Chapter 252: Gu Mo Opens His Eyes

Below the spectator platform, dozens of maidservants suddenly threw back their sleeves in unison. Their plain white wide sleeves unfurled like butterfly wings, and twelve bursts of blossom-like 'snow' exploded. Scarlet petals, wrapped in morning dew, soared into the air, refracting fragmented rainbow light under the sunlight. The wind suddenly intensified, and the swirling petals abruptly froze, as if pulled by invisible threads, outlining a human form in the void.

A figure appeared; it was none other than the supposedly deceased Su Qianqiu. Dressed in white, with flowing white hair, he seemed ethereal, like an immortal. He gently landed atop the jade palanquin and calmly stated, "My divine spirit can only remain in this world for two hours. I will officially be reborn in seven days."

"Heavenly Venerate descends, slay demons and eradicate evil!""Heavenly Venerate descends, slay demons and eradicate evil!"

All the common people knelt and kowtowed, shouting fanatically, their eyes filled with fervor.

Su Ziyou and the others felt that if Su Qianqiu were to say at that moment, "Those who commit suicide shall attain enlightenment and join me," a significant portion of the crowd would likely commit suicide on the spot.

"They're not even pretending anymore!" Gu Mo cursed under his breath.

He had truly seen something new today. In a nation of faith like Southern Jin, there was no need to discuss evidence or law.

Su Qianqiu's words were the supreme law. He had just feigned death in front of everyone, was exposed, and reappeared, yet he could casually explain it away with a phrase like "divine spirit descends," fabricating an obvious lie about "rebirth in seven days." No one could refute it; everyone would believe him.

In Southern Jin, Su Qianqiu was truly a god.

"If you lose, how will you conclude this today, Heavenly Venerate of the Absolute?" Gu Mo transmitted to Su Qianqiu.

Su Qianqiu smiled at Gu Mo and transmitted back, "Young man, I admire you greatly. For the next fifty years, the martial world will be your era. However, to catch up to me, you'll need at least another ten years. Youngster, you must understand, ninety percent of the brilliance of today's martial world rests on me, Su Qianqiu, alone."

Gu Mo said, "As expected, you're quite arrogant. Are you just trying to hide your inner fear by spouting such audacious words, especially when you don't even possess an undefeated heart?"

Su Qianqiu chuckled softly and said, "Let's go to Mingyue Mountain for a fight. Today's situation will end one of two ways: either you defeat me and things conclude as you wish, or I defeat you and things conclude as I wish. Alas, when I heard you arrived in Jin a few days ago, I suspected a confrontation with you might be inevitable. And indeed, it is." With that, Su Qianqiu reached out, drawing a pure white longsword from the jade palanquin and grasping the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage. He then flew towards Mingyue Mountain.

Gu Mo reached out, drawing the Sky Demon Zither from Gu Chudong's satchel. He then vanished instantly, appearing a hundred zhang away in a mere flash, reaching Mingyue Mountain in just two or three breaths. Su Qianqiu, who had left earlier, was only just arriving at the foot of the mountain.

"What incredible movement technique!" Su Qianqiu exclaimed in admiration. He donned the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage, then rose into the air, flying to the mountain peak and gently landing on a large boulder.

At this moment, there were three people on Mingyue Mountain. Besides Gu Mo and Su Qianqiu, the third was Master Liansheng, who was originally scheduled to duel Su Qianqiu.

Gu Mo and Su Qianqiu both looked towards Master Liansheng.

"Amitabha," Master Liansheng slowly rose, placing his palms together in a respectful bow. "This humble monk greets Sword God Su and Great Hero Gu."

Gu Mo spoke, "When I met the Master in Qianqiu Town a few days ago, I was puzzled. The Master clearly came to Jin to challenge Su Qianqiu, yet he displayed no fighting spirit. Only today do I understand: the Master came to participate in a play, with no intention of actually fighting."

Master Liansheng smiled faintly. "Great Hero Gu is discerning. Sword God Su's martial arts are transcendent; how could this humble monk be his opponent? How dare I act so imprudently? As a monk, I should not engage in such matters, but I owe a great favor to the Chu royal family and must repay it."

Gu Mo nodded slightly. "I understand. One is often helpless in the martial world. Although the Master is an enlightened monk, he is still human and cannot escape the rules of the mortal world."

"This humble monk is ashamed," Master Liansheng bowed and continued, "Today, I'm afraid I must offend Great Hero Gu. The current situation was somewhat expected, so to ensure things proceed as planned, the Eldest Princess instructed this humble monk to assist Sword God Su in defeating you, Great Hero Gu!"

