Chapter 267: Forbidden Heart Demon

The next morning, at dawn, Zhang Daoyi arrived at Shen Yao's courtyard very early.

As he entered, he saw Shen Yao eating. He walked in, observing Shen Yao's composed demeanor, and said, "Oh, look at you, young man. Have you made some progress?"

Shen Yao took a sip of soup and said, "Old Celestial Master, based on the story you told yesterday about the previous generation's strongest martial artist, I've drawn two conclusions.

First, assuming that Ling Xiao's reincarnated body genuinely exists and has indeed come for revenge, the fact that he enlisted Gongsun Jue's help indicates he wasn't absolutely confident in his ability to overwhelm Dragon Tiger Mountain as he did before. Especially now, with Grandmaster Gu, the current strongest under heaven, and many experts from various sects present. However, the ultimate outcome was a deserted Grand Rite of Heaven ceremony where you were still successfully killed. This can only mean one thing: there was an inside collaborator within Dragon Tiger Mountain. Only then could the experts from all sects be lured away, and Grandmaster Gu be either led away or killed!

Second, if Ling Xiao's reincarnated body was fake, it would even more directly imply that someone within Dragon Tiger Mountain was collaborating with Gongsun Jue to set up a trap. Otherwise, how could Gongsun Jue and a fake reincarnated Ling Xiao have killed you at the Grand Rite of Heaven, and furthermore, by what means could they have restrained or killed Grandmaster Gu?

So, while I haven't tracked down Gongsun Jue yet, I've identified a clear direction: investigate from within Dragon Tiger Mountain. Besides you, Old Celestial Master, I believe anyone could be a suspect. Therefore, I'll need your help with this matter; we have less than ten days left."

Zhang Daoyi pondered for a moment and said, "Is there a possibility that your deductions are incorrect? After all, you mentioned a diviner with cultivation clearly superior to yours is obscuring the heavenly secrets. Is it possible that what you're seeing is a false outcome presented after their spiritual confrontation with you?"

Shen Yao frowned and replied, "That possibility isn't entirely absent, but Old Celestial Master, I have great confidence in my divination skills. Even if their cultivation is higher than mine and they can block my inquiries, it wouldn't affect me to the point where I couldn't distinguish between truth and falsehood."

"Are you truly that confident?" Zhang Daoyi asked skeptically.

"My master, Ji Wusuan, is the foremost diviner under heaven," Shen Yao said. "My Shen family has also been cultivators for over a dozen generations. While some might have higher cultivation than me, it's impossible for anyone to deceive me through divination!"

Zhang Daoyi thought for a moment and said, "Then let's investigate from within Dragon Tiger Mountain, but we can't make a big commotion. The Grand Rite of Heaven is about to commence, and Gongsun Jue's affair has already put all sects on high alert. If more problems arise within Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Grand Rite of Heaven might truly become a laughing stock."

Shen Yao nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing..."

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. A young Taoist priest rushed in frantically, cupping his hands to Zhang Daoyi, "Grandmaster, something has happened! People... people have died!"

Zhang Daoyi frowned and asked, "Where did people die?"

The young Taoist priest took a deep breath and said, "It's one of the Seven Great Families, the Liu family of Fengzhou. All thirty-two members who came to attend the Grand Rite of Heaven have been drained of their internal energy by the Gluttonous God Skill and died. Not a single survivor!"

Zhang Daoyi's expression instantly shifted slightly. "The Liu family members are all staying within our Celestial Master Residence. How could they have been killed?"

The young Taoist priest said, "I... I don't know. It was just discovered. The Sect Leader sent me to invite Patriarch Shen to investigate."

Zhang Daoyi looked at Shen Yao, then pointed to a silhouette in a drawing on the wall. "Shen boy, if I remember correctly, you said yesterday that this person is Liu Congwen, the Liu family's great elder responsible for leading their group this time!"

Shen Yao's pupils contracted slightly, and he murmured, "Did I remember incorrectly? Or get confused? When I returned here yesterday to draw my deductions, I distinctly felt my memories blurring. It's possible I confused things, and Liu Congwen wasn't at the Grand Rite of Heaven ceremony."

