The Peacock Spirit Race

Gu Mo asked doubtfully, "Possessed by a ghost? Why describe it like that?" Qi Tianchu tilted his head to look at Gu Mo and chuckled, "It's very similar to you, suddenly displaying many powerful martial arts. Back then, after I defeated Wang Yunshen and seized Azure Wave Mountain, Wang Yunshen disbanded the Misty Sword Sect and took his family to Qingyang County. In less than a year, Wang Yunshen died of grief, and although his son's martial arts were passable, they were only at the peak of the first-rate level. He couldn't even restore Wang Yunshen's glory, let alone protect the family. It wasn't until later, when Wang Dongli grew up, that the Wang Family's name was once again spread. However, strangely, Wang Dongli did not rebuild the Misty Sword Sect but established the Dongli Sect named after himself. But, at that time, Qingyang County had the Four Directions Sword Sect supporting each other, which greatly limited the development of the Dongli Sect. It was confined to a single county town. However, during those years, Wang Dongli did not show strong ambition and was always known in the Martial World for his gentle nature. It wasn't until five years ago, when you were investigating the Cat Demon case in Qingyang County and exposed the despicable deeds of the Four Directions Sword Sect, that the Four Directions Sword Sect disintegrated overnight. Only then did the Dongli Sect emerge and seize a large territory in Qingyang County. However, even after arriving here, there was nothing unusual about this Wang Dongli. His martial arts were just a bit stronger than the Martial World estimated, which is normal. After all, the Dongli Sect had been secluded for years, and Wang Dongli rarely made public appearances, so it was reasonable for the Martial World to misjudge his martial arts. But, starting last year, things became strange. Wang Dongli's personality suddenly changed drastically. He went from his usual gentle demeanor to a martial arts fanatic, starting to challenge others everywhere. Moreover, his attitude was very aggressive. If someone refused to fight, he would block their doorway until they were forced to fight. However, fortunately, although he aggressively challenged others everywhere, his methods were limited to blocking doorways and uttering provocative words. He didn't resort to despicable means like kidnapping wives and daughters to threaten others. This is also one of the reasons I agreed to his challenge. Besides the change in personality, Wang Dongli's greater change was in his martial arts. Starting last year until now, he has challenged over forty experts in Yun Province, using no less than ten unrelated martial arts. None of them were Wang Family martial arts, but no traces of other sects' or families' martial arts were found either." As he spoke, Qi Tianchu looked at Gu Mo and said, "Does it feel familiar?" Gu Mo smiled and said, "It is indeed very similar to me." Qi Tianchu said, "You are chasing wanted criminals everywhere, while Wang Dongli is challenging experts everywhere. From challenging super-class experts at the beginning, to challenging grandmasters later, and now he's challenging me. Even now, he has already agreed to a fight with me on the ninth of this month, and he is still challenging others today. Look, he is either fighting someone or on his way to fight someone. And you, you are either killing wanted criminals or looking for them, and you also have all sorts of strange and mysterious martial arts emerging one after another. You two, have you bumped into some kind of fortuitous encounter?" Upon hearing Qi Tianchu's words, Gu Mo actually felt a bit suspicious. Could it be that he had really encountered someone similar? "How about it, are you getting interested?" Qi Tianchu chuckled. Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "I am a born-knowing person who has awakened past life memories." Qi Tianchu was surprised, "There really are born-knowing people?" Gu Mo said, "Is there anything difficult to believe about this? The Emperor of Chu Kingdom, Xiao Zhaolin, is known throughout the world for his double pupils. As a fellow innate sage, if there are double pupils, then having a born-knowing person is not strange, is it?" "Strange," Qi Tianchu said, "How can it not be strange? Double pupils are a special physique. Although peculiar, it's not incomprehensible. But awakening past life memories is truly too miraculous. Is there really reincarnation? Is