Chapter 176 Heading to Higher Peaks

late at night.

The starry sky is vast, the moon is bright and cold, a silver light cuts through the dark sky and falls on the pond in the back mountain of Trinity Gate, stirring up a cool breeze and swaying the branches and leaves of the trees.

The Dharma body condensed by Jiang Mo using the True Dharma and Reverse Life, holding a transparent cube stained with blood and filled with the tendons and bones of strange beasts, it swept through the base camp of the Suzhen Mansion and killed three old monsters that had previously taken over human bodies and came to besiege the Sanyi Gate.

Beside the pool, there was a tall, frosty white figure sitting cross-legged. He had icy skin and a handsome face, and the muscle lines all over his body were just perfect. He was neither thin nor strong, but he contained blood as rich as a boiling furnace, and unfathomable strength.

After a bitter battle with Luo Wuyuan's ancestor, Jiang Mo's body was infinitely close to the critical value of collapse after thousands of collisions and confrontations. By the end, he was almost exhausted, and had to activate the dark red sword, which increased its lethality and achieved a quick victory.

Now, after enduring more than a month and a half, Jiang Mo's physical transformation process is about to come to an end. He is about twice as strong as before he went to Southern Xinjiang.

It doesn't seem exaggerated, but after fully promoting the reverse growth and gaining the amplification, a huge gap will be created.

However, this is only part of the reward.

When the ancestor's Qi was released, all of its vitality was too huge. Although it was plundered by Jiang Mo and taken into his limbs and bones, he has not yet truly begun to refine it.

This will take a long time, until the spring and autumn have passed, and the devouring is complete. Jiang Mo estimates that it will bring a significant improvement to his physical body.

In addition, the two traces of Gu left by the ancestors are also very important, containing countless efforts of this old monster. I am afraid that the refining of each strange Gu will take no less than sixty years, or even close to a hundred years.

Similar to the talismans and magical instruments in the Central Plains, the ancestors' Gu Marks only need to be filled with Qi and blood to be used, which brings special abilities and is more terrifying than many high-level magical instruments.

During his retreat, Jiang Mo took the opportunity to refine the gecko-like "Tianheng Gu" with six cicada wings and the thick and strong "Hanshan Gu" that looked like a black-footed mountain ant.
The former has an all-destructive repulsive force and a gravitational force that gathers everything, like the yin and yang poles, which are completely opposite.

The latter gives the physical body an all-round enhancement. Without the power of this Gu, the ancestor would not be able to fight Jiang Mo head-on. With its blessing, the two are evenly matched.

This is the end.

After Jiang Mo's transformation, he was unable to judge how powerful he was. Perhaps with the dual effects of the Reverse Life and Shaking Mountain Gu, it would be easy for him to suppress all the strange people in the world with his physical strength alone, even without using any other means.

Everything was quiet, only insects were chirping. A pair of calm eyes, with trembling eyelashes, slowly woke up.

"call"

Jiang Mo exhaled a breath of clear Qi, and his state reached the peak never before in his life. His Dharma body, composed of the innate Qi, turned into wisps of light and dissipated, returning to his body.

Standing still, with his hands behind his back, gazing at the starry sky, Jiang Mo felt relaxed and happy. The stars in the sky and the nearby mountains, rivers and all things were all within his sight.

He was like an immortal in the mortal world. Even though he was so powerful, he still could not see the end of the third level of rebirth.

"Reach the sky, soar."

"It is not what I asked for, but people in the world are so obsessed with it. If the mysterious destiny reappears in the future, I am afraid it will cause bloodshed."

Thinking of those evil cultivators who gathered there, Jiang Mo couldn't help but find it ridiculous.

Life is short, the old and the young are weak, the day and the night are divided into two parts, there are diseases, disasters and wars everywhere. If you do not cherish the precious time, but instead chase after immortality, I am afraid that in the end it will all be in vain.

Or they may be muddle-headed, full of greed, and seek unusual means to exploit living beings, but they do not know their own limitations and their death is not a pity.

Suddenly, Jiang Mo remembered one thing. He had not yet broken through the last level of his Ancient Soul-Breaking Spell.

He had been in seclusion in the ice field for several years, and had challenged his limits intermittently. He had tried to push the Soul-Breaking Spell to the eighth level, but then he stagnated. Now might be a good opportunity.

The ancient Beimo tribe that bestowed this technique on him had elders throughout the generations who could only cultivate to the seventh or eighth level at most. Even the ancestor who created the technique, although he was extremely talented, was unable to reach the eighth level due to his short lifespan.

According to the sage's deduction and assumption, breaking through the ninth level would be complete perfection, and there would be no need to chant the ancient spell with words.

Even if you recite it silently or hold it in your mind, it can still affect others, pouring all of your own experiences and accumulated massive amounts of pain into the other person's brain at once, causing irreparable damage.

