Blind Ghostwriter: Starts with the full level of Nine Yang Magic Skill

Chapter 250 Gu Mo Opens His Eyes (1-word long chapter, please vote!)

Below the viewing platform, dozens of maids suddenly tossed their sleeves in unison. Their wide, white sleeves unfurled like butterfly wings, and twelve clusters of crabapple blossoms burst open, their crimson petals, laden with morning dew, soaring into the air and refracting tiny rainbows in the sunlight. The wind suddenly picked up, and the swirling petals abruptly froze, as if drawn by invisible threads, outlining human figures in the void.

A figure appeared, none other than the already dead Su Qianqiu, dressed in white with white hair, ethereal as an immortal. He landed lightly on the top of the jade carriage and calmly said, "My soul can only remain in the world for two hours. It will be officially reborn seven days later."

"The Celestial Venerable descends to earth to slay demons and vanquish evil!"

"The Celestial Venerable descends to earth to slay demons and vanquish evil!"

"..."

The common people all knelt down and kowtowed, shouting wildly, their eyes filled with fanaticism.

Su Ziyou and the others felt that if Su Qianqiu were to say at that moment, "Those who commit suicide can attain enlightenment and stay by his side," a large number of people would probably actually commit suicide on the spot.

"I'm not even going to act anymore!"

Gu Mo cursed under his breath.

He learned something new today. In a country like Southern Jin, where faith is paramount, there's no need to talk about evidence or laws.

Su Qianqiu's words are the supreme iron law.

He had just pretended to be dead in front of everyone, and then reappeared after being exposed. Yet he could easily explain it away with a simple "divine soul descending to earth," fabricating an obvious lie about "rebirth in seven days," which no one could refute, and everyone would believe it.

In the Southern Jin Dynasty, Su Qianqiu was truly a god.

"If you lose, how will you end this today, Celestial Venerable Liji?" Gu Mo transmitted his voice to Su Qianqiu.

Su Qianqiu smiled at Gu Mo and replied telepathically, "Young man, I admire you. The next fifty years will be your era in the martial world. However, you are still at least ten years away from catching up with me. Young man, you should know that the current brilliance of the martial world is due to ninety percent of my glory."

Gu Mo said, "You're really putting on an act. Someone who doesn't even have the heart of an invincible person, are you saying these flirtatious things to cover up your inner cowardice?"

Su Qianqiu chuckled and said, "Let's go to Mingyue Mountain for a battle. In today's situation, either you defeat me and things will end the way you want, or I defeat you and things will end the way I want. Sigh, I heard you came to Jin a few days ago and guessed that we might have to fight. It seems we can't avoid it."

After saying that, Su Qianqiu reached out and pulled a pure white longsword from the jade carriage, then grabbed the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage. Immediately, he flew towards Bright Moon Mountain.

Gu Mo reached out and pulled the Heavenly Demon Harp from Gu Chudong's book box. Then, he disappeared instantly, appearing a hundred feet away in a flash. In just two or three breaths, he arrived at Bright Moon Mountain.

Meanwhile, Su Qianqiu, who had arrived earlier, had only just reached the foot of the mountain.

"What amazing movement techniques!"

Su Qianqiu exclaimed in admiration, put on the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage, then took to the air, flew to the mountaintop, and lightly landed on a boulder.

At this moment, there are three people on Mingyue Mountain.

Besides Gu Mo and Su Qianqiu, there was also Master Liansheng, who was originally scheduled to fight Su Qianqiu.

Gu Mo and Su Qianqiu both looked at Master Liansheng.

“Amitabha,” Master Liansheng slowly rose, put his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, “This humble monk greets Sword God Su and Hero Gu.”

Gu Mo said, "I met the master in Qianqiu Town a few days ago. I was very puzzled at the time. The master clearly came to Jin Kingdom to challenge Su Qianqiu, but he had no fighting spirit at all. Today I understand that the master came here to play along and had no intention of fighting at all."

Master Liansheng smiled and said, "Hero Gu, you are wise. Sword Master Su's martial arts are divine. How could I possibly be his match? How could I dare to do something so ignorant? As a monk, I should not do such a thing. However, I owe a favor to the royal family of Chu, and I must repay it."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "I can understand. People in the martial world are not free to do as they please. Although you are a highly accomplished monk, you are still human and cannot escape the rules of the world."

"This humble monk is ashamed." Master Liansheng bowed and continued, "Today, I'm afraid I will offend Hero Gu again. The current situation is somewhat expected, so in order to ensure that things can proceed, the Princess instructed this humble monk to help Sword God Su defeat Hero Gu!"

At this moment,
A voice transmission appeared, it was Princess Xiao Ziyin of Chu: "Hero Gu, the situation today is actually very clear. Our Chu Kingdom has a plan, so we cooperated with the Su family, and you represent the Qian Kingdom to sabotage our plan."

