Chapter 290: War God Record

Yu Shier was bound by a majestic spiritual power, like iron chains, and his struggles were futile.

Yu Shier quickly said, "Gu Mo... let's make a deal. Save the Fire Spirit Clan, and I'll tell you about a potential crisis that could lead to the collapse of the Qian Dynasty, as well as the secrets of the Heavenly Principles!"

Gu Mo asked suspiciously, "You know the secrets of the Heavenly Principles?"

Yu Shier replied, "Old Ghost Qi... *ahem*, the old immortal you call him, is an ancient monster who has lived for many years. Because of prolonged suppression, his mind has become quite twisted. He takes pleasure in toying with mortals, enjoying playing various roles to satisfy his eccentric desires. However, deep down, he is incredibly arrogant and conceited. He fancies himself as the Dao of Heaven, believing everything in the world is under his control. So, during our centuries together, I learned many secrets from him, including those concerning the Heavenly Principles."

Yu Shier looked up at Gu Mo and said gravely, "Gu Mo, the reason I've served Old Ghost Qi diligently my entire life isn't because he controlled my spirit and could take my life at any time. It's because he gave me hope – the hope of saving the Fire Spirit Clan and lifting their curse. You certainly won't spare me now, and I don't ask you to. Of course, Old Ghost Qi won't come to save me either; ever since I researched a way for him to control the Fire Qilin's power, I've become dispensable to him. Gu Mo, will you take this deal?"

Gu Mo asked, "How would I help the Fire Spirit Clan?"

Yu Shier exclaimed with delight, "It's simple! I've created a martial art called the Great Spirit Devouring Hand. It's similar in concept to the demonic Taotie Divine Art prevalent in the martial world, but far more refined. While the Taotie Divine Art absorbs others' internal energy for one's own use, my Great Spirit Devouring Hand absorbs the essence of the sun and moon, granting the practitioner an infinite dantian. With your current cultivation level, you could learn it just by looking at it. I also have a Qilin bone that I spent a century carving. Using that bone as a medium and performing the Great Spirit Devouring Hand, you can extract the Qilin's spiritual power from the Fire Spirit Clan members' bodies. After that, they will become ordinary people, no longer suffering from the curse for generations. Furthermore, that Qilin bone is an extraordinary treasure. While it won't be useful to ordinary people after absorbing the Fire Spirit Clan's spiritual energy, it's a tremendous opportunity for your good friend, Ye Jinglan. The concentration of Qilin power in his body isn't very high, but if he refines that Qilin bone, he will definitely advance significantly. If, one day, he can comprehend the secrets of the Heavenly Principles, he might even become a new Qilin in this world."

Gu Mo pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where are these items?"

"Thank you, thank you, Gu Mo!" Yu Shier said excitedly, "The Qilin bone and the Great Spirit Devouring Hand manual are both in the Ghost City beneath Chang'an. There's a place there called Corpse Cocoon Cave. When you purged Ghost City twice, the first time was in Corpse Cocoon Cave, where you killed people like the Laughing Buddha and the Thousand-Faced Performer, who were among the Ten Great Evils. At that time, they were trying to jump into the abyss next to the Corpse Cocoon Cave settlement while being pursued by you, but you intercepted them. I was in Corpse Cocoon Cave the whole time."

Gu Mo's pupils contracted slightly. "So, you were secretly watching while I was fighting there?"

"More than that," Yu Shier said, "I even disguised myself as a minor henchman and interacted with you. One time, I was the one poling the boat for you and Ye Jinglan."

Gu Mo's eyebrow twitched slightly. Given his strength at the time, if he had fought Yu Shier, let alone winning, merely surviving would have been a triumph. By his reckoning, the most perilous moment of his life had been one he hadn't even noticed.

Yu Shier continued, "I've placed both the Qilin bone and the Great Spirit Devouring Hand manual in the abyss. You'll see my dwelling if you go down there. Inside, you'll find many poisonous substances, rare heavenly treasures, and my insights from years of medical research. From what I know, your medical and poison skills are quite formidable, so you might find those items useful if you're interested."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and asked, "So, what exactly are the secrets of the Heavenly Principles?"

