CHAPTER 522: CHAPTER 38: THE HEAVENLY DAO IS NOT A HUMAN BEING ALONE

"Tsk tsk tsk, three drops of Immortal Marrow?"

Li Mo lifted the skull, finding it hollowed out inside, leaving only a bead akin to jade, exuding the unique aura of Immortal Marrow.

The Immortal Marrow stirred his Externalized Dharma Body.

"What a pity that Immortal Marrow is only effective the first time it’s consumed. Otherwise, with three drops of Immortal Marrow, one could essentially deduce the entire Immortal Path."

Li Mo realized that only flesh could store the Immortal Marrow, so he directly buried it within the Corpse Mountain Mini World.

While he busied himself, corpse demons emerged from the gate, but without exception, they all became nourishment for the cultivation of his Artifact Pill Dharma Body.

"I... am you..."

When it was Li Mo’s turn to confront his own corpse demon, the gate of flesh and bone had already become unstable.

"I must say, it truly is a convincing imitation."

The corpse demon’s incredulous expression as it noticed Li Mo reminded him of the despair in the Fake Soul Consciousness that approached collapse.

Li Mo deliberately preserved the most realistic one, then erased its consciousness using cancerous cells.

The corpse demon was rigorously sealed away.

Li Mo doubted the corpse demon could perfectly mimic him, yet its bizarre power to distort perceptions was peculiar, and might prove useful.

If the upheaval of heaven and earth spiraled out of control, he could feign death through the corpse demon and escape unnoticed.

Finding a hidden corner, he could bide his time until the chaos subsided before reemerging.

Li Mo communicated with Da Ai Mi Tian, and as the shallow waters no longer contained familiar corpses, he signaled the Kun Whale to swim toward the sea’s surface.

He took advantage of Luo Yang and the others still being unconscious to quietly leave the Corpse Mountain Mini World.

Although the Corpse Mountain Mini World wasn’t exactly a secret, Li Mo preferred not to let others discern its true nature, especially since its scale of spiritual material cultivation had already surpassed that of some large sects.

With plant cultivators maintaining it, there was no need for the Corpse Mountain Mini World to be exposed.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Luo Yang awoke holding his head, feeling the numerous wounds across his body, his face filled with helplessness.

When he looked at Li Mo again, the man still possessed his calm and untroubled demeanor. Eighty percent of the South Sea Dragon King’s curse had likely been dispelled, seemingly without injuring him in the slightest.

Who would have imagined, of nearly two hundred experts from various factions venturing into the South Sea, only six of them would emerge alive?

Luo Yang cast a glance at Li Mo, his expression momentarily vacant.

For he discovered Li Mo had already ascended to the Existential Realm, surmounting the bottleneck without anyone knowing. Truly, he was an Innate Immortal Seed.

Such talent—if coupled with a little more luck—immortal ascension was well within reach.

Li Mo opened his mouth and said, "Elder Luo Yang, I’d like to ask about information regarding Immortal Marrow. What exactly does the Heavenly Sword Sect record about it?"

Luo Yang returned to his senses, suppressing his severe pain to sit up partially. "Immortal Marrow was first discovered by Chunyangzi. It’s said the ancestor secluded himself in the Sword Tomb for a hundred years, and by accidental ingestion, stepped into the realm of Land Immortals..."

Li Mo had never believed the tales about the Sword Tomb.

Based on historical timelines, Chunyangzi only descended into the mortal world after the fall of the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs. By then, he’d likely been an immortal for hundreds of years.

Immortal Marrow was either a fabrication concocted by later disciples, or an intentional ploy by Chunyangzi.

"The greatest marvel of Immortal Marrow lies in comprehending the Heavenly Dao. It can even allow a cultivator’s consciousness to directly confront a fragment of the Heavenly Dao, thereby unveiling their own Taoist inheritance."

Luo Yang spoke eloquently, yet his expression betrayed a deep regret over Li Mo’s missed opportunity with the Immortal Marrow.

The effects of Immortal Marrow varied from person to person. For someone with Li Mo’s exceptional talent, it was highly likely he could touch the legendary Nine and a Half Realms.

"What a shame. I once received Immortal Marrow as a reward from the Heavenly Sword Sect, but someone like me, with such mediocre talent, only wasted a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object."

