At this moment, in the eyes of Emperor Ziwei's remnant soul, Gu Xu's temperament was completely different from before.
Although he has always been pale due to physical illness.
But it has never been as white as paper and lifeless as it is now.
It doesn't look like a living person, but more like a corpse crawling out of a coffin, exuding a cold, non-human aura.
"You actually turned yourself into a ghost?" Emperor Ziwei couldn't help but asked in surprise, "So it turns out that you have been studying the 'Mingzhao Forbidden Technique' every day for such a purpose?"
"That's right." Gu Xu said calmly.
Judging from his calm demeanor, it seemed as if he was talking about a trivial matter as ordinary as eating and drinking.
Emperor Ziwei had extremely complicated emotions in his heart.
His state of mind, ever since he turned into a remnant soul and dormant in the wilderness, has always been as quiet as an ancient well, without any waves - even if the hundreds of failed experiments from other worlds were shattered in front of him one by one, or if Chu Wuzong sacrificed his life Breaking the Kunlun Ladder is still the same.
But now, after Taishang Haotian, a weak monk from the lower realm actually made him feel an extremely strong sense of frustration!
Gu Xu has always been a pawn in his hands.
He also felt confident that this chess piece was always under his control and would act according to the trajectory he planned in advance, step by step becoming the paving stone for his resurrection plan.
But he didn't expect that this chess piece not only had its own ideas, but also gave him a big "surprise" just when he thought the plan was about to succeed.
As we all know, ghosts cannot be captured.
Although humans and ghosts are both prisoners imprisoned in the wilderness by Supreme Haotian, their bodies and souls are extremely different.
The body and soul of the human race are separated.
A fifth-level monk can achieve the goal of leaving his body and reincarnating himself.
Ghosts and ghosts are one body and soul, regardless of each other. The body is the soul, and the soul is the body.
Because of this, when Yuki-onna chooses to burn her soul, her body will melt with her.
And when Gu Xu chose to use the "Zhao Ming Forbidden Technique" to transform himself into a ghost, his soul was integrated into the body and no longer existed in the conscious world.
Naturally, Emperor Ziwei could no longer erase his soul and occupy his body as planned.
His remnant soul was regarded as a foreign body by Gu Xu's body and was rejected.
Thinking of this, Emperor Ziwei couldn't help laughing. His laughter was laced with self-deprecation, and his eyes were filled with loneliness.
Ever since Gu Xu was extremely determined to study the "Ming Zhao Forbidden Technique", he should have discovered that there was a problem with this kid's motives.
But he can read Gu Xu's thoughts at any time.
In his view, a person's thoughts cannot lie and cannot be hidden - the more you tell yourself "don't think about something", the more your mind will be filled with it.
Therefore, he firmly believed that Gu Xu had never escaped from his control and knew nothing about his plan.
Especially these days, Gu Xu has to chant the name "Lu Shiyao" hundreds of times in his mind every day, and repeatedly recalls the scene where the snow girl's burning soul melted into water.
His strong emotions of sadness, regret, and guilt almost infected Emperor Ziwei hidden in his mind.
This led Emperor Ziwei to conclude that Gu Xu, like his peers, was also an ordinary young man who could be trapped by love - he wanted to study the "Ming Zhao Forbidden Technique" at all costs, indeed to quell Lu Shiyao's obsession.
But now it seems that is not the case.
Gu Xu couldn't lie mentally or hide his feelings.
He simply used a stronger and noisier thought to attract Emperor Ziwei's attention and cover up his original thoughts.
Just like some people deliberately choose to talk in a noisy pub, hoping to use the noise of the environment to hide the secrets in their words.
At that time, in order to further gain Gu Xu's trust and make him identify more with the identity of "Zi Wei's reincarnation", Emperor Zi Wei relied on his profound knowledge and deep understanding of the great ways of heaven and earth to provide some small inputs for his research. help.
Unexpectedly, he dug a hole and buried himself in it.
His pride as the former strongest person in the upper world, his extreme confidence in his mind-reading ability and judgment, and his underestimation of Gu Xu, the "chess piece", caused him to fall short at the most critical moment of executing the plan.
