Investigation, Heavenly God Society Appears

Late at night, at the Dongli Sect's great courtyard.

Gu Mo, Gu Chundong, and Hongyi were sitting in the courtyard. Hongyi sat in front of Gu Mo, her fingers lightly tapping his forehead, guiding strands of Nascent Soul power. After a while, she slowly withdrew her hand and said, "Master, this is the cultivation mantra for the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art."

The Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art was the martial art Wang Dongli practiced, which allowed the use of Nascent Soul techniques with a mortal body.

Hongyi explained, "This martial art was created by someone named Wang Qingping. He was invited to Penglai Island about 180 years ago during an island opening. The reason he was invited was his exceptional talent in Qi cultivation.

Later, when he met Bai Yujing, he indeed provided Bai Yujing with a remarkable martial art. It allowed him to display Nascent Soul power without reaching the Ascension Realm, and Bai Yujing further refined it based on his original work. However, during a later island opening, Wang Qingping had already died, so it's unknown if he made any further improvements to this martial art."

Gu Mo asked, "Then, how did you know he was from the Peacock Spirit Race?"

Hongyi replied, "Bai Yujing has existed for many years, and its consciousness has become increasingly complete. In the process, it has encountered many people, including members of the Peacock Spirit Race. Bai Yujing retains traces of everything it has come into contact with, never forgetting."

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

At this moment, Gu Chundong said, "This Wang Qingping should be Wang Dongli's ancestor, right?"

Hongyi responded, "He should be. Wang Qingping was invited in Yun Province back then, and Wang Dongli currently cultivates the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art. It's highly probable that Wang Qingping is Wang Dongli's ancestor."

Gu Mo stated, "We'll know once we ask Wang Dongli."

Immediately after, Gu Mo began to study the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art.

Hongyi had directly imported the complete manual into Gu Mo's consciousness through Nascent Soul techniques. With Gu Mo's cultivation level, receiving the information of a manual was effortless.

"Huh!"

After browsing through the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art manual, a sense of astonishment surged within him.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Gu Chundong asked curiously.

Gu Mo replied, "This Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art shares a similar principle with one of my own martial arts. They are equally exquisite, and even if one is slightly inferior, the difference is not significant."

Gu Mo was referring to his Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique.

The Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique involved first cultivating the Dao Heart, then finding a cauldron to plant a demonic seed, and finally nurturing the demonic seed to gradually form a Demon Immortal and achieve Nascent Soul ascension.

This Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art, on the other hand, used one's own body as the cauldron to cultivate the Nascent Soul. The theories were similar, and even then, the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art was more convenient and its cultivation requirements were less harsh and perverse than the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique.

However, the reason Gu Mo rated the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique as slightly superior was that the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art was too reliant on the special innate talent of the Peacock Spirit Race. The fundamental requirement for cultivating this martial art was to already possess Nascent Soul power, which served as the medium for cultivation.

Most martial artists in the world only began to gradually separate their physical bodies from their Nascent Souls after reaching the Ascension Realm, then gradually cultivated Nascent Soul power, and finally, upon reaching the Ascension Realm, successfully separated their Nascent Souls from their physical bodies.

Therefore, the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art presented a paradox:

One needed to possess Nascent Soul power to cultivate it, and Nascent Soul power could only be obtained by approaching the Ascension Realm. However, by the time one could approach the Ascension Realm, it was unlikely anyone would switch to another martial art and start from scratch.

Thus, even though the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Art was a divine skill that could directly lead to the Ascension Realm, it would be useless even if circulated in the martial world. It wouldn't be much stronger than common martial arts because it was impossible to achieve results through cultivation.

However, for the Peacock Spirit Race, this martial art was a tailor-made, unparalleled divine skill manual, a perfect fit.

"This Wang Qingping is truly capable!"

Gu Mo praised him sincerely.

Gu Chundong remarked, "It's a pity, though. When he cultivated to the Ascension Realm back then, he must have become food for his Inner Demon."