Shaking his head, Luo Yang muttered, "If the Great Sun Sword Tomb hadn’t been destroyed, I would’ve risked offending our peers to fight for it on your behalf."

"No need, Elder Luo Yang," Li Mo replied.

"I already have Immortal Marrow." Li Mo saw no reason to hide this.

Simply put, if the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs produced Immortal Marrow, then the Great Sun Sword Tomb’s Immortal Marrow was merely better suited for Yang Attribute Spiritual Power.

Immortal Marrow wasn’t forbidden from leaving the Heavenly Sword Sect.

"Hiss..."

Luo Yang gasped, his gaze involuntarily darting toward Li Mo, where he saw a crystalline jade bead resting in his hand.

Indeed, it was unmistakably Immortal Marrow.

"Immortal Marrow—where did you obtain it?"

"While the Kun Whale swam, I happened to notice Golden Light Venerable’s skull, and the Immortal Marrow inside was perfectly preserved."

Luo Yang’s mouth opened slightly.

Not long ago, he’d thought Li Mo’s luck paled in comparison to the Twelve Immortals. Yet here, in the boundless depths of the sea, he’d managed such a harvest.

He refrained from asking how much Immortal Marrow Li Mo had acquired. After a brief hesitation, Luo Yang added, "After consuming Immortal Marrow, your consciousness will enter a state of emptiness, and then witness countless bizarre and fantastical images."

"Stay calm. You must not let yourself be lost in the visions, or you’ll forever sever ties with the Heavenly Dao."

Li Mo asked with interest, "The Heavenly Dao? What is the Heavenly Dao?"

"The Heavenly Dao..."

Luo Yang fell silent for a moment, before finally saying, "The Heavenly Dao can be anything, but it is never human. Do you understand?"

"What do you mean?"

Li Mo straightened up, clearly intrigued by Luo Yang’s cryptic reply.

"Honestly, after returning to your body, there won’t be any memory of the Heavenly Dao. This phrase has been passed down through the Great Sun Sword Tomb, possibly originating from Chunyangzi. I’m not certain."

Luo Yang added with a bitter smile, "One more thing—if you sense the sign of your consciousness returning to your body, you must not hesitate."

"There are countless precedents in the Heavenly Sword Sect’s history of souls being dissipated."

As Luo Yang rambled on, Li Mo meditated deeply on the peculiar statement.

"The Heavenly Dao can be anything, but it is never human."

After pondering for some time, feedback emerged from the Creation Book, revealing that this phrase did not originate from Chunyangzi.

The Heavenly Sword Sect’s records scarcely mentioned Chunyangzi. His life had long been swallowed by the river of time, with only the Creation Book capable of glimpsing fragments.

In one particular memory shard, there existed the ephemeral life of a mortal.

"Tang Youzhu."

After descending into the mortal world, Chunyangzi accepted a final disciple named Tang Youzhu. However, strictly speaking, the latter wasn’t a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

For Tang Youzhu was merely a mortal.

Tang Youzhu was born deaf and mute, eking out a childhood through begging, nearly starving to death in the frozen wilderness, until Chunyangzi took him in. Yet, he never imparted any cultivation techniques.

The memory carried neither sound nor image. Only by relying on his keen senses could Li Mo painstakingly extract useful information.

He hadn’t the faintest idea why Chunyangzi had chosen to take in Tang Youzhu.

All he knew was that after Tang Youzhu turned twenty, Chunyangzi suddenly vanished.

"The Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs?"

Continuously verifying the memory, Li Mo found that Tang Youzhu seemed to have settled on the mountain that housed the Heavenly Sword Sect. By then, the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs had already risen into the sky, though the upheaval of heaven and earth had yet to settle, leaving the place deserted.

Tang Youzhu spent one hundred and twenty years sweeping graves atop that mountain.

Li Mo speculated that Chunyangzi might’ve given Tang Youzhu a Lifespan Extension Pill. Otherwise, no mortal could have lived to the Heavenly Person’s Limit of one hundred and forty years.

As Tang Youzhu approached his deathbed, ancient cultivators came in hopes of learning Chunyangzi’s whereabouts from his lips.

Some even went so far as to cure Tang Youzhu’s deafness and muteness.

