Battle Against the Inner Demon at the Imperial Palace

Gu Mo murmured softly. This was already the second person he had encountered who cultivated the Great Sun Demonic Art.

"Does the Buddhist sect have such a martial art?" Gu Mo asked.

Venerable Monk Huineng chuckled. "This is the ancestor of demonic arts. How could it be a Buddhist inheritance? Besides, this martial art differs from all others in the world. It cannot be passed down, because it is alive. The Great Sun Demonic Art has always existed in the human world in a very special form, constantly seeking those fated to encounter it. It chooses people; people do not choose it."

Gu Mo nodded slightly. "So, Venerable Monk, you were the fated person chosen by the Great Sun Demonic Art?"

Venerable Monk Huineng said, "Not exactly chosen—it was inevitable. There are seven kinds of people in this world known as Innate Sages: first, Double Pupils; second, Fused Ribs; third, a dragon visage and sun-horned brow; fourth, Sunken Crown River Eyes; fifth, Heaven and Earth Anomaly; sixth, Six Ears with Three Leaks; seventh, One Who Knows From Birth. This humble monk happened to be the seventh—one who knew from birth. The fated people sought by the Great Sun Demonic Art are these seven kinds of people. As for why, this humble monk does not know. After encountering the Great Sun Demonic Art, the Book Spirit told this humble monk only that."

Gu Mo smiled faintly. "How did you encounter the Great Sun Demonic Art, Venerable Monk?"

Venerable Monk Huineng said, "More than forty years ago, this humble monk was searching through the mountains, wilds, rivers, and streams for 'demons.' One day, while resting on a forest path, this humble monk dreamed of a monk who came to debate Buddhist doctrine with me. He possessed the greatest Buddha Nature this humble monk had ever encountered. In that debate, this humble monk lost with complete conviction. In the end, that monk asked what this humble monk desired and what ideals I held. By then, this humble monk already knew it was a dream, so I knew the monk before me was either a god or a demon. Not knowing his intentions, I kept silent. Then I woke. From that day onward, the monk often came to meet this humble monk in dreams. Other than that, if this humble monk wished to meet him proactively, all I needed to do was repeat the movements from our first encounter. Thus, this humble monk often debated him. Later, when this humble monk questioned him, that monk did not conceal anything. He spoke frankly, saying that he was the Book Spirit of the Great Sun Demonic Art, one of the legendary Thirteen Taboos. His mission was to seek out Innate Sages in the human world and pass down the Great Sun Demonic Art. For more than ten years afterward, this humble monk did not cultivate the Great Sun Demonic Art. Until thirty years ago, when this humble monk found the Heart Demon Main Body here on Feilai Mountain but could do nothing about it, I sought out the Great Sun Demonic Art's Book Spirit and told it that this humble monk wished to kill the inner demon. Yet the Great Sun Demonic Art said that the inner demon could not be killed, only sealed. Thus, this humble monk made a wish to seal the inner demon, and afterward obtained the Great Sun Demonic Art. This Great Sun Demonic Art is exceedingly strange. This humble monk does not understand a single word of its cultivation formula, yet somehow can cultivate a kind of Buddhist True Qi. Pure is no longer enough to describe it—it is holy, truly like the Buddhist Dharma of legend."

As he spoke, Venerable Monk Huineng slowly raised his hand. A wisp of Buddhist True Qi spread out, blooming like a golden lotus. The aura it released was indeed the holiest Gu Mo had ever seen in his life.

Even Dharma Master Liansheng of Great Bright Light Temple, the publicly acknowledged leader of the Buddhist sect, possessed true qi far inferior to this wisp of Venerable Monk Huineng's in both holiness and purity.

Gu Mo could clearly sense it.

This wisp of Buddha Light had already surpassed true qi, yet it was not Ascension Realm power, nor was it Origin Qi. It was a very unique kind of qi.

Yet though both came from the Great Sun Demonic Art, Venerable Monk Huineng's qi was completely different from Ye Chen's Fortune.

Ye Chen's Fortune was illusory. Even Ascension Realm power found it difficult to touch. Gu Mo had only been able to take it away by using Law Qi from Above Ascension. But Venerable Monk Huineng's holy Buddha Light was tangible, like true qi, except its purity far surpassed true qi.

