Wandering Swordsman |

Guiguzi turned around, his gaze sharp as if he could see through the turmoil in Guiguzi's heart.

He approached slowly, his tone heavy as iron: "Last night I tried to merge the three martial arts into one, but when I was channeling my energy, the three streams of true energy broke free like wild horses, incompatible with each other, causing my meridians to stagnate and my blood to flow backward, almost causing me to suffer a qi deviation."

He paused, his gaze sharp as he fixed it on Shen Mo, his eyes filled with expectation: "But you are different. You possess the 'Heavenly Martial Body'—a martial arts saintly body that appears only once in a millennium. Only you might be able to truly control these three powers, allowing them to flow together and merge into one, thus restoring the true form of the 'Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique'."

Guiguzi only knew that the three secret manuals could be combined into one, but he did not know that people other than those outside the Heavenly Martial Body needed to first abolish their martial arts and ensure that there was no other internal energy in their bodies before they could start cultivating from scratch.

Shen Mo remained silent for a long time, his eyes swirling with a thousand mountains and valleys churning within him. Finally, he slowly nodded, his voice low yet firm: "In that case, I will give it a try."

Before he finished speaking, Shen Mo had already taken the "Great Method of Eliminating Powers," sat cross-legged, and remained rooted like an ancient pine tree.

As I gently stroked the yellowed pages with my fingertips, I immersed myself in them, guiding my internal energy according to the cultivation techniques recorded within.

In an instant, a cool, spring-like internal energy rose from the dantian, ascending along the Ren meridian, like spring rain nourishing all things, quietly dissolving all the fierce energy within the body.

Immediately afterward, he changed his mind and began to circulate the Heavenly Void True Qi. A surge of righteous energy welled up from his Tanzhong acupoint, like the rising sun, warm but not scorching, nourishing his internal organs and making his muscles and bones feel as if they were bathed in sweet rain.

Finally, he activated the internal energy cultivation method of the "Formless Sutra"—formless and without form, without self and without attachment, with internal energy flowing like the wind through the forest, leaving no trace, yet omnipresent.

When the three streams of true energy first arose, they each followed their own meridians, clearly distinct from one another.

But in just a moment, they were like old friends who had been separated for a long time, responding to each other and naturally blending together! The power of dispelling evil and transforming its rigidity, the emptiness of heaven and the nourishment of its source, and the absence of form guiding its flow—the three complemented each other and actually condensed into an unprecedentedly powerful internal force within Shen Mo's body!

That internal force flowed like liquid gold, gentle yet containing thunder, supple yet sharp, its intensity so great that it could almost rival the demonic energy dormant within him! No wonder the black flame figure formed from the demonic energy earlier spoke with fear of the "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique".

However, what shocked Shen Mo even more was that there was absolutely no conflict! No hesitation! And not a trace of demonic possession!

Perhaps only now did Shen Mo truly feel the terror of the "Heavenly Martial Body"—it was not just powerful, but like the chaotic womb at the beginning of the world, capable of absorbing yin and yang, fusing good and evil, and transforming all laws into one!

At this moment, Shen Mo's pores were open, his breath was like a dragon's roar, and golden light flowed faintly under his skin.

Beside him, Guiguzi's pupils constricted sharply, and his breathing almost stopped.

Guiguzi watched as Shen Mo's aura steadily rose, like spring tides breaking through ice, like a volcanic eruption, yet it remained as steady as Mount Tai, showing no signs of losing control.

The newly generated internal energy surged through his meridians, subtly causing the myriad volumes of books in the library to resonate. The pages moved without wind, making a soft rustling sound, as if the entire library was trembling for the reappearance of the "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique"!

"As expected of the 'Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique'..." Guiguzi was shocked. "It can integrate so naturally, without any trace of artifice, as if it were originally one!"

"Truly worthy of the Heavenly Martial Body!" His fingertips trembled slightly, almost digging into his palm. "I pride myself on being a martial arts genius, reaching the state of returning to simplicity before I was even a hundred years old, yet I still cannot harmonize one of the three energies; he, in just a moment, has already achieved it naturally, like rivers flowing into the sea, perfectly formed!"

Looking at the faint golden mist swirling around Shen Mo, Guiguzi was both surprised and amazed—with a genius like Shen Mo in the Central Plains martial arts world, how could it not prosper!

At this moment, Shen Mo closed his eyes slightly, his mind sinking into an endless sea of ​​stars, his whole being seemingly enveloped by a vast, gentle, yet all-encompassing power. It was as if the world had just begun, chaos had returned to one, and all things were in their natural order.

At this moment, Shen Mo suddenly understood.

Why is the ancient tomb at the bottom of Erhai Lake called "Tomb of the God of War" with reverence? Why is the creator who has long been buried in the dust of history called "God of War"? It is not because he was invincible, but because the "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique" he left behind can give people the illusion of "omnipotence" when they practice it!

It is not arrogance, nor illusion, but a kind of clarity and control originating from the source. It is as if the origin of heaven and earth can move with the internal force; as if every strand of true energy in the meridians transforms into stars, constructing a miniature universe within the body.

What shocked Shen Mo even more was that, at this moment, if he relied solely on the power granted by the "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique," he could probably be on par with himself, the Heavenly Demon God!

In an instant, he suddenly understood: No wonder the evil cultivators from overseas were willing to shed blood in the Central Plains to dig three feet into the ground to find the tomb of the God of Martial Arts! What they sought was not any treasures or weapons, but this "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique" that was enough to overturn the foundation of martial arts and reshape the order of the martial world!

However, another question arose in Shen Mo's mind:

Since Oda personally obtained the "Great Art of Exorcising Power" from the Tomb of the God of War, why did he never use the "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique"?

Shen Mo frowned slightly, his heart rippled. A moment later, he was suddenly jolted awake, as if struck by lightning: Guiguzi, a grandmaster who was well-versed in the secret arts of a hundred schools, had only tried to integrate the "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique" last night, yet his meridians were in reverse and his blood and qi surged, almost causing him to suffer a qi deviation; and Oda, Jianzhen and other evil cultivators from overseas, although they possessed the same extraordinary talent as Guiguzi, were ultimately not like him, who had the Heavenly Martial Body.

"So that's how it is..." Shen Mo murmured to himself, as if he understood why Oda and the others did not know the "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique".

At that moment, another astonishing thought surfaced in his mind, like the breaking of dawn: "Could it be... that the 'Martial God' who created the 'Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique' was also a Heavenly Martial Body?!"

He was shocked, as if he had glimpsed the God of War from a thousand years ago. Perhaps it was because he possessed the Heavenly Martial Body that he was able to create such a powerful divine skill!

......

Shen Mo slowly opened his eyes.

The golden light in his eyes receded like a tide, leaving behind an indescribable clarity and profundity, as if he had seen through the end of martial arts and the warp and weft of fate. The faint golden radiance flowing beneath his skin, like the tide returning to the sea, quietly disappeared into his flesh and blood, leaving only a warm, jade-like, and profound aura flowing quietly within him.

However, Shen Mo was unaware that Situ Changkong had already crippled his martial arts, severed ties with the past, and was diligently cultivating the "Divine Martial Return to Truth Technique" day and night.

Perhaps the gears of fate are quietly meshing, emitting a deep and irreversible roar. And on this chessboard of the martial world, Shen Mo and Situ Changkong will eventually clash.