there really past and present lives?" As Qi Tianchu asked his questions, Gu Chundong and Shen Bai were also very curious. Regarding Gu Mo being the legendary born-knowing person, the rumor had been circulating in the Martial World for a long time. Later, after Gu Mo intentionally or unintentionally admitted it, he became the third widely known innate sage, following Xiao Zhaolin and Ye Chen. However, Hearing is one thing, but hearing it directly from Gu Mo himself brought immense shock and confusion. Gu Chundong couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She had heard about Gu Mo awakening past life memories long ago, but she had concerns and had been pretending not to know, never asking. Now, hearing Qi Tianchu's question, she couldn't help but become nervous. The only one present who was unconcerned was Hongyi, because her consciousness database contained knowledge about born-knowing people, so it wasn't a rare thing for her. "How to explain it?" Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "Since I have awakened past life memories, there must be past and present lives, and there must be reincarnation. But not in the way of the underworld and the Book of Life and Death as in folk legends." As he spoke, Gu Mo looked at Qi Tianchu and said, "You should remember what happened to your master, the elder Yu Jinghong. Under normal circumstances, when people die, they have consciousness and a nascent soul. However, their existence won't last long unless there are special methods like forbidden items from White Jade Capital or reaching the Ascension Realm. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, after death, consciousness will soon dissipate, and the nascent soul will return to the void, becoming the life substance of the world. Then, under some coincidental circumstances, those substances will recombine, forming a new life that is born, thus completing the so-called reincarnation. So, strictly speaking, after reincarnation, there is no connection to the previous life. It is already another person, whether it is the physical body, soul, spirit, or will, it is another person. However, the number of people reincarnated and born every day is countless. In tens or hundreds of years, it's impossible to count the total number. With such a large population being born, accidents are inevitable. Perhaps the life substance does not return to the void completely, or perhaps in the countless cycles of the laws of operation, there will inevitably be an anomaly where someone suddenly remembers their past life memories. This is awakening past life memories, also known as being a born-knowing person." Gu Chundong quickly asked, "Brother, what does that feel like? Is it emotionally profound?" Gu Mo shook his head and said, "It's basically negligible. Because awakening past life memories is equivalent to having a dream, just a more complete and clearer dream. People might remember the emotions in the dream, but no one lives in the emotions of the dream. It's like watching a play or a fleeting scene from the perspective of an observer, having witnessed another person's life." Gu Chundong quietly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "That's good, that's good. As long as my brother is still my brother!" Qi Tianchu suddenly understood and said, "So, those martial arts of yours are from your past life? But they can't be found in the Martial World at all?" Gu Mo said calmly, "You tell me, is there a possibility that my realm is high enough, and I figured them out myself?" "That's true, haha!" Qi Tianchu chuckled. "Oh, so that means Wang Dongli could also be a born-knowing person like you?" "This, I'm not sure," Gu Mo said, "but theoretically, it's unlikely. However, the situation Wang Dongli has displayed is quite possible." Regarding the situation of Wang Dongli that Qi Tianchu just described, it indeed fits the profile of an innate sage. This is because Gu Mo had just learned from the enlightened monk Huineng that the spirit of the Great Sun Demonic Art was constantly searching for innate sages, and given the characteristics of the Great Sun Demonic Art, it was normal for Wang Dongli to undergo a transformation in a short period. Qi Tianchu chuckled and said, "You have a high realm and are an innate sage, so you can watch carefully to see what's going on with Wang Dongli!" After saying that, Qi Tianchu looked at Gu Mo and said, "You're not in a hurry to leave this time, are you?" "I shouldn't