Gu Mo: "..."

"Oh, right, Brother," Gu Chundong suddenly asked, "Isn't Old Master Su Qianqiu's Seven-Colored Peacock Robe made from the feathers of a Seven-Colored Peacock? Could it be used as a medium to extract Wang Dongli's peacock spiritual energy?"

Gu Mo thought for a moment and replied, "Theoretically, it's possible, but the Wang family and Old Master Su have no connections, so it's difficult to arrange!"

"That's true!"

Gu Mo and the others happened to arrive at the Dongli Sect at an opportune moment, coinciding with the passing of Old Master Wang. Their original plan to investigate the Wang family's ancestral past had to be postponed until Wang Dongli finished handling his grandfather's funeral.

Therefore, Gu Mo, Gu Chundong, and Hongyi had no choice but to stay at the Dongli Sect.

As the sect leader and a currently prominent Grandmaster in Yun Province, Wang Dongli's father's funeral was naturally extraordinary. Various sects from the Yun Province martial world sent representatives to pay their respects, making it a lively occasion.

Wang Dongli had also hired a renowned Feng Shui master to set the date for the funeral procession, which was scheduled for the morning of the twentieth of May. However, the Feng Shui master did not need to select a propitious burial site, as Old Master Wang had already chosen and prepared his tomb during his lifetime, a 'living tomb,' so he could be buried directly within it upon death.

Soon, the day of the funeral procession arrived.

The Dongli Sect hosted a grand banquet, which was very lively.

Gu Chundong reluctantly presented a gift of one hundred taels of silver and then began to feast at the table, determined to get her money's worth.

As the banquet neared its end and preparations for the funeral procession were about to begin, a commotion of fighting erupted from the front courtyard, accompanied by the jarring sounds of overturned tables and chairs, shattered bowls and plates, and exclamations of shock and anger.

"What's going on?" Gu Chundong suddenly looked up.

Gu Mo and Hongyi were also bewildered.

Because there were many martial artists from various sects at the Dongli Sect that day, Gu Mo did not want to reveal himself and attract visitors from all the sects. Therefore, Gu Mo and his companions had stayed in their courtyard and were unaware of what was happening in the front.

"Judging by the sounds, it's the Six Doors clashing with the Dongli Sect," Hongyi said.

"Why are the Six Doors here?"

Gu Mo and the others were all powerful individuals. With deliberate effort, they could discern some useful information from the noise in the front courtyard.

"Let's go take a look."

Immediately, Gu Mo exchanged glances with Gu Chundong and Hongyi, and the three of them got up and went out.

At this moment, the plaza was in disarray.

The neatly arranged tables and chairs were overturned, food and drinks were spilled all over the ground, and the air was filled with a strange odor of mixed food and dust.

Many guests who had come to pay their respects were fleeing in panic. Some Dongli Sect disciples, guests, and Six Doors Blade Catchers lay on the ground groaning, clearly injured, and there were quite a few of them.

In the center of the plaza, the atmosphere was tense.

Dozens of Six Doors Blade Catchers, dressed in black tight-fitting clothes and carrying standard-issue long sabers at their waists, were confronting Dongli Sect disciples who held weapons and glared with anger.

The Blade Catchers formed a semi-circular formation, their expressions stern. The person leading them was none other than the Chief Constable of the Six Doors in Yun Province, Du Sha!

Du Sha was currently facing Wang Dongli from a distance.

Du Sha kicked a Dongli Sect disciple away and said coldly, "Wang Dongli, is your Dongli Sect trying to rebel?"

Wang Dongli, clad in mourning attire, had a cold expression. He stared intently at Du Sha and said coldly, "My father's funeral is imminent. Do not push your luck, Six Doors. I'll say this one last time: deal with any matters after the funeral!"

Du Sha's expression was blank, his eyes as sharp as a falcon's. His voice was equally cold, "This is no longer about your funeral or not. It's about my Six Doors' Blade Catchers being injured!"

