Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter 201 Slaying Through the Temple

Inside the temple, in the ancient hall.

Mo Xun's figure practically burst through the courtyard gate.

He stumbled into the courtyard, his gold-embroidered red robe tattered and blood dripping from the not-yet-fully-healed wound on his chest, leaving a trail of dark red blood behind him.

His steps were unsteady, and he was panting heavily.

Liu Yu rushed over and took Mo Xun's arm, asking anxiously, "Sect Leader! How are you?"

Mo Xun waved his hand and said, "It's alright—I won't die." As he spoke, he coughed twice, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. "Immediately order people to guard the ancient hall and not let anyone disturb me. I need some time."

Liu Yu nodded quickly: "I've already given the orders. There are over a hundred red-clad guards protecting the area; no one will get close."

.

Mo Xun nodded slightly, said nothing more, propped himself up, and walked towards the ancient hall.

Liu Yu helped Mo Xun to the door and stopped.

The ancient temple houses the oldest statue of the sun god in the temple. Legend has it that the sun god manifested himself from that statue.

Therefore, that hall is called the Ancient Hall, and no one is allowed to enter the entire temple without the permission of the sect leader.

Mo Xun entered the ancient hall.

With a loud crash, the heavy wooden door slammed shut, shutting out the twilight.

The ancient hall was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the high windows, casting long, thin golden streaks through the dust.

Mo Xun walked step by step to the ancient sun god statue, bent his knees, and knelt on the cold blue brick floor.

He lowered his head, his forehead touching the ground, and clasped his hands together in front of him, palms facing up.

"May the gods have mercy—" His voice echoed in the empty hall, filled with suppressed gasps and piety, "Help this disciple restore his cultivation and slay the demon!"

His voice echoed through the hall, swallowed by the darkness and silence.

A moment later, a faint light suddenly appeared between the statue's eyebrows. The light was initially very faint, like a candle flame that was about to go out, but it quickly brightened up in just a few breaths, like a small sun awakening inside the statue.

Golden light emanated from within the statue, spreading along the lines worn by time, bathing the entire ancient hall in a warm, golden hue. A gentle golden glow flowed from the statue, like an invisible river, enveloping Mo Xun entirely.

Meanwhile, outside the ancient temple.

Liu Yu stood alone at the door.

His gaze fell on the distant plaza, where a slowly rotating array was casting a golden halo across the sky.

A moment later, he suddenly felt the energy between heaven and earth violently fluctuate.

Then, the array plate in the void suddenly accelerated its rotation, emitting a dull "crack" sound. The sun wheel patterns on the edge spun wildly, and streams of golden light poured down from the array plate, enveloping the entire Peach Mountain in a dazzling radiance.

Liu Yu suddenly raised his head, his pupils shrinking slightly.

He saw the array plate spinning faster and faster, each rotation drawing in even more immense forces of heaven and earth. He thought to himself, "They've already gotten this far so quickly, haven't they? Gu Guanqi—you'd better hold on!"

At this moment, on the temple square.

Gu Guanqi stood amidst the interplay of twilight and golden light.

The enormous array plate hovered in the void above his head, its sun-shaped patterns on the edge spinning wildly, emitting a heavy hum. Golden light poured down from the array plate like a waterfall, enveloping the entire plaza in a blazing prison of light.

-

Wei Qi stood in front of the array of temple disciples, his hands raised high, his voice echoing in the golden light: "We respectfully request the gods to slay the demons and eliminate evil!"

""

The moment the words left his mouth, the array plate trembled violently.

A golden ray of light, solid as a tangible substance, fell from the core of the array plate, like a golden cloud descending, carrying with it the immense pressure formed by the convergence of heaven and earth, pressing down on Gu Guanqi.

As the light descended, the air seemed to freeze, and the blue bricks on the ground shattered inch by inch.

Gu Guanqi raised his head, his gaze deep.

Then, he floated up into the air.

In that instant, two completely different auras suddenly erupted from his body, one holy and one demonic, like day and night converging around him simultaneously. Golden light and purple radiance appeared alternately, and the two diametrically opposed forces surged and merged within his body.

He slowly raised his hands, palms facing each other.

A warm, golden Buddhist light emanated from his left palm, radiating compassion and peace; a thick, inky purple demonic aura rose from his right palm, deep and mysterious. The two streams of true energy converged and intertwined between his palms, transforming in an instant into the illusory image of a lotus bud about to bloom.

