels from eight prefectures and twenty counties behind us. Wherever we transport provisions, they are looted."

"Fortunately, the Bull-Not-Eater disciples have spread the reputation of the Grain Guard Army far and wide."

"Now, the eight prefectures and twenty counties outside Tiger Pass have many aristocratic families and powerful clans willing to provide grain, but they also suffer from the bandits' grain raids. They've set a condition, asking the Grain Guard Army to eliminate these rebels first."

"..."

Xu Wensheng was overjoyed, "This is great news! Not only do we get grain, but to achieve great things, we need their support."

"Look at the rising dragons and snakes in various places, each backed by numerous influential figures."

"Previously, our reputation was poor, and the aristocrats often treated us as common bandits. This time, we can take the opportunity to improve our reputation."

"..."

Provisions and supplies were of utmost importance. With this in mind, Yang Gong and the others decided to eliminate the bandits. Since the Iron Gate Army and the White Armor Army were not very useful at Tiger Pass, they each dispatched a thousand elite troops, who quickly arrived at a valley.

They had already negotiated with the aristocratic families of the eight prefectures and twenty counties: as long as they eliminated the bandits, they would immediately gather provisions.

However, when they saw the bandits, the soldiers' blades suddenly froze.

"You're telling me these are bandits?"

Yang Gong slowly lowered his blade, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at those around him.

He indeed didn't see any bandits; instead, he saw mountains filled with raggedly dressed people covered in dry grass.

He saw their fearful eyes, women with pale faces like straw dolls, and children moving with fear to block the pot of thin porridge behind them.

These weren't bandits; they were just people who couldn't find food.

Yang Gong understood; he had been one of them.

But amidst the silence, a voice suddenly spoke up, and a figure walked out, his gaze sweeping over the people as he said, "Yes, they are bandits."

"These people robbed our army's grain, and these are the people considered bandits by the eight prefectures and twenty counties."

"If you want provisions, you must kill them."

"..."

In that instant, Yang Gong's eyes turned red, and he raised his blade, pointing it at the speaker, "Who are you? How dare you say such things?"

"You can call me Green Ant Wine."

The newcomer smiled, "Previously, I also provided a strategy for your Grain Guard Army to avoid a night of slaughter by the Blood Vajra Army. It's easy for me to help you evade them for a night, but to truly deal with the Blood Vajra Army, you must face this problem."

"The world's grain supply is simply insufficient."

He slowly raised his head, looking at Yang Gong, "Not to mention elsewhere, but right here outside Tiger Pass, in the eight prefectures and twenty counties, there are at least a million people destined to starve to death before the autumn harvest, and at least three-tenths of them will be among these people."

"What do you think they are?

"As he spoke, he swept his gaze over the raggedly-dressed people with terrified eyes, his voice suddenly lowering, 'Such people exist within Tiger Pass, outside Tiger Pass, and all across the land.'

'In the eyes of those who are determined to seize control, they have a special name...'

'Excess!'

'...'

At this point, he paused, and said, 'Because the world's burden is growing lighter, the food supply is destined to be insufficient, and so they can only starve to death.'

'And before they starve, they dare to do anything—steal military rations, storm the government offices, like locusts and flies, not part of any grand strategy, they only ruin the plans of the Grass Head Kings vying for dominance. They are already outside the plans of this world.'

'So, they are excess.'

'Whether inside or outside Tiger Pass, if you want to stabilize the situation, you must first clear out this excess.'

'Inside Tiger Pass, there are those who take care of this, resolving the troubles for the aristocratic families, so although the Divine Bestowed King is cruel, he is greatly supported. When he decided to guard Tiger Pass, private soldiers and aristocrats all came.'

He slowly withdrew his gaze, landing it on Yang Gong's face, 'Then, who will do this outside Tiger Pass?'

'Or, shall we just wait here, for that heir of the Hu family to run into the Netherworld and, with his own strength, wipe out the three thousand Blood Vajra within Tiger Pass?'

'...'

Yang Gong was momentarily stunned, and the hand holding his knife began to tremble.

He looked at the group of bandits, seeing only hollow eyes, and felt the world between heaven and earth turn a bleak yellow, all of it reflecting in his own eyes.