Yu Shier explained, "It's simply the path beyond the Ascension Realm. To transcend the Ascension Realm, you need to comprehend the operating principles of the world, to seek the very root and origin. For example, with the Five Elements, you must perceive the rules governing their flow between heaven and earth. The Fire Qilin's Ancestral Flame, for instance, represents the principle of fire's operation in the world. Principles cannot be killed, so you cannot directly touch them. Old Ghost Qi has also grasped these principles; he can draw the Ancestral Flame into his own principle and trap or seal it. In short, it all boils down to essence. You can transform into a dragon, but you only possess its spirit, not its form, because you haven't found the essence of a dragon. Your dragon does not adhere to the principles of heaven and earth."

Gu Mo asked, somewhat puzzled, "Since you know the secrets of the Heavenly Principles, haven't you explored them over these past few centuries?"

"Of course I have," Yu Shier replied. "However, Old Ghost Qi placed a restriction on my spirit. My every action is under his surveillance; he can even perceive my thoughts. Therefore, my explorations were destined to be fruitless."

Gu Mo then asked, "Alright, now tell me, what is the crisis facing the Qian Dynasty?"

"It's one of Old Ghost Qi's games," Yu Shier explained. "When you just activated your domain, you also sensed that my domain utilized the Void Array. I placed a poison bead within that array. This bead is the ultimate source of poison, formed from all the world's exotic toxins, capable of poisoning even a spirit. But while I was making it, Old Ghost Qi suddenly had a whim and asked me to create two—one for me and the other for him to use in a game. He forged a treasure map, scattering fragments across various nations and fabricating false legends, inciting martial arts disputes and sparking a grand treasure hunt across the martial world. He hid that poison bead in Chang'an City; I don't know its exact location. However, his objective isn't just that. The latter half of his plan is to have someone find the poison bead, then detonate it, turning all of Chang'an City into a poisonous wasteland where everyone perishes, becoming an unsolvable historical mystery that will give rise to more stories. And many years later, he will adopt a new identity as a young martial artist, leading people to uncover the secret and initiate a new legend of the martial world. He has played this game many times; he's always impersonating different characters. He probably doesn't even know how many identities he's had."

Gu Mo's eyebrows rose. Qi Miaoxuan certainly had a wanted criminal identity; however, according to the system's rules, it could only record it if Gu Mo knew the specific identity of the wanted person. For instance, when the Grand Proprietor appeared before Gu Mo as 'Mr. Eastern Frontier,' the system recorded the Grand Proprietor as a wanted criminal but not 'Mr. Eastern Frontier,' even though they were the same person. "It seems I need to find Qi Miaoxuan's other aliases!" Gu Mo thought to himself, also somewhat anticipating what level of wanted criminal Qi Miaoxuan's alias might be.

Gu Mo asked, "What's the precise story behind that treasure map?"

Yu Shier replied, "This matter is actually somewhat related to you. You killed Ye Nantian, the leader of the Moon Worship Sect, and many other experts in the Jiang Kingdom, causing the sect to almost completely collapse overnight, plunging it into internal chaos. It was then that Old Ghost Qi slipped a treasure map into the Moon Worship Sect, forging it to appear as the martial legacy of Tie Hanshan, a sect leader from two hundred years ago. He fabricated a legend: whoever collects all eight fragments of the treasure map can find the Hanshan Treasury, which not only contains wealth rivaling an entire nation but also invincible martial arts and the world's strongest divine weapons."

Gu Mo chuckled lightly. This indeed had the strong feel of a martial arts legend; such tales were never scarce in the martial world, and each one always brought with it wave after wave of bloodshed. Just then, a system notification suddenly sounded in Gu Mo's mind: "New target detected. Wanted Target — Tie Hanshan? Mission Level — Nine Stars. Mission Reward — Max-level Holy Heart Art." Upon seeing the Holy Heart Art, Gu Mo felt it was fitting; the reward for slaying an ancient monster who had lived for over a millennium was a martial art created by another such ancient monster. The Holy Heart Art was a martial art that had already transcended the ordinary martial arts level, possessing the abilities of immortality and resurrection, along with techniques like the Four Tribulations of Holy Heart and the Four Holy Heart Secrets, which similarly surpassed conventional martial arts. It also featured special abilities such as Heavenly Palace Mirage, Seven Nothingness Extremes, Carefree Immortal Ascent Step, and Sea-Absorbing Holy Heart Incantation. As for the question mark after Tie Hanshan, Gu Mo understood that the system had detected that Qi Miaoxuan had more than one wanted alias named Tie Hanshan. Otherwise, based solely on the deeds Tie Hanshan committed years ago, he would at most be rated seven stars, like Ye Nantian. After all, the system's wanted level assessment didn't solely consider strength or cultivation; it primarily factored in the impact and severity of the crimes committed by the wanted person. Some individuals committed many evil deeds in secret, but because no one knew, they didn't meet the wanted criteria and weren't recorded.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Gu Mo asked.

