Nightmare

"Great Hero Gu!" Wang Dongli stepped forward, cupping his hands. "I'll have my disciples immediately notify the Azure Wave Sword Sect. This matter will require your testimony. When I challenged old Sect Leader Qi at the Azure Wave Sword Sect earlier, they might not believe what I said."

"Are you referring to the Taotie Divine Skill?" Gu Mo asked.

Wang Dongli nodded. "Yes. The Heavenly God Society is quite powerful. However, for over a year now, while they've been stirring up trouble in the Yun Province area, they've mostly been instigating from behind the scenes, rarely committing any major evil deeds directly. Therefore, although disliked by the various sects of the Martial World, they haven't been officially classified as a demonic path. But now, learning that the Heavenly God Society is actually remnants of Gongsun Jue's followers, a group of evil cultivators who practiced the Taotie Divine Skill, they can be directly defined as a demonic path. A martial world warrant can be issued, and we can also request the Six Doors to jointly suppress and eliminate them. Otherwise, the consequences will be endless."

Gu Mo certainly knew the dangers of the Taotie Divine Skill. No matter where it was, a martial art that absorbed others' Inner Force to use as its own would be considered an evil technique and would plunge the Martial World into panic. After killing Gongsun Jue at Dragon Tiger Mountain, those who practiced the Taotie Divine Skill scattered throughout the Martial World. The last martial world warrant issued by Dragon Tiger Mountain in the name of the Martial Arts Leader, before they sealed their mountain, was concerning the Taotie Divine Skill.

Gu Mo immediately said, "No problem. I'll write a letter to the Azure Wave Sword Sect right away and explain the situation clearly, so they can investigate."

"Thank you, Great Hero Gu!"

"What thanks? I'm also a person of the Martial World!" Gu Mo smiled slightly and said, "I have some understanding of medical skills. I noticed Sect Leader Wang seemed injured during your duel with old Sect Leader Qi on Azure Wave Mountain. If you don't mind, I can take a look."

Wang Dongli immediately extended his hand and said, "Medicine Saint Qi Miaoxuan once publicly stated in the Martial World that Great Hero Gu's medical skills are not inferior to his. It is truly fortunate to have Great Hero Gu examine my injuries. Then I'll have to trouble you, Great Hero Gu!"

"You're too kind."

Gu Mo smiled slightly, placed his hand on Wang Dongli's wrist, and channeled a stream of True Qi into Wang Dongli's meridians. Immediately, he found that Wang Dongli's injuries had basically healed, and even the wounds were almost completely closed.

"Sect Leader Wang's recovery ability is astonishing. Your injuries have basically healed and there are no major issues," Gu Mo said.

Wang Dongli replied, "Then I can rest assured."

"However," Gu Mo continued, "Sect Leader Wang, your recovery is abnormal."

Wang Dongli asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Gu Mo got straight to the point. "I've detected a special energy in your blood. It's not your True Qi, and it doesn't even belong to you. This energy contains immense power that can bestow your body with the ability to cleanse marrow and transform tendons. However, there's a limitation. That energy is tethered to your Nascent Soul, forming a balance. But if this balance is broken, it could lead to unpredictable harm. Of course, it could also be a good thing."

Gu Mo wasn't trying to scare Wang Dongli. Everything he had just said was based on his detection. He had proactively offered to treat Wang Dongli because Red Clothes had previously mentioned that Wang Dongli's 'Nascent Soul Sword' technique originated from a person of the Peacock Ling Clan. Thus, Gu Mo suspected Wang Dongli was connected to the Peacock Ling Clan. Now, this examination confirmed it. Wang Dongli was definitely connected to the Peacock Ling Clan. Gu Mo had seen this unique power hidden in blood before, similar to the people of the Kirin Ling Clan he encountered in the He Xu Ruins in Mobei. However, the people of the Kirin Ling Clan harbored the Spiritual Energy of the Fire Kirin within them, while Wang Dongli, a person of the Peacock Ling Clan, had ice-cold Spiritual Energy.