The lotus flower was initially very small, only the size of a green lotus seed in the palm of your hand. But as the two streams of true energy continued to flow in, the lotus flower expanded and unfolded at a speed visible to the naked eye, its petals spreading out layer upon layer.

Half golden, bathed in Buddha's light.

Half purple, brimming with demonic energy.

The golden petals exuded Buddhist and Taoist aura, while the edges of the purple petals emanated a dark demonic energy. The two forces, one righteous and one evil, achieved a delicate balance within the same lotus flower.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Guanqi's mind stirred slightly, and the Longevity Technique silently began to operate.

A surge of primordial power welled up from the depths of his dantian, flowing through his meridians into his palms and into the lotus flower.

The lotus trembled slightly, and then a wondrous change occurred. The gold and purple began to fade, replaced by a pure, unblemished light.

The lotus slowly swirled and rose into the air, its petals unfurling one by one, growing ever more expansive and magnificent, like a true celestial being blooming in the void. Fine, flowing light danced along the edges of the petals, each unfolding stirring the surrounding energy.

Then, the lotus flower bloomed.

The blooming process seemed to slow down time; Wei Qi, the temple disciples, and the flying pebbles and dust all seemed to freeze at that moment.

The lotus petals unfold layer by layer, each petal carrying a small yet complete principle of the universe. Buddha's light and demonic energy, light and darkness, compassion and killing—all the oppositions are pushed to their peak at that moment, only to be encompassed by a higher principle.

The moment the lotus bloomed, a pure, pristine white light rose from the heart of the flower. The light was not dazzling, but it carried an irresistible majesty as it met the golden cloud descending from the sky.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar exploded in the sky above the square, as if the heavens had been ripped apart.

The sound was so loud that it hurt everyone's eardrums, shook the ground beneath their feet, and echoed from the distant mountains.

A blinding white light suddenly exploded at the point of impact, like a sun rising abruptly in the twilight, illuminating the entire square as bright as day.

The light was so intense that everyone who looked directly at it involuntarily closed their eyes, and some even had blood seeping from their eyes.

Within the white light, the two forces were still clashing fiercely.

The flowing light at the edge of the lotus intertwined with the embers of the golden pillar of light, emitting a series of dense explosions, like thousands of thunderbolts exploding simultaneously in mid-air, forming a huge vortex that spread in all directions with destructive energy.

In that instant, the blue bricks on the ground were lifted off the ground and shattered into countless fragments in mid-air, shooting out in all directions like a torrential rain.

The columns on both sides of the square snapped with a crash, their upper halves collapsing with a deafening roar, tiles falling in a shower of dust. The stone carvings engraved with sun patterns were directly blasted away by the blast wave, tumbling several times in the air before crashing into the distant palace, smashing huge holes in the walls.

"Boom—!" "Boom!" "Boom 1"

'

The sounds of continuous collapses rose and fell.

The main hall on the east side of the square was the first to succumb; its roof collapsed from the center, and broken bricks and timbers rained down, causing the entire building to completely disintegrate under the impact of the blast wave. Immediately afterward, the bell tower on the west side also began to tilt, and a massive bronze bell fell from the roof, crashing to the ground with a deafening metallic roar. A huge gash appeared in the bell's body, and the echoing sound reverberated through the ruins for a long time.

The pebbles and brick fragments in the air shot out in all directions like hidden weapons, carrying a sharp gust of wind, hitting the distant walls with a crackling sound and leaving a dense array of holes.

Dust billowed into the sky, obscuring half the heavens and swallowing the twilight into a chaotic gray-yellow hue.

Wei Qi stood at the front of the formation, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the exploding light, trying to use his remaining divine power to stabilize the situation. But the next instant, the shockwave struck his chest.

"puff--!"

A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, scattering like a broken beaded curtain onto the shattered blue bricks.

The impact sent him flying backward, his feet carving deep furrows in the ground. He stumbled back seven or eight steps before his back slammed against a leaning pillar, bringing him to a stop. He tried to steady himself with his scepter, but a metallic taste filled his throat, and a second mouthful of blood gushed out, staining his clothes red.

The situation was even worse for the temple disciples behind him.

The dozens of people at the forefront were struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer the moment the shockwave hit their bodies. They didn't even have time to scream before they were sent flying backward off the ground.