Now, he has returned the power of incense he stole from Supreme Haotian.
After his soul was driven out of Gu Xu's body, he could neither use magic weapons nor call upon his true energy. After the fierce battle before, he has become a lot weaker.
And Gu Xu turned into a ghost that feeds on human flesh and soul—to a certain extent, it can be regarded as his natural enemy.
The Daozu became fish meat, and the fish meat became Daozu.
"It turns out we are all the same kind of people!" Emperor Ziwei looked at Gu Xu and laughed with a distorted expression, "The way you have been so devoted to Lu Shiyao these days is just an act for me to see! In fact, in your bones As hard-hearted as I am, all emotions can be used to serve your own purposes!"
Gu Xu's expression was still calm.
The ice and snow of Kunlun were reflected in his dark eyes, making his gaze even colder.
"You don't need to judge what kind of person I am." He said calmly.
At this moment, the remnant soul of Emperor Ziwei was held in his hand, exuding a very tempting aura, like a person who had been hungry for three days and three nights and saw a table of fragrant delicacies.
Gu Xu finally knew where his "spiritual summoning body" came from.
As a powerful man who was once at the pinnacle of the eighth realm, Emperor Ziwei's soul not only fits the great road of heaven and earth, but also has extremely pure and impurity-free spiritual power. It is a unique and powerful tonic for any ghosts and monsters in the world. Let their strength be greatly improved in a very short time.
It's like Tang Monk's meat in the eyes of the monsters in "Journey to the West".
During the time that Emperor Ziwei was hiding in Gu Xu's body, he was also modifying Gu Xu's body intentionally or unintentionally, making Gu Xu gradually become a more spiritual and more adaptable container to the "Tao".
This makes Gu Xu's flesh and blood increasingly attractive to ghosts and monsters.
Newborn ghosts are always hungry.
Now, Gu Xu must rely on great perseverance to resist the urge to swallow the remaining soul of Emperor Ziwei.
Suddenly, as if he saw a glimmer of hope in Gu Xu's attitude, Emperor Ziwei stopped laughing, regained his composure, and said to Gu Xu in a bewitching tone: "Is it because you don't kill me for so long because you think I'm right?" Are you still useful?
"Actually, we can really coexist peacefully as before. I know a lot of secrets about cultivation, which can help you avoid many detours and reach the realm of 'Returning to the Ruins' as quickly as possible; I also know the relationship between Emperor Tianxing and Dahuang The many weaknesses of the prison can make your future battles much less difficult; I also know how to cross space, allowing you to see the scenery of different worlds..."
Having said this, Emperor Ziwei remembered an important thing. He paused for a moment and said with emphasis: "Don't you care about your relatives in the original world called 'Earth'? If you let me go, I will I can send you back to reunite with them.
"Wenchang should be waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain. As long as you take me down the mountain and use his power, I can do it..."
Seeing the faint fluctuation in Gu Xu's expression, Emperor Ziwei understood that his words had successfully affected Gu Xu's mood.
——Of course he didn’t want to negotiate terms with Gu Xu sincerely.
He immediately seized the opportunity and tried to self-destruct his soul.
He chose to blow himself up, certainly not to commit suicide.
It's because Luo Chuan carries a "soul-possessing stone" on his body.
This is a precious magic weapon from the upper world.
Before he executed the plan to seize Gu Xu's cause and effect, he had already hidden a ray of soul in the "soul-possessing stone". Once something unexpected happens to the body of his soul, he can use the "soul-possessing stone" to allow his soul to be reborn in a safe place.
However, at the moment when his soul was about to explode, he suddenly realized that the causal connection between him and the "soul-possessing stone" had been cut off at some point.
——This undoubtedly means that after he explodes, he will be completely shaken and will never have a chance to resurrect.
So he abruptly interrupted the process of self-destruction.
At this time, Gu Xu was looking at him with a half-smile and said: "You just asked me why I haven't killed you for so long... This is the reason.
"Also, you are still trying to use your words to confuse me and distract me - do you think that after I suffered such a loss once, I will suffer a second time?"