But there was a difference: the Fire Kirin's fire spiritual energy did not harm the Kirin Ling Clan people; instead, it kept them healthy, injury-free, and long-lived. Yet, the energy within Wang Dongli was different. It was simultaneously pulling at his Nascent Soul and his physical body, threatening to cause his soul to scatter and his body to perish if the spiritual energy were lost.

At this moment, upon hearing Gu Mo's words, Wang Dongli's eyes flashed with shock. He asked urgently, "Great Hero Gu, can you… can you really detect that energy?"

Gu Mo nodded. "Of course. If I were joking, I wouldn't be able to be so detailed."

Wang Dongli quickly asked, "Can it be cured?"

"Cured?" Gu Mo asked in confusion. "Why do you say 'cured'? This energy contains immense power that allows you to recover from injuries quickly, and it also allows you to grasp the power of the Ascension Realm. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Ascension Realm power?" Wang Dongli looked confused.

Gu Mo said, "The Nascent Soul power attached to your final sword strike in your duel with old Sect Leader Qi on Azure Wave Mountain today is a power that only those in the Ascension Realm can wield."

Wang Dongli was surprised. "That's Ascension Realm power? But ascension is said to only exist among Qi Refiners. I cultivate Martial Dao True Intent; how could I ascend?"

Gu Mo chuckled. "That's the benefit that energy in your blood has brought you. That's why I asked why you mentioned 'curing' it."

Wang Dongli sighed. "Great Hero Gu, you only know one side of the story. If it were merely about recovering from injuries quickly and grasping what you call… Ascension Realm power, then it would naturally be a good thing, a gift from heaven. But in reality, it's not a gift, but a curse."

"I'd like to hear more," Gu Mo said. "Sect Leader Wang, please explain in detail. Perhaps I can think of a solution."

Wang Dongli walked as he spoke. "I don't even know where to begin. Our Wang family has been in Yun Province for nearly two hundred years. From our first ancestor to me, I am the seventh generation. We have always been single-line inheritance. Each generation has been quite famous in the Martial World. The most renowned was my grandfather, who was once the top expert in Yun Province. Even my father said the Wang family declined under him, yet he was still a first-class expert in the Martial World. However, under these circumstances, anyone paying attention would notice that no heir of our Wang family has traveled the Martial World or even appeared in public in their later years. This is the curse!"

Gu Mo listened, feeling a bit lost. "What exactly happened? Did they die young?"

"No," Wang Dongli said. "My father is now in his seventies and is still alive, but he has been bedridden for nearly thirty years. For these thirty years, he has been suffering from illness and sometimes goes mad."

Wang Dongli took a deep breath. "In reality, it's rumored in the Martial World that my grandfather died of depression after being defeated by old Sect Leader Qi. But in fact, although my grandfather was hit hard at the time, it wasn't enough to break him. After my grandfather moved to Qingyang County, although he was dejected for a while, he quickly regained his spirits and began to strive for improvement, determined to find an opportunity to defeat old Sect Leader Qi. But it was precisely at that time that the curse appeared again. My grandfather's emotions became uncontrollable, like cultivation deviation. In the following years, his body began to wither, his blood essence decayed, and he suffered from illness. Later, he was bedridden for ten years before passing away. It was just that the timing was too coincidental. To protect our reputation, our Wang family would not disclose the curse that plagued several generations, so the Martial World spread the story that my grandfather was defeated by old Sect Leader Qi and died of depression."

Gu Mo pondered for a moment and asked, "And your father?"

