Heavenly God Society

Gu Mo immediately said, "Let's go greet Old Sect Leader Tianshu first. Then we'll go find Wang Dongli."

Gu Mo was certainly going to investigate Wang Dongli. Leaving aside Red Clothes's claim that Tie Tou's disappearance might be connected to Wang Dongli, the mere possibility that he was from the Peacock Spirit Race meant Gu Mo had to look into him.

The Peacock Spirit Race was the guardian spirit race of the Seven-Colored Peacock among the Thirteen Taboos, much like the relationship between the Yu clan of Mobei and the Fire Kirin back then.

Gu Mo's wanted archive contained the Seven-Colored Peacock's wanted notice:

Wanted Target--Seven-Colored Peacock

Mission level--Seven Stars

Mission reward--All Limitless Immortal Pills

The Limitless Immortal Pills came from "Legendary Swordsman of the Divine Land." There were fourteen in total, and they were supreme-grade pills. A single pill could increase one's inner power by sixty years, break through martial arts bottlenecks, resolve and harmonize conflicts between different martial arts, and possessed miraculous effects such as immunity to all poisons and Bring Dead Back to Life.

Fourteen Limitless Immortal Pills were now almost useless as a boost to Gu Mo, but they would be of immense help to Gu Chundong.

The fourteen Limitless Immortal Pills could not only increase one's cultivation by more than eight hundred years; more importantly, they could harmonize martial arts, break through bottlenecks, and raise one's realm. Gu Mo estimated that once all fourteen pills were refined, one should be able to directly reach the Physical Body Ascension Realm.

At that moment, Tianqin Mountain was in chaos. However, Qi Tianchu left directly, leaving Shang Buyu, the current Sect Leader of the Azure Wave Sword Sect, to organize the various sects and lead them toward the Azure Wave Sword Sect's mountain grounds.

Seeing Qi Tianchu leave, Gu Mo and the others also departed quickly. They headed straight for the peak of Azure Wave Mountain above the Cloud Cliff Plank Road. As soon as they arrived, they saw Ye Liuyun and Chen Shu, two other veteran Grandmasters of the Azure Wave Sword Sect, standing before the thatched cottage. There was no need to ask—they were guarding Qi Tianchu while he recovered.

"Great Hero Gu, Heroine Gu, Miss Red Clothes!"

Ye Liuyun and Chen Shu stepped forward and clasped their hands in greeting.

Gu Mo and the others returned the greeting. Gu Mo asked, "How is Old Sect Leader Tianshu doing now?"

Ye Liuyun and Chen Shu both knew Gu Mo was close to Qi Tianchu, so they did not hide anything. Ye Liuyun said directly, "Not very well..."

Just then,

The cottage door opened, and Qi Tianchu's voice came from within. "Come in!"

Gu Mo and his group entered the cottage, only to see Qi Tianchu sitting cross-legged atop a huge block of ice, his pale face set as he circulated energy to heal himself. White mist filled the entire room.

Gu Mo walked over and chuckled. "You looked quite impressive fighting on Tianqin Mountain just now, but the price of looking impressive wasn't small!"

Qi Tianchu smiled helplessly. "I never expected Wang Dongli to have such a Nascent Soul technique. If not for that sword, I wouldn't have had to use my Born to Die Sword.

"No one has managed to learn this Born to Die Sword up to now. It is a life-and-death sword technique. It's just that, so far, I have never truly fought to the death with it. Even I don't know how powerful it really is."

Gu Mo asked in surprise, "You didn't use your full strength just now?"

Qi Tianchu chuckled. "If I had used my full strength, you wouldn't be talking to me right now. You'd be bidding farewell to my corpse. I only used thirty percent of my strength.

"The reason this sword technique is called a life-and-death sword technique is because it follows the principle of injuring the enemy by a thousand while harming oneself by eight hundred. The more power I use, the more severe the injury I suffer. Once I exceed fifty percent power, the injuries become irreparable. Injuries from using less than fifty percent, internal and external alike, can basically be healed with three to five months of rest.

