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

Chapter 265 Forbidden Inner Demon (8.2k views, please vote)
The next day, early in the morning.

Zhang Daoyi arrived at Shen Yao's courtyard very early.

As soon as he entered, he saw Shen Yao eating. He walked in, looked Shen Yao over with a calm and composed demeanor, and said, "Hey, judging from your expression, have you made any progress?"

Shen Yao took a sip of soup and said, "Old Celestial Master, based on the story you told yesterday about the greatest person in the world before last, I have come to two conclusions."

First, assuming that Ling Xiao's reincarnation really exists and that he really came for revenge, the fact that he enlisted Gongsun Jue's help shows that he was not absolutely confident that he could break through Longhu Mountain as he had back then, not to mention that there was now the number one hero in the world, Gu Daxia, and many masters from various sects.

But the final result was that the scene of the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony was very deserted. You were still successfully killed, which can only mean one thing: there is an inside agent in Longhu Mountain. Only in this way can the masters of various sects be lured away, and Master Gu be lured away or killed!
Second, assuming that the reincarnation of Lingxiao is fake, it directly proves that someone in Longhu Mountain is colluding with Gongsun Jue to set up a scheme. Otherwise, how could Gongsun Jue and a fake reincarnation of Lingxiao have killed you at the Luotian Grand Ceremony? Furthermore, it is unknown how they managed to restrain or kill Master Gu.

So, although I haven't found Gongsun Jue yet, I've identified a direction: start the investigation from within Longhu Mountain. Besides you, Celestial Master, I think anyone could be a suspect. Therefore, I still need your help with this matter; we only have less than ten days left.

Zhang Daoyi thought for a moment and said, "Do you think it's possible that the result you deduced is wrong? After all, you said that there was a diviner whose cultivation was obviously higher than yours who was blocking the secrets of heaven. Is it possible that what you saw was a false result presented after the other party fought with you?"

Shen Yao frowned and said, "It's not impossible, but, Master, I have a lot of confidence in my physiognomy skills. Although the other party's cultivation is higher than mine and he can shield me from my detection, it shouldn't be to the point that I can't even distinguish between the real and the fake."

"Are you really that confident?" Zhang Daoyi asked suspiciously.

“My master, Ji Wusuan, is the greatest physiognomist in the world,” Shen Yao said. “My Shen family has been Qi cultivators for over ten generations, and there are certainly people in our family whose cultivation is higher than mine. However, it is impossible for anyone to deceive me with physiognomy!”

Zhang Daoyi thought for a moment and said, "Then let's start the investigation from within Longhu Mountain. However, we can't make too much noise. The Luotian Grand Ceremony is about to be held, and the matter of Gongsun Jue has already caused all the sects to be on edge. If something happens within Longhu Mountain, then the Luotian Grand Ceremony will really become a joke."

Shen Yao nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing..."

At this moment,
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and a young Taoist priest rushed in, bowing to Zhang Daoyi and saying, "Grandmaster, something has happened, someone...someone has died!"

Zhang Daoyi frowned and asked, "Where did someone die?"

The young Taoist priest took a deep breath and said, "It was the Liu family of Fengzhou, one of the seven great families. There were thirty-two people who came to participate in the Luotian Grand Ceremony. All of them were drained of their internal energy by the Taotie Divine Skill and died. There were no survivors!"

Zhang Dao's expression changed slightly. He said, "Didn't all the members of the Liu family live in our Celestial Master's Mansion? How could they have been killed?"

The young Taoist priest said, "I...I don't know. I just discovered it. The sect leader sent me to invite Patriarch Shen to come and investigate."

Zhang Daoyi looked at Shen Yao, then pointed to a figure in the picture on the wall and said, "Young man from the Shen family, if I remember correctly, you said yesterday that this person is Liu Congwen, the eldest elder of the Liu family who is in charge of leading the team this time!"

Shen Yao's pupils contracted slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Could it be that I remembered it wrong? That I've confused it? When I came back here yesterday to draw up my deduction results, I could clearly feel that my memory was getting blurry. It's possible that I've confused it. Liu Congwen was not at the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony."