Just then, a voice transmission appeared. It was Xiao Ziyin, the Eldest Princess of Chu: "Great Hero Gu, the situation today is quite clear. We in Chu have a plan, so we are cooperating with the Su family. And you, representing Qian, are here to disrupt our plan. Naturally, we cannot stand by and watch you destroy our plan; we must respond. So, this is merely us doing what we must from our respective positions. Privately, we should continue to be friends."

Master Liansheng continued, "Great Hero Gu, though this humble monk must stop you, I have no intention of forming an enmity with you. I will certainly stop short of serious harm. To be frank, the martial world for decades to come will be your era, and this humble monk cannot afford to offend you. It's just that, given the current public situation, I have no choice but to act."

Su Qianqiu pursed his lips and said, "Monk Liansheng, you're a Buddhist leader, a revered monk. Why are you so timid? You're about to fight a mere youngster, and you're afraid of offending him? Have you no shame?"

"Amitabha," Master Liansheng said, surprised and pleased. "Sword God Su, do you mean you don't need this humble monk's help and are absolutely confident you can defeat Great Hero Gu? That would be excellent! This humble monk truly cannot afford to offend Great Hero Gu. To be honest, in the past few days, within this humble monk's Sutra of Future, I have exchanged blows with Great Hero Gu twelve times and was struck thirteen times. This humble monk truly has no chance of victory."

Su Qianqiu asked, puzzled, "You exchanged blows twelve times, but were struck thirteen times? How so?"

Master Liansheng explained, "In one future divination, I wasn't convinced, so I set the battle location at the Great Bright Temple. First, I was struck once in normal combat, then I was struck again after utilizing the Great Bright Temple's mountain-protecting formation."

Su Qianqiu was speechless.

Master Liansheng continued, "Since Sword God Su is absolutely confident he can defeat Great Hero Gu, this humble monk will not be a hindrance here. I shall depart now." A visible smile spread across Master Liansheng's face, clearly one of genuine, heartfelt happiness. However, the next moment, his smile froze. This was because Su Qianqiu suddenly spoke, "You'd better stay and back me up. I'm not that confident either!"

Then, Su Qianqiu looked at Gu Mo again and said, "Gu Mo, I'm an old man now, remember to stop before serious harm!"

Gu Mo looked bewildered. "Wait, weren't you quite arrogant just now? You said I'd need at least ten more years to catch up to you. What happened now?"

"I still think so," Su Qianqiu said. "I still believe you'll need at least ten years to catch up to me. But can't I just want to live a few more years? A fist fears a young, strong opponent. What will I do if you come to fight me ten years from now?"

Gu Mo said gravely, "From what you're saying, you're not planning to kill me yet?"

Su Qianqiu chuckled. "We don't have such deep animosity between us, do we? Ultimately, it's just about our different stances. As a Qian citizen, you stand with the Jin Emperor, but perhaps one day the world situation will change, and you might stand against the Jin Emperor, while I might be on his side. Anything is possible. Besides our positions, you are a great hero personally appointed by the Qian Emperor. If I were to kill you, it would be tantamount to directly declaring war on Qian. After all, in a duel between us, it's highly unlikely for either of us to kill the other. Therefore, if I were to kill you, it would certainly involve setting an ambush beforehand and then a military encirclement. How is such an action different from declaring war?"

Gu Mo asked, "You've already cooperated with Chu; are you still afraid of declaring war on Qian?"

Su Qianqiu shook his head. "Cooperating with Chu does not mean we are betraying our alliance with Qian."

Gu Mo asked, perplexed, "I don't understand what you're thinking. With your prestige in Jin, you could simply utter a word and let the Su family seize power. What's the point of going through such an elaborate scheme?"

Su Qianqiu said, "Naturally, it's to elevate my divine status of faith in Jin to a higher level, ensuring that from now on, there will be no possibility of me ever falling from grace. I don't intend for the Su family to seize power; I merely wish to change Jin's current power structure."

Gu Mo nodded. "I see. It's a religious faith model: the Qianqiu Sect rules the nation, the Emperor becomes a symbol, the Sect Leader appoints the Emperor, and the Heavenly Venerate of the Absolute, unseen by the world, appoints each generation's Sect Leader."

Su Qianqiu nodded. "If I were to directly announce the establishment of the Qianqiu Sect and govern the nation through it, there would be two drawbacks. First, it would inevitably face resistance from the royal family, even if minor, and would cause some trouble, affecting my reputation. Second, my divine prestige would not increase, and it would incite fervent opposition from royalists."

