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

Chapter 268 Killing Ling Xiao and the Reverse Scale Blade (8.6k words)
In the black and white realm, light and shadow spread like ink on a tattered scroll.

Gu Mo lightly touched the ground with his toes, and the Tai Xu Sword unleashed a silver-white sword flower. The sword's momentum was like a sudden rainstorm, slashing towards Ling Xiao's throat, but the blade passed right through his shoulder, creating a wisp of ethereal air fluctuation. He spun around and changed his move, his right palm surging with crimson flames. The scorching palm wind distorted the surrounding air, yet it passed directly through Ling Xiao's body.

Gu Mo bent his waist and twisted his body, unleashing his innate qi, but still could not reach Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao was like a phantom image pasted on a mirror, remaining unharmed despite the passage of true energy and intent, as if he did not exist in this space.

“It’s no use,” Ling Xiao said. “My physical body is my support, but also my constraint. The moment you kill my physical body, it means that we are destined to end in a draw.”

This is the realm of ascension. Ascension means transcendence, and transcendence is an elevation of one's level of life. Although I stand before you, we exist in different worlds. I need a vessel as my physical body to harm others, which also means that others can only harm my vessel.

Gu Mo smiled and said, "So, essentially, the reason you feel you can't kill your inner demon is because the inner demon's life level is higher."

"Yes." Ling Xiao nodded slightly and said, "But the Ascension Realm is the highest level that we humans can reach. Perhaps only the legendary Immortal Realm has something that can kill the inner demon, but the inner demon is guarding the Heavenly Gate, and we can't get in."

Back then, I suppressed my cultivation level, remaining at the half-step ascension stage, and I still am now. It's not that I can't reach the ascension stage, but rather that I lack the confidence to deal with my inner demons. Jiang Ruoxu went to challenge his inner demons, and ultimately suffered a crushing defeat!

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "I don't think your so-called Ascension Realm is very meaningful. Apart from being unable to be killed by humans, you can't kill others either. You're no different from a ghost in legends."

Ling Xiao said, "Realm does not represent combat power. Just like when you cultivate internal energy and reach the realms of Yin-Yang balance or perfect clarity, it only means that you will gain some characteristics and some understanding of the Great Dao. It does not necessarily mean that your combat power will improve."

Ascension is a change in the level of life; as for combat power, it still relies on the martial arts itself. Of course, my statement that one cannot harm others without a vessel only applies to masters like you with profound martial arts intent; for ordinary people…”

As he spoke, he glanced to the side.
In an instant, a powerful spiritual force surged forth, and in that very moment, a wooden stake as thick as a person's embrace exploded.

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "I understand. So, the so-called ascension is to abandon the physical body and transcend the spirit. The so-called elevation of life level is to transform from a human into a spiritual body or primordial spirit."

“That’s one way to understand it.” Ling Xiao nodded.

"Then why not try to ascend both physically and spiritually at the same time?" Gu Mo wondered.

Ling Xiao was slightly taken aback and said, "Since ancient times, ascension has only been spiritual ascension, because the condition for ascension is to shed the mortal body. How can one become an immortal without shedding the mortal body?"

Gu Mo frowned slightly.

Ling Xiao smiled slightly and said, "So, Gu Mo, we should join forces. With your talent and ability, you can't be content to remain an ordinary person forever. You will definitely seek transcendence, and then you will be unable to get rid of your inner demons."

The inner demon is on a higher level than us. It's blocking the gates of Heaven. If we can't kill it, we can't ascend to immortality. Gu Mo, the inner demon's weakness is obvious. It needs a constant supply of spiritual essence as nourishment. Ordinary people only have willpower but no spiritual essence. As long as there is no martial arts in the world, there will be no more spiritual essence, and the inner demon will disappear before long.

"At that time, we can be like the people of those eras seven hundred years ago. Once our cultivation reaches a certain level, we will naturally ascend and enter the Immortal Realm, becoming immortals who live forever and are free from all constraints!"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly and said, "But I still want to kill you!"

Ling Xiao shook his head slightly and said, "You can't kill me. Your martial arts are very high, worthy of being called the number one in the world. But your Qi Refining Realm is not high. If you want to kill me, you must reach the Ascension Realm. But once you reach the Ascension Realm and see your inner demon, you will no longer want to kill me."