Venerable Monk Huineng continued, "This humble monk has used this Buddha Light to seal the Heart Demon Main Body for all these years. This Buddha Light is holy and extraordinarily miraculous. Using it, this humble monk set up a formation. So long as Buddhist True Qi comes into contact with the Buddha Light, it can be purified into Buddha Light as well. It simply takes a great deal of true qi to transform even a little Buddha Light. Over the years, this humble monk established Feilai Temple here and accepted disciples, all to seal the Heart Demon Main Body. Therefore, it has never been this humble monk alone suppressing the inner demon. It has been the entire Feilai Temple, with people coming and going. Over thirty years, thirteen thousand five hundred disciples have been registered."

Gu Mo thought for a moment and asked, "Venerable Monk, I have a question. Why are you so insistent on suppressing the Heart Demon Main Body rather than the inner demon's Divine Sense? By your account, the Heart Demon Main Body is merely a strange stone, remaining here without moving, while the one active outside is the inner demon's Divine Sense."

"Amitabha."

Venerable Monk Huineng said, "This humble monk understands demons differently from Great Hero Gu. In your view, the inner demon severs the Path to Immortality for human cultivators, and is therefore a demon. But in this humble monk's view, that is merely survival of the fittest, no different from people eating cattle and sheep. The Heart Demon Main Body, however, is different. It is demonic qi itself. Once a person is tainted by its demonic qi, his desires are magnified without limit until he is entirely devoured by demonic desire. That is what truly harms the human world. The inner demon's Divine Sense guards the entrance to the legendary Heavenly Gate, and those it devours will ultimately be only one foremost figure of the human world, one favored child of heaven, appearing once every several decades or hundred years. The harm is limited to that one person. But wherever the Heart Demon Main Body passes, it brings endless slaughter and chaos, the collapse of order, and the distortion of morality and ethics. Great Hero Gu, therefore, in this humble monk's eyes, the Heart Demon Main Body is the demon that truly harms the human world. As for the inner demon's Divine Sense, in this humble monk's view, it is no different from you now or Su Qianqiu back then—a very powerful existence. Of course, this is only this humble monk's own opinion. This humble monk's realm is far beneath yours, Great Hero Gu. The height at which this humble monk stands determines the breadth of my sight. Perhaps this humble monk's realm is insufficient, and I have failed to see the harm of the inner demon's Divine Sense."

Gu Mo waved his hand. "Venerable Monk, you are right. The inner demon's Divine Sense threatens only Ascension Realm cultivators. Although it tampers with highly cultivated martial artists beforehand, most will never trigger it before they die. It seems the inner demon's Divine Sense has no interest in those below the Ascension Realm."

Venerable Monk Huineng bowed with clasped hands. "Thank you for your guidance, Great Hero Gu. It has let this humble monk know that the path followed all these years was not wrong."

Gu Mo cupped his hands. "Venerable Monk, can you take me to see the Heart Demon Main Body?"

Venerable Monk Huineng shook his head slightly. "Just now, Great Hero Gu asked why this humble monk dismissed Feilai Temple. This humble monk had not finished explaining. Last night, the Heart Demon Main Body was stolen."

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "What happened?"

"Alas." Venerable Monk Huineng sighed. "These years, this humble monk was too optimistic. The inner demon's Divine Sense had never placed much importance on this humble monk sealing its main body, which gave this humble monk the illusion that everything had always gone smoothly. In truth, the reason this humble monk had been able to seal the Heart Demon Main Body and transform its Demonic Nature so smoothly all these years was merely because the inner demon's Divine Sense considered that main body dispensable. But more than a year ago, because Great Hero Gu achieved Physical Body Ascension, the inner demon's Divine Sense came to need that main body. It began attacking Feilai Temple frequently. Only then did this humble monk realize the inner demon's power. Yet this humble monk believed that, with decades of cultivating the Great Sun Demonic Art, I could deal with the inner demon's Divine Sense. The truth proved this humble monk wrong. The inner demon's Divine Sense told this humble monk without reservation that it needed the main body to kill someone who had achieved Physical Body Ascension, because it did not consider me worthy of notice at all. Over the past year, it has continually led Northern Zhou into war. Warlords everywhere fought chaotic battles, cultivating demonic qi in the human world. This humble monk thought it wanted to borrow outside forces to deal with me. I even personally intervened to help the imperial court successfully retreat into Wutong City. This humble monk intended to draw the imperial court here. With a great army guarding the place, I could cut off any possibility of the inner demon's Divine Sense borrowing outside forces against me. Yet only yesterday did this humble monk understand that it had all been my own self-importance. From the beginning, the inner demon's Divine Sense had never regarded this humble monk as worthy of notice. It guided Northern Zhou into chaos only to produce demonic qi. My disciples had long been invaded by the inner demon, each becoming Demon Slaves. Last night, while this humble monk rested, the disciple on guard at the Demon Cave openly entered it and took away the Heart Demon Main Body. The disciples patrolling outside also cooperated. From top to bottom, the entire Feilai Temple had long been controlled by the inner demon, except for this humble monk. Yet they did not know it themselves, and ordinarily showed no abnormalities. Only when needed would the inner demon guide them slightly, and they would become slaves of the inner demon for its use. Over the past year, the inner demon had not taken the main body only because the time had not yet come, while this humble monk foolishly believed I had repelled it."

