Chapter 271: Killing Ling Xiao and the Reverse Scale Sword

In the black and white domain, light and shadow spread like ink across a faded scroll.

Gu Mo tapped his foot, and the Taixu Sword swept out a silver-white flourish. His sword strike, like a sudden downpour, aimed for Ling Xiao's throat, but the blade passed harmlessly through his shoulder, creating only a ripple in the ethereal air. He spun, changing tactics, his right palm surging with crimson flames. The scorching palm wind distorted the surrounding air, yet it too passed directly through Ling Xiao's body.

Gu Mo lowered his stance and twisted his body, unleashing his Innate Gang Qi, but he still couldn't touch Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao was like a phantom reflection on a mirror's surface; True Qi and martial intent washed over him, yet he remained unharmed, as if he didn't exist in this space.

"It's no use," Ling Xiao said. "My physical body is both my foundation and my limitation. The moment you killed my corporeal form, it sealed our fate: our battle was destined to end in a draw."

"This is the Ascension realm. Ascension signifies transcendence, an elevation in the level of one's being. Although I stand before you, we exist in different worlds. I require a physical vessel to harm others; conversely, this also means that others can only harm my vessel."

Gu Mo smiled faintly. "So, essentially, you believe you can't kill the Heart Devil because its life form is on an even higher plane."

"Yes," Ling Xiao nodded slightly. "But the Ascension realm is the highest level accessible to humans. Perhaps only the legendary Immortal Realm possesses the means to slay the Heart Devil, but the Heart Devil guards the Heavenly Gate, making it impossible for us to enter."

"Years ago, I deliberately suppressed my cultivation, remaining at half-step Ascension, and I am still there today. It's not that I couldn't reach the Ascension realm, but rather that I lacked the confidence to face the Heart Devil. Jiang Ruoxu challenged it and was utterly defeated!"

Gu Mo chuckled softly. "Frankly, I don't see the appeal of your so-called Ascension realm. Aside from people being unable to kill you, you can't kill others either. You're effectively no different from a legendary ghost."

Ling Xiao explained, "Realm doesn't equate to combat power. For instance, when you cultivate internal energy and reach stages like Yin-Yang Balance or Perfect Clarity, it merely means you acquire certain unique attributes and gain a deeper understanding of the Great Dao. It doesn't automatically translate to an increase in your fighting prowess."

"The Ascension realm, however, represents a fundamental shift in one's life essence. As for combat strength, that still depends on the martial arts themselves. And naturally, my inability to harm others without a vessel only applies to highly skilled martial artists like you, who possess formidable martial intent. For ordinary people..."

As he spoke, he glanced sideways.

Instantly, a powerful surge of mental energy emanated, and a large wooden stake, wide enough for two people to embrace, exploded in that very moment.

Gu Mo nodded slightly. "I see. So, what you call 'Ascension' means abandoning the physical body and achieving spiritual transcendence. And this 'elevation of life's level' is the transformation from a human into a spiritual entity, a primordial spirit."

"That's one way to understand it," Ling Xiao nodded.

"Then why not attempt to ascend both the physical body and the spirit simultaneously?" Gu Mo asked, puzzled.

Ling Xiao paused, slightly taken aback. "Since ancient times, Ascension has always been spiritual Ascension. The prerequisite for ascension is shedding one's mortal coil; how else could one become an immortal?"

Gu Mo frowned slightly.

Ling Xiao offered a faint smile. "Therefore, Gu Mo, we should join forces. With your extraordinary talent, you can't possibly be content remaining a mere mortal forever. You will undoubtedly seek transcendence, and when you do, you won't be able to avoid the Heart Devil."

"The Heart Devil operates on a higher plane than we do; it blocks the Heavenly Gate. We cannot kill it, which means we cannot ascend to immortality. Gu Mo, the Heart Devil's weakness is quite evident: it requires a constant supply of spiritual true intent as nourishment. Ordinary people possess will but not true intent. If martial arts vanish from the world, true intent will cease to exist, and the Heart Devil will soon disappear."

"By then, we could ascend naturally, just like people did seven hundred years ago—the moment our cultivation reached the required level, we would enter the Immortal Realm and become eternal, unrestrained immortals!"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly. "But I still want to kill you."

Ling Xiao gently shook his head. "You cannot kill me. Your martial arts are indeed exceptional, worthy of being the world's finest, but your Qi cultivation realm isn't high enough. To kill me, you would need to reach the Ascension realm. Yet, once you achieve Ascension and encounter the Heart Devil, you'll no longer desire to kill me."

