The Five Hidden Sword Sect expended significant manpower and resources to barely complete the restoration of the town, but burn marks could still be seen everywhere.
All cultivators were secretly astonished.
What was the background of the elder stationed at the Four Seas Commerce Association, capable of single-handedly opposing Feihong while clearly holding back some of his power?
If the elder had displayed the full power of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator at the time, perhaps he could have suppressed Feihong.
They had never seen a beast cultivator who could unleash the full potential of a lifebound spirit beast to such an extent—the elder must possess a Taoist Body that far surpasses the ordinary.
Throughout history, beast-type Taoist Bodies have always had inherent flaws.
It was likely that multiple Taoist Bodies had merged seamlessly, creating a unique synergy. Although still inferior to an Immortal Body, it far outclassed superior Taoist Bodies.
All forces were curious whether the Four Seas Commerce Association would participate in the Secret Realm.
Li Mo was indeed terrifying, but with only one Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, heading to the True Word Secret Realm would leave the liquor shop vulnerable outside.
As more shops gradually opened, before anyone realized it, the population of Five Temples Town steadily grew.
Initially, there were only minor factions present. Soon, even mid-sized sects began to appear, and the entire town became a chaotic blend of fish and dragons.
The factions had anticipated this.
On one hand, it was because the Five Hidden Sword Sect was willing to offer concessions; on the other hand, their show of weakness also indicated urgency in handling the True Word Secret Realm.
Forces observing from the sidelines didn’t want to miss the opportunities within the Secret Realm.
After all, the Heavenly Sword Sect refining swords in the True Word Secret Realm indicated that the magical inheritance inside was valuable enough to attract even large sects.
The Four Seas Commerce Association did not rush to open for business and remained discreetly stationed in the town center.
Only after Five Temples Town stabilized did the liquor shop start selling Corpse Wine, deliberately placing a crock pot outside the shop to simmer the brew.
The rich aroma of wine filled the air, enveloping most of the street.
However, it did not bring the thriving business Tang Wu had hoped for. Although figures continuously entered and exited the shop, very few actually purchased Corpse Wine.
The primary reason was still Li Mo’s overwhelming display of strength, which left many factions wary and hesitant. After several days, earnings totaled only a few thousand Spirit Stones.
Tang Wu tried to improve the situation, but Li Mo instructed him to simply keep the shop running steadily.
To Li Mo, the profits from selling Corpse Wine were trivial; the priority was expanding the Four Seas Commerce Association’s network through the True Word Secret Realm.
It was inevitable that someone would come to discuss cooperation sooner or later.
Li Mo transformed the second floor of the liquor shop into a seclusion room where he could recover and cultivate.
The terror of Feihong was undeniable; even after a month, traces of residual fire lingered in his body, slowly burning his flesh and blood.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Li Mo couldn’t suppress a few coughs and spat out scorching sparks.
There were methods to forcibly purge Feihong’s residual fire, but he considered the possibility of a second encounter with Feihong.
"If sword refining in the True Word Secret Realm fails, the Five Hidden Sword Sect will surely go berserk. Who knows if they’ll target the Four Seas Commerce Association?"
Li Mo decided to let his body gradually adapt to Feihong’s burns.
Da Ai Mi Tian carried the residual fire through his flesh and bones, modifying the minute structures of his body through the cancerous transformations of his cancer cells.
Considering the unpredictability of cancer cells, Li Mo proceeded with extreme caution during the modifications.
He harbored no illusions about becoming immune to Feihong’s burns—it was unrealistic. But he could make his body better withstand the residual fire.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect—truly an unimaginably powerful existence."
Li Mo’s expression revealed his apprehension.
Feihong belonged to the Heavenly Sword Sect and was bestowed upon the Five Hidden Sword Sect as their sect’s flying sword. They were tasked with nurturing it while also receiving the Feihong lineage’s sword cultivator inheritance.
Li Mo suspected that Feihong was far from being considered top-quality within the Heavenly Sword Sect.
"Wait, could the Heavenly Sword Sect have handed Feihong to the Five Hidden Sword Sect because of its taboo of killing three people every day?"
The Sword Tongue Sect’s Chi Long had a taboo of consuming Yin Kui Blood, while Feihong’s taboo was its penchant for killing.
It’s highly likely that the Heavenly Sword Sect viewed the flying sword as troublesome. Even if the Five Hidden Sword Sect were annihilated, within a few years, another Immortal Sect would inherit Feihong.
This, to some extent, highlighted the Heavenly Sword Sect’s immense and unfathomable foundation.
Flying swords that external forces coveted were often discarded because dealing with their taboos was too inconvenient—they were simply handed over to subordinate Immortal Sects for worship.
"It seems that the passage of time does nothing to shorten the gap between sects. The development pace of large sects is inconceivable for mid-sized Immortal Sects."
At the level of the Heavenly Sword Sect, they truly didn’t care about the survival of their subordinate Immortal Sects. Li Mo could only feel a palpable sense of sword cultivator arrogance emanating from them.
The cultivation world wasn’t limited to just one large sect like the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Ultimately, Li Mo’s strength was insufficient to interact with higher-level forces, as most large sects operated discreetly, biding their time before making moves.
He shook his head slightly, his features emitting thick plumes of smoke.
Li Mo’s gaze shifted to the melting furnace, where Xinfang Hermit’s body had already been processed and yielded an alternative sword sheath magic technique.
[Jiuxuan Heavenly Palace Sword Holding Technique]
Li Mo had previously encountered the cultivation technique of the Sword Tongue Sect, which emphasized squeezing a cultivator’s foundation to nurture their lifebound flying sword.
Once the lifebound flying sword severed its connection, the cultivator would be rendered a useless cripple incapable of cultivation.
This technique was referred to as the "Sword Sheath Technique" by the Heavenly Sword Sect, implying that the cultivator’s role was merely to nurture the flying sword as a tool, not as its wielder.
The Jiuxuan Heavenly Palace Sword Holding Technique differed from typical sword sheath techniques, as it reduced the cultivator’s dependence on the flying sword, allowing them to independently achieve Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages.
The technique demonstrated that cultivators who mastered it could prevent their flying sword from completely devouring their foundation, leaving two-tenths intact.
The cultivator could then use the remnants of their Taoist Body to communicate with the flying sword.
However, Li Mo could also see that regardless of whether it was Xinfang Hermit or Elder Fen Xin, their influence when it came to Feihong was strikingly limited.