Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 217 Too Much Calculation
Amano Kusa collapsed to the ground, her face buried in the soil, her plain white undergarment covered in dust, her whole body exuding a strong aura of destruction and death.

Gao Wu sheathed his sword and also put away the Crimson Flame Flying Dragon Armor. He glanced at the Seven Laws Divine Robe in his hand, which looked like a piece of plain white silk, but was actually only three or four meters long.

It felt both smooth and textured like silk, and most importantly, it was incredibly durable. With his limited knowledge, he couldn't identify what material it was.

The key point is that Amano Kusanagi's smile was eerie as she died, and her words were even more frightening. A plain white cloth sash as a gift—it just doesn't look good!
The Book of Immeasurable Merits has added more than 30 million merits, bringing the total number to more than 60 million.

However, all 30 million merits were provided by Kitano An and Tanaka Shun.

The newly deceased Amano grass did not contribute any merit.

The Book of Immeasurable Merit doesn't specify the source of merit, but this display is real-time. After Amano Kusanagi died, the Book of Immeasurable Merit showed no reaction whatsoever…

How could a powerful and loyal follower of a demonic cult never commit a single evil deed? That's clearly impossible.

Even though Amano Kusanagi focuses solely on martial arts and never kills anyone, she still needs to perform a blood sacrifice after receiving powerful divine assistance.

How could it possibly be truly pure and flawless?!
The only explanation is that Amano Kusanagi didn't die. So, this body is just a clone of Amano Kusanagi?
With modern biotechnology, regenerating one's own body using cells is not difficult. The problem is that the acupoints that martial artists condense are not real organs, so replicating the body can only preserve the most basic physical attributes of the martial artist.

Another crucial issue is that even if you copy a body, you can't transfer the soul.

With the flourishing of martial arts, the strong have gained a deep understanding of consciousness, spirituality, and the soul.

As things stand, the soul and the human body are one and inseparable. Upon reaching the seventh level of Martial King, consciousness can be transferred to the Martial God Form.

However, the Divine Image of Martial Arts cannot exist stably for long. Once the physical body is abandoned, even the most powerful martial artist's life will begin its countdown.

Gao Wu couldn't figure out the reason for this at the moment, but it wasn't a big deal. At worst, he could just kill Amano Kusanagi a few more times.

He was very confident in this, and now he had accumulated more than 60 million merits. As long as he killed some more demon god believers, it would not be difficult for him to accumulate 100 million merits.

Once the Qilin Divine Hero Mantra is upgraded, the Heavenly Dragon Secret Sword will be forged with ease, and becoming a martial arts grandmaster will not be difficult.

With a little effort, reaching the King rank next year isn't entirely out of the question...

Gao Wu glanced at the Book of Boundless Merit. The Heavenly Wild Grass Blade Technique was superb. The fierce battle between the two sides had brought his Heavenly Dragon Secret Sword to the limit of mastery, just a little bit away from minor success.

Although there was no breakthrough in terms of level, it was still a great improvement.

This is the Heavenly Dragon Secret Sword, personally passed down by the Sword Saint. It is ten or even a hundred times more complex and profound than all the secret techniques and martial arts he has ever learned combined.

His rapid progress is attributed to the Heavenly Sword and his unity with the sword, as well as the ability to unleash his full potential in fierce battles against powerful enemies.

After a series of battles, Gao Wu even felt intense fatigue and thirst. This meant that the ten Level 7 Heavenly Dragon Potions had been completely absorbed, and his body was now experiencing a strong need for energy.

The Heavenly Dragon Elixir was integrated with his body and spirit, but his physical attributes were already exceptionally powerful due to the divine incantation, making it difficult to discern the effects of the Heavenly Dragon Elixir.

The most direct effect of the Tianlong Elixir was to enhance physical strength. Gao Wu felt that his physical strength had increased by about 30% compared to before.

His exceptional physical strength allowed him to fully utilize his physical advantages, enabling him to fight three level-five priests without flinching.