Wang Dongli remained expressionless and said, "I've told you, everything will be dealt with after the funeral."

With that, Wang Dongli signaled to those responsible for carrying the coffin to lift it.

Du Sha took a step forward and said, "Wang Dongli, the funeral can proceed, but you must guarantee..."

"Scram!"

Before Du Sha could finish speaking, Wang Dongli's eyes were bloodshot as he roared.

Immediately, his figure shot out like a blood-red arrow loosed from a bow, carrying a desperate, wild aura. The long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling cold gleam. Man and sword became one as he lunged directly for Du Sha's throat!

Du Sha's pupils contracted. He knew Wang Dongli's strength well and naturally dared not be careless. The long saber at his waist "clang"ed as it was drawn, its blade light like a flowing ribbon, carrying a chilling killing intent. He met the attack without yielding.

The two Grandmaster-level experts, right before the mourning hall and under the watchful eyes of everyone, instantly collided violently!

"Boom!"

Fierce True Qi exploded, and the resulting shockwave swept out, plowing through the already messy ground and sending flying debris everywhere.

The two separated instantly upon contact and then transformed into two blurry figures. The clash of sabers and swords intensified, the sounds of metal striking metal incessant. Every collision sent tremors that agitated the blood and Qi of those with lower cultivation levels around them.

"The Dongli Sect is rebelling! Take them down!!"

"Fight against these imperial lackeys!"

Seeing Du Sha and Wang Dongli engaged in combat, the Six Doors Blade Catchers became enraged and roared, about to charge at the Dongli Sect disciples. The Dongli Sect disciples, each possessing their own courage and passion, also charged towards the Blade Catchers.

A large-scale bloody conflict was about to erupt!

"Stop!"

At that moment, a clear, cold shout, like thunder from the heavens, instantly drowned out all the shouts of battle and the clashing of weapons!

A green silhouette, like a ghost, appeared above the fighting Du Sha and Wang Dongli without any warning.

The person who arrived was Gu Mo, who had just rushed from the back courtyard.

He descended rapidly, appearing at the center of the battle. His hands shot out like lightning, one grabbing the spine of Wang Dongli's sword, and the other brushing against the back of Du Sha's saber.

His movements appeared casual, yet they contained an irresistible, terrifying power.

"Hum! Hum!"

Two muffled vibrations sounded almost simultaneously.

Wang Dongli's sword momentum and Du Sha's saber aura, the moment Gu Mo's hands touched them, seemed to hit an invisible bronze wall, their fierce power being forcibly halted and deflected.

Gu Mo's hands guided and pulled, and a supple yet irresistible immense force surged forth.

Wang Dongli felt an invincible soft force entwine his long sword, and he was involuntarily pulled back several feet, stumbling. Du Sha also felt a powerful force transmit along his saber. His tiger's mouth vibrated violently, and the long saber almost flew out of his hand. His figure was also shaken backward a considerable distance before he managed to stabilize himself.

Immediately after, Gu Mo landed and stomped his right foot heavily on the ground.

"Rumble!"

Centered on his landing point, a visible ring of airwaves erupted outwards, like ripples from a giant stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly sweeping across the entire plaza. This airwave was not a destructive impact, but it carried an immensely powerful suppressive force.

The two groups, who were about to charge at each other, whether they were the passionate Dongli Sect disciples or the capable Six Doors Blade Catchers, were struck by this airwave. They felt as if they were pushed hard by an invisible giant hand. Their forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, and they all staggered backward, unable to maintain their footing. They were crowded together, their weapons clanging against each other, but they could no longer form an effective charging formation.

The entire plaza fell silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing and astonished gazes focused on the blue figure standing with his hands behind his back in the center.

"Great Hero Gu!" Du Sha stabilized himself, recognized the newcomer, and his face showed surprise. He then retracted his killing intent, cupped his fists, and said, "Great Hero Gu, why are you here?"

