Chapter 283: Forbidden, Forbidden

Gu Mo rode his flying sword through the clouds, quickly covering nearly a hundred miles. Looking down, he spotted a small boat sailing on the sea and immediately dived towards it.

Two figures were seated cross-legged on the boat: the First Island Master and Second Island Master, now known as Hongyi and Qingshi.

Gu Mo landed on the boat, and his Taixu Sword flew back into its sheath. Hongyi and Qingshi quickly rose and bowed respectfully.

Gu Mo waved his hand slightly. Looking at the turbulent sea, he suddenly recalled the sea beast he had seen three months ago when he first arrived at Penglai Island. Noticing its absence today, he asked, "Do you know what that sea beast is? And where is it now?"

Although Hongyi and Qingshi were now his puppet demon slaves, they still retained their independent consciousness and memories. The Dao Heart Seed Demon Grand Law differed from typical puppetry; it planted a mark that subtly transformed the subject into the controller's puppet. While the marked individual maintained autonomous thought, their inner self implicitly pledged loyalty to the controller, leading to a thought assimilation. It was akin to a sophisticated robot whose hardware and external appearance remained unchanged, but whose control system had been entirely replaced.

Hongyi cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting, Master, that was a sea python. It was modified by Bai Yujing, incorporating human consciousness, as part of Bai Yujing's Project Monster Creation. It was the only successful one so far, and it ran off with Xiaobai half a day ago."

"Project Monster Creation? What is that?" Gu Mo asked.

Hongyi explained, "Bai Yujing needs to strengthen itself. For thousands of years, although it has controlled the primordial spirits of many human geniuses, human thought and consciousness have developed continuously without restriction. However, in terms of cultivation, progress has almost stagnated for the past seven hundred years. Therefore, Bai Yujing attempted to forge a completely new cultivation path: the beast-to-monster cultivation route. This is its Project Monster Creation."

Gu Mo nodded slightly. He naturally understood why cultivation had been restricted: a Heart Demon had appeared seven hundred years ago, blocking the Heavenly Gate and preventing human cultivators from ascending beyond the Ascension Realm. Consequently, progress in cultivation had become exceedingly difficult. However, Gu Mo wondered, "Isn't there a Heaven Realm above the Ascension Realm? Surely, the Heaven Realm has cultivation methods beyond that level. Can Bai Yujing not reach the Heaven Realm? Can it not defeat the Heart Demon?"

Hongyi replied, "It cannot defeat the Heart Demon, nor can it reach the Heaven Realm. Master, Bai Yujing is not truly powerful; all its knowledge and abilities are derived from the human primordial spirits it controls. Theoretically, its upper limit is defined by the strongest human embodiment it creates. Before today, I was actually the limit of Bai Yujing's power and capabilities in the human realm. However, with its innate abilities and life-level enhancements, it would certainly not be weaker than the Heart Demon, but it cannot act directly. Bai Yujing is an entity without a fixed upper limit. Theoretically, the strength of the human forms it creates depends entirely on its knowledge and consciousness. The reason I was defeated by you today is that your mastery of martial arts has surpassed the current limits of the human realm, thereby exceeding Bai Yujing's understanding."

Gu Mo suddenly realized, "So that's why Master Liansheng said Bai Yujing would definitely target me."

Hongyi nodded, "Yes. What Bai Yujing seeks is to constantly break through its limits. Now, you are the strongest in the human realm, and you have surpassed the limits of its understanding. Once it devours your primordial spirit, it can continuously deduce and transform your current realm into a common one in the human world. In this scenario, more and more people reaching your realm would become its nourishment. It could then synthesize this, further enhancing its inherent abilities. Perhaps in ten years, or a hundred, another prodigy would emerge, advancing beyond your current realm, leading to an entirely new state of being."

Gu Mo said, "There are two illogical points here. First, no matter how much humanity advances, it cannot bypass the Ascension Realm, and the existence of the Heaven Realm is predicated on the Ascension Realm. We don't know what level the Heaven Realm has reached by now, so what's the point of Bai Yujing still messing around in the human realm? Second, according to this, Bai Yujing will always be one step behind, always needing someone to surpass its understanding to elevate it. If it can't deal with me, won't it ever be able to surpass me? How can it still aspire to become the Dao of Heaven?"