Gu Xu had already guessed that an old monster like Emperor Ziwei who had lived for thousands of years would definitely not die easily - even if he was forced into a desperate situation, he would still have a way to save his life.
Today's battle is about life and death.
Once he was slightly negligent and allowed Emperor Ziwei to escape alive, as long as Emperor Ziwei reunited with Luo Chuan, the "Wolf God", and the people from the "Qing Ming" organization, then Gu, who was only in the sixth realm, would Xu will be doomed and there will be no place for him in the world.
Emperor Ziwei and those under his command will do everything possible to kill him.
Therefore, Emperor Ziwei must die today, must die completely.
Just now, Gu Xu deliberately betrayed a flaw, making Emperor Ziwei think he saw a glimmer of hope for escape, and couldn't wait to establish a causal connection with the "Soul Possessing Stone".
After today's battle in the Netherworld, Gu Xu's understanding of the law of cause and effect was far better than before, and he immediately noticed Emperor Ziwei's move.
Depending on his cultivation, he may not be able to directly cut off the causal connection between Emperor Ziwei and the "Soul-Possessed Stone" for the time being.
But currently, he is still in a state of losing his anchor and being forgotten by the world.
Emperor Ziwei has cast another spell to combine the names of "Ziwei" and "Gu Xu" into one.
Gu Xu only needs to slightly extend his "forgotten" status along this fused cause and effect to Emperor Ziwei, and let the "soul-possessed stone" also "forgotten" Emperor Ziwei, in order to stop Ziwei. Emperor Wei's escape.
At this moment, Emperor Ziwei felt an unprecedented melancholy in his heart.
In the past, when he could read Gu Xu's mind, Gu Xu could deceive him and quietly escape from his control.
Now, when he was expelled from Gu Xu's body and could no longer learn his thoughts, he was actually played by Gu Xu and lost his last hope of escape!
When Gu Xu's hand squeezed his soul tighter and tighter, Emperor Ziwei hurriedly exclaimed: "Wait! Don't rush to do it! What I told you before was all the truth! We can really coexist peacefully , let’s go together to deal with our common enemy, and I can really send you back to Earth——”
"——We don't need to coexist peacefully," Gu Xu said coldly, "I will surpass you and do better than you."
After he finished speaking, he put the remnant soul of Emperor Ziwei to his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.
This is a unique meal in the world, and it cannot be wasted.
The ghosts transformed by the "Zhao Ming Forbidden Technique" possess true energy and can practice normally like human monks.
As Gu Xu slowly digested Zi Wei's remnant soul, his true energy power also increased rapidly.
He had just opened the Fengdu Gate not long ago.
But just a few minutes later, he arrived at the door of Yama Hall.
It shouldn't take too long in the future for him to be able to climb the steps of the Yama Hall and enter the realm of a saint.
This is the goal he has been pursuing day and night since time travel.
Today is actually very close!
If this speed of entry were made public, it would definitely cause an unprecedented sensation in the wilderness.
However, opportunities like this are rare.
After all, besides Gu Xu, who would have the opportunity to eat a remnant soul that was once at the peak of the eighth realm?
Regardless of power, a large number of real memories belonging to Emperor Ziwei also poured into Gu Xu's mind like a flood that broke a bank.
In fact, the memories that Emperor Ziwei gave to Gu Xu were not completely real, but had been modified and beautified in order to make Gu Xu further identify with the identity of "Ziwei's reincarnation".
But in fact, Emperor Ziwei was not a very great and upright person as he described himself.
He has many unknown dark sides.
For example, he is sensitive and suspicious, never trusts anyone, and likes to use "control" authority to control his subordinates.
For example, his break with Taishang Haotian was not entirely due to Taishang Haotian's conspiracy, but also because of his own ambition; he also used many despicable methods in the process of dealing with Taishang Haotian.
For example, he seems to be passionate but is actually ruthless. When he was young, he played with flowers and owed a lot of romantic debts, but in his heart he regarded all women as tools and playthings.
Because of this, he would always look at Gu Xu's virginal feelings of foresight and worry about gains and losses with a mocking attitude.
