Chapter 183: Peacekeeping

In the courtyard at this moment, Lin Duanyun stood with his mouth agape, filled with disbelief. He had just fought the Silver-Armored Zombie; even before its transformation, he was able to repel it in a single battle. Yet, the Silver-Armored Zombie, clearly many times stronger after its recent transformation, was shattered by Gu Mo with a single palm strike.

"Just get used to it; he is, after all, a Grandmaster," Zhuo Qingfeng said, patting Lin Duanyun's shoulder.

Lin Duanyun murmured, "Is the gap between the Northern Desert and the Central Martial Arts world really that wide? I always thought that even if I wasn't a Grandmaster, I was only a step away..."

Zhuo Qingfeng smiled wryly, unsure how to comfort Lin Duanyun. While the Northern Desert wasn't entirely cut off from the outside world, it was generally quite insular, with poor economic conditions and harsh environments. Those who lived there long-term often didn't realize this, easily developing a narrow-minded perspective.

At this moment, as the Silver-Armored Zombie disintegrated, the other Bronze-Armored Zombies, seizing the opportunity before Gu Mo returned, scattered and fled without hesitation.

Gu Chudong quickly shouted, "Brother, the two fleeing to the southeast and due west are wanted criminals we can get money for! One is Sikong Xiao, the 'Bloody Hand Butcher,' worth 300 taels, and the other is the 'Crying Daoist,' worth 250 taels! Don't let them escape!"

As he yelled, Gu Chudong chased after the Crying Daoist, who was heading due west.

Simultaneously, a system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:

New Target Detected: Wanted Criminal - The Crying Daoist.Mission Level: Two-Star.Reward: Full-Level Divine Sword Palm of Falling Blossoms.

New Target Detected: Wanted Criminal - Sikong Xiao.Mission Level: Two-Star.Reward: Silver Threaded Gloves.

These two wanted criminals held little appeal for Gu Mo, who had seen much of the world. However, subscribing to the idea that even a small mosquito has some meat, Gu Mo immediately unleashed the Six-Meridian Divine Swords.

He raised his hands slightly, his index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers tapping in sequence, while his thumb gently pressed down, maintaining a calm demeanor as if plucking a flower. Suddenly, his aura changed, and the surrounding air seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, emitting a faint hum.

In an instant, six invisible sword energies burst forth from his fingertips. These were the Six-Meridian Divine Swords, all six meridians activated: Shaoshang, Shangyang, Zhongchong, Guanchong, Shaochong, and Shaoze. Each of these six sword energies possessed a unique essence, yet they moved as one, fast as lightning. As they cut through the air, they left trails of vacuum, emitting sharp whistles, pursuing the Bronze-Armored Zombies fleeing in six different directions.

Almost simultaneously, the six sword energies struck precisely. The movements of the six Bronze-Armored Zombies abruptly halted. A smooth, bloody hole instantly appeared on each of their heads, with traces of the sword energy's searing still visible around the edges.

Immediately after, the Bronze-Armored Zombies fell stiffly to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

After two encounters with practitioners of the Zombie Art, Gu Mo had realized that, like most sinister and bizarre martial arts in the jianghu, the Zombie Art offered no way to avoid the fatal weakness of the head.

Since Gu Mo began his jianghu travels, he had experienced numerous battles, large and small. He had only encountered one evil technique that could almost render the head immune to harm: the Mud and Sand Great Art of Ren Tianqi, the Moon Worship Cult's branch leader.

That martial art was extremely sinister; one could transform their body into sand, including the head, unless the entire head was directly shattered. Otherwise, the damage range of sword energies like the ones just used could indeed be avoided.

Killed a Two-Star Wanted Criminal.Received Two-Star Reward: Full-Level Divine Sword Palm of Falling Blossoms.Claim?

Killed a Two-Star Wanted Criminal.Received Two-Star Reward: Silver Threaded Gloves.Claim?

At this moment, outside the courtyard, Zhong Lianshan, a commander from the Six Doors, was leading a large contingent of elite Six Doors constables, along with disciples from the Qiongshan Sect who had received the signal, and various martial artists who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

However, as soon as they entered the courtyard, they found the battle had already ended. Many wore expressions of surprise.

Of course, it wasn't just them who were surprised; even Lin Duanyun and others who had been present from start to finish were still in shock. They all felt that the day's events had concluded too abruptly and too simply.

The only one who found it normal was Zhuo Qingfeng. After all, only a few months prior, he had personally witnessed a great battle where even Grandmasters perished. While both instances involved Gu Mo demonstrating his immense power, today's confrontation was a world apart from the scene at Divine Weapon Manor that day.

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong, the siblings, took advantage of the commotion to leave.

Under the cover of night, the siblings walked side by side.

Gu Chudong, carrying his satchel with the Gouchen Demonic Blade's scabbard and the Thousand Mechanism Box inside, said, "Brother, I think I've grasped the essence of the Extinction Cross Blade Art."

"Tell me."

Gu Chudong thought for a moment before replying, "You told me before that the essence of the Extinction Cross Blade Art lies in its speed and deception. I used to be hazy about it, understanding it only superficially. But just now, while fighting those Bronze-Armored Zombies, I suddenly understood. Those Bronze-Armored Zombies were incredibly fast, but the Extinction Cross Blade Art was even faster, giving them no chance to dodge. Moreover, the blade energies intersect erratically and move at will, making them impossible for an opponent to predict. You can strike exactly where you aim, or even hit them accidentally."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "That's roughly it. The emphasis is still on the technique of exerting force. You're still far from mastering it. Your ability to overpower those Bronze-Armored Zombies today was primarily due to your Bright Jade Art and the Gouchen Blade."

Gu Chudong nodded, "I understand. I just suddenly had this realization, and now I won't be so confused when practicing the blade art in the future."

