Outside the Three Suns Dojo.
"What a fine Turbid Candle. So, when did it ascend to Night Wanderer?"
"No wonder after Yu Xiao entered the Yin Armor, all kinds of monstrous beings started appearing in droves."
"Disguising the Night Wanderer as a Cocoon Sword to lure me into the Three Suns Sword Tomb and keep me from meddling in Yin Armor—what an elaborate scheme."
Luo Yang’s eyes flickered with murderous intent.
"Yu Xiao’s Immortal Ascension Path cannot afford any mistakes. Let’s see who the barking dog is."
Luo Yang stood mid-air, engulfing the sword tomb in Three Flavors Fire. Only the core of the dojo remained unscathed, showing that his attack wasn’t indiscriminate.
Under the scorching heat, the Three Suns Sword Tomb secreted massive amounts of wax oil.
Within moments, a half-meter-deep lake had formed.
As the wax oil churned and ever so slightly revealed silhouettes, one could faintly see countless Sword Ghosts within.
All the Sword Ghosts had already mutated beyond control. Their flesh had transformed into wax oil, leaving them mindlessly spewing Sword Qi, like humanoid candles.
Luo Yang remained expressionless as the temperature continued to rise.
The humanoid candles gradually melted; hot winds reverberated inside the Three Suns Sword Tomb, carrying bone-chilling wails.
Luo Yang crossed his arms, scrutinizing the Three Suns Sword Tomb with an assessing glance.
"Heh, it must be those cowardly old immortals, terrified beyond measure by their mortal fears. Given the chance for immortality, these decrepit fools retreat instead of advancing."
In the wax-oil lake, dense chunks of human remains surfaced amidst the upheaval.
Countless humanoid candles tried to crawl out but were liquefied again under the Three Flavors Sword Intent, an eerie and bizarre sight.
"The path to immortality is an inevitable trend; you refuse ascension, but others long to descend."
Luo Yang held the Three Burning in his right hand, his heavy expression betraying deep contemplation.
The Night Wanderer, having devoured a countless number of humanoid candles, reached its zenith. But the process also accelerated its mutation.
Amber-colored wax oil boiled and coalesced into irregular mountain-like shapes.
The Night Wanderer now rivaled cultivators at the Divine Separation Stage, yet it had not reached its peak and continued voraciously digesting Sword Ghosts.
Luo Yang appeared slightly resigned, recognizing the brilliance of the unseen hand behind this.
In such a short time, he couldn’t pierce the deception. But any further delay and the Night Wanderer’s contamination of the Three Suns Sword Tomb would lead to unthinkable consequences.
Knowing he couldn’t afford to hesitate longer, Luo Yang bent slightly, preparing for action.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
The sound of bones colliding erupted. His spine extended sharp bone spurs, tearing through his skin as if something from within sought to emerge.
The Night Wanderer trembled uneasily, instinctively sensing danger.
Luo Yang’s flesh began to decay, a fine crack appeared on his back, from which Three-colored Fire burst forth while Three Burning disappeared within.
Three Burning withdrew from holding down the sword tomb but didn’t reduce the temperature.
The power of Three Flavors Sword Intent surged fiercely: the wax-oil lake sizzled and visibly shrank, evoking the image of mountains burning and seas boiling.
Just as Luo Yang was ready to obliterate everything, his gaze turned peculiar.
"Daoist Qing Tian wants to step into the dojo? Good, let him witness the true essence of a Sword Cultivator."
With a thought, Luo Yang removed the seals around the dojo, allowing blazing flames to creep along its walls.
The dojo gates shattered; Li Mo fled out from within, guiding his flying sword with Sword Control.
Scanning the area and confirming Luo Yang’s dominance, Li Mo didn’t rush to escape. Instead, he paused, stopping ten meters outside the gate.
Li Mo’s expression turned subtle as he continued to fixate on the interior of the dojo. Thɪs chapter is updated by ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt
"That flying sword..."
Luo Yang narrowed his eyes. The flying sword seemed loosely tied to Li Mo’s Divine Sense, controlled almost forcibly; yet, during its Sword Control, it moved as smoothly as if guided by his hand.