"But above fifty percent, the damage cannot be healed. And if I use it at full strength, I die on the spot. Even an Immortal would be unable to save me."

Gu Mo curled his lip, took out several Silver Needles, and inserted them into Qi Tianchu's acupoints. Then he circulated his power to help him heal, grumbling as he did so, "No wonder Su Qianqiu and Zhang Daoyi both think your Sword Dao has gone astray, yet still rate your swordsmanship so highly. But your sword technique is rather chicken-ribbed. You can only use it a few times in your entire life!"

Qi Tianchu chuckled. "Chicken-ribbed it may be, but it is very useful. I have used it five times in total. The first time was against Jiang Ruoxu, when I used forty percent of my strength. The next two times were against Zhang Daoyi and Su Qianqiu, and I used only thirty percent each time. Though I lost all three battles, none of those three dared provoke me afterward. That was its meaning. Today was the fifth time. I defeated a powerful enemy, and that too was its meaning.

"Because of what I experienced in my youth, I always lacked a sense of security. Later, my master found me and took me in, but before long, I learned that she was going to marry. During those years I followed her, I still always lacked a sense of security.

"That was why I never believed there could be an eternal Number One Under Heaven. So I never fought for the title, but I had to possess the ability to drag anyone in the world down with me. Thus, the Born to Die Sword was born."

"Impressive!" Gu Mo praised. "But didn't you say on Tianqin Mountain that you had only used it four times in your life? Why has it become five? And you didn't say when you used it the fourth time."

Qi Tianchu said, "Weren't you beside me when I used it the fourth time? Have you forgotten? Last year in Green Robe Village, my master's spirit body fell into demonic madness, and malicious thoughts took over her body. Though it was only a sliver of a spirit body, it was still Nascent Soul Power. Without using the Born to Die Sword, I couldn't have killed those malicious thoughts."

"So that was it."

Gu Mo came to a realization.

Last year, in Green Robe Village, the strand of Divine Sense left behind by Yu Jinghong had indeed been replaced by malicious thoughts, and it had ultimately died beneath Qi Tianchu's sword.

But at the time, Gu Mo had only recently reached the Nascent Soul Realm himself and did not yet understand such matters well. Thus, he had not found anything strange about it. Looking back now, Qi Tianchu truly was extraordinary—killing a Nascent Soul with an ordinary sword was something even Su Qianqiu and Zhang Daoyi could not accomplish.

Still, when he recalled that matter,

Gu Mo felt it was a pity for that remarkable woman, Yu Jinghong.

She had actually discovered White Jade Capital's problem decades ago and split off a strand of her Nascent Soul in advance, waiting for her Reincarnated Body to recover her memories.

Unfortunately, White Jade Capital had never used Nascent Soul reincarnation at all. It had merely archived and controlled the Nascent Soul, then copied out a fake one.

If White Jade Capital had truly allowed the Nascent Soul to reincarnate, then Xiaobai of Penglai Island would truly have been Yu Jinghong's second life. By now, she could certainly have reached the complete Ascension Realm.

At this moment, Qi Tianchu said again, "That brat Wang Dongli is the truly impressive one. His sword used Nascent Soul Power. In our era, only Jiang Ruoxu ever touched upon power at that level.

"If this era had not produced someone like you, I think he might very well have ascended to become the Number One Under Heaven of this era. What a pity that he was born at the wrong time. Oh, right—you were observing him, weren't you? Is that brat an Innate Sage?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly. "I saw nothing. I came here now to bid you farewell. I need to investigate Wang Dongli."

"There's a problem?" Qi Tianchu asked doubtfully.

Gu Mo said, "Didn't I tell you two days ago? I came this time to solve a case, but there were no clues, so Red Clothes has been relying on divination for case solving. Now, the hexagram symbol seems to be connected to Wang Dongli, so I need to find him."

Qi Tianchu nodded. "All right, then hurry and go!"

"Let me stabilize your injuries first!"