be busy," Gu Mo replied. "That's great," Qi Tianchu laughed, then suddenly pulled his fishing rod, and a three-foot-long silver fish broke through the ice. He quickly shouted, "Shen Bai, take the fish to be stewed, and bring me the old brew you stole from me. Today, your father-in-law and I will have a good drink with Great Hero Gu!" Shen Bai's face stiffened, and he said sheepishly, "Father-in-law, you know?" Qi Tianchu snorted impatiently and said, "Don't I know my own daughter? Would that girl go clean my room for no reason? If you hadn't instigated her to steal my wine, would she have entered my room? That girl who disliked the smell of my room since she was little, alas, a married daughter is like spilled water..." As he spoke, Qi Tianchu angrily hit Shen Bai with his fishing rod and cursed, "You're not a good thing either, letting your wife steal your father-in-law's wine..." Shen Bai, holding the silver fish, ran away in a flash. Gu Mo watched from the side and burst into laughter! Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the ninth of May. Azure Wave Mountain was filled with a great commotion. On the peak of Tianqin Mountain, which was originally a scenic mountain in the Azure Wave Mountain range and a place of tranquility, it was now bustling with people. This was because Wang Dongli, a grandmaster who had risen rapidly in the past year or so, was about to fight Qi Tianchu, the former number one and now second in Yun Province. Martial arts masters from Yun Province and surrounding areas, sect leaders, family heads, and eager martial artists from the Martial World filled the snow-covered mountaintop. The Six Doors also dispatched elite personnel, led by a commander, to maintain order and prevent chaos due to the large crowd. The air was filled with an atmosphere of anticipation, excitement, and tension. The wind and snow seemed to have lessened, with only scattered snowflakes falling, adding a touch of solemnity to the impending grandmaster duel. As the host, Qi Tianchu had arrived at the peak of Tianqin Mountain long ago. He stood quietly in the wind and snow, letting the snowflakes cover him without moving an inch, like a snowman. Gu Mo, Gu Chundong, Hongyi, and Shen Bai sat around a small stove in a pavilion on a mountainside in the distance. All of them were martial arts experts and were not afraid of the cold. The reason for preparing a small stove was purely because Gu Mo had recently become addicted to Qi Tianchu's prized century-old brew. Drinking wine while watching the battle in the heavy snow was a refined and tasteful pleasure! "Brother, will the old sect leader Qi lose?" Gu Chundong said, "I heard that during this period, Wang Dongli has consecutively challenged four grandmasters, and even the third grandmaster of Yun Province was defeated by him. His sword momentum is probably terrifyingly strong!" Gu Mo slowly poured a cup of wine and said, "Old Sect Leader Qi's sword is also terrifyingly strong. In today's world, even Su Qianqiu and Old Celestial Master Zhang cannot estimate Old Sect Leader Qi's limit!" Gu Chundong looked at Qi Tianchu in the heavy snow. Just as she was about to say something else, a commotion suddenly erupted from Tianqin Mountain, with someone shouting, "Wang Dongli is here!" Then, the crowd automatically parted to both sides. Wang Dongli slowly walked out from the crowd and leisurely walked towards the mountaintop. Gu Mo also stood up and walked to the edge of the pavilion to look. Wang Dongli appeared to be around forty years old, with a lean face and a slender build. He was wearing a washed-out, faded gray-blue cloth shirt, completely different from the vengeful avenger with a deep-seated hatred he had imagined. Wang Dongli's steps were steady, his eyes calm, even carrying a hint of gentleness. A simple, ancient-looking long sword was slung across his back. If not for the profound and hidden grandmaster aura emanating from him, one would have mistaken him for an ordinary scholar. He was very calm, not even gathering momentum, as if he had come to Tianqin Mountain to sightsee rather than to challenge. Wang Dongli slowly walked to the reserved open space in the center of the ice lake. His gaze was calm as he looked at Qi Tianchu, who stood with his hands behind his back on the opposite mountaintop. He cupped his fists, bowed, and his voice, clear and steady, spread throughout the venue: "Wang Dongli of the Dongli Sect in Qingyang County, greetings to Old Sect