Of course, we can't just stand by and watch you ruin the plan; we'll have to take action. So, this is just us each doing what we should from our own perspectives. Privately, we'll continue to be friends.

Master Liansheng continued, “Hero Gu, although I wish to stop you, I have no intention of making an enemy of you. I will stop here when it is too late. To be honest, the next few decades will be your era in the martial arts world, and I cannot afford to offend you. However, given the current situation, I have no choice but to take action for the public good.”

Su Qianqiu curled his lip and said, "Monk Liansheng, you are a leader of Buddhism and a holy monk. How can you be so cowardly? You're about to fight with a mere young man. Are you afraid of offending him? Aren't you ashamed?"

“Amitabha,” Master Liansheng said with delight, “Sword God Su, do you mean you are absolutely confident that you can defeat Hero Gu without my help? That’s wonderful! I really can’t afford to offend Hero Gu. To be honest, in the past few days, in my future sutras, I have fought Hero Gu twelve times and been beaten thirteen times. I really have no chance of winning.”

Su Qianqiu asked in confusion, "How could I have been beaten thirteen times when we fought twelve times?"

Master Liansheng said, “In one future prediction, I was not convinced and set the battle location in the Great Bright Temple. First, I was attacked in a normal battle, and then I was attacked again with the help of the Great Bright Temple’s protective formation.”

Su Qianqiu: "..."

Master Liansheng continued, "Since Sword Master Su is absolutely confident that he can defeat Hero Gu, this humble monk will not stand in my way any longer and will leave now."

A smile visibly appeared on Master Liansheng's face, clearly a genuine expression of joy. However, the next moment, his smile froze.

Because Su Qianqiu suddenly said, "You should keep it as a backup plan for me; I'm not entirely confident either!"

Then, Su Qianqiu looked at Gu Mo and said, "Gu Mo, I'm an old man, remember to stop when you've gone too far!"

Gu Mo looked bewildered and said, "Wait, weren't you quite arrogant over there just now? Saying that it would take me at least ten years to catch up with you, what happened now?"

“I still think so,” Su Qianqiu said. “I still believe it will take you at least ten years to catch up with me. But can I live a few more years? Youth has its advantages. What will I do if you come to fight me in ten years?”

Gu Mo said in a deep voice, "From what you're saying, you're not planning to kill me yet?"

Su Qianqiu chuckled and said, "We don't have that much of a grudge between us. In the end, it's just that we have different stances. As a citizen of Qian Kingdom, you stand on the side of Emperor Jin. But who knows, one day the situation in the world might change, and you might stand on the opposite side of Emperor Jin, while I stand on the side of Emperor Jin. It's all possible."

Beyond our differing stances, as the national hero personally appointed by Emperor Qian, killing you would be tantamount to declaring war on the Qian Kingdom. After all, in our duel, killing each other, whether it's you killing me or me killing you, is highly improbable. Therefore, my killing you would necessarily involve a pre-arranged ambush and a large-scale military encirclement—what difference is there between that and a declaration of war?

Gu Mo asked, "You've already cooperated with the Chu Kingdom, so why are you afraid of declaring war on the Qian Kingdom?"

Su Qianqiu shook his head and said, "Cooperating with the Chu Kingdom does not mean that we should betray our alliance with the Qian Kingdom."

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "I really don't understand. What are you thinking? With your reputation in Jin, you could easily seize power from the Su family with just a word. Why go through all this trouble?"

Su Qianqiu said, "Naturally, it's to elevate my divine status in the Jin Kingdom to a higher level, so that from now on, there will be no possibility of me falling from my pedestal. I don't want the Su family to seize power, but only to change the current power structure of the Jin Kingdom."

Gu Mo nodded and said, "I see it. It's a religious belief system. The Thousand Autumns Sect rules the country, the emperor becomes the symbol, the sect leader appoints the emperor, and the Supreme Celestial Venerable, who is unseen by the world, appoints each generation of sect leader."

Su Qianqiu nodded and said, "If I were to directly announce the establishment of the Qianqiu Sect and use it to govern the country, there would be two drawbacks. First, it would inevitably encounter resistance from the royal family. Even if the resistance is not strong, it would still cause some trouble and would have a certain impact on my reputation. Second, my divine authority would not be elevated, and it would also provoke the royalists to oppose me fiercely."

Gu Mo asked, "Why do you want to change the power structure?"

Su Qianqiu said, "It wasn't my idea. Initially, I didn't know about the Qianqiu Cult. It was five years ago that I learned that someone was using the Qianqiu Cult as a cover to seize land and using the cult for protection, leaving even the emperor helpless."