Zhang Daoyi nodded slightly and said, "Let's go take a look first!"

Immediately,

The group quickly headed towards the courtyard where the Liu family was stationed.

Upon arriving at the courtyard where the Liu family was stationed, they were greeted by a group of people from the Six Doors, led by Wang Zhengge, the top detective of the Six Doors in the present day.

Wang Zhengge was no longer young, already in his fifties. His temples were streaked with white, his brows were sharply defined, and his eyes were deep and cold, exuding an undeniable air of authority. A black, close-fitting outfit accentuated his tall and straight figure, and the arresting badge at his waist gleamed coldly. A murderous aura surrounded him.

When Shen Yao and Wang Zhengge met, their eyes locked, and the atmosphere immediately became very tense, with a sense of sharp confrontation instantly emerging.

The two blocked the doorway, neither willing to give way.

"cough……"

Zhang Daoyi coughed lightly, feigning an attack.

Wang Zhengge snorted coldly at Shen Yao, then cupped his hands to Zhang Daoyi and said, "Greetings, Imperial Preceptor."

Zhang Daoyi waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities, investigating the case is the priority. Officer Wang, you go in first." As he spoke, Zhang Daoyi nudged Shen Yao and said, "Shen Yao, you brat, don't block the way here!"

Wang Zhengge naturally had to give Zhang Daoyi face, so he immediately stepped aside with a smile and said, "Officer Wang, please be careful, the threshold is high, don't fall!"

Wang Zhengge glanced at Shen Yao and said, "Playing tricks and resorting to crooked methods are ultimately not respectable!" After saying that, he led a group of constables into the courtyard.

Shen Yao rolled his eyes and pouted, "What are you pretending for? If you're so capable, how come you haven't been able to find Gongsun Jue after investigating for twenty years?" As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Daoyi and said, "Old Celestial Master, you know I have a conflict with Wang Zhengge. You already invited him, so why did you call me here as well?"

Zhang Daoyi said in a low voice, "I didn't invite him. You know that I hold the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony, which is for people from the martial arts world. Inviting government officials would be asking for trouble. It was Wang Zhengge who heard about Gongsun Jue and asked to come. We Longhu Mountain couldn't refuse him."

Shen Yao said helplessly, "This guy is so old-fashioned, it's incredibly annoying to be around him."

Zhang Daoyi asked in confusion, "Speaking of which, what's going on between you two? It's unlikely that you two would actually start fighting just because some busybodies in the martial arts world are comparing you two."

Shen Yao said, "It's a rather embarrassing story. In the beginning, it was because people in the martial arts world always compared the two of us. I was young and impetuous back then, and during a case, I was provoked and said, 'Times are progressing, and we young people still have to look to the future!'"

Although I didn't explicitly name Wang Zhengge, my words were very pointed, and rumors started circulating in the underworld, becoming increasingly outrageous until it came to the conclusion that I looked down on Wang Zhengge and thought he was too old and incompetent. Then Wang Zhengge heard the rumors and, in a fit of anger, publicly called me a greenhorn, a pretentious brat.

Anyway, they started exchanging words back and forth. But that was all normal. The main conflict stemmed from three years ago when we were investigating a case related to Gongsun Jue. We ended up working together, and my people got into a fight with his. In the end, I fought with him too. I knew I couldn't beat him, and he pinned me to the ground and beat me up. In a fit of anger, I said something I shouldn't have.

Zhang Daoyi asked curiously, "What did you say?"

Shen Yao said, "I say either Wang Zhengge is a good-for-nothing, or he is colluding with Gongsun Jue. Otherwise, how could the dignified Six Doors, with the strength of the whole country, not be able to catch up with Gongsun Jue in twenty years?"

Zhang Daoyi's lips twitched, and he said, "You have indeed offended him to death with your words. Gongsun Jue's matter is Wang Zhengge's lifelong demon. With his achievements, he could have been promoted to the position of Left and Right Commander of the Six Doors and become a second-rank official long ago. However, in order to capture Gongsun Jue, he has always refused the court's promotion and has always stayed on the front line."