Jiang Mo thought about it again and again and decided to put it aside for the time being.

He had been away from the sect for more than a month, and he planned to go back first to guide the disciples in their practice, and then send the tendons and bones of those exotic beasts to Little Zhuge to let him tinker with them.

The next time I go into seclusion, there will be more things to do, including refining the vitality of my ancestors, thoroughly mastering the two Gu scars, breaking through the ninth level of the Soul-Breaking Curse, and integrating the Nine Evil Yin Soil with the spleen.
"Forget it. Tomorrow's work will be done tomorrow."

"The moon is shining brightly tonight. How can we waste such a beautiful scene?"

Jiang Mo laughed softly and walked back to the sect at a leisurely pace. It was already Chou time and there was only one hour left until dawn.

The lights in the palaces and pavilions were extinguished, only the third and fourth floors of the Sutra Library still had candles on. Jiang Mo went straight up the stairs and met Lu Jin and Zhuge Yu who were on duty.

"Uncle Master?!"

"You are out of quarantine! That's great."

The two people who heard the footsteps suddenly turned around and saw the familiar face. They were immediately filled with joy and greeted him.

"It's been a while since we last met. Have you two made any progress?"

As Jiang Mo asked, he walked to the tea table by the window, sat down on the futon and admired the night view.

"We have lived up to Uncle Master's expectations. Our cultivation has improved a lot."

Lu Jin hurriedly poured out the cold teapot, boiled water again, put in tea, brewed some for Jiang Mo, and served it respectfully.

"Hey, Uncle Master, would you like to try this Qingxin Mung Bean Cake?"

Zhuge Yu untied the string of a paper-wrapped package of pastries and handed it to Jiang Mo, saying:

"A few days ago, I went home to visit you and brought some gifts. It just so happens that you have just come out of retreat, so you should give it a try."

"Really? Is everything okay at home?"

Jiang Mo didn't bother to be polite with his disciples. He picked up a soft and glutinous square mung bean cake, put it to his mouth and took a light bite. It tasted wonderful and not greasy. It was very good when paired with warm tea.

"Hey, it's okay. My father and other elders are in good health. They just kept nagging me a little."

Zhuge Yu grinned, and then shared with Jiang Mo:
"They knew that I had passed the second level of Reverse Life and had made some progress in Qimen, so they were happy for me and gave me a new furnace so that I could review the Divine Machine when I had time and not waste this skill."

"A new stove?"

Jiang Mo smiled, took out the transparent cube that his Dharma body had used to kill the corpse of the strange beast, and handed it to Zhuge Yu.

"Then just play around and I'll prepare the materials for you."

"hiss--!"

"what is this?"

Zhuge Yu couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. There were a large number of animal skins, bones, and bloodstained tendons stored inside.

"I took some time to go north and kill the wild monsters that invaded the mountains before."

"I thought that their corpses should have become extraordinary after years of practice, so I left them here for you to use as materials for refining weapons."

Zhuge Yu was so excited that he spoke incoherently: "Thank you, Uncle Master Xie. I am terrified."

"It's okay, don't feel pressured. Uncle Master doesn't ask you to refine any powerful magical instruments. Just treat these as yours for cultivation."

Jiang Mo rubbed Zhuge Yu’s crew cut.

He had noticed the efforts of this disciple before, and giving him appropriate encouragement would undoubtedly help him to work harder.

"Jin'er, how is your grandfather doing recently?"

"Reporting to Uncle Master, Grandpa is in good health. The last time I went back, the old man asked me to say hello to you."

Lu Jin sat beside Jiang Mo, holding a feather fan in his hand, gently waving it to fan away the heat from the teapot. "Really? Then it seems that next time when I am free, I should go to your Lu family and visit Mr. Lu."

"Eh? Uncle Master, didn't you just come out of retreat?!"

Lu Jin was a little surprised. From what his uncle said, it seemed like he was going to get busy with other things.

"Correct."

Jiang Mo took a sip of tea and told his two disciples about his idea of ​​coming out of seclusion this time.

"Part of my transformation is complete, but I still have other important things to do. If I continue to stay in seclusion, I won't be able to leave the back mountain for at least a year or two."

"I might as well go out for a walk ahead of time so that you and my brother can rest assured. I will give you some pointers on your cultivation and accompany you for a while. Then it's time to go back to seclusion."

Hearing this, Lu Jin and Zhuge Yu suddenly understood. They couldn't help but be curious and asked Jiang Mo a little stiffly:

"Uncle Master, it is widely rumored down the mountain that you are about to ascend to heaven. If you come out of retreat next time, will you be able to do it?"

"Come closer. Put your head over here."

After the words fell, the two did as they were told. Jiang Mo raised his right hand, tapped their foreheads lightly with his index finger, and said with a faint smile:

"How can such an outrageous thing happen? I don't expect to become an immortal. Even if there is such an opportunity, I don't need it."

