Within Black Wind Ridge, the once-thriving town had been reduced to a desolate wasteland.
Dimly visible Yin Yang decorations were stained with fragments of the Deceit Beast’s blood and flesh, as the morning sun hung frozen mid-sky.
Thick poisonous fumes drifted slowly, while a few mire pools still had living slugs squirming within.
Han Cai leaned against a broken wall, both his arms entirely crushed, ribcage fractured, and a fist-sized hole gouged into his skull.
His exposed, blackened brain wriggled with hundreds of crawling spiders.
"Hu Wen, you old wretch, I really fell for your schemes. I should never have agreed to it back then. My cultivation almost dropped back to the Weak Crown Period. Cough, cough..."
Han Cai cursed under his breath. After regaining some of his strength, he began to tend to his injuries.
Without arms, he bit down on needle and thread to stitch himself up. Once he recovered a sliver of Spiritual Power, he used his cultivation technique to force new arms into existence.
Hu Wen lay flat not far away, her condition barely better than Han Cai’s. Her entire skeletal structure had melted, and her limbs turned slug-like.
Yet, she considered herself lucky. Despite still missing an eye, her features were far more presentable than before.
Hu Wen opened her mouth to speak to Han Cai, only to find that her throat bone was gone.
Once Han Cai regrew four arms, his entire body had thinned significantly, and he staggered as he crawled toward Hu Wen.
"Hu Wen, oh Hu Wen, how does the Uncertainty Period Death Disease feel? Bones liquefying, body mutating—if you can’t overcome it, you’ll just end up as a puddle of rot..."
Though complaining incessantly, Han Cai knew Hu Wen’s case was anything but ordinary.
The reason Hu Wen sought to reclaim her Human Skin was to remain mentally whole when confronting the Death Disease. Otherwise, a single slip into deviation would still lead to her becoming a skeletonless corpse in the end.
"Let me lend you a skeleton for now. It’s a pity the Uncertainty Period Death Disease is so fearsome; this will probably only buy you three days, alas."
"If only you had studied medicine with me back in the day, it wouldn’t have come to this."
Han Cai skillfully transplanted a complete skeleton into Hu Wen. She promptly regained her ability to speak.
Hu Wen propped herself up under the morning sun, mumbling indistinctly, "Old Han, from now on, I can only stay at the Medical Hall to endure the Death Disease. Anywhere else is far too dangerous."
Because the Mountain Lord Strange Beast had perished, Black Wind Ridge had begun to collapse.
"Alright, let’s just get out of here first," Han Cai replied, unable to suppress his worried expression.
The commotion at Black Wind Ridge was too massive; it was sure to attract the attention of Puppet Cultivators. He could only hope that Li Mo was safe outside.
Han Cai shook his head slightly. With Li Mo’s strength, as long as he didn’t stubbornly stay in the mansion, there shouldn’t be too much trouble.
After hastily gathering their belongings, the two scrambled out of the Beast Calamity’s range, emerging from the tattered Hundred Beasts Map with disheveled appearances.
The surface of the painting bore burn marks spreading outward. At some point, the illustrations of beasts had been replaced by the likenesses of Heart Beast Sect Cultivators.
The Thousand-Year Obsession of Master Qiong Yu dissipated like smoke in this very moment.
Upon reaching the outside world, Han Cai and Hu Wen noticed that the grand mansion had been reduced to rubble, with only the reception hall remaining intact.
Swarms of carrion flies buzzed chaotically. Although no corpses were visible, the area was riddled with pits of varying sizes, exuding a chaotic blend of spiritual power—evidence of countless battles fought.
"That rascal Li Mo..."
Suddenly, Han Cai’s hair stood on end.
A chilling unease gripped his heart, prompting him to turn abruptly. He saw Li Mo leaping casually from atop the mansion’s eaves.
"Master Han, Steward Hu."
Han Cai felt as if Li Mo had undergone a profound transformation. A primal, untamed aura emanated from him, overpowering even his leakless body.
Han Cai opened his mouth but refrained from questioning further.