Leader Qi. Thank you for agreeing to this battle, old sect leader." His opening remarks surprised everyone. There were no angry accusations, no fierce condemnations, not even a hint of resentment. In fact, before today, the grievances between Wang Dongli and the Azure Wave Sword Sect had already spread throughout the Martial World. It was widely rumored that the descendant of the Wang family had endured for decades and had finally produced a genius descendant to seek revenge. Therefore, most people expected today's battle to be a story of a vengeful person drawing a sword against their enemy. This was something the Martial World always enjoyed. But, at this moment, Wang Dongli's politeness made many of the spectators feel quite disappointed. Even Qi Tianchu was somewhat surprised. He slowly opened his eyes, and the snow covering him instantly scattered. He looked down at Wang Dongli and said, "Sect Leader Wang, the death of your grandfather back then was due to my youthful impulsiveness. I apologize to your Wang family!" "Old Sect Leader Qi, it's a misunderstanding. Today's challenge is not for old grievances." Wang Dongli's voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone. "My grandfather, Wang Yunshen, was defeated by Old Sect Leader Qi in a fair martial arts competition. He was inferior in skill and willingly conceded defeat. My grandfather's later years were filled with grief due to unresolved inner turmoil, not Old Sect Leader's fault. The Wang family has never considered this defeat as a grievance." This statement caused an uproar throughout the venue. Many people had traveled a long distance just to witness a fierce clash of blood feud, only to find Wang Dongli speaking like this. "The Wang family has been able to live peacefully in Qingyang County these past few years, partly thanks to the Azure Wave Sword Sect's suppression of the demonic path, which has brought stability to the Martial World," Wang Dongli continued, his tone still calm. "I am challenging today solely for matters of the Martial World. Firstly, I want my Wang family to return to Azure Wave Mountain. Secondly, I want to earn a name for myself. In the Martial World, what we seek is nothing more than fame and fortune!" These words, frank and magnanimous, with extraordinary bearing, immediately won the favor and respect of many present. Even Qi Tianchu's eyes showed a hint of surprise and admiration. He nodded slightly and said loudly, "Since Sect Leader Wang puts it this way, I have nothing more to say. Please, give me your guidance!" As the words fell, a murderous aura erupted! Without any further pleasantries, the two figures moved almost simultaneously. Wang Dongli flipped his wrist, and the ancient sword was unsheathed silently. The sword light flashed, not with the ethereal uncertainty imagined, but with a strange heaviness. As his sword momentum unfolded, it was like a magpie perching on a branch, with tricky and elusive trajectories. As the sword tip trembled, it subtly stirred the surrounding wind and snow, transforming into countless fine ice crystal vortexes that swept towards Qi Tianchu, covering the sky and earth! The strangeness of the sword technique, the trickiness of the power, and the obliqueness of the angles were such that none of the onlookers could identify the name of the technique. They only felt a biting cold and hidden killing intent. Facing this bizarre and unpredictable attack, Qi Tianchu appeared calm and composed. He did not draw his sword, but merely pointed his fingers like a sword, waving them casually. Where his fingertips passed, sharp and unparalleled sword qi was born out of thin air. Each sword qi precisely struck the weakest points of Wang Dongli's sword momentum, where changes were about to occur. His movements, though seemingly slow, were as fast as lightning. His footwork shifted within a small space, like strolling in a leisurely courtyard, yet he always managed to evade the opponent's most fierce killing moves at the last moment. "Clang, clang, clang..." The sounds of sword qi colliding with sword edges were as dense as rain. Each collision between sword qi and sword edge, or sword qi and ice storm, erupted into visible ring-shaped energy waves. The energy waves, carrying shattered ice crystals and snow, swept outwards like white shockwaves, fiercely striking the mountain rocks at the edge of the ice lake, emitting "bang bang" sounds and dislodging large amounts of snow. The solid ice surface