Someone crashed into the wall behind them, bricks shattering, their body embedded in the debris, blood gushing from their mouth, before sliding to the ground, lifeless. Another was struck in the face by flying shards, collapsing to the ground covered in blood, twitching a few times before becoming still.

"ah--!"

Screams rose and fell. Those temple disciples with lower cultivation levels bled from all seven orifices. Some clutched their chests and knelt on the ground, some lay limp and powerless among the ruins, and many more were directly thrown out by the shockwave, tumbling in the churning dust, and were already motionless when they landed.

Smoke and dust filled the air, and pebbles flew everywhere, making the entire square seem as if it had been swept away by a natural disaster.

Amidst the broken walls and ruins, large numbers of temple disciples lay sprawled about, some already lifeless, others still groaning softly, their blood staining the dust and rubble in large patches of dark red.

In the void, the last ray of white light vanished along with the golden fragments.

The wind swept through the ruins, stirring up fine dust and lingering heat. The entire square was a mess, like a battleground that had been wrecked; not a single intact brick or pillar remained standing.

Gu Guanqi stood in the center of the ruins, his white clothes fluttering slightly in the wind, untouched by any dust.

"Light—Light Array—"

Wei Qi's voice trembled as he stared intently at the empty sky. "It's broken?"

He clutched his chest, gazing at Gu Guanqi amidst the billowing smoke and dust, and proclaimed loudly: "Burn my mortal body, blazing dawn flames; live by the light, die by the starry river; cleanse the turbid and dispel the darkness, only the rising sun remains; glory, sorrow, joy, and anger, all are left to the falling clouds; pity my people, for the gloom forever shrouds them—"

Immediately, Li Xuan, Ou Lin, and other high-ranking officials also shouted: "Burn my mortal body, blazing dawn fire; let life follow the light—"

Immediately afterwards, all the temple disciples who were still standing joined in the chanting, their voices powerful and their spirits unwavering, each one ready to die for their cause.

"kill--!"

Wei Qi whirled around, pointed at Gu Guanqi, and roared at the top of his lungs, "The Sun God will protect us! Though we are but mortals, our light will never fade!"

This shout was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, briefly creating ripples. Driven by their faith, the temple disciples fearlessly charged towards Gu Guanqi.

Gu Guanqi landed back on the ground, his toes lightly touching the broken blue bricks.

He drew his sword.

The Autumn Water Sword rang out with a clear, melodious sound in his hand, its light sweeping across the sky like an inverted galaxy falling to earth. The sword strike was gentle and slow, carrying a calm and unhurried rhythm, yet wherever the sword light passed, blood splattered.

The temple disciples at the very front didn't even have time to let out a complete scream before their bodies fell to the sides, while those behind them were pushed forward by the crowd.

Gu Guanqi's steps never faltered, each sword strike executed with utmost simplicity. The sounds of wails, clashing weapons, and shattering armor mingled together, echoing across the empty square.

Wei Qi stood at the back of the crowd, watching the white-clad figure move through the crowd as if it were nothing, watching the elite disciples of the temple appear as fragile as paper before him. His expression gradually darkened, and his hand holding the scepter trembled slightly.

He suddenly looked up towards the ancient temple, sighed softly, and whispered, "Sect Leader, I'm going to serve the gods first—"

The whisper was swallowed up by the sounds of fighting in the distance.

He brandished his scepter and charged towards Gu Guanqi!

At that moment, Liu Yu was shocked to see the array plate broken, and then he suddenly pushed open the door of the ancient hall.

Inside the ancient hall, Mo Xun was kneeling before the statue of a god, his body enveloped in a warm, golden light.

The light emanated from inside the statue, enveloping him completely, making him appear both gentle and sacred.

Liu Yu stumbled into the hall, stopping at the threshold. His face was deathly pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He knelt on the ground, anxiously crying out, "Sect Leader! Something terrible has happened! The Bright Sky Formation has been broken! Gu Guanqi—he's about to attack!"

Mo Xun suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of panic he had never seen before flashing in them, and even his voice lost its usual composure:

'

How could it be so fast?

Liu Yu knelt before the threshold, his face ashen, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, his voice trembling: "Sect Leader, how are you recovering?"

Mo Xun's pupils suddenly contracted, and he said in a deep voice, "I've only just begun to recover, my injuries haven't even fully healed, let alone my cultivation level. I'm no match for Gu Guanqi at all!"

Liu Yu asked anxiously, "What do we do now?"

