The Daoist Collection on the second level of the Practice Hall had already been thoroughly combed through by Li Mo. After the Tao Seed absorbed the treasures of Dome Mountain, it exhibited significant changes.
Previously, he could barely discern the mysterious patterns on the surface of the Tao Seed. Now, they had become completely unintelligible, with implications difficult to describe in words.
When Li Mo eradicated the flaws in his five internal organs, the Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra underwent a complete transformation.
The original Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra possessed two characteristics: [Insectification] and [Highly Toxic].
But after refinement, [Insectification] transformed into [Activation]. The magic artifacts fused with the five organs no longer turned into Gu Worms but into insect beasts.
Insect beasts no longer required cultivators to directly control them, as they now possess a certain degree of autonomy.
Li Mo turned his gaze inward, examining his body.
The hermit crab birthed from Corpse Mountain could utilize thirty percent of the magic artifact’s power, its size had grown considerably, and it could detach the mountain from its body to drive it as a weapon against enemies.
The Daluo Heaven was merely an artifact embryo, yet with coral surfaces densely packed with countless apertures, and tens of thousands of arms that instilled fear.
The promotion of mid-grade magical artifacts wasn’t as significant as that of high-grade magical artifacts, but it was still an impressive improvement.
The Eight-Armed Spine Nerve could summon a multitude of tiny spiders; the Breath Mist Poison Bees could transform into fine dust; the Bone-locking Body Sealing Chain granted the fleeting ability to burrow through earth.
The [Highly Toxic] characteristic had evolved into [Five Poisons]. Previously, the toxins in the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were mixed and disordered; now, they had distinct boundaries.
The heart governs fire, the liver governs wood, the spleen governs earth, the lungs govern metal, and the kidneys govern water.
The Five Elements Poison not only enhanced the toxicity of Mist Fog Spiritual Power but also indirectly strengthened the Corpse Spirit Root, stabilizing its foundation over time.
To Li Mo’s surprise, after the Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra evolved to include the content for the Thirty Years Old Stage, it gained another characteristic.
The spirit beasts residing within his body could receive nourishment from spiritual power during the Circulation Cycle, furthering a more inseparable bond between the beasts and the cultivator.
Li Mo’s expression grew complicated.
He noticed that while the Primordial Dao Seed refined the Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra, it hadn’t borrowed extensively from other Taoist inheritances, maintaining the core essence of Beast Cultivation techniques.
This indicated that the Primordial Dao Seed could intervene but chose not to.
Li Mo still retained control over the major direction of its refinement.
He took a deep breath and began re-cultivating the Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra from his childhood, directing Mist Fog Spiritual Power to circulate through his meridians.
Meanwhile, the Ash Spirit Power busily prepared for Foundation Establishment.
According to the records of Dome Mountain, artifact cultivation provided auxiliary Foundation Establishment elixirs. However, given Li Mo’s current foundation, any assistance would merely waste spiritual material.
Li Mo spent ten days reaching the peak state for both types of spiritual power.
The Chaotic Burial Furnace remained tranquil as always, with disciples coming and going daily to fulfill missions commissioned by the Sub-Device Sect, earning Spirit Stones to fund their cultivation.
The only peculiar thing was that the grass and plants around the Chaotic Burial Furnace had become vibrant in hue, resembling phosphorescence yet distinctly different.
Due to the scarcity of flora, artifact cultivators didn’t notice these subtle changes, but the Breath Mist covering a ten-mile radius detected something amiss.
For some reason, the more peaceful the Chaotic Burial Furnace became, the more uneasy Li Mo felt.
It seemed like some mysterious existence had its eyes fixed on him after being linked to the ominous phosphorescence. Perhaps it was because the Five Dao Body was too conspicuous?
Li Mo remained uncertain but trusted that his cultivation of Mist Fog Spiritual Power was unlikely to be discerned. Once he achieved Core Formation, he would have greater flexibility to act.
"It should be about time. After Core Formation, I might as well leave the Chaotic Burial Furnace. Though the Practice Hall has its merits, it limits my artifact refining techniques."