bore the residual force of the two masters' power, emitting groaning sounds of being unable to bear the load. Spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly from the two of them in all directions. The wind and snow, churned by their power, became completely violent, no longer falling naturally but forming huge, chaotic vortexes under the influence of their surging true qi and sword intent. They sometimes shot up into the sky and sometimes swept along the ice surface. The entire peak of Tianqin Mountain seemed to have transformed into a violent domain ruled by ice, snow, and sword qi. Qi Tianchu's sword intent was pure and vast, carrying a grandmaster's bearing of seeing through all things and controlling the overall situation. No matter how strange and varied Wang Dongli's sword techniques were, they were always resolved and suppressed by his seemingly casual yet impenetrable sword net. Although Wang Dongli's sword momentum was strange, it was always trapped under Qi Tianchu's seemingly casual but airtight sword net, completely unable to break through. Instead, he was forced to retreat step by step, defending more than attacking. The onlookers were mesmerized. The battles of grandmasters, every move contained a profound understanding of the Martial Dao, allowing them to benefit greatly. Gu Mo stood a short distance away, watching the scene with a calm gaze. Shen Bai and Gu Chundong stood beside him somewhat nervously. Hongyi's brow furrowed slightly, as if sensing something. "Three more moves, and Wang Dongli will lose!" Gu Mo drained the wine in his cup and sat down on his chair. Indeed, after just three moves, Qi Tianchu's eyes flashed with a sharp light. His finger-pointing action suddenly changed, transforming fingers into a palm, and he pressed down lightly. A powerful and irresistible sword intent instantly condensed, as if all the ice and snow coldness of Azure Wave Mountain had been drawn by him, transforming into a condensed ice giant sword that, with the intent of freezing all things, slashed down at Wang Dongli with a roar! This sword was unavoidable! Wang Dongli's expression changed slightly, and he blocked with his sword. "Boom!" With a loud bang, qi erupted in all directions. The hard ice surface of the ice lake instantly cracked into spiderweb-like fissures. Wang Dongli felt as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. He let out a muffled groan, and his entire body was blasted backward by the immense force. A stream of dazzling blood spurted from his mouth, and he fell heavily onto the ice more than ten feet away. The ancient sword in his hand also flew out, embedding itself not far away and humming. He struggled to stand up, but another mouthful of blood gushed out, his chest cracked, and blood seeped out. The victor and loser were decided! The scene fell silent, and then erupted into thunderous cheers. However, just as everyone thought the matter was settled, Wang Dongli, lying on the ground, struggled to raise his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes, far from being defeated, instead burned with an almost fanatical, fiery light. He gasped, his voice hoarse but exceptionally clear: "Old Sect Leader Qi... your martial arts are divine... this junior... admires you! However... this junior still has one sword... please... appraise it!" Before he finished speaking, a completely different aura suddenly erupted from Wang Dongli's body. Gu Mo, who was about to pour more wine, stood up again and stared intently, seeing a very peculiar scene. Wang Dongli's blood instantly froze and ignited with ice flames, and his wounds healed instantly. He did not pick up the sword on the ground, but simply raised his right hand with difficulty, pointing his fingers like a sword towards Qi Tianchu from afar! This point, seemingly ordinary. But the moment he pointed his finger, Gu Mo whispered: "Nascent Soul power?!" Gu Mo clearly sensed a highly condensed spiritual power, containing the intent of shattering, like an invisible sharp cone, ignoring the distance, directly piercing towards Qi Tianchu's forehead and sea of consciousness. But, this sword was not purely nascent soul power. Gu Mo could clearly sense that Wang Dongli's blood had frozen at this moment, but he could still move. And from the frozen blood, sword intent was released, actually activating Wang Dongli's nascent soul to perform the out-of-body effect achievable only in the Ascension Realm. At that moment, Wang