Gu Mo suddenly understood. "So that was why you dismissed Feilai Temple's disciples."

Venerable Monk Huineng nodded. "Yes. Today, this humble monk intends to fight the inner demon in a desperate struggle. Though those disciples are controlled by the inner demon, they are ultimately this humble monk's disciples. If we can avoid meeting in life-and-death conflict, we should do so."

Gu Mo asked, "Do you know where the inner demon is?"

"I do," Venerable Monk Huineng said. "Over the past year, the inner demon's Divine Sense has guided wars into being. Since it was not doing so to borrow outside forces against this humble monk, it was cultivating demonic qi, so that when the time came, the Heart Demon Main Body could rapidly recover. And the place most capable of gathering demonic qi is naturally where national fortune resides. Using that national fortune, it can gather the demonic qi of an entire nation. Naturally, that place is the Imperial Palace!"

Gu Mo asked, "How do you intend to subdue the demon?"

Venerable Monk Huineng said slowly, "Originally, this humble monk intended to attempt a desperate struggle. Relying on the Great Sun Demonic Art, this humble monk's cultivation had actually reached the Human World Peak more than twenty years ago. Yet my talent is limited, and for over twenty years I have been unable to touch the threshold of the Ascension Realm. However, this humble monk found a Buddhist secret art that can forcibly make a breakthrough and condense a Nascent Soul. But after twelve hours at most, my soul will scatter and spirit will disperse. This humble monk originally intended to stake everything on one final battle. That was also one reason for dismissing Feilai Temple."

As he spoke, Venerable Monk Huineng pointed to the demonic qi filling the sky as it gathered toward Feilai Temple. "This was also deliberately guided by this humble monk, to invite the inner demon to battle. But now that Great Hero Gu has arrived, this humble monk may have a chance to survive. The inner demon's Divine Sense can do nothing to you, Great Hero Gu. That is why it needed to steal its main body. Therefore, you can be understood as a counter to the inner demon's Divine Sense, while this humble monk's Great Sun Demonic Art happens to counter the Heart Demon Main Body. If the two of us join hands, then in theory, we can defeat the inner demon."

"A good plan."

Gu Mo gave a thumbs-up. "Then there is no time to lose. Venerable Monk, shall we go meet the inner demon at the Imperial Palace now?"

"Good."

Venerable Monk Huineng said, "But this humble monk is old, and my body is frail. For this battle, I must borrow some Human World Power. I ask Great Hero Gu to escort me for a while."

As a martial artist cultivating the three paths of External Skill, Martial Dao True Intent, and Qi Refiner, Gu Mo naturally understood that what martial artists who cultivated Martial Dao True Intent called borrowing Human World Power was gathering strength.

For someone like Venerable Monk Huineng, who regarded saving the human world as his own duty, if he wished to gather perfect momentum, he naturally had to come from the mortal world and return to the mortal world.

At once, the two flew down from the high tower.

Ye Chen hurried forward and asked, "Big Brother, how did it go?"

Gu Mo said, "The Venerable Monk said that the inner demon is now in Northern Zhou's Imperial Palace. We need to make a trip to the Imperial Palace."

Ye Chen immediately said to the Yun Family Brothers, "You two can stay here."

The Yun Family Brothers looked toward Gu Mo. After all, they had been ordered to follow Gu Mo here and obeyed only his commands.

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

He agreed with Ye Chen's arrangement. Though the Yun Family Brothers were not weak, that was only in ordinary martial world conflicts. They could not interfere in a matter like dealing with the inner demon.

Not to mention them—even Ye Chen, Chu Kingdom's Third Master, was theoretically not qualified. But Ye Chen was an Innate Sage as well as a Thunder-Testing Sacred Body, so he could take part in this battle.