I immediately went down the mountain to investigate, and eventually discovered that the leader of the Thousand Autumns Cult was Su Wanguan, the current head of the Su family. I was prepared to kill him as a warning to others, but he eventually persuaded me.

The Emperor of Chu was a born sage, possessing great talent and ambition, and his aspirations were known to all. His march toward unifying the world was unstoppable, and the State of Jin was even less likely to be able to resist. I am almost eighty years old, and I don't know how many more years I have left to live.

Our state of Jin, situated in a remote corner, can never produce a powerful and ambitious ruler. Once I die, Jin will inevitably face the loss of its borders. At that time, Jin will truly perish.

Therefore, Su Wanguan proposed another way to save himself: a religious system of governance, making all the people believers and making him a true "god." In this way, even after his death, the faith could unite the entire nation and defend the country's borders.

If, during that process, a savior capable of withstanding the Chu cavalry fails to appear, and the State of Jin is truly conquered, it can still preserve its flame through faith. Even if the land is shattered, as long as some people still believe in the existence of Jin, then Jin still exists. Only when everyone forgets their nation will it truly mean its demise.

Speaking of which,

Su Qianqiu sighed and said, "If it were ten years ago, I would have killed Su Wanguan without hesitation. But five years ago, I could clearly feel my body starting to age. So, in the end, I agreed to Su Wanguan's belief in governing the country through faith and secretly helped him, which is why the influence of the Qianqiu Sect has grown to its current level."

Gu Mo asked doubtfully, "I heard from Master Zhang before that you don't have a strong sense of national responsibility, and you don't care much about the Su family."

Su Qianqiu sighed and said, "This is the struggle between humanity and divinity in martial arts. Gu Mo, when your divinity is dominant, never let your humanity take the lead. Once your humanity takes the lead, you will become more and more like a human, and then your emotional entanglements will increase until your divinity disappears and you are all human."

Back then, I was primarily divine when I walked the earth. It was only because I owed the old emperor a favor and promised to guard the country's borders for him that I met my comrades, witnessed glory, and saw countless sacrifices. My humanity began to grow wildly.

Later, the royal family found my surviving bloodline—the child born to my beloved from my youth. I didn't know this; she never bothered me until her death, because she knew I was devoted to martial arts and didn't want to disturb me. So, when the child she bore appeared before me, I felt guilt and regret again, my humanity grew anew, and the Su family was born. Family and country firmly suppressed my divinity until it vanished.

This is the main reason why I can never become the best in the world. My concerns mean I cannot possess an invincible spirit, and therefore, I cannot become the best. The best in the world is a god, not a human!

Gu Mo nodded and asked, "So, according to what you're saying, all this trouble you've gone through is for the sake of governing the country through religion, to resist the State of Chu. Then why would the State of Chu cooperate with you in this charade? Isn't it just asking for trouble?"

Su Qianqiu said, "There are two reasons. First, the State of Chu established the pseudo-State of Jin in the north. They cooperated with our religious rule and suppressed imperial power, which is equivalent to helping the pseudo-State of Jin become legitimate. And the pseudo-State of Jin is controlled by the State of Chu. Once the pseudo-State of Jin becomes legitimate, the State of Chu will truly and smoothly rule the north."

The second reason is that the Chu emperor was a truly ambitious and capable ruler with immense power. He firmly believed he could break through the gates of our Jin state, even if it was governed by religion. At that time, the puppet state of Jin they supported was the legitimate Jin state, which made it easier for them to occupy our Jin state.

In summary, we each had our own considerations regarding this matter, and we all felt it was in our own best interest. From our respective perspectives, it was indeed a win-win situation, so we quickly reached an agreement!

Gu Mo nodded and said, "I understand, but I will still stop you. First, from a public perspective, as a citizen of Qian, I cannot watch you cooperate with Chu. If it happens once, it will happen again. We don't trust this inexplicable Qianqiu Sect. We trust Emperor Jin, whose interests are completely aligned with ours."

Secondly, on a personal level, I was a ghostwriter, while Su Wanguan was a wanted criminal, and I was determined to bring him to justice.

Su Qianqiu chuckled and said, "Your conviction as the ghostwriter is truly strong!"

Gu Mo asked, "I'm curious, if you get defeated later, how will you handle it?"

Su Qianqiu gave a thumbs up and said, "Now I truly believe you have the potential to become the number one in the world. You really have the heart of an invincible person. You actually think you can win even if I and Monk Liansheng join forces?"

"I can." Gu Mo's tone was calm and left no room for doubt.

Su Qianqiu pointed down the mountain and said, "I had a suspicion before that a battle with you might be unavoidable, so I made special preparations. There are two thousand heavy cavalry, five thousand light cavalry, and tens of thousands of elite soldiers down the mountain. These people are not meant to deal with the emperor; they have been prepared from the beginning to deal with you."

