Chapter 228: War with the Great Shopkeeper

From the lines on the Grand Manager's palm, a flame, about an inch high, shot up. Initially, it seemed unremarkable, not like the technique of a martial arts master, but more like a magician pressing a red-hot branding iron onto his palm.

However, in an instant, the edges of the flame turned purplish-blue and suddenly became scorching hot. Wherever it spread, the blood on the ground was instantly vaporized, and the flame expanded rapidly!

By the time he took his second stride, his entire palm seemed to be holding a half-setting sun. In a flash, a crimson flame surged forth, its searing heat lifting dry leaves from the ground and igniting them into sparks in the air. The flame seemed to have a life of its own, continuously swirling in his palm, transforming into a fiery lion with bared fangs and claws, roaring as it lunged at Gu Mo.

Gu Mo's expression remained unchanged, his aura suddenly surging. His palms were already glowing golden, a sign that the Fiery Sun Marvelous Art was operating at its peak. He struck forward with a punch; his fist, gilded, seemed to have a true sun coursing through its veins. Before the punch's impact, the wall ten meters away already began to crack, and the air itself twisted where the punch force passed.

In an instant, two surging flames collided with a roar. A searing heatwave swept outwards, causing the blue brick ground of the entire courtyard to suddenly emit smoke. The moon gate frame on the west side cracked with a "snap," the blue bricks twisted like butter, and molten-iron-like slurry oozed from the wall cracks. The ground within a meter of their feet was baked into a glazed surface.

As Gu Mo unleashed his second punch, pale cyan smoke suddenly rose around the Grand Manager. It was as if his entire body had been evaporated into mist by extreme heat.

A rushing sound came from behind Gu Mo's ear; before he could turn, a searing palm wind hit his nape. Wherever the cyan smoke passed, the vermilion lacquer on the corridor pillars sizzled and burned.

Gu Mo spun around and struck with "Shocking A Hundred Miles." The dragon-shaped energy wave created by his palm edge cleaved through the smoke, but only struck half of a burnt sleeve.

The Grand Manager's laughter came from the East Corner Gate; he was already standing atop the Suspended Flower Gate. Sparks from Gu Mo's clothes were reflected in the eyeholes of his mask: "This is the first time I've encountered someone who can match me in the way of fire!"

With his words, the Grand Manager transformed into a wisp of cyan smoke again. This time, he drilled into the shadow of the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard. When he reappeared, he was to Gu Mo's left, his right hand forming a claw, its fingertips glinting with a poisonous blue-black hue.

Gu Mo advanced instead of retreating, his left palm transforming with "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Style" to directly counter the claw attack. His right fist, however, shot straight for the opponent's dantian, a move from the Tianshan Plum Folding Hand technique he had just acquired.

This move forced the Grand Manager to evade its edge; cyan smoke rose again. This time, he darted along the ivy on the south wall, its leaves instantly turning yellow and curling up. He was already above Gu Mo's head, extending half a palm, the flame in its center condensed into a sword shape.

Gu Mo joined two fingers, and two invisible sword qi blasts from Six Meridians Divine Swords shot out. The Grand Manager immediately turned into a wisp of cyan smoke again.

For a time, the Grand Manager's figure seemed to be in every corner of the courtyard. Sometimes on the roof beams, sometimes behind the courtyard walls, and sometimes above Gu Mo's head. His techniques were unpredictable, sometimes fierce and overbearing, sometimes subtle and eerie, displaying dozens of martial arts styles.

The more Gu Mo fought, the more astonished he became.

Although he had heard many times that the Grand Manager of the Seven Absolutes Pavilion was a polymath skilled in various martial arts, he had harbored some doubt. Only now, in combat, did he realize that the reputation was indeed well-deserved; he was even more comprehensive than Lu Canyang had been.

While Lu Canyang was comprehensive, his mastery was more in broad strokes, lacking such intricate detail. Yet, this Grand Manager was incredibly precise, almost superhuman, mastering so many martial arts disciplines.