Gu Mo frowned, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "I've already encountered the Heart Devil, but that hasn't changed my desire to kill you."

Hearing this, the unperturbed expression on Ling Xiao's face finally shifted, replaced by sheer astonishment. "You've seen the Heart Devil? How can that be?"

Gu Mo, equally puzzled, asked, "Didn't you know I comprehended both divinity and humanity?"

"What does that have to do with the Heart Devil?" Ling Xiao replied. "I also comprehended it back then."

Gu Mo looked suspicious. "Divinity and humanity are a 'heavenly pit' created by the Heart Devil. Whether one chooses divinity or humanity, they fall into the Heart Devil's trap."

"I know," Ling Xiao nodded. "Back then, I saw through it to a certain extent, and ultimately chose neither divinity nor humanity."

"Then didn't you see the Heart Devil?" Gu Mo pressed. "When I chose nothing, divinity and humanity merged, and that was the Heart Devil. I then defeated and killed it. Although it was only a wisp of the Heart Devil's will, I truly did encounter the Heart Devil!"

Ling Xiao's eyes widened. He pointed at Gu Mo, utterly incredulous. "You... you... are you saying... that after you comprehended divinity and humanity, what emerged from their fusion was the Heart Devil?"

"You didn't know?" Gu Mo asked, puzzled.

Ling Xiao's eyes revealed a clear bewilderment. "I had no idea! I thought it was just a normal 'Heart-Questioning Tribulation,' so I simply remained still and overcame it with sheer willpower... Wait, you also said you... you defeated and killed the Heart Devil?"

Gu Mo nodded. "Yes, otherwise, how could I have woken up so quickly?"

"How is that possible?" Ling Xiao asked, bewildered. "Even if it was just a wisp of the Heart Devil's will, it's still a life form from the Ascension realm. You can't even touch it; how could you possibly kill it?"

Gu Mo pondered for a moment, then a sudden realization struck him. "Tell me, is there a possibility... that my physical body has already reached the Ascension realm?"

Before his words had fully faded, the black and white domain suddenly solidified like iron.

In that instant, a unique, pervasive pressure emanated from him.

In that very instant, Ling Xiao's pupils dramatically constricted. In a dizzying blur, he witnessed Gu Mo's form within the swirling, ink-like energy, twisting as if an ink stick had been plunged into boiling oil. The moment scales and claws erupted from his body, a dragon's head, adorned with cold, golden patterns, tore through the void. Its horns shattered the stagnant light and shadows in mid-air, and within its dragon eyes surged a terrifying power capable of incinerating mountains and boiling seas. A majestic dragon's might surged forth, overwhelming everything!

"A dragon... physical body... Ascension..."

Ling Xiao trembled in terror, immediately turning and fleeing, his form instantly dissolving into nothingness.

In that same instant, an invisible mental domain pressed down like a dome, instantly engulfing the mandala. Ling Xiao's vanished form abruptly rematerialized.

Ling Xiao was filled with terror but forced himself to calm down, thinking, "Physical ascension must be a falsehood. Even if it were real, a physical body is still fundamentally physical; it couldn't possibly harm me!"

However, in that very instant, he discovered a soul entity emerging from Gu Mo's body—his primordial spirit detaching itself. The spirit's silhouette was identical to his physical form, and its eyes burned with soul-scorching fire as it instantly traversed space to appear before Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao's heart pounded with sudden alarm. Hastily, he unleashed mental energy from his palm, and in an instant, torrential black waves churned within the domain. Yet, from the tip of Gu Mo's primordial spirit's finger, a wisp of sword intent materialized, piercing through the waves like an ice-breaking drill, plunging directly into Ling Xiao's chest.

Ling Xiao was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string. The moment he collided with the edge of the domain, transparent ripples exploded from his chest, spreading outwards like shattering glass. His body began to turn ethereal, faint specks of light appearing on his skin, his silhouette flickering in and out of view amidst the glow.

Ling Xiao slumped to the ground, muttering, "You... you're already... in the complete Ascension realm... Ascension... have you knocked on the Heavenly Gate?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly. "I haven't even seen the Heavenly Gate; how could I knock on it?"