Zhang Daoyi nodded slightly and said, "Let's go and see first!"

Immediately, the group quickly headed towards the courtyard where the Liu family was staying.

Upon arriving at the Liu family's courtyard, they encountered a team from the Six Doors, led by Wang Zhenggo, the current foremost Divine Constable of the Six Doors.

Wang Zhenggo was not young, already over fifty, with frosted temples and sharp, knife-like brow bones. His eyes were deep and severe, exuding an undeniable authority. His dark, fitted attire outlined his tall stature, a cold glint emanating from the constable's badge at his waist, and an aura of grim severity enveloped him.

As Shen Yao and Wang Zhenggo met, their eyes locked, and the atmosphere instantly became oppressive. An aura of sharp rivalry immediately permeated the scene.

Both stood blocking the entrance, neither yielding.

"Cough..." Zhang Daoyi feigned a cough.

Wang Zhenggo snorted coldly at Shen Yao, then cupped his hands to Zhang Daoyi and said, "Greetings, Imperial Advisor."

Zhang Daoyi waved his hand. "No need for formalities. Solving the case is paramount. Constable Wang, please go in first." Then, Zhang Daoyi nudged Shen Yao and said, "Shen Yao, stop blocking the way, young man!"

Naturally, Wang Zhenggo had to show respect to Zhang Daoyi. He immediately chuckled and stepped aside, saying, "Constable Wang, please, elderly sir. Be careful, the threshold is high, don't trip!"

Wang Zhenggo glanced at Shen Yao and said, "Playing tricks, resorting to unorthodox methods, you'll never be truly distinguished!" With that, he led his constables swiftly into the courtyard.

Shen Yao rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Why pretend? If he's so great, how come he's been investigating Gongsun Jue for twenty years without finding anything?" He then looked at Zhang Daoyi and said, "Old Celestial Master, you know I have a conflict with Wang Zhenggo. Why invite him, and then still call me here?"

Zhang Daoyi whispered, "I didn't invite him. You know perfectly well that my Grand Rite of Heaven is attended by martial artists. Inviting government officials would only cause trouble, wouldn't it? Wang Zhenggo heard about Gongsun Jue and volunteered to come. Dragon Tiger Mountain couldn't refuse him."

Shen Yao helplessly said, "That guy is so stubborn and old-fashioned. It's incredibly annoying to be around him."

Zhang Daoyi asked, puzzled, "By the way, what's between you two? Surely you didn't actually start feuding just because busybodies in the martial arts world compared you?"

Shen Yao explained, "It's quite embarrassing to talk about. Initially, it was indeed because people in the martial arts world kept comparing us. I was young and impetuous back then. During a case, someone provoked me, and I blurted out, 'Times are progressing; it's our young generation you should be watching!'

Although I didn't explicitly name Wang Zhenggo, the implication was strong. Rumors then began to spread in the martial arts world, becoming increasingly outrageous, eventually culminating in claims that I looked down on Wang Zhenggo and thought he was old and past his prime. When Wang Zhenggo heard these rumors, he angrily declared in public that I was a wet-behind-the-ears, callow youth, full of myself.

Anyway, that's how we started exchanging insults. But that was still somewhat normal. The main conflict arose three years ago when we were both involved in investigating a case related to Gongsun Jue. My men and his men got into a brawl, and eventually, he and I fought too. Of course, I couldn't beat him; he pinned me to the ground and gave me a thorough beating. In my anger, I said something I shouldn't have."

Zhang Daoyi asked curiously, "What did you say?"

Shen Yao said, "I said either Wang Zhenggo was useless, or he was colluding with Gongsun Jue. Otherwise, how could the esteemed Six Doors, with the full power of the nation, fail to capture Gongsun Jue for twenty years?"