As Gu Mo was astonished, the Grand Manager was even more astonished than Gu Mo. Beneath his ghost-face mask, his expression had frozen. As he retreated after clashing fingers with Gu Mo, he marveled inwardly:

"The reason I can master hundreds of martial arts is thanks to the ability of the Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss to instantly discern the essence of any martial art and learn it. But Gu Mo's martial arts show no signs of imitation; he clearly has true mastery. How is this possible? How old is he? Can there really be someone born with innate knowledge in this world?"

The more he fought, the more astonished he became.

Because when he used a palm strike, Gu Mo responded with a palm; when he punched, Gu Mo countered with a punch; when his finger techniques were tricky, Gu Mo met them with his own finger techniques. No matter what technique he employed, Gu Mo could always counter it. He even had to rely on his movement technique to barely maintain a stalemate. His own techniques were almost exhausted, yet judging by Gu Mo's demeanor, he seemed to have many more in reserve.

"If this kid can keep up for a few more moves, I'll just go head-to-head with him!"

For a moment, the two exchanged blows, palm against palm, fist against fist, finger technique against finger technique. Each collision unleashed a wave of energy, utterly destroying the surrounding flowers, plants, and trees.

After another palm-to-palm collision, Gu Mo retreated half a step, while the Grand Manager instantly vanished.

Gu Mo exclaimed inwardly:

"This is insane! It's the first time I've encountered someone who can make me use up my techniques. How many more martial arts does this old guy have hidden? If this continues, I'll run out of moves!"

He truly admired the Grand Manager; his reputation was certainly well-earned. No wonder he was arrogant enough to always kill his opponents using their own specialized fields – indeed, his arrogance was backed by capability.

Crucially, he could sense that the techniques the Grand Manager used were not superficial imitations, like the Nine Yang Divine Art, but true mastery of their essence.

Gu Mo had genuinely never imagined anyone could possess more techniques than him. From the current situation, the Grand Manager likely had many more tricks up his sleeve, but Gu Mo's own repertoire of moves was dwindling. Furthermore, if not for his Ephemeral Steps combined with the Four Illuminations Divine Art's ability to traverse air, he would be at a severe disadvantage against the Grand Manager's elusive movement technique.

"I'm done fighting. This old guy is a master of hundreds of martial arts; I probably won't gain much advantage in terms of techniques. I might as well just force him into a direct confrontation!"

Immediately, Gu Mo activated his Bright Jade Art inner energy. He prepared to use Bright Jade Art's property of absorbing everything, supplemented by a quasi-Dragon Capturing Skill, to forcefully restrict the Grand Manager in front of him, preventing him from using his elusive movement technique to escape again.

At this moment, the Grand Manager quietly stood atop the wall, staring intently at Gu Mo. He subtly channeled energy with both hands, Yang energy in his left, Yin energy in his right. Silently, two streams of Yin and Yang energy spread outwards. He thought to himself:

"I can't keep clashing techniques; I've hit rock bottom, and who knows how many more that kid has. If we keep fighting like this, I'll definitely lose. Now's my chance to force him into a direct confrontation!"

The Grand Manager's figure vanished instantly, reappearing before Gu Mo the next moment. With a wave of his hands, streams of true qi remarkably coalesced, with Yin and Yang flowing, seemingly forming a cage that enveloped both of them.

At the same moment, a massive suction force appeared around Gu Mo, as if he had transformed into a vortex. As he extended a hand, that suction force seemed to manifest as a tornado.

In this instant, both realized the other's intent; they had simultaneously thought of the same approach.

The Grand Manager let out a voice that was neither distinctly male nor female: "Excellent! Since we've both decided on the same thing, let's stop holding back!"

As his words fell, a surging flame erupted from his entire body. Every pattern on his body seemed to carry the rhythm of flowing lava, searing the blue bricks within ten feet, making them sizzle and smoke. Streams of fire coiled and moved like living entities, forming a crimson swirling cloud above the Grand Manager's head. As if capable of incinerating the entire world, he resembled an erupting volcano, countless streams of fiery energy wildly surging.

