The commotion caused by the Buddha Demon was enormous, almost engulfing the entire Demon Cave as countless corpses of deceitful objects sank into it.
"The Heavenly Palace Stage..."
Xu Ning’s expression was heavy—not out of fear but rather an indescribable sense of urgency. Li Mo’s cultivation progress was simply too swift.
"If we clash again, will I still have a chance?"
"If it’s a sparring match where neither of us uses our Externalized Dharma Bodies, I could barely hold my ground. But if it’s a life-or-death battle, I fear it’d be certain death for me."
Though Xu Ning acknowledged that Li Mo’s rapid advancement was normal for someone born with an Innate Immortal Seed, reaching the Heavenly Palace Stage in such a short time meant he was only a step away from the Void Refining Stage.
Once he broke through to the Void Refining Stage, coupled with the resources the Heavenly Sword Sect poured into him, advancing to the rank of Land Immortal would only be a matter of time.
Yisheng couldn’t help but reflect to himself, "He Li tasked me to seize an opportunity to rein in Taiyi’s arrogance, but how much time has even passed? Now I’m afraid I don’t have even the slightest assurance of being evenly matched."
This time, Zhibai Dao’s trip to the Demon Suppression Cave completely failed to achieve its intended goal.
They had planned to use this opportunity to showcase their sect’s foundation, but the glory was entirely overshadowed by the Thirteen Immortals. Truly deserving of the title of Innate Immortal Seeds.
Apart from the Demon Cultivators, the expressions of disciples from other sects turned ugly.
The thirteen Innate Immortal Seeds hung over their heads like colossal boulders, nearly impossible to surpass—an insurmountable obstacle.
Li Mo noticed the focus of nearly all the gazes shifting toward him. He couldn’t help but nod slightly.
Raising his hand, his Externalized Dharma Body mirrored the same motion. Immediately, the darkness at his fingertip spread, blanketing every corner of the Demon Cave.
The corpses generated from the destruction of the town were instantly absorbed by his Artifact Pill Body.
Li Mo took inventory—roughly 800,000 in total, which should be enough to grow the volume of his Artifact Pill Body to two or three thousand.
He cast a glance toward his Dantian, where a celestial sphere shrank innumerable times and floated within.
The Artifact Pill Body expanded visibly to the naked eye at breakneck speed. Precious spiritual materials extracted during its decomposition were sent to the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
The size of the Artifact Pill Body was unrelated to cultivation, yet it significantly intensified the strength of magnetic forces, accelerating cultivation advancements exponentially.
This demonstrated that although the Artifact Pill Body’s functionality might be lacking, its cultivation speed would undoubtedly outpace other Dharma Bodies, while simultaneously consuming excess resources from the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
"Whew." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
Li Mo let out a breath, finally seizing the chance to erase all traces left behind.
Luo Yang noticed Li Mo opening his eyes and couldn’t resist asking, "Taiyi, your cultivation progress is astonishing—are you experiencing any spiritual power instability?"
"Thank you for your concern, Senior. Naturally, I am not."
"Have you seen Zu Xiuyun?"
Li Mo didn’t seem surprised. Yu Xiao’s earlier actions were far from subtle; not just Luo Yang, but likely the other sects already knew of Zu Xiuyun’s presence.
"How much do you know about Zu Xiuyun?"
Li Mo hesitated for a few moments, then replied, "I have never seen her in the No-Life Sect. I only know she is No-Life Mother’s chief disciple, and her reputation in the Cultivation World is largely unremarkable."
Luo Yang spoke in a somber tone, "Zu Xiuyun is a direct-line disciple of the Sky Demon Sect. Discussing her here in the Demon Cave feels inappropriate, but I hope you exercise caution."
"Zu Xiuyun is exceedingly dangerous, having done many inexplicable things in the past."
Luo Yang’s face carried a wary expression. "Thankfully, Zu Xiuyun currently appears stable and probably hasn’t achieved the rank of Land Immortal yet..."
While speaking, Luo Yang abruptly realized that the ability of Zu Xiuyun to appear in the Demon Cave unnoticed—evading even the detection of Void Refining Stage cultivators—likely meant she had already reached the Land Immortal threshold.
"Forget it, forget it. Why should I try to comprehend an Innate Immortal Seed from the viewpoint of a common man?"
Luo Yang chuckled bitterly and refrained from continuing his discussion about Zu Xiuyun.
"Elder Luo Yang, can Sword Cultivators leave the Heavenly Sword Sect temporarily?"
Luo Yang gave Li Mo a prolonged look. "Of course, but no longer than 200 years. The Great Sun Sword Tomb still requires the Sword Cultivators for safeguarding, after all."