When he was in the upper realm, he married a princess of the Demon Immortal Clan as his wife in order to gain the support of the Demon Immortal Clan. Later, after the "Tiangong" broke with the Demon Immortal Clan, he married the Demon Immortal Clan's mortal enemy, the Yanling Clan. Form an alliance, quietly cast a causal spell, and let his wife die a violent death.
…
As a picture unfolded in Gu Xu's mind, Gu Xu gradually saw a real and complete Emperor Ziwei.
This man is truly a tycoon of his generation, with only ambition and hegemony in his eyes.
In order to achieve his goal, he is willing to sacrifice everything and endure what ordinary people cannot endure.
He has indeed stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world and seen the extremely cold scenery from high places.
But now, such a powerful man in the universe has become Gu Xu's food and supplement because of his meticulous planning.
The desire for a comeback was all in vain.
…………
After completely digesting the remaining soul of Emperor Ziwei, Gu Xu silently recited the "Ming Zhao Forbidden Technique" and transformed himself from a ghost into a human again.
In fact, when Gu Xu was treating Altan, the former Khan of the Grassland, he also used some tricks -
Whether it is "Ming Zhao Forbidden Technique" or "Zhao Ming Forbidden Technique", they are just simple incantations that do not require the formation of formations and will not produce gorgeous light and shadow effects.
The formation he had set up in the Prairie King's tent, as well as the dim green light and brilliant golden light, were all performed for Emperor Ziwei.
Although Emperor Ziwei has a deep understanding of many heaven and earth avenues.
But there is a "way", Gu Xu is confident that Emperor Ziwei is not as good as him.
That is Fu Dao.
He can lay out a bunch of talismans in front of Emperor Ziwei that look fancy but are actually ineffective, making Emperor Ziwei mistakenly believe that using "Zhao Ming Forbidden Technique" and "Ming Zhao Forbidden Technique" requires extremely complicated preparations. , and relax your vigilance against him in this regard.
Although Emperor Ziwei provided Gu Xu with a lot of useful suggestions in the process of studying magic, as the former ruler of the upper world, he ultimately regarded the "Ming Zhao Forbidden Technique" as a bit of arrogance. As Gu Xu's spiritual support after his emotional frustration, he didn't pay too much attention to it, let alone study its principles in detail.
Therefore, the problems could not be discovered in advance.
It is precisely because of this that when Gu Xu was held in the hands of the Starlight Giant and seemed to be cornered, he was able to calmly recite the "Zhao Ming Forbidden Technique" in his heart while using a bunch of messy spells to distract Emperor Ziwei. Spell to transform yourself into a ghost.
…………
With the complete death of Emperor Ziwei, the spells he cast during his lifetime gradually became ineffective.
The wanted notice posted on the wall of the Daqi Dynasty quietly changed from the sturdy and bearded bandit Li Batian to the appearance of Gu Xu again.
All the citizens of Daqi unconsciously remembered this once proud man of heaven and now a treasonous traitor.
…………
The northern border, Jicheng.
Zhao Yan, the king of Dayan, came to the Fire Temple to pray as always.
Suddenly, she felt in a trance, and then two lines of tears burst into her eyes.
She raised her head and looked at the tall Vulcan statue in front of her.
The statue's face remains blurred.
But in Zhao Yan's mind, she gradually sketched out what it should look like.
Memories that had been erased resurfaced in her mind.
"Gu Xu..."
"Master..."
The emotions of the two lives were intertwined, making her involuntarily whisper the name of the person in her heart.
The next moment, under the surprised gazes of the high priest Chong Li and the priests of the Fire Temple, she climbed up the altar lightly with both hands, then knelt on the altar, hugging the legs of the statue tightly.
Her tears were like broken beads, falling one after another on the red skirt.
Chong Li hesitated for a moment, took a few steps forward, and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, please leave the altar. This is disrespectful to the gods -"
"——He won't mind," Zhao Yan lowered her head and whispered, "I just didn't expect that I could even forget his appearance... He must have been very lonely during the past period... "
…………
Shu Land, Jiange.
Shi Xiaohan had just finished his daily sparring with his senior sister Chang Xiao and returned exhausted to the thatched cottage where he lived.
