CHAPTER 393: CHAPTER 20 FELLOW DAOIST, THERE’S NO NEED

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that Li Mo’s technique of turning rain into swords had already reached the Divine Transformation Stage, and he had comprehended mid-level Sword Intent: [Bright Sun].

The Sunshine Treasure Bottle originated from the Externalized Dharma Body’s equipment.

Li Mo’s wielding of the Sunshine Treasure Bottle might not possess the power of an Externalized Dharma Body, but it was far beyond what the Nascent Soul Stage could compare to.

The Sword Cultivators were astonished. They never expected Li Mo to gain the strength to threaten them in such a short period.

They even suspected that Li Mo had deliberately disguised himself as a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator earlier. Otherwise, how could he achieve such a level so soon after his breakthrough?

Crack.

A crisp sound of shattering glass echoed.

The Daoist Temple crafted from Seven Treasures Spiritual Materials disintegrated into ashes with the gentle caress of the breeze, leaving behind a three-meter-deep pit, filled with writhing blood vessels.

The blood vessels of the Great Sun Sword Tomb secreted liquids to regenerate the Daoist Temple.

"Hiss..."

A Sword Cultivator gasped.

The main reason was the Sword Rain’s extraordinary precision—it targeted only within the temple walls, leaving the courtyard intact without affecting the surroundings. This avoided triggering unknown taboos.

Zhi Mountain Temple was once again shrouded in dense mist.

Li Mo ignored the bewildered Ye Zhuo Daoist and casually tossed a jar of Corpse Wine used to suppress mutations before turning toward the side hall.

He glanced at the neighboring temple, where three to four dozen White Bone Bodhi Trees stood ominously lush and eerily vibrant.

The tree branches were laden with skulls, which clashed against each other to produce crisp sounds.

Small Night Wanderer was nowhere to be seen among them.

Li Mo flicked a few cancer cells from his fingertips, embedding them into one of the White Bone Bodhi Trees.

Having reached the Divine Transformation Stage, he no longer needed to fear Small Night Wanderer, and he had already deduced its taboo—only the Sword Ghost was yet to appear.

Rather than exterminating Small Night Wanderer, Li Mo was more interested in extracting resources from it.

After all, the White Bone Bodhi Trees could continually produce skulls—essentially a blessed land for the Ground Lying Demon Infant.

"Let’s wait a little longer. If we can’t preserve Small Night Wanderer, harvesting a batch of skulls isn’t a bad option."

After all, Li Mo was unfamiliar with Purple Sun Palace. No Sword Cultivators would kindly come around to help him address threatening taboos.

As Li Mo stepped into the side hall, the broken remnants of the Human Fox began struggling frantically—a primal desperation to escape its confines and burrow into the Sword Platform.

The Cocoon Sword, unlike the Night Wanderer, had a painfully slow healing process.

If it could not cling to the Sword Platform, it would completely perish within three days.

Upon Li Mo releasing his grip, the sludgelike remnants flowed into the Sword Platform, and the Divine Statue gradually became whole—a grotesque Fox Demon.

The turbid candle flames in the main hall surged, illuminating even the alleyways with their brightness.

The strange ecosystem of the Great Sun Sword Tomb ensured the Sword Ghost’s dependency on the Sword Platform.

"The later development of Daoist and Demon sects has far surpassed the imagination of the ancient cultivation world. Could there still be latent impacts from the great changes in heaven and earth?"

Li Mo shook his head, turning his focus to the Ground Lying Demon Infant inside the temple.

His Dantian was in utter chaos—thousands of human-headed lanterns cackled insanely as the Ground Lying Demon Infant tirelessly refined the skulls.

Once imprinted with the Human-headed Nascent Soul Flying Skull Scripture, the Ground Lying Demon Infant had finally achieved its long-cherished wish.

[True Demon Head]

With a slight shift in his thoughts, the immense number of skulls in the Corpse Mountain mini-world began pouring into the temple.

The Ground Lying Demon Infant opened its abdomen-wide maw, revealing grayish-brown sharp fangs and teeth.

"Heh heh heh..."

With one powerful inhale, the skulls flocked en masse into its gaping mouth, crushed into powder by its densely packed teeth.