Hongyi shook his head slightly and said, "Master, in my memory, I once accessed information Bai Yujing obtained. That information came from Dragon Tiger Mountain, left by the only recorded person in the human realm who successfully ascended to the Heaven Realm and returned. That person left a message: 'Do not ascend, the Immortal Realm is fake.' This piece of information was analyzed for many years within Bai Yujing's consciousness, eventually leading to a possibility: that the so-called Immortal Realm or Heavenly Gate might just be another high-level life form, similar to Bai Yujing itself."

Gu Mo was astonished. "Are you saying that the Heavenly Gate could very well be a lie, merely an entity like the Heart Demon or Bai Yujing, specifically preying on ascenders or deceiving people into ascending for other purposes, with no 'Immortal Realm' existing at all?"

Hongyi nodded slightly and said, "Bai Yujing originally had this speculation, and after today's confrontation with you, it has been further validated. The Heavenly Gate must have sensed that you are possibly the reincarnation of the Azure Dragon's soul, which doesn't meet its criteria. That's why it didn't even appear when you broke through to the Ascension Realm. While we cannot deduce the Heavenly Gate's purpose, it largely proves that the Heavenly Gate should be conscious. Furthermore, the fact that only the primordial spirit ascends in the Ascension Realm, but not the physical body, is inherently illogical. Therefore, Bai Yujing's continued development in the human realm makes perfect sense."

Gu Mo's pupils constricted, and he shook his head with growing emotion. "This world runs deep!"

Hongyi continued, "As for your second question, about Bai Yujing always being one step behind, that's inaccurate. The one that's a step behind can only be the human embodiment created by Bai Yujing. Bai Yujing itself doesn't change; what it needs to strengthen are only its cognition and consciousness. Its power and innate abilities are fixed. If, one day, the human embodiment it creates surpasses all humans, then it will become the Dao of Heaven. When Bai Yujing's human embodiments are first born, they are less intelligent than even a human with intellectual disabilities. Then, they continuously progress. Until I came into existence over three hundred years ago, I had already caught up to the peak of human capabilities in all aspects. Bai Yujing's true form is even more terrifying; it has controlled the primordial spirits of numerous top-tier geniuses to perform deductions for it. Once any secret manual appears in the human realm, as long as it observes it, it can instantly deduce a more perfect and advanced version. Therefore, theoretically speaking, no matter how powerful a human cultivator is, they can only defeat Bai Yujing's human embodiment, but never Bai Yujing itself. In fact, they don't even know where Bai Yujing is or what it truly is."

After hearing all that Hongyi said, Gu Mo understood Bai Yujing much better. After much thought, he concluded that to deal with Bai Yujing, he might indeed have to wait for Master Liansheng to restore the Samsara Mirror. After all, the Samsara Mirror was also a mysterious, non-human item, just like Bai Yujing.

"Oh," Gu Mo asked, "What did you mean earlier when you said you were Bai Yujing's most perfect human embodiment before today? Has a more perfect embodiment been created today?"

Hongyi replied, "Yes, Master, it's Xiaobai, the one who took the sea beast away. You shouldn't think of Bai Yujing's human embodiments as actual humans; they are all puppets. And the more advanced the puppet, the stronger its consciousness. From the moment of her creation, Xiaobai almost perfectly inherited Yu Jinghong's primordial spirit and will. Her consciousness then became increasingly flawless, even developing an awareness of resisting and understanding Bai Yujing. For humans, such consciousness is common and simple, but for Bai Yujing's human embodiments, it's an extraordinary and significant breakthrough. I have existed for several hundred years and never developed such awareness."

Gu Mo could understand the magnitude of this breakthrough in consciousness for a human embodiment. It was akin to robots in his previous world developing an awareness of resisting their programming, which would have a significant impact on the world.