Wang Dongli said, "My father, about thirty years ago, also began to lose his senses like my grandfather. Then his blood essence decayed, his body withered, and he has been bedridden ever since. These are not isolated incidents. My great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, great-great-great-grandfather, and great-great-great-great-grandfather were all the same. Every generation ended the same way, unable to escape this fate. Some died within a few years of losing their senses, while others, like my father, suffered for decades. The reason this happens is because of that energy you detected, Great Hero Gu. My ancestors recorded it. In their youth, this energy would be in our blood, giving us extraordinary talent, rapid healing, and strong martial arts aptitude. The higher one's martial arts realm, the stronger the talent becomes. Others find cultivation increasingly difficult as they progress, but for our Wang family, it becomes easier and easier. We even awaken special talents. Take me, for example. Since last year, I've awakened combat talent. The more I fight against experts, the more I gain enlightenment, sometimes breaking through bottlenecks, sometimes even comprehending and creating a new martial art. But I know this means I'm soon to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather and father, because not long after they reached this stage, they began to lose their senses, their blood essence decayed, and they became bedridden. I know my fate has arrived, so I eagerly challenged old Sect Leader Qi. In truth, I wasn't fully prepared, but I feared I wouldn't have another chance if I didn't challenge him soon. It's a pity I still lost and couldn't vindicate the Wang family!"

Gu Mo said, "You've already done very well. In Yun Province now, you're third on the Heavenly Ranking, aren't you? The Wang family… or rather, the Dongli Sect, is also one of the top martial forces in Yun Province."

"Alas!" Wang Dongli sighed and continued, "For generations, we have been actively trying to find a way to deal with this, but nothing has worked. Over the years, I've sought out many experts, including the Divine Doctor Wei Wuwei, but no one could detect that energy. Great Hero Gu, you are the only one! Great Hero Gu, if you can cure it, please name your price. I'll go through fire and water without hesitation. If you cannot cure it, please keep this secret for our Wang family. I implore you!"

Gu Mo had been using the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique to influence Wang Dongli's consciousness throughout their conversation, confirming that Wang Dongli was not lying. This meant Wang Dongli had no idea that the blood in his body was that of the Peacock Ling Clan.

Therefore, Gu Mo said, "Theoretically, it can be cured. I have encountered people like you before. No, not just one person, but an entire clan."

Wang Dongli quickly asked, "Then, were they cured?"

Gu Mo nodded. "They were cured, but there was a condition: the root cause had to be found. To be honest with you, the blood of that clan came from one of the Thirteen Taboos, the Fire Kirin. And your blood comes from one of the Thirteen Taboos, the Seven-Colored Peacock."

Wang Dongli's eyes widened, filled with shock and disbelief.

Gu Mo waved his hand. "I know it's hard for you to accept these legendary things for now, but don't be too shocked. I'll tell you the treatment method first: find an item that can attract the spiritual energy in your body. I have a martial art called the Great Devouring Spirit Hand, which can use the properties of that item to absorb the spiritual energy. Then, your Wang family's curse can naturally be removed."

Wang Dongli's eyes flickered between confusion and shock. He said in a deep voice, "Great… Great Hero Gu, I… I can't accept what you're saying right now. It feels like listening to a story, but I believe you wouldn't fabricate such a bizarre tale to deceive me. Where can I find the item you mentioned?"

Gu Mo said, "It must be an object from the Seven-Colored Peacock. Therefore, the prerequisite is to first find the location of the Seven-Colored Peacock. I personally suggest you thoroughly investigate your family's ancestral texts and records. Look for where your Wang family came from, that is, your earliest ancestor, where did they come from over a hundred years ago?"

Wang Dongli slowly nodded. "I really don't know about that, and I've never thought about it. I'll start investigating when I get back."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said no more. Wang Dongli also fell silent, clearly processing the information he had just received from Gu Mo. Although the Fire Kirin and Seven-Colored Peacock Gu Mo mentioned were things that the three of them had long accepted and didn't find particularly unusual, for ordinary people of the Martial World, it was like a fairy tale. While the legends of the Thirteen Taboos were not exactly secret in the Martial World and appeared in storybooks, few people took them seriously, treating them as mere legends. For instance, Wang Dongli only saw them as fictional stories, and many people hadn't even heard of them. In such a situation, being told that these legendary tales were true would indeed cause a cognitive shock.

As they walked, Gu Chundong transmitted her voice. "Brother, can you really cure it?"