Dongli's nascent soul, which should have been firmly fixed in his sea of consciousness, forcibly left his body, transforming into a nascent soul sword, and attacked Qi Tianchu. At this moment, Most people in the venue felt a heart-pounding chill, but they didn't understand why. Only a very few top experts like Shang Buyu vaguely sensed an indescribable great terror descending. Facing this bizarre and deadly strike that directly targeted the nascent soul, Qi Tianchu's eyes suddenly became incredibly bright, and he said in a deep voice, "Good sword!" Before his voice fell, a terrifying sword intent, as if to tear apart the sky and destroy all things, surged from Qi Tianchu's body. This sword intent was violent and resolute, filled with the destructive aura of mutual destruction and the return of all things to the void. It was completely different from his usual peaceful demeanor while fishing! He pointed his fingers like a sword, facing the invisible nascent soul cone, and also thrust out a finger! There was no earth-shattering sound, only a sense of "annihilation" that froze the soul! Where Qi Tianchu's fingertips pointed, space itself seemed to distort slightly. At this moment, Gu Mo and Hongyi saw a peculiar scene. That nascent soul sword, which Wang Dongli had exhausted his last strength to unleash, Theoretically, it was Ascension Realm power. Energy not from the Ascension Realm could not be touched and could ignore worldly martial arts. However, the moment it touched the destructive sword intent from Qi Tianchu's fingertip, it melted and dissipated silently like ice and snow under the scorching sun, without even creating a ripple, and was completely erased. At this moment, Gu Mo finally understood why Zhang Daoyi and Su Qianqiu had such high evaluations of Qi Tianchu, believing that although Qi Tianchu couldn't even enter the top five of the Qian Kingdom's Heavenly Ranking, he had the ability to take anyone in the world down with him. It turned out that when Qi Tianchu fought for his life, his sword intent could actually elevate the energy level, allowing him to fight nascent soul power with Martial Dao True Intent. As everyone knows, the Ascension Realm can only be achieved by Qi Refiners. Because only Qi Refiners could cultivate to a certain realm and then separate their nascent soul from their physical body. The current Qi Tianchu seemed to have explored a new direction for ascension. "Pfft!" At this moment, Wang Dongli felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His already severely injured body trembled violently, and fine bloodstains seeped from his seven orifices. His eyes were filled with disbelief, shock, and confusion. He stared intently at the slowly dissipating, heart-pounding destructive aura from Qi Tianchu's fingertip and murmured, "What... what sword is this..." Qi Tianchu slowly retracted his finger, and the sword intent receded like a tide. A hint of fatigue appeared on his face, and he said, "This sword is called 'Born to Die.' You are the fourth person in this world to receive this sword from me." Wang Dongli asked, "Who were the other three?" Qi Tianchu replied, "Jiang Ruoxu, Su Qianqiu, and Zhang Daoyi!" Wang Dongli was slightly stunned, then spat out a mouthful of blood, cupped his fists towards Qi Tianchu, and said, "Thank you, old sect leader, for sparing my life. I bid farewell!" Immediately, Wang Dongli picked up the sword on the ground and staggered down the mountain. At this moment, in the pavilion on the other side, Hongyi suddenly said, "Master, that sword Wang Dongli just used... it's a method of forcefully activating the nascent soul using bloodline as a guide. This method originates from Penglai Island and was created by someone from the Peacock Spirit Race with the help of White Jade Capital!" Gu Mo raised his eyebrows, surprised, "That guardian spirit race of the Seven-Colored Peacock?" Gu Mo had read about the Peacock Spirit Race in the records of Dragon Tiger Mountain. The four divine beasts of the world, the Azure Dragon, Fire Kirin, Mysterious Turtle, and Seven-Colored Peacock, all have corresponding guardian spirit races. "It's that Peacock Spirit Race!" Hongyi said. Gu Mo exclaimed with joy, "So, does this mean that Wang Dongli might be from the Peacock Spirit Race?" Hongyi nodded slightly and then said, "Also, Master, do you remember the divination I did for you earlier? To find Tie Tou, you need to travel east. Wang Dongli, his name also has 'Dong' in it!"