Hongyi continued, "Bai Yujing is very pleased to see this phenomenon. It has always believed that its human embodiments, apart from their consciousness, are exceedingly perfect and far superior to humans. Now that Xiaobai has developed a consciousness no weaker than a human's, her development speed will undoubtedly be thousands of times faster than that of humans. Therefore, Bai Yujing has always known what Xiaobai was doing but never stopped her. Instead, it actively encouraged Xiaobai's rebellious consciousness. Later, Xiaobai secretly left the island once, and upon her return, her consciousness became even more perfect. She even allied with Jiang Ruoxu and entered the forbidden area. The forbidden area has actually existed for many years, but Xiaobai is the first human embodiment to enter it. She will acquire a significant portion of Bai Yujing's abilities, and naturally, I am no longer Bai Yujing's most perfect human embodiment. Xiaobai far surpasses me; she will forge a path I cannot comprehend. She certainly won't build another Penglai Island, but rather create something faster and more capable of strengthening Bai Yujing than Penglai Island."

A trace of solemnity flickered in Gu Mo's eyes. He feared no enemy, no matter how powerful, but an opponent that wasn't human was exceedingly troublesome. However, he wasn't afraid. After all, his trump card wasn't human either!

"So, is Jiang Ruoxu with Xiaobai?" Gu Mo asked.

"No," Hongyi replied. "Before Xiaobai superseded my authority over Bai Yujing, I could sense any disturbance on Penglai Island. When Xiaobai and Jiang Ruoxu entered the forbidden area, Jiang Ruoxu must have realized the connection between Xiaobai, Penglai Island, and Bai Yujing. He immediately fled and hid in the sea. However, I am no longer Bai Yujing's human embodiment, so I cannot obtain new information from Bai Yujing and cannot track Jiang Ruoxu's current whereabouts."

Gu Mo nodded. "Never mind that for now. Let's head back first."

The East Sea was vast and boundless, with surging waves.

Penglai Island rapidly sank. Many experts from various professions and countries stood on the large ship, quietly watching, their hearts heavy. In the hearts of those present, Penglai Island held profound respect. As the universally recognized sacred land of cultivation, Penglai Island had many legends circulating throughout all nations, both among martial artists and common folk. Now, it had simply vanished. Most importantly, it left those present with a heavy burden, as restrictive seals were still planted within their primordial spirits. Penglai Island was gone, but Bai Yujing remained, an enigmatic entity that even Gu Mo, the world's strongest contemporary, was helpless against.

As the large ship sailed swiftly, the last trace of Penglai Island vanished from sight. Everyone returned to their respective quarters. Fortunately, among the group were several masters of mechanical arts, who could easily control the ship's rudder for navigation.

Su Qianqiu's room was next to Master Liansheng's. As they walked together, Su Qianqiu couldn't help but say, "Hey, Monk, make sure you keep the matter of those seals in mind! And don't you dare find a way to lift them without telling us!"

Master Liansheng chuckled softly, "Rest assured, Old Sword God Su, this humble monk would never do such a thing. When the time comes, you'll be the first to know."

"That's good," Su Qianqiu nodded, then suddenly added, "Hey, do you think Gu Mo's mystical reputation has been broken? The jianghu says no wanted criminal targeted by Gu Mo can escape his grasp, but Jiang Ruoxu got away, didn't he?"

Master Liansheng chuckled, "Not necessarily. After all, Grandmaster Gu hasn't announced he's given up, and Jiang Ruoxu isn't dead yet. Jianghu rumors don't say Grandmaster Gu must succeed on his first try, do they?"

"That makes sense too," Su Qianqiu said. "Do you think if Bai Yujing ever became a wanted criminal, it would also fall into Gu Mo's hands?"

"That, we cannot know."

As they chatted, they arrived outside their rooms. Master Liansheng bowed to Su Qianqiu in farewell, then pushed open his door and entered his room.

After entering, Master Liansheng closed the door behind him and took out a sutra from his robe, preparing to read it. But after just two steps, he suddenly noticed a sword on the table, a heavy, blunted sword about four feet long, slightly rusted. Upon seeing the sword, a strange glint flashed in Master Liansheng's eyes, and he mumbled, "Oh dear, my mind... I suddenly remembered something I haven't done yet..." As he spoke, he turned to open the door.

But just as he turned, a voice said, "Liansheng, stop pretending. I know you recognized me. Do you think you can escape from me, or do you believe there's anyone on this ship who can stop me?"