Gu Mo frowned, somewhat puzzled, and said, "I've already seen the inner demon, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to kill you now."

Upon hearing this, Ling Xiao's composed expression finally changed, and he asked in astonishment, "You've seen the inner demon? How is that possible?"

Gu Mo asked, puzzled, "Don't you know that I've seen through divinity and humanity?"

"What does this have to do with inner demons?" Ling Xiao said, "I figured it out back then too."

Gu Mo asked suspiciously, "Divinity and humanity are a bottomless pit created by inner demons. Whether you choose divinity or humanity, you will fall into the trap of inner demons."

“I know.” Ling Xiao nodded and said, “I only saw through a little bit back then, and in the end, I didn’t choose between divinity and humanity.”

"Then I saw the inner demon, didn't I?" Gu Mo said, "When I didn't choose anything, divinity and humanity merged together, and that was the inner demon. Then I defeated and killed it. Although it was just a wisp of the inner demon's will, I did see the inner demon!"

Ling Xiao's eyes widened as he pointed at Gu Mo, his voice filled with disbelief: "You...you...you mean...after you understood divinity and humanity, what emerged from the fusion of divinity and humanity is the inner demon?"

"You don't know?" Gu Mo asked, puzzled.

Ling Xiao's eyes revealed a clear confusion as he said, "I don't know. I thought it was just a normal trial of the heart, so I chose to stay still and overcome the trial with my willpower... No, you even said that you... you defeated and killed the inner demon?"

Gu Mo nodded and said, "Yes, otherwise, how could I have woken up so quickly?"

"How is that possible?" Ling Xiao said blankly, "Even if it's just a wisp of a demon's will, it's still a life form at the Ascension Realm. You couldn't even touch it, how could you possibly kill it?"

Gu Mo thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something and said, "Do you think it's possible... that my physical body has already reached the Ascension Realm!"

Before the words were finished, the black and white area suddenly froze as solid as iron.
In an instant, a unique aura of pressure emanated from him.

In that instant, Ling Xiao's pupils contracted sharply. In a daze, he actually saw Gu Mo's figure twist as if he had been thrown into an ink stick with boiling oil within the dark aura. The moment his scales and claws burst out of his body, a dragon head covered with cold gold patterns broke through the void. Its horns shattered the stagnant light and shadow in mid-air, and its dragon eyes surged with a mighty power that could burn mountains and boil seas. With its majestic dragon might, it surged forward!

"Dragon...physical body...ascending to heaven..."

Ling Xiao trembled with fear and turned to run away, his figure vanishing into nothingness in an instant.

In that instant, an invisible spiritual domain pressed down like a dome, instantly enveloping the mandala, and Ling Xiao's vanished figure re-emerged.

Ling Xiao was filled with terror. He forced himself to calm down and thought to himself, "Physical ascension must be fake. Even if it is real, a physical body is still just a physical body. It can't possibly hurt me!"

However, in that instant, he discovered that a soul entity had appeared in Gu Mo's body. The soul entity directly separated from the body, and its outline was exactly the same as the physical body. Its eyes were burning with soul-burning fire, and it instantly crossed space to arrive in front of Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao was suddenly shocked. In a hurry, he unleashed his spiritual power from his palm. In an instant, towering black waves surged within the domain. He saw Gu Mo's primordial spirit condense a wisp of sword intent at his fingertips, which pierced through the waves like an ice-breaking cone and stabbed straight into his heart.

Ling Xiao was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string. The moment he collided with the edge of the domain, a transparent ripple exploded from his chest, spreading outward like shattered glass. His body began to become illusory, and faint light spots appeared on his skin, his silhouette appearing and disappearing in the light spots.

Ling Xiao collapsed to the ground, muttering, "You...you've already...reached the complete Ascension Realm...Ascension, you've knocked on the gates of heaven?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly and said, "I haven't even seen the Heavenly Gate, so how can I knock on it?"

"Impossible...you're lying to me..." Ling Xiao said hysterically, "You can now freely separate your soul from your body and return to it, which means you have entered the Ascension Realm. Anyone who reaches the Ascension Realm will have the Heavenly Gate appear on its own. If you have not successfully knocked on the Heavenly Gate, then you have already gone mad!"

