"Fellow cultivators, the Sword Tongue Sect shall proceed first."
The cultivators present appeared stunned, taking a long moment to react.
A minor affiliated sword sect—when had it ever commanded such presence? Hadn’t the Sword Tongue Sect Master still been at the Corpse Infant Stage?
They couldn’t discern Li Mo’s true depths, yet their own Lifebound Flying Swords felt as though standing against a mortal foe.
Mu Jin stood up unnaturally, his twisted and deformed spine buckling under strain—merely pacifying the Black Marrow had nearly drained his Spiritual Power entirely.
"Sword Tongue Sect..."
For reasons unknown, he felt a foreboding sense that the Nascent Soul cultivator of the Sword Tongue Sect, if they successfully joined the Heavenly Sword Sect, might threaten his position as Chief.
"Prepare yourselves. We’re entering the Sword Rain."
"There’s six or seven years left; there’s no need to force our way into the Sword Rain prematurely..."
Mu Jin’s skull shifted grotesquely, cracked bones sprouting clusters of mushrooms.
The Nascent Soul cultivator speaking groaned deeply, his chest sinking under the corrosive onslaught of Black Marrow—killing intent in Mu Jin’s eyes could no longer be suppressed.
The Kun Whale soared into the Sword Rain.
Starlight twinkled, countless streams of Sword Qi cascading upon the Kun Whale.
The Kun Whale let out a mournful cry; the mist it released was unable to entirely block the Sword Qi, and its resilient Scale Armor was covered with sword marks in an instant.
The Mountain Protection Array of the Heavenly Sword Sect greatly hindered the Kun Whale’s strength.
Most significantly, the Sword Rain was far from simple—each stream of Sword Qi seemed imbued with life, targeting the whale’s vulnerabilities.
Fortunately, the Kun Whale’s thick hide and robust resilience allowed its injuries to recover quickly, barely maintaining equilibrium.
The hundred-plus Sword Tombs at the bottom seemed to sense contempt, their external Sword Qi surging wildly, as if determined to grind the Kun Whale to dust.
Only then did the Lifebound Flying Swords of the surrounding cultivators finally settle down.
Mu Jin’s expression eased.
"The Sword Tongue Sect thinks they can rely solely on a giant beast to cross the Sword Rain. Wishful thinking."
He pulled a mushroom from his eye socket, gazing fervently ahead, yet faintly glimpsed Li Mo still fishing with an air of leisure.
With a flick of his figure, the fishing rod swung.
A faint glow emanated from the rod.
Mu Jin was incredulous—the turbulent, tide-like Sword Rain abruptly ceased. More precisely, streams of Sword Qi actively avoided the Kun Whale’s form.
Spewing mist from its nostrils, the Kun Whale seized the opportunity to traverse the ten-thousand-meter expanse covered by the Sword Rain.
Li Mo had previously discovered how his White Bone Treasure Body triggered anomalies in the Black Marrow, realizing that a Superior Dao Body would attract Flying Swords to pledge fealty.
The nurturing process for Flying Swords involved devouring mortals’ Daoist Bodies—affiliated sword sect disciples were drained entirely before even Entering Tao.
Affiliated sects would typically teach Inner Sect disciples a special Spell, subtly replenishing their Daoist Bodies.
Of course, the foundational damage to the Daoist Body was inevitable.
Li Mo released a trace of the Daoist Body aura of an Innate Saint—not only subduing tens of thousands of Flying Swords but also stirring the Sword Tomb at the bottom to rouse.
"Lifebound Flying Swords utilize successive generations of Sword Slaves to complete their own Daoist Bodies. Could it be that the Heavenly Sword Sect possesses an intact Immortal Flying Sword?"
Li Mo restrained his Daoist Body aura, and the upheaval from the Sword Tomb gradually subsided.
"Now that I’m here at the Heavenly Sword Sect, whose Daoist Body gets completed is yet uncertain."
He smoothly recalled the Tattooed Beast, leading the Sword Tongue Sect disciples to land in the central area, where he resumed clutching the Illusion Fish Sword and meditated with closed eyes.
Ming Lin and the others, witnessing Li Mo’s extraordinary means, were at a loss.