Of course, the most important thing was the Thunder-Testing Sacred Body.

Against an eerie existence like the inner demon, Gu Mo feared that without Ye Chen and his Thunder-Testing Sacred Body, they might not even be able to find it.

The three descended Feilai Mountain and entered Wutong City.

But the sight before them left Gu Mo and Ye Chen utterly shocked. When they had gone up the mountain, the city had merely been deathly still and desolate. In only about an hour, it had fallen completely into the abyss of purgatory!

The city gates stood wide open, with no one guarding them.

On the streets, demonic qi so dense it could not be dissolved rolled and surged like tangible black fog, nearly blotting out the lead-gray sky.

Everyone in the city had fallen into madness. The entire city had become a city of lunatics.

A skinny and bony beggar in ragged clothes had another, even frailer companion pinned tightly in the mud, frantically snatching half a steamed bun covered in filth from his hands. His eyes were bloodshot, and beastlike growls rose from his throat. The beggar beneath him had long stopped breathing, yet mud and blood foam still clung to the corners of his mouth.

Not far away, the doors of what had once been a respectable tavern had been smashed open.

A crowd in tattered clothing swarmed inside like locusts, not to fill their stomachs but for pure destruction.

The crashing of shattered bowls and plates, the collapse of tables and chairs, wild laughter, and miserable screams blended into one.

Some hugged wine jars and drank wildly before smashing them against the walls. Some fought over raw chunks of meat from the kitchen, stuffing them into their mouths and chewing madly as blood water ran down their chins.

Still others fought in a tangled heap over a small pastry that had fallen to the ground. Several beggars bit and tore at one another's skin and flesh with their teeth. There was not the slightest humanity in their eyes, only greed and savage crimson violence.

A group of constables who should have maintained order rushed over. Not only did they fail to stop it, they joined the revelry. One constable grinned viciously, slashed down a beggar clutching half a roasted chicken, seized the chicken, and tore into it in huge bites.

Another constable grabbed a hiding woman and brutally tore at her clothes. Yet rather than crying out or resisting, the woman was in a state of extreme excitement.

"Amitabha."

Venerable Monk Huineng softly recited a Buddhist chant. The pity in his clear eyes deepened, though there was also a trace of gravity. The faint, holy golden light around him brightened slightly, silently purifying the demonic qi approaching the three of them.

Gu Mo's expression remained cold as he swept his gaze across this human hell.

He clearly saw countless fine wisps of black qi spreading from every mad person, converging into the vast torrent of demonic qi in the sky. Its destination was the Imperial Palace at the city center.

Ye Chen's face had gone pale. Suppressing his discomfort, he said quietly, "Big Brother, this... is a hundred times more terrifying than Little Leiyin Temple. The entire city has gone mad!"

Gu Mo said, "At Little Leiyin Temple, only that old monk had fallen to demonhood. Here, everyone has fallen to demonhood!"

At once, Gu Mo raised two fingers into a sword sign and lightly swept them before Ye Chen's eyes.

At that instant, Ye Chen saw the demonic qi filling the sky, as well as the character "slave," condensed from demonic qi, on everyone's foreheads.

Venerable Monk Huineng said, "It seems the inner demon has been waiting for Great Hero Gu to arrive. It appears it did not act before because it feared that, upon seeing demonic qi fill the entire city, you would not dare enter. Now, it has no more reservations!"

"I was afraid it had run away," Gu Mo said, then continued forward. Ye Chen and Venerable Monk Huineng immediately followed.

The farther they went, the more majestic Venerable Monk Huineng's aura became.

Soon, they arrived at the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Palace, once solemn and dignified, had now become a Demon Cave where desire ran rampant and no bottom line remained. Every corner was filled with slaughter, rape, and plunder.

The "slave" character on every forehead was plainly visible, while the demonic qi was so dense it nearly seemed ready to drip. Mad laughter, shrill weeping, vulgar curses, and the crisp sound of breaking bones echoed through the air, composing a symphony of apocalypse.

Gu Mo and the other two turned a blind eye. Moving like ghosts, they crossed the chaotic plaza and went straight for the great hall that symbolized supreme authority.

The hall doors stood open, and the scene inside took the word "absurd" to its utmost extreme.