Gu Mo asked, "Why do you want to change the power structure?"

Su Qianqiu explained, "It wasn't my idea. Initially, I didn't even know about the Qianqiu Heretical Sect. Five years ago, I learned that someone was using the guise of the Qianqiu Sect to seize land and use it for protection, leaving the Emperor helpless. At that time, I personally went down the mountain to investigate and eventually discovered that the leader of the Qianqiu Heretical Sect was Su Wanguan, the current head of the Su family. I was prepared to kill him as a warning, but he ultimately persuaded me.

"The Emperor of Chu is a born sage, a man of great ambition and strategy, whose ambitious drive to unify the realm is widely known. No one, it seems, can resist his march to conquer the land, and Jin is even less likely to withstand him. I am nearly eighty years old, and I don't know how many more years I have to live.

"And our Jin nation, situated in a corner, cannot produce a heroic leader capable of swallowing up vast territories. Once I die, Jin will inevitably face the breaking of its national gates. At that point, Jin will truly be destroyed. Therefore, Su Wanguan proposed another method of self-preservation: a system of religious governance, turning all citizens into believers, and making me a true 'god.' This way, even after my death, faith could unite the entire nation, allowing us to firmly defend our borders. If, during that process, a savior capable of resisting Chu's iron cavalry still doesn't appear, and Jin is truly breached, faith can still preserve our lineage. Even if our lands are shattered, as long as someone still believes Jin exists, then Jin remains. Only when everyone forgets the nation will it truly be destroyed."

At this point, Su Qianqiu let out a long sigh and said, "If it had been ten years ago, I would have unhesitatingly cleaved Su Wanguan with my sword. But five years ago, I could clearly feel my body beginning to age. So, I ultimately agreed to Su Wanguan's philosophy of governing through faith and secretly promoted it, allowing the Qianqiu Sect's influence to grow to its current level."

Gu Mo asked, "I heard Old Celestial Master Zhang say that your sense of national and familial devotion isn't very strong, and that you didn't particularly care for the Su family either."

Su Qianqiu sighed. "This is the struggle between humanity and divinity in martial arts. Gu Mo, when your divinity is dominant, never let your humanity gain the upper hand. Once humanity takes over, you will become increasingly human, and then emotional entanglements will grow more and more, until your divinity disappears, leaving only humanity.

"In the past, when I walked the world, my divinity was dominant. It was only because I owed the old emperor a favor and promised to guard the national gate for him once. It was that time that I met comrades, witnessed glory, and saw countless sacrifices. My humanity began to wildly sprout. Later, the royal family found my forgotten lineage—a child born to me by my beloved from my youth. I never knew; she never disturbed me until her death, for she knew my heart was solely devoted to martial arts, and she didn't want to bother me. So, when the child she bore me appeared before me, I felt guilt and regret once more, and my humanity grew again. Then the Su family was born, and family and nation firmly suppressed my divinity until it vanished. This is the main reason I cannot become the strongest under heaven. Having concerns means I cannot possess an undefeated heart, and naturally, I cannot become the strongest under heaven. The strongest under heaven is a god, not a human!"

Gu Mo nodded and asked, "So, according to what you're saying, you went through all this elaborate trouble for religious governance and to resist Chu. Why, then, would Chu cooperate with you in staging such a play? Isn't that just inviting trouble for themselves?"

Su Qianqiu replied, "There are two reasons. First, Chu established a puppet Jin state in the north. Their cooperation with our religious governance and suppression of imperial power is equivalent to helping the puppet Jin royal family gain legitimacy. And since the puppet Jin royal family is controlled by Chu, once it becomes legitimate, Chu will truly successfully rule the north.

"The second reason is that the Emperor of Chu is truly a sovereign of great ambition and strategy. He possesses absolute magnanimity and firmly believes he can break through our Jin's national gates, even with religious governance in place, he can easily breach it. At that time, the puppet Jin they support will be seen as the legitimate Jin, further aiding their occupation of our Jin. Overall, both sides have their own considerations for this matter, each believing it to be beneficial to themselves. From our respective perspectives, it truly is a win-win cooperation, so we immediately hit it off!"

Gu Mo nodded. "I understand now. However, I will still stop you. First, from a public standpoint, as a Qian citizen, I cannot stand by and watch you cooperate with Chu. If it happens once, it will happen again. We cannot trust a mysterious Qianqiu Sect. We trust the Jin Emperor, whose interests align completely with ours. Second, from a personal standpoint, I am a bounty hunter, and Su Wanguan is a wanted criminal. I must certainly apprehend him and bring him to justice."