Zhang Daoyi's mouth twitched. "You really did offend him mortally with that. The matter of Gongsun Jue is Wang Zhenggo's lifelong obsession. With his accomplishments, he could have long been promoted to Governor of the Six Doors, a second-rank official. However, solely to capture Gongsun Jue, he has consistently refused promotions from the court, always remaining on the front lines. To apprehend Gongsun Jue, he has virtually sacrificed his entire life. His wife divorced him, and his children are not close to him. Over these many years, he has become obsessed."

Shen Yao sighed and said, "I know, but at that moment, I was truly desperate. He beat me so mercilessly. He's a Grandmaster ranked fourth on the Qian Kingdom's Heavenly Rankings! He pinned me down and beat me, almost knocking the sense out of me! And even though what I said was a bit extreme, it was still the truth! Regardless of the reason, Gongsun Jue committed so many massive crimes, and the Six Doors truly haven't caught him in twenty years. Furthermore, Gongsun Jue still appears frequently. As the foremost Divine Constable of the Six Doors, Wang Zhenggo surely can't shirk responsibility, can he!"

Zhang Daoyi said gravely, "That may be true, but Gongsun Jue is indeed difficult to catch. I pursued him for a full year back then. That fellow was once ranked second on the Qian Kingdom's Heavenly Rankings, and later he cultivated the Gluttonous God Skill. In terms of one-on-one combat, before Gu Mo emerged, I was the only one in the entire Qian Kingdom who could suppress him. But the key is that he was also the former foremost Divine Constable of the Six Doors. Whether committing crimes or hiding, few in the world could match him. It's understandable that the Six Doors has been futile."

"Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore," Shen Yao said. "This matter is as it is. Anyway, he beat me, I cursed him, he thinks I'm a charlatan and looks down on me, and I look down on him too. Conveniently, this time, just like three years ago, it also concerns Gongsun Jue. We'll just see whose methods are superior!"

As they spoke, Shen Yao and Zhang Daoyi entered the large courtyard.

Subsequently, Shen Yao and Wang Zhenggo began inspecting the scene. Soon after, many more people arrived in succession, including numerous high-ranking officials from Dragon Tiger Mountain and representatives from various martial arts sects.

As more and more people gathered, the atmosphere between Wang Zhenggo and Shen Yao once again grew tense, gradually turning into a contest between the Six Doors' foremost Divine Constable and the martial arts world's top detective.

Both rapidly surveyed the scene. Wang Zhenggo then went out to question the Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples responsible for patrols and the first people to arrive at the scene, while Shen Yao, carrying a geomantic compass, walked in and out of the courtyard, venturing further and further away.

Finally, both returned to the courtyard almost simultaneously.

Zhang Daoyi stepped forward and asked, "How is it? Any clues?"

Wang Zhenggo sneered, looked at Shen Yao, and said, "Let this charlatan speak first!"

Shen Yao stared at his compass and slowly said, "The crime occurred at 5:30-5:45 AM this morning. There was only one perpetrator. First, a poison causing temporary unconsciousness was administered. However, Liu Congwen, the Liu family's great elder, had his internal energy drained after being severely wounded. The culprit was an acquaintance of Liu Congwen. The attack took place in the east wing. After draining Liu Congwen's internal energy, the perpetrator took him to the main house to kill him, and then proceeded to drain the internal energy of the other thirty-one Liu family members, one by one..."

Shen Yao summarized all the clues and evidence he had gathered.

Finally, he said, "As for the perpetrator, I have also tracked him down. It is Li Dongping, the third disciple of the Divine Firmament Institute."

Immediately, everyone was in an uproar.

Shen Yao continued, "When I arrived just now, I already notified the disciples of the Celestial Master Residence's Enforcement Hall to apprehend Li Dongping."

With that, Shen Yao looked at Wang Zhenggo and said, "Constable Wang, please enlighten me!"

Wang Zhenggo chuckled softly and said, "Shen Yao, I never deny that you have great talent in solving cases. However, you rely too heavily on your divination. If a perpetrator figures out the patterns of your divination and uses them, you might even become an accomplice."