Gu Mo immediately gave Qi Tianchu several more needles. Vast true qi entered Qi Tianchu's body and circulated through a full cycle before Gu Mo withdrew his power. "No need to wait three to five months. You'll recover in half a month at most."

Qi Tianchu sensed his body slightly and said in surprise, "Your medical skill is impressive! I never expected it. Not only is your martial arts so powerful, but your medical skill is also unparalleled under heaven!"

"It's decent. If you encounter any difficult or incurable ailments in the future, you can come find me. Don't worry, I'll give you a friendship discount!"

Gu Mo smiled as he put away the Silver Needles, then added, "But I still have to remind you: your body is no longer what it was in your youth. Perhaps you could once use fifty percent of your strength, but now, even forty percent may leave irreparable injuries.

"Also, I sensed two very strange currents of qi inside you... Well, in any case, try not to use that Born to Die Sword of yours. You understand. I'm leaving!"

With that,

Gu Mo put away the Silver Needles, waved, and left with Gu Chundong and Red Clothes.

Shen Bai hurriedly saw them off.

Inside the thatched cottage, Qi Tianchu, Ye Liuyun, and Chen Shu, the three martial siblings, remained behind.

Only after Gu Mo's group had completely vanished into the wind and snow did Ye Liuyun turn to Qi Tianchu and ask in confusion, "Senior Brother, did Great Hero Gu see something? That last thing he said seemed to carry a hidden meaning!"

Qi Tianchu chuckled. "He said he sensed two currents of qi in my body and told me not to use the Born to Die Sword. He must have seen that those two currents came from the Born to Die Sword. As for that last meaningful remark, perhaps he was simply reminding me that the Born to Die Sword has drawbacks.

"But it is also possible that he knows I cultivate the Great Sun Demonic Art and merely chose not to expose it.

"After all, he is the Number One Under Heaven. He defeated the Great Island Master and Second Island Master on Penglai Island. He stands at a very high level and has access to very deep information. Perhaps many matters that seem astonishing to us are merely ordinary to him."

Elsewhere,

Shen Bai escorted Gu Mo's group all the way down the mountain.

Shen Bai was reluctant to part with them and kept holding Gu Mo while rambling on about many things. Only then did he let Gu Mo leave.

"Come again next time!"

Gu Mo waved, mounted his horse, and rode away.

Red Clothes and Gu Chundong followed at Gu Mo's left and right. Red Clothes suddenly said, "My lord, I suddenly remembered something. There is something wrong with Qi Tianchu."

Gu Mo asked, "What is wrong?"

Red Clothes said, "The Born to Die Sword has no record in White Jade Capital. Qi Tianchu visited White Jade Capital twice. Theoretically, White Jade Capital should have detected his strongest martial arts and deduced them. I was previously able to check it, but both times Qi Tianchu visited White Jade Capital, it deduced only his Vast Sea Heavenly Sword. That means White Jade Capital's detection was obstructed or deceived. Theoretically, Qi Tianchu should not possess that ability."

Gu Mo nodded slightly. "I already understood it when I treated Old Sect Leader Tianshu's injuries. His Born to Die Sword has formed two currents of qi—one deathly aura and one life aura. One bright, one dark, they coexist and complement one another."

Gu Chundong asked in confusion, "Isn't that just like Ye Chen's bad luck and good fortune?"

Gu Mo chuckled. "Exactly. Then, when I inserted the needles, I discovered that the ribs in his body were tightly joined into one solid piece. Ordinary people have twelve pairs of independent bones arranged symmetrically on the left and right. Each rib is separated by intercostal spaces, forming a movable rib cage. But Qi Tianchu's ribs are one whole piece."

Gu Chundong did not understand. "Brother, what does that mean?"

Gu Mo said, "This is the legendary fused ribs."

"An Innate Sage?" Gu Chundong exclaimed.