At this moment, Gu Mo realized that the flame martial art the Grand Manager had just used was not merely a pure Yang martial art. Instead, it was Fire Circulation Qi, similar to the Wind and Thunder Endowment, clearly the Fire Killing Endowment from the Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss.

"Didn't they say one person could only cultivate one Endowment of the Seven Killings?"

Gu Mo was astonished but had no time to think further. He pushed the Fiery Sun Marvelous Art to its extreme, and as his left fist extended, it created a two-meter wall of fire. Where the punch wind passed, the floating fire streams in the air were forcibly cleaved, revealing the Grand Manager's ghost-face mask, distorted by flames, behind them.

The moment the two masses of fire collided, Gu Mo suddenly plunged into silence.

Then into utter silence, and all that his senses perceived was filled with scarlet.

The blue bricks beneath his feet had, at some unknown point, turned into a surging sea of magma. From the cracked ceiling above, burning boulders fell, and distant earth veins burst forth like fiery pythons.

Gu Mo couldn't see, but he could feel that he had suddenly entered a world of only fire. He seemed to have entered a world of magma, at a time of apocalyptic destruction, where everything was about to be swallowed. He instinctively threw a punch, but the waves of fiery Yang energy from his body melted like snow upon contact with the magma. Instead, his arm was enveloped by the viscous crimson substance, and a searing pain shot through his meridians straight to his core.

He knew he had been pulled into the Grand Manager's martial will. This was a special resonance of "Heaven and Man," perfectly matching the rumored Heaven Killing Endowment characteristic of the Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss: the unity of Heaven and Man!

"You come, I come too!"

Gu Mo snorted coldly and immediately unleashed the Six Meridians Divine Swords. All six meridians simultaneously released sword qi, forming sword arrays that intertwined in the air. He flipped his palm, slowly materializing a transparent longsword composed of sword qi.

In an instant, the Grand Manager also found his surroundings had changed; the magma waves behind him suddenly froze. The Fire Circulation Qi that had just been raging now, like a snake with its spine removed, formed a clear boundary ten meters around him. Behind him was a surging, roaring world of lava, but before him lay a chaotic mist, within which only a gigantic chessboard, suspended in the fog, was clearly visible.

The chessboard's nineteen horizontal and vertical lines glowed faintly. Gu Mo's figure, standing with a sword at his back, was reflected in the squares. Every fold of his clothing was sharply delineated by sword qi, like a lone piece settled on the board.

"A sword of Heaven-Man Unity!"

Beneath the ghost-face mask, the Grand Manager's pupils constricted. He instantly understood that Gu Mo, like himself, also possessed a "Heaven-Man Unity" technique.

"Then let's fight!"

With a wave of his hands, surging magma surged directly towards the chessboard. The terrifying lava was like a river bursting its banks.

Gu Mo's wrist flicked slightly, and the longsword formed of sword qi suddenly divided. Nineteen beams of sword light shot out along the chessboard's lines, cleaving the leading magma wave into two.

The Grand Manager's figure suddenly turned into cyan smoke, circling behind Gu Mo at an imperceptible speed, and struck with a palm.

A muffled "thud."

The Grand Manager's palm solidly struck Gu Mo's back, yet it felt like hitting empty air. The moment the Grand Manager's fingertips touched the opponent's clothing, the scene before him suddenly rippled like water, and the figure that should have been standing dissolved into countless points of light.

In the instant he looked up, he was greatly alarmed.

Because Gu Mo had, at some unknown point, already stood outside the chessboard, his sword-qi blade pointing diagonally towards the center of the board. And the chessboard lines beneath his own feet were now glowing with a dangerous golden light.

Gu Mo, outside the chessboard, was the player. But he, having entered the chessboard, had become a piece!

He immediately understood that the seemingly sneak attack earlier was actually a deliberate opening created by his opponent. Its purpose was to draw him into the core of this chessboard world.