Flesh and bone sprouted from its neck, growing dozens of new heads within moments.

Crunch.

The heads detached from the neck, floating in a corner of the temple.

Washed by Turbid Blood Spiritual Power, the heads quickly developed consciousness linked to the Ground Lying Demon Infant, becoming part of the True Demon Head.

Once the Nascent Soul nurtured the True Demon Head, the speed of refining skulls became incomparably faster.

Whereas it previously took half a day to refine a single skull, now it required only two to three breaths—and there was no risk of auxiliary heads losing control.

A single night passed.

The number of auxiliary heads crossed the ten-thousand mark, greatly benefiting the Ground Lying Demon Infant, whose cultivation was now on the verge of breaking into the Divine Transformation Stage.

The temple grew increasingly clamorous.

"Heh heh heh, if the Ground Lying Demon Infant breaks through to the Divine Transformation Stage and refines all forty thousand skulls in the Corpse Mountain mini-world, I can even face off against the Heavenly Palace Stage."

The True Demon Head was essentially an improved version of the Ten Thousand Demon Banner. The growth potential of the Nascent Soul far exceeded the most feared magical treasures of the ancient Devil Sect.

Even the Corpse Immortal Finger had completely lost its fingerlike form; only Sword Dao Technique remained to be achieved.

"The Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique alone isn’t enough. Now, I must focus on obtaining the Heavenly Sword Sect’s inheritance."

As thoughts swirled in his mind, Li Mo observed the Human Fox already fully integrated into the Sword Platform.

The aura of the Human Fox stabilized, though the grotesque Divine Statue revealed it had yet to recover from the injuries caused by Bright Sun Sword Qi.

"Logically speaking, isn’t the Cocoon Sword just a flying sword transformed into a deceitful object?"

Taking out an Evergreen Tree Fruit, Li Mo saw the Human Fox immediately become restless, even causing slight anomalies in the turbid candle flames in the main hall.

Evergreen Tree Fruit was a spiritual material unique to the Corpse Mountain mini-world, capable of intensifying mutations or reducing beasts into indescribable horrors.

Since the Corpse Mountain had upgraded to a magical treasure, the output of spiritual materials had skyrocketed, making harvesting deceit beasts unnecessary—and rendering the Evergreen Tree Fruit somewhat obsolete.

Given its difficulty to preserve, the Corpse Mountain mini-world contained only three to four thousand fruits currently.

Branches of the White Bone Bodhi Trees trembled, with skulls uniformly turning to gaze at the side hall of Zhi Mountain Temple.

Li Mo threw the fruit, and the Divine Statue’s fissures exuded infinite flesh that enveloped the fruit, accompanied by chilling fox howls.

As the Human Fox gradually absorbed the medicinal properties, its injuries seemed to show signs of recovery.

"My love, do I look like a human to you?"

As it spoke, human hands sprouted from the Human Fox’s throat, while its remaining facial features were filled with bodily limbs, becoming even more grotesque.

Li Mo’s expression was one of intrigued amusement.

Through the process of the Human Fox’s flesh growth, he could glimpse the reality of the Petitioning Demon Body, preparing to integrate it into the Great Wilderness Immortal Body.

"Fellow Daoist Taiyi..."

Ye Zhuo Daoist tiptoed closer to the side hall.

"Burp~"

"I’ve thought it through, Junior Brother. Hiding away isn’t the way to go. Why not help Taiyi become the chief disciple of the Purple Sun Palace?"

Ye Zhuo Daoist’s expression burned with eagerness. After marveling at Li Mo’s methods earlier, he only now realized the potential of the Corpse Wine.

Thirteen Immortals—the Thirteen Immortals of the No-Life Sect, backed by twelve future Land Immortals.

His own assets were transparent; joining forces with him was purely an exchange of interests to uncover the secrets of Purple Sun Palace.

"Look, we can spread influence outward, centered around Zhi Mountain Temple..."

Ye Zhuo Daoist rambled on, only to realize Li Mo’s gaze was entirely fixated on the Sword Platform, and he sheepishly fell silent.

His eyes scanned the grotesque Human Fox, startling at its deformity, though his curiosity soon stirred, as he stroked his chin with a smirk.

"I must admit, the taboo’s power seems to be increasing."