He had practically dedicated his entire life to capturing Gongsun Jue. His wife divorced him, and his children were distant. Over the years, he had become obsessed.

Shen Yao sighed and said, "I know, but I was really pushed to the limit back then. He beat me really badly. He was a Grandmaster ranked fourth on the Qian Kingdom's Heavenly Ranking. He pinned me to the ground and beat me so badly that I almost vomited!"

Moreover, although what I said was a bit extreme, it was also the truth. Regardless of the reason, Gongsun Jue committed so many serious crimes, and the Six Doors indeed failed to catch him for twenty years. Furthermore, Gongsun Jue frequently appeared in public. As the top detective of the Six Doors, Wang Zhengge cannot escape blame!

Zhang Daoyi said in a deep voice, "That's the logic, but Gongsun Jue is indeed difficult to catch. I chased him for a whole year back then. That guy was the second on the Qian Kingdom's Heavenly Ranking back then, and later he cultivated the Taotie Divine Art. In terms of one-on-one combat, before Gu Mo came out, only I could suppress him in the entire Qian Kingdom. But the key is that he was also the number one detective of the Six Doors back then. Whether it's committing crimes or hiding, few people in the world can match him. It's understandable that the Six Doors' efforts were in vain."

"Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore," Shen Yao said. "This matter is already like this. Anyway, he beat me up, I cursed him, he thinks I'm pretending to be a ghost and looking down on me, and I look down on him too. It's just as good. This time it's the same as three years ago, it also involves Gongsun Jue. Let's see who has better methods!"

While talking,

Shen Yao and Zhang Daoyi then entered the compound.

Afterwards, Shen Yao and Wang Zhengge began to inspect the scene, and then many more people arrived one after another, including many high-ranking officials of Longhu Mountain and people from various martial arts sects.

As the number of people increases,
The atmosphere between Wang Zhengge and Shen Yao became tense once again, gradually turning into a contest between the top constable of the Six Doors and the top detective of the martial arts world.

Both of them surveyed the scene as quickly as possible. Wang Zhengge went out to inquire with the disciples of Longhu Mountain who were in charge of patrolling and the first person to arrive at the scene, while Shen Yao walked around the courtyard with a compass, getting further and further away.

Finally, the two returned to the courtyard at almost the same time.

Zhang Daoyi stepped forward and asked, "How is it? Any clues?"

Wang Zhengge sneered, looked at Shen Yao, and said, "Let this charlatan speak first!"

Shen Yao stared at the compass and slowly said, "The incident occurred at 5:45 this morning. There was only one murderer. He first used a poison that could cause people to be temporarily unconscious. However, the eldest elder of the Liu family, Liu Congwen, was seriously injured and then had his internal energy drained."

The murderer was an acquaintance of Liu Congwen. The crime was committed in the east wing. After draining Liu Congwen's internal energy, the murderer took him to the main room and killed him. Then, the murderer drained the internal energy of the other thirty-one members of the Liu family one by one..."

Shen Yao compiled all the clues and evidence he had discovered.

Finally, he said, "As for the murderer, I have already tracked him down. He is Li Dongping, the third disciple of Shenxiao Academy."

Immediately, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Shen Yao continued, "When I arrived, I had already notified the disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion's Enforcement Hall to arrest Li Dongping."

After saying that, Shen Yao looked at Wang Zhengge and said, "Officer Wang, please give me your guidance!"

Wang Zhengge chuckled and said, "Shen Yao, I have never denied that you are very talented in solving cases. However, you rely too much on your physiognomy skills. If the murderer finds out the patterns in your physiognomy skills and uses them, you may even become an accomplice."

Shen Yao raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Wang Zhengge continued, "Your analysis of the crime method and process is basically correct, but your analysis of the murderer and evidence is pure nonsense. You identified the murderer first and then deduced the evidence in reverse."