Shen Yao raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Wang Zhenggo continued, "Your initial analysis of the crime's methods and process is largely correct. But your analysis of the perpetrator and the evidence is pure nonsense. You first identified the culprit and then retroactively deduced the evidence. However, if your judgment of the culprit is wrong, all your analyses will be flawed. You don't identify the perpetrator based on clues and evidence; instead, you use clues and evidence as traces to deduce through divination, relying on the divination's feedback regarding distance, time, direction, and so on to pinpoint the culprit. But I'm telling you now: when the crime was committed here, there were two people present, but only one was the true culprit. How do you respond to that?"

As he spoke, Wang Zhenggo pushed open the door of the east wing, pointed to faint dust marks in a corner, and said, "Do you see? Someone else was sitting here at the time."

Shen Yao's expression shifted slightly.

Wang Zhenggo said, "You rely too much on your divination. Your divination's guidance wasn't wrong: Li Dongping was indeed at the scene when the crime happened this morning. After the crime, he did return to his residence, and he is still there now. However, in reality, he was unconscious at the time, brought here by someone else, and then his hand was used to kill Liu Congwen and the others who no longer had the strength to resist. Afterward, he was taken back by the true perpetrator."

Shen Yao's pupils contracted slightly. His facial expression remained unchanged, but his mind was in turmoil.

This was because he realized Wang Zhenggo's words were plausible. If someone equally skilled in divination used special means to influence him, then Wang Zhenggo's recent deduction could indeed be true.

Just then, several constables walked in, carrying a shriveled corpse.

Everyone looked. The corpse had been so drained that it was almost just skin and bones, covered in a lot of dirt. The face was also very shriveled, but its original appearance could still be roughly discerned.

"It's Li Dongping!""Yes, it's Third Senior Brother."

A disciple of the Divine Firmament Institute recognized the corpse as Li Dongping, their third disciple.

A Six Doors constable cupped his hands to Wang Zhenggo and said, "My Lord, it is indeed as you deduced. Li Dongping was killed, and his body was hidden under a water vat in his courtyard. The culprit is a distant uncle of Li Dongping, a martial artist who also came to attend the Grand Rite of Heaven and had been staying in Li Dongping's courtyard during this time. This person faked traces of Li Dongping fleeing in fear of the crime, attempting to pass off the deception. He has now been apprehended. Just now, the Celestial Master Residence's Enforcement Hall also confirmed that the culprit cultivated the Gluttonous God Skill!"

For a moment, murmurs arose throughout the courtyard.

At this very moment, several disciples from the Celestial Master Residence's Enforcement Hall also arrived, confirming that the culprit had been apprehended. The individual was a subordinate secretly cultivated by Gongsun Jue, hidden for many years.

In the courtyard, Shen Yao's face was pale. Listening to the surrounding discussions, he inexplicably found them grating. In truth, no one was mocking him; they were merely discussing the case.

Soon, under Zhang Daoyi's direction, the crowd gradually dispersed, and the Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples began to process the scene.

Wang Zhenggo walked up to Shen Yao and said, "Shen Yao, I heard you performed a divination yesterday, claiming you found clues to track down Gongsun Jue?"

Here, Wang Zhenggo chuckled slightly and said, "You have talent, but don't rely too heavily on your divination. There's nothing wrong with deducing the process from the result, but I'm worried that the result you saw was deliberately shown to you by someone else. Only when you understand that divination is merely an aid will you become a true divine detective. There's a saying in your diviners' circle: 'Heavenly secrets must not be revealed.' So, if a heavenly secret is revealed, can it still be a heavenly secret?"

Shen Yao stood frozen on the spot, taking a very long time to recover his senses.

However, by the time he came to his senses, everyone had already left the courtyard. He returned to his residence with a dejected expression, where he saw Zhang Daoyi sitting on a chair, drinking tea.

Shen Yao sighed and said, "Old Celestial Master, let's forget about what I said this morning regarding investigating the Celestial Master Residence!"

Zhang Daoyi chuckled, "So, young man, you've been hit hard by Wang Zhenggo, have you?"

Shen Yao shook his head slightly. "It's not really a blow, just a bit disheartening. I realized that while I considered Wang Zhenggo a rival, he didn't see it that way at all. It was as if he was genuinely guiding me, and what's crucial is that I suddenly found what he said made a lot of sense. That feeling is just so frustrating!"