She habitually opened the sack on the table, took out a fragrant pot helmet, couldn't wait to put it into her mouth, chewing it with relish.
A special spell is attached to the sack, so that after many days, the food inside is still as fresh and delicious as if it had just been baked.
The practice in Jiange is monotonous and miserable.
The delicacies contained in this sack were the only bright spot in her life.
Because of this, Shi Xiaohan, who always liked to devour food, became extremely frugal when it came to the food in the sack. He only ate a little bit every day, for fear that after eating, he would have to live with the simple meals of Jiange.
However, she had just taken a few bites of Guokui when she heard the discussion of the disciples of Jiange coming from outside the thatched cottage:
"I heard that the treasonous traitor Gu Xu has escaped from the country and fled to the northwest grasslands."
"It seems that the prairie barbarians took him to the Holy Mountain."
"Are you planning to kill him as a sacrifice to the 'Wolf God'? In my impression, the prairie barbarians are most keen on engaging in bloody rituals such as human sacrifice."
"Maybe. If the grassland people really do this, it will be a disaster for our Daqi Dynasty."
"It's just that I heard that the imperial court sent out saints and strong men, but they couldn't successfully capture Gu Xu. Is it possible that those grassland barbarians are more powerful than our saints?"
"Oh, it's such a pity for Gu Xu. If he hadn't done that thing of colluding with ghosts and plotting treason, with his rare cultivation talent, he would have risen to the top and become the most dazzling star among the young generation of Daqi..."
"..."
When he heard the name "Gu Xu", Shi Xiaohan felt like he was struck by lightning.
She hugged Guokui and sat motionless on the straw mat. It took a while before she came back to her senses.
Pictures of her past interactions with Gu Xu appeared in her mind one after another.
She finally remembered who had brought the food in the sack.
She finally figured out why she didn't want to think about her children's love at all when she was still young, and just wanted to practice swordsmanship wholeheartedly.
It turned out that she had been waiting silently for that man - she believed that he would return as a hero and come to marry her on golden clouds.
Jiange's criteria for selecting disciples are extremely strict, and everyone is the best among them.
But in front of that person, everything will be eclipsed, just like the light of fireflies cannot compete with the bright moon.
"It's just...why would I forget him?"
"How could I forget him?"
"..."
Shi Xiaohan thought to himself, unknowingly bursting into tears.
Now Gu Xu has escaped from the country and gone to the grassland, not knowing whether he is alive or dead, safe or in danger - but no one in this world cares about him or prays for him.
How lonely and pitiful he is!
"It's all because I don't even have the fourth realm now, so I can't help him at all." She stuffed the pot helmet into her mouth three times, held the Kunwu knife tightly, and walked out of the simple thatched cottage again, "He is getting closer and closer to Daqi now. The further we are, the farther we go, and I don’t know when we will be able to meet again in the future.”
…………
"Thank you, Miss Lu."
After completely digesting the remaining soul of Emperor Ziwei, Gu Xu looked at the Jinghong Pen Artifact Spirit beside him and said softly.
After a fierce battle, the weapon spirit seemed to have grown up a bit.
Her black hair was flying in the wind, and her figure was graceful.
He looks more like Lu Shiyao from Baihua Poetry Club.
Qi Ling turned his head, showed a shallow smile to him, and called softly: "Young Master."
She is obviously a six or seven year old girl.
But Gu Xu saw that her eyes reflected the sunshine, as warm as the spring breeze and as peaceful as the autumn water, as if it could heal his wounds and comfort his fatigue.
Emperor Ziwei just said that Gu Xu is a hard-hearted person, and his unforgettable feelings for Lu Shiyao are all show and disguise to cover up his true purpose.
Gu Xu had to admit that he read Lu Shiyao's name hundreds of times in his mind a few days ago, which was indeed a performance.
However, which kind of performance in this world is more real than acting in true colors?
How could he have deceived Emperor Ziwei's penetrating eyes if he wasn't really in pain?
He sighed softly.
Then he hesitated for a moment and opened his arms to the weapon spirit.
Qi Ling glanced at him and jumped into his arms without thinking.
