Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 385 Metaphysics is called the Way

Although Ares also worshipped the Demon God, it was in order to integrate into the Federation's upper echelons.

Everyone is a follower of the Demon God; a person without the Demon God's faith is an outcast.

Outcasts in the federal government tend to have short lifespans.

Ares did not like demons; the Scale King, whom he worshipped, was a very special demon.

Strictly speaking, King Libra can only be considered a god from another world, but he is clearly different from other demon gods.

King Libra's transactions were fair. He did not particularly advocate blood sacrifice, but of course, he did not reject it either.

Ares gained insights into martial arts through several sacrifices of divine objects, thereby condensing his Dharma Domain and advancing to the eighth level.

He is also the only Saint who advanced to the eighth level through martial arts, and the only Martial Saint in the Federation.

Ares obtained the Flaming Spear from the Olympian God Realm and incorporated martial arts into it. In terms of martial arts combat power alone, he can be called the number one in the Federation.

The divine domain of the Epang Palace suppressed the law domain, thus having the least impact on Ares. He had thought he was going to fight Qin Jiuyue, but his opponent turned out to be Gao Wu.

Having witnessed the power of the Crimson Sky Sword, Ares knew that there was nowhere to hide in the enclosed space. If Gao Wu were to unleash the Crimson Sky Sword, he would truly be finished.

Therefore, Ares immediately unleashed his Source Force True Core and stabbed directly at Gao Wu.

Gao Wu understood Ares's thoughts, but he insisted on a direct confrontation. He unleashed all five divine spells simultaneously, and his Taiyi Battle Body directly advanced to the 'Entering the Dao' realm.

The sharpness of the Divine Weapon Curse combined with the domineering power of the Divine罡 Curse allowed him to unleash the Dragon Palm to its peak.

As the flaming spear pierced Gao Wu's palm, Gao Wu's hand naturally retracted half a foot backward before unleashing palm force forward again.

The technique involves first withdrawing the force before unleashing it. By withdrawing, the sharpness of the flaming spear piercing through the stars is neutralized, while the force of the palm strike, after being contracted, explodes with even greater power.

Gao Wu has achieved profound mastery of the Nine Dragons Limitless Path, but his greatest strength lies in the three transformations of the Soaring Dragon, Heavenly Dragon, and Divine Dragon. The Yinglong Slash, on the other hand, is somewhat sluggish when unleashed due to its immense power.

Gao Wu's movements were as swift as lightning. Ares sensed the change in his opponent, but he didn't have time to change in time.

Moreover, the core of his martial arts philosophy is bravery and strength. He doesn't place much importance on subtle techniques.

The spirit of wielding the flaming spear is to forge ahead, regardless of whether it is a mountain peak or a sea, a star or a blazing sun ahead, this spear can pierce through all obstacles.

"Thorn" is also the core of Ares's eighth-level martial arts divine intent.

In comparison, the intense heat of the flaming spear is less important.

To Ares' surprise, the flaming spear could not penetrate Gao Wu's palm. No matter how the opponent changed, he ultimately withstood the flaming spear with his palm.

Without armor or any magical artifacts, relying solely on his one hand, he was more majestic than mountains, more vast than the sea, higher than the stars, and more intense than the sun!
The flaming spear emanated boundless power, causing Ares's arms to go numb and his body to surge and shimmer with source energy. His source energy core between his brows vibrated and hummed.

Ares's eyes turned blood red under the surge of source energy, and his muscles swelled and changed color.

He roared at the soul level, burning his soul to stimulate the true core of source power. As the source power surged, he suppressed the source power fluctuations, and the flaming spear, driven by the source power, transformed into a blazing flame, fully releasing the divine might of the flames.

The flaming spear's tens of thousands of degrees Celsius put immense pressure on Gao Wu. However, relying on his mastery of water and fire powers through the Divine Dragon Path, he managed to grab the spearhead.

With the Dragon Tail Swing technique executed, Gao Wu flicked his hand like a dragon's tail, sending the flaming spear flying.

All the source power that Ares had gathered was immediately redirected. Although he tried his best to control it, he was still a step too slow.

With 40 points of agility, Gao Wu's speed reached its peak, instantly slashing in with a claw aimed straight at Ares's chest.

Ares, a martial saint, displayed his martial saintly cultivation at the crucial moment. He immediately released his flaming spear, crossed his hands diagonally, and blocked Gao Wu's right claw.

The sharp right claw sliced ​​through Ares's energy field and cut through the skin and flesh of his arms, but was still blocked by his bones.

Gao Wu's left leg lashed out like a whip, striking Ares squarely in the temple.

The sharpness enhanced by the Divine Weapon Incantation first pierced through Ares's protective energy field, followed by the violent bursts of the Divine Qi Incantation.

Ares's head twisted and deformed, then exploded into a cloud of blood mist...

As a martial saint, Ares rarely engaged in close combat. Gao Wu, on the other hand, had an abundance of close-combat experience.

Taiyi Battle Body also fully utilized his close combat skills; the Dragon Tail Sweep kick appeared and disappeared unpredictably, directly killing Martial Saint Ares.

Ares's head was mostly blown off, but his body remained standing still. He let out a long sigh in his mind: "My body is like a peerless divine weapon, its power boundless. I have no words to say about my defeat..."

"To die at the hands of a powerhouse like you is the glory of a martial artist..."

Ares possessed immense spiritual power; though his physical body perished, his spiritual magnetic field could still be maintained for a time.

But unlike Venus, he quickly accepted his defeat and death.

"Death, I don't even know what it looks like..."

After saying this, Ares swayed and fell to the ground, and the invisible spiritual magnetic field he had gathered dissipated.

Gao Wu had no sympathy for Ares. He had invaded the Federation and killed millions; his death was entirely justified.

