CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 99: BRANCH NASCENT SOUL TECHNIQUE

As the toad poison beast gradually fell into the depths of the Blessed Land Cave Heaven, the air grew heavier, and that greasy stench became even more overpowering.

Li Mo tried to send a thought to communicate with the outside world, but it was as if he were trapped in an independent space; the spirit talisman for communication could only cover a distance of one kilometer.

"Could it really be the No-Life Mother? Her corpse after death has managed to form a small world..."

His heart was still filled with doubt.

The Twelve Immortals were figures from ten thousand years ago, and the No-Life Mother should be even older; why, then, has the Creation Book not provided any feedback?

"Step by step, let’s see what’s ahead. The No-Life Sect has always been riddled with strangeness."

Li Mo had already questioned Luo Kai about this.

According to Luo Kai, at the time, more than a dozen small devil sects had been vying for the poison beast, but the Skin Painting Sect emerged victorious thanks to two Nascent Soul demon cultivators.

There had been no unexpected incidents, and they had already looted two Blessed Land Cave Heavens in succession.

It wasn’t until they reached the Water Well Blessed Land Cave Heaven that Luo Kai sensed something unusual. This location wasn’t particularly remote or hard to find; within a span of ten thousand miles, there were several sect factions active in the area.

And yet, despite being present for thousands of years, neither the Daoist nor the demon sides had shown any reaction.

Thinking about it, this was indeed abnormal.

Luo Kai initially wanted to latch onto Li Mo for support, but then an unforeseen incident struck the Blessed Land Cave Heaven.

"It seems that large-scale devil sects have gotten involved as well. The cooperation between the Daoist and demon sides feels absurdly inexplicable."

Li Mo stood at the edge of the poison beast, staring into the profound darkness.

He merely used the Floating Island Circulation Buddha Hand to protect his body, resulting in his nasal cavity being filled with grease, and his entire skin began to feel unaccountably itchy.

Looking down, Li Mo saw that his arms were covered in countless eye pupils.

The mutation caused by the Blessed Land Cave Heaven was nearly uncontrollable, and even Li Mo’s body could not escape its corruptive intrusion.

"Figure out what’s real and what’s not, then decide whether or not to nurture the special page."

As for Master Luo Hua, in Li Mo’s eyes, he was already a dead man.

Master Luo Hua’s motives to threaten and bribe him made it clear that he had noticed the Fake Buddha in Li Mo’s possession and was trying to seize the Heavenly Sword Sect’s entry qualification for himself.

Li Mo had no choice but to eliminate this trouble, lest Master Luo Hua act out in desperation.

If news of the Fake Buddha spread, just the name of the Heavenly Sword Sect alone would drive the Affiliated Sword Sect to madness, attracting countless covetous eyes.

Li Mo could retreat if needed, but he had to act with the Heart Beast Sect in mind.

In his grand scheme to achieve immortality, the Heart Beast Sect was a crucial piece. Both sentimentally and logically, the sect needed to be protected.

If the Heart Beast Sect became a target of everyone, they would be forced to retreat to harbor towns, and over time, they would completely degenerate into a subsidiary of the Sub-Device Sect.

Fortunately, though Master Luo Hua’s mental state was precarious, he clearly understood the value represented by the Fake Buddha, so he wouldn’t carelessly disclose it.

Moreover, Li Mo was equally intrigued by the Blood Sword Intent flying sword.

The commotion from Poison Clothes Qinghong Workshop disrupted Li Mo’s train of thought.

The greasy stench thickened, and even with the Rock Formation providing protection and the evaporating corpse wine suppressing mutations, control was difficult to maintain.

"Immortal Master, help!"

"Is there any Immortal Master? Come take a look at my second brother—he’s gone mad!"

"It hurts!!"

......

The wails within the town began to spread. Frightened, the townsfolk discovered countless eye pupils growing on their bodies—even their internal organs weren’t spared.

They collapsed to the ground as the eyes hungrily absorbed the nutrients within their bodies.

Crack, crack, crack.

The pupils clustered together, forming grotesque, tumor-like organs. The town resounded with unceasing cries of despair.

The mutation was influenced by emotions; once someone fell into hysteria, the effects only worsened.

