Seeing that the pawn shop had dealt with the moose monster, a trace of hesitation flickered in Old Poison Worm's eyes, and he involuntarily took half a step forward.
The remaining cultivators did not react, instead watching Jin Li with amused eyes.
They hadn't paid attention to the commotion inside the Calligraphy and Painting Hall, merely assuming Li Mo had good fortune in killing three human-faced deer.
Could Jin Li possibly offend Old Poison Worm for a First Level Puberty cultivator?
Indeed, it was forbidden to kill one another in Rong Town, but coercing a low-level cultivator to hand over a human-faced deer's corpse wasn't a hard task.
Jin Li's expression grew heavy. The spells under Old Poison Worm's command were extremely troublesome, making him a difficult opponent, but Jin Li did not regret his actions.
After all, when he encountered Li Mo at Miao Shou Inn, the latter had not yet entered cultivation.
For Li Mo to reach the First Level of Puberty in such a short time and wield an impressive spell power demonstrated an unparalleled talent.
"Old Poisonous One, perfect timing to settle both new and old grudges."
With a cold snort, Jin Li activated his Protective Marvel; simultaneously, his latissimus dorsi twitched, as if fleshy wings were gradually emerging.
Cultivators who were spectating let out bizarre laughter, ready to seize advantages no matter who suffered losses.
Li Mo did not speak, but he had no intention of yielding. His dantian gathered Mist Fog Spiritual Power, ready at any moment to summon the Red Fox.
Suddenly, he felt the spiritual tablet at his waist grow slightly warm.
Li Mo placed the spiritual tablet against his forehead, and Steward Hu's transmitted voice poured forth from it; immediately thereafter, the thick fog array enveloping the storeroom dissipated.
"Brother Jin Li, my apologies, Steward Hu has summoned me—let's talk another day."
Saying this, Li Mo headed toward the storeroom. Old Poison Worm's expression turned extraordinarily dark, his eyes even betraying dread-filled terror.
Old Poison Worm's face alternated between shadow and light, but he knew Li Mo wasn't bluffing.
No one would dare impersonate a steward to threaten others like a fox exploiting a tiger's might.
Li Mo paid no mind to Old Poison Worm. Cultivation, after all, was a process of seizing resources, and offending others was far too common. If the opportunity arose in the future, he would pay back the debts with interest.
But evidently, he wouldn't have that chance.
Old Poison Worm, with a grim face, tried to speak, but his flesh began dissolving, his agonized screams echoing in hysteria.
"Steward Hu, Steward Hu, don't kill me..."
In the end, Old Poison Worm was reduced to blood and bones, leaving nothing behind.
The surrounding cultivators scattered swiftly. Who would dare provoke someone as ruthless as Steward Hu, rumored to have a hobby of collecting flayed human skins?
The human-faced deer corpses in the Calligraphy and Painting Hall remained in the corner, yet this time, no one dared set their sights on them. Ultimately, Jin Li stored them in a Storage Bag, preparing to exchange them for Spirit Stones and return them to Li Mo.
Jin Li sighed in surprise, shaking his head involuntarily.
He had always assumed Han Cai was backing Li Mo, but to his surprise, it turned out to be Hu Wen. He couldn't decide whether this was a blessing or a curse, given Hu Wen's ever-unpredictable temper.
Li Mo felt a bit uneasy as well. Looking up at the massive corpse of the moose monster, its surface bore traces of bites and scratches from various beasts. The exposed flesh around the wounds resembled Jelly White Jade.
If one ignored the grotesque and terrifying form of the moose monster, it might be mistaken for some kind of rare and exotic beast.
Li Mo couldn't make sense of Steward Hu's motives. With his own limited strength, he had no way to intervene, while Hui Qingyi offered no insights into the connection with the monster.
As he pondered, he gradually moved closer to the moose monster's location, only to have memories from the Creation Book about the Inner Sect suddenly flood his mind, catching him off guard.
Li Mo was somewhat shocked. The memories actually contained the ancient qi cultivation method of the Heart Beast Sect.
Though the method was no longer applicable to modern times, it still provided considerable insights, especially regarding the understanding of cultivation.
"Southern Dipper Crossing People Scripture."
The Inner Sect inheritance of the Heart Beast Sect was divided into four major main branches and twelve sub-branches.
Main branch disciples were personally instructed by Tian Chenzi, while sub-branch disciples apprenticed under Elders who had achieved Perfect Foundation Establishment. The Southern Dipper Crossing People Scripture was the cultivation technique for the twelve sub-branches.