"As long as he isn’t constantly refining his Lifebound Flying Sword, it’s fine."
With Li Mo’s talent, manipulating multiple flying swords wasn’t difficult.
However, maintaining the purity of his sword intent would be crucial; otherwise, he risked uncontrolled mutation and loss.
Luo Yang had already planned to teach Li Mo the Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique upon their return to the Great Sun Sword Tomb.
The Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique was infinitely profound. It would suppress the sword intent within Li Mo’s body, preventing accidental enlightenment of other intents.
Ordinary Sword Cultivators, no matter how painstaking their efforts, could only comprehend sword intent via their Lifebound Flying Sword.
Yet for Li Mo, it seemed he had to take precautions against unintentionally mastering additional sword intents.
"Blessings and curses go hand in hand. You are undoubtedly the most terrifyingly talented individual I’ve ever seen, surpassing even the Twelve Immortals. No, perhaps even..."
Luo Yang’s pupils dilated.
At the entrance to the dojo appeared a lump of flesh formed by countless Sword Ghosts, riddled with hands and feet protruding everywhere.
The Night Wanderer squirmed madly, greedily intent on engulfing the flesh lump.
Only by replenishing its nourishment would it become formidable enough to contend with Luo Yang.
Luo Yang carefully observed Li Mo, noting his sword cultivation had just reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Perhaps because the breakthrough was rushed, his aura felt somewhat impure.
"Universal Illumination Sword Intent shares the same Yang Attribute. Without suppressive superiority, it’s hard to counter an enemy."
Luo Yang came to his conclusion, only to witness Li Mo unleash a previously unfamiliar sword intent—a Barbaric Giant Beast-like force scattering dust within a hundred-meter radius around him.
Li Mo spat out a Water Element Lifebound Flying Sword, which zigzagged and shot toward the flesh lump.
Luo Yang finally noticed the sword intent wasn’t emanating from Li Mo but rather from the flying sword itself, giving an uncanny impression as though it were alive.
The flesh lump abandoned Li Mo, swayed by the Night Wanderer to change direction.
The Water Element Flying Sword visibly expanded. Scales covered the sword body, fins grew, and mist swirled around it.
Li Mo evaded the flesh lump, allowing a vast shadow to envelope the ground.
A Kun Whale emerged from the mist, its five-hundred-meter form imposing with scale armor engraved with countless hieroglyphic patterns.
The force named Wilderness Sword Intent pressed forward.
Li Mo nodded in satisfaction.
Though Barbaric Sword Intent was somewhat unsophisticated, it was likely within the mid to upper ranks of sword intents.
After its transformation within the Sword Pouch, the Tattooed Beast gained the ability to manifest a Sword Body. The Kun Whale’s appearance had a distinct variance.
Its tail lengthened while its fins sharpened like blades.
The Kun Whale swung its tail decisively, akin to a blade cleaving, unleashing endless waves of pressure and a skyward surge of mist.
The mist contained traces of Wilderness Sword Intent, even causing the Night Wanderer a momentary lapse.
Turning to the flesh lump, it had already decomposed into mountains of corpses, their gazes filled with release but bodies unscarred.
The Kun Whale consumed the corpses freely, roaming outside as if swimming effortlessly.
Li Mo retracted his flying sword, and the Kun Whale vanished accordingly.
Thirty thousand corpses in total—fortunate that Li Mo acted before Luo Yang. Otherwise, the Three Flavors Sword Intent would have incinerated them entirely into ash.
Luo Yang’s head buzzed painfully.
Despite thousands of years of cultivation, Li Mo was the first to make him question his self-perception.
Li Mo’s second sword intent wasn’t an issue.
Since he hadn’t shown obvious signs of mutation or loss of control, it suggested his Taoist Body could withstand the erosion from sword intent. Luo Yang was merely surprised.
However, the technique of morphing a flying sword into a giant beast—completely beyond imagination.