He realized that Li Mo’s transformation into the Three-Legged Golden Toad was far beyond any ordinary methods like those of Hui Qingyi. It likely involved a third, unknown Acquired Dao Body within Li Mo.
Whether it was a Dual Dao Body or a Three Path Body, Li Mo’s future achievements were destined to surpass his own. Core Formation and Nascent Soul were not mere pipe dreams.
"Both Hu Wen and I are in poor condition. We should leave as soon as possible."
Throughout the conversation, Hu Wen kept her eyes shut. A faint sound of ants gnawing on bones emanated from within her body, a clear sign of the relentless intrusion of the Uncertainty Period Death Disease.
After contacting Tian Changwen, the Calligraphy and Painting Hall arrived outside the mansion. Once the three boarded, the structure began moving toward the Medical Hall.
Han Cai was surprised to see abandoned Puppet Cultivator shops lining the streets as they passed, evidence that the stationed cultivators had perished within the mansion.
Li Mo’s focus was on Hu Wen.
He couldn’t help but think about the eerie and inexplicable Uncertainty Period Death Disease, knowing he himself would inevitably face it in the future. If possible, it would be necessary to engrave his bones with runes after Core Formation.
Li Mo stared at Hu Wen’s face for a moment before she suddenly opened her eyes.
"Steward Hu, I mean no harm, it’s just..."
Hu Wen’s spiritual power surged throughout her body, only for her to notice Li Mo holding a piece of Human Skin in his palm—it was none other than her missing eye.
Li Mo pressed the eye into Hu Wen’s left socket, and the two instantly fused together.
"A stroke of luck..."
Li Mo explained that among the many Deceit Beast corpses he had gathered in Black Wind Ridge, there were countless fragments of Human Skin, some of which clung to a stone wall on the Earth Element Main Peak, creating a sinister spectacle.
Hu Wen’s expression was complex as she resumed her meditative state. Surviving the Uncertainty Period Death Disease would take twenty to thirty years, even under favorable conditions.
Han Cai also meditated, reflecting on how narrowly he had survived the Mountain Lord Strange Beast. It had almost destroyed his foundation, but he was fortunate to have found its weakness.
Li Mo, bored, shifted his attention to the Corpse Mountain in his chest.
Not long ago, the Corpse Mountain had just completed its fourth transformation, its peak now level with the Yin Earth Sub-Peak—though it remained completely barren.
Li Mo had tried transplanting spiritual materials, but the fourth peak remained unresponsive.
Only the Nourishing Yuan Fruit might enhance the spiritual attributes of the Corpse Mountain. Unfortunately, the three stalks of Nourishing Yuan Fruit near his kidneys wouldn’t mature for another twenty years.
Meanwhile, the six Tattooed Beasts showed even greater potential after consuming the Nourishing Yuan Fruit.
Li Mo decided to summon the little creatures into the Corpse Mountain temporarily, repeatedly warning them not to damage the planted spiritual materials.
The Salamander stretched its head-sized Evergreen Tree, darting straight toward the Changqing Tree.
It nestled itself at the base of the Changqing Tree, rubbing its translucent head against the trunk, then burrowed into the soil with its limbs, leaving only the tree visible.
Li Mo could keenly sense the Salamander’s body shrinking as the Evergreen Tree overhead grew increasingly lush.
The Salamander could now transform into a giant tree, absorbing the vitality of plants and animals within a thousand-meter radius to provide Li Mo with a continuous source of Life Energy.
If only his methods were more versatile, the Salamander could become an impregnable weapon.
The Red Fox tiptoed gracefully through the medicine fields of the Corpse Mountain, its five fiery tails swishing casually behind.
A flame pattern had appeared on its forehead, giving it unrivaled mastery over fire manipulation.
The Red Fox could store flames within its five tails, and when unleashed, the resulting conflagration could scorch thousands of meters, its potential unimaginable.
The Ghost Tiger prowled through the shadows, locked in a skirmish with a Mountain Demon.
On the surface, they looked evenly matched, but the Ghost Tiger’s tail allowed it to manipulate its own shadow, rendering its attacks unpredictable and leaving the Mountain Demon flustered.