Gu Mo nodded. "That's right. Old Sect Leader Tianshu's ribs closely match the records of fused ribs among the legends of Innate Sages. Combined with the coexistence of his life and death qi, it can basically be confirmed that he cultivates the Great Sun Demonic Art.

"Venerable Monk Huineng once said that the Book Spirit of the Great Sun Demonic Art had always been searching everywhere for Innate Sages. Old Sect Leader Tianshu is a Sage with fused ribs, so it is perfectly reasonable that he obtained the Great Sun Demonic Art. Thus, it is also perfectly reasonable that he can kill a Nascent Soul with an ordinary sword."

"I see," Gu Chundong said. "Then, Brother, aren't you also an Innate Sage? Has the Great Sun Demonic Art come looking for you?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly. "Not yet."

As he spoke, Gu Mo had some doubts in his heart. His situation did indeed fit One Who Knows From Birth among the Innate Sages spoken of in this world, and he had indeed awakened past life memories. Yet he truly was not sure whether he was really an Innate Sage.

The clamor of the Azure Wave Mountain Range was left behind. Supported by his disciples, Wang Dongli moved silently through the vast mountains.

The May sunlight already carried scorching heat. It pierced through the branches and leaves of the dense forest, casting mottled patches of light upon the ground and steaming up the dry scent of earth and vegetation.

His face was pale as paper, and the front of his robe was soaked through with dark red blood scabs. Every step tugged at the terrifying internal injury left by Qi Tianchu's Born to Die Sword Qi.

It was not merely a physical wound. It carried a sword intent that destroyed vitality, ravaging his meridians and organs like maggots clinging to bone.

When they reached a remote mountain hollow, a long-abandoned Mountain God Temple stood half-hidden amid wildly overgrown weeds and vines. Its walls were broken, its ruins crumbling, its cobwebs thick with dust. Only the shattered divine statue stood silently in the shadows.

The disciples quickly cleared an open ground and laid down dry grass.

"Master, please rest." The disciple looked worriedly at Wang Dongli's about to fall figure.

Wang Dongli nodded, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and said quietly to his disciple, "Guard the entrance. Do not allow anyone to disturb me."

The disciple answered and nervously stood guard at the crumbling temple entrance.

Wang Dongli took a deep breath and began to circulate energy to heal his wounds. His injuries were far worse than they appeared. The destructive sword intent of Qi Tianchu's Born to Die Sword had not only badly damaged his meridians, but also injured his origin.

However, as Wang Dongli circulated energy, the blood seeping from his wounds froze into tiny Ice Crystals the moment it touched the air.

Then, with a sharp hiss, clusters of nearly transparent white flames ignited upon those Ice Crystals!

The ice flames burned silently. They carried none of the heat of ordinary fire; instead, they radiated bone-piercing cold.

They clung to his wounds, leaping and licking as though alive.

Then something strange happened. Where the ice flames covered the savage sword wounds, muscle, blood vessels, and even broken bone fragments began to grow and heal at a visible rate.

Wherever the ice flames passed, charred black dead skin fell away, revealing soft new flesh beneath. Even the destructive sword intent was gradually swallowed and neutralized by the ice flames.

The entire process was eerie and silent. Only the faint sizzling of the ice flames was especially clear within the deathly stillness of the ruined temple.

In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, the fatal wound on Wang Dongli's chest had healed more than halfway, leaving only faint red marks.

Though his face remained pale, his breathing had become much steadier, and the stagnating sensation caused by the destructive sword intent had faded by seventy to eighty percent. He slowly opened his eyes. A flash of icy blue light passed through them before they returned to their usual gentle restraint.

Just then,

Wang Dongli suddenly barked, "Who is it? Where are you hiding with your head and tail concealed?"

He immediately picked up a roof tile from the ground and threw it. The tile tore through the air with immense force and blasted straight through a large tree outside the ruined temple.

A hearty voice came from behind the tree. "Sect Leader Wang, do not misunderstand. I bear no ill intent."