"A clever strategy, and excellent swordsmanship; I've lost this round!" The Grand Manager couldn't help but give a thumbs-up in admiration.

His body was now locked by nineteen streams of sword qi, which then transformed into streaks of light, aiming at his eyes, throat, Tan Zhong, Qi Hai, and other vital acupoints.

The sword qi was at his eyelids, but then a surge of earth energy suddenly churned around his wrists. It swirled like old tea foam in boiling water, with a grinding sound like an old knife scraping bone. A grey, hazy airflow suddenly rose around his body; this current, carrying sand and grit, surged and spun, incredibly condensing into a towering mountain in the blink of an eye. Gu Mo's transparent longsword fiercely pierced the mountain, yet it felt like plunging into a mire. The blade disintegrated inch by inch, scattering into countless specks of light.

The moment the sword qi shattered, the Grand Manager's figure dissolved like ink dropped into murky water, transforming into a wisp of cyan smoke and vanishing.

The next moment, above the void, a colossal entity, a blend of iron-red and grey-green, tore through the clouds and pressed down. Fire tongues curled on the mountain peak, and magma, like molten iron pouring into a furnace, flowed down the jagged mountain walls in hundreds of crimson rivers. Wherever it passed, the air was scorched into distorted ripples, like fine paper crumpled by an unseen hand.

Magma surged from the cracks like a crimson river, cascading down the steep mountain walls. The air twisted and deformed wherever it passed, emitting a piercing shriek.

The massive caldera at the volcano's summit was spewing thick, ink-like smoke. Occasionally, burning boulders, trailing sparks, fell, smashing meter-deep craters into the ground.

The Grand Manager, supporting such a volcano, pressed it down towards Gu Mo. The first muffled thud was like someone striking deep into the earth with a giant hammer.

The blue bricks beneath Gu Mo's feet sank into the ground whole, and the hot air escaping from the cracks made the soles of his boots smoke. The second roar came, the mountain's shadow falling on his brow like a death warrant. The lead-grey smoke spewing from the volcano had reached his hair, and the burning boulders within were the size of millstones.

Gu Mo overlapped his palms, his left palm cutting diagonally towards his brow, his right palm pressed against his chest.

In an instant, the air first solidified like glue, then emitted a crisp sound like shattering glass. With him at the center, light and shadow within a thirty-meter radius suddenly distorted, like an inkwell disturbed by a stone. As ripples spread, amber-colored astral qi layered thick like calluses, with fine golden glints flickering on its surface; on closer inspection, they were countless miniature airflow phantoms circulating.

Innate Astral Qi, emerge!

At that moment, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to climb and intertwine like living things, merging into the astral qi. Dust within several meters eerily swirled in reverse, gathering into sand-grain-sized golden specks, arranging themselves into a Zhou Tian Xing Dou Tu (Circulation of Heavenly Stars Map) on the outer layer of the light shield.

The Grand Manager, holding the volcano, pressed down with immense force. The moment the leading volcanic rock foot touched the astral qi, a piercing shriek, like fingernails scraping metal, resounded between heaven and earth. Cyan-white flames erupted at the point of contact, spreading like living entities, scorching spiderweb-like dark patterns into the void. Those miniature airflow phantoms suddenly vibrated.

"Boom!"

The sound of the exploding energy wave came half a breath later, like someone smashing through the primordial membrane of heaven and earth with a giant hammer. The flying eaves and ornate brackets of the Hundred Households' Yamen disintegrated like building blocks, and carved wooden beams splintered into dust in the energy wave. The air was filled with wood shavings that spontaneously combusted in the high temperature, turning into scattered fireflies.

Pillar stones, weighing a thousand catties, were tossed into the air by the residual astral qi, creating three-foot deep craters in the bluestone slab upon landing. The edges of the craters were rimmed with delicate ice crystals, which, along with the magma seeping from the bottom, steamed into a vast white mist.

