CHAPTER 392: CHAPTER 19 YOU ARE TRULY TALENTED

The scene inside the Fox Immortal Daoist Temple was utterly revolting.

The emaciated sword cultivator himself suffered from severe mutation, his chest riddled with large patches of charred blackness, to the point where his five internal organs and six viscera were fully exposed.

His flesh appeared an unnatural dark red, with his body temperature continuing to rise.

Afterward, the emaciated sword cultivator’s mutation began to worsen. The mixed sword intent from the Fox Immortal Sword Ghost corroded his body and soul, causing his cultivation to gradually decline.

"Heh heh heh..."

The emaciated sword cultivator seemed indifferent, sitting by the windowsill, waiting.

The Fox Immortal had already retreated into the sword platform; inside the room, only a faint trace of sandalwood lingered, accompanied by faint sounds of squirming flesh in the distance.

A moment later, a ghostly sigh echoed through the air: "My lord, do I look human to you?"

"Yes, yes, of course you do."

The emaciated sword cultivator replied without hesitation, only to sense the taboo of the Sword Ghost activating.

The wound in his chest began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye; his five internal organs regained a trace of vitality, and his fractured ribs grew back completely.

"Luckily, that Taiyi veered into deviation in time, so no one’s paying attention to the Human Fox. A little later, and I wouldn’t have been able to suppress my mutation anymore."

The emaciated sword cultivator went by the Daoist title of Ye Zhuo, having joined the Great Sun Sword Tomb upon initially entering the Divine Separation Stage.

Because he often sought shortcuts during cultivation, his body and soul had been severely corroded by sword intent.

From that point on, the Ye Zhuo Daoist disappeared, and most sword cultivators presumed he had perished. Unexpectedly, three hundred years later, he was still alive and thriving, with his cultivation reaching the Perfect Stage of Residual Body.

"Once Taiyi veered into deviation, I’d have to find a way to transfer the Human Fox Flying Sword."

"If there are further signs of mutation spiraling out of control and I can’t find another Daoist Temple to transfer it to, then I’ll just have to leave it to fate..."

The Ye Zhuo Daoist turned his gaze toward the Human Fox.

The Human Fox’s taboo was "unlike a human." It would ask others about its appearance, and if the answer was "unlike a human," its spiritual wisdom would plunge into madness, tearing its target into pieces.

If the answer was "like a human," the Human Fox would temporarily take on a human form.

The Ye Zhuo Daoist exploited the Human Fox’s taboo, combining it with the Dual Cultivation Secret Method to forcibly suppress his body and soul’s mutation through the Sword Ghost.

In a way, he was also extracting resources derived from the taboo.

"It won’t be long now. Once I condense the Five Qi, I’ll be able to suppress the majority of the mutation. At that point, I won’t have to be constrained by the Human Fox anymore."

Noticing that the Human Fox was on the verge of awakening, the Ye Zhuo Daoist hurriedly slipped out of the Daoist Temple.

He hid in the corner of the courtyard wall, as beams of tunneling light flashed overhead. These were peer sword cultivators traversing Purple Sun Palace in search of resources.

The Ye Zhuo Daoist sneered dismissively.

"All of them are so traditional in their thinking. Acquiring resources obviously requires unconventional methods. The more unorthodox, the more effective within the Sword Tomb—heh heh."

Hunching his back slightly, he walked like a common street scoundrel, his lifebound flying sword resembling neither a blade nor a knife strapped to his waist, heading slowly toward the alleyway’s entrance.

Just as he was about to leave, the Ye Zhuo Daoist’s expression suddenly shifted into one of contemplation.

From within Zhi Mountain Temple, faint traces of a Taoist Body’s aura leaked out. If he wasn’t mistaken, it seemed connected to the already-destroyed Demon Sect Soul Summoning Lamp.

The Ye Zhuo Daoist murmured regretfully, "The human heads from the Soul Summoning Lamp would’ve been perfect for refining flying swords. Truly a pity it was destroyed. But how could Taiyi’s Taoist Body be related to the Soul Summoning Lamp?"

"Could it be their unique Acquired Taoist Body, the Flying Barbarian Ghost Head? It doesn’t seem quite right."

Halting his steps, the Ye Zhuo Daoist fixed his shifty gaze on Zhi Mountain Temple.

He realized the instability of the Taoist Body’s aura, suggesting its recent external leakage. This must mean Taiyi’s corpse had just been occupied by a flying sword, presenting a potential opportunity.