On the other side, Wang Dongli, who had been repelled, forcibly suppressed his churning blood and Qi and raging anger. Upon seeing Gu Mo, the redness in his eyes slightly receded, but it was still filled with a violent aura.

"Chief Constable Du, I am here to investigate the disappearance of Tie Tou," Gu Mo said calmly, cupping his fists. "Chief Constable Du, today is Old Master Wang's funeral procession. To barge in and cause a fight in the mourning hall, disturbing the peace of the deceased, is unreasonable and unjustifiable."

Du Sha said indignantly, "Great Hero Gu, this matter is not my fault. I came here investigating the Heavenly God Society's demonic individuals. Seeing that the Dongli Sect was holding a funeral, I initially intended to respect the deceased and not search immediately.

However, I was also worried that the Heavenly God Society members might sneak away, so I planned to discuss with Wang Dongli, asking him to arrange for Dongli Sect disciples to set up a cordon around the area to prevent anyone from leaving. Is there anything wrong with that? But as Wang Dongli was speaking, my subordinate accidentally kicked over a brazier for burning paper, and he attacked without warning, not even giving me a chance to apologize.

Just now, I still respected the deceased. Even though my men were injured, I endured it and agreed to let him proceed with the funeral first. But he attacked me before I could finish speaking. Great Hero Gu, this is not me being unreasonable and disturbing the spirits of the deceased; it's Wang Dongli acting like a mad dog!"

Gu Mo turned his head to look at Wang Dongli.

At this moment, Wang Dongli looked exhausted, his eyes bloodshot, and he exuded a general weariness. He even stumbled back a couple of steps and leaned against a pillar, not speaking.

At this point, Wang Dongli's son, Wang Xiuyuan, quickly came forward, bowed to Gu Mo, and then bowed to Du Sha. "Great Hero Gu, Chief Constable Du, I am truly sorry. My father had a deep affection for my grandfather. Since my grandfather's passing, my father has been overwhelmed with grief, often fainting from excessive sorrow.

In the past few days, due to missing his grandfather too much, he has not eaten or slept, only lying unconscious. He has been in a daze, and his emotions are bound to be unstable. Just now, because his grandfather's funeral was imminent, his heart was filled with sorrow, and he couldn't control his emotions, leading to him becoming irritable. This is what caused these events. I apologize on behalf of my father."

Wang Xiuyuan immediately knelt before Du Sha with a "plop" and said, "Chief Constable Du, it is the responsibility of our Dongli Sect for the injuries sustained by the Six Doors Blade Catchers today. All medical expenses, lost wages, and consolation fees will be borne by the Dongli Sect, and compensation will be provided afterward. Please overlook this transgression!"

Although Du Sha was an official, he had interacted with martial artists for many years, adopting a certain martial world demeanor and habits. Like most martial artists, he responded better to appeasement than to force.

Seeing Wang Xiuyuan's attitude, his anger subsided by more than half. He pulled Wang Xiuyuan up and said, "I am not here today to fight with your Dongli Sect. I am here to apprehend the demonic individuals of the Heavenly God Society. We can discuss compensation later. For now, you need to do two things: First, as I said, seal off the Dongli Sect and do not allow anyone to leave privately. Second, immediately have the Dongli Sect's sect doctors come to treat the injured."

Wang Xiuyuan quickly replied, "No problem, no problem!"

Subsequently, Wang Xiuyuan immediately began making arrangements and sent people to explain the situation to the various guests to avoid unnecessary conflict.

To Gu Mo and the others' surprise, while Wang Xiuyuan was busily arranging things, Wang Dongli had actually fallen asleep sitting on the ground, leaning against a pillar, clearly exhausted.

Gu Mo was aware of what Wang Dongli had been through in the past few days; he had been overcome with grief, fainted multiple times in the mourning hall, and had not slept for six or seven days.

Shortly after, the funeral procession began.