"Impossible... You're deceiving me..." Ling Xiao shrieked hysterically. "You can already freely detach and return your soul, which means you've entered the Ascension realm. The Heavenly Gate always manifests automatically for anyone who reaches the Ascension realm. If you didn't successfully knock on it, then you must have already gone mad!"

Gu Mo didn't know how to explain. After all, he had only recently achieved the peak level of the "Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Law" and attained the Demonic Immortal realm, subsequently solidifying his primordial spirit, right after killing Gongsun Jue. In this world, this meant his spiritual power had indeed reached the Ascension realm.

However, even if it were true that reaching the Ascension realm would reveal the Heavenly Gate, there should still be a breakthrough process. He hadn't experienced any breakthrough, so how could the Heavenly Gate have appeared?

"The true Heart Devil cannot be defeated... Then... the Heavenly Gate truly didn't appear? How could the Heavenly Gate not appear? It's impossible; the Heavenly Gate definitely exists, I've seen it before... Why isn't the Heavenly Gate appearing..."

Ling Xiao seemed to be in a trance, his body becoming increasingly illusory.

Immediately,

Gu Mo swiftly activated his spiritual power, enveloping Ling Xiao. Invisible spiritual energy, like a spiderweb, instantly enshrouded him. The air within the domain began to twist and vibrate as countless silver-like spiritual threads pierced and tightly coiled around Ling Xiao's body. In a flash, the entire space violently rotated around Gu Mo, forming an all-consuming spiritual vortex.

Ling Xiao, who had been resigned to his fate, suddenly panicked and cried out, "You... what are you doing... You... Gu Mo..."

Gu Mo's spiritual power materialized into tangible chains, simultaneously shattering the barrier and surging forth like a tide, creating tumultuous waves. Each impact was like a heavy hammer striking Ling Xiao's spiritual will, swiftly dispersing it.

The spiritual chains rotated into a millstone, crushing the scattered spiritual energy layer by layer. Within the black and white domain, crisp sounds like clanging metal and stone reverberated, as a shimmering, glazed spiritual crystal began to condense from the void. Fine Dao patterns appeared on the crystal's surface, resembling rotating constellations or disintegrating ancient scripts, and faint wails subtly seeped from within.

Gu Mo beckoned slightly, and the Taixu Sword flew to him. He chuckled, "The Taixu Sword is just missing a sword spirit. Can't let this go to waste!"

Instantly, Gu Mo integrated the spiritual crystal into the Taixu Sword, employing the 'Seed Demon' technique from the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Law.

The moment the crystal touched the sword's spine, the patterns on the blade suddenly illuminated, absorbing the spiritual essence from the crystal as if alive, flowing across the sword's surface. Soon, the last glimmer of light was fully absorbed into the sword's core.

With a clear clang, a sword cry pierced the void. The Taixu Sword itself levitated and spun, slowly giving birth to a nascent sentience. As the blade vibrated, it emitted a crisp, resonant hum—the spiritual crystal had been refined into a sword soul, completely merging with the Taixu Sword.

Immediately after,

Gu Mo's primordial spirit returned to his body. In that instant, the domain dissipated, and the world regained its original colors as the black and white swiftly receded.

"Brother, what were you doing just now? Why was the Taixu Sword flying around over there?" Gu Chudong ran over and asked.

Gu Mo offered a faint smile.

He knew why Gu Chudong was confused. Their battle and conversation with Ling Xiao had been imperceptible to others; everyone else present had only seen him standing motionless.

"My primordial spirit just left my body and killed Ling Xiao!" Gu Mo explained.

"Primordial spirit out of body!"

Shen Yao, as a Qi cultivator, naturally understood the concept of a primordial spirit leaving the body. He exclaimed in surprise, "Hero Gu, then... Ling Xiao is truly dead!"

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

Although Ling Xiao's divine soul had been fused into the Taixu Sword to become its spirit, Gu Mo had erased Ling Xiao's consciousness, which was indeed equivalent to killing him. Now, only the Taixu Sword's spirit remained, recognizing Gu Mo as its master.

"That's good, that's good..."

Shen Yao collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, and let out a long sigh of relief. He said, "As long as we don't have another so-called 'reincarnated Ling Xiao' appearing in a few decades, that's all that matters!"

Gu Mo chuckled softly and walked towards Zhang Daoyi, who lay gravely wounded and barely breathing after Ling Xiao's attack.