A middle-aged man wearing a scholar's robe walked out from behind the tree. He had a rather refined appearance. Smiling faintly, he revealed gleaming white teeth, clasped his hands, and said, "I am Ji Wujiu, Yellow-Rank Protector of the Heavenly God Society. Seeing that you were injured, I came to offer you some sacred healing medicine and make a friend!"

Ji Wujiu took out a jade bottle and said, "This is the Everlasting Spring Pill personally refined by the Divine Physician Wei Wuwei. It can Bring Dead Back to Life and restore flesh to white bones—a priceless treasure worth ten thousand gold. Please accept it, Sect Leader Wang!"

Wang Dongli's eyes were calm and undisturbed. He merely glanced at him and said, "One should not accept reward without merit. Wang has never had dealings with your Heavenly God Society. I dare not accept such a generous gift."

"If there were no dealings before, wouldn't there be once we became friends?" Ji Wujiu gave a low heh heh laugh, his voice like sandpaper scraping together. "Sect Leader Wang, our Heavenly God Society truly wishes to make friends with you. Please accept this Everlasting Spring Pill..."

"No need." Wang Dongli waved him off. "Though your Heavenly God Society has existed for only a little over a year, I have heard of your methods. We are not cut from the same cloth. Leave."

Ji Wujiu chuckled. "Very well, then I will not speak of friendship. What about cooperation?"

"I have nothing to cooperate with you on," Wang Dongli said.

Ji Wujiu said, "Then are you also uninterested in joining hands to deal with the Azure Wave Sword Sect? Though you narrowly lost to Qi Tianchu today, you still made him suffer greatly. This is the perfect opportunity for us to join hands and uproot them entirely! The Heavenly God Society is willing to lend Sect Leader Wang a helping hand, reclaim Azure Wave Mountain, and restore the glory of the Misty Sword Sect!"

Wang Dongli rose to his feet and dusted the ash from his robe, his movements unhurried. His gaze fell upon Ji Wujiu's face, calm without the slightest ripple. "The Wang family has no grudge against the Azure Wave Sword Sect. Since you witnessed my battle with Old Sect Leader Tianshu today, you must have heard what I said to him before the fight.

"My grandfather lost to Old Sect Leader Tianshu because his skills were inferior. Losing Azure Wave Mountain was also the result of a wager mutually agreed upon by both sides. Old Sect Leader Tianshu had likewise staked his martial arts manual and peerless divine weapon. As for my grandfather's eventual death in depression, that was a personal matter. It cannot be called a grudge."

Ji Wujiu laughed loudly. "Sect Leader Wang, there is no one else here. You need not keep hiding things. How prestigious was your Wang family's Misty Sword Sect back then? Yet Qi Tianchu reduced it to ashes. How could there be no grudge? It is enough to say such words in the martial world and earn yourself a good reputation. Surely you have not repeated them so often that even you believe them?"

Wang Dongli snorted coldly. "To measure a gentleman's heart with a petty man's mind... Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Please leave."

Wang Dongli's refusal was swift and decisive, leaving not the slightest room for negotiation.

The smile on Ji Wujiu's face gradually froze, and his tone became several degrees colder. "Sect Leader Wang, have you truly decided neither to make friends nor discuss cooperation?"

Wang Dongli said solemnly, "I said it already: those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Your society's style of stirring up conflict throughout the martial world does not suit Wang."

Ji Wujiu chuckled. "Since Sect Leader Wang knows the style of our Heavenly God Society, then you should also know that those unwilling to become friends of the Heavenly God Society can only become tools for our sowing discord.

"Sect Leader Wang, you are timid as a mouse. Qi Tianchu frightened the wits out of you, and you do not even dare avenge your grudge. But that does not mean everyone in your Dongli Sect is such a cowardly waste. As long as you die here today, the Dongli Sect will naturally settle its old and new scores with the Azure Wave Sword Sect."

As he spoke, Ji Wujiu beckoned.

Immediately, more than a dozen masked men in black robes, their auras sinister and gloomy, appeared soundlessly from the forest and surrounded the small ruined temple so tightly that not even water could pass through. Every one of their gazes was firmly locked on Wang Dongli.