To Li Mo, the mixed and chaotic environment of a port seemed far safer, at least free from the strange and inexplicable phosphorescence.
He deliberately modified the spiritual energy in the Practice Hall to Mist Fog Spiritual Energy.
Then, he ventured to the third level of the Practice Hall. Inside was an enclosed space, with walls resembling solid rock and the floor laid with wooden planks.
Though the third level lacked the overflowing spiritual power of the first level, it was sufficient for Li Mo’s needs.
Additionally, the arrays arranged on the third level restricted the leakage of spiritual energy, ensuring that the ripple effects of Core Formation wouldn’t disturb the Chaotic Burial Furnace.
Sitting cross-legged at the center, Li Mo sent his consciousness to the fake pill within his Multiple Dantians.
The integration of spiritual energy, the Three Spirits, and the Tao Seed posed immense difficulty; fortunately, the refined cultivation technique provided a general direction.
Li Mo manipulated strands of Mist Fog Spiritual Power to wrap around the Tao Seed, penetrating its surface as its patterns gradually shifted, slowly interweaving with the seed’s core.
Normally, the Three Spirits would strongly resist the intrusion of spiritual power.
But thanks to the Creation Book’s imprint, the Three Spirits willingly approached the Mist Fog Spiritual Power, initiating a harmonious, symbiotic interaction.
Li Mo let out a muffled groan.
The fake pill began to destabilize, particularly the Tao Seed, which resisted the intensifying spiritual power by accelerating its rotation.
The Mist Fog Spiritual Power formed a vortex within the Multiple Dantians.
The Tao Seed attempted to expel the spiritual power from the dantian as the Three Spirits consistently absorbed it, though the refinement process stalled at its final step.
The Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra presented an alternative path to Core Formation—abandoning the Tao Seed in favor of merging it into the Golden Core, still achieving a high-grade Golden Core.
Li Mo’s expression was helpless.
The Tao Seed remained independent but was deeply intertwined with the Primordial Dao Body; the Multiple Dantians belonged to the Heavenly Man; the Three Spirits would, upon fully imprinting onto the soul, nurture a new Innate Taoist Body.
The condensation of the Beast Cultivation Golden Core involved integrating three forms of Taoist bodies.
Before studying the magical records of Dome Mountain, Li Mo might have hesitated, but upon discovering that the Sub-Device Sect utilized body modification to create connections between multiple Dao Bodies, he understood one principle: his Core Formation efforts would pave the way for the "Immortal Body" if his Taoist bodies merged once more in the future.
Li Mo retrieved the Little Human Head and squeezed the juices into his mouth with his palm.
The pungent stench of blood overwhelmed him as the juice transformed into black vapor that flowed toward his chest, promptly absorbed by the Multiple Dantians.
"Crack... crack... crack..."
The Multiple Dantians seemed to come alive, sprouting sinister facial features.
The storm-like turbulence within the Multiple Dantians subsided. The Little Human Head’s role had been to alert the fake pill to the danger posed by a foreign entity, compelling the three forces to instinctively unite.
Li Mo’s veins bulged on his forehead.
His mental realm involuntarily became violent and manic. He gripped his throbbing head, his nails digging into his flesh before regaining clarity.
Without withstanding the Little Human Head’s adverse effects, even if Core Formation succeeded, he would at most craft a mid-grade Golden Core while the high-grade Golden Core would remain out of reach.
Yet Li Mo regained his senses within half a breath, leveraging the Little Human Head’s effects to gently draw the Mist Fog Spiritual Power closer to the Tao Seed.
When a single strand of Mist Fog Spiritual Power merged with the Tao Seed, the process proceeded seamlessly.
Li Mo shifted his focus to Foundation Establishment with the Ash Spirit Power, placing mid-grade Spirit Stones into his mouth and splitting his focus to control the melting furnace, liquefying the spiritual power.
Dust clouds engulfing the Practice Hall suddenly stirred.
The commotion attracted all artifact cultivators nearby, who unconsciously approached the Practice Hall, recognizing the anomaly as likely stemming from a cultivation breakthrough.