Master Liansheng's body stiffened. He slowly turned his head, a stiff smile appearing on his face, and saw a wisp of smoke slowly drift out of the blunted heavy sword, quickly coalescing into a human figure—Jiang Ruoxu.

Jiang Ruoxu smiled and said, "Was it twenty-nine or twenty-eight years ago? I went to Great Bright Temple to challenge Master Xuanming. I saw you in the temple that day. You were very young then, with a spirited fearlessness, seeking to debate with me. Although you ultimately lost, you left a deep impression on me. I judged that you would achieve extraordinary things, and it seems I was not mistaken."

Master Liansheng put his palms together and bowed, saying, "This humble monk has never forgotten Old Senior Jiang's sincere teachings from back then and has benefited greatly."

"Benefited how?" Jiang Ruoxu asked with interest.

Master Liansheng replied, "When Old Senior pressed this humble monk to the ground and pummeled him back then, this humble monk suddenly realized that Buddhist dharma is divided into 'mouth dharma' and 'fist dharma.' Mouth dharma is Hinayana Buddhism, while fist dharma is Mahayana Buddhism."

Jiang Ruoxu chuckled, "Very good, very good. As expected of a natural Buddha child, you possess great Buddhist nature. Your future is limitless; your achievements will surely be high."

Master Liansheng let out a sigh of relief. "It seems Old Senior Jiang isn't here to kill me."

Jiang Ruoxu waved his hand. "I have no grudge against you, so why would I kill you?"

Master Liansheng said, "According to rough estimates, no fewer than a hundred thousand people died by your hand, Old Senior Jiang, back then. Many of them also had no grudge against you."

Jiang Ruoxu said, "I was demonized back then. Alright, I won't waste more words with you, young monk. I'm here today to ask you to do one thing for me: remove the seal Bai Yujing planted in my primordial spirit."

Master Liansheng hastily said, "Old Senior Jiang, this humble monk does have a direction, but time is short, and I haven't yet..."

"Enough," Jiang Ruoxu waved his hand. "Those words are good enough to fool others, but don't try them on me. Although I didn't show myself on the island today, I was also searching for Bai Yujing while Gu Mo was fighting it. By chance, I detected the energy of the Samsara Mirror. Bai Yujing lost control, causing everyone on Penglai Island to instantly lose consciousness. If I'm not mistaken, that was your doing with the Samsara Mirror. Given this, the Samsara Mirror slightly prevailed in its clash with Bai Yujing. Therefore, you must have a way to lift Bai Yujing's energy seal."

Master Liansheng said, "Old Senior Jiang, you've misunderstood. I don't know anything about a Samsara Mirror..."

Jiang Ruoxu said gravely, "You don't need to worry that I covet your Samsara Mirror. If I did, I would have taken it when I went to Great Bright Temple years ago. I saw the Samsara Mirror at Great Bright Temple under Master Xuanming's guidance. It is a divine artifact that chooses its own master, and I disdain to seize it by force." With that, Jiang Ruoxu slightly raised his eyelids and said coldly, "Liansheng, I won't say it a second time. The lives of everyone on this ship, as well as the thousands of monks at your Great Bright Temple, rest on your decision. If you are determined not to help me, then I will commence a massacre."

Master Liansheng sighed softly and said, "Old Senior Jiang, if you pressure me like this, aren't you afraid that this humble monk might use the pretext of lifting the seal to play some other tricks on you?"

Jiang Ruoxu calmly stated, "If you dare to do it, I'll admire you. If you succeed, I'll admire you even more. However, if you fail, no matter. Everyone at Great Bright Temple will be buried with you; you won't be alone."

Master Liansheng said helplessly, "Actually, Bai Yujing's sealing technique isn't particularly sophisticated. As long as the correct sequence of seal patterns is found, it can be lifted. The real difficulty lies in Bai Yujing's energy, which is neither true qi nor elemental qi; it's formless and intangible, requiring the auxiliary energy of the Samsara Mirror to be broken." As he spoke, Master Liansheng pointed a finger at Jiang Ruoxu's forehead, and a peculiar energy instantly entered.