"Form the array!" Ji Wujiu shouted.

More than a dozen Heavenly God Society followers roared low in unison, their hands forming strange seals. In an instant, a huge and evil suction force arose from nowhere.

It was as though an invisible giant vortex had appeared in the air, spinning madly around Wang Dongli and his disciple.

Broken stones, dead leaves, even light itself were dragged and twisted.

"Taotie Divine Skill!"

Wang Dongli's pupils contracted. He pulled his disciple aside and said coldly, "No wonder the Heavenly God Society destroys corpses and leaves only the heads whenever it kills. So this is how you destroy the evidence and conceal your traces!"

At that moment,

Wang Dongli's disciple's face turned pale. He felt the qi and blood throughout his body churn violently as strands of inner power leaked uncontrollably from him, as though the vortex were about to drain him dry. He looked at his master in terror and struggled to say, "Master, save me... I..."

Wang Dongli remained unmoving like a reef. He extended a hand and sent out a stream of true qi, which seemed to transform into ten-thousand-year black ice and sealed his disciple's qi.

The terrifying suction force of the Taotie Great Formation fell upon master and disciple, yet it was like a clay ox entering the sea. Not only could it not draw out the slightest drop of their essence blood or inner power, it was instead struck back by an extreme chill!

"Hmm?"

The array-forming followers all groaned, abnormal redness rising over their faces before turning blue-purple.

They felt as though their inner power had crashed into a moving iceberg. Not only could they not absorb anything, but the bone-chilling cold rushed backward through their meridians, instantly freezing their qi and blood.

"What... what martial art is this? Since when did your Dongli Sect possess such a martial art?" Ji Wujiu's face changed in horror.

"I had no desire to become enemies with you, yet you insist on seeking death!"

Wang Dongli's voice was as cold as ice.

A cold gleam burst from his eyes. With a turn of his wrist, his long sword was already out of its sheath.

The sword edge trembled lightly. Without the slightest trace of worldly fire, he casually slashed toward the center of the vortex where the invisible suction force converged!

"Hiss—"

A soft sound rang out, like silk tearing apart, like ice first beginning to melt. The Taotie suction force, powerful enough to devour essence and vitality, was forcibly cut in two by that seemingly casual sword strike.

The pull of qi abruptly collapsed. The devouring vortex lingering in the air let out an unwilling whine before scattering away.

Wang Dongli tapped the ground with the tip of his foot and swept forward close to the earth like a ghost, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

The long sword split the air. Before the clear Dragon's roar had faded, a strange sight emerged.

Several incomparably condensed streams of Sword Qi burst into existence.

They were thin as cicada wings and nearly transparent, but their edges flowed with terrifying pale-white cold light. They were soundless, yet faster than lightning, as though they sliced through the air itself, producing faint, sharp hissing sounds of breaking air!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft..."

The muffled sounds of sharp blades cutting into flesh were especially clear and grating within the deathly stillness.

The movements of the dozen or more Heavenly God Society followers surrounding the temple abruptly froze. A crimson line quietly appeared around each of their necks, then swiftly widened and spread, until—

"Thud! Thud!"

Heads bearing frozen expressions of shock rolled into the dust.

Scalding blood erupted from their severed necks like crimson fountains suppressed for too long, spraying several feet high. The thick, nauseating stench of blood exploded through the dry, hot air and spread into a bleak blood mist.

Ji Wujiu touched the stinging bloody mark on his neck, his soul nearly flying from his body.

Had he dodged even a fraction slower, his head would already have fallen to the ground.

He could not understand how Wang Dongli, grievously wounded as he was, still possessed such terrifying combat strength.

That strange icy power had completely restrained the Taotie Divine Skill.

At once, he no longer dared linger. With a shriek, inner power exploded wildly from within him, and his entire body turned into a blurred black shadow as he fled desperately toward the dense forest beyond the temple!