Li Mo couldn’t help but grumble inwardly that Sword Cultivators really did treat themselves like prison guards.
In a sense, the establishment of the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs by Chunyangzi preserved the Taoist inheritance but also eternally tethered the Sword Cultivators.
Speaking of which, is Chunyangzi still alive?
Li Mo felt that Chunyangzi’s existence might be detrimental to the Heavenly Sword Sect. If he hadn’t perished in the cosmic changes and instead returned, it wasn’t even certain he would acknowledge the sect’s current standing.
The pathway to the Great Sun Sword Tomb steadily materialized.
The two engaged in idle conversation—mainly about precautions for advancing to the Void Refining Stage. Li Mo also learned that the first realm of Land Immortal was named "Unification," just as in ancient times.
In the ancient Cultivation World, the Body-Integration Realm involved incorporating parts of an Externalized Dharma Body into a cultivator’s Body and Soul, thereby transforming from mortals to Immortal Gods.
As for later generations, cultivators already envisioned abandoning their mortal shells, so the distinctions for the Body-Integration Realm were bound to differ significantly.
During his exchange with Luo Yang, Li Mo noticed the elder seemed to have a favor to ask.
"Senior Luo Yang, since you led me to the Great Sun Sword Tomb, if there’s anything I can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to ask."
Luo Yang didn’t beat around the bush. "Taiyi, if you have time, could you craft a Sword Shuttle for me?"
Li Mo agreed readily and immediately retrieved the raw materials for the Sword Shuttle. Before Luo Yang could say another word, Li Mo began refining without delay.
Luo Yang hesitated but soon realized he didn’t have to wait too long; the pathway was forming, and Yang De True Monarch could descend upon the Demon Cave at any moment. Leaving the cave seemed the better option.
However, Luo Yang quickly understood crafting wouldn’t occupy much of Li Mo’s time.
Guiding thousands of Spider Sword Orbs, Li Mo refined the Magic Artifact Embryo within moments, giving Luo Yang the impression Li Mo’s skill was near Tao itself.
The Zhibai Dao disciples looked visibly astonished—the refinement process far exceeded their imagination.
Especially when Li Mo inscribed Spirit Patterns stroke by stroke, the attending Artifact Cultivators felt an overwhelming sense of defeat, knowing they could never achieve such mastery.
Once the Magic Treasure was finished, the pathway had fully opened.
Luo Yang toyed with the Sword Shuttle, long having abandoned any thoughts of maintaining capabilities without external tools.
Li Mo followed up by completing the Fake Magical Treasures he had promised the Sword Cultivators, and ten Sword Cultivators with the greatest contributions unanimously chose Sword Shuttles.
Unexpectedly, Daoist Ye Zhuo was among the ten.
Li Mo suspected Ye Zhuo Daoist must have abused his authority during the Demon Suppression Cave expedition; there was no way his strength alone could have killed so many deceitful objects.
Led by Luo Yang, the Sword Cultivators disappeared into the pathway.
Before long, the Demon Cave grew silent, its emptiness punctuated only by the murmurs of Taoist Lords and the efforts of mortals rebuilding Business Leader City.
With no "Outer Heaven Demons" descending, the Demon Cave returned to tranquility, much like the small world sheltered by the Four Taoist Lords nearly ten millennia ago.
The only exception was a few Heavenly Demon heads scattered amid the clouds, watching over the mortals below.
As bones and corpses turned into nutrients for the soil, people once again uttered the names of the Taoist Lords.
Yet when they gazed toward the heavens, they found the silhouette of Lord Chao Xi alarmingly withered, occasionally emitting deafening roars.
After returning to the Great Sun Sword Tomb, Li Mo chose not to immediately leave the Heavenly Sword Sect.
He remained, communicating with Da Ai Mi Tian, letting the cancer cells parasitizing Lord Chao Xi proliferate and strengthen his own perception.
The Ten Thousand Demon Dao’s hidden schemes extended far beyond the Heart-Stealing Demon Cultivators, constantly eroding Lord Chao Xi.
Li Mo repeatedly confirmed that the cancer cells posed no threat to himself, then began attempting to parasitize the remaining three Taoist Lords as well.
The Creation Book responded to all Four Taoist Lords.
Li Mo wasn’t sure if each Lord was individually incubating a unique page or if Lord Chao Xi represented only one-quarter of a special page.
He noticed that the Four Taoist Lords resided within the innermost small world of the Demon Cave.
Conventional methods couldn’t penetrate.