A resolute glint flashed in Mo Xun's eyes, a resoluteness tinged with barely suppressed hatred and resentment. He gritted his teeth and said, "Now we have no choice but to sacrifice the pawn to save the king. As long as we're alive, we can always fight another day!"

As he spoke, he slowly stood up, his tattered red robe with gold embroidery casting a dark shadow in the dimly lit hall. He turned to face the ancient statue of the sun god, clasped his hands in front of him, and bowed deeply.

"By the Sun God above, the temple faces a crisis of destruction today. Your disciple is incompetent and unable to protect the temple's foundation. For now, I can only lead you to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack. Please forgive any offense we have committed!"

After he finished speaking, he straightened up, took a step forward, and slapped the statue with his palm.

"boom-

"6

A muffled explosion resounded in the empty ancient hall.

Cracks appeared on the ancient statue, spreading in all directions like a spider web, before it collapsed with a deafening roar, scattering rubble and filling the air with dust.

Amidst the shattered dust and stone fragments, a crystal-clear head, as if cast from glass, slowly emerged.

The head was about the size of a real skull, with the facial features vaguely discernible and the lines extremely delicate. A layer of warm, luminous white luster flowed across its surface, like a solidified moonlight floating in the air, yet it gave people a sense of solemnity that could not be looked at directly.

Mo Xun quickly removed the gold-embroidered red robe he was wearing, wrapped it around the glass head, and turned to stride out of the hall. As he walked, he urgently said to Liu Yu, "Liu Yu, you'd better run quickly. Find a place to hide under an assumed name. When I rise again, you—"

In that instant, Liu Yu suddenly sprang up and struck out with a palm.

The palm strike was incredibly fast, without warning. A blinding crimson flame burned in the palm, and the flames exploded in a dazzling arc in the dim ancient hall, striking Mo Xun precisely in the chest.

"Bang"

A dull, resounding impact echoed through the ancient hall. Mo Xun's protective aura shattered like paper under that palm strike, the force of which landed squarely on his chest.

Mo Xun's body stiffened abruptly, and he staggered back half a step by the force. A mouthful of blood welled up in his throat and spilled from the corner of his mouth, leaving a glaring dark red streak on his pale face.

The wound on his chest, which had not yet healed, was torn open again by this palm strike, and blood gushed out instantly.

Immediately, he shook his body violently, and a powerful counterforce erupted from within him, like an invisible wave of air exploding in all directions.

Liu Yu's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, his back slamming heavily against a stone wall behind him. With a loud "boom," the blue bricks shattered, the stone wall collapsed, and the broken bricks and dust buried half of his body in the ruins.

Just before he was sent flying backward, his right hand lashed out with a long whip. The whip was entirely black, made of some unknown material, and its trajectory was almost invisible in the dimly lit hall. It precisely hooked the cloth bundle containing the glass head in Mo Xun's arms and yanked it sharply.

The cloth bag flew out of his hand, tumbled twice in the air, and landed steadily in Liu Yu's hand.

With a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, Liu Yu slowly stood up.

Mo Xun clutched his chest, staring at Liu Yu with disbelief in his eyes, and asked, "Liu Yu—why did you do this?"

Liu Yu raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked directly at Mo Xun, and said in a deep voice, "As expected of the sect leader, even this couldn't kill you."

But how long can you hold on in your current state?

Mo Xun's brows furrowed, and he said coldly, "Why did you betray the Temple?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu gave a slight, cold laugh and said, "I have never been a member of the Temple, so how could I have betrayed them?"

Mo Xun's pupils contracted slightly, and for the first time, genuine confusion appeared on his lean face: "You entered the Temple at fifteen, and it's been over thirty years now. You're saying you're not a member of the Temple?"

Liu Yu said in a deep voice, "I entered the Temple to find an opportunity to destroy it, but I haven't had one yet. How could I possibly give you a chance to rise again today?"

Mo Xun asked, puzzled, "Back then, you had nothing. It was the Temple that took you in, taught you martial arts, and imparted divine techniques to you. Now, they've even made you the Grand Master of the Divine Oracle Academy. Why are you doing this?"

Liu Yu's gaze met Mo Xun's in the dimly lit hall. The firelight flickered in his eyes as he coldly said, "You only know that I had nothing back then, but do you know why I had nothing?"

He took half a step forward, and the package swayed gently with his movement.

"I originally had a happy family. My father was an honest craftsman, my mother was gentle and virtuous, and I had a younger sister who was only six years old at the time. Although our family was not rich, we lived a very stable life."