However, if you misjudge the murderer, all your analyses will be flawed. You don't judge the murderer based on clues and evidence, but rather use clues and evidence as traces to deduce the murderer using physiognomy, and use the distance, time, direction, etc., fed back by physiognomy to lock down the murderer.

But now I'm telling you, there were two people involved in the crime here, but there was only one murderer. How would you respond?

As he spoke, Wang Zhengge pushed open the door to the east wing, pointed to a faint trace of dust in a corner, and said, "See that? There was someone sitting here back then."

Shen Yao's expression changed slightly.

Wang Zhengge said, "You rely too much on your physiognomy. Your physiognomy is correct. Li Dongping was indeed at the scene when the incident occurred this morning. After the incident, he did return to his residence, and he is still in his residence now."

However, in reality, he was unconscious at the time, brought here, and then used to kill Liu Congwen and the others who were no longer able to resist. Afterwards, he was taken back by the murderer.

Shen Yao's pupils contracted slightly, his facial expression remained unchanged, but his mind was in turmoil.

Because he realized that what Wang Zhengge said was possible. If someone equally skilled in physiognomy could influence him using special means, then Wang Zhengge's deduction might come true.

At this moment,
Several constables came in, carrying a shriveled corpse.

As everyone looked, the corpse had been sucked down to almost nothing but skin and bones. It was covered in mud and its face was very shriveled, but you could still make out its original appearance.

"It's Li Dongping!"

"Yes, it's the third senior brother."

"..."

A disciple of Shenxiao Academy recognized the corpse as Li Dongping, the third disciple of Shenxiao Academy.

A constable from the Six Doors bowed to Wang Zhengge and said, "Sir, it is indeed as you deduced. Li Dongping was murdered, and his body was hidden under a water vat in his courtyard. The murderer is a distant uncle of Li Dongping, also a member of the martial arts world who came to participate in the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony. He had been staying in Li Dongping's courtyard for some time. This person disguised the traces of Li Dongping's escape to try to get away with it, but he has now been arrested. Just now, the Enforcement Hall of the Celestial Master's Mansion has also confirmed that the other party has cultivated the Taotie Divine Skill!"

Immediately, discussions arose in the courtyard.

Just then, several disciples from the Celestial Master's Mansion's Enforcement Hall arrived and confirmed that the murderer had been caught. The perpetrator was a subordinate secretly trained by Gongsun Jue and had been hiding for many years.

in the yard,
Shen Yao's face was pale. He found the surrounding discussions inexplicably grating. In fact, no one was mocking him; they were just discussing the case.

Soon, under Zhang Daoyi's direction, the crowd gradually dispersed, and a group of Longhu Mountain disciples began to clean up the scene.

Wang Zhengge walked to Shen Yao's side and said, "Shen Yao, I heard that you cast a divination yesterday and said that you found a clue to track down Gongsun Jue?"

At this point, Wang Zhengge chuckled and said, "You have talent, but don't rely too much on your physiognomy skills. It's not wrong to deduce the process from the result, but the problem is that you might see a result that someone deliberately makes you see. When you understand that physiognomy is just an aid, you will be a true detective."

There's a saying in your physiognomy world: "Heavenly secrets must not be revealed." But if a heavenly secret is revealed, can it still be considered a heavenly secret?

Shen Yao stood there stunned for a long, long time before he came to his senses.

However, by the time he came to his senses,
Everyone had left the courtyard. Looking dejected, he returned to his quarters and saw Zhang Daoyi sitting in a chair, drinking tea. Shen Yao sighed and said, "Old Celestial Master, let's drop the matter of investigating the Celestial Master's Mansion that I mentioned this morning!"

Zhang Daoyi chuckled and said, "You've been discouraged by Wang Zhengge, haven't you?"

Shen Yao shook his head slightly and said, "It's not exactly a blow, but I feel a little upset because I realized that while I considered Wang Zhengge an opponent, he didn't see it that way at all. It's as if he's genuinely giving me pointers. The key thing is, I suddenly realized that what he said actually makes a lot of sense. This feeling is so frustrating!"