Zhang Daoyi chuckled, "Then you've made progress."

Shen Yao shook his head and said, "No, I'm lost now. The results I deduce are based on a scenario where I haven't interfered. But if I learn the result beforehand and tell others, that's equivalent to interfering. So, the result I saw would be wrong, meaning the result would change. Does that also mean that what I saw from the very beginning was fake, and my seeing the result and then interfering was originally just one part of the true result's formation? In that case, the principle of 'Heavenly secrets must not be revealed' becomes invalid. If a diviner arbitrarily alters the results they deduce, should that not count as interfering with destiny? But why do diviners still face backlash? Is the backlash diviners experience inherently part of the cycle of destiny? Does that mean if a diviner doesn't interfere with destiny, they are still fated to suffer backlash?"

Zhang Daoyi: "..."

"No wonder cultivators all end up going crazy!"

Finally, Zhang Daoyi grumbled as he left.

Shen Yao was left alone in the room, muttering to himself. Then, he stood up, pulled out a fire starter, and burned the drawings he had made yesterday from his deductions.

As the flames rose, a distorted smile appeared on Shen Yao's face, and he muttered, "The moment I saw the result, it meant the process had changed, and the final outcome would be different. So what I saw wasn't the result. And if the process didn't change, the result wouldn't change. Then I shouldn't have seen the result. Therefore, divination is fake, fake, fake, all fake!"

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, at sunrise, on the Ascension Platform, the Enlightenment Tree blossomed. At that moment, the clouds and mist in the gorge seemed to begin to disperse, and faintly, sunlight rarely found an opportunity to penetrate, bathing the entire gorge in a faint golden glow.

Zhang Daoyi entered the gorge, carrying a lunchbox in one hand and Shen Yao in the other.

"Old Celestial Master!"

Gu Chutong flew down from the Ascension Platform. Seeing Shen Yao, who looked utterly dispirited and was muttering to himself, she asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Zhang Daoyi glanced at Shen Yao, who at this moment seemed to have lost his soul, muttering indistinctly, his eyes vacant, like a pile of mud.

"This fellow has been stimulated and might very well be disheartened from this point on," Zhang Daoyi said. "However, this could also be his opportunity. His master and I are old acquaintances, and I want to help him as much as possible to overcome this heart tribulation!"

With that, Zhang Daoyi lightly pushed off the ground, instantly rising into the air and reaching an Ascension Platform in a flash. He then placed Shen Yao on the platform, waved his hand, and pollen from the Enlightenment Tree began to float around Shen Yao.

Zhang Daoyi whispered, "Young man, throughout history, every accomplished diviner experiences a heart-questioning tribulation. Whether you remain mortal or become an immortal depends on how you pass it!"

Shen Yao sat on the ground, as if in a deep slumber, eyes closed and head bowed, no longer making a sound.

Immediately, Zhang Daoyi flew down to the bottom of the gorge.

At this moment, Gu Chutong had already opened the lunchbox and was sitting on a rock, eating heartily.

Zhang Daoyi flew to Gu Chutong's side and asked, "How are things, young Chutong? Have you gained anything these past two days?"

"Yes," Gu Chutong nodded, "My cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds these past few days! Old Celestial Master, Dragon Tiger Mountain must have many experts, right?"

Zhang Daoyi shook his head slightly. "The effect of the Ascension Platform varies from person to person, and it also has a limit. Generally, its effects are most significant during the first one or two visits. After several times, it loses much of its utility. For ordinary people, it's helpful but limited. It's only truly effective for genuine masters when they face certain bottlenecks."

"Is that so?" Gu Chutong asked, surprised. "I feel it helps me a lot too. Am I also a master now?"

Zhang Daoyi chuckled, "Isn't that right? You are now a Heavenly Rankings Grandmaster in Yunzhou! And quite coincidentally, your brother was also twenty when he became a Heavenly Rankings Grandmaster, and you are twenty now!"