"I possess a sword called Guardian of the Nation's Gate. I created it when I repelled the Chu army. It can draw upon the battle aura of the army to transform into my sword. Therefore, today you will face not only me and the monk Liansheng, but also two thousand heavy cavalry, five thousand light cavalry, and tens of thousands of elite soldiers. Do you think you can still win?"

"We can win!" Gu Mo said.

“If you can win today, you will truly be the best in the world. Even if Jiang Ruoxu were alive, I don’t think he could beat you,” Su Qianqiu said.

Gu Mo slowly said, "Today I intend to prove to the world that I am the best in the world. Although I always say that I don't have much ambition for fame and fortune, what man in the world can resist the temptation of being the best in the world?"

Su Qianqiu said, "Yes, who could refuse? If I weren't afraid, why would I have only ever dared to call myself second in the world? Gu Mo, if you can really win, then fight without hesitation. Don't worry about the aftermath, and don't worry about whether it will shake the Jin Kingdom."

"Don't worry, I can't be swayed. At worst, I'll put on another show of my soul returning home, and before leaving, I'll say that you are the reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor, specially sent to help me overcome this tribulation. Today's tribulation is a tribulation of the nation's fate. I was deceived and wronged the emperor, almost causing the nation's fate to collapse. The Heavenly Emperor has come to set things right."

Gu Mo laughed and said, "Your grandson is in danger?"

"The struggle for power has always been like this," Su Qianqiu said. "Today, if you lose, the imperial power will fall into the wrong hands, and the Emperor of Jin will be trapped in Qianqiu Mountain from now on. This is the price. But if I lose, the imperial prestige will rise greatly, and whether Su Wanguan becomes a prisoner or dies, this will also be his price!"

Gu Mo said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, then let's fight!"

……

Today's weather is unusual, with snowflakes falling gently, but there is also a faint sunlight in the sky, and there is already snow on the top of Mingyue Mountain.

Mingyue Mountain is not high. The two peaks are like two crescent moons coming together. Su Qianqiu stood with his hands behind his back on the boulder. His snow-white robe was lifted by the mountain wind. The "Qianqiu" sword at his waist, whose scabbard was covered with frost, trembled gently as his robe fluttered.

Gu Mo held the Heavenly Demon Zither in one hand and placed the other hand on the strings. The body of the zither was as black as if it had been tempered with the deathly aura of the underworld for thousands of years, and the seven silk strings shimmered with a ghostly blue arc under his fingertips.

The two men each stood on a hilltop, appearing very close from a distance, but in reality, they were only twenty or thirty feet apart.

Meanwhile, Master Liansheng on the other side radiated a glow and murmured, "Amitabha."

"war!"

The moment Su Qianqiu spoke, the "Qianqiu" sword, like a dragon awakened from hibernation, burst forth with a three-inch-long, cold gleam from its sheath. The frosty sword light, carrying the sword intent of thousands of years, was like the Milky Way cascading down from the heavens. The chilling waterfall of light stretched across the two mountains like a ribbon, cleaving the rolling sea of ​​clouds. Even the sky was illuminated by this sharp light, and the surrounding air hissed as if it had been scorched and cracked by the sword energy.

"Zheng..."

Gu Mo's dark-colored Heavenly Demon Zither trembled as his fingertips pressed down on the strings with the force of a thousand pounds. In an instant, seven solid sound waves tore through the void, like seven black iron swords piercing through the air, heading straight for the inverted Milky Way with overwhelming force.

In an instant, the sword light, as sharp as a bolt of lightning, exploded with a deafening roar. Thousands of fine, thread-like sword energies burst forth, intertwining and swirling in the air, instantly weaving a sword net gleaming with a chilling, eerie light. Each thread was entwined with a captivating sword intent, sealing the entire sky tightly, as if it were about to crush all life in the world within it.

Gu Mo remained expressionless as his palms danced across the strings like afterimages, resembling thousands of butterflies fluttering their wings.

"Zhengzhengzheng..."

The Heavenly Demon Harp suddenly emitted a piercing shriek, as sharp as shattering gold and jade. The sound waves solidified into jet-black blades, causing the void to tremble wherever they passed. The sword net woven from thousands of sword energies crumbled inch by inch, like thin ice meeting fire. The powerful sound waves crashed into Eagle Beak Rock, causing the accumulated snow and rubble to explode with a deafening roar, and white mist rose up, blotting out the sun.

Su Qianqiu lightly touched the snowflakes with her toes, transforming herself into a drifting cloud, gracefully gliding across the bottomless abyss between the two peaks. The Thousand Autumn Sword cleaved through the sky, its sword energy, like an inverted Milky Way, carrying overwhelming sword intent, cascading down, distorting the air wherever it passed, and pulverizing the clouds along its path.