Zhang Daoyi chuckled and said, "Then you've made progress."

Shen Yao shook his head and said, "No, I'm confused now. The result I deduced is the result of my non-interference, but knowing the result in advance and informing others is equivalent to interference."

So, if the result I see is wrong, then it means the result will change. Does that also mean that what I saw from the beginning was actually false? Seeing the result and then intervening is just part of the process of forming the real result?
Then the saying "heavenly secrets must not be revealed" doesn't hold true. So, if a fortune teller arbitrarily changes the results he predicts, shouldn't that not be considered interfering with destiny? But why do fortune tellers still suffer backlash? Is it possible that the backlash experienced by fortune tellers is simply part of the cycle of destiny? Does that mean that even if a fortune teller doesn't interfere with destiny, he is destined to suffer backlash?

Zhang Daoyi: "..."

"No wonder all Qi cultivators end up going mad!"

Finally, Zhang Daoyi left, cursing and swearing.

Shen Yao was left alone in the room, muttering to himself. Then, he got up, took out a tinderbox, and burned the portraits he had drawn in the divination yesterday.

As the flames rose...
Shen Yao revealed a ferocious smile and muttered, "The moment I saw the result, it meant that the process had changed, and the final result was different. So what I saw was not the result, but the process had not changed. And if the process had not changed, the result would not have changed. So I shouldn't have seen the result. Therefore, physiognomy is fake, fake, fake, all fake!"

……

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the sun rises.

On the Ascension Platform, the Enlightenment Tree blossomed. At that moment, the clouds and mist in the canyon seemed to begin to disperse, and the sunlight, which rarely had a chance to shine in, filled the entire canyon with a faint golden light.

Zhang Daoyi walked into the canyon carrying a lunchbox in one hand and Shen Yao in the other.

"Old Master!"

Gu Chudong flew down from the ascension platform and saw Shen Yao, who looked miserable and was muttering to himself. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong with him?"

Zhang Dao glanced at him and saw that Shen Yao was like a lost soul, muttering to himself, his eyes lifeless, like a lump of mud.

“This guy has been traumatized and may never recover,” Zhang Daoyi said. “However, this could also be an opportunity for him. I’m an old acquaintance of his master and I’d like to help him as much as possible so that he can overcome this mental tribulation!”

After all,

Zhang Daoyi lightly touched the ground with his foot, and instantly rose into the air, arriving at an ascension platform in a flash. He then tossed Shen Yao onto the platform, waved his hand, and the pollen from the Enlightenment Tree began to float around Shen Yao.

Zhang Daoyi said in a low voice, "Boy, throughout history, every master physiognomist who has achieved great success has to go through the Tribulation of Questioning the Heart. Whether you become a human or an immortal depends on how you overcome it!"

Shen Yao sat on the ground, as if he were in a deep sleep, with his eyes closed and head bowed, no longer making a sound.

immediately,

Zhang Daoyi flew to the bottom of the canyon again.

At this moment, Gu Chudong had already opened the food box and was sitting on the rock eating heartily.

Zhang Daoyi flew to Gu Chudong's side and asked, "How did it go, Chudong? Have you made any progress these past two days?"

"Yes," Gu Chudong nodded, "My cultivation has improved by leaps and bounds these past few days. Old Master, there must be many experts on Longhu Mountain, right?"

Zhang Daoyi shook his head slightly and said, "The effects of the Ascension Platform vary from person to person, and there is also an upper limit. Generally speaking, the effects are only significant the first or second time. After a few times, it becomes useless. For ordinary people, it is helpful but limited. Only true masters can really play a significant role when they encounter certain bottlenecks."

"Really?" Gu Chudong asked in surprise, "I feel like it's been a great help to me too. Am I an expert now?"

Zhang Daoyi chuckled and said, “Isn’t that so? You are now a Grandmaster on the Yunzhou Heavenly Ranking. It’s quite a coincidence that your brother was also twenty years old when he became a Grandmaster on the Heavenly Ranking, and you are also twenty years old now!”