Gu Chutong grinned. "I can't compare to my brother. My brother is the strongest under heaven!"

Zhang Daoyi looked up at the Ascension Platform where Gu Mo was situated and asked, "Speaking of your brother, has he woken up these past two days?"

Gu Chutong shook her head. "No."

Zhang Daoyi said gravely, "Your brother's cultivation realm is already the strongest under heaven, and he can still advance further. I fear that in the future, the gap between Su Qianqiu and him will be even greater than the gap between me and Su Qianqiu!"

At this moment, Gu Mo sat quietly beneath the Enlightenment Tree. His consciousness remained in that unique space. He didn't know how much time had passed; it felt like a day or two, yet also like a year or two, or even a decade or two.

He debated with various masters from ancient times to the present: swordsmen, blade masters, archers, internal energy grandmasters... and so on. He debated and sparred with them one by one, then defeated them one by one.

Finally, only one person remained before him: someone who looked exactly like him, dressed in white, with an aura of human essence and dust, and a gentle smile on his face.

"I am Gu Mo," the white-clad figure said.

Gu Mo chuckled, "I didn't expect the last one to debate with would be myself."

The white-clad figure said, "How can you break through to a higher realm without first defeating yourself? I am your humanity!"

With that, the white-clad figure pointed a finger at Gu Mo.

Instantly, scenes of separation appeared before Gu Mo's eyes.

Gu Mo, however, was unfazed. He immediately extended a finger as well.

Gu Mo and the white-clad figure swayed in unison, like twin lotus reflections in water, appearing and merging.

The white-clad figure's fingertip did not retract; a sliver of silver light had already materialized from it. It was not a finger-force from before, but a sword of light as thin as a cicada's wing, its edge angled towards Gu Mo's shoulder and neck.

At this moment, before Gu Mo's eyes appeared visions of tribal annihilation and the hatred of a stolen wife.

But he twisted his wrist, his left index and middle fingers aligned like a sword. As he met the light sword, his fingertips abruptly transformed into a palm. A translucent blade glow materialized in his palm, its back striking against the sword's spine—the blade glow seemed forged from moonlight, and a chilling aura emanated from its edge before it even touched.

Both figures simultaneously glided backward, their toes touching an invisible platform, creating ripples of faint light.

The white-clad figure thrust his right palm horizontally, its edge manifesting finger-shadows like green bamboo. His five fingers opened and closed abruptly, as if grabbing or seizing, aiming directly for Gu Mo's face.

Before Gu Mo's eyes appeared scenes of human suffering and the harsh realities of the world.

Gu Mo swung his palm.

Light and shadow shattered and reformed between the two.

Their figures sometimes resembled butterflies flitting through flowers, dissecting hundreds of moves in intricate detail; at other times, they were like sudden thunder, the torrents of intent unleashed by their fists and palms colliding, causing the surrounding void to ripple in layers.

Each attack from the white-clad figure would plunge Gu Mo into human suffering such as birth, aging, sickness, death, love and separation, national vengeance, familial hatred, and broken lands, or into human joys such as familial bliss, fraternal harmony, success in imperial examinations, and wedding night celebrations.

All of these were broken through by Gu Mo, one by one, until at a certain moment, Gu Mo pointed a finger at the white-clad figure's forehead, ending the duel.

The white-clad figure slowly dissipated. He still wore a gentle smile and said, "Congratulations. You have ultimately defeated your humanity with your divinity."

However, Gu Mo chuckled and shook his head. "No, there's no such thing as divinity and humanity. There's only the strongest under heaven and the inner demon. Long ago, I wondered why every generation's strongest martial artist ultimately faced one of two outcomes: either they were tied down by worldly attachments and faded away, or they went to extremes and became enemies of the world. Everyone attributed this to the conflict between humanity and divinity, with worldly attachments being human-dominated, and being an enemy of the world being divine-dominated. But ever since I became the strongest, I felt something was off, because being human or divine is merely a thought for me. How could I be trapped by divinity or humanity? It wasn't until I met you that I suddenly realized I had been deliberately misled. In reality, there is no struggle between humanity and divinity; there is only the struggle between the inner demon and the strongest under heaven!"