Gu Mo didn't know how to explain it. After all, he had just obtained the max-level Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique and reached the Demon Immortal realm after killing Gongsun Jue, and only then did he condense his primordial spirit. In this world, that would mean his spiritual power had reached the Ascension Realm.

However, even if one does see the Heavenly Gate once they reach the Ascension Realm, there still needs to be a breakthrough process. He didn't break through at all, so where would the Heavenly Gate come from?
“A true inner demon cannot be defeated… Then… Tianmen really didn’t come? How could Tianmen not come? How could Tianmen not come? Impossible, Tianmen definitely exists, I’ve seen him before… Why didn’t Tianmen come…”

Ling Xiao seemed to be possessed, his body becoming increasingly ethereal.

Immediately,

Gu Mo rapidly circulated his mental energy, enveloping Ling Xiao. An invisible mental energy, like a spiderweb, instantly enveloped Ling Xiao. The air within the domain began to distort and tremble as countless silver-like mental threads pierced through Ling Xiao's body, tightly binding him. In an instant, the entire space began to rotate violently around Gu Mo, forming a mental vortex that devoured everything.

Ling Xiao, who had already resigned himself to death, suddenly panicked and cried out, "You... what are you going to do... you... Gu Mo..."

Gu Mo's mental power transformed into a tangible chain, shattering the barrier and surging forward like a tidal wave, creating a monstrous surge. Each wave of impact was like a heavy hammer striking Ling Xiao's mental will, quickly dispersing it.

The chains of spiritual energy spun like a millstone, crushing the dissipated spiritual energy layer by layer. A crisp, metallic clang resounded within the black and white domain, actually condensing a shimmering, glassy spiritual crystal from the void. Fine Dao patterns appeared on the crystal's surface, resembling a rotating star map or the disintegration of seal script, with faint mournful cries seeping from within.

Gu Mo waved his hand slightly, and the Taixu Sword flew over. He chuckled and said, "The Taixu Sword is just missing a sword spirit, so we can't waste it!"

Immediately, Gu Mo fused that cluster of spiritual crystals into the Taixu Sword and used the demon-planting technique from the Dao Heart Demon-Planting Great Art.

The moment the crystal touched the spine of the sword, the patterns on the sword suddenly lit up, devouring the spiritual essence within the crystal like a living thing, swimming around the sword, and soon swallowing the last ray of crystal light into the sword.

With a clang, the sword pierced the void, and the Taixu Sword floated and rotated on its own, slowly giving birth to a new intelligence. As the sword trembled, it emitted a clear and melodious sword chant—it was the spiritual crystal that had been refined into a sword soul and merged with the Taixu Sword.

immediately,

As Gu Mo's primordial spirit returned to his body, the domain dissipated in that instant, and the world returned to its original colors once more, with the black and white fading away rapidly.

"Brother, what were you doing just now? Why was the Taixu Sword flying around over there?" Gu Chudong ran over and asked.

Gu Mo smiled slightly.
He knew why Gu Chudong was puzzled, because no one could see his battle and conversation with Ling Xiao; all the others present saw was him standing still.

"I just released my primordial spirit and killed Ling Xiao!" Gu Mo explained.

"Soul leaving the body!"

As a Qi cultivator, Shen Yao naturally understood the concept of the primordial spirit leaving the body, and exclaimed in surprise, "Master Gu, then... Ling Xiao is really dead!"

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

Although Ling Xiao's soul was merged into the Taixu Sword as its sword spirit, he erased Ling Xiao's consciousness, which was tantamount to killing Ling Xiao. Now there is only the Taixu Sword sword spirit that recognizes him as its master.

"That's fine, that's fine..."

Exhausted, Shen Yao collapsed to the ground, letting out a long sigh of relief, and said, "As long as there isn't another so-called reincarnated Lingxiao every few decades, that's fine!"

Gu Mo chuckled and walked towards Zhang Daoyi, who was barely breathing after being severely injured by Ling Xiao.

Zhang Daoyi's Great Formless Calamity Skill is the most powerful defensive martial art in the world today. However, at this moment, his Formless Calamity Qi has been dissipated by Ling Xiao's single finger. Fortunately, Zhang Daoyi's skill is indeed profound, and he protected his heart meridian in the first place. Although his injury is severe, it is not fatal.