Gu Chudong grinned and said, "I can't compare to my brother. My brother is the best in the world!"

Zhang Daoyi looked up at the ascension platform where Gu Mo was and asked, "Speaking of your brother, has he woken up in the last couple of days?"

Gu Chudong shook her head and said, "No."

Zhang Daoyi said in a deep voice, "Your brother's cultivation level is already the best in the world. He can still advance to the next level. I'm afraid that in the future, the gap between Su Qianqiu and him will be even greater than the gap between me and Su Qianqiu!"

now,

Gu Mojing sat quietly under the Enlightenment Tree, his consciousness still in that unique space. He didn't know how much time had passed; it seemed like a day or two, or even a year or two, or a decade or two.

He debated with many masters from ancient times to the present, including swordsmen, knife-wielders, archers, masters of internal energy, and so on. He discussed and sparred with them one by one, and then defeated them one by one.

At last,
Only one person remained in front of him, a person who looked exactly like him, dressed in white, exuding the scent of smoke and dust, with a gentle smile on his face.

"My name is Gu Mo," the man in white said.

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "I never expected that I would be the last one to discuss the Dao."

The man in white said, "How can you break through to a higher realm without first defeating yourself? I am your humanity!"

After all,

The man in white pointed at Gu Mo.

In an instant, a scene of parting appeared before Gu Mo's eyes.

Gu Mo didn't care at all, and then pointed out with the same finger.

Gu Mo and the man in white swayed together, like twin lotus blossoms reflected in water, sometimes separating and sometimes reuniting.

Before the white-clad man could retract his fingertips, a wisp of silver light emerged from his fingertips. It was not the previous finger force, but a light sword as thin as a cicada's wing, its blade slanting towards Gu Mo's shoulder and neck.

this moment,
Gu Mo was confronted with the hatred of his clan's annihilation and the vengeance of having his wife stolen.

But he flipped his wrist, and his left index and middle fingers stood together like a sword. When he met the lightsaber, his fingertips suddenly turned into a palm, and a semi-transparent blade light condensed in his palm. The back of the blade met the spine of the sword diagonally. The blade light seemed to be forged from moonlight, and a chilling aura emanated from it even before the blade touched it.

The two figures swept backward simultaneously, their toes touching the invisible platform, creating ripples of light.

The man in white pushed his right palm horizontally, and the edge of his palm formed a finger shadow like green bamboo. His five fingers opened and closed, as if grabbing and holding, aiming straight for Gu Mo's face.

Before Gu Mo's eyes appeared a scene of human suffering and the coldness of the world.

Gu Mo waved his hand.

The light and shadow shattered and then coalesced between the two.

The two figures sometimes moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, dismantling hundreds of moves in subtle ways; at other times, they appeared like thunderbolts, their fists and palms colliding with a torrent of intent, causing ripples to spread across the surrounding void.

Each attack by the man in white
All of these would plunge Gu Mo into the suffering of life, old age, sickness, death, love, hate, separation, national and family feuds, and the devastation of the land, or into the joys of family life, brotherly love, passing the imperial examination, and the wedding night.

but,
In the end, Gu Mo broke through them one by one.

Until a certain moment,
Gu Mo pointed a finger at the white-robed man's forehead, thus ending the duel.

The figure in white slowly dissipated, still wearing a gentle smile, and said, "Congratulations, in the end, divinity has defeated humanity."

however,
Gu Mo chuckled and shook his head, saying, "No, fundamentally, there is only divinity and humanity, and there is only the greatest under heaven and the inner demon. A long time ago, I wondered why the greatest under heaven in history always ended up with one of two outcomes: either they were entangled in worldly affairs and ultimately faded into oblivion, or they went to extremes and became enemies of the world."

The world attributes this to the struggle between humanity and divinity; worldly entanglements are attributed to humanity, while being an enemy of the world is attributed to divinity. But ever since I became the greatest in the world, I've felt something is amiss, because whether I am human or divine is entirely within my control. How could I be trapped by divinity or humanity?
It wasn't until I met you that I suddenly realized I'd been deliberately guided. In reality, there's no struggle between humanity and divinity; there's only a struggle between inner demons and the desire to be the best in the world!