In the memory’s final scene, Li Mo finally saw a blinding light, the suspended Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs, and ancient cultivators dwelling in wooden caskets.

Tang Youzhu looked around disappointedly, muttering to himself, "The Heavenly Dao can be anything, but it is never human."

With these words, Tang Youzhu passed away peacefully.

Li Mo furrowed his brow. In an era that shook both the Immortal and Mortal Realms, Tang Youzhu’s existence felt exceptionally out of place, utterly incongruous.

"Elder Luo Yang, how long does it take to digest Immortal Marrow?"

Luo Yang replied matter-of-factly, "Though the process of confronting the Heavenly Dao may feel endlessly long, only the briefest moment will pass in the mortal world."

"Thank you, Elder Luo Yang."

Playing with the Immortal Marrow in his hand, Li Mo mused that the Heavenly Dao might harbor some profound secret.

Tang Youzhu was certainly no ordinary individual—he might’ve been a critical piece in Chunyangzi’s intricate scheme.

Even so, Li Mo refrained from consuming the Immortal Marrow immediately, waiting instead for the Kun Whale to surface. At this point, they had reached depths of two thousand miles underwater.

A month later, the Kun Whale breached the surface without incident.

The other cultivators gradually awakened. Realizing they had left the South Sea, they breathed sighs of relief.

The Cave God’s Eye on Li Mo’s forehead cracked open, gazing toward the Southern Sea Dragon Pond. The damaged Great Sun Sword Tomb hovered silently in midair.

Aside from its missing section, the Great Sun Sword Tomb bore a deep, groove-like bite mark.

"Elder Luo Yang, the Great Sun Sword Tomb seems to be intact now. If the Heavenly Sword Sect doesn’t retrieve it, it should return to the mountain gate in a few days."

Luo Yang and the others stared dumbfounded, unable to grasp the underlying cause and effect.

Li Mo, too, had only a partial understanding. He couldn’t fathom the true intentions of Kong Dongzi—who knew why the latter had used the Great Sun Sword Tomb as bait?

"Two elders, I have business at the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater, so I’ll take my leave first."

He was eager to confront the Heavenly Dao and test a burgeoning hypothesis.

"Wait." Luo Yang interrupted, his gaze turning toward Jiang Xi and the others as he said, "The attacks on the Great Sun Sword Tomb were far too suspicious, compounded by the calamities of the South Sea. For now, you cannot return to our sect."

Currently, the disciples remaining from the Great Sun Sword Tomb were all situated within the Creation Sect.

Jiang Xi and Daoist Bai Shuo wore complicated expressions, while Daoist Ye Zhuo barely masked his joy—after all, the port’s environment suited him just fine.

With gravity, Luo Yang continued, "Taiyi, one hundred and thirty-seven years from now, the Heavenly Sword Sect will reorder the Inner Sect hierarchy. Can you all return by then?"

"No problem, we’ll be there," Li Mo replied immediately.

Providentially, this would grant him the perfect opportunity to claim the Taoist inheritance of the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs.

"Farewell."

"Elder, farewell."

The Kun Whale carried Li Mo and his companions into the horizon.

Li Mo wasted no time preparing to confront the Heavenly Dao, focusing on resources that enhanced comprehension. Whether or not he could grasp the Nine and a Half Realms would depend on this trial.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xi and the others healed their injuries, careful not to disturb the gravely focused Li Mo.

Everything was ready.

A faint stream of Enlightenment Incense ignited. Li Mo immersed himself in a corresponding Corpse Wine Pool, his mouth holding a leaf of spiritual material designed to stimulate consciousness. In his last breath, he absorbed the medicinal power of twenty-four Bodhi Fruits.

In theory, twenty-four Bodhi Fruits were the limit.

Clenching the Immortal Marrow in his palm, Li Mo allowed the mutated mouth on his hand to swallow the spiritual object in one gulp. Immediately, his consciousness birthed the sensation of leaving his body.

Without resistance, his awareness seemed to roam the heavens and earth, where light and shadow flowed unceasingly.

At the instant Li Mo glimpsed the Heavenly Dao, he murmured, "Tang Youzhu wasn’t wrong. The Heavenly Dao can be anything, but it is never human."