Gu Mo walked over and immediately tapped lightly, sending an enhanced version of Heavenly Silkworm True Qi into Zhang Daoyi's meridians.

Immediately, Zhang Daoyi caught his breath, struggled to his feet, and walked towards Zhang Xisu, who was barely breathing amidst the ruins, saying, "Senior Brother..."

However, despite having so much to say, I couldn't find the words to express myself.

Zhang Xisu closed his eyes slightly and said, "Junior brother, everyone has their own ambitions and different ideals. However, junior brother, considering that I ultimately couldn't bring myself to destroy the Celestial Master's Mansion and deliberately caused most of the Celestial Master's Mansion disciples to leave Longhu Mountain to avoid the calamity, please burn my body and don't let my corpse be dishonored, okay?"

Zhang Daoyi nodded slightly.

Zhang Xisu struggled to raise his hand, slapped it against his chest, and severed his own heart meridian.

Looking at Zhang Xisu's corpse, Zhang Daoyi couldn't help but shed tears.

These two brothers, who had been together for decades and were closer than blood brothers, were having lunch together this morning. Now they are separated by life and death, and are now worlds apart.

Although Zhang Xisu intended to kill Zhang Daoyi, that sword strike ultimately failed to sever the decades-long bond of emotions.

……

Since this time,

Zhang Daoyi had always worried that the Luotian Grand Ceremony at Longhu Mountain would become a laughing stock. In the end, although he survived, the joke at Longhu Mountain did indeed happen. The dignified head of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Zhang Xisu, had been secretly colluding with the ghost messenger Gongsun Jue all along, and even staged a scene of fratricide at the Luotian Grand Ceremony. This joke had become a huge mess.

but,

Zhang Daoyi doesn't have the energy to worry about whether it's a joke or not right now; he needs to clean up the mess in front of him.

He needs to give explanations to all the major sects, and also deal with the group of Lingxiao believers secretly trained by Zhang Xisu within Longhu Mountain. At the same time, Longhu Mountain will inevitably be in chaos after this incident, and he will need to personally oversee the situation, even if it means being seriously injured.

As for Gu Mo

He wasn't interested in getting involved in Longhu Mountain's affairs, but he was very interested in his inner demons. Of course, whether he was interested or not, he needed to find a way to deal with them.

After all, the inner demon had already issued a challenge, saying that it would come looking for him again. In addition, although he could directly reach the so-called Ascension Realm of this world without needing to cultivate and break through, and had not encountered the Heavenly Gate and the inner demon, it did not mean that the Heavenly Gate and the inner demon would not come looking for him.

Therefore,
After stabilizing Zhang Daoyi's injuries, he asked to borrow the library at Longhu Mountain to consult documents.

Zhang Daoyi agreed readily.

They immediately arranged for someone to take Gu Mo to the Sutra Repository. ...

The capital city, a market town on its outskirts.

In a small courtyard, deep and secluded, bathed in the dappled sunlight filtering through the bamboo shadows, Qi Miaoxuan leaned back on an ebony recliner, her breathing even and deep, clearly having drifted off to sleep.

His aura was peaceful, and even the way his sleeves swayed gently in the breeze exuded a languid air, as if the hustle and bustle of this world had nothing to do with him.

Suddenly—

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if pulled by some invisible thread. The tremor didn't come from the outside, but from deep within his chest. He immediately sat up, pulled open his shirt, and saw a peculiar tattoo emitting a faint glow.

He immediately went into the house.
Then, he touched the peculiar tattoo on his chest, channeled his true energy, and instantly, a dazzling golden light spread out. It was not a flamboyant burst, but rather a slow, gentle diffusion, like spring water melting ice, making the moon-white fabric translucent.

Even more astonishingly, from the center of that golden light, a cold ray burst forth—not the horrific sight of flesh being torn apart, but the majestic sight of some slumbering ancient artifact breaking free from its constraints.

A faint outline of a knife tip was slowly "emerging" from the position of his heart.

The tip of the knife was like gold and jade, exuding a natural sharpness. Although it was just a phantom, it gave the impression that it could split mountains and cut off rivers.