The Corpse Altar Taoist wore a startled expression, envy evident and uncontrollable.
Other disciples from the Chaotic Burial Furnace also fell silent.
From the ripples of spiritual power leaking from the array, they discerned that Li Mo was advancing to the Weak Crown Period, though his breakthrough was incredibly grand in scale.
Even though Li Mo deliberately suppressed the Mist Fog Spiritual Power while externally releasing the Ash Spirit Power, volcanic ash fell like raindrops within a hundred-meter radius.
The mountain peak of the Chaotic Burial Furnace lightly quaked, its height rising by two meters.
They had never heard of Foundation Establishment aiding Taoist inheritances before; typically, artifact cultivators forming their core merely added five meters to the height of the mountain peaks.
The Corpse Altar Taoist muttered in disbelief, "Even at Foundation Establishment, it is already at this level. How terrifying will Core Formation and Nascent Soul be in the future?"
Previously, they thought Li Mo’s half-year delay in Foundation Establishment resulted from conflicts within the Five Dao Body. They never anticipated such an explosive breakthrough upon advancing.
In retrospect, Li Mo’s presence brought them more benefits than disadvantages.
Forming his core and advancing to Nascent Soul could at least increase the Chaotic Burial Furnace’s elevation by ten percent, symbolizing additional resources for everyone to share.
Of course, artifact cultivators such as the Corpse Altar Taoist would inevitably feel disgruntled.
Li Mo himself was slightly surprised.
The anomaly surrounding the Chaotic Burial Furnace was indeed triggered by the Ash Spirit Power; after all, the Mist Fog Spiritual Power lacked environmental radiation and erosive properties unless activated by the Primordial Dao Body.
Once liquefied, the Ash Spirit Power calmed within the melting furnace.
The processes in the Multiple Dantians were also nearing completion.
Spiritual power, Three Spirits, and Tao Seed thoroughly fused as one.
Li Mo looked into the Multiple Dantians and saw a gray-white stone sphere—a shape resembling the moon from his past life.
It was ash-gray and covered with uneven depressions. Upon closer inspection, the Golden Core radiated an indescribable Dao Rhythm.
However, its internal structure was entirely different. The outer layer resembled gray stone, while the inner layer resembled blood-like flesh.
At the Golden Core’s very nucleus lay a vividly pulsing brain.
Li Mo examined it briefly, remarking with some regret, "A high-grade Golden Core."
Three fissures marred the Golden Core’s surface, each crack containing an eye that ceaselessly rotated, disrupting the overall Dao Rhythm of the Core.
The divine skills tied to the Primordial Dao Seed, Prosperity Through Grain, Giant Swallowing Evil, and Commanding Intent Communication remained unaffected by the Golden Core formation, instead operating with enhanced precision.
The tattooed beasts all fell into slumber. Advancing to the Thirty Years Old Stage signified that Li Mo could now inscribe the main beast head tattoo on his chest.
However, the Green Robe could only support cultivation up to the Thirty Years Old Stage. To trigger the resurgence of magic, he would need to consume the Magic Page Imprints.
Li Mo opened the Creation Book.
The page displaying the Three Spirits and Tao Seed illustrations had blurred significantly, while eight new blank pages appeared, suddenly increasing his options.
Unfortunately, achieving Foundation Establishment with Ash Spirit Power didn’t yield additional blank pages.
It indicated that the Creation Book only produced blank pages upon the first bodily transformation, meaning that those eight blank pages would require strategic planning for optimal use.
Li Mo stabilized his cultivation while adapting to the transformation of his body and soul.
Simply stabilizing his Thirty Years Old Stage cultivation took him half a year.
During this period, Li Mo noticed that the phosphorescence’s effects continued to expand. Though hidden and subtle underground, the inhospitable conditions of Zone 8 masked its hazards.
He was contemplating the timing of his departure from the Chaotic Burial Furnace when the Little Human Pig Statue from the first level of the Practice Hall suddenly transmitted thoughts—not from Dome Mountain.
The voice was neither male nor female, seemingly emanating from an empty and profound realm.
"I’ve come for you, awaken now..."