Su Qianqiu chuckled, "Your conviction as a bounty hunter is truly strong!"

Gu Mo asked, "I'm rather curious, if you're defeated in a moment, how will you conclude this?"

Su Qianqiu gave a thumbs-up and said, "Now I truly believe you have the potential to become the strongest under heaven. You truly possess an undefeated heart. Do you actually think you can win against me and Monk Liansheng combined?"

"I can." Gu Mo's tone was calm and unwavering.

Su Qianqiu pointed towards the foot of the mountain and said, "I had a hunch before that a fight with you might be unavoidable, so I deliberately made preparations. At the foot of the mountain are two thousand heavy cavalry, five thousand light cavalry, and ten thousand elite soldiers. These forces were not gathered to deal with the Emperor; they were intended for you from the very beginning. I possess a sword technique called 'Guard the Nation's Gate,' which I created when I repelled Chu's great army. It allows me to borrow the war energy of a large army and transform it into my sword. So, today you will face not only me and Monk Liansheng, but also two thousand heavy cavalry, five thousand light cavalry, and ten thousand elite soldiers. Do you still think you can win?"

"I can win!" Gu Mo declared.

"If you can still win today, you truly will be the strongest under heaven. Even if Jiang Ruoxu were alive, I wouldn't think he could defeat you," Su Qianqiu said.

Gu Mo slowly said, "Today, I intend to prove to the world that I am the strongest under heaven. Although I've always claimed I don't care much for fame or fortune, what man in this world can truly resist the temptation of being the strongest under heaven?"

Su Qianqiu said, "Indeed, who can refuse? If it weren't for my lack of courage, why would I have always only dared to call myself the second strongest? Gu Mo, if you truly can win, then go ahead. Don't worry about the consequences or whether it will destabilize Jin. Rest assured, it won't destabilize anything. At worst, I'll stage another act of my divine spirit departing later. Before leaving, I'll claim that you are a reincarnated Heavenly Monarch sent to help me overcome a tribulation. Today's tribulation is a tribulation of national destiny; I was misled and wronged the Emperor, almost causing the nation's destiny to collapse, but a Heavenly Monarch specifically came to set things right."

Gu Mo smiled. "You're not protecting your grandson anymore?"

"The struggle for power has always been thus," Su Qianqiu said. "Today, if you lose, imperial power will decline, and the Jin Emperor will be confined to Qianqiu Mountain—that is the price. But if I lose, the imperial authority will greatly increase, and whether Su Wanguan becomes a prisoner or perishes, that will be his price!"

Gu Mo said in a deep voice, "In that case, then let's fight!"

The weather today was unusually snowy, with flakes drifting down, yet a faint sunlight pierced through the sky, and snow had already accumulated on Mingyue Mountain's peak. Mingyue Mountain was not very tall, its two peaks resembling two crescent moons joining together. Su Qianqiu stood with his hands behind his back on a large rock, his snow-white robe fluttering in the mountain wind. The "Qianqiu" sword at his waist, whose scabbard was tinged with frost, subtly vibrated with the movements of his sleeves. Gu Mo held the Sky Demon Zither with one hand, the other resting on its strings. The zither's body was as dark as if steeped in the deathly aura of a thousand-year-old underworld, and its seven strings shimmered with a dark blue arc beneath his fingertips. Each man stood on a different peak; though they appeared close from afar, they were actually separated by twenty to thirty zhang.

Meanwhile, Master Liansheng on the other side radiated a faint glow, softly murmuring, "Amitabha."

"Fight!" The moment Su Qianqiu spoke, the "Qianqiu" sword burst forth from its sheath like a dragon awakening from hibernation, a three-inch cold light preceding it. The frosty sword gleam, infused with centuries of sword intent, resembled a silver river cascading from the nine heavens. This chilling torrent of light stretched like a bolt of silk between the two mountains, tearing through the rolling sea of clouds. Even the sky itself turned pale from its sharpness, and the surrounding air sizzled as if cracked by the sword qi.

"Zheng..." Gu Mo's dark Sky Demon Zither vibrated. His fingertips, as if bearing immense weight, pressed down on the strings. In an instant, seven solidified sound waves tore through the void, like seven profound iron longswords breaking through the air, heading straight for the inverted silver river with devastating force.

In an instant, the bolt-like sword light exploded. Myriad fine, thread-like sword qi burst forth, weaving and moving through the air, forming a chillingly glowing sword net in the blink of an eye. Each thread was entwined with soul-stirring sword intent, sealing the entire sky airtight, as if intending to crush all life within.

