The Soul-devouring Demon Infant let out a piercing screech, its mouth swelling several times larger.
The rows of sharp, glistening fangs made Luo Kai’s hair stand on end, and he uncontrollably felt himself being drawn closer and closer by the Soul-devouring Demon Infant, his Nascent Soul approaching it.
Luo Kai felt a surge of suction pulling him in, and in an instant, he lost all connection with his body and soul, as if he had fallen into the Soul-devouring Demon Infant’s bottomless throat.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the mist-shrouded True Void Hometown.
Li Mo’s temple loomed before Luo Kai, its colossal thousand-meter body seeming capable of plucking stars and seizing moons, an awe-inspiring sight brought forth by the Five Dao Body’s terrifying phenomena.
The Soul-devouring Demon Infant still crouched on his shoulder, though now it wore a Taoist Child’s attire.
Among Li Mo’s Three Nascent Souls, the Chaos Beast Infant and Pu Dao’s Artifact Infant were evenly matched in all aspects, while the Soul-devouring Demon Infant, being rooted in demonic cultivation, was slightly inferior.
Yet, the Soul-devouring Demon Infant possessed abilities that exceeded Li Mo’s expectations.
Its abdomen could connect to places like the Corpse Mountain Mini World and the True Void Hometown, forcibly swallowing targets through its oral organ.
With the Soul-devouring Demon Infant at his disposal, Li Mo no longer had to worry about the Corpse Mountain being exposed.
"The... Thirteen Immortals..."
Luo Kai collapsed to the ground, his expression a mix of extreme terror and suppressed excitement.
Li Mo lowered his massive, mountain-like head, which stirred up a tempestuous gale that sent Luo Kai flying a hundred meters back. Stabilizing himself, Luo Kai once again prostrated in reverence.
"Revered Thirteen Immortals above, this humble one, Luo Kai, deeply apologizes for any offense caused."
"This humble one meant no intentional disrespect toward the No-Life Sect’s arrangements in the True Word Secret Realm. My path of cultivation is long; could I not take shelter under the shade of the No-Life Sect’s great tree?"
Luo Kai babbled on endlessly, occasionally bringing up the No-Life Mother, his words overladen with expressions of reverence and admiration for her.
Li Mo could see through him; Luo Kai indeed regarded himself as a follower of the No-Life Mother.
But his devotion was certainly far from genuine.
Demon cultivators tended to be selfish and self-interested. Moreover, the erosion of the Death Disease made their behavior more extreme and volatile.
Li Mo was confident that Luo Kai would come seeking him because the latter’s sect—the Skin Painting Sect—had already reached its pinnacle at the Nascent Soul Stage, with no hope of advancing to the Divine Separation Stage.
Luo Kai’s presence in the True Word Secret Realm was likely a bid to acquire some of its magic techniques from the True Word Sect.
However, it was evident to anyone with discerning eyes that the True Word Sect’s cultivation system differed fundamentally from the Daoist or Demon paths, with only the Heavenly Sword Sect incorporating sword-refining techniques for personal use.
Cultivators like Luo Kai were countless, reflecting the current state of the Cultivation World.
Li Mo said nothing in reply, staring coldly at Luo Kai. His unwavering gaze made Luo Kai grow increasingly uneasy, causing him to kowtow even harder.
"Revered Thirteen Immortals, you may not know this, but five thousand years ago, the Skin Painting Sect was besieged by the Taoist sects, leaving its heritage incomplete. Forget the Divine Separation Stage; even cultivating to the Nascent Soul Stage has become a precarious ordeal..."
The Skin Painting Sect’s primary cultivation technique consisted of inner and outer volumes, but the inner volume was lost during the siege, resulting in the instability of Luo Kai’s body and soul.
Noticing Li Mo’s lack of response, Luo Kai suddenly seemed to recall something.
"Revered Thirteen Immortals, this humble one discovered a magical technique within the True Word Secret Realm—it’s etched on the back of beast skin, unnoticed by the Five Hidden Sword."
He tore off the beast skin attached to his back, revealing an intricate array of Buddhist scripture.
Li Mo’s gaze swept over it nonchalantly, his outward demeanor calm as water, but inwardly he had already memorized the Buddhist text.