This resulted in the mutation spreading through the town like a plague, threatening to engulf tens of thousands of people—a sight that sent chills down the spine.

"Qing Mountain, don’t..."

Han Cai halted his Circulation Cycle and had just spoken a warning when Li Mo vanished.

Poison Clothes Qinghong Workshop housed a population of seventy to eighty thousand, over twenty thousand of whom were Poison Martial Artists—a vital reserve for the Heart Beast Sect’s future ascent to a mid-tier Immortal Sect.

Han Cai grew anxious, nearly causing the Spider Nascent Soul within his Middle Dantian to spiral out of control.

Li Mo appeared in mid-air, standing atop Burning Radiance, a hundred-meter-long Candle Dragon entwining his entire body.

For a moment, the town fell silent.

"Steady your minds."

Li Mo closed his eyes and communicated with Da Ai Mi Tian. Cancer cells had already spread throughout the toad poison beast.

While he couldn’t entirely influence the beast’s actions, he could control the structure of its flesh.

Furthermore, the toad poison beast lacked spiritual wisdom; its body was nothing more than a patchwork of flesh.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sound of collapsing bones echoed.

Under the disbelieving gazes of the townsfolk, the town itself began sinking into the earth, surrounded by blood and flesh that wriggled like living organisms and enveloped the town walls.

Within moments, the back of the toad poison beast swelled into a Meat Mountain.

As the town was sealed in by blood and flesh, the stench of the Blessed Land Cave Heaven gradually dissipated. In addition, timely consumption of corpse wine meant the casualties were minimal.

"Go."

With a casual flick of his hand, Li Mo sent Burning Radiance into the Meat Mountain to continue providing light for the town.

What other Nascent Soul cultivators would clamor for as a Fake Magic Treasure, he casually used as a lightbulb.

Li Mo was just about to bring Han Cai and another into Poison Clothes Qinghong Workshop when he noticed that the branch Nascent Soul Technique of Beast Cultivation had already been deduced structurally.

His demands for branch techniques weren’t high; they could be refined simply at Xia Dao Palace.

It was necessary to ensure that Han Cai and the other had enough strength to protect themselves. Nascent Soul Techniques were indeed a shortcut to bridging gaps in minor realms.

No time to delay.

Li Mo headed toward the poison beast’s head.

......

Huangmu Taoist was engrossed in secluded cultivation, while Han Cai gazed at the town with unease. Seeing Li Mo act, he finally exhaled in relief.

"This damned place reeks of inexplicable eeriness."

With Burning Radiance inside the town, Han Cai had completely lost his vision and could only hear the sound of Gang Winds slamming against the rock walls.

"Back to cultivation. Sigh, who knows if I’ll be able to suppress the Nascent Soul in time."

Han Cai appeared somewhat unsure. His Spider Nascent Soul seemed entirely disconnected from him, no matter how much spiritual power he channeled, to no avail.

He did his best, fully aware that intense combat was likely in this Blessed Land Cave Heaven.

The Blood Sword Sect had four Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators. No matter how exceptional Li Mo’s strength was, it would be impossible to instantly kill all four on his own.

"I’ll handle one, Huangmu another. That should ensure the safety of my disciple."

As Han Cai was lost in thought, the faint rustling of countless crawling creatures echoed from the darkness.

"Hiss."

A chill ran down his spine.

It wasn’t just an innate warning. Even his Spider Nascent Soul was so terrified it didn’t dare to move.

Han Cai silently cursed his luck, realizing a deceitful object had silently approached the toad poison beast’s back, but in his current state, he couldn’t muster spiritual power.

"It’s me, Master Han."

Li Mo couldn’t help but remind the visibly startled Han Cai.

"Cough, cough, cough, of course I knew."

Han Cai’s eye twitched, his mouth opened slightly, unsure of what to say.

Li Mo woke Huangmu Taoist and explained to the two, "There’s no time. I intend to have you both master the Nascent Soul Technique ahead of schedule."

"Do not resist, or your Nascent Soul could suffer a severe injury."

Countless White Bone Spiders crawled into the mouths and noses of the two and spread throughout their Middle Dantians, their newly-formed Nascent Souls trembling in fright at the sight.