Gu Mo's face was devoid of expression. His palms moved like afterimages, dancing across the zither strings, resembling myriad butterflies flapping their wings, ready to take flight.

"Zheng zheng zheng..." The Sky Demon Zither suddenly emitted a piercing shriek, as if tearing metal and breaking jade. Sound waves materialized into pitch-black blade glints, causing the void to tremble wherever they passed. The sword net, woven from countless sword qi, disintegrated piece by piece like thin ice meeting fire. The colossal sound wave crashed into Hawk's Beak Rock, and snow, mixed with shattered stones, exploded outwards, raising a sky-obscuring white mist.

Su Qianqiu lightly tapped the scattered snow with his toes, transforming into a wisp of catkin carried by the wind. He effortlessly swept across the ten-thousand-zhang abyss between the two peaks. The Qianqiu Sword tore through the sky, its sword qi, like an inverted galaxy, poured down with overwhelming sword intent. The air distorted wherever it passed, and the clouds and mist along its path were pulverized into dust by the sword intent. However, just as the sword's edge was about to touch the Sun-Gazing Platform, Gu Mo's figure dissipated like a wisp of smoke.

Su Qianqiu's pupils contracted sharply, and his sword intent abruptly froze. In that instant, he hadn't detected the slightest trace of vital energy movement, no sound wave disturbance, nor any sign of a lightness technique. Gu Mo had simply vanished from the spot without warning, as if he had never existed. The mountain wind swept across the empty Sun-Gazing Platform, leaving only the lingering hum of the Sky Demon Zither, reverberating between the two peaks, startling the dormant snowflakes across the mountain.

Master Liansheng, standing in the distance, exclaimed in silent alarm, "A Daoist divine ability, 'Near as Far'? Yet it doesn't quite seem like it!"

The moment the mountain wind suddenly ceased, an ethereal zither melody came from the nine heavens like a phantom. Su Qianqiu's pupils slightly contracted. He looked up to see Gu Mo floating in the void, the Sky Demon Zither trembling continuously in his arms. Pitch-black sound waves, wrapped in fragments of starlight, poured down like the Heavenly River overflowing and inundating the mortal realm.

"What an amazing movement technique!" Su Qianqiu's white hair flew wildly, and a rare fervor appeared in his eyes. This was the second time he had praised Gu Mo's momentary displacement technique, "Harmony with Light and Dust."

With a sigh of admiration, Su Qianqiu spun his palm. The myriad sword qi that had just dispersed gathered in an instant, like returning winter crows, forming a three-foot green blade. As the 'Heaven-Splitting' sword stance began, a frosty sword gleam tore through the sky, sketching half of an ancient landscape painting in the void. It was the opening move of the Qianqiu Myriad Generations Sword Art, yet it subtly contained the immense sword intent to shatter heaven and earth.

The moment the two attacks violently collided, the entire mountain peak trembled fiercely, and rocks from the mountain scattered like willow catkins. The dark blue sound waves emanating from the Sky Demon Zither crashed into the sword qi, erupting in blinding lightning. The shockwave swept across, and the entire summit of the secondary peak seemed to be split open by a giant axe. Massive rocks collapsed thunderously, and debris mixed with snow poured down, stirring up a sky-filling white mist in the valley.

Gu Mo used the force to fly back over ten zhang, landing in the saddle between the two peaks. A tear appeared in the corner of his robe as it fluttered in the wind. On the other side, Su Qianqiu's snow-white robe bore three scorched sword marks—these were from the demonic qi of the Sky Demon Zither, which had seared him when the zither's sound and sword qi clashed earlier.

At this moment, the Qianqiu Sword in Su Qianqiu's hand hummed, and countless tiny sword shadows appeared on its blade, encircling Su Qianqiu like a return of ten thousand swords. Su Qianqiu's figure had already transformed into myriad sword lights, enveloping Gu Mo like a torrential downpour.

However, Gu Mo did not dodge or evade. With the zither beside him, he pressed one hand against its body and pulled at the strings with the other, and the dark blue glow emanating from the strings actually solidified. Two earth-shattering shockwaves collided at the summit of Mingyue Mountain. The accumulated snow on both peaks collapsed simultaneously, sweeping through the valley like an inverted galaxy. Immediately, Gu Mo and Su Qianqiu both flew into the air, once again clashing in fierce combat.

The two were too fast, their destructive power too great. Those watching from afar could only see rocks flying through the air, completely unable to discern how many rounds they had exchanged.