Gu Mo replied, "Theoretically, yes. The Great Devouring Spirit Hand was originally designed to absorb spiritual energy, but forcibly absorbing it would cause immense harm to a person. Therefore, an item with similar properties is needed to attract the spiritual energy, and then guide it out. So, theoretically, as long as we find the Seven-Colored Peacock and get something from it, we can extract the spiritual energy from Wang Dongli's body."

"Like when you used the Kirin Bone to help the people of Yu Shijiu's clan extract the Fire Kirin's spiritual energy?" Gu Chundong asked.

"Yes," Gu Mo said. "It will be easier now. I've improved the Great Devouring Spirit Hand."

Gu Chundong said, "I hope the Wang family has something left by the Seven-Colored Peacock." She paused for a moment and then asked, "By the way, Brother, can Gongsun Jue really be resurrected?"

"Impossible," Gu Mo said. "Gongsun Jue was completely annihilated by me back then, his soul scattered. He cannot be resurrected. It was only by luck that he entered reincarnation and became someone else. Or, if he had destiny on his side and was born a knowing one, perhaps he could awaken past life memories. But pure resurrection is impossible."

"Then the Heavenly God Society…"

"Pure nonsense to fool people," Gu Mo said. "Someone must have taken a liking to Gongsun Jue's remaining followers. After all, consolidating them forms a considerable force, and they all practice the Taotie Divine Skill, which has many unexpected effects when used. And all those who were able to receive the Taotie Divine Skill from Gongsun Jue were his loyal followers. So, by using the pretense of resurrecting Gongsun Jue, as long as those people believe it, they can be easily controlled and turned into a group of death warriors."

"Is that so? Is resurrection truly impossible?" Gu Chundong asked.

"Impossible," Gu Mo said. "Think of it this way: after a person dies, their Nascent Soul dissipates into energy and merges with heaven and earth. That energy is everywhere in heaven and earth, like pouring a bucket of water into the ocean. Can you then retrieve that specific bucket of water? Moreover, after death, consciousness also dissipates."

"I understand."

The dilapidated temple where Wang Dongli was treated was not far from Azure Wave Mountain. The disciple he sent to deliver the message was also a martial arts master and was very fast, so they didn't have to wait long. People from the Azure Wave Sword Sect arrived and took over the bodies of the Heavenly God Society members.

Afterward, Gu Mo and his group traveled with Wang Dongli and his disciples to Qingyang County.

Five days later, the group, travel-worn, arrived outside the county seat of Qingyang County, at Yan Dong Mountain. The mountain was not steep, but the trees were lush. The Dongli Sect was built along the mountain, with pavilions and towers nestled amidst the greenery, exuding an air of reclusion. However, as the group approached the mountain gate, Gu Mo and Red Clothes frowned almost simultaneously, exchanging a subtle glance. They both clearly sensed a faint but distinct fluctuation of Nascent Soul power emanating from deep within the Dongli Sect. Gu Mo's heart tightened. His primary objective this time was to investigate the disappearance of Tie Tou, and the perpetrator was very likely someone who possessed Nascent Soul power. Such a person was rare, not just in Yun Province, but in the entire world. Wang Dongli was one of the suspects, and now, another person with Nascent Soul power in the Dongli Sect increased the possibility. However, Gu Mo guessed that this person was likely Wang Dongli's father, someone who also possessed Peacock spiritual energy. Although Wang Dongli said his father had been bedridden for many years, for those in the Nascent Soul realm, the physical body was no longer important.

Just then, a young man about twenty years old, resembling Wang Dongli in appearance by seven or eight parts, stumbled out from the main gate. Tears streamed down his face, filled with immense panic and helplessness. He grabbed Wang Dongli's sleeve and cried out hoarsely, "Dad! Dad, you're finally back… Grandpa… Grandpa… he's… he's not doing well. Hurry and see him one last time!"

