Li Mo froze in place, his Buddha Demon Dharma Body still maintaining the Nirvana World constructed by Sword Intent, yet San Sheng’s presence could no longer be found.
The disappearance of San Sheng also caused the mutation within his body to vanish completely.
His injuries healed visibly quickly.
However, due to the forced fusion of the Buddha Demon Dharma Body, it inevitably suffered backlash, with dense cracks spreading across its surface.
Fortunately, the foundation remained intact and would recover fully after a few years of nourishing.
Immediately thereafter, Li Mo sensed a strange feeling of detachment, reminiscent of his journeys to the True Void Hometown. After hesitating for a few breaths, he withdrew his Buddha Demon Dharma Body.
Li Mo reappeared at the center of the Great Sun Evil Extermination Eight Directions Sword Formation. The architecture of the Fire Spirit Hall remained, and all the Sword Cultivators had already awakened.
When they saw Li Mo, radiating killing intent, they couldn’t help but feel terrified.
In the eyes of the Sword Cultivators, Li Mo’s sudden spiritual power eruption was even more shocking than when he dealt with Fen Li.
Li Mo’s hundred-meter-tall frame cast a shadow.
The Seven Treasures Buddha Light behind his head flowed, mystical patterns flashed briefly across his skin, and Yin Yang Sword Qi exhaled with every breath.
Jiang Xi felt a chill down his spine.
His Lifebound Flying Sword sensed imminent danger and frantically urged him to flee.
"Senior Brother, are you alright?"
Ye Zhuo Daoist stepped forward to inquire, while Bai Shuo Daoist seemed a little puzzled, cautiously observing the surrounding Sword Cultivators with his Divine Sense.
Li Mo’s expression remained calm as he canceled the Taoist Body’s blessing, his body returning to normal size, and the aura of the Dharma Body gradually receded.
"Apologies, fellow cultivators."
"I had a sudden insight into Sword Intent, which caused a shift in my mental realm."
The other Sword Cultivators didn’t doubt him. After all, Li Mo didn’t display any signs of deviation, though Ye Zhuo Daoist understood something significant must have occurred.
Ye Zhuo Daoist dared not ask further.
Sometimes, knowing too much only brings trouble upon oneself.
Li Mo scanned the Fire Spirit Hall, noticing that the town’s detachment from the Copper Mirror was accelerating, as the fleshy transformations of the buildings receded like a tide.
Now the Fire Spirit Hall had reached the fourth floor of the Copper Mirror, not far from detachment.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Night Patrol Deity had already successfully suppressed it.
But Li Mo knew the Night Patrol Deity was merely a decoy staged by the hidden players. The eerie anomalies revealed by San Sheng only deepened his unease.
"I must figure out their true motives before formulating a response."
Li Mo closed his eyes and nourished his spirit for a time, only awakening once Sword Cultivators gradually communicated with the Sword Array. His expression grew grim as he fixed his gaze upon Ye Zhuo Daoist.
A centipede-like Gu Worm burrowed out from the back of his hand, crawling into Ye Zhuo Daoist’s ear.
Ye Zhuo Daoist failed to notice the Gu Worm, which quickly made its way to the depths of his brain, parasitically occupying the rootlike brainstem.
Li Mo activated the Divine Skill of the Gu Worm, specifically nurturing this Heart Worm.
Due to limitations of the Divine Skill, the Heart Worm only possessed the abilities of the Nascent Soul Stage, yet it had one particularly unique function: it could temporarily create Spiritual Wisdom in the host’s brain.
Unfortunately, it required close proximity to take effect.
Li Mo didn’t want his conversations overheard by prying minds. The Heavenly Palace Stage Sword Cultivators were backed by Void Refining Stage Elders, and there might even be a traitor among them.
He covertly controlled the Heart Worm as its surface grew five facial features.
Ye Zhuo Daoist remained oblivious, immersed in his comprehension of Yang Attribute Sword Intent. Li Mo used Divine Sense to question the Heart Worm, which had taken over the brain.
"Ye Zhuo, has Elder San Sheng provided any information during my retreat? Has the Night Patrol Deity’s calamity come to an end?"
The Heart Worm’s voice resonated in Li Mo’s mind, identical to Ye Zhuo Daoist’s.