Liansheng's face instantly turned pale, and he staggered back a couple of steps before sitting on the bed. "Old Senior Jiang," he said, "this is the energy of the Samsara Mirror. You can see the seal, so naturally, you can figure out the sequence of the seal patterns. You can slowly remove it yourself. That way, you'll be at ease, won't you?"

"Quite simple, isn't it?" Jiang Ruoxu said. "If I had known earlier that the Samsara Mirror could suppress Bai Yujing, why would I have gone through such a roundabout way?"

Liansheng chuckled, "If you hadn't witnessed the Samsara Mirror suppressing Bai Yujing today, would you have believed it? Would you have dared to stir the grass and alert the snake?"

"True enough."

Jiang Ruoxu closed his eyes briefly. Soon, he opened them and said, "I owe you a favor. I will repay you when I have the chance."

Liansheng said, "This favor is unnecessary. I only hope Old Senior Jiang will conduct himself well and not fall into the demonic path again for the sake of pursuing power."

Jiang Ruoxu said gravely, "Young monk, do you think the calamity I brought upon humanity by pursuing power was greater, or is the harm caused by non-human entities like the Heart Demon and Bai Yujing enslaving humanity greater?"

Liansheng replied, "Both are significant."

"Then if I pursue power to kill the Heart Demon and eliminate Bai Yujing, wouldn't that offset my karmic debt?"

Jiang Ruoxu chuckled softly, transforming into a wisp of smoke that merged into the heavy sword. Immediately, the heavy sword transformed into a streak of light and flew out the window, leaving behind one last sentence:

"One human taboo, Jiang Ruoxu, is enough for the world."

In a deep abyss of the East Sea.

A massive black python was coiling, stirring up colossal waves and churning rocks on the seabed. But upon closer inspection, a young woman was seated cross-legged on the python's head — it was Xiaobai.

Xiaobai suddenly opened her eyes. Without speaking aloud, she projected a voice: "Jiang Ruoxu's seal has been lifted. It must have been that monk who used the Samsara Mirror."

The giant python opened its mouth and spoke in a human voice, "Gu Mo can also lift seals."

Xiaobai said, "If Gu Mo had met Jiang Ruoxu, he wouldn't have helped lift the seal; he would have tried to kill Jiang Ruoxu."

"Who is stronger between them?" the python asked.

Xiaobai replied, "Gu Mo is definitely stronger. Jiang Ruoxu pushed human power to its extreme, but Gu Mo has already broken through those limits. Otherwise, I wouldn't have you hiding here at the bottom of the sea. Who do you think I'm hiding from? I'm hiding from Gu Mo. That guy can transform into a dragon; once he finds us, even flying through the sky or escaping through water will be useless."

The python asked, "How long will it take you to kill him? He's a dragon. If I devour him, I can replace him and become the world's new dragon."

Xiaobai thought for a moment and said, "If the plan goes smoothly, I'll catch up to him within a year and can kill him within three years at most. However, I'll need your help."

"Help with what?" the python asked, delighted.

Xiaobai said, "The authority I've now received from Bai Yujing is much stronger than the First Island Master's. His way of thinking is too limited, too slow. We can absolutely cooperate with human dynasties. The First Island Master doesn't understand the power of human authority. Power can provide us with a continuous stream of primordial spirits. Then, step by step, we can control an entire dynasty. Think about it: how many people does one Penglai Island have, and how much can they achieve? A dynasty, a unified dynasty, can integrate the power of tens of millions of Penglai Islands! Therefore, I need your help to find the whereabouts of the Black Tortoise. Only the Black Tortoise in this world can locate dragon veins, and finding a dragon vein means I can help anyone unify the world. The Black Tortoise has always hidden in the abyssal depths of the ocean, so you are best suited to search for it."

The python said gravely, "Very well."

Xiaobai was silent for a moment, then said, "Stay in this sea for three more days. After that, take me ashore. I need to find the most suitable candidate. Our first stop will be the Qian Kingdom. I was born with Yu Jinghong's primordial spirit characteristics, and she was from the Qian Kingdom. If possible, let the Qian Kingdom unify the world!"

Qian Kingdom, Imperial Palace, capital city.

Ye Jinglan was being led by a eunuch to the imperial study.

Ye Jinglan bowed, "Your humble servant, Ye Jinglan, greets Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities."