"Great Hero Gu, why not accompany us? How about it?" Du Sha invited Gu Mo, saying, "The Dongli Sect is sealed off, so those two hidden Heavenly God Society members cannot escape. They are likely to blend into the funeral procession to seek an opportunity to flee."

Gu Mo immediately agreed and followed behind the funeral procession. As they walked, he asked, "Have you identified the Heavenly God Society?"

Du Sha replied, "Ten days ago, the Azure Wave Sword Sect sent a letter to my Six Doors, stating that they discovered the Heavenly God Society members were remnants left by Gongsun Jue. With your testimony as well, my Six Doors immediately joined forces with the Azure Wave Sword Sect to investigate.

Before, we hadn't paid much attention. After all, various strange organizations emerge in the martial world every year. The Heavenly God Society is neither the first nor the last. As long as they don't commit murder and arson and only operate within the martial world, my Six Doors generally doesn't pay much attention.

Now that we are actively investigating, it was naturally easy to find some clues and confirm that the Heavenly God Society is indeed that group of remnants left by Gongsun Jue. We immediately issued a wanted order throughout the martial world. As a result, the Heavenly God Society seemed to be provoking us. Previously, they acted covertly and secretly, but now that they are wanted, they have begun to commit crimes openly everywhere. In just a few days, over four hundred people have died under the Taotie Divine Skill."

"You haven't caught anyone?" Gu Mo asked in confusion.

"We caught over twenty people," Du Sha replied. "However, they were all the lowest-ranking envoys, and we couldn't get any information from them. We only know there is a Sect Master, who is Gongsun Jue, an Elder, and ten Protectors. Each Protector has fifteen envoys under them.

However, currently, according to our Six Doors' analysis, the reason the Heavenly God Society fabricated the slogan of resurrecting Sect Master Gongsun Jue is likely a lie deliberately concocted by that Elder to control the Heavenly God Society members, exploiting their loyalty to Gongsun Jue."

At this moment, Gu Mo's expression changed slightly.

Because he received system prompts:

[New target detected] [Wanted Target - Heavenly God Society Elder] [Mission Level - Five Stars] [Mission Reward - Max Level Divine Blade Slash] [New target detected] [Wanted Target - Heavenly God Society Sect Master] [Mission Level - Six Stars] [Mission Reward - Max Level Mighty Dragon Divine Palm]

Gu Mo was not particularly concerned about these two martial arts. It wasn't that they were weak, but rather that they would not provide much of an enhancement to Gu Mo at his current level.

The Divine Blade Slash, originating from "The Moon Embracing Saber," consists of eight stances, each containing thirty-six moves, and each move containing one hundred and eight variations, totaling thirty-one thousand one hundred and four variations, making it infinitely versatile and capable of a fatal blow with immense power.

The practitioner must first master all variations and finally merge over thirty thousand variations into "One Blade" to reach the "Divine Blade Slash" realm. This realm is known as "not of this world," and with a single strike, nothing is unbreakable, representing the ultimate form of blade techniques.

This martial art can be considered the pinnacle of all martial arts moves in the world. However, Gu Mo's realm had long surpassed the level of mere moves, so this martial art offered little help, serving only as a touch of icing on the cake.

As for the second martial art, the Mighty Dragon Divine Palm, it originates from "The Sword and the Chess of Death." This palm technique is extremely solid and Yang, incomparably fierce, and can be called the ultimate divine skill of the "hard-hitting school." It can unleash dragon-shaped Qi energy remotely and is hailed as the "Number One Palm Technique Under Heaven."

It is similar to the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms," often using both palms to exert force. It can manifest dragon shadows to attack enemies and can also release dragon-shaped Qi energy remotely for strangulation, essentially being a strengthened version of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

For the current Gu Mo, it also provided more of a decorative effect, perhaps offering some direction for martial arts concepts.

What truly moved Gu Mo were the two pieces of information from the system prompts, indicating that the Heavenly God Society Elder and the Sect Master were two different individuals.