From every perspective, Li Mo had unleashed a superior Sword Dao Technique, but similar inheritances only existed within the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs.
How had Li Mo mastered it?
Or had he reverse-engineered Sword Dao Technique by leveraging various Sword Cultivation Methods?
Luo Yang suddenly recalled the information he’d commissioned through an Affiliated Sword Sect. Daoist Qing Tian, prior to joining the No-Life Sect, had hailed from the Sub-Device Sect—a mid-sized Immortal Sect within the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater.
During his time in the Sub-Device Sect, Qing Tian had reportedly created a unique Artifact Cultivation inheritance involving spirit beasts.
It was said even Loose Cultivators at the sect’s harbor knew of Qing Tian Daoist’s exploits.
Luo Yang dismissed it as exaggerated rumors.
After all, for a Core Formation Artifact Refiner to establish a Taoist inheritance based solely on scattered skills seemed implausible. Yet today, he’d come to understand...
Daoist Qing Tian’s talent and comprehension were sufficient to establish a sect ten thousand years ago.
Luo Yang suddenly entertained a ridiculous notion: "Could someone truly ascend the shattered immortal ladder without shortcuts?"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Sword silhouettes flickered outside the Three Suns Sword Tomb, clearly drawn by Wilderness Sword Intent.
Luo Yang flung his hand, firelight enveloping the sword tomb completely.
Bear in mind, he intended to ensure Li Mo’s entry into the Inner Sect upon returning to the Great Sun Sword Tomb. Li Mo currently lacked a clear affiliation.
Should the remaining Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs discover this, chaos would undoubtedly ensue.
Luo Yang’s expression shifted, and with his back’s crack widening, an Externalized Dharma Body bathed in golden-fire light emerged.
The Externalized Dharma Body wore an ornate Daoist robe, its brow radiating traces of the Great Dao.
The twin eyes and oral organ on each of its three heads birthed a lotus of flesh and blood, with hand-shaped stamens from which flames floated.
It symbolized Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, known as the Three Liberations Gate and the Three Flavors—collectively referred to as Three Burning.
Li Mo gazed at the Externalized Dharma Body.
The way Luo Yang summoned the Externalized Dharma Body resembled the Feather Transformation Ascension process.
"So that’s the truth. The Heavenly Sword Sect’s cultivation truly begins at the Divine Separation Stage, holding secrets far beyond my grasp."
For Sword Cultivators, once past the Nascent Soul Stage, their Taoist Body is fully swallowed by the Lifebound Flying Sword, their foundation effectively destroyed.
But upon promotion to the Divine Separation Stage, Sword Cultivators can seemingly perform a technique that allows the Externalized Dharma Body to reclaim the original Taoist Body.
"Perhaps True Immortal Ascension indeed necessitates shedding the old shell."
Li Mo lightly shook his head.
He was fundamentally different from most Sword Cultivators. The Creation Book allowed his Nascent Soul to achieve a Taoist Body—his old shell remained essential grounding.
"True Immortal Ascension is still premature; the Divine Separation Stage is the immediate goal."
The Externalized Dharma Body strode through the air as distorted light forced Li Mo to instinctively shield his eyes.
Li Mo attempted to scrutinize the Dharma Body, but as Three-colored Fire exploded, his consciousness momentarily dulled, and blood streamed from his eyes.
The Creation Book surged with vast amounts of information.
Li Mo’s expression turned astonished—the messages were from ancient mortal-written anecdotes of ghosts and gods, all mentioning Feather Transformation Ascension.
Mortal understanding seemed to equate Feather Transformation Ascension with shedding the old shell.
"No, no... In ancient cultivation, ascension clearly required Crossing Thunder Tribulation! Could Feather Transformation Ascension be based on mortal imagination of gods and spirits?"
"What kind of absurdity is this!?"
The firelight lasted but an instant before retracting.
The Externalized Dharma Body returned to its shell, and Luo Yang now held a handful of wax oil.
Grabbing Li Mo, he vanished from the Three Suns Sword Tomb, leaving the nearby dojo in ruins, with surviving Sword Cultivators barely crawling out.