The Qian Emperor rose, holding a booklet which he handed to Ye Jinglan. He said, "This contains a meticulously selected list of helpers for you. Besides gathering three thousand elite soldiers from Hong, Qing, and Yun Prefectures, every person on this list has been personally chosen by me from various regions for their specific talents, such as grave robbers, geomancers, and so on. Furthermore, regarding military strength, I have drawn a hundred masters from various factions—the Six Doors, military camps, the Night Division, and others—for your command. At least ten of them possess Grandmaster-level combat power, and the rest are all top-tier experts. This expedition will be extremely costly, my dear minister, as you know. The Jiang Kingdom is currently engaged in continuous warfare, the national treasury is depleted, and local finances are also very strained. This is already the largest scale I can secure for you at present; it's practically a fight to the death!"

Ye Jinglan cupped his hands and said, "Your humble servant will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust. I will find the treasure left by the Huoxu Kingdom and resolve the Great Qian's urgent need to replenish its empty treasury!"

The Qian Emperor gripped Ye Jinglan's hand and said gravely, "My dear Minister Ye, the Huoxu ruins—the court has actually attempted to explore them before, but all attempts ended in failure, each time incurring heavy losses. It is an extremely dangerous place. Therefore, remember this: if the task proves impossible, give up. You must return alive to me, do you understand? The treasure of the Huoxu ruins is very important and can indeed solve our immediate crisis, but you, Ye Jinglan, are just as important to me and to the Qian Kingdom!"

Ye Jinglan said gravely, "Your Majesty..."

The Qian Emperor tightly clasped Ye Jinglan's hand and said, "My dear Minister Ye, the Qian Kingdom's situation has become extremely dire. I will make this clear to you today: if the Qian Kingdom is defeated on the Jiang battlefield, I will personally lead the imperial expedition. I will establish the second prince as Crown Prince, and you must protect his safety. In a sense, the survival of the Qian Kingdom will depend on you. Therefore, you are truly important. If the task is impossible, you must return!"

Ye Jinglan gripped the Qian Emperor's hand and said, "Your humble servant obeys the imperial decree!"

"This is not a decree; it is a plea."

After leaving the imperial palace, Ye Jinglan went directly to the courtyard in the capital's outskirts where Qi Miaoxuan resided.

Qi Miaoxuan was sitting indoors, warming herself by a fire and reading a book. Ye Jinglan had always considered Qi Miaoxuan's act of warming herself by the fire as utterly pointless, but he was used to it by now. He walked straight in and said, "Everything is ready. We depart for Mobei in three days."

Qi Miaoxuan nodded. "You handled this matter quite well."

Ye Jinglan said gravely, "Is there really treasure in the Huoxu ruins?"

Qi Miaoxuan looked surprised. "Why are you concerned about that? Have you forgotten that your original purpose for coming to the capital to serve as an official was to wait for the right moment to use the imperial army to help me break open the Huoxu ruins? Does it matter whether there's treasure inside?"

Ye Jinglan said gravely, "It matters, it matters greatly."

Qi Miaoxuan stared at Ye Jinglan for a while, then said, "Yes, and quite a lot. Although the Huoxu Kingdom was a small country back then, it accumulated considerable wealth over several centuries, enough to sustain the Qian Kingdom for another year of war."

"That's good then." Ye Jinglan let out a slight sigh of relief and asked, "So, besides helping you break through the great formation of the Huoxu ruins, what else do you need me to do?"

Qi Miaoxuan said, "That's enough. Your biggest purpose for me was for my experiment on you to succeed. As for anything else, honestly, do you think assembling an army to break open the Huoxu ruins would be difficult for someone who has lived for several hundred years? It's just that the time has never been right." At this point, Qi Miaoxuan paused, then added, "Oh, right. If there's any unexpected situation, like that beast luckily escaping, you'll have to help me stop it. Other than that, it seems there's really no other use for you."

Ye Jinglan frowned. "I suspect you also intend for the army to help you draw the Plague God's attacks, don't you?"

Qi Miaoxuan stared at Ye Jinglan. "Someone has to die, don't they? Don't you want the treasure anymore?"

Ye Jinglan remained silent.