Even more strangely, the golden light around the tip of the knife swirled like mercury, outlining a powerful, dragon-shaped phantom!

The dragon's body is coiled, its scales and claws outstretched. Though only a few strokes of light and shadow are used, it exudes an awe-inspiring majesty. As the dragon raises its head, a deep yet penetrating dragon roar faintly resounds.

Qi Miaoxuan immediately knelt on one knee and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency!"

The dragon-shaped phantom actually spoke in a human voice: "There may be a third dragon born in this world. Investigate for me."

Qi Miaoxuan swallowed hard and said, "My lord... isn't it impossible for a true dragon to be born again, apart from the Azure Dragon of that time and the dragon veins of the human world?"

The dragon-shaped phantom said calmly, "I don't know. It could be the appearance of a dragon vein. I only sensed it for a moment. The aura didn't quite match that of a dragon vein. However, whether it's a third dragon or the appearance of a human dragon vein, you must find out for yourself."

"Yes, this old servant understands." Qi Miaoxuan then asked, "Your Majesty, when will you wake up next?"

"Hmm?" The dragon-shaped phantom said calmly, "Do I need to inform you when I wake up?"

Qi Miaoxuan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, you misunderstand. I only wanted to confirm the time so that I could complete the task you assigned before you woke up."

The dragon-shaped phantom slowly said, "This time, it was because it sensed the appearance of a true dragon and was unexpectedly awakened. Well, if there are no accidents, it should wake up normally in two more years!"

"Yes, I understand!"

Qi Miaoxuan answered with her head down. After a long while, she did not hear any more sound. When she looked up, she found that the dragon-shaped phantom had disappeared.

He looked down at the peculiar tattoo on his chest, slowly channeling a stream of true energy into the tattoo lines, and soon the tattoo disappeared.

Then, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes, and he muttered, "Two years... only two years left, I have to speed things up! Dragon, besides the Azure Dragon and the Dragon Vein, can there be a third dragon in this world?"

……

Longhu Mountain, Sutra Repository.

As one of the oldest and most influential forces in the world, Longhu Mountain naturally possesses a vast collection of books. One of its scripture pavilions has six floors, each containing countless books.

"Brother, with so many books, how long will it take us to find them all?"

Looking at the densely packed bookshelves, piled high with books and bamboo slips, Gu Chudong felt a wave of despair wash over her.

“Miss Gu, don’t worry,” said the Longhu Mountain disciple who was leading the way. “What you’re looking for is a book about the legendary Thirteen Taboos. These books are all kept in one place, so they shouldn’t be that hard to find.”

"That's good, that's good!" Gu Chudong breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "I thought I'd have to search for them one by one. It's so easy to find them directly!"

"Hmm..." the Longhu Mountain disciple said hesitantly, "It's... not that easy..."

Gu Chudong asked in confusion, "Didn't you say they would all be put together?"

"There are... a lot of them... all laid upside down together!"

Gu Chudong waved her hand dismissively, saying, "How much could there be?"

then,

Before long, Gu Chudong's face fell.

Because the Longhu Mountain disciple led her and Gu Mo to the sixth floor, pointed to a corner and said, "There are a total of 32 bookshelves here, with 6,700 books and 2,382 bamboo scrolls, all of which are related to the legendary thirteen taboos!"

Gu Chudong's lips twitched violently as she said, "Brother, I want to practice martial arts!"

Gu Mo chuckled. He knew that Gu Chudong had never been a big fan of reading, so he didn't press her. He waved his hand and said, "Go play by yourself. I'll read on my own."

Gu Chudong asked hesitantly, "Brother, can you manage all these books by yourself?"

"quickly."

Gu Mo didn't say anything more and picked up the book to read it.

He reads very quickly. With his mental strength, he can memorize any book after just a glance. So, he reads by simply flipping through the pages.

but,

He spent three days and three nights reading, examining two thousand books and hundreds of volumes, learning about numerous records and rumors concerning the Thirteen Taboos. However, he found no record of how to deal with inner demons, not even a single speculation.

On the afternoon of the fourth day,
Zhang Daoyi arrived, bringing with him a hunched, white-haired old Taoist priest.