The scripture's spiritual power was primarily focused on prolonging life and curing diseases, belonging to the category of auxiliary cultivation techniques.
Li Mo's expression froze in astonishment. Could it be that the Inner City gates still housed ancient inheritance? Was the monstrous, indescribable form of the moose beast a result of obtaining the Southern Dipper Crossing People Scripture?
What exactly was hidden within the Inner Sect?
Li Mo advanced within a hundred meters of the storeroom and noticed a Liu Li jar floating in mid-air.
The Liu Li jar was absorbing the Jade Liquid Spirit leaking from the moose beast's body, while Han Cai's figure appeared atop the corpse, laughing exuberantly in delight.
Four supervisors from the pawn shop stood near the corpse, alongside Manager Tian.
Their bodies were covered in blood, bearing varying degrees of injuries, though having dealt with the moose monster still left their spirits buoyed.
The other cultivators who had participated in the battle remained about a hundred meters away.
Li Mo inadvertently noticed Manager Tian's abdomen.
Manager Tian's outer robe was damaged, revealing a shallow cut on his belly. Though no blood oozed out, it seemed ready to split apart at any moment.
The spells he commanded likely involved nurturing spirit beasts within his body.
Manager Tian glanced at Li Mo but maintained a faint smile, then turned to Han Cai and asked, "Doctor Han, try to disassemble the Deceit Beast into various resources, so we can distribute them and rebuild the pawn shop."
"Certainly, certainly."
Han Cai turned and said, "Hu Wen, why don't you convince that little brat to plant some subsidiary Corpse Spirit Roots at Miao Shou Inn? Otherwise, his cultivation progress will be too slow. Hehehehehe."
"I have no objection. I'm just worried Li Mo's body won't endure it."
Steward Hu covered her mouth and chuckled lightly. Li Mo, standing behind Steward Hu under the gaze of numerous cultivators, couldn't help but evoke some surprise.
"Hehehehe, it's no problem at all."
Han Cai's eight arms emitted clicking sounds as they extended to over five meters. Spiritual power transformed into various tools that began dissecting the corpse with an almost imperceptible speed.
"Extracting some bones from the Deceit Beast to replace the little brat's spine—this will make future promotions to the Weak Crown Period much easier."
"Look at this gallbladder; replacing an organ with it can make one immune to hundred poisons."
"And what about the beast's eyes..."
Li Mo's scalp tingled; Han Cai seemed ready to dissect him into pieces.
Manager Tian and the others remained unaffected, as though they were accustomed to Han Cai's mannerisms, inadvertently engaging in idle discussions about the Deceit Beast.
Li Mo perked up his ears to listen.
The formation of a Deceit Beast was extraordinarily demanding, requiring a cultivator fully consumed by Death Disease to undergo body transformations in specific environments.
The troubling aspect was that the Deceit Beast retained the spiritual power it held in life, and its spells evolved to become eerie and incomprehensible.
Some Deceit Beasts, due to the peculiar nature of their spiritual power, even possessed human-like intelligence.
Deceit Beasts could gain strength by devouring human hearts, and for a moose Deceit Beast to reach the Weak Crown Period, it would need to consume over a thousand hearts.
No one understood why the Inner City District's environment seemed conducive to forming Deceit Beasts.
Every fifteen years or so, Deceit Beasts would emerge in Rong Town, lingering for a single day to half a year before vanishing without a trace.
Rong Town had attempted to explore the Inner City District, but no cultivators who entered ever returned alive.
The moose Deceit Beast's predecessor was a doctor from a medical hall a century ago, who fled into the Inner City District to escape the torment of Death Disease, eventually transforming into a monster.
Fortunately, the Jade Liquid Spirit was unsuitable for combat, preventing catastrophic destruction.
Li Mo inhaled sharply.
No wonder Rong Town secretly controlled the number of cultivators. While the diseased mortals could be burned to ash, cultivators would never surrender willingly.
"The Outer Door Competition, Southern Dipper Crossing People Scripture, held once every fifteen years."
There was an ominous air all around.
Over seven thousand years, the Heart Beast Sect seemed to have upheld its ancient rules, except now Inner Sect disciples had been replaced by Deceit Beasts.
Li Mo studied the moose Deceit Beast closely.
By the way, wouldn't the moose Deceit Beast's blood work exceptionally well for Hui Qingyi?