After the matter concluded, the Qingming Daoist Temple had already turned into ruins.
But Qingming Daozi still survived. No one knew which cultivator had exchanged blows with Li Mo; they only knew a Weak Crown Stage cultivator had died as a result.
The Mixed Grain Shop naturally wouldn’t take the initiative to expose its shortcomings. They even intended to suppress the incident.
Given the value Li Mo currently displayed, killing an aging and frail Purple Sun Taoist wouldn’t stir up any waves at all.
Those cultivators trying to control the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple came to a conclusion: this Dual Dao Body genius was truly ruthless in his methods.
Peace was soon restored at the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple.
After returning to his Seclusion Room, Li Mo shed the Desert Map that enveloped his body, revealing skin covered in bruises of varying sizes, dark blue and purple.
In the past, such injuries would have healed through self-regeneration long ago.
Now, however, the Death Disease gradually took effect, affecting all of Li Mo’s bodily functions. The liveliness of his five organs and six viscera were in varying states of decline.
His eyes had turned cloudy, and corpse spots had emerged on both sides of his face.
The corpse transformation brought on by the Death Disease had already begun to erode Li Mo. No matter what he did, he couldn’t halt the spread of death through his blood, flesh, and bones.
Fortunately, if Li Mo could survive the Childhood Death Disease, he would once again be able to suppress the corpse transformation.
To ensure his increasingly fragile body wouldn’t suffer significant harm, he had long had the idea of refining a purely defensive Magic Artifact. Though there was progress in the Magic Artifact Catalog, he lacked the primary materials.
This time, his visit to the Qingming Daoist Temple was also partially intended to gather the main materials for refining the Magic Artifact.
Thinking of this, Li Mo couldn’t help but pick up the Purple Sun Taoist’s skull and study it closely. Its quality would be more than sufficient for forging that artifact.
Li Mo was extremely adept at refining Mid-grade Magic Artifacts, and with his cultivation skyrocketing several times over, he didn’t even need to distract himself with absorbing Spirit Stones to replenish Spiritual Power.
As for Breath Fog and the Evergreen Tree, both had already completed eight refinements. Because the ninth refinement required too much Spiritual Power and would hinder his cultivation, he didn’t continue for now.
The direction in refining Breath Fog focused on expanding its coverage area, making the Magic Artifact more versatile.
Now, Li Mo could use the poison bees formed by Breath Fog to conduct external reconnaissance. Each individual bee’s venom had reached a degree of fatal potency—instant death upon contact. Without protection, even a Childhood Stage cultivator would die upon exposure.
In refining the Evergreen Tree, the focus was on enriching its ecological environment and increasing its spatial capacity.
Li Mo had already begun to witness the advantages of owning an entire ecosystem. Using Spirit Stones, he could drive Loose Cultivators to Xinji Ridge to hunt beasts.
Within the Evergreen Tree, there were already more than one hundred species of birds and beasts, all numbering over fifty each.
While maintaining the Blood Drenching for the Tattooed Beasts, the pelts of these birds and beasts could also be used to refine Low Grade Magic Artifacts. The quality, however, at most reached three refinements.
Li Mo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in mild frustration.
The Eight-Armed Spine Nerve remained stuck at seven refinements; forging combined Magic Artifacts proved excessively time-consuming.
Li Mo had tested the Eight-Armed Spine Nerve against the Purple Sun Taoist and realized it was quite useful in complex terrains during battle. For now, he couldn’t easily give it up.
He let out a helpless sigh before pulling out the Magic Artifact Catalog for the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone.
The True Word Sect’s Secret Bone was eerie in every aspect, completely unlike Taoist items. It more closely resembled something from esoteric Buddhism.
The artifact embryo required the skulls of cultivators for forging, and the engraved runes were twisted and disordered. Fortunately, it could still be activated using Spiritual Power.
Back then, he had deliberately destroyed all traces of corpses for this reason. Even in an era where taboos had lessened, killing to make artifacts still carried some stigma.
Li Mo had no choice but to proceed; after all, Mid-grade Magic Artifact Catalogs were far too rare in the market.
The Purple Sun Taoist’s skull, after refinement, gradually took on a texture reminiscent of tortoise shell, with etched patterns resembling the rings of tree age marks, evidence left by time.
Li Mo scrutinized the skull while eight spider-like limbs skillfully ground the spiritual materials.