However, just as the sword was about to touch the Sunrise Viewing Platform, Gu Mo's figure vanished like wisps of smoke.

Su Qianqiu's pupils shrank suddenly, and his sword intent froze abruptly—just a moment ago, he had not been able to detect the slightest trace of the flow of energy, nor any sonic fluctuations or traces of lightness skill. He simply vanished from the spot without warning, as if he had never existed.

The mountain wind swept across the empty viewing platform, leaving only the lingering hum of the Heavenly Demon Harp echoing between the two peaks, startling the snowflakes that had been lying dormant all over the mountain.

Master Liansheng, standing at a distance, exclaimed in surprise, "Taoist supernatural powers that can reach the ends of the earth in an instant? That doesn't seem quite right!"

The moment the mountain wind stopped, ethereal zither music drifted down from the heavens like a ghost.

Su Qianqiu's pupils contracted slightly as she looked up to see Gu Mo floating in the void, the Heavenly Demon Harp trembling incessantly in his arms, its dark sound waves carrying stardust as they poured down, like a celestial river bursting its banks and flooding the world. "What incredible movement technique!"

Su Qianqiu's white hair flew wildly, and a rare fervor shone in her eyes. This was the second time she had praised Gu Mo's "Harmony with the World" teleportation technique.

With a sigh of praise, Su Qianqiu spun his palm, and the thousands of sword energies that had just dissipated condensed into a three-foot-long green blade in an instant, like crows returning to their nests.

As the "Opening Heaven" sword technique was initiated, the frosty sword light pierced the sky, actually outlining half of an ancient landscape painting in the void. It was the starting stance of a sword technique that had been passed down through the ages, yet it contained a majestic sword intent capable of shattering heaven and earth.

The moment the two attacks collided, the entire mountain trembled violently, and rocks flew like willow catkins.

The eerie blue sound waves emanating from the Heavenly Demon Harp collided with the sword energy, unleashing dazzling lightning.

The shockwave swept across, and the summit of the secondary peak was as if cleaved in two by a giant axe. Huge rocks collapsed with a roar, and rubble mixed with snow poured down, stirring up a cloud of white mist in the valley.

Gu Mo used the momentum to fly backward for more than ten zhang, landing on the saddle between the two peaks. His clothes fluttered in the wind, leaving a tear.

Meanwhile, Su Qianqiu's snow-white robe had three charred sword marks—the marks from when the music and sword energy clashed, and he was burned by the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon Harp.

At this moment, the Thousand Autumn Sword in Su Qianqiu's hand was buzzing, and countless tiny sword shadows appeared on the sword, swirling around Su Qianqiu as if ten thousand swords were returning to their origin.

Su Qianqiu's figure had already transformed into thousands of sword lights, enveloping Gu Mo like a torrential downpour.

Gu Mo neither dodged nor avoided, with his harp beside him. He pressed one hand on the body of the harp and pulled the strings with the other, and the eerie blue light emanating from the strings solidified into a tangible form.

Two earth-shattering shockwaves collided at the summit of Mingyue Mountain, causing the snow on both peaks to collapse simultaneously, sweeping through the valley like a reversed Milky Way.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Mo and Su Qianqiu flew into the air at the same time and engaged in fierce battle once again.

The two were too fast and too destructive. Those watching from afar could only see rocks flying everywhere, and could not see how many rounds they had fought.

At some point, after yet another collision,
Gu Mo was sent flying backward, but instantly teleported ten feet away from Su Qianqiu's sword light and body, and slashed the main peak with a sonic wave. The entire peak of the main peak broke off in response, and countless boulders crashed towards the saddle, but were shredded into dust by the great river of sword energy casually unleashed by Su Qianqiu.

Su Qianqiu descended from the collapsing mountain rocks, his white hair whipping wildly like a demon god descending to earth. With a cold shout, "Slay!"

The Thousand Autumns Sword in his hand transformed into a stream of light, and thousands of sword shadows, like a dense rain of pear blossoms, covered the sky and the earth, surging towards Gu Mo with a bone-chilling coldness. Wherever it passed, the air emitted a piercing shriek, as if even space itself was about to be torn apart by this fierce sword intent.

Gu Mo's expression was cold and stern. His fingers moved rapidly across the Heavenly Demon Zither, and the vibrating strings unleashed a powerful sonic wave, like a raging torrent. The pitch-black sound waves, like a dragon emerging from the abyss, crashed into the sword shadows with overwhelming force. In an instant, the sword shadows and the sound waves collided violently, erupting in dazzling light. The countless sword shadows were instantly shattered, turning into specks of sword light that dissipated into the air.

However, in the blink of an eye when the sound waves collided with the sword shadows, Gu Mo's feet suddenly lost their footing, and the surrounding scenery abruptly distorted and changed.