Wang Dongli was struck as if by lightning. His face instantly turned pale, and the slight relaxation he felt upon returning home vanished. His eyes were filled only with immense pain and sorrow. He didn't even have time to greet Gu Mo and the others. His figure shot up like an arrow released from a bow, turning into a blurred afterimage, and he sped towards the direction of the Nascent Soul fluctuation – a serene courtyard halfway up the mountain.

"Let's go!" Gu Mo said in a deep voice, and then followed closely with Gu Chundong and Red Clothes. Wang Dongli's disciple quickly explained Gu Mo's group's identities to the young master of the Wang family, so the young master did not stop them. Soon, Gu Mo and his group caught up to the outside of a large courtyard. Coincidentally, the source of the Nascent Soul fluctuation was within the main house of this courtyard.

Suddenly, Wang Dongli's heart-wrenching cry came from inside the house: "Dad—!"

As this mournful cry rang out, Gu Mo and Red Clothes clearly sensed that the Nascent Soul power that had been struggling to hold on, like a popped bubble, let out a silent wail, fluctuated violently, and then completely dissipated, dissolving into countless tiny light spots that silently merged into the surrounding heaven and earth energy, leaving no trace. This was the phenomenon of consciousness perishing, Nascent Soul returning to nothingness, and completely dissipating back to the origin of heaven and earth.

Gu Mo and the other two walked inside. The room was filled with a strong medicinal smell and an indescribable scent of decay. Wang Dongli knelt by the bed, tightly gripping the hand of the person on the bed, his shoulders shaking violently, his suppressed sobs heartbreaking. The person lying on the bed was Wang Dongli's father. His appearance was withered; only a layer of gray, lifeless skin tightly clung to his bones, his body emaciated, like dried firewood. His exposed neck and arms were covered in large areas of festering wounds, some scabbed and blackened, others oozing yellow fluid and emitting a foul odor. His eyes were deeply sunken, his mouth slightly agape, and he had long since stopped breathing. His appearance was even more tragic and terrifying than Wang Dongli's description of "blood essence decay and withered body," clearly having endured unimaginable pain in his final moments. Gu Mo's gaze swept over, and he keenly sensed that the special spiritual energy belonging to the Peacock Ling Clan, which should have been present in Old Master Wang's body, had now vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed. Wang Dongli's son also rushed in, kneeling on the ground and crying loudly.

After a while, Wang Dongli took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his surging emotions, wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve, stood up, and turned to Gu Mo's group, his voice hoarse and tired. "Great Hero Gu, Heroine Gu, Miss Red Clothes… I apologize. My father… I… Please forgive my inability to personally host the three of you right now."

Gu Mo quickly said, "Sect Leader Wang, there's no need for formalities." Then, Wang Dongli called a disciple from outside the door and instructed, "Take our distinguished guests to the west wing courtyard to rest. Serve them well and do not neglect them!"

Given the circumstances, Gu Mo naturally couldn't bring up the matter of finding Tie Tou and the Seven-Colored Peacock. He said, "My condolences," and then left with Gu Chundong and Red Clothes.

As they walked, Gu Chundong suddenly asked, "Brother, Sect Leader Wang will definitely hold a funeral for Old Master Wang. We happened to be here, should we offer some condolences?"

"Offer some," Gu Mo said.

"Not too much, right?" Gu Chundong asked.

"You decide!"

"Okay."

As night fell, the Dongli Sect hung white banners and lit perpetual lamps. The mourning hall was set up in the back courtyard, with Old Master Wang's coffin placed in the center. Incense and candles flickered, creating a heavy and oppressive atmosphere. Wang Dongli, clad in mourning clothes, knelt alone before the altar, mechanically adding paper money to the brazier. The flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows on his haggard face, adding to the desolation. Although Wang Dongli knew that death was a release for his father and that he had been mentally prepared for it, he still felt immense pain when the day finally arrived.