Wasn’t Elder Taiyi said to have poor talent—how had he managed to stir the swords to upheaval? Had he undergone a complete transformation in his two to three centuries at Qing Town?
As various factions found themselves deadlocked, a minor affiliated sword sect ventured boldly into the Sword Rain.
The Nascent Soul leader, overjoyed, thought the Sword Tomb had overlooked something, facilitating the Kun Whale’s effortless arrival at the central area.
However, upon entering the Sword Rain, they learned the true meaning of Sword Qi’s majesty.
Their flesh and bones disintegrated within ten breaths and were reduced to fragments under the devastation of Sword Qi; the Nascent Soul itself could only persist for a few minutes longer.
With one group falling as pioneers, some Nascent Soul cultivators managed to discern the patterns of the Sword Rain, promptly preparing protective Magic Artifact Talismans.
Only now did the Sword Tongue Sect disciples begin to shake off their dazed stupor.
After Li Mo digested superficial information about the Mountain Protection Array, he observed the spread of the starry sky above, seemingly concealing Sword Arrays.
Simultaneously, he sensed that Sword Cultivators were fixating their attention upon him.
Li Mo ignored the surveillance—his consciousness seemed to touch upon the Sword Tomb’s stars below, gleaning strands of various Sword Intents.
Though unable to fully comprehend the Sword Intent, it nevertheless nurtured the growth of his Sword Skill Divine Power.
Unable to resist, Li Mo utilized his Sword Skill Divine Power.
[With a thousand days of gazing upon hillsides, until blood and flesh upon the back turn to stone, one might glean the essence of Hilly Sword Intent.]
"Sword Intent carries ties to mutation?"
Li Mo paused momentarily, recollecting encounters with two Sword Cultivators.
A body undergoing cycles of aging and youth, wielding the Time Sword; scorched flesh and charred skin belonging to the Fake Buddha Sword Cultivator.
"Can Sword Cultivators truly cultivate safely and complete the Nine Realms of Immortality? It feels like they’ll inevitably spiral out of control from mutation..."
"Or could it be they’ve harnessed bodily mutation for cultivation?"
Li Mo squinted slightly.
Examining the condition of his Mud Pill Palace, he noted the Universal Illumination Sword Intent had already merged with the Sunlight Bodhisattva, preventing his own mutation.
"It’s fortunate the Fake Buddha left behind the Creation Book’s imprint. Alas, even the techniques of Sword Cultivators aren’t free from flaws."
Li Mo abandoned the thought of comprehending Hilly Sword Intent, realizing that Sword Intents needed quality over quantity—it had to align with his Four Nascent Souls.
Moreover, arranged by magnitude—peak, mountain, ridge, hill—the Hilly Sword Intent fell short of top-quality.
While Li Mo studied Sword Intents, more forces gathered in the central area, though they proactively distanced themselves by a hundred meters or more from the Sword Tongue Sect.
No matter that the Sword Tongue Sect had relied on crafty means to dodge the Sword Rain, their methods in provoking upheaval among Lifebound Flying Swords remained incomprehensible.
Once seventy percent of affiliated sword sects surged into Sword Rain, Loose Cultivators holding Flying Sword credentials entered cautiously, afraid to incite collective hostility.
The five Flying Sword credentials among Loose Cultivators eventually permitted only two safe crossings through Sword Rain—others were reduced to scattered, lifeless fragments.
The Sword Yougan Sect Leader had scarcely stabilized his Spiritual Power before eagerly cradling a credential resembling a moon disk.
"Upper Sect, please guide your disciples into the sect."
The ground split open, lifting the rocks beneath his feet into the air, carrying him into the midst of the stars.
"Hahaha, becoming immortal is just ."
The other cultivators with Flying Sword credentials rushed to follow suit, disappearing in the glow of initiation.
Only Mu Jin, fixating on Li Mo, delayed his entry into the sect.
Mu Jin’s exposed skull was mostly shattered; his brain tissue had been entirely overtaken by mushrooms, emitting an ominous aura.
Mutating uncontrollably, he repeated feverish words with increasing fervor.
"Who am I? Who’s in my mind? Come out, come out! Ahhh!"