At one point, after another collision, Gu Mo flew backward, but before Su Qianqiu's sword light could reach him, he teleported ten zhang away. With a backhand, he unleashed a sound wave slash onto the main peak. The entire summit of the main peak snapped off with a resounding crack, and countless massive rocks tumbled towards the saddle, only to be pulverized into dust by the great river of sword qi that Su Qianqiu casually swept out. Su Qianqiu stepped on the collapsing rocks and tore through the air, his white hair wildly dancing like a demon god descended. With a cold cry, "Slice!" The Qianqiu Sword in his hand transformed into a stream of light. Myriad sword shadows, dense as a shower of pear blossoms, spread across the sky, surging towards Gu Mo with biting cold. Wherever they passed, the air emitted a piercing shriek, as if even space itself was being torn apart by this fierce sword intent.

Gu Mo's expression was stern. His fingers rapidly moved across the Sky Demon Zither, and as the strings vibrated, they unleashed a thunderous, overwhelming wave of sound. The ink-black sound waves, like a raging dragon emerging from an abyss, crashed forcefully into the sword shadows with destructive might. In an instant, the sword shadows and sound waves collided with a blinding flash, and the myriad sword shadows shattered instantly, dissipating into scattered sword lights in the air. However, in the flash of lightning between the collision of sound waves and sword shadows, the ground beneath Gu Mo's feet suddenly vanished, and the surrounding scenery abruptly twisted and changed. Although his eyes were closed, he could clearly perceive the scene before him: he was in a desolate ancient battlefield. The setting sun, red as blood, stained the ground covered in white bones. Broken halberds and spears were stuck in the scorched earth, and distant banners fluttered in the wind, yet no human figures were visible. Only in the desolate wind could faint clanging sounds of weapons striking be heard.

The next instant, withered bones across the field groaned in the wind. Distant banners unfurled, and countless sword-wielding phantoms surged from all directions. He knew this was the ultimate technique of the 'Qianqiu Myriad Generations Sword Art,' capable of drawing a person into a world constructed of sword intent. Back then, Old Celestial Master Zhang Daoji was defeated by this very sword, then beaten by Su Qianqiu, and subsequently became a plump Daoist.

At this moment, wolf smoke rose from the piles of dry bones. On the horizon, a flood of armored soldiers surged like a tide, their halberds and spears forming a forest that obscured the sky.

Gu Mo suddenly threw the Sky Demon Zither into the air. His palms crisscrossed, cutting through the air like severing clouds and splitting the moon. Moonlight poured from the void, condensing around him to form a transparent shield adorned with frost patterns. His Innate True Qi materialized, as if he had wrapped the entire frigid night sky around himself. Even the howling sand and wind shattered into dust upon striking the shield's surface.

When the first rank of cavalry charged, Gu Mo's True Qi erupted violently around him. Iron armor and golden weapons melted into molten iron under the moonlight. A mighty army, like snow melting in the scorching sun, turned into green smoke and dispersed amidst the circulating True Qi.

However, when the last skeleton was annihilated, the illusion suddenly collapsed. What had seemed like a boundless army was, in fact, a vast river of sword qi hidden within the illusion by Su Qianqiu! The majestic sword qi, like a reversed galaxy, slammed into the Innate True Qi shield, exploding into myriad ripples. Gu Mo exerted force with his feet, causing the scorched earth beneath him to crack inch by inch. Then, he saw the dense sword qi suddenly converge like rivers flowing into the sea, forming a colossal luminous sword that obscured the sky. The sword's spine reflected mountains, rivers, sun, and moon. The sword qi dripping from its tip corroded deep, bottomless gullies into the ground. When this giant sword, capable of cleaving the sky, descended with a resounding crash, the True Qi shield immediately developed spiderweb-like cracks. The cracks spread at a visible rate. With an earth-shattering boom, the Innate True Qi shield shattered like glass. A violent shockwave ripped at his robes, and countless fine sword qi pierced through his protective true qi, pouring over him like a great river.

Gu Mo's figure floated backward, and for the first time, a solemn expression appeared on his face. Since his debut, though not long, he had experienced many great battles. His Innate True Qi, as his strongest defensive means, had always been invincible, but today, it had been breached!

"As expected of the Sword God!" Gu Mo's figure retreated like a startled swan, his robes fluttering in the vortex of sword qi. Listening to the howling sword intent in the air, his knuckles suddenly bulged with veins. He heavily struck the tail of the Sky Demon Zither. In an instant, a clear, resonant dragon's cry erupted from the zither's body. Sound waves swept over the scorched earth like a tide, sending shattered rocks flying into the air, where they suspended to form a rotating sound barrier.