Given that there was only one piece of the primary material, he was especially cautious in his refining process. His Magic Finger absorbed the spiritual material powder, then intricately inscribed it in fine detail.
In such a focused state, even when a Spirit Talisman delivered notifications to Li Mo, he paid no attention until the skull transformed into a palm-sized shield before halting.
While examining the Spirit Talisman, Li Mo placed the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone into his spleen.
Under the influence of the Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra, the Magic Artifact morphed into a Pill Bug.
The Pill Bug resembled an armored pangolin, its body encased in tough insect armor. When sensing danger, it instinctively curled into a ball, making it nearly impossible for predators to attack.
After digesting the information conveyed through the Spirit Talisman, Li Mo’s expression transformed with a hint of delight as he strode quickly toward the reception hall of the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple.
Before he even entered, a familiar voice reached his ears. "Li Mo is quite like me in this regard. For cultivators, all pursuits center around profit. Fighting and killing pale in comparison to earning Spirit Stones..."
The cultivation of Futu Hermit had further deepened. He was sharing management experience with Jin Li, whose face exuded admiration.
Futu Hermit scrutinized Li Mo. Though his expression showed no change, his heart was filled with astonishment.
Even though he had received prior intelligence that Li Mo had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, he was still taken aback by the sheer depth and suppression of Li Mo’s aura. Truly worthy of the Dual Dao Body.
Futu Hermit inwardly regretted having underestimated Li Mo in the past.
"The Mountain and Sea Market is indeed shaping up well, but in every ten people, at least one is a planted spy," Futu Hermit remarked, casting a glance at Jin Li. "Some factions have already extended their reach into the Mountain and Sea Market. The prices of spiritual materials like Copper Concentrate and Autumn Moon Grass are absurdly low."
Jin Li looked ashamed, realizing that despite his around-the-clock oversight, Futu Hermit had gleaned more insights with a casual stroll.
Li Mo patted Jin Li’s shoulder and poured wine for Futu Hermit. "That’s why the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple needs someone like you, Senior, to oversee matters."
Li Mo aspired to seize the high-altitude Medicine Fields but couldn’t abandon the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple either. He needed a trustworthy Weak Crown Practitioner to oversee them in his stead.
Li Mo didn’t personally know any such individuals. In secret, he consulted Han Cai, who recommended none other than Futu Hermit from the Qinghong Flower Tower.
To send Futu Hermit an invitation, Li Mo gave away the majority of the market’s profit, keeping only the Hongxing Refining Shop and a twenty-percent stake in the Medicine Fields.
This wasn’t due to generosity on Li Mo’s part. After all, the Spirit Stone dividends from the market felt too precarious to hold onto.
Li Mo could confidently say that even if he killed two Weak Crown cultivators today to instill fear, in thirty days, there would be an endless stream of Loose Cultivators coming to challenge him again.
He couldn’t afford to step out of seclusion every thirty days, especially with the impending onset of the Childhood Death Disease.
More importantly, Li Mo had already made plenty of money. His Storage Bag was now brimming with nearly ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, resembling a small mountain.
The high-altitude Medicine Fields also promised lucrative returns. Though not equal to the Mountain and Sea Market, they weren’t too far behind either.
If Li Mo were to accumulate another tens of thousands of Mid-grade Spirit Stones, even he would start getting anxious. Besides, given the spending levels within Heart Beast Territory, there was hardly any way to use them up.
Just like the Heart Beast Black Market back then, high-value items always came at the cost of life itself.
Futu Hermit no longer declined. "It just so happens that I’m familiar with the factions you’re working with. If I take over, there will be fewer issues to handle moving forward."
Futu Hermit’s expression turned somber as he stared at Li Mo. "Han Cai asked me to pass on a message: ’Do not touch the Multi-limb Techniques.’"
Li Mo raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, merely nodding in agreement.
"I know you must have many questions, but as a Loose Cultivator, there are some things I am not privy to. When you meet Han Cai again, you can ask him yourself."
Futu Hermit smiled bitterly and then changed the subject. "Li Mo, which Medicine Field in the second layer are you planning to seize next?"
"Second layer? No, I plan to settle it once and for all by targeting the third layer directly."
Li Mo narrowed his eyes. Instead of climbing step by step, he preferred to take down everything in one fell swoop.
Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m