Even though his eyes were closed, he could clearly see the scene before him, finding himself in a desolate ancient battlefield. The setting sun, like blood, stained the white bones scattered on the ground. Broken halberds and spears were stuck in the scorched earth, and banners fluttered in the wind in the distance, but not a single person could be seen. Only the desolate sound of clashing weapons could be faintly heard in the bleak wind.

The next instant, the withered bones scattered across the field groaned in the wind, banners fluttered in the distance, and countless sword-wielding phantoms surged in from all directions.

He knew this was the ultimate technique of the "Thousand Autumns and Ten Thousand Ages Sword Technique," which could pull a person into a world constructed by sword intent. Back then, the old Celestial Master Zhang Daoyi was defeated by this sword and then beaten up by Su Qianqiu, and from then on became a fat Taoist.

now,

Smoke rose from the piles of bones, and on the horizon, a torrent of armored soldiers surged like a tidal wave, their spears and halberds obscuring the sky.

Suddenly, Gu Mo tossed the Heavenly Demon Harp into the air, his palms slicing out in a crisscrossing motion as if cutting through clouds and splitting the moon. Moonlight poured down from the void and condensed, forming a transparent shield around his body with flowing frost patterns. His innate qi materialized, as if wrapping the entire cold night sky around him, and even the howling sandstorms crashing against the shield shattered into dust.

As the first cavalry charge, Gu Mo's aura erupted, his armor and weapons melting into molten iron under the moonlight. The thousands of soldiers and horses seemed to melt like snow under the scorching sun, turning into smoke and dissipating in the flow of his aura.

However, when the last skeleton vanished, the illusion suddenly collapsed.

It turned out that what was overwhelming was not a thousand troops, but a long river of sword energy that Su Qianqiu had hidden in the illusion!
The powerful sword energy surged like a reversed Milky Way, crashing into the innate protective energy shield and exploding into countless ripples.

Gu Mo exerted force with his feet, and the scorched earth beneath his feet cracked inch by inch. Suddenly, the fine sword energy seemed to flow like a hundred rivers into the sea, condensing into a giant light sword that blotted out the sky.

The sword's spine reflected the mountains, rivers, sun, and moon, while the sword energy dripping from its tip eroded the ground into bottomless ravines. When this giant sword, powerful enough to cleave the sky, crashed down, the protective aura shield showed spiderweb-like cracks.

The cracks spread at a visible speed. With a deafening roar, the innate protective aura shield shattered like glass. A violent shockwave tore off his robes, and countless tiny sword energies pierced through his protective aura, rushing in like a great river flowing backward.

Gu Mo's figure retreated, a serious expression appearing on his face for the first time.
Although he hasn't been in the business for very long, he has experienced many great battles. His innate qi, as his strongest defensive technique, has always been invincible, but it has been broken today!

"As expected of the Sword God!"

Gu Mo's figure flashed like a startled swan, his clothes fluttering in the vortex of sword energy.

He listened to the whistling sword intent in the air, and suddenly the veins on his knuckles bulged as he struck the tail of the Heavenly Demon Qin heavily. In an instant, a clear and melodious dragon's roar burst forth from the Qin, and the sound waves swept across the scorched earth like a tide, sending rubble flying into the air and forming a rotating sound barrier in mid-air.

However, before the dragon's roar had even faded, the void suddenly trembled. A solemn and majestic chant came from the heavens, and golden light pierced through the clouds like a sharp sword, slowly revealing the phantom of a Buddha surrounded by lotus flowers.

"Amitabha Buddha, Master Gu, this humble monk has offended you!"

Wherever the Buddha's light shone, the sword energy was coated with a layer of compassionate golden light, and the entire Bright Moon Mountain was bathed in sacred radiance.

Gu Mo suddenly looked up, his face bathed in a Buddhist light.

He spun around, raising the Heavenly Demon Harp high above his head, its strings taut like a full, curved bow, veins bulging on his palms like gnarled ancient vines. With a sound that seemed to tear the heavens apart, a jet-black wave of sound, carrying the shrieks of countless vengeful spirits, crashed violently against the illusory image of the Buddha. The golden lacquer on the Buddha's face cracked instantly, and pieces of the lotus pedestal peeled away.

But at the very moment the Buddha statue collapsed—

Su Qianqiu unleashed another sword strike.

Thousands of sword energies poured down like a silver river, turning the area within a ten-zhang radius around Gu Mo into a sword domain.

The protective aura shattered like paper in the torrent of sword energy, and the fine sword threads pierced through his clothes, leaving spiderweb-like bloodstains on Gu Mo's body.

He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a giant blue rock three zhang away.

When the gravel poured down like a torrential rain...