"Today must be my lucky day. According to rumors, Taiyi was one of the Thirteen Immortals of the No-Life Sect. There must be some valuable artifacts on that body."

The Ye Zhuo Daoist crept closer.

Upon reaching Zhi Mountain Temple, he could sense no obvious sword qi, and the sword platform in the main hall appeared undisturbed—indicating that his earlier guess had been correct.

The doors and windows of Zhi Mountain Temple were reinforced with mid-grade magical artifacts refined twenty times, a display of wealth that left one speechless.

Clasping his lifebound flying sword, the Ye Zhuo Daoist peered through the curtain into the main hall’s interior. There, an unremarkable man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

For the moment, no signs of bodily or spiritual mutation were apparent, though the surge of seven or eight different sword intents witnessed earlier could not have been fake. It seemed he was struggling at death’s door.

"Still not dead yet?"

His gaze fell upon Li Mo, focusing on the Illusion Fish Sword embedded beside him.

"A high-grade magical artifact—heh heh heh. Here’s an idea. I’ll take you to the Human Fox for healing. Claiming a single magical artifact from you shouldn’t be too much, right?"

The Ye Zhuo Daoist grew increasingly covetous as he stared. The magical artifact might have already undergone a hundred refinements; given sufficient nurturing, it might even evolve into a fake magical treasure.

To avoid Luo Yang seeking retribution later, the Ye Zhuo Daoist didn’t dare deal a killing blow—even if Li Mo had only one breath left. That didn’t stop him from profiting, though.

Taking a high-grade magical artifact to exchange for an opportunity to suppress mutation.

Perfectly reasonable.

With a twisted grin, the Ye Zhuo Daoist pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the main hall.

As soon as his right foot crossed the hall’s threshold, a sensation of clouds parting struck him, shrouding his five senses in inexplicable dizziness.

"An illusion? Illusion magic?"

His face turned pale; were it not for knowing that Li Mo was merely in the Nascent Soul Stage, he might have fled on the spot.

Yet for someone in the Nascent Soul Stage to set up an illusion array capable of deceiving a Divine Separation cultivator—this alone was terrifying enough.

As his blurred vision cleared, the figure before him appeared completely transformed. A nameless fear surged into his mind.

Through Bright Day Dharma Body refinement, Li Mo’s stature now exceeded three meters.

His skin was covered with tattoo-like patterns brimming with various sword intents, one eye dark and the other bright, with a Cave God’s Eye spewing smoke from his forehead.

As Li Mo opened his eyes, a seven-colored halo rose behind his head.

The oppressive atmosphere weighed down like a tangible force.

What shocked the Ye Zhuo Daoist most was that Li Mo was far from the Nascent Soul cultivator rumors had painted him to be. The sheer vitality and qi emanating from him flooded outward like an unending river, unmistakably marking a Divine Separation Stage cultivator.

"Ugh..."

"F-Fellow Daoist Taiyi, I am Ye Zhuo, merely passing by to pay a visit..."

Crack, crack, crack.

The sound of bone growth echoed through the hall.

Li Mo, still seated cross-legged, grew two elongated arms from his ribs, and with a swift strike against the ground, he vanished instantly from his prior position. The Ye Zhuo Daoist steeled himself for a life-and-death confrontation.

"Whoever spread that nonsense about him being Nascent Soul—what a blind fool! They’ve sent me straight into hell."

Caught off guard before he could even extend his divine sense, relying on eyesight alone wasn’t enough to track Li Mo’s movements.

A fraction of a second later.

Li Mo appeared directly in front of the Ye Zhuo Daoist, his overwhelming vitality exploding outward.

"You..."

Before the Ye Zhuo Daoist could finish speaking, a dozen flying swords descended onto his head. His physical body was utterly insignificant before the sharp blades.

Summoning an externalized Dharma Body was out of the question.

After all, his heavily mutated body meant that if his external Dharma Body left his dantian hastily, it might never return.

"Was it you who struck at me earlier?"

Li Mo placed a finger on the Ye Zhuo Daoist’s forehead, with Bright Day Sword Intent converging on his fingertip. The blinding brilliance illuminated the Mud Pill Palace within his dantian thoroughly.

"No, no, no! How could it be me? That was Xu Guang, whose thirty-six Daoist Temples grant him a place among Purple Sun Palace’s top five Divine Separation Stage sword cultivators."

Pleased with the information he extracted, Li Mo inwardly nodded to himself.

Xu Guang Daoist’s test of him likely stemmed from Luo Yang’s peculiar attitude toward him, signaling more attempts to infiltrate Zhi Mountain Temple in the aftermath.