At the center of the hall, several armored generals actually held disheveled, wanton imperial concubines and palace maids in their arms, openly engaging in debauchery. Nearby, several officials who looked like civil ministers were fighting fiercely over the imperial seal, smashing one another's heads bloody with inkstones and brush holders.

In a corner, a man dressed as a prince had an eunuch's neck clutched tightly in his hands, his face bearing a sickly smile of satisfaction.

The entire hall resembled a nest of demons dancing wildly. Ritual law, rank, ethics... every foundation of human civilization had been utterly crushed here. All that remained was the most primitive instinctive desire, distorted and magnified by demonic qi, running rampant.

And at the deepest point of this mad scene, upon the golden dragon throne symbolizing the supreme ruler—

A figure in a bright yellow dragon robe sat there, surrounded by an overpowering, suffocating pressure of unmatched dominance.

The corner of his mouth curved slightly, carrying the indifference and mockery of one looking down upon ants while holding everything in his grasp.

This man was Yuwen Tai, the Northern Zhou Emperor. But now, he was—the inner demon.

It tilted its head slightly. Its abyss-like gaze pierced through the chaotic crowd and landed precisely upon the three uninvited guests who had just entered the hall. Finally, it locked onto Gu Mo and spoke slowly.

"Gu Mo, you finally arrived. Time passes very slowly in the human world. I have waited here for you for a full twenty days!"

Gu Mo said calmly, "Are you that impatient to die?"

"Die?" The inner demon cocked its head and bared its teeth in a grin. "That is truly a very unfamiliar word to me. In the more than seven hundred years since my Divine Sense was born, I have never had such an awareness."

Gu Mo said nothing further.

The inner demon looked toward Venerable Monk Huineng again. "Monk, your Great Sun Demonic Art still lacks heat. You could not even purify and seal my main body. Yet it has given you the ability to keep yourself above the fray. Why must you come and throw your life away?"

Venerable Monk Huineng pressed his palms together. His Martial Dao True Intent had already gathered to the point of a volcano about to erupt. He said evenly, "The Buddha said, if I do not enter hell, who will? Benefactor Inner Demon, you have brought chaos to the human world for over seven hundred years. This humble monk is a man of the human world. Today, I will demand an account from you on behalf of all living beings!"

The inner demon patted its hands and laughed. "Good, good, good. Very good, very good. For seven hundred years, there has not been a single one in the human world who could fight. I have indeed been bored. I hope you two can bring me a surprise today!"

At the same time, Venerable Monk Huineng transmitted his voice to Gu Mo. "Great Hero Gu, this humble monk can sense that the Heart Demon Main Body is now inside Yuwen Tai's body. You will resist the inner demon's Divine Sense and protect my Nascent Soul. I will seal the Heart Demon Main Body!"

"Good!"

At that very instant—

A heaven-shaking roar and the clanging of metal suddenly erupted outside the palace!

Armored soldiers surged in like a black tide. Every one of them had bloodshot eyes, and the demonic "slave" markings on their foreheads flickered with a ghostly glow. They had fallen entirely into madness.

Ignoring everything, they charged frantically at the entrance of the great hall like beasts driven onward, releasing hysterical howls. Blades, spears, swords, and halberds glinted with ominous cold light.

"Leave them to me. If I let even one in, I lose!"

Ye Chen shouted low. The long sword in his hand rang as it left its sheath, splitting into two in an instant and becoming two sharp blades gleaming with chilling light!

His body flashed like lightning as he charged fiercely toward the hall doors. His twin swords spun like wheels, transforming in an instant into an impenetrable storm of blades, firmly anchoring him before the doors.

Where the sword light passed, severed limbs flew and blood rained down. With his strength alone, he built a defense line of blood and flesh, refusing to let a single demonized soldier enter the hall and disrupt the core battlefield!

At the same time—

Gu Mo and Venerable Monk Huineng shot forward like two arrows released from the string, their target the "Yuwen Tai" seated on the dragon throne!

Buzz—!

A wave that sent palpitations through the heart suddenly spread out. The space of the entire great hall seemed to be violently twisted and compressed by an invisible hand. Dense, inky demonic qi instantly formed an indestructible barrier, enveloping Gu Mo and Venerable Monk Huineng.

Within the barrier, demonic qi churned, transforming into countless savage ghostly shadows and claws that frantically tore at the intruders' minds and bodies.

"Hmph!"

Gu Mo snorted coldly. Moon-white protective qi spread around him—Innate Protective Qi enhanced through the God of War Catalog—and directly shielded both him and Venerable Monk Huineng.