Houses collapsed one after another, and courtyard walls crumbled. The Seven Absolutes Pavilion assassins and Six Doors constables who were fighting were thrown dozens of meters by the energy wave. Many, upon landing, found their clothes scorched into blackened strips by the high temperature, and most of their hair had instantly turned white.

At this moment, amidst the ruins, everyone watched in shock as one figure seemed to be a mountain descending from the sky, while the other appeared to be resisting it by holding up a great sun.

The techniques the Grand Manager used, combining the Mountain Killing Endowment and Fire Killing Endowment, were the fusion of the two most powerful abilities within the Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss.

Yet, they failed to break through Gu Mo's Innate Astral Qi.

"How is this possible?" the Grand Manager exclaimed. "Your martial will is one of relentless forward momentum, how could you cultivate such a turtle-shell-like defensive martial art to this level?"

Gu Mo looked up and calmly stated, "The most powerful defensive martial arts are often also the most powerful offensive martial arts!"

As his words fell, Gu Mo's figure suddenly shot up from the ground, his Innate Astral Qi humming continuously around him. It seemed to carry the roar of dragons and tigers. The airflow surged like rivers and seas overturned, forming a mighty and vast energy wave that forcefully struck the sky-piercing, flaming volcano, sending it soaring into the air.

A hint of horror flashed in the Grand Manager's eyes; Gu Mo's figure was reflected in his pupils, like a cold pond split by a blade light.

"Supreme Heavenly Blade!"

At that moment, Gu Mo drew his blade. He had no blade in his hand, but he had a blade in his heart, and thus, the world had a blade!

This strike was one he had never used before: the ninth blade of the Eight Heavenly Blade Arts – the "Supreme Heavenly Blade"!

Although he held no weapon, a chilling aura radiated from him, causing the winds and clouds to change color. In an instant, an invisible colossal blade seemed to condense between heaven and earth; where its edge pointed, the void trembled, and ghosts cried and gods howled.

Gu Mo's palm was empty, yet a blade hummed like thunder throughout heaven and earth. Each strand of his hair stood on end, as if his entire being had transformed into a blade's embryo, and then he himself became a blade.

When this blade struck, it was the sharpness that cleaved heaven and earth.

When the blade light rose, heaven and earth fell silent.

It was not a visible blade, but the silence before a mountain collapse, the muffled thunder before a downpour, the deepest tremor in one's heart.

At that moment, the Grand Manager seemed to see a blade piercing through heaven and earth, striking towards the volcano he had conjured from his Fire Killing Endowment and Mountain Killing Endowment.

The moment the volcano shattered in the blade light, the lava was like fixed crimson silk, and the stones hung in mid-air like beads strung on invisible threads.

The next moment, with a muffled "boom," the entire volcano turned to dust. The crimson magma condensed into the shape of a blood lotus in the air, but then withered petal by petal in the lingering blade energy, dispersing into glimmers of light.

The Grand Manager felt a sharp pain in his chest, and a jet of blood spurted from his throat; he flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

He transformed into cyan smoke in mid-air, attempting to escape, but the blade energy was three parts faster than his escape technique.

With a "hiss," his left arm was severed at the shoulder.

However, before blood droplets could fall, the Grand Manager backhanded and grabbed his severed arm. With a press of his palm, bones audibly clicked back into place, and he remarkably reattached it.

He spread his hands; one palm erupted with blazing flames, while the other flashed with lightning. Yet, blood soaked from his left arm, and several blade marks appeared on his body.

"Such powerful blade intent!"

Immediately, he cast a deep glance at Gu Mo and said, "Gu Mo, I was careless today. When we meet again, I will surely kill you!"

"Why wait for next time!" Gu Mo roared, his long hair fluttering as he shot into the sky. Gu Chuwinter, who had already hidden far away, threw the Gouchen Demonic Blade from her hand; it instantly transformed into 128 fragments flying towards Gu Mo, instantly coalescing into its form in Gu Mo's hand.