However, Ares is very sincere about martial arts and is a true martial artist.

Gao Wu was deeply moved as he watched Ares face his death. No matter what level of life form, death is inevitable.

This applies to humans, and it also applies to gods.

As living beings, we all have to face this fate! Gao Wu immediately put aside these feelings and followed the righteous path in his heart, regardless of life or death, without fear or regret.

He retrieved Ares's flaming spear and returned to Qin Liuhe's side as the space fluctuated.

Qin Liuhe nodded and said, "Although Ares' martial arts cultivation is rough, it is very pure. Although you relied on your physical strength to kill him in this battle, you have already surpassed Ares in terms of martial arts."

"Your understanding of the Nine Dragons Limitless Path is still superficial, and it hasn't truly integrated with your powerful body."

"When you can use martial arts to govern your body and mind, you will be able to truly advance to the eighth level."

Qin Liuhe felt that Gao Wu's changes were more at the level of skill, but at the level of martial arts, he still focused on application and failed to truly understand the way of martial arts.

Martial arts are not just about the skills of controlling source energy, but also about spiritual beliefs and a stable worldview.

Gao Wu respectfully inquired, "Lord Qin, what is martial arts?"

He often heard people talk about martial arts, and he knew that it was a general term for martial arts and all related theories and philosophical thinking.

However, this explanation was too general, and he wanted to hear Qin Liuhe's explanation. Qin Liuhe's guidance usually focused on specific details, rarely delving into these theoretical concepts.

Having reached his level of cultivation, he actually needs more guidance on the theoretical level.

Qin Liuhe pondered for a moment and said, "When I was in school, when the teacher talked about philosophical theories, he always liked to say 'metaphysics.' I was always confused about it."

“It wasn’t until one day that I suddenly realized that metaphysics is about transcending tangible concepts. For example, heaven, hell, mathematical theories, and so on—all things that belong to the realm of conceptual thinking and are abstract are metaphysics.”

Gao Wu listened attentively; these principles were very simple, and he naturally understood them.

Qin Liuhe continued, "The ancients said that what is above form is called the Dao. The true Dao has no specific form."

"The same principle applies to everyone. All I can say is my own way. Once I express it, the way takes the form of language."

"You must understand my Tao, and it will become the shape of your thinking."

“I teach the Way as if I were using my wisdom as the main ingredient and my emotions and experiences as the side dish.”

"Everyone will have a different feeling about this dish because everyone's wisdom and personality are different. They can only taste the flavor as they understand it and evaluate it based on their understanding."

Therefore, the simpler and more direct the Dao is, the easier it is to spread. The more profound the Dao is, the more obscure it becomes.

"You only need to understand one thing: martial arts is not just about the principles of practicing martial arts, but also the yardstick by which you view everything."

"Simply put, integrate your martial arts into your life, thoughts, and emotions. With this unity of inner and outer, level eight is within easy reach. Go a step further, observe and understand the world with your own principles, and resonate with it, and that is level nine."

Gao Wu understood, but the words lacked specific details, leaving him with a feeling of having grasped the meaning yet not knowing where to begin.

Qin Liuhe understood Gao Wu's confusion, but he didn't want to give him specific details.

Following his path will only get you up to level nine. For those with advanced martial arts skills to go further, they need to find their own path at levels eight or nine.

Gao Wu gave the Flaming Spear to Qin Liuhe, who said he would use a divine artifact as a sacrifice, so naturally he couldn't keep it.

Besides, while the Flaming Spear was good and matched well with his Vermilion Bird Divine Light, it wasn't very useful.

Gao Wu stopped thinking about those profound principles and sat down to review the details of the battle.

Through the blessing of the Qilin Divine Mantra, one can see all the changes in Ares and gain martial arts experience from them.

Ares's thrust, aside from the spiritual aspect, also involves more subtle changes at the source energy level.

This is still very valuable for high-level martial arts practitioners.

He also likes to thrust straight with the Destiny Sword, but his style is too varied and lacks the decisiveness and sharpness of Ares.

The Heavenly Dragon Sword emphasizes change, which doesn't quite match the spirit of this straight thrust technique.

After pondering for a while, Gao Wu suddenly had a flash of inspiration: the fierce and powerful style of the Kanglong Dao was perfect for this move.

His "Regretful Dragon" appears fierce, but in reality it is a combination of strength and gentleness. While this is ingenious, it makes the fierceness lose its sharpness.

By combining the Kanglong Dao and the Cizi Fa, the true power of the Kanglong Dao and the true strength of the Taiyi Battle Body can be brought into full play.

After much deliberation, Gao Wu finally devised a move called "Soaring Dragon Fist and Spear".

Use your fists as weapons to unleash your full power.

This is not just a single move; it also corresponds to the divine intent of martial arts and the changes in source energy. It is also because his innate talent is high enough that he can repeatedly deduce and refine the Soaring Dragon Fist and Spear in his spiritual world.

After a day of rest, Gao Wu entered the main hall again and faced Apollo directly.

Apollo looked at Gao Wu with a complicated expression: "It was you?!"

He asked, "Did you kill Venus and Ares?"

With the spatial barrier separating them, Apollo didn't know whether Ares was alive or dead. But when he saw Gao Wu, he understood that Qin Jiuyue wanted to use them to train Gao Wu.

Asking about the fate of Venus and Ares is actually a test of Gao Wu's abilities.

Gao Wu looked at Apollo's handsome face and his bright, sun-kissed blond hair, and shook his head, saying, "Not as handsome as me!"

Apollo was somewhat taken aback. What exactly did this kid mean?
Before he could figure it out, Gao Wu had already thrown a punch. The punch carried an unparalleled divine power capable of piercing through stars!
Apollo was inwardly shocked; this punch looked remarkably like Ares's!
(End of this chapter)