Master Liansheng's robes fluttered as he descended from the heavens atop a golden lotus. Behind him, a towering phantom of Buddha lowered his compassionate eyes, radiating golden light that illuminated the entire battlefield as if it were the Pure Land of the West.

Su Qianqiu's sword stretched across the void, its frosty sword light merging with the Buddha's light, actually condensing into a barrier interwoven with purple lightning in mid-air.

The two pressed their advantage, simultaneously pressing down on Gu Mo.

In that instant when the energy of heaven and earth stagnated, Gu Mo's figure vanished like morning dew.

Su Qianqiu sheathed his sword and said in a deep voice, "It's that move again. The intelligence wasn't done well. I hadn't heard that Gu Mo had such an elusive movement technique!"

Master Liansheng said, "It might have been passed down by Master Zhang. It's very similar to the Taoist supernatural power of 'reaching the ends of the earth at a foot'..."

at this time,

The two looked up abruptly and saw Gu Mo standing on a precarious rock above them, his hair disheveled and his black clothes torn and stained with blood.

Gu Mo then threw the Heavenly Demon Harp directly onto the viewing platform hundreds of feet away, and then said in a deep voice to Master Lian Sheng and Su Qianqiu, "You know how to manifest Dharma forms, and so do I!"

At that moment,

In an instant, the air atop Bright Moon Mountain suddenly froze solid. A muffled thunderclap exploded from the ground, and the resulting shockwave sent rocks flying ten feet away.

A sudden gust of wind swept across the scorched earth, churning the remaining snow into sharp vortexes of ice crystals. Thousands of wind blades swirled within the tornado, emitting a roar like a stampede of ten thousand horses, as if a hundred thousand iron cavalry were galloping down from the void.

The crimson clouds in the sky suddenly boiled over like water, transforming into a surging sea of ​​fire that crashed down. Crimson flames licked at the shattered peaks, and lava-like waves of fire, carrying charred rubble, soared into the sky, the scorching heat vaporizing the clouds. From the depths of the inferno came a deafening roar, as if the earth's veins, dormant for millennia, had been fully awakened.

Dark clouds churned and coalesced eerily overhead, while purple lightning tore through the sky like a raging dragon. Streaks of silver, serpentine lightning cleaved down, carving deep, smoking ravines into the ground. Thunder rumbled like the pounding of war drums, each explosion sending shivers down one's spine, as if the might of heaven were descending to utterly cleanse this war-torn mountaintop. The entire world was shrouded in the raging power of nature; the wind and clouds changed color, and the sun and moon lost their light.

Wind, fire, thunder, and lightning—the power of the four elements—appeared.

"The four elements unite as one!"

A towering Dharma image appeared behind him, and Gu Mo's voice emanated from it, causing the sea of ​​clouds to recede a hundred miles. The Dharma image's right palm reached towards the sky, while its two palms pressed down on the earth. Suddenly, blue flames ignited on the charred rocks, and the entire Bright Moon Mountain seemed to collapse at that moment.

"Which bastard collected this intelligence?!"

Su Qianqiu cursed and shouted, "Lotus Monk, you hold on first, I need time to gather my strength!"

"Sword God Su, hurry up! I can't hold out much longer!" Master Liansheng took a step forward, his whole body flying into the air, chanting, "Amitabha."

Master Liansheng clasped his hands together, and his robe moved without wind, with the eight heavenly dragons embroidered in gold and silver threads seemingly coming to life and roaming between the hem of his robe.

A golden Buddha image, sixteen feet tall, appeared above his head, its lotus petals slowly unfolding, and the white hair between his eyebrows emitting ten thousand rays of golden light, turning the surging thunderclouds into a glassy color.

The Buddha statue looks down upon all living beings, holding Mount Sumeru in its left hand and forming the Abhaya Mudra with its right. Each petal of the golden lotus at its feet is engraved with the mantra for rebirth in the Pure Land. Sanskrit chants flow along with the mantras, and even the collapsing rocks seem to float and remain still in the golden light.

At that moment,

Gu Mo's Four Symbols Dharma Form, however, was like a demon defying the heavens, its palms pressing down as if covering the sky and the sun.

"Amitabha……"

Master Liansheng gave a low shout, and the Buddha image clasped its hands together, transforming into a golden light shield to suppress the Four Symbols.

The Buddha's palm collided violently with the giant hand of the Four Symbols Dharma Image, causing the Bright Moon Mountain below to collapse and rocks to tumble down.

Master Liansheng felt a sweet taste in his throat, and blood stained the Buddhist beads on his chest, yet his chanting continued as loud as a great bell, causing the golden lotus of his Dharma image to bloom anew.

"The Wind God's Wrath!"

Gu Mo's four-colored long hair danced wildly, and the broken Buddhist light was reflected in the Dharma image between her brows and in her pupils.