"San Sheng... Elder?"
"Senior Brother, I’ve never heard of an Elder named San Sheng in the Great Sun Sword Tomb. Could it be one of the Void Refining Stage Elders from another Sword Tomb?"
Li Mo activated his Cave God’s Eye, trying to search for San Sheng’s Skull scattered across the town.
But not only was San Sheng’s Skull absent, even the traces of hair binding to the beam in the shop where it once hung had entirely vanished.
Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Li Mo gritted his teeth.
"Can it be that the Void Refining Elder of Ruotan Hall isn’t San Sheng?"
"Ruotan Hall had a Void Refining Stage Elder two thousand years ago with the Daoist title Zeng Ming. Elder Zeng Ming later perished in deviation, with no suitable candidate taking his place since."
"Hmm, Ruotan Hall seems to be under Elder Lu Yuan’s usual jurisdiction."
Li Mo continued questioning, "Ye Zhuo, have you ever heard any nursery rhymes, transmitted through various corners of the town?"
"After we entered the Fire Spirit Hall, which Elder gave the orders?"
"Lu Yuan. For missions, Elder Lu Yuan’s Lifebound Flying Sword, Yang Niu, usually handled notifications. However, Yang Niu frequently couldn’t be located."
He questioned countless details, confirming Ye Zhuo’s memories of San Sheng had been replaced entirely by Yang Niu, while no other information was altered.
The Heart Worm left Ye Zhuo Daoist, parasitically attaching to all other Sword Cultivators present, until confirming their memories were unaffected by spells.
"San Sheng hasn’t merely vanished physically; even his existence has been wholly erased. It seems he hasn’t existed for millennia."
"Was this an elimination or some kind of Golden Cicada Shell method?"
Li Mo carefully recalled every detail of his fight with San Sheng, noting that the moment San Sheng transformed into a mortal, all traces of his presence vanished without a clue.
"A mortal. Damn it, another mortal." The most update n0vels are published on noᴠelfire.net
Li Mo felt a splitting headache.
He suspected San Sheng attacked him to eliminate variables, and the Sword Cultivators targeted might be more than just a few.
After all, when San Sheng struck, the Sword Cultivators’ memories hadn’t yet been erased.
"That I can retain memories of San Sheng likely stems from the Creation Book. I mustn’t expose this and instead observe the hidden players’ next moves."
Li Mo understood it was imperative to tread cautiously moving forward, aiming to reach the Void Refining Stage as quickly as possible.
The pace of the Fire Spirit Hall’s return to reality accelerated once again.
The town began to quake violently.
Li Mo immersed his consciousness into the array, feigning an act of comprehending Sword Intent.
In less than ten days, the Fire Spirit Hall once again saw sunlight from the outside world, while the deceit rain across other areas had stopped, and the Daoist Temple regrew its form.
Though the area bore scars, the Great Sun Sword Tomb itself remained unharmed.
Several figures soared into the sky.
The elder in the center held a cow’s head—Elder Lu Yuan of Yu Xin Palace.
On the left was a middle-aged man perpetually engulfed in flames, his limbs continuously undergoing cycles of carbonization and regeneration—Elder Lin Zhan of Yanri Palace.
On the right was a mass of charred brown, viscous liquid devoid of human shape—Elder Huang Jian of Mountain Fire Hall.
The Elder of Fire Spirit Hall, Bi Hengguang, lagged a half step behind, with a dark golden Flying Sword embedded in his forehead.
The Great Sun Sword Tomb experienced no impact from Void Refining Stage Elders in other areas, or the Night Patrol Deity’s devastation wouldn’t have engulfed most of the Sword Tomb.
Bi Hengguang wore a grim expression.
While other areas preserved surviving disciples, the Fire Spirit Hall had been utterly wiped out.
Even though disciples could be replenished through the "Grave Mound" of the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs, centuries of resources had been entirely wasted.
Lu Yuan ignored Bi Hengguang, speaking sternly, "Chief Disciple, step forward!"
"Junior Taiyi greets the elders."
Li Mo ascended into the air to meet the elders, enduring their piercing scrutiny.
Lu Yuan nodded in approval, the Yang Niu in his hand winking exaggeratedly at Li Mo, while none of the other elders exhibited overt hostility.