For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly thought back to when he was fighting the hungry ghosts in Mingzhou, when he was a hero, his blood boiling, and even if he lost his life, it would be worth it. But when he killed the Heavenly Mandate General, he felt something strange for the first time.

The Heavenly Mandate General said he envied him.

His sword had severed the general's head, but there was no hatred in his eyes, only a sense of relief.

No one spoke, but someone secretly glanced at the strategist who had offered the plan, and their eyes revealed a look of suspicion.

But the Military Advisor Iron Mouth recognized his identity and only shook his head slowly.

After a long time, Yang Gong suddenly dismounted, took a few steps forward, and walked into the group of bandits, seeing the pot they used to cook porridge.

Then he looked up, towards the countless emaciated figures waiting for their share of porridge.

He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, 'So, is the food in this world truly insufficient?'

No one answered him, all feeling the truth was too cruel.

But at that moment, someone sighed softly, 'No, there is enough food.'

'Huala!'

Countless people turned their heads, seeing a man and a woman approaching, both exuding a mysterious aura. The crowd recognized them as the talented individuals who had recently been a great help in the army.

One was called Old Millet, and the other, Ice Burning Jade, both known for their mysterious ways. But now, as they walked slowly, it was clear they had been waiting for this moment.

Old Millet spoke, his voice low, 'I've recently investigated both inside and outside the pass.'

'There is enough food.'

'It's all in the granaries of the aristocratic families in the eight counties and twenty towns, so not only will they not starve, but they can even supply the army.'

'These people don't necessarily have to be excess. If we can open their granaries and distribute the food, we can make it to the autumn harvest, and not so many will starve.'

'...'

The Military Advisor Iron Mouth's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, his lips trembling as he realized the truth.

'Not just inside and outside Tiger Pass, but also on the West Mountain Path?'

The woman beside Old Millet said calmly, 'It's like this all across the land.'

'The world's burden is indeed lightening, and food is scarce, but at least there's enough for everyone to have a full meal. To bring about this new world, it's up to you to see who dares to be the first to take the food!'

Their words were too grand, leaving the crowd speechless. Yang Gong, under the gaze of the crowd, remained silent for a long time, then suddenly stood up, mounted his horse, and returned to the camp. He didn't appear for half a day.

Only when the sun was setting, after half a day had passed, did he suddenly invite Iron Gate King Zhou Datong into his tent. Zhou Datong's eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed like a changed man after half a day.

There was wine on the table, and he was already drunk.

Seeing Zhou Datong, he suddenly laughed, 'Brother, after entering the pass, you should be the one to lead this alliance!'

'It was Brother Hu who helped me change my fate, and I can even become an emperor. I've started to dream, thinking I could just wait in the tent, and the emperor's position would fall into my lap.'

'But now it seems, it's not that simple.'

'Brother Hu once passed me the Heavenly Book, so I understand the principles. He's not so generous as to give away the emperor's position, but someone must take it.'

'He chose me because of my background, but now, because of my background, I must first do something else...'

As he spoke, he stood up, and Zhou Datong reached out to grab him, but he broke free.

Outside the tent, countless people were waiting, including the Military Advisor Iron Mouth from the Grain Guard Army, and in the darkness, countless pairs of bright, sinister eyes.

Amidst these countless gazes, Yang Gong took a big step forward, then slowly held the knife that Hu Ma had given him.

The blade reflected the light from the surrounding fire pits, and then into his bloodshot eyes.

Yang Gong opened his mouth, 'When I left Mingzhou, I boasted that as long as the Grain Guard Army was there, no one would starve.'

'Now, it's time for me to make good on that promise.'

'Let's go!'

'Take up your weapons, tonight we begin our massacre...'

'...'

'...'

In the Netherworld, the Li Family Head was initially focused on his competition with Hu Ma, but suddenly felt something, and abruptly looked up, as if the bloodlight from the mortal world had seeped into the Nine Netherworld.

The blood pool surged, and the Nine Netherworld trembled.

He suddenly understood, and exclaimed, 'You...what have you done?'

Hu Ma turned to look at him, his voice weak, 'You keep talking about wanting to duel...'

'But this great slaughter, can your Li Family stop it?'

'Even if all ten surnames come together, they can't block it!'

(End of Chapter)

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