Han Cai murmured, "Why does it feel like Nascent Soul Techniques are related to medical skills?"

"Calling it medical skill isn’t wrong. It focuses on surgical modifications to the Nascent Soul in order to fully harness its strength during the Nascent Soul Stage."

Li Mo had deduced two branch techniques from the Primordial Nascent Soul Ancestor Returning Scripture.

One was the [Beast Ancestor Nascent Soul Bloodline Inheritance Technique], which leaned toward propagating the lineage of the Beast Ancestor—more suitable for Han Cai’s insect beast body.

The other was [Half-Human Nascent Soul Beast Form Technique], which focused on transforming into a half-human, half-beast form, a skill most Nascent Soul beast cultivators could learn.

Compared to the Primordial Nascent Soul Ancestor Returning Scripture, the branch techniques were only one percent as difficult.

Of course, their power was proportionally diminished.

The reason for adopting them was to ensure that future Nascent Souls within the Heart Beast Sect could cultivate independently. Li Mo didn’t have the time to operate on all of them himself.

Huangmu Taoist couldn’t help but ask, "The inheritance for beast cultivation has always been rare. Could it be that you, Senior, created this Nascent Soul Technique?"

"More or less, but only the first two levels. It’s up to you to refine and complete it over generations."

Li Mo transmitted the Nascent Soul Techniques into their minds and began preparing materials. Powder ground by the White Bone Spiders was transported into their Middle Dantians.

Huangmu Taoist plunged deep into studying the techniques, oblivious to anything else.

Upon reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, he had become increasingly aware of the terrifying talent Li Mo possessed—it was unimaginable that someone could so easily create new techniques.

Han Cai clicked his tongue in amazement. "This really does feel like medical skill, but it’s performed directly on the Nascent Soul."

"In any case, I aim to ensure they attain a basic grasp of the Nascent Soul Techniques before the toad poison beast descends too deeply into the Blessed Land Cave Heaven."

Li Mo planned to make the two Nascent Soul Techniques the direct inheritance of the Heart Beast Sect.

With sufficient time, the Heart Beast Sect could certainly reach the scale of a mid-tier Immortal Sect within a millennium.

Li Mo’s expression became serious. Once the surgical procedure was outlined in detail, the limbs of the White Bone Spiders sharpened into precise blades, slicing repeatedly through the Nascent Souls.

Huangmu Taoist let out muffled groans.

Han Cai’s tolerance for pain was evidently higher. He focused his consciousness on observing the surgery’s process.

"Impressive work."

The White Bone Spiders methodically performed the operation. Spiritual energy surged through their dantians, and the changes to their Nascent Souls varied distinctly.

Huangmu Taoist’s Mountain Monarch Head Nascent Soul developed a multitude of humanoid features.

The connection between him and his Nascent Soul grew increasingly intimate as his lifebound spirit beast, parasitic within his body, received the Nascent Soul’s augmentation. Its strength soared instantly.

Han Cai’s situation, however, was the opposite.

The Spider Nascent Soul fully beastified, all traces of human characteristics wiped away, transforming into an enormous, swollen spider crouched within the dantian.

Eggs began to emerge steadily.

By simply connecting to the Spider Nascent Soul, Han Cai could summon an endless swarm of Puppet Spiders.

A wild idea seemed to strike him. His expression turned fanatic as he projected his thoughts: "Master, do you have any top-grade Thousand Demon Spider Silk?"

"Use the silk to replace the inner lining of my Middle Dantian. When transplanting, make sure to..."

After some hesitation, Li Mo evaluated Han Cai’s concept and realized its feasibility.

Instead of using ordinary materials, he opted for a gentler kind of top-grade spider silk, carefully stitching it into the muscle fibers of Han Cai’s Middle Dantian layer by layer.

After a long session...

Han Cai’s Middle Dantian was transformed into a structure resembling a spider’s nest, ensuring that his Spider Nascent Soul no longer resisted the dantian’s constraints.

"No wonder they call you the Old Master Healer."

Using the leftover materials, Li Mo casually crafted a [Nest]-shaped Middle Dantian and stored it in the Cave Mansion of the Corpse Mountain Mini World.