At this point, the white-clad figure, who had begun to dissipate, actually coalesced once more. Looking at Gu Mo, he said, "This is truly annoying. In the past, it would take two or three hundred years for someone to emerge who could see through humanity and divinity. This time, it's only been thirty or forty years. How uninteresting. I'm leaving!"

Gu Mo said coldly, "Coming and going as you please? I fear it won't be that simple."

In an instant, the two exchanged blows once more.

At the Celestial Master Residence, on the Main Mountain, Sect Leader Zhang Xisu entered the study and said gravely, "The matter has been resolved. Shen Yao has been taken to the Ascension Platform by my junior brother; he won't be disrupting our plans for a while. However, this time you used Wang Zhenggo to shatter Shen Yao's dao heart. I'm concerned that Wang Zhenggo, being so vigilant, might notice something."

Gongsun Jue slowly replied, "Rest assured, Wang Zhenggo is a disciple I personally tutored, and we've been clashing both openly and secretly for years. No one in this world understands him better than I do. He will certainly detect something amiss, but he won't have time to discover the full anomaly before the Grand Rite of Heaven. As long as I don't make any further moves, we'll be fine."

"As long as you're confident," Zhang Xisu said. "I've already set up the Grand Star Gathering Array for the Grand Rite of Heaven. Don't make any mistakes with your personnel; we need all one hundred and eight practitioners who have mastered the Gluttonous God Skill."

Gongsun Jue nodded. "I've made very thorough preparations, and we even have more than enough people. Those outside Dragon Tiger Mountain will continue committing crimes to tie down your personnel. Now, everything is ready; we just await the Grand Rite of Heaven!"

"Hmm," Zhang Xisu nodded and said, "Right, the Saint Master's substitute... Hmm?"

Suddenly, Zhang Xisu's expression shifted slightly, and he subconsciously looked towards Tianzhu Peak.

"What's wrong?" Gongsun Jue asked.

"Gu Mo... shows signs of qi deviation!" Zhang Xisu's face turned grim.

Gongsun Jue's heart leaped in surprise. "No way! If Gu Mo suffers qi deviation, wouldn't he become another Jiang Ruoxu? Wouldn't all our years of preparation be for naught?"

Zhang Xisu waved his hand. "Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Whether he succumbs to qi deviation or not, my Immortal Slaying Array can kill him. Even if he somehow manages to break through the Immortal Slaying Array, it'll be useless. This is Dragon Tiger Mountain, and I've been preparing for so many years. Here, no one is my match."

Gongsun Jue asked, surprised, "Are you that confident?"

Zhang Xisu said, "The strongest under heaven, no matter how powerful, is still no more than the Saint Master of yesteryear. Yet, even the Saint Master of yesteryear died beneath the Immortal Slaying Array. As for me, I've secretly cultivated qi refiner divine abilities all these years. Although Dragon Tiger Mountain has never officially permitted qi cultivation, the lineage has always been present. Besides Penglai Island, I fear only our Dragon Tiger Mountain possesses the most complete inheritance. Over the years, my qi cultivation realm has long reached its peak. I have improved the Immortal Slaying Array, and its power far surpasses what it was before. Moreover, as long as I am on Dragon Tiger Mountain, I can draw upon the power of the Immortal Slaying Array anywhere. Who could be my opponent? It's best if Gu Mo doesn't interfere, or else his title as the strongest under heaven might not be secure!"

Listening to Zhang Xisu's words, Gongsun Jue's expression gradually became peculiar.

Zhang Xisu asked, puzzled, "Why that expression?"

Gongsun Jue slowly replied, "It just feels a bit strange."

"What's strange?" Zhang Xisu asked.

Gongsun Jue hesitated for a moment and said, "I felt that once my Gluttonous God Skill reached full mastery, I could also defeat Gu Mo. I was quite confident. But now, after hearing what you said, I suddenly lost confidence. Isn't this typically the 'I can do it too' mentality?"

Zhang Xisu: "..."