Yu Shier shook his head slightly. "Thank... thank you..."

Gu Mo chuckled softly, "You certainly trust me."

Yu Shier replied, "Gu Mo has never gone back on his word. Your character is unquestioned throughout the world."

Gu Mo rested one hand on his sword hilt and said, "In that case, Yu Shier, you must die!"

As his words fell, Gu Mo drew his Taixu Sword. His berserk spiritual power imbued each surge of sword qi. In that instant, Yu Shier's spirit was fragmented, dissolving into nothingness. In that very same moment, a notification echoed in Gu Mo's mind: "Killed an Eight-Star Wanted Criminal. Received Star Reward — Max-level God of War Catalog. Claim?" Gu Mo muttered, "This must be the weakest of the Thirteen Taboos!" Strictly speaking, Yu Shier was certainly not weak, possessing an Ascension Realm spirit along with terrifying poison. However, compared to the other entities among the Thirteen Taboos, he was undeniably weak. Even Jiang Ruoxu, another member of the Thirteen Taboos, was estimated by Gu Mo to be stronger than Yu Shier. According to what Red Robe and the Lutenist understood, Jiang Ruoxu had definitely reached the Ascension Realm, meaning his cultivation was no lower than Yu Shier's. However, Jiang Ruoxu's fighting will and capabilities were exceptionally strong, whereas Yu Shier's combat awareness was not. He primarily relied on poison, and in a direct confrontation, he definitely couldn't compare to Jiang Ruoxu.

However, while Yu Shier's combat power might have ranked him at the bottom among the Thirteen Taboos, his wanted level was remarkably high. After all, he had been responsible for multiple massacres and countless plagues. Immediately, Gu Mo chose to claim the God of War Catalog. In that instant, his sea of consciousness erupted, as if billions of thunderbolts simultaneously exploded deep within his soul. It was not pain, but a euphoric sensation of shattered shackles. His consciousness, like a Kunpeng breaking free from its cage, instantly pierced through the limits of his physical body. The city beneath him abruptly shrank into a speck of dust, the sea of clouds churned like cotton piled by children, and the earth's veins materialized in his awareness—those were subterranean currents of crimson magma, spiritual conduits where verdant qi converged, and mountains and rivers pulsating like the veins of a deity. With a soft *pop*, he seemed to break through a layer of glazed curtain. Time and space twisted into spiraling bands of light before his eyes, and billions of stars flickered in his pupils like breaths. The stars of the heavens erupted in dazzling red light; it wasn't vision, but a "perception"—he "saw" the violent rhythm of fusion within the sun, "heard" the gravitational collapse before galactic explosions, and even "touched" the residual warmth of the universe's dawn contained within interstellar dust. His consciousness, like an unbridled horse, trampled the spiral arms of the galaxy. Nebulae flowed like peacock-blue rivers of light through his "fingertips," and the Sagittarius A* black hole's vortex radiated an abstruse power that consumed all, not darkness, but the ultimate destination of all light and color. He saw countless versions of "himself" in parallel universes. "So that's how it is..." At this moment, Gu Mo suddenly understood the Heavenly Principles that Yu Shier and Qi Miaoxuan had spoken of. The God of War Catalog, with its forty-nine diagrams, each contained a profound martial truth, representing forty-nine ways the world operated—forty-nine martial concepts capable of reaching the Ascension Realm. Any one of them was a profound truth of the world, but if all forty-nine were integrated, one could transcend the Ascension Realm and comprehend the operating principles of the world. "'Heaven and Earth are impartial; they treat all beings as straw dogs!'" At this moment, the principle Gu Mo comprehended was this overarching statement. The meaning of this phrase wasn't the half-baked notion that Heaven and Earth are unkind or indifferent, but rather that Heaven and Earth are objective, neither intentionally benevolent nor intentionally cruel, treating all beings equally, without distinction of kinship, closeness, nobility, or lowliness. Therefore, at this moment, Gu Mo also saw the Heavenly Principles.