His movement technique was extremely good, like a startled Night Owl weaving through the woods. Yet Wang Dongli's movement technique was no weaker, relentlessly pursuing him.

Ji Wujiu was in utter panic when, upon the forest path ahead, three people came slowly toward him.

One man and two women.

The man wore an upright green robe. His features were handsome, his gaze deep and calm, as though he had come for a spring outing. A huge object was strapped across the back of his horse.

The woman on the left wore red clothes like blazing fire. Her beauty was peerless, but her eyes were hollow and indifferent, as though untouched by the dust of the mortal world.

The woman on the right wore black, looking heroic and valiant, with a large book box on her back. Her brows carried a brisk, gallant air.

All three had fair, delicate skin. At a glance, they looked like pampered young masters and noble young ladies.

Ji Wujiu saw them as though he had grasped a lifeline.

A vicious gleam flashed in his eyes, and wild delight surged through his heart. Heaven is helping me! Perfect—I can seize a hostage!

Not only did he not slow down, he accelerated. His withered right hand, like a ghost's claw and wrapped in a sinister wind, curled into a hook. With a fierce sound of breaking air, he savagely grabbed at the shoulder of the black-clad woman, who looked the most harmless.

He intended to capture this woman in one move and use her to threaten the pursuing Wang Dongli.

But just as he flew before the black-clad woman, a bad premonition suddenly rose in his heart.

The next instant, before he could even see how she moved, she somehow drew a long saber from the book box on her back.

At that moment, Ji Wujiu felt a sudden flash before his eyes!

It was not sunlight, but a snowy-bright, swift saber light that carried the resolute will to sever every restraint.

The saber light flashed and vanished, so fast that it surpassed the limit of vision, like a blinding reflection that happened to flicker through a summer forest.

Ji Wujiu's charging momentum stopped dead, and he crashed to the ground.

He lowered his head in stunned disbelief.

Both his withered arms had been severed at the shoulders, falling onto the leaf-covered ground with a slap.

The cuts were smooth as mirrors. His blood paused for an instant before gushing out like a waterfall.

Pain swallowed every shred of his consciousness like a tidal wave. His body gave way, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

"Aah!"

Ji Wujiu's eyes were filled with terror and disbelief. He simply could not understand how this fair, clean-looking young woman, who seemed as though her ten fingers had never touched spring water, could possess such a fast saber. In a fluster, he asked, "Who are you?"

The dry, scorching mountain wind passed through the forest and scattered the dense stench of blood.

Wang Dongli, who had chased after him, also stopped. Holding his long sword, he looked at Gu Mo and the others with utmost vigilance.

Gu Chundong lightly shook the Gouchen Demon Blade, and the blood upon it instantly evaporated. She said coldly, "I am Gu Chundong!"

"You are Gu Chundong!" Ji Wujiu was terrified beyond measure. Looking toward Gu Mo, he said, "Then you... are Gu Mo!"

"That's me."

Gu Mo slowly looked toward Wang Dongli and said, "Sect Leader Wang, this is the person you were pursuing. I'll leave him to you."

Wang Dongli clasped his hands. "I was wondering who possessed such extraordinary bearing. So Great Hero Gu and Heroine Gu have arrived. I am Wang Dongli. I have long admired you. To meet you here by such coincidence is a fortune earned over three lifetimes!"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly. "It was not a coincidence. I came specifically for you."

Wang Dongli asked in confusion, "May I ask why Great Hero Gu has sought me out?"

Gu Mo said, "A friend of mine is a Thousand Household Commander of the Yunzhou Six Doors. His name is Tie Tou, and he has now gone missing. The clues I have found thus far indicate that he is in Qingyang County, so I intend to go there and find him. Qingyang County is Dongli Sect territory, and I would like to ask Sect Leader Wang for help."

"Of course," Wang Dongli agreed readily.

At that moment, Gu Chundong transmitted her voice, "Brother, is there a problem?"

Gu Mo replied, "I have not noticed anything yet. I'll find another chance to probe more deeply."