However, the Heavenly God Society Sect Master was not identified as Gongsun Jue, meaning the person was someone else, not truly resurrecting Gongsun Jue. But being rated as a six-star target implied that they had committed significant evil deeds in the past.

After reviewing the system prompt information, Gu Mo refocused his mind and asked, "Then why did you come here today?"

Du Sha replied, "Although we couldn't extract any useful information from those we captured, based on the traces of movement exposed by the Heavenly God Society's large-scale crimes in the past few days, they have been continuously converging towards Qingyang County.

This means that the Heavenly God Society's headquarters is very likely located in Qingyang County. Therefore, I personally came to investigate, and as expected, I had a great harvest here, discovering two groups of Heavenly God Society members and apprehending them all at once as they converged.

However, those Heavenly God Society members were too ferocious. Those envoys, in order to protect the Protectors, were willing to sacrifice themselves to create an opportunity for the two Protectors to escape. Then, we pursued them. This Dongli Sect is currently holding a funeral, with a mixed crowd, making it suitable for hiding. Those two blended into the Dongli Sect."

"So that's how it is."

Gu Mo nodded and said, "Keep a close eye on this funeral procession and see if anyone tries to escape later. As for the Dongli Sect, you can rest assured. Even if the Dongli Sect is not diligent in their duties, it's not a problem, as my sister and Hongyi are here."

Du Sha nodded and said, "With you here, I am very relieved."

The two chatted casually as they followed the funeral procession out of the Dongli Sect. After walking for over an hour, they arrived at the mountainside outside Qingyang City. Below the mountain was a large lake, a dike built to manage river floods, which had formed a large lake due to the constant passage of river water.

Old Master Wang's tomb was precisely chosen by the lakeside, amidst green mountains. From a distance, it appeared to be a place where five maih converged, which, according to Feng Shui principles, was a place that would bless future generations.

Old Master Wang's tomb was also built magnificently, larger than the courtyards of ordinary households. The twelve pallbearers could all enter the tomb without feeling crowded.

However, from the beginning to the end of the burial and the return of the funeral procession to the Dongli Sect, no one left the procession.

Wang Dongli appeared listless throughout.

After returning to the Dongli Sect with his weary body, he said to Du Sha, "Chief Constable Du, if you need to investigate, you can do so now. The Dongli Sect will cooperate fully!"

Immediately, Du Sha did not hesitate and ordered his subordinates, the Blade Catchers, to begin their search.

At this moment, Hongyi suddenly transmitted a message to Gu Mo, saying, "Master, I have found those two Heavenly God Society members. An hour ago, they used the Turtle Breathing technique and are currently feigning death, hiding in the latrine in the East Courtyard."

Gu Mo inwardly called them ruthless individuals.

Then, Gu Mo transmitted a message to Du Sha, saying, "Chief Constable Du, the people are in the latrine in the East Courtyard. Have your subordinates act convincingly, pretend not to find them, and let them escape."

Du Sha's expression remained unchanged, and he transmitted back, "Great Hero Gu, your thoughts align with mine. I was also planning to lure the snake out of its hole. After pursuing them for so long, I've been looking for an opportunity to apply some tracking powder to those two, but I never had the chance, which is why I've been relentlessly pursuing them.

However, now that they are hiding in the privy, it's difficult to employ tracking methods."

Gu Mo replied, "Don't worry about that; I have my ways."

Du Sha said no more.

Ultimately, the Six Doors and the Dongli Sect cooperated in searching the Dongli Sect for half a day, thoroughly checking everyone. In the end, they left empty-handed with no findings.

Gu Mo, while the two were in a state of feigned death, planted a strand of Nascent Soul power in each of their sea of consciousness.

After that, he did not pay further attention.

And those two were truly ruthless individuals. To avoid capture, they remained hidden in the privy, not moving at all the entire next day.

It wasn't until midnight of the following day that the two quietly climbed out of the privy. Then, they silently infiltrated a room, stole the uniforms of Dongli Sect disciples, and quietly left the Dongli Sect.