"Still, the Thirteen Immortals are surprisingly generous, using precious elixirs on the Cocoon Sword. Who knows, maybe they’ll gift me a few magical treasures they deem beneath them."

Ye Zhuo Daoist licked his lips.

Li Mo’s peripheral sight caught this, and an involuntary shiver ran through his body, raising goosebumps.

He regretted working with Ye Zhuo Daoist; he should have found someone more normal.

"Sigh..."

Li Mo refocused on the Sword Platform, while simultaneously selecting a thousand individuals in Xia Dao Palace for computational divination.

As a cultivator of a Lower Grade Dao Body, Petitioning Demon Body wasn’t particularly complex; he could consider improving upon it to develop a spell that fostered Acquired Dao Bodies.

Petitioning Demon Body was quite practical; through self-suggestion, one could temporarily gain the support of a Lifebound Spirit Beast, turning into a half-human, half-beast form.

The Heart Beast Sect was growing steadily, nearing the size of a medium Immortal Sect. Yet, its foundation remained lacking. For Beast Cultivators, Petitioning Demon Body was invaluable.

Li Mo closed his eyes and organized his thoughts.

Ye Zhuo Daoist shook his head as realization dawned. "The Human Fox has grown somewhat unstable, but as long as it remains in the realm of Cocoon Sword, there’s no need for concern."

Li Mo didn’t respond but instead patted Ye Zhuo Daoist’s shoulder.

"With Corpse Wine suppressing mutations, there’s really no need."

"Huh?"

Ye Zhuo Daoist hesitated to speak further as Li Mo swiftly changed the subject. "Fellow Daoist, do you know much about Elder Wuxin?"

"Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique? I once spent a night at Juxin Temple and saw someone acquire Sword Dao Techniques through a challenge."

Li Mo raised an eyebrow, unable to shake the impression that Ye Zhuo Daoist’s experiences were unusually extensive.

"I plan to seek out the Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique or other Sword Dao Techniques soon. Any recommendations?"

According to Luo Yang’s Sword Scroll, Elder Wuxin’s taboo was dueling. As long as no Spiritual Power was revealed, Elder Wuxin wouldn’t erupt recklessly—enduring for three two-hour intervals was enough to secure the Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique.

"Hard to say."

Ye Zhuo Daoist shifted his stance uncomfortably before finally replying, "You might not know, Fellow Daoist Taiyi, but there are around forty temples like Elder Wuxin’s, collectively called Teaching Daoist Temples."

"The activation times for the Teaching Daoist Temples are fixed. Once entering Juxin Temple, encountering other Sword Cultivators is inevitable."

"It doesn’t matter."

Li Mo didn’t mind testing his sword against others—dissecting corpses was another source of magic.

Ye Zhuo Daoist lowered his voice, "Damn, I’ve always wanted to see the Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique in action. When the time comes, let’s sneak into Night Parade of Hundred Demons at midnight."

"You’ve got that up your sleeve?"

"Heh heh heh, I’ve survived three hundred years wandering alone—it’s merely a slight inconvenience for Senior Brother."

"?"

"Elder Wuxin appears once every hundred days and is accompanied by three other elders. But their locations within Purple Sun Palace vary, which likely limits us to obtaining only one Sword Dao Technique."

"When dealing with Elder Wuxin, under no circumstances should you mention the term ’mortal.’"

Li Mo couldn’t help but ask why, only to learn that Elder Wuxin’s former identity was an Outer Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect from ten thousand years ago.

"Mortal, mortal again."

Could it be that all disciples of the ancient Heavenly Sword Sect had transformed into the Sword Ghosts that now infest the Sword Tombs?

With an estimated two weeks remaining, Li Mo’s Tattooed Beast should complete its transformation, and the strongest Mountain Demon was highly likely to advance to the Divine Transformation Stage.

With the Tattooed Beast, even without releasing the Sunlight Dharma Body, his strength was already formidable.

"Fellow Daoist Ye Zhuo, carry on; I’ll take advantage of the free time to cultivate."

Li Mo disappeared from the side hall in a flash.

Ye Zhuo Daoist shivered, as Human Fox’s eerie whisper reached his ears: "My love, do I look like a human to you?"