However, before the dragon's cry faded, the void suddenly trembled. A solemn and majestic Sanskrit chant emanated from the nine heavens, and golden light, like sharp swords, pierced through the clouds. A phantom of a Buddha, wreathed in lotus flowers, slowly manifested. "Amitabha, Great Hero Gu, this humble monk must offend you!" Wherever the Buddha's light shone, the sword qi was plated with a layer of compassionate golden light, and the entire Mingyue Mountain was bathed in sacred radiance.

Gu Mo sharply looked up, his face illuminated by the Buddha's light. He spun around, raising the Sky Demon Zither high above his head. The strings stretched taut like a full moon's bow, and veins bulged on his palms like gnarled ancient vines. Accompanied by a string sound that tore through the sky, ink-black sound waves, carrying the wails of myriad vengeful spirits, violently collided with the Buddha's phantom. The golden paint on the Buddha's face cracked instantly, and pieces of the lotus throne peeled off. But just as the Buddha statue collapsed—

Su Qianqiu unleashed another sword strike. Myriad sword qi, like a cascading silver river, twisted the ten-zhang radius around Gu Mo into a sword domain. His protective True Qi shattered like thin paper in the torrent of sword qi, and fine sword threads pierced through his clothes, carving spiderweb-like bloodstains on Gu Mo's body. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a three-zhang distant blue stone boulder.

As shattered rocks poured down like rain, Master Liansheng's kasaya fluttered, and he descended from the nine heavens, stepping on golden lotuses. Behind him, a several-zhang-tall Buddha phantom lowered its compassionate gaze, and myriad golden lights illuminated the entire battlefield as if it were the Western Pure Land.

Su Qianqiu's sword lay horizontally in the void. Its frosty sword gleam merged with the Buddha's light, actually forming a barrier interwoven with purple lightning in mid-air. The two pursued their advantage, simultaneously suppressing Gu Mo. In that instant, as the qi of heaven and earth seemed to freeze, Gu Mo's figure dissipated like morning dew.

Su Qianqiu retracted his sword and said gravely, "That move again! Our intelligence gathering was insufficient; I hadn't heard Gu Mo possessed such an elusive movement technique!" Master Liansheng said, "Perhaps Old Celestial Master Zhang taught him. It's very similar to the Daoist divine ability, 'Near as Far'..."

Just then, both men suddenly looked up and saw Gu Mo appear on a precarious rock above. His hair was disheveled, and his black robe was covered in tears and bloodstains. Gu Mo then directly threw the Sky Demon Zither hundreds of zhang towards the spectator platform. Then, facing Master Liansheng and Su Qianqiu, he declared in a deep voice, "You can manifest Dharma Idols? I can too!"

In that instant, the air at Mingyue Mountain's summit suddenly solidified like iron. A muffled thunderclap erupted from deep underground, and the resulting shockwave hurled shattered rocks ten zhang away. A violent gale, rising abruptly from the ground, swept across the scorched earth, churning the remaining snow into sharp ice crystal vortices. Myriad wind blades spun within the whirlwind, emitting a roar like ten thousand horses galloping, as if a hundred thousand iron cavalry were charging from the void. The crimson clouds in the sky suddenly boiled, transforming into a surging sea of fire that plummeted downwards. Crimson flames licked at the shattered peaks, and lava-like waves of fire, wrapped in scorched debris, surged skyward. The scorching air evaporated the clouds and mist into nothingness. From the depths of the fiery sea came a deafening roar, as if the earth's veins, slumbering for ten thousand years, had now fully awakened. Dark clouds eerily surged and converged overhead, and purple lightning, like rampant dragons, tore through the sky. Streaks of silver snake-like lightning struck down, carving smoking ravines into the ground. Heavenly thunder rolled like battle drums, each blast shaking one's spirit, as if divine might had descended to utterly cleanse this battle-scarred mountain peak. The entire world was enveloped in raging natural power; winds changed, and the sun and moon lost their light. Wind, fire, thunder, and lightning—the powers of the Four Symbols appeared.

"Four Symbols, unite!" Behind him, a colossal Dharma Idol, reaching to the heavens and standing firm on the earth, appeared. Gu Mo's voice simultaneously issued from within the Dharma Idol, shaking the sea of clouds back a hundred li. The Dharma Idol's right palm clawed at the sky, while both hands pressed down on the earth. Azure flames suddenly ignited on the scorched rocks, and the entire Mingyue Mountain seemed to collapse downwards at that moment.

"Which bastard gathered this intelligence!" Su Qianqiu cursed loudly, shouting, "Monk Liansheng, you hold him off first! I need time to gather strength!"