“This is one of my senior brothers, surnamed Yu.” Zhang Daoyi said with a smile, “Gu Mo, don’t look down on my senior brother Yu’s martial arts skills. When it comes to reading, there are few people in the world who have read more books than him. He has been reading on Longhu Mountain for a full sixty years. He is reading almost all the time. He is the most familiar with our Longhu Mountain Scripture Pavilion.”

Gu Mo understood perfectly well that Zhang Daoyi had found him a helper. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Master Yu, I'd like to find a way to deal with inner demons. Do you have any books you'd recommend?"

"No," Master Yu said, cupping his hands. "Hero Gu, the inner demon has existed for seven hundred years. Over the years, countless people have tried to kill the inner demon. If there were a way to kill the inner demon, it would have been spread long ago. It is impossible for you to find a way to deal with the inner demon here."

Gu Mo quickly asked, "Is there an indirect one?"

Master Yu nodded and said, "It exists, but it's practically the same as not existing. I've read many documents about ascension, and inner demons are very similar to those who ascend; the only difference is a level."

Ascended beings are at a higher level than humans, so mortal powers are ineffective against them. Inner demons are at an even higher level; even ascended beings would find their effects significantly reduced, let alone ordinary mortals. Therefore, to defeat inner demons, one must possess power at the same or a higher level than the inner demon itself.

Gu Mo quickly asked, "Then, is there?"

Master Yu nodded slightly and said, "Theoretically speaking, there is. In fact, more than 30 years ago, Ling Xiao also came looking for the answer. So, I have a deep impression of you, Master Gu, coming to look for the answer again."

Gu Mo cupped his hands and said, "Please give me your guidance."

Master Yu said, "The essence of the inner demon is a special creature that transcends human power. Theoretically speaking, the thirteen taboos in the world, except for Jiang Ruoxu and the Plague God, do not belong to human power. This means that these thirteen taboos actually have a restraining effect on each other."

Therefore, theoretically speaking, the Reverse Scale Blade, possessing the power of a dragon, and the fully mastered Great Sun Demon Art should be able to directly kill inner demons. Secondly, the Fire Qilin, the Seven-Colored Peacock, and the Black Tortoise, these three legendary mythical beasts may also have the power to kill inner demons.

Legend has it that the Azure Dragon, the Fire Qilin, the Seven-Colored Peacock, and the Black Tortoise are the four purest and most sacred spiritual energies in the world, which have evolved over millions of years. They are similar to the birth of inner demons. Therefore, I personally speculate that these four powers may be able to deal with inner demons.

As for the Great Sun Demon Art, it is the ancestor of all demonic arts. Legend has it that it can gather all the demonic energy in the world and then condense it into the purest demonic power. It may also grant a power that transcends the human realm and equals the level of inner demons.

Ling Xiao came to the Scripture Pavilion to find me back then. He had also read through many documents, but he couldn't find a way to deal with his inner demons. However, whether it's the Reverse Scale Blade, the Great Sun Demon Art, or the Fire Qilin, etc., they are all just my guesses based on those legends and some unofficial histories, without any basis.

I've come today only because I heard Gu Mo wants to find a way to deal with his inner demons through the Scripture Pavilion, so I came specifically to remind you, fearing I might waste your time. As for this so-called method, please don't take it to heart. Although our Daoist tradition clearly records the existence of the Thirteen Taboos, there are no clues to be found outside of Bai Yujing.”

Gu Mo cupped his hands and said, "I understand now, thank you for your guidance, Daoist Master."

Master Yu smiled slightly and said, "I'm reading on the first floor. If you need any books, just let me know and I'll find them for you."

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Nowadays, there's no need for any books."

Master Yu cupped his hands in greeting and turned to leave.

Zhang Daoyi asked, "Did you really see the inner demon?"

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "Not only did I see it, but Ling Xiao also saw it. The reason he wanted to destroy Wu was to exhaust the inner demon, because the inner demon's energy is maintained by devouring the cultivator's spiritual essence, and the stronger it is, the better."

Therefore, Ling Xiao believed that as long as there were no martial arts and no cultivators in the world, the inner demons would lose their energy and automatically perish. This was the main reason he launched the plan to destroy martial arts.

Zhang Dao nodded and said, "I see. And now?"