Zhang Daoyi's Great Formless Tribulation Art was the pinnacle of defensive martial arts in the world, yet at that moment, his Formless Tribulation Qi had been utterly dispersed by a single touch from Ling Xiao. Fortunately, Zhang Daoyi's cultivation was profoundly deep; he had immediately protected his vital meridians. Although his injuries were severe, they were not life-threatening.

Gu Mo walked over and immediately tapped him lightly, transferring an enhanced version of Celestial Silkworm True Qi into Zhang Daoyi's meridians.

Immediately, Zhang Daoyi caught his breath and struggled to his feet, then walked towards Zhang Xisu, who lay barely clinging to life amidst the rubble. "Senior Brother..." he began.

Yet, with so much on his mind, he found himself speechless.

Zhang Xisu slowly closed his eyes. "Junior Brother, everyone has their own ambitions, and our philosophies simply diverged. However, Junior Brother, remembering that in the end, I couldn't bring myself to utterly destroy the Heavenly Master's Residence, and even deliberately arranged for most disciples to leave Longhu Mountain to avoid this calamity, please burn my body. Do not allow my corpse to be desecrated, alright?"

Zhang Daoyi nodded slightly.

Zhang Xisu painfully raised a hand to his chest and severed his own heart meridians.

Zhang Daoyi gazed at Zhang Xisu's corpse and couldn't hold back his tears.

For decades, they had been fellow disciples, closer than blood brothers, sharing a meal just that morning. Now, they faced each other in life and death, separated by the realms of yin and yang.

Although Zhang Xisu had been prepared to kill Zhang Daoyi, that single sword strike ultimately failed to sever their decades-long bond.

All this time,

Zhang Daoyi had consistently worried that Longhu Mountain's Grand Luo Tian Offering would turn into a "Grand Luo Tian Laughter." Ultimately, though he survived, the embarrassing truth about Longhu Mountain was exposed: Zhang Xisu, the dignified Head of the Heavenly Master's Residence, had secretly colluded with the Ghost Emissary Gongsun Jue and even staged a shocking act of fratricide during the Grand Luo Tian Offering. This scandal had truly escalated.

However,

Zhang Daoyi no longer had the energy to dwell on whether it was a laughing matter or not. He needed to clean up the current mess.

He needed to provide explanations to the various major sects and deal with the faction of Ling Xiao's followers secretly cultivated by Zhang Xisu within Longhu Mountain. Furthermore, Longhu Mountain was bound to be plunged into chaos by this incident, requiring his personal presence to maintain order, even if heavily injured, he had to endure.

As for Gu Mo,

He had no interest in interfering with Longhu Mountain's affairs, but he was deeply intrigued by the Heart Devil. Regardless of his interest, he knew he needed to find a way to counter it.

After all, the Heart Devil had already issued a challenge, promising to seek him out again. Furthermore, while Gu Mo didn't need to cultivate to break through—he could directly attain what this world called the Ascension realm without encountering the Heavenly Gate or the Heart Devil—that didn't mean the Heavenly Gate and Heart Devil wouldn't eventually come looking for him.

Therefore,

After helping Zhang Daoyi stabilize his injuries, he proposed borrowing access to Longhu Mountain's scripture repository to consult historical texts.

Zhang Daoyi agreed readily.

He immediately arranged for someone to escort Gu Mo to the scripture repository.

The capital city, a market town on its outskirts.

In a small courtyard, deep within its confines, amidst the fragmented golden sunlight filtering through bamboo shadows, Qi Miaoxuan reclined on an ebony lounge chair. His breathing was long and even, clearly indicating he had fallen into a deep sleep.

His aura was peaceful; even the gentle sway of his sleeves in the breeze exuded an air of indolence, as if the world's clamor held no sway over him.

Suddenly—

His brow subtly furrowed, as if an invisible thread had sharply tugged at him. The tremor originated not from external forces, but from deep within his chest. He immediately sat up, pulled open his clothes, and saw a peculiar tattoo glowing faintly on his chest.

He immediately hurried indoors.

He then touched the peculiar tattoo on his chest, channeling a stream of True Qi. Instantly, a dazzling golden light began to emanate, not a sudden burst, but a gentle diffusion, like spring water melting ice. It slowly spread, illuminating his moon-white clothing until it was translucent.

Even more astonishingly, from the center of the golden light, a cold gleam broke through his body—not with the horrifying tearing of flesh, but with the formidable emergence of some ancient, slumbering artifact breaking free from its restraints.

The faint silhouette of a blade tip was slowly "emerging" from his chest.