"The God of Fire is wrathful! The God of Thunder is wrathful! The God of Lightning is wrathful

With each command, the Four Symbols Dharma Image expanded by three-tenths, wind blades ripped through the edges of the Buddha's shield, tearing the golden light into countless fireflies; karmic fire burned along the lines of the Buddha's palm, golden light falling in a flurry; thunder rumbled like ten thousand drums beating in unison, and dense purple lightning formed a net that enveloped the Buddha's Dharma Image.

The golden swastika on the Buddha statue's chest exploded with a "bang."

The lotus platform shattered into twelve pieces of jade, which were twisted and deformed under the power of the Four Symbols in the Fearless Seal.

With a loud bang, the Buddha's image shattered like crystal, and golden fragments scattered across the summit of Bright Moon Mountain.

Master Liansheng crashed heavily onto the scorched earth, his robe tattered and his prayer beads broken in two, yet he still managed to prop himself up. Looking at the Four Symbols Dharma Image behind Gu Mo, which almost touched the clouds, he smiled bitterly, "Master Gu's Dharma Image doesn't even put the Buddha in its eyes... *pfft*..."

Master Liansheng spat out another mouthful of blood, then suddenly looked up at the horizon and shouted, "Sword God Su, this humble monk can't hold on any longer, farewell!"

As soon as the words fell,
Master Liansheng, wrapped in his kasaya, jumped off the mountain and ran away quickly. It was unclear whether he was truly unable to fight or pretending, but he certainly ran very fast.

At that very moment, a deafening roar suddenly came from the foot of Mingyue Mountain.

The sound of ten thousand horses' hooves crushing the morning frost was like rolling thunder, followed by a unified roar, the sound waves even causing the purple lightning in the sky to deviate from its trajectory.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

At the foot of the mountain, a dark army formation surged like a tidal wave. Tens of thousands of elite soldiers formed battle arrays. Heavy cavalrymen, clad in black iron scale armor, resembled mobile fortresses, while light cavalrymen drew silver arcs in the morning light with their ring-pommel swords hanging at their waists. The spearmen's phalanxes formed a forest of spears, with wolf-head banners at their tops fluttering in the battle aura.

The battle aura, like a solidified black cloud, pressed down on the city, obscuring the midday sun into a waning crescent moon. The leading general wielded his command flag and brought it down heavily, causing the soldiers in the formation to surge forward simultaneously, their immense battle aura soaring into the sky.

Su Qianqiu stood atop the cliff, holding the Qianqiu Sword. The turbulent battle energy in the void surged into the sword like currents of electricity. The martial will that originally belonged to the soldiers now flowed into the sword like rivers flowing into the sea, turning the frost-colored sword light black.

The moment Su Qianqiu raised his hand and drew his sword, the clouds above the army formation were torn in two by the sword intent. A huge sword beam appeared out of nowhere, more dazzling than the Milky Way and hotter than the earth's fire. Wherever the sword passed, the barrier formed by the hurricane was shattered.

This sword strike was like the sky collapsing and the earth sinking. Wherever the blood-red sword light passed, lightning was cleaved into dust, purple lightning curled into tiny fireflies under the pressure of the sword, fire clouds were shattered, and countless sparks were annihilated in the sword energy. Hurricanes collided with the sword light, instantly solidified into ice crystals, and then disintegrated into nothingness in an instant.

The Dharma form was instantly shattered.

Gu Mo's body flew backward for a hundred feet, landing on a dilapidated mountaintop.

The wind was still howling, and the boulders were still rolling.

Su Qianqiu held his sword in one hand and said, "Gu Mo, I told you long ago that you are not only facing me and Monk Liansheng today, but also two thousand heavy cavalry, five thousand light cavalry, and ten thousand elite soldiers. I used these to defend the gates of Jin back then. Do you really think you can knock on the gates of a country by yourself?"

"Why not?"

Gu Mo's voice echoed through the void, his tone calm yet powerful like a river bursting its banks.

The north wind was like a blade, tearing apart the remaining clouds.

On the summit of Mingyue Mountain, boulders whirled like arrows, and jagged rocks trembled precariously in the gale. Dark clouds loomed overhead, and Gu Mo stood alone atop the precipice, his tattered black robes fluttering in the wind, his hair and beard disheveled.

Under everyone's tense gaze,
Gu Mo hooked a corner of the blindfold with his long fingers and slowly removed it. He opened his palm, and a gust of wind suddenly swept by, carrying the blindfold away. The blindfold tumbled and fluttered in the air, like a lone bird breaking free of its shackles, and disappeared into the vast sea of ​​clouds in an instant.

He said softly, "My sister once asked me when I could open my eyes."

My answer is: When I became the best in the world—"

At that moment, the world was vast and boundless.

Gu Mo slowly opened his eyes!
(End of this chapter)