The Primordial Dao Seed translated the text. It turned out to be a basic magic technique.
Li Mo briefly reviewed it and found that the True Word Sect’s magic techniques included only a few dozen words on fist technique, while the rest were instructions on accompanying medicinal ingredients.
Arhat Long Fist pertained solely to childhood cultivation but listed several related medicinal ingredients, all of which involved ingesting gold to stimulate changes in the Mud Pill Palace.
Once mastered, both arms would transform into a golden, metallic state.
Though Arhat Long Fist was the most fundamental of the True Word Sect’s magic techniques, Li Mo deduced from it that their cultivation system seemed closely tied to the Seven Treasures Buddha.
Li Mo’s curiosity about the situation within the True Word Secret Realm deepened.
"Revered Thirteen Immortals, this humble one wishes to join the No-Life Sect as an Outer Disciple."
Luo Kai spoke with slight apprehension, and soon, Li Mo’s voice rang out: "Very well, Luo Kai. Reveal to me the Skin Painting Sect’s magic techniques."
"Of course," Luo Kai agreed without hesitation, essentially selling out the Skin Painting Sect. He proceeded to explain their primary cultivation techniques, even beginning to regard himself as part of the No-Life Sect.
The Skin Painting Sect’s cultivation technique was called the [Demon Skin Immortal Bone Heavenly Element Scripture], resembling Beast Cultivation. Before entering Tao, practitioners would sew pieces of beast skin onto their flesh.
However, unlike Beast Cultivation, the Skin Painting Sect relied on the constant agony of transplanting beast skin onto one’s body to cultivate.
At every stage of advancement, new beast organs had to be transplanted, intensifying the torment.
"Fascinating... with some refinement, perhaps it could transition from a demon cultivation method to a beast cultivation one," Li Mo mused aloud.
At present, Li Mo was in dire need of Nascent Soul-level assistance. Luo Kai was easy to control and seemed suitable for handling some of the more unpleasant or taxing tasks.
"There is a magic technique suited for you. Whether you can resolve your current dilemma will depend on your own cultivation," Li Mo said, passing on a peculiar magic technique once nurtured by the Primordial Dao Seed but omitting the portions related to advancing to the Divine Separation Stage.
[Using a secret technique to nurture a parasitic fetus within the Nascent Soul itself, then refining the parasitic fetus into a Fake Nascent Soul. Through their symbiosis, the parasitic fetus gradually devours the original Nascent Soul.]
Luo Kai was overjoyed.
He could sense the profoundness of the Fetus Birth Fetus technique, realizing he indeed had the chance to master it. The omitted portions likely pertained to the Divine Separation Stage.
Li Mo offered a few simple pointers, allowing Luo Kai to gain sudden clarity.
The many mysteries within the Demon Skin Immortal Bone Heavenly Element Scripture that had confounded Luo Kai for a thousand years were grasped by Li Mo in just a few moments of interaction.
Such was expected of the No-Life Mother’s Thirteenth Disciple.
"Revered Thirteen Immortals, do you plan to enter the True Word Secret Realm? This humble one could accompany..."
Li Mo interrupted him: "No need. You will remain outside and watch over the Four Seas Commerce. Say it is to collect their Spirit Stones for hire."
"Understood, this humble one comprehends," Luo Kai replied.
Li Mo sneered coldly, saying, "Know this, Luo Kai: I can traverse to and from the True Void Hometown at will; no mere secret realm can trap me."
As his words fell, he sent Luo Kai back to the outside world.
Standing before the door of the Seclusion Room, still in the motion of pushing it open, Luo Kai felt as though he’d just awoken from a dream. From within the room, Li Mo’s aloof voice rang out, "No audience. Escort him out."
Luo Kai bowed respectfully and departed, while Li Mo closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
The remaining time passed in an instant.
The bronze giant gate cracked open, and nearly a thousand individuals surged into the True Word Secret Realm, including many well-known Nascent Soul cultivators. Among them, the most attention-grabbing figure was Li Mo, infamous for his clash with Feihong.
Elder Fen Xin muttered to himself, "Using them as sword embryos, surely the Buddha Sword can be refined."