“I also want to kill my inner demons,” Gu Mo said, “but I wouldn’t go so far as to use Ling Xiao’s method, which is impossible to succeed. Rather than that, I would rather try to find the taboos that Master Yu mentioned.”

Zhang Daoyi thought for a moment and said, "Go to Penglai Island. Penglai Island is very mysterious. It has the Jade Capital and two very knowledgeable figures, the First and Second Island Masters. Most importantly, Penglai Island is full of Qi cultivators who are all pursuing their destiny and ascension to immortality."

Theoretically speaking, Penglai Island should frequently interact with the Heavenly Gate and inner demons; they should be the most knowledgeable about inner demons. If even they don't know how to deal with inner demons, then perhaps there truly is no way to deal with them in the world!

"Yes!"

Gu Mo suddenly realized and said, "Yes, as the holy land of Qi cultivators, no one in the world understands Qi cultivators better than them, so no one knows more about the Heavenly Gate and the Inner Demon than them!"

Zhang Daoyi said, "That's right, let's go together then."

Gu Mo nodded and asked, "By the way, have you finished dealing with things here?"

Zhang Daoyi sighed and said, "It won't be that fast. My senior brother, as the leader of Longhu Mountain, colluded with Gongsun Jue. This matter is too big. During this period, those people under Gongsun Jue who practiced the Taotie Divine Art have killed countless people from various sects. Although Gongsun Jue was killed by you, Longhu Mountain will still have to bear part of these debts."

Furthermore, there are still many practitioners of the Gluttonous Beast Divine Skill roaming the land, which will inevitably cause a great uproar in the martial arts world. However, the only good thing is that none of them should possess the complete Gluttonous Beast Divine Skill. The Six Doors are also actively investigating the identities of other practitioners by capturing those who have mastered the skill. Alas…”

With that, Zhang Daoyi sighed and said, "This time, the Celestial Master's Mansion has been utterly disgraced and is almost bankrupt from paying compensation. At the same time, we also need to give an explanation to the righteous sects of the martial world. Therefore, I have decided to close the mountain for ten years!"

Gu Mo frowned and said, "Although Longhu Mountain does not have the title of the leader of the Qian Kingdom's martial arts world in name, it has always been. The Qian Kingdom's martial arts world relies on your Longhu Mountain to maintain order. If Longhu Mountain were to close its gates, the martial arts world would probably be in chaos. Not to mention Penglai Island of the three upper sects, the remaining Canglan Sword Sect is only good in a corner of Yunzhou, but it is not enough to rule the Qian Kingdom's martial arts world."

Zhang Daoyi sighed and said, "I understand the reasoning, but now that Longhu Mountain has suffered such a huge scandal and lost all face, what right do we have to continue to lead the righteous martial arts world?"

Moreover, Longhu Mountain has essentially let down the entire martial arts world of Qian Kingdom this time, and is no longer able or capable of maintaining order in the martial arts world. Rather than being forced to withdraw later, it's better to proactively announce the closure of the mountain now, preserving its last shred of dignity.

Gu Mo thought about it and realized that Zhang Daoyi was right; Longhu Mountain was no longer able to maintain order in the martial arts world.

It's a very simple principle.
For example, when two sects have a conflict, Longhu Mountain steps in to mediate. One sect pitifully says, "If so-and-so from our sect hadn't died at Longhu Mountain, our sect wouldn't be in this situation." The other sect also says, "If it weren't for the Luotian Grand Ceremony, our sect leader would have been injured, and we wouldn't be bullied by others."

Faced with such a scene, it would be a testament to the strength of Longhu Mountain disciples not to commit suicide out of shame; how could they possibly maintain order?
……

Gu Mo stayed at Longhu Mountain for a few more days. After helping Zhang Daoyi recover from his injuries, he left Longhu Mountain with the Canglan Sword Sect team, who were also returning to Yunzhou.

When leaving,

Zhang Daoyi "voluntarily gave" almost all of this season's Enlightenment Fruits to Gu Chudong.

On the very day that Gu Mo and Gu Chudong left Longhu Mountain, two guests arrived: two plump Taoist priests. They were personally received by Zhang Daoyi, as these two were from Penglai Immortal Island.

(End of this chapter)