The next instant, the domain formed by Gu Mo dissipated, and the ancient city of Huoxu, already turned upside down by the battle, reappeared, ablaze with raging fires everywhere. Gu Mo quickly raised his hand, using the Wind-Calling and Rain-Summoning technique from the Dragon God Art to bring down heavy rain. Then, he activated his ice powers, and in mere moments, the fires in the city were extinguished. At this time, there were many corpses and injured individuals in the city, some soldiers from the army, others from the Fire Spirit Clan. Immediately, Gu Mo transmitted a message to Ye Jinglan outside the city, instructing him to bring his troops in.

Shortly after, the army re-entered the city. Ye Jinglan ran at the forefront, flying to Gu Mo's side and hastily asking, "Brother Gu, what's the situation?"

Gu Mo replied, "The Fire Qilin is dead, the Plague God is dead, and that old immortal Qi Miaoxuan ran off with the Fire Qilin's corpse!"

"Gah!" Ye Jinglan looked utterly dumbfounded.

"I'll explain in detail later," Gu Mo said. "First, quickly take your men to scavenge for valuables in the city. And regarding the Fire Spirit Clan, do not harm them."

"No problem." Immediately, Ye Jinglan led his troops to search the city for treasures and attend to the injured.

Meanwhile, Gu Mo used his spiritual perception and quickly found Yu Shijiu. Yu Shijiu was fortunate; although severely wounded, he was still alive. Previously, all members of the Fire Spirit Clan had been manipulated by the Fire Qilin into a Qilin shock formation. Although successful, more than half of them had been killed, leaving only over a hundred survivors. However, the Fire Spirit Clan possessed a unique advantage: as long as they weren't instantly killed, even severe internal injuries could heal naturally. After the Fire Qilin was slain, they recovered from their frenzied state and all returned to Fire Spirit Village. However, the Void Array was severely damaged at this point. Although Fire Spirit Village still existed between reality and illusion, it no longer offered much concealment. Thus, the more than hundred surviving Fire Spirit Clan members stood nervously at the village entrance, armed with various weapons. Gu Mo took a step forward and entered Fire Spirit Village.

Upon seeing Gu Mo, Yu Shijiu breathed a slight sigh of relief and asked, "Great Hero Gu, is there still a future for our Fire Spirit Clan?"

Gu Mo smiled faintly. "I know the history of the Fire Spirit Clan. Your ancestors were great individuals, and your clan has contributed to the human world. I'm here now to tell you that if you can repair the Void Array, you should do so. Before he died, Yu Shier entrusted me with lifting your clan's curse. I will return soon. In the meantime, your clan members should discuss among yourselves who wishes to have the curse removed. When I return, I will help you lift it. At the same time, I can also help you find a place to live, so you can lead normal lives from now on."

Yu Shijiu knelt down with a "thud" before Gu Mo, kowtowing deeply. "Thank you, Great Hero Gu! Our Fire Spirit Clan will never forget this kindness!"

"You don't need to remember my kindness," Gu Mo said. "Shijiu, I'm helping your clan because I made a deal with Yu Shier. So, neither you nor the Fire Spirit Clan owe me anything."

Gu Mo slightly raised his hand, pulling Yu Shijiu to his feet. "Shijiu, from now on, you can pursue your own life!"

With that, Gu Mo turned and left, returning to the ancient city of Huoxu.

Ye Jinglan was leading the army, searching for treasures within the ancient city, while Gu Mo, riding his Taixu Flying Sword, flew towards Chang'an. Once again, he familiarly entered the underground Ghost City, went to Corpse Cocoon Cave, and found Yu Shier's dwelling. Inside, as Yu Shier had described, there were indeed numerous priceless heavenly treasures and a vast array of poisons. However, Gu Mo couldn't take everything immediately, so he only retrieved the Qilin bone and the Great Spirit Devouring Hand manual. He then left a spiritual power seal to secure Yu Shier's residence before swiftly returning to Mobei on his flying sword.

On his way back, Gu Mo, flying through the void, began to peruse the Great Spirit Devouring Hand manual. Indeed, as Yu Shier had claimed, with Gu Mo's current martial arts realm, he could learn such a technique merely by glancing at it.

Afterwards, Gu Mo did not immediately return to the ancient city of Huoxu but instead made a trip to the Mobei Six Doors. The current commander of the Mobei Six Doors was Chen Xiuyuan. He had been forcefully promoted by Zhuo Qingfeng before his departure. Chen Xiuyuan was originally just a regular officer in the Mobei Six Doors. Fortunately, when Gu Mo first came to Mobei, Zhuo Qingfeng assigned Chen Xiuyuan as Gu Mo's guide. After following Gu Mo for a period, he accumulated many great merits, instantly rising through the ranks. Even in his fifties, he experienced a dramatic late bloomer's success story. Gu Mo found Chen Xiuyuan and instructed him to locate an uninhabited village to settle the Fire Spirit Clan members. Such abandoned villages were common in Mobei, and Chen Xiuyuan quickly found a suitable one, personally leading his men to make the arrangements. Immediately after, Gu Mo returned to the ancient city of Huoxu.