Gao Wu summarized the battle, saying that he was able to kill Amano Kusanagi by unleashing the power of all four spells simultaneously, plus the Yin God's sword control. He also relied on the Yin God to kill Kitano Anzu.

Only by killing Tanaka Shun could his martial arts achievement be truly demonstrated. His leg strike was like a blade, using the sharpness of the White Tiger Divine Weapon Incantation to cleave Tanaka Shun in two.

Unfortunately, there were no cameras or anything around, so they couldn't capture his heroic demon-slaying feat on camera.

After standing still for a while and re-enchanting the divine spells, Gao Wu put away the Seven Laws Divine Robe and picked up the Water Moon Blade.

As for the weapons of Tanaka Shun and Kitano An, they both possessed a strong aura of evil gods. Although the materials were of good quality, they were still weapons of violence.

Gao Wu activated the Heavenly Fate Sword and infused it with the White Tiger Divine Weapon Incantation, severing both weapons in two, then casually tossed them aside, leaving the rest to their own devices.

Hundreds of miles away in Chigusa City, deep within a massive underground structure.

Transparent crystal pillars form a giant circle, and the ground, paved with the same crystal, is covered with strange symbols, forming an exceptionally complex pattern.

Amano Kusa sat cross-legged in the center of the pattern with her eyes closed. Suddenly, her body trembled slightly, and her tightly closed eyes opened.

Her bright eyes held a complex expression, and she even reached up to touch her brow to confirm that her physical body had not been harmed before letting out a soft sigh.

Gao Wu's final sword strike was both mysterious and fierce; even the Seven Laws Divine Robe, with its seven layers of source power protection, couldn't withstand it. Her clone was instantly annihilated, all life force extinguished.

Fortunately, it was a clone; if it were the real body fighting against a high-level martial artist, it would still be difficult to avoid this sword strike.

The forcibly amplified mental power was also a considerable burden for her. Having just survived a near-death experience, she was still able to maintain her composure and exchange a few words with Gao Wu.

With her consciousness returning to its original state, Amano Kusanagi no longer needed to hide her true emotions.

Such a devastating defeat also had a significant impact on her mental well-being.

Amano Kusanagi composed herself before getting up and stepping out of the array. This crystal matrix was extremely valuable, as it could amplify spiritual power through crystals, allowing for remote and effortless control of clones.

Leaving the crystal platform, Amano Kusa followed the long corridor to the medical room.

The sterile medical room was equipped with the most advanced modern medical equipment. The high priest, Higashino Makoto, lay in a nutrient tank, his entire body immersed in a highly concentrated nutrient solution.

Higashino Makoto's eyes were closed, and he could only breathe oxygen through a special respirator.

Her condition was extremely poor; she was only barely alive because of divine power and her cultivation of the path of pain and ending. Bishop Roth, dressed in a wide black robe, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the nutrient tank, observing Higashino's condition.

On the vast Dongwei Island, there is only one chief priest, Dongye Zhen. To the Scorpion Cult, Dongye Zhen is already a true core member of the high-ranking members.

As a bishop, Rothé was not in a position to directly intervene; most matters had to be handled by the priests.

Higashino Makoto is quite capable, and Rote still hopes to cure her.

On the other hand, such severe injuries also make for excellent experimental subjects, as a lot of valuable data can be obtained during the treatment process.

Upon entering, Amano Kusa bowed respectfully and said, "Teacher, I lost. My first clone was also killed by Gao Wu. I also lost the Seven Laws Divine Robe and the Water Moon Blade."

The Water Moon Blade is a level six divine weapon, and the Seven Laws Divine Robe is further enhanced with the seven divine powers of the God Lord, making it an extremely special divine object.

Losing these two divine items will reduce her combat power by at least 50%.

The losses were extremely severe.

Luo Tai glanced at Tianyecao, his deep gaze devoid of emotion, but the bluish-black rune drawn between his brows resembled a vertical eye, and with his subtle movements, that bluish-black vertical eye seemed to flash with an unusual light.