The blade tip shimmered like gold and jade, radiating an inherent sharpness. Though merely an apparition, it conveyed a sense of power capable of cleaving mountains and severing rivers.

Even stranger, the golden light around the blade tip swirled like mercury, remarkably outlining a powerful, ancient dragon-shaped phantom!

The dragon's body coiled, its scales and claws splayed. Though depicted with only a few strokes of light and shadow, it exuded a world-睥睨 majesty. As the dragon's head lifted, a low yet intensely piercing dragon roar faintly echoed.

Qi Miaoxuan immediately dropped to one knee, bowing and saying, "Your Holiness!"

The dragon-shaped phantom actually spoke in a human voice: "A third dragon may have been born into this world. Investigate this for me."

Qi Miaoxuan swallowed. "My Lord... besides the Azure Dragon and the earthly dragon veins of ancient times, isn't it impossible for another true dragon to be born?"

The dragon-shaped phantom replied placidly, "I do not know. It could be an earthly dragon vein manifesting. I only sensed it for a fleeting moment, and its aura didn't quite match a typical dragon vein. Regardless, whether it's a third dragon or an earthly dragon vein, you are to investigate it thoroughly."

"Yes, this old servant understands." Qi Miaoxuan then asked, "Your Holiness, when will you awaken next?"

"Hmm?" The dragon-shaped phantom responded placidly, "Do I need to inform you when I awaken?"

Qi Miaoxuan quickly clarified, "My Lord misunderstands. Your subordinate merely wishes to ascertain the timing so I can complete your directives before you awaken."

The dragon-shaped phantom slowly stated, "This time, I was unexpectedly awakened by the sensing of a true dragon's emergence. Hmm, barring any further unforeseen events, my next natural awakening should be in two years!"

"Yes, this old servant understands!"

Qi Miaoxuan responded with his head bowed. After a long silence, he looked up to find that the dragon-shaped phantom had vanished.

He looked down at the peculiar tattoo on his chest and slowly channeled a stream of True Qi along its lines. Soon, the tattoo vanished.

A cruel glint then flashed in his eyes as he murmured, "Two years... only two years left. I must accelerate! A dragon? Besides the Azure Dragon and the earthly dragon veins, can there truly be a third dragon in this world?"

Longhu Mountain, the Scripture Repository.

As one of the oldest established powers in the world, Longhu Mountain naturally possessed an immense collection of books. Its scripture repository alone spanned six floors, with an uncountable number of volumes on each.

"Brother, with so many books, how long will it take us to find what we need?"

Gu Chudong looked at the densely packed shelves, overflowing with books and bamboo slips, and instantly felt a wave of despair.

"Heroine Gu, please don't worry," said the Longhu Mountain disciple leading the way. "Hero Gu is looking for books about the legendary Thirteen Taboos. These are all kept together in one section, so it won't be too difficult to find them."

"That's wonderful, truly wonderful!" Gu Chudong let out a long sigh of relief. "I thought we'd have to search through them one by one. If we can go directly to the section, it will be much easier!"

"Hmm..." the Longhu Mountain disciple said with some hesitation. "Well... it's not quite that simple..."

"Didn't you say they were all kept together?" Gu Chudong asked, puzzled.

"They are... indeed kept together... it's just that there are quite a lot of them!"

Gu Chudong waved a dismissive hand. "How many could there possibly be?"

Then,

Before long, Gu Chudong's expression fell.

The Longhu Mountain disciple led her and Gu Mo to the sixth floor, where he pointed to a corner and stated, "Here are thirty-two bookshelves, containing a total of six thousand seven hundred books and two thousand three hundred eighty-two bamboo slips, all related to the legendary Thirteen Taboos!"

Gu Chudong's mouth twitched. "Brother, I want to practice martial arts!"

Gu Mo chuckled softly. Knowing Gu Chudong's aversion to reading, he didn't press her. He waved a hand and said, "Go amuse yourself; I'll take my time and read through these."

Gu Chudong looked conflicted. "Brother, can you really get through all these books by yourself? There are so many!"

"It won't take long."

Gu Mo said no more, simply picking up a book and beginning to flip through its pages.

He read incredibly fast. With his mental power, he could instantly commit any book to memory just by glancing at it. Thus, for him, "reading" was essentially flipping through pages.

However,

He read for three full days and three nights straight, going through two thousand books and hundreds of scrolls. He learned a great deal about the records and legends of the Thirteen Taboos, but