At the same moment, the Grand Void Sword in his hand erupted with a clear sword cry.

His wrist shook sharply. Sword light turned into a silver curtain that not even water could penetrate, precisely and swiftly cleaving through wave after wave of tangible demonic qi rushing at Huineng. A path was directly carved through the barrier.

"Om!"

Venerable Monk Huineng spoke a true word, and the Buddha Light around him blazed brilliantly!

That holy golden radiance was no longer a gentle lotus. It became an incomparably condensed golden light beam carrying supreme suppressive intent, like a spear of judgment cast down by the Buddha. It tore through layers of demonic haze, bearing the vast power to purify ten thousand demons, and crashed down toward Yuwen Tai upon the dragon throne!

However—

The "Yuwen Tai" seated upon the dragon throne merely lifted his eyelids coldly.

Buzz!

The demonic qi around him suddenly boiled, instantly condensing into a circular domain as deep as a black hole. Demonic patterns flowed over its surface, exuding a terrifying aura of indestructibility and devouring all things.

Venerable Monk Huineng's dazzlingly holy Buddha Light struck the domain like a clay ox entering the sea. It raised only a ring of violent ripples before being firmly blocked outside, unable to advance another inch!

Holy lotuses bloomed and closed one after another, yet could achieve nothing.

Gu Mo swiftly unleashed vast, razor-sharp sword light, surging like wave after wave of sea water, but it too was instantly blocked and devoured by that bizarre domain of demonic qi!

"Heh..."

The corner of "Yuwen Tai's" mouth lifted into a cold, mocking arc, as though admiring their futile efforts. "Your idea is not bad. Gu Mo, your Ascension Realm physical strength can resist the corrosion of my demonic qi, while Monk Huineng's Great Sun Demonic Art can seal my main body. But you cannot even break my defense. How will you seal me? How long can Monk Huineng hold on? The time it takes to burn an incense stick? Or half an hour? When that time comes, Gu Mo, I will first smash your physical body to pieces, then devour your Nascent Soul!"

A contemptuous smile appeared on "Yuwen Tai's" face.

A cold gleam flashed in Gu Mo's eyes!

He raised his left hand, joining his fingers like a sword, and lightly brushed them over the sword body of the Grand Void Sword—

Rip!

At the sword tip, an extremely condensed point of red light abruptly flared!

More accurately, it was a red ray of light, shooting out like a laser.

Fine as a gossamer thread, yet it contained terrifying sharpness capable of piercing the void and cutting through laws!

It made no sound, yet the entire demonic qi barrier trembled violently!

"Break!"

Gu Mo exhaled and shouted. His wrist exerted force fiercely as the Grand Void Sword carried that thread-thin yet blinding white-gold ray, slashing brutally across the indestructible domain of demonic qi ahead!

This was One Sword Separates Worlds—One Sword Separates Worlds enhanced many times over by Gu Mo through the God of War Catalog, bringing the principle of breaking a surface with a point to its utmost limit.

With one sword strike—

There was no earth-shaking boom, no great disturbance.

Across the surface of that black-hole-deep domain of demonic qi, a straight, smooth fissure appeared in an instant, its edges flickering with white-gold electric glow!

The fissure spread and expanded with the speed of a living thing!

Even more horrifying—

The fissure did not appear only upon the domain!

At the center of "Yuwen Tai's" forehead within the domain, a tiny yet incomparably distinct bloody mark appeared from nowhere. A crimson blood bead slowly seeped out!

The smile on his face froze abruptly. For the first time, unbelievable shock appeared in his eyes. The indestructible domain of demonic qi around him, which even Venerable Monk Huineng's holy Buddha Light could not shake, was sliced open in an instant by a long, deep gash, like a red-hot sharp blade cutting into solidified grease!

At the same time—

A tiny, bottomless fissure pierced through the entire resplendent Imperial Palace hall at an inconceivable speed!

Beginning beneath Gu Mo's sword, it stretched onward, tearing through the heavy floor tiles and towering hall walls, forcibly carving a gossamer-thin crack through the entire magnificent imperial city and its foundations below.

Then, in the next instant—

The imperial city split apart with a thunderous crash, collapsing and dividing to either side.

Wherever the fissure passed, bricks and stones turned to dust. The vast demonic qi filling the sky released shrill howls before crazily scattering apart, while violent currents of energy shot into the heavens!