Amano Kusa lowered her head and looked down. She felt ashamed and uneasy because she had messed things up.

"To be accepted as a disciple by Hai Wuji, he is indeed extraordinary."

Luo Tai was not surprised by the result. Hai Wuji must have been prepared for this, since he dared to send Gao Wu to Mei Xin Zhai to cause trouble.

He sent Amanokusa over just to test the waters. Killing Gao Wu would be ideal, but if he couldn't, he'd at least have to consider the opponent's strength.

Amano Kusa asked softly, "Teacher, what do we do now?"

"Hai Wuji is a man of inconsistent and erratic behavior. I don't know if this is a test or if he is determined to turn Dongwei Island upside down."

Luo Tai, being a level seven expert, did not take the temporary and local conflicts to heart.

Hai Wuji, a dignified level eight sword saint, wants Dongwei Island; who would dare disobey him? That said, Hai Wuji inexplicably ruined many people's livelihoods; there needs to be an explanation.

Luo Tai said, "Neither Meixinzhai nor Dongwei Island belongs to us. Notify the other families and see what they have to say."

"If everyone can swallow this anger, then Dongwei Island will be given to Hai Wuji."

At this point, Luo Tai sneered, "We can back down, but those other families might not be willing to."

Amano Kusanagi asked, puzzled, "They really dare to oppose the Sword Saint?"

Even a martial saint cannot do whatever he wants.

Luo Tai patiently explained to his disciple: "Dongwei Island is an important transit point for several states to reach overseas markets, and a major port. Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods are smuggled through Dongwei Island."

"Hai Wuji's intention to seize Dongwei Island is clearly to cut off the smuggling routes of various states and crack down on the interest alliance formed by all parties. The next step will likely be to rectify the various states."

“Even if the states fear Hai Wuji, they cannot simply bow down so easily. Besides, they have a Martial Saint backing them up.”

Luo Tai sneered again at this point: "Hai Wuji threw Gao Wu out as a pawn to cross the river, wasn't it because he was afraid of triggering a major upheaval in the various states?"

"Since the states can't do anything to Hai Wuji, their focus will definitely be on Gao Wu. Quickly dealing with Gao Wu will also demonstrate their firm resistance."

"As long as the combat is limited to level five or below, Hai Wuji won't find a reason to turn against you..."

"Your analysis is quite insightful; you know me very well!" A gray-haired man walked in from outside, holding a bracelet. He looked at Luo Tai with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of teasing and joking.

“Hai Wuji.” Even though Luo Tai was a deep and composed man, he was still greatly surprised to see Hai Wuji suddenly appear, but he was able to control his emotions and did not show any unease on his face.

"It is indeed I." Hai Wuji casually toyed with the bracelet, his gaze falling on Tianye Grass. "Refining divine power into martial arts essence, that's quite interesting."

Amano Kusa's face turned pale, but she still bowed politely and said, "Junior Amano Kusa greets Lord Kai."

Hai Wuji laughed and said, "Don't worry, I won't bully the younger generation. You don't need to remind me."

He looked at Luo Tai and said, "Now that I've caught you red-handed, what does Bishop Luo say?"

Luo Tai said with a gloomy face, "Hai Wuji, are you really going to tear off the mask and take action? Have you thought it through?"

"Hahahaha..." Hai Wuji laughed loudly, then suddenly stopped laughing and said coldly, "The followers of the Demon God are all people who have the right to kill them. My killing you is in accordance with the laws of heaven and human sentiment. You're not convinced? You'd better have the ability to be unconvinced!"

Luo Tai was even more shocked; this old guy had really gone mad.

He said sternly, "This is Qiancao City, with over a million residents. If a fight breaks out, all of them will die!"

"You, a follower of a demonic cult who specializes in killing and blood sacrifice, are now worried about the safety of the people. How ridiculous."

Hai Wuji scoffed, "You know nothing about the power of the Holy Domain..."

Before Luo Tai could speak, Hai Wuji pointed his fingers like a sword and thrust them straight at Luo Tai...

(End of this chapter)