The weapon spirit has no entity.
Gu Xu hugged the weapon spirit, which was no different from hugging a ball of air.
But he remained motionless and stood there for a long time, feeling more peaceful and peaceful inside than ever.
About a quarter of an hour later, the weapon spirit returned to the Jinghong pen and disappeared.
Gu Xu walked to Kunlun's "Li Spring" and looked down at his reflection in the water.
His appearance remained unchanged from before.
Only one pair of eyes became as deep as an ancient well, without any ripples, and the depths of the pupils were dotted with indigo, like the vast stars in the night sky.
"From today on, I am Emperor Ziwei." He said silently to himself.
In fact, in the battle just now, he could have used the "Zhao Ming Forbidden Technique" to turn into a ghost early and avoid having his cause and effect stolen and his body taken away by Emperor Ziwei.
But he waited until Emperor Ziwei combined the names "Gu Xu" and "Ziwei" into one before he started to fight back.
the reason is simple.
Emperor Ziwei covets his cause and effect.
Why doesn't he want the cause and effect of Emperor Ziwei?
In his previous life, Gu Xu always claimed to be a very "Buddhist" person - if he was given a comfortable, carefree environment, he could always lie flat and not fight or fight.
But this life is different.
He lives in a prison called "The Great Wilderness". He is wanted by the court, surrounded by ghosts and monsters, and there is Supreme Haotian above his head.
Prisoners in prison have no freedom. They were tortured in reincarnation after reincarnation, changing from humans to ghosts, and from ghosts to humans, killing each other endlessly.
If there is any arrogance, it will attract thunder from the sky, and then the soul will fly away and cease to exist.
Gu Xu didn't want himself and the people around him to live in such an environment forever.
He hopes that the people he cares about can live in a peaceful and stable place without fear of life, where they can decide their own destiny without being controlled by "shackles".
But relying on his own efforts alone, I am afraid that it will be difficult for him to reach the realm of "Returning to Ruins" and defeat Taishang Haotian in his lifetime.
After all, the incense in the wilderness is limited.
To make the people of the wilderness believe in themselves and snatch the incense from the hands of "God" is a difficult task.
Fortunately, Emperor Ziwei had already paved a path for him.
He only needs to replace Emperor Ziwei and follow this path to relieve the suffering of those around him and bring true happiness and freedom.
Moreover, although he swallowed the soul of Emperor Ziwei, he was still no match for Luo Chuan, who had the cultivation level of a true king. He also needs Luo Chuan's help to deal with Emperor Tianxing.
Before he could completely control Luochuan, he had to play the role of "Emperor Ziwei who successfully regained his body and was reborn" in front of him.
…………
Unknowingly, he had followed the way he came and reached the foot of Kunlun Mountain.
I saw Luo Chuan, the head of the exorcism department, wearing a jade crown and gorgeous clothes, waiting for him quietly on the roadside.
Behind Luochuan was Shangguan Jin dressed in green clothes.
When Gu Xu's eyes fell on her, Shangguan Jin deliberately avoided looking at her, as if she didn't want to look at him.
Seeing Gu Xu coming from the mountain, Luo Chuan showed an expression of joy that could not be concealed, and his eyes became moist involuntarily.
He knelt down respectfully, put his left hand on his right hand, cupped his hands on the ground, and slowly lowered his head to the ground, and gave him a head-offering ceremony - this is the most solemn etiquette in the wild world, and is usually only reserved for formal occasions to worship gods. It will only be used when meeting the emperor.
"Old minister Wenchang, sincerely welcome the emperor back!"
Behind him, Shangguan Jin knelt down stiffly like a marionette, with his head lowered and silent.
See this scene. Gu Xu pondered for a moment, searching for the memory of Emperor Ziwei.
"What would Emperor Ziwei do if he were here?" He thought silently.
After a brief silence, Gu Xu stepped forward and lifted Luo Chuan up from the ground with both hands:
"Thank you for your hard work these days."
…………
(Volume 3·Or Leaping into the Deep·End)
PS: This is a 7600-word chapter, please give me your monthly vote! I’ll write a testimonial tomorrow!
(End of chapter)