The siblings chatted as they returned to the Lu Family Manor.

That night, Camel Bell Town was destined to be a bustling place. The Lu Family Manor also had a very lively night.

Although the battle was over by the time martial artists from various factions arrived to offer support, the commotion there was significant. Moreover, it was suspected that the true mastermind behind the Zombie Art had been uncovered, which also brought up the thirty-year-old incident of the Flower Garden Sect's annihilation. Overnight, numerous martial artists in Camel Bell Town were engaged in heated discussions.

Zhuo Qingfeng didn't return to the Lu Family Manor until dawn, heading straight for Gu Mo's room.

"All handled?" Gu Mo asked, pouring Zhuo Qingfeng a cup of tea.

Zhuo Qingfeng gulped down one cup of tea, then poured and drank another before speaking. "It's handled, but the matter isn't entirely over. A confidant of Ke Wenhui from Peach Blossom Villa was apprehended, and the truth of the matter has become clear: Ke Wenhui is the illegitimate son that He Changqing, the former leader of the Flower Garden Sect, had outside of his sect. Heh, previously, both Yu Chi Feng of the Great Blade Sect and Abbess Jing Ci of the Pure Heart Convent had held back some information. We can essentially piece together and deduce that back then, numerous masters from the Northern Desert jianghu besieged the Flower Garden Sect, ultimately suffering heavy losses. At that time, the dozen or so survivors, perhaps wanting to eliminate the possibility of the Zombie Art harming the jianghu, killed all the Flower Garden Sect disciples who had luckily survived, and even annihilated He Changqing's family. Of course, personally, I don't rule out that they did so partly out of concern that the Zombie Art would spread and endanger the jianghu, but it was more likely an act of thoroughly eradicating the roots of the problem. As a result, Ke Wenhui escaped, changed his name, roamed the jianghu, established Peach Blossom Villa, and has been practicing the Zombie Art all this time. He also used the abilities of the Zombie Art to control a group of evil martial artists for his own ends, secretly plotting revenge. Among the dozen or so masters who survived the siege against He Changqing back then, over the years, some have died, some innocently disappeared, and their sects and families have been annihilated for various reasons. Only the Eight Great Sects remain today; all these deeds were done by Ke Wenhui in secret. One has to admit, he's a truly ruthless individual. He was only six years old when He Changqing died, and for thirty years, he exacted revenge, one by one, an eye for an eye. It's only because the Eight Great Sects are difficult to provoke that they were left for last."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "For a six-year-old child to achieve all this is indeed remarkable."

Zhuo Qingfeng sighed, "It's just that there's a problem now: we can't determine how many people Ke Wenhui passed the Zombie Art to. Especially now that Ke Wenhui is dead, those people will be out of control. If we're not careful, it could truly lead to widespread disaster."

Gu Mo said, "Actually, there's not much difference. Don't forget, practicing the Zombie Art doesn't inherently require absorbing human blood; it's only needed to suppress the cold poison. This means that unless someone is a pure pervert like the Dragon and Tiger Twins, no one would senselessly massacre villages or clans. Those who practice the Zombie Art don't actually become zombies; they were merely loyal to Ke Wenhui and weren't irrational. Strictly speaking, they are no different from ordinary evil martial artists who engage in murder, arson, and looting."

Zhuo Qingfeng said, "That's true in theory, but I'm worried someone might become addicted to blood and lose control, like He Changqing did back then, not even sparing their own disciples."

Gu Mo shook his head, "Worrying won't help. We can only search everywhere. It would be best if we could completely destroy the Zombie Art."

"Let's just hope Ke Wenhui didn't leave behind any Zombie Art manuals at Peach Blossom Villa," Zhuo Qingfeng said. "Now, all the martial arts factions are filled with righteous indignation, clamoring to go to Peach Blossom Villa for a reckoning. Alas, it's another cycle of grudges. I have to head to Peach Blossom Villa tomorrow. I need to prevent the situation from escalating, lest those jianghu members use the excuse of 'hunting zombies' to commit murder, arson, and indiscriminately kill innocents there."

Gu Mo nodded slightly, then suddenly asked, "Brother Zhuo, you don't think this is over, do you?"

Zhuo Qingfeng asked, puzzled, "Isn't it? The mastermind behind the Zombie Art has been found and killed by you."

Gu Mo slowly replied, "He Changqing hasn't been found yet."

Zhuo Qingfeng frowned and said, "Brother Gu, He Changqing died thirty years ago. The reappearance of the Zombie Art this time has also led to a clear finding. There's no He Changqing; it's only He Changqing's son seeking revenge for his father. Why are you still fixated on He Changqing?"

Gu Mo poured Zhuo Qingfeng a cup of tea and said, "Brother Zhuo, do you remember that time outside Qingzhou City when you took me to Master Dingchan? Didn't Master Dingchan tell you then that those with profound internal cultivation, reaching the state of 'Heaven and Man United,' can foresee many things ordinary people cannot imagine?"

Zhuo Qingfeng's eyes widened. He said, "You sensed that He Changqing isn't dead? Is it that mystical? You can sense that?"

"Just tell me if you believe it."

"I believe it. Who can blame me, your cultivation is profound, and I can't reach your level. Of course, I'll believe whatever you say. If you told me you sensed I'd get beaten tomorrow, I'd believe it." Zhuo Qingfeng chuckled and continued, "If what you say is true, then He Changqing is definitely hidden in the shadows, and I'll need to dig deeper along the Peach Blossom Villa connection. It's a shame that Bai Qiliao is dead; we can't ask him for the specific details of that year. However, if He Changqing is still alive, it means that when he was struck off the cliff back then, there must have been a moment when he escaped Bai Qiliao's sight, allowing him to feign his death and escape."