Mu Jin smashed his head against the ground, the sound of shattering skull resonating—his body and soul tormented by the invasive mutation.
No fellow cultivators dared venture close, lest they suffer their own demise and the annihilation of Dao.
With years still remaining until the Cocoon Sword Meeting, all cultivators guarded against one another, striving to propel their Lifebound Flying Swords to their pinnacle.
With their spirit weakened significantly, they could only rely upon their Lifebound Flying Swords.
Mu Jin was the sole credential bearer yet to enter the sect, his organs showing signs of uncontrollable mutation.
While observing Sword Intent, Li Mo kept an eye on Mu Jin.
Had this occurred prior to Sword Skill transformations, Li Mo might have presumed Mu Jin had succumbed to deviation—but the truth appeared to signal impending enlightenment of Sword Intent.
With Mu Jin’s mutation worsening, fragments of clarity began resurfacing in his consciousness.
In mere six years, Mu Jin’s Sword Intent teetered on the brink, the Black Marrow became increasingly active, and his aura started to surge.
Mu Jin himself transformed into a monstrous mushroom entity of indescribable nature.
His form bared no semblance of blood or flesh—beneath his thin human skin lay a filler of fungi, while black-gray spores poured from every orifice.
Li Mo furrowed his brow, silently musing: "With the peril Sword Intents pose, compounded by the recruitment of only a few disciples every millennium, can Heavenly Sword Sect truly sustain their numbers effectively?"
"Or do they, like the Sub-Device Sect, possess unique Palace systems?"
As Li Mo pondered, an immense shadow bore down upon him.
A Sword Tomb positioned centrally slowly descended—its Sword Intent tied to [Filth], emitting an indescribably putrid stench.
Li Mo, relying on the Cave God’s Eye, finally deciphered the true sight of the Sword Tomb.
The Sword Tomb sprawled amidst nauseating swampland; sparse undergrowth brimming with Sword Qi, with fly-like Flying Swords chasing one another as birds and beasts.
Only a fraction qualified as sect-defining artifacts.
Filth Intestine Sword, Poison Stomach Sword, Corrosive Blood Sword, and other associated affiliated sect disciples—seven to eight hundred cultivators—flew uncontrollably toward the dirty Sword Tomb.
Li Mo’s Innate Saint Daoist Body stirred slightly. Google seaʀᴄh ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet
The Innate Saint, being a versatile Daoist Body, appeared adaptable to the dirty Sword Tomb—emitting a faint aura invoked its response.
Li Mo, merely intent on reclaiming the Fake Buddha, had no interest in selecting a filthy Flying Sword, locking away his Daoist Body aura entirely within himself.
The second Sword Tomb descended—its Intent linked to [Heart].
Another affiliated sword sect’s cultivators surged toward this tomb.
The third Sword Tomb, associated with [Stream], attracted bloodline-related sect disciples.
The fourth Sword Tomb, related to [Rock and Soil].
The fifth Sword Tomb, tied to [Grass and Wood].
The eighth Sword Tomb, attributed to [Five Senses], summoned affiliated sect disciples connected to eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and tongue.
Noteworthy, however, was the absence of activity from Sword Tongue Sect disciples despite their entry into the Sword Tomb—Li Mo remained firmly in place, his eyes closed in deep sensing.
"No... I don’t want..."
Mu Jin thrashed his head in agitation, flailing limbs wildly.
Attempting to extract the Black Marrow from his body, he yelled, "Upper Sect... please... guide your disciples... please..."
Before he could finish his plea, Mu Jin was drawn into a Sword Tomb of White Bone composition.
Even possessing a Flying Sword credential, perhaps Mu Jin alone, across millennia, had dared to voluntarily enter the deadly Cocoon Sword Meeting.
Seventy-five Sword Tombs hovered aloft, leaving only Li Mo solitary in his previous spot.
"What the hell. What kind of mess is this."
Li Mo’s expression was a mixture of exasperation—though not due to lack of Sword Tomb attention.
Simply because his Five Dao Body’s synergy merged his Daoist Body aura to an extent that summoning a singular Sword Tomb’s resonance felt nearly impossible.
"Surely such a grand Immortal Sect as Heavenly Sword Sect has witnessed remarkable phenomena?"