"what?!"

Zhuge Yu didn't expect his uncle to be so casual. You know, this is a fortune that countless people want but cannot obtain. He covered his red and swollen forehead and smiled brightly:
"That's good too. If you really are going to ascend to heaven, we will be reluctant to let you go."

"Yes, uncle."

"Two stupid boys."

Jiang Mo looked at Zhuge Yu and Lu Jin and couldn't help laughing. The night was long and the time he spent chatting with his disciples was particularly relaxing. There was also peace and tranquility inside the sect.

The next day.

Knowing that Jiang Mo had come out of retreat, the disciples and elders of the entire sect were overjoyed, and Si Chong was grinning from ear to ear.

For the next half month, Jiang Mo was responsible for guiding his disciples' practice and helping them to find and fill in their gaps. Two disciples in a row broke through the bottleneck of the first level and entered the second level.

The remaining two disciples were also approaching.

The other four old seniors, on the other hand, had no intention of striving for the second level. They had failed in their attempt to reach the second level before, and were left disabled. Now that they could practice again, recuperate their bodies, and activate their muscles and bones, they were content.

A few days later, from Yousha on the third floor of the Sutra Repository, some long-awaited good news came.

The Book of Explosives and the Staff of Terror, two alchemical creations, were successfully crafted.

Especially the latter, Jiang Mo tested it a little and found the effect was quite good, so he arranged for Yousha to place the Staff of Fear on the second floor of the martial arts training ground in the back mountain, so that disciples could practice and overcome their inner demons.

During this period, Jiang Mo even found Weir and issued a new decree, asking him to teach practical fighting skills to the second-level disciples in the sect in the future. In return, he would give him half a portion of dark red soil, which was enough to forge new weapons.

"Thank you, Master."

Weir didn't expect such treatment and was stunned for a moment. During his contact with the disciples during this period of time, he found that the disciples were quite easy to talk to. The two senior leaders did not deliberately target or suppress him, so he lived a pretty good life.

“I will continue to retreat.”

Jiang Mo looked at Wei Er in front of him and left these words:

"Do what you are supposed to do. If the sect encounters any trivial troubles, you will handle them privately."

"Yes, please rest assured, Master."

Will bowed deeply. The setting sun cast a golden glow on the ground. He watched the tall figure leave, and his heart was filled with more respect.

For nearly a month, Jiang Mo properly handled various problems of the sect, and also entrusted Yousha to take away two pieces of dark red soil to forge the weapons of their choice for Cheng Zhen and Si Chong.

One evening, Jiang Mo lay quietly on the stone steps at the mountain gate, overlooking the beautiful world and rows of autumn geese flying across the sky.

"Uncle Master, are you going to retreat later?"

Cheng Zhen was sitting on the stone steps nearby, turning his head and asking with a smile.

"Correct."

Jiang Mo said uncertainly: "The next time we meet should be in a year? Or two years?"

"I'll leave the sect to you and my brother. Don't slack off in your cultivation."

Cheng Zhen nodded slightly, "Disciple understands."

"Are you sure you can break through to the third level after I come out of retreat?"

"."

As dusk faded, the red sunset sank behind the mountain ridges.

Cheng Zhen looked up at the sunset in the sky, thought for a moment, and said in deep thought:

"The third level? I dare not be too confident, but if I can reach perfection in the second level, it should be possible."

"good."

Jiang Mo chuckled and said, "According to the agreement with Wanxiang Hall, if they provide the specific whereabouts of the demon in two years, and if I haven't come out of seclusion yet, you will do it for me."

"Okay, I've done it for you anyway."

Cheng Zhen answered calmly.

The closer it got to dusk, the faster time passed. In a moment, it was dark. Jiang Mo slowly stood up, said goodbye to Cheng Zhen, and returned to the sect, silently watching the busy backs of the disciples.

He was not good at saying goodbye, so he only stayed for ten breaths before turning around and heading towards the back mountain.

"Boom!"

Dark clouds are gathering and a storm is coming.

Jiang Mo was in a peaceful mood. He sat on the Qingyan beside the pond, closed his eyes slightly, and a new practice began.

A faint ancient curse was chanted, and a tsunami-like pain drowned the depths of Jiang Mo's soul. Black blood flowed from his seven orifices, looking creepy and weird.

My body was shaking uncontrollably, my face was pale, and every minute and every second was torment.

one day.

Ten days.

Fifty days.

As time passed, the moon became colder and the sun became warmer, which wore away people's lifespan. Jiang Mo sat on the green rock, like a dead tree with roots, unable to move.

His clothes were stained with blood, and between his dusty eyebrows there was a faint vertical line of red gold.
Soul-breaking spell.

The ninth floor, a peak that no one in history has ever climbed, is now only a thin line away.

(End of this chapter)