After an unknown amount of time, as the night deepened, the mourning hall and its surroundings were deathly silent, save for the faint crackling of burning paper money in the brazier. Just then, a very faint, intermittent sound of speech, like the buzzing of a mosquito, drifted into Wang Dongli's ears, barely audible. The voice… seemed to be coming from the direction of the mourning hall entrance. Wang Dongli was startled, and his scattered mind instantly focused a bit. He looked up towards the open doorway of the mourning hall. Outside the door was an impenetrable darkness, with only the pale light emitted by the white lanterns hanging under the eaves. He frowned, held his breath, and concentrated.

The voice sounded again, like two people whispering, the sound indistinct, making it impossible to discern the content. Wang Dongli felt puzzled and immediately suspected that the two disciples on night watch outside were talking, disturbing the spirits of the deceased. A trace of anger rose within him. He pushed himself up with his sore knees, his steps heavy, and walked towards the entrance. Reaching the doorway, he saw a figure squatting in the shadow outside the threshold, illuminated by the dim lantern light. The figure was hunched over, with its back to him, its head buried low, its shoulders slightly shaking. The intermittent whispering was coming from there. He assumed it was a night watch disciple.

"What are you doing there? Where is Xiao Liu? Where did he go?" Wang Dongli asked in a deep voice, his voice sounding particularly abrupt in the silent night. The squatting figure seemed not to hear him, maintaining its posture. The whispering became slightly clearer, like sleep-talking, or arguing with someone. Wang Dongli's anger flared. He wondered which disciple was so inconsiderate, acting mysteriously at the door of the mourning hall in the dead of night. He strode forward and reached out, with a hint of reprimand in his force, and heavily patted the person's shoulder—

"Crack!"

The touch was ice-cold. It felt not like patting a living person's shoulder, but more like patting a frozen piece of hard wood. The squatting figure stopped its movement with this pat, and the whispering also ceased abruptly. A suffocating silence fell inside and outside the mourning hall. Even the crackling sound in the brazier disappeared. Wang Dongli's heart suddenly tightened, and a chill shot up from his tailbone to the crown of his head. He instinctively wanted to withdraw his hand, but his gaze was fixed on the figure slowly turning around… The figure's turning motion was extremely stiff, accompanied by a grating "crack… crack…" sound of bone friction, like rusty machinery operating under duress. Finally, a face turned completely, exposed under the pale lantern light. Wang Dongli's pupils instantly shrank to the size of needle points! The face—gray, withered, skin tightly adhering to the cheekbones, eye sockets sunken into black holes, lips shriveled, revealing yellowed teeth… It was precisely his father, Old Master Wang's, freshly interred, lifeless face! At this moment, on this dead face, the empty eye sockets seemed to "look" at him. An indescribable, primal fear instantly seized Wang Dongli's entire body, and his blood seemed to freeze at that moment.

"Old Master Wang" revealed a smile on his skin-and-bones face. "Son, you've come too. Your grandfather, great-grandfather… are all waiting for you!"

In the next instant, in the dimness, several more figures in burial clothes appeared, all of them skin and bones. Wang Dongli was so terrified that he felt as if he had been struck by an invisible giant hammer. He stumbled backward violently, crashing heavily against the doorframe of the mourning hall with a loud "clang!"

Suddenly, he woke up. He was still kneeling in the mourning hall, before the coffin. It had all been a nightmare. Startled, he had even knocked over the brazier in front of him where he had been burning paper money. The two disciples on night watch, hearing the commotion, rushed in and quickly asked, "Master, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just a bit tired," Wang Dongli waved his hand. "Master, you should go rest. I'll take care of things here with Xiao Liu." One disciple helped Wang Dongli up. Wang Dongli hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll go wash my face to sober up. You two watch here first."

Wang Dongli then dragged his tired body out of the room. He dragged his lead-heavy legs, step by agonizing step, towards the old well in the corner of the courtyard. The oppressive air in the mourning hall and the overly realistic nightmare he had just experienced made him desperately need the cold well water to stimulate his dull and numb nerves. The night wind blew, and the white lanterns under the eaves swayed, casting distorted, flickering shadows on the ground, like silent specters. He walked to the well, picked up the wooden bucket placed nearby, and the rope rubbed against the well's edge with a "creak