"Sword God Su, hurry! I can't hold out much longer!" Master Liansheng stepped forward, soaring into the air, chanting, "Amitabha." Master Liansheng pressed his palms together. His kasaya billowed without wind, and the eight heavenly dragons embroidered with golden and silver threads seemed to come alive, coiling around his sleeves. Above his head, a golden Buddha Dharma Idol, eighteen feet tall, appeared. Its thousand-petaled lotus pedestal slowly unfurled, and a white hair between its brows emitted myriad golden rays, turning the surging thunderclouds into a glazed hue. The Buddha statue lowered its gaze, looking down upon all beings. Its left hand held Mount Sumeru, its right formed the Abhaya Mudra, and each petal of the golden lotus beneath its feet was inscribed with reincarnation mantras. Sanskrit chants flowed along the mantras, and even the collapsing mountain rocks floated and stilled in the golden light.

In that instant, Gu Mo's Four Symbols Dharma Idol, however, descended like a defiant demon, its colossal hands suppressing everything, obscuring the sky and sun. "Amitabha..." Master Liansheng let out a low cry. The Buddha Dharma Idol's palms pressed together, transforming into a golden shield to meet the Four Symbols' suppression. The Buddha's palms and the Four Symbols Dharma Idol's giant hands collided with a thunderous crash, actually causing the Mingyue Mountain below to collapse and sink, with rocks tumbling everywhere. Master Liansheng's throat tightened, and blood stained the prayer beads on his chest. Yet, his chanting continued like a grand bell, causing the Dharma Idol's golden lotus to bloom anew.

"Wrath of the Wind God!" Gu Mo's four-colored long hair whipped wildly, and broken Buddha light reflected in the Dharma Idol's eyes on his brow. "Wrath of the Fire God! Wrath of the Thunder God! Wrath of the Lightning God!" With each command, the Four Symbols Dharma Idol expanded by a third. Wind blades cut through the edge of the Buddha shield, tearing the golden light into myriad drifting fireflies. Karmic fire burned along the Buddha's palm lines, causing golden light to cascade down. Heavenly thunder rolled like ten thousand drums sounding in unison, and dense purple lightning formed a net that enveloped the Buddha Dharma Idol. The golden swastika seal on the Buddha statue's chest exploded with a 'bang,' and the lotus pedestal shattered into twelve pieces of broken jade. The Abhaya Mudra itself twisted and deformed under the power of the Four Symbols. With a tremendous crash, the Buddha Dharma Idol shattered like glazed pottery, and fragments of golden light scattered across Mingyue Mountain's summit.

Master Liansheng crashed heavily onto the scorched earth, his kasaya ragged, and the prayer beads around his neck broken in two. Yet, he still managed to prop up his upper body, looking at the Four Symbols Dharma Idol behind Gu Mo, which nearly touched the clouds. He gave a bitter smile and said, "Great Hero Gu's Dharma Idol seems to disregard even the Buddha himself... *Pfft*..." Master Liansheng spat out another mouthful of blood, then suddenly looked up and shouted towards the horizon, "Sword God Su, this humble monk can no longer hold on! I bid you farewell!" As his voice fell, Master Liansheng, wrapped in his kasaya, immediately leaped down the mountain and quickly fled into the distance. It was unclear whether he truly couldn't fight anymore or was feigning it, but he certainly ran very fast.

And at that very moment, an earth-shaking roar suddenly came from the foot of Mingyue Mountain. The sound of ten thousand horses' iron hooves shattering morning frost rolled like thunder, followed by unified roars. The wave of sound even shifted the trajectory of the purple lightning filling the sky. "Kill! Kill! Kill!" At the foot of the mountain, a dense military formation surged like a tide. Ten thousand elite soldiers formed a battle array: heavy cavalry, clad in profound iron scales, moved like fortresses; light cavalry, with ring-hilted sabers at their waists, drew silver arcs in the morning light; and the spear phalanxes' long spears stood like a forest, their wolf-head banners fluttering fiercely in the war energy. The war energy, like a materialized black cloud, pressed down on the city, actually obscuring the midday sun into a crescent. The commanding general, holding a command flag, heavily brought it down. Soldiers within the formation simultaneously moved, and the immense war energy surged skyward.

Su Qianqiu stood atop the cliff, holding the Qianqiu Sword aloft. The turbulent war energy in the void surged into the Qianqiu Sword like countless electric currents. The martial will that originally belonged to the soldiers now converged into the sword body like rivers flowing into the sea, dyeing the frosty sword gleam black. The moment Su Qianqiu raised his hand