However, with a single wave of the Grand Manager's hand, thirteen tornadoes rose from the ground. Countless debris and rubble swept towards Gu Mo like a rainstorm; the earth roared, lifting the scattered ruins like a steel storm, intercepting Gu Mo like a sandstorm. Gu Mo quickly swung his blade, scattering the tornadoes, but the Grand Manager's figure had already vanished amidst the surging dust.

Endless scattered stones and ruins fell, like an enormous hailstorm.

More than half of the Hundred Households' Estate had been leveled; houses, courtyard walls, rock gardens, and lakes were all destroyed, leaving a scene of utter devastation.

The battle was not yet over. The assassins retreated one after another, while the Six Doors constables pursued them everywhere.

"Brother!" Gu Chuwinter, who had fled the battle early, flew over and said, "I couldn't stop him. The Night Roamer just appeared. His movement technique was too elusive. He took away the bodies of Mang Fu and Su Meiniang."

Gu Mo asked, puzzled, "Su Meiniang is one thing, but Mang Fu was torn to pieces. He took him too?"

Gu Chuwinter replied, "He only took Mang Fu's head and torso."

Gu Mo slightly frowned, a hint of confusion in his expression.

Gu Chuwinter said, "Brother, I just saw that Grand Manager directly reattach his severed arm. Just like that... just like that!"

Gu Mo said gravely, "Pei Yuanzhen mentioned before that the Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss is divided into seven endowments: Yin-Yang, Wind-Thunder, Heaven, Earth, Mountain, Fire, and Water. Each of these endowments possesses distinct abilities. Among them, the Earth Killing Endowment has a continuous life-generating property, similar to the Bright Jade Art. However, it's more potent than Bright Jade Art, accelerating bodily healing and rapidly restoring strength and injuries, much like the earth nurturing all things, continuously providing vitality. The Grand Manager just forcibly reattached his severed arm; he must have used this technique."

Gu Chuwinter suddenly understood, "So that's how it is! But isn't that ability too heaven-defying?"

Gu Mo was also somewhat amazed by the power of the Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss.

Pei Yuanzhen had previously explained the Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss to him. The Earth Killing Endowment provides vitality and healing; the Yin-Yang Endowment enhances inner energy and talent. The Wind-Thunder Endowment grants speed and attack, but the Grand Manager only used wind power just now, not thunder. He wondered if he couldn't use it. The Heaven Killing Endowment is a spiritual technique for achieving Heaven-Man Unity. The Mountain Killing Endowment offers powerful defense and gravity manipulation. The Fire Killing Endowment maximizes the manipulation of fire, allowing complete control over flames. Lastly, the Water Killing Endowment, on land, is a top-tier technique for deflecting force with softness, and in water, it's a hydrokinesis art.

Essentially, the Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss brings various techniques together to an extreme, which is why it dares to claim "Seven Killings Unified, Invincible Under Heaven."

However, Pei Yuanzhen had previously stated that one person could only cultivate a single endowment. But just now, in his fight with the Grand Manager, the Grand Manager had used techniques from all seven endowments.

"Brother, should we still pursue him?" Gu Chuwinter asked.

"Chase, of course, we chase!" Gu Mo said. "We should take advantage of his weakness to end him. The Grand Manager is now injured by me, and this is the best chance to kill him. Moreover, we've already made an enemy, so we must fight to the death. The Seven Killings of Heavenly Abyss, apart from the Yin-Yang Endowment, the other six are Qi Refiner techniques, which differ from conventional martial arts. They heavily rely on timing and geographical advantage. If we don't kill this Grand Manager today, and he ambushes us later, we'll be in serious trouble if we accidentally fall into his home territory!"

Martial arts are divided into three main directions: first, internal and external cultivation; second, martial will; and third, Qi refining. Internal and external cultivation emphasizes steady progress, focusing on stability. Martial will emphasizes intent, primarily focusing on realm perception and powerful bursts. Qi refiners, on the other hand, leverage power by borrowing from heaven and earth, and from nature. This relies heavily on opportune timing and geographical advantage, which is a