Gu Mo had directly revealed that he was looking for Tie Tou because he wanted to see whether Tie Tou's disappearance was connected to Wang Dongli. While speaking, he had used the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique, but he had been unable to sense anything abnormal in Wang Dongli.

The reason he suspected Wang Dongli was that Wang Dongli could wield Nascent Soul Power, fulfilling the conditions for the crime.

Then,

Gu Mo pointed at Ji Wujiu and asked, "Who is this man?"

Wang Dongli said, "Ji Wujiu, a Protector of the Heavenly God Society."

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "What kind of organization is the Heavenly God Society?"

Wang Dongli said, "It is a mysterious organization that appeared only a little over a year ago. It is currently quite active throughout Yunzhou, stirring up martial world disputes everywhere, but it hides very deeply and rarely shows itself.

"I only learned after fighting just now that these people all cultivate the Taotie Divine Skill. I fear this so-called Heavenly God Society was formed by the remaining subordinates of Gongsun Jue, the Ghost Messenger whom Great Hero Gu killed two years ago. During the Grand Heavenly Ritual at Dragon Tiger Mountain, Gongsun Jue sent his subordinates who cultivated the Taotie Divine Skill everywhere to absorb people. The commotion they caused was not small!"

Gu Mo walked over and tapped Ji Wujiu, immediately sensing his inner power. "It really is the Taotie Divine Skill."

Gu Mo then tapped Ji Wujiu's forehead and directly used the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique to influence Ji Wujiu's Divine Sense. "I ask, you answer. Confess honestly, and I can give you a quick death. Where is your headquarters? How many people do you have?"

Ji Wujiu answered blandly, "I don't know. Our Heavenly God Society uses Single-line Contact. One Protector leads fifteen envoys, and one Elder leads ten Protectors. We do not interact privately.

"Envoys cannot contact one another. They do not know one another or each other's identities; they recognize only their Protector. Protectors also do not know one another and receive orders only from Elders. Only the superior line contacts the inferior line. The subordinate cannot know the identity or whereabouts of the superior."

Gu Mo chuckled. This was the same method used by Green Leaf Hall, which he had encountered in Cangzhou.

"What does your Heavenly God Society intend to do?" Gu Mo asked.

"Help the Esteemed One revive," Ji Wujiu said. "After the Esteemed One was killed by you at Dragon Tiger Mountain, we scattered and fled. Later, the Elders gathered us again. They only said that the Esteemed One would soon revive and was about to become a God. We only need obey orders."

"The Esteemed One you speak of is Gongsun Jue?" Gu Mo asked doubtfully.

Ji Wujiu said, "Yes."

Gu Mo frowned slightly and asked again, "Where will he revive?"

"I don't know."

Wang Dongli asked, "Then why did you seek me out today?"

"To try to recruit you to deal with the Azure Wave Sword Sect. If you refused, we would kill you and frame the Azure Wave Sword Sect, stirring up martial world conflict," Ji Wujiu said.

"What is the purpose? What is the purpose of your Heavenly God Society stirring up martial world conflicts everywhere?" Wang Dongli asked.

Ji Wujiu said, "I do not know that either. In any case, the final purpose is to revive the Esteemed One."

Wang Dongli asked no more.

"What else do you know?" Gu Mo asked again.

Ji Wujiu said, "I do not know much. I merely follow orders. I do not ask about anything else."

Gu Mo knew that under the influence of his Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique, Ji Wujiu was speaking the truth. There was no possibility of him lying.

Thus, Gu Mo asked no further questions. Instead, he looked at Wang Dongli and asked, "Sect Leader Wang, how do you think this man should be handled?"

"Anyone who cultivates the Taotie Divine Skill is a scourge upon the martial world. Kill him," Wang Dongli said. "I will send my disciple to notify the Azure Wave Sword Sect later and have them come deal with the corpses."

Immediately,

Gu Mo tapped a finger against Ji Wujiu's forehead. Ji Wujiu lost all life on the spot and fell to the ground.