For reasons unknown, Li Mo suddenly recalled ancient cultivators who clung to life inside boxes—eerily similar to the Four Taoist Lords’ small world.
The innermost small world was nothing more than an enclosed space devoid of resources, allowing the Four Taoist Lords to observe the Demon Cave’s state perpetually.
The Demon Cave’s eternal monotony made the Four Taoist Lords instinctively inclined toward slumber.
Li Mo set his sights on Lord Yang De, who had once descended upon the Demon Cave. His fatigue was apparent, and evidently, he hadn’t detected the cancer cells.
Over the next twenty years within the Great Sun Luo Yang, Li Mo refined his cultivation steadily, occasionally taking on Sword Shuttle orders.
In the meantime, the cancer cells subtly spread into the bodies of all Four Taoist Lords, and the Creation Book’s special pages could now be prompted with just a thought.
Far away in Zhi Mountain Temple, Li Mo’s physical body’s face froze momentarily.
Rustling sounds arose within the innermost small world of the Demon Cave.
A vibrant lotus of flesh and blood abruptly sprouted, growing to half a meter in mere moments, from which a figure slowly emerged.
Though Li Mo couldn’t see into the innermost small world directly, he instantly identified the visitor.
Seventh Senior Sister **Da Hua Taoist**
Da Hua Taoist ignored the unconscious bodies of the Four Taoist Lords and began rummaging around the innermost small world before dragging out two coffins.
The first coffin was made of **Yin-Gathering Wood**, capable of transforming external Spiritual Energy into the Yin Attribute.
No surprise, it contained Twelfth Senior Sister **It Corpse**, whose Corpse Dissolution Immortal Body lacked Spiritual Wisdom and was unquestionably stationed in the Demon Cave for cultivation purposes.
The second coffin, measuring a full ten meters, had already reached the level of a **Spiritual Treasure**.
If not for Li Mo relying on faint echoes to perceive the coffin, the Spiritual Treasure hadn’t shown even the slightest trace of aura—its sole apparent purpose being the sealing of deceitful objects.
The coffin was tightly bound by dozens of chains and plastered with Spirit Talismans of various kinds.
"The Spiritual Treasure Coffin has likely existed in the innermost small world for ages. It may very well originate from the cosmic changes, perhaps as part of the Master Senior Sister’s arrangements."
Li Mo could scarcely fathom what kind of entity warranted such extreme measures.
"Mortals? Impossible. Mortals have a mere century-long lifespan, and Spiritual Treasures certainly don’t possess the permanence required to confine something for eternity."
Li Mo chose not to dwell further on the coffin’s contents, as Zu Xiuyun remained enigmatic.
"Moist petals catch the bangle, wind stems brush the hairpin."
Da Hua Taoist uttered one phrase before stuffing both coffins into the lotus, disappearing thereafter.
Li Mo breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the Master Senior Sister had no interest in the Four Taoist Lords for now and showed no indications of interfering with the cosmic changes.
"The chaos within the Cultivation World is foreseeable. I must leave myself an escape route."
"It’s time to return to the **Sub-Device Sect**."
In Li Mo’s mind flashed an image of the **Mother Furnace**, the immortal ladder appearing once every millennium—a possible shortcut to transcendence.
"Nearly another millennium has passed."
Leaving behind a Sword Scroll at Zhi Mountain Temple, Li Mo chose a relatively quiet instance, sneaking out of the Heavenly Sword Sect under the Ghost Tiger’s concealment.
When arriving, the path forward was foggy and vague.
On returning, his sword pouch weighed heavily with spoils.
Eight thousand years after the end of the cosmic changes, disorder began anew.
Rumors abounded: The Northern Mountain Range had become a desolate wasteland, blanketed with white bones, while corpses spawned innumerable deceitful objects; in the south, a mortal town was hoisted high by four statues, resonating with Buddhist chants echoing from the clouds for three consecutive days.
In the Endless Star Sea, a colossal entity churned storms, while coastal fishing families murmured tales of a Flood Dragon. In the Northwest’s expansive grasslands, herders discovered their long-deceased children suddenly reappeared within livestock pens.
Despite No-Life Sect’s False Immortals and Fake Gods waning in influence, a new Divine Immortal known as the **Great Compassionate and Merciful Savior** spread fervently among the common folk.
Everything seemed to change without notice.
However one viewed it, it was dismissed as fabricated folklore by those in the marketplaces.
Neither in the past eight millennia had anyone taken such rumors seriously.
It was merely a ceremony; a summoning of immortals; a congregation of beasts disguised as men; an inland town engulfed by the depths of the Star Sea.
Until the disaster touched every person’s life.