The Mountain Demon’s strength lay in its mutation abilities.
It emitted Poison Element spiritual power that didn’t attack directly but instead induced uncontrolled mutations in its target’s flesh and blood.
This had no effect on the Ghost Tiger, leaving the Mountain Demon temporarily at a disadvantage.
The most striking among them was the Kun Whale.
The Kun Whale had grown to a true size of nearly thirty meters. As it soared through the air, its fins displayed the faint signs of transformation into wings.
Its powers extended beyond "water," incorporating "mist" and "ice" to some degree as well.
In the right environment, the Kun Whale’s combat ability was on par with the Ghost Tiger and other Tattooed Beasts, though it lacked their aggressive disposition.
The Golden Toad stood motionless at the summit of the Earth Element Main Peak, staring blankly into the distance.
Its golden scale armor shimmered brilliantly. Upon closer inspection, one could notice its body subtly expanding and contracting.
The Golden Toad had awakened an ability akin to size control, allowing it to adjust its size by up to fifty percent without requiring Li Mo to alter its Spiritual Power Flesh.
After letting the creatures frolic for a while, Li Mo reabsorbed them back into his skin.
The Calligraphy and Painting Hall had arrived outside the Medical Hall, which remained bustling with activity, though the atmosphere felt strangely off.
"Where’s Zhou Fawei?!!"
Han Cai couldn’t help but yell before even entering the Medical Hall. Zhou Fawei hurried from an inner room, his expression somewhat helpless.
"Doctor Han, I’m right here."
Zhou Fawei gave a subtle signal, drawing Li Mo’s attention to the unusual circumstances within the Medical Hall.
Nearly half of the patients seeking treatment were Beast Cultivators with severely mutated flesh, being treated by doctors cutting away the diseased tissue.
The moment Han Cai appeared, the patients began pleading in agony.
"Doctor Han, save me!"
"I have three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones, Doctor Han, please suppress the mutation!"
"Doctor Han, I’m acquainted with the Futu Hermit!"
Han Cai’s expression darkened as he muttered, "Tian Changwen just loves dumping trouble on me. If something goes wrong, who will take responsibility?"
He signaled Zhou Fawei to take Hu Wen to a guest room in the back while he began treating the patients on his own.
When Li Mo offered to help, Han Cai sent him a mental message, "Disciple, focus on your cultivation. At best, I can alleviate their mutations."
"Can’t you tell? They’re all Deceit Beasts."
Li Mo quickly realized that the Qingfang Taoist must have been suppressing the Deceit Beastification of the Puppet Cultivators in the Slaughterhouse, causing the anthropomorphic Deceit Beasts outside to lose their human forms.
If the Slaughterhouse was no longer needed, it was a sign that Tian Changwen was confident in the outcome.
Was the struggle for Dao Inheritance over?
Had Shi Ji offered no countermeasures?
Li Mo felt something was amiss, but a confrontation between two Core Formation Cultivators was beyond the reach of someone still in the Weak Crown period.
Instead of wasting energy on the larger situation, it was better to break through to the Late Teenage stage as soon as possible.
Obediently, Li Mo stayed in the guest room provided by the Medical Hall, diligently running Circulation Cycles to refine his already formidable foundation.
Secret skirmishes between the Puppet Beast factions continued, yet Tian Changwen and Shi Ji refrained from making overt moves.
Of the thirteen Beast Calamities, Tian Changwen had resolved nine, granting him access to nine Hundred Beasts Blood Bodies from the Inner City District.
In a dimly lit, damp butcher’s shop, hundreds of severely mutated Beast Cultivators hung inverted.
The Qingfang Taoist bore the likeness of an anthropomorphic green fox, but his face and skull were overgrown with excess mouths and eyes.
He sat across from Manager Tian, the two engaged in a game of black-and-white chess.
"Tian Changwen, Rong Town should stay quiet for the next thousand years, correct?"
"At most one century."
"You think I’ve won? No, I’ve merely avoided losing."