But when the people from your temple came, they wanted to conscript my father to build temples for you, but they refused to pay him a single penny, saying that it was the protection of the sun god that allowed us to survive.

Liu Yu stared directly at Mo Xun and said coldly, "Isn't it ridiculous? My parents work from dawn till dusk, earning a living through their own labor, and yet, in your temple's mouth, it's all a gift from the Sun God!"

Mo Xun said, "The sun god's light shines on the world, dispelling darkness and disease. Having enjoyed the sun god's protection, it is only right that we do something for the sun god."

"Go to hell!" Liu Yu cursed, then continued, "Do you know what happens to an ordinary family when they lose their main breadwinner? The temple is building, and they're recruiting people for free, but they're gone for three to five years and can't come back. Without wages, how are we supposed to survive?"

Mo Xun said in a deep voice, "It is an honor for your family to be able to contribute to the Sun God!"

"Look, look, you still have the same face. You deserve to die, the temple deserves to die!" Liu Yu said, "My father refused to go, and your people killed him on the spot, making an example of him. Then, my mother, my sister, my grandfather..."

Grandma and all the others were killed, but I was the only one who survived because I wasn't home that day!

Afterwards, the deeds to my family's house—all of them—were taken away by the temple, ostensibly to worship the sun god and cleanse our sins. What sins had my family committed? In the end, even their corpses were hung at the entrance of town to intimidate others! What did they do? Tell me, what sins did they commit?

Mo Xun shook his head slightly and said, "You've been in the temple for over thirty years, yet you still haven't grasped the light, haven't grasped the great love of the Sun God!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Xun pointed a finger, which was filled with golden light and contained a wisp of sun god power that still carried a scorching heat, and pointed it toward Liu Yu's brow.

Liu Yu reacted almost instantly. He swiftly held the package in front of him as a shield.

Mo Xun's fingertips suddenly stopped just before touching the package.

His figure froze in mid-air, his finger hovering less than three inches from the cloth bag, golden light flickering between his fingers.

He immediately withdrew his hand, paused, and took two steps back.

Liu Yu sneered, "It seems I wasn't wrong—this is the temple's true secret. This so-called head of the sun god is the foundation of the temple's thousand-year-old legacy. You dare not destroy it."

Mo Xun's face darkened. He neither refuted nor admitted anything. He said in a deep voice, "Give it to me. I can forgive your betrayal of the temple today."

66

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu sneered and said, "I only want the temple to be destroyed."

66

Before he finished speaking, he lashed out with his long whip, the whip making a sharp whooshing sound in the air, like a black lightning bolt, straight towards Mo Xun's face.

Mo Xun's expression turned cold, and he dodged to the side and back. The tip of the whip grazed his cheek, leaving a whip mark about an inch deep on the stone wall behind him, sending fragments of stone flying.

Without stopping, he darted through the whip's shadows, his left hand reaching out with fingers spread wide, like an iron claw, directly grabbing at Liu Yu's right hand that was holding the package.

With a flick of his wrist, Liu Yu's long whip suddenly changed direction in the air, like a black snake coming to life, coiling around Mo Xun's arm, trying to pull him back.

Mo Xun lowered his body slightly, and most of the whip's binding force was removed. His right hand continued its momentum, taking a step forward and instantly grabbing Liu Yu's shoulder.

As the five fingers fell, they carried a powerful force. Liu Yu felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, as if it were about to be crushed.

He grunted and struck out with his left palm, a crimson fire energy wrapped around his palm, which exploded into a dazzling arc of light in the dim hall.

The palm strike was aimed straight at Mo Xun's chest, but before the palm arrived, a scorching wave of air rushed over first.

Mo Xun didn't move, but casually flicked his right palm outward. It looked casual, but with that flick, a pale golden gust of wind surged from his palm, precisely meeting Liu Yu's palm force.

The two forces collided, and Liu Yu's crimson palm force was completely dissipated the moment it touched the golden energy.

The force of the impact sent a sudden numbness through Liu Yu's arm, and he staggered back two steps. His back slammed against the doorframe, and he swayed before managing to regain his balance.

Mo Xun's figure had already moved close like a golden afterimage, and his right hand once again reached for the cloth bag in Liu Yu's arms.

Liu Yu's pupils suddenly contracted in that instant.

He suddenly raised his arm and hurled the package toward the gate of the ancient temple.