At this moment,
The white-robed figure, which had begun to dissipate, suddenly coalesced again. Looking at Gu Mo, it said, "This is truly an annoying thing. In the past, it would take two or three hundred years for someone to appear who could see through the nature of humanity and divinity. This time, it's only been thirty or forty years. How boring. Let's go!"

Gu Mo said coldly, "Coming and going as you please is not that simple."

in an instant,
The two clashed once again.

……

Celestial Master's Mansion, Zhengshan.

Sect Leader Zhang Xisu entered the study and said in a deep voice, "The matter has been resolved. Shen Yao has been taken to the Ascension Platform by my junior brother, and he won't be able to disrupt our plans for the time being. However, I'm worried that Wang Zhengge might notice that you used Wang Zhengge to shatter Shen Yao's Dao Heart."

Gongsun Jue slowly said, "Don't worry, Wang Zhengge is my disciple whom I taught personally. We have been fighting each other openly and secretly for so many years. No one in this world understands him better than me. He will definitely be able to detect the abnormality. However, he won't be able to discover the abnormality before the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony. As long as I don't take any further action, it will be fine."

“As long as you are confident,” Zhang Xisu said, “I have already set up the Star Gathering Array at the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony. Make sure there are no mistakes with the manpower on your side. Not a single one of the 108 people who have mastered the Taotie Divine Skill can be missing.”

Gongsun Jue nodded and said, "I have made thorough preparations and have a large number of people. Those people outside Longhu Mountain will continue to commit crimes to keep your Longhu Mountain people occupied. Now, everything is ready and we are just waiting for the Luotian Grand Ceremony!"

“Hmm,” Zhang Xisu nodded and said, “By the way, that Saint Master’s stand-in…hmm?”

Suddenly, Zhang Xisu's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously looked in the direction of Tiandu Peak.

"What's wrong?" Gongsun Jue asked.

“Gu Mo… shows signs of going mad!” Zhang Xisu’s expression turned serious.

Gongsun Jue was startled and said, "No way, if Gu Mo goes into qi deviation, wouldn't he become the second Jiang Ruoxu? Wouldn't all our years of preparation be in vain?"

Zhang Xisu waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Whether he's possessed by demons or not, my Immortal Slaughtering Formation can kill him. Even if he manages to break the formation, it won't matter. This is Longhu Mountain. I've been preparing for this for so many years. Here, no one is my match."

Gongsun Jue asked in surprise, "Are you so confident?"

Zhang Xisu said, "The strongest in the world is still no more than the Holy Master of yesteryear, but even the Holy Master of yesteryear died under the Immortal Slaughtering Formation. As for me, I have been secretly cultivating the supernatural powers of Qi Refining all these years. Although we at Longhu Mountain have never allowed Qi Refining, the inheritance has always been there. Apart from Penglai Island, I am probably the only place with the most complete inheritance."

Over the years, my Qi Refining realm has long since reached its peak, and I've improved the Immortal Slaughtering Formation, making it far more powerful than before. Moreover, as long as I'm on Dragon Tiger Mountain, I can borrow the power of the Immortal Slaughtering Formation from anywhere. Who can be my opponent? Gu Mo had better not interfere; otherwise, he might lose his title as the number one in the world!

As he listened to Zhang Xisu's words, Gongsun Jue's expression gradually became strange.

Zhang Xisu asked in confusion, "Why are you making that face?"

Gongsun Jue said slowly, "I just feel something's strange?"

"What's strange about it?" Zhang Xisu asked.

Gongsun Jue hesitated for a moment and said, "I feel that once I master the Gluttonous Divine Skill, I can also defeat Gu Mo. I was originally very confident, but now that I hear what you say, I suddenly lose confidence. Isn't this a typical 'I can do it too' mentality?"

Zhang Xisu: "..."

(End of this chapter)