Three days later, the area where the ancient city of Huoxu stood was once again engulfed in yellow dust, swept by a sandstorm. The city slowly sank back into the earth, vanishing from sight. On a distant hillside, Ye Jinglan and Gu Mo stood together, while nearby, the army slowly departed, carriages forming a long procession, signaling Ye Jinglan's highly successful search for treasures within Huoxu Ancient City. Gazing at the gradually disappearing city, Ye Jinglan remarked, "The Void Array has been destroyed. I fear that after sinking this time, the Huoxu ruins will never reappear, will they?"

Gu Mo replied, "It shouldn't have appeared in the first place; each appearance caused quite a stir. Besides, now that its treasures have been thoroughly plundered, whether it appears again or not doesn't matter much."

A faint smile appeared on Ye Jinglan's face as he said, "At least we haven't failed His Majesty's trust. The wealth recovered from Huoxu Ancient City this time is enough to support the front lines for at least half a year, allowing the people at home to breathe a little easier."

"They won't get a break," Gu Mo said, shaking his head slightly. "As long as the war continues, taxes will burden the common folk so heavily they can't straighten their backs."

Ye Jinglan fell silent for a moment.

Gu Mo held out a translucent bone, a foot long and as thick as a bowl's mouth, to Ye Jinglan. "This is a Qilin's spine bone. As you can see, over the past few days, I've transferred all the spiritual energy from the Fire Spirit Clan members' bodies into this bone. Spend some time refining it; it should help you advance to the next level."

Ye Jinglan took the Qilin bone and said, "I won't be modest then. I originally cooperated with Qi Miaoxuan because I sought power, and I truly cannot refuse this."

Gu Mo smiled faintly. "Remember to come find me for a fight when the time comes."

Ye Jinglan's mouth twitched. "Do you have to be like this? I merely had a limited perspective; do you have to keep bringing it up and mock me at every opportunity?"

Gu Mo teased, "Isn't this just fulfilling your wish to spar with me?"

"I feel like you just want an excuse to beat me up." Ye Jinglan pursed his lips. He now fully understood that while his strength was indeed formidable, it remained a mortal power. Gu Mo and Qi Miaoxuan, however, were on an entirely different level. Talk of sparring with them was simply asking for a beating.

"Hey," Ye Jinglan said, "it seems some of the Fire Spirit Clan members didn't come out?"

Gu Mo nodded. "There are about a dozen of them, all over a hundred years old. They're unwilling to come out and face this world, and besides, they're too old. If their spiritual power is removed, they probably wouldn't survive more than a few days."

Ye Jinglan softly asked, "Do you think the Fire Spirit Clan members will regret this choice in the future? After all, if they become ordinary people, they'll suffer from illness and injury, and their lifespans will be shortened."

"I don't know," Gu Mo shook his head. "But Yu Shijiu certainly won't regret it!"

"That boy," Ye Jinglan chuckled lightly, "he will definitely become a top-tier swordsman in the future."

Gu Mo said, "He'll be swamped for a while. The Fire Spirit Clan has always been isolated from the world, pure-minded and ignorant of external affairs, all like children. Yu Shijiu will have his hands full!"

Ye Jinglan grinned, but a hint of worry clouded his brow. "I'm a bit concerned whether that old fox Qi Miaoxuan might have tampered with me!"

Gu Mo replied, "Don't worry, he hasn't."

"So sure? Is he worried I'd find out?"

"No, it's that he doesn't think much of you."

Ye Jinglan was speechless.

Gu Mo smiled, his pupils contracting slightly. "What I want to know more now is whether that old man has managed to contend with the remnant Azure Dragon soul within him."

"Dragon soul?" Ye Jinglan asked, puzzled.

Gu Mo explained, "Before, Bai Yujing mistook me for the remnant Azure Dragon soul. And when I fought Qi Miaoxuan, a dragon's might emerged from his blade. We can basically deduce that Qi Miaoxuan is a servant of that dragon soul, probably resentful, and thus plotting to use the Fire Qilin's power to counter the Azure Dragon—a slave devouring its master!"