The package tumbled twice in the air, like a gray-white arc, and flew out of the courtyard through the dimly lit palace gate.

Mo Xun's expression suddenly changed. He lightly touched the ground with his foot, abruptly turned, and sped towards the courtyard gate. A golden afterimage trailed a thin streak of light at the entrance of the ancient hall.

Just as he dropped the package, Liu Yu seemed to anticipate that Mo Xun would chase after him. Almost simultaneously, he pushed off the brick floor with both feet, his body rising into the air like a boulder falling from the sky, landing precisely on Mo Xun's back.

His arms were wrapped tightly around Mo Xun's neck, and his legs were tightly wrapped around Mo Xun's waist.

Mo Xun's body suddenly froze, and then he slammed his fist hard into Liu Yu's back.

"puff!"

Liu Yu spat out a mouthful of blood, the dark red blood mist spreading in the twilight, splashing onto Mo Xun's shoulder and robes.

His face contorted in agony for a moment, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat dripping down his chin, but his hands remained tightly wrapped around Mo Xun's neck.

Mo Xun frowned, raised his hand and pointed, golden light condensed, carrying an extremely sharp force, and aimed at Liu Yu's temple.

But at that very moment, a cool voice came from the courtyard gate, with a hint of mockery: "Oh, so this is dogs fighting each other?"

'

Mo Xun's movements suddenly froze.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on the figure at the courtyard gate, which was none other than Gu Guanqi.

His white robes fluttered slightly in the evening breeze, the moonlight and the afterglow of the setting sun intertwining around him, making him appear aloof and detached, untouched by any worldly dust.

He was holding the package that Liu Yu had thrown out.

Mo Xun sighed softly, his face filled with despair.

The breath in Liu Yu's chest dissipated, and his body slid off Mo Xun's back, collapsing to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, spreading a dark red stain on the ground.

He turned his head to look at Gu Guanqi, then his gaze returned to Mo Xun's face, and he chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, yet remarkably clear in the empty courtyard.

Mo Xun stood there, looking as if he had aged ten years, his aura weak and listless, as if all his strength had been drained away in that instant: "The divine guidance was indeed correct. Today's battle at Yinchuan Gorge will truly affect the fate of Qizhou. However, I never expected it to have such an impact."

Gu Guanqi slowly walked over and said, "Mo Xun, are these your last words?"

66

Mo Xun was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly.

The smile was faint, without anger, resentment, or even hatred; it was simply an extreme tranquility.

"We lost completely, so there's nothing more to say."

After saying this, he sat down cross-legged.

Then, he clasped his hands together, slowly forming a hand seal, and chanted: "Burn my mortal body, blazing dawn fire; live in the light, die in the starry river..."

'

His voice echoed through the empty courtyard, carrying a strange rhythm.

Gu Guanqi did not make a move because he realized that Mo Xun had lost his will to fight.

Mo Xun closed his eyes and recited: "Cleansing away the turbidity and darkness, only the rising sun can do it; glory, sorrow, joy, and anger, all are left to the falling clouds..."

'

"Pity my people, shrouded in perpetual gloom..."

'

The moment he finished speaking, a warm, golden radiance slowly emanated from his body. At first, the radiance was faint, like the first rays of dawn. But within moments, the radiance rapidly brightened, spreading around him.

Golden light emanated from Mo Xun's skin and seeped through the gaps in his robes, spreading out layer by layer and enveloping his entire body.

Then, those streaks of light transformed into flames.

The flames instantly ignited, engulfing the last remaining outline of Mo Xun.

Moments later, the last few wisps of golden embers drifted into the darkening sky.

On the ground, only a patch of white ash remained, which was blown away by the wind and disappeared without a trace.

Gu Guanqi sheathed his Autumn Water Sword, picked up his bundle, and walked over. He bent down to look at Liu Yu, who was lying motionless on the ground, and said, "I'm afraid sleeping isn't allowed here!"

Liu Yu remained expressionless and said, "I have no more desires now, just kill me!"

Gu Guanqi said, "I overheard your conversation with Mo Xun when I was killing someone outside."

Liu Yu said, "So what?"

Gu Guanqi said, "Actually, I really disapprove of the temple's practice of using faith to enslave others. Although the temple is crippled now, its influence cannot be eliminated overnight. But I'm too busy to clean up the mess. Are you interested in launching a campaign to destroy the temple?"

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