No matter—it could all be settled later.

"Brother, I truly mean no harm. Look..."

Grinning sycophantically, the Ye Zhuo Daoist, observing Li Mo’s immeasurable depth at a glance, earnestly avoided provoking him.

Despite being a cultivator for three to four centuries, he shamelessly addressed Li Mo as "Brother."

Li Mo withdrew his finger, though the flying swords remained poised above the Ye Zhuo Daoist’s head.

The Ye Zhuo Daoist, cloaked in sword intent of his own, bore the inferior kind—Lower Sword Intent known as "Fireworks"—hardly a match for the imposing Bright Day Sword Intent.

"No rush. Where is the Daoist Temple under your charge?"

"What temple? There’s no temple..."

"Do you think I’ll believe that?" Li Mo, tilting his head slightly, produced a Sunshine Treasure Bottle. As he shook it, the clatter of colliding sword blades echoed from within.

The Ye Zhuo Daoist nearly wept.

Having carefully eluded every danger for three hundred years, just as he was about to advance to the Five Qi Period, he was ruined by his own greed.

"Brother, I swear I’m not lying to you. While staying in a Daoist Temple is surely safe, it’s not the only option. There are other ways as well."

Noticing Li Mo’s hostility slightly abate, the Ye Zhuo Daoist continued, "For instance, there’s a temple to the south where the Cocoon Sword’s taboo is tied to living beings."

"All you need to do is plug its nine apertures with jade, lay yourself in a coffin, and you can rest there."

Left speechless, Li Mo watched as the Ye Zhuo Daoist, perhaps long starved of meaningful conversation, babbled incessantly about his fifty years of cultivating within a coffin.

"Fellow Daoist Ye Zhuo, here’s the deal: Zhi Mountain Temple has three side halls. You may stay there for a few days."

Not well-versed in Purple Sun Palace, Li Mo lacked knowledge of the taboos governing its countless Daoist Temples.

He needed someone familiar with these mysteries. Finding answers on his own might take years, given that Purple Sun Palace boasted at least ten thousand Daoist Temples scattered across its lands.

The Ye Zhuo Daoist, perpetually teetering on the edge of survival, actually presented an optimal partnership. At the very least, he was unaligned with any meddlesome factions.

As for potential trouble caused by this arrangement, Li Mo wasn’t too concerned.

The sole Void Refining Stage cultivator in Purple Sun Palace was Luo Yang. While others in the Divine Separation Stage might boast impressive strength, Li Mo had no intention of fearing those of equivalent cultivation.

Beads of cold sweat formed on the Ye Zhuo Daoist’s forehead as his gaze involuntarily fell upon the Human Fox’s Daoist Temple.

"So that’s how it is..."

"This is bad." Fully realizing he was now in Li Mo’s grasp, the Ye Zhuo Daoist briefly entertained the thought of mutual destruction, knowing full well what awaited him if he complied passively.

Li Mo tipped the Sunshine Treasure Bottle, infusing it with Great Sun Spiritual Power.

Standing by the window, he parted the curtain. The Ye Zhuo Daoist, gripping his lifebound flying sword, leaned in, cold sweat soaking his magic robe as he scrutinized Li Mo’s neck.

"Fellow Daoist Ye Zhuo, look—it’s such a clear, sunny day."

Unbeknownst to him, thick clouds had gathered over the Human Fox Daoist Temple. Howling winds swept through, eroding the courtyard’s weeds into the turbulent gale.

Idly toying with the Sunshine Treasure Bottle, Li Mo mimed the gesture of tipping its contents out.

"Sword, come."

Rumbling began.

A torrential downpour of blinding white light fell upon the Daoist Temple in the form of sword rain, the Bright Day Sword Intent anchored within a mere fraction of space. Soon, the Human Fox Daoist Temple lay in ruins, riddled with gaping wounds.

As mournful cries echoed from within, the sword rain abruptly ceased.

Li Mo cast the Blood Soul, sweeping up the remnants of the Human Fox Cocoon Sword Dao. Within it resided the Taoist Body, Petitioning Demon Body—such resources couldn’t be squandered.

Everything inside the Daoist Temple transformed into exquisite seven-colored spiritual materials, under the sunset’s glow glimmering like a masterpiece of art.

Countless eyes turned toward Zhi Mountain Temple as Li Mo raised the Sunshine Treasure Bottle in a toast to the outside world.

"Heh heh heh..."