"The Thirteen Immortals. Such grandiose airs."
Lu Yuan’s eyes flashed sharply as he asked gravely, "How is my disciple, Fen Li?"
Li Mo hesitated for a moment, then braced himself to reply, "Elder, he unfortunately perished during the contest for Chief Disciple."
"Unfortunate... hehe."
Li Mo expected Lu Yuan to seize the opportunity to retaliate, but to his surprise, Lu Yuan continued, "As Chief Disciple, one cannot afford to be soft-hearted. The Great Sun Sword Tomb is in ruins; there’s no time for childish games."
"If there are those who’ve offended you, kill them all, and spare no one."
The Sword Cultivators shivered with dread, realizing Lu Yuan’s words were not mere jest.
"The ones who deserved to die are already dead. In the future, if necessary, I will act decisively. Those who’ve lost to me pose no threat anymore."
The four elders had previously only heard rumors of Li Mo’s extraordinary talents. Now, after personal interaction, they realized "extraordinary talents" hardly sufficed to describe him.
His Taoist Body was naturally perfected, his physical body sturdy, his Divine Sense exceeded that of his peers, and his presence was surrounded by mutated giant beast phenomena, with myriad Sword Intents dormant yet unmanifested.
He was undoubtedly comparable to Yu Xiao, an Innate Immortal Seed.
The Great Sun Sword Tomb’s acquisition of Li Mo ensured its continued prominence among the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs, and even the chief position of the Heavenly Sword Sect seemed within grasp.
"From today, the position of Chief Disciple in the Great Sun Sword Tomb is officially sealed. Taiyi, what do you desire?"
The surrounding Sword Cultivators couldn’t help but feel jealous upon hearing Lu Yuan’s words. They knew Yang Niu’s stomach contained an abundant treasure trove of resources.
"Sword Dao inheritance. The more, the better."
Li Mo’s request left the four elders slightly surprised.
Lu Yuan discerned that Li Mo had already begun progressing with his Sword Body and refrained from questioning how he obtained the Absolute Thunder Sword Body inheritance. "Are you certain?"
"Focusing on Sword Dao inheritance, along with other secondary Magic Skills, if possible. This disciple just enjoys delving into the principles within Magic Skills."
Lu Yuan glanced at the shadow of the Tattooed Beast, realizing Li Mo was already creating his own Magic Skills.
"Very well. I shall personally deliver my secondary inheritance of Xia Dao, as well as the thirty-two Sword Dao inheritances of the Great Sun Sword Tomb, within days."
Lin Zhan spoke up, "I have considerable familiarity with the Thunder Residence Sword Tomb, and given your Senior Sister Yu Xiao’s identity, securing the Thunder Residence inheritance for you won’t be difficult."
Bi Hengguang sighed, "The Sword Dao inheritance of the Fire Flame Sword Tomb overlaps significantly with that of the Great Sun Sword Tomb. Alas, I’ll go see who I can persuade."
Huang Jian grew eyes, ears, a mouth, and nose, his voice distorted, "I possess eighty percent of the Outer Sect’s Yang Attribute inheritance. You can have it all."
"Thank you, esteemed elders."
Li Mo accepted forty-five Sword Scrolls spat out by Huang Jian.
As if recalling something, Lu Yuan said, "The Great Sun Sword Tomb will inevitably need to recruit disciples from the Grave Mound Sword Tomb. According to reports, Thunder Residence and Qiu Shuang have suffered losses as well. They’ll likely also turn to the Grave Mound."
"Come with me. Kill all their disciples, and I’ll help you secure the inheritance of the Grave Mound Sword Tomb."
"Elder, does the Grave Mound Sword Tomb have particular significance?"
"Nothing special. You’ll understand when you arrive."
Li Mo suspected the Grave Mound Sword Tomb shared similarities with Sub-Device Sect’s Falling Abyss, where taboos nurtured countless corpses—a treasure trove for him.
The inheritances of Great Sun, Fire Flame, Thunder Residence, and Grave Mound—four of the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs—would suffice to transform his Yang Thunder Sword Bone completely.
"You may all depart now. Do not approach the Fire Spirit Hall within a hundred years."
With a wave of Lu Yuan’s hand, including Li Mo, the Sword Cultivators dispersed swiftly.