The news of the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple changing ownership quickly spread across Duozhi Mountain.
However, since Li Mo intentionally orchestrated it, and Futu Hermit held close ties with Han Cai, it was evident that Li Mo was preparing to vie for control of the Medicine Field.
In no time, panic spread among the second-tier factions of Duozhi Mountain, and stationed cultivators began dispatching spies to decipher Li Mo’s plans.
But what puzzled them was that Li Mo suddenly went silent.
No one could figure out Li Mo’s scheming, yet his silence only made him more fearsome, for they were acutely aware of his terrifying prowess.
Purple Sun Taoist, a Practitioner in the Weak Crown Stage with a century of Foundation Establishment, had died mysteriously in Qingming Daoist Temple, with no repercussions pursued by the Mixed Grain Shop afterwards.
The second-tier cultivators attempted to reach out to Li Mo, but Futu Hermit’s presence in the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple deterred them from acting too recklessly.
After all, Futu Hermit possessed Late Teenage cultivation and had gained a notorious reputation with his clean and ruthless moves in several key battles in his early years.
Under Futu Hermit’s management, the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple underwent drastic changes in a short period.
He collaborated with various factions to redistribute the limited cliff space, constructing high-rise shops using more durable timber.
These actions directly expanded the scale of the Mountain and Sea Market severalfold.
Li Mo was aware of the changes within the market; in fact, news from the outside world reached his Seclusion Room through Spirit Talismans.
By his calculation, the Three-layered Medicinal Field alone could produce sufficient spiritual materials to refine the Corpse Mountain.
Li Mo had considered directly buying what he needed using Spirit Stones, but the sheer quantity of the main materials required for Corpse Mountain was too overwhelming, and he wasn’t confident he could craft it successfully in one attempt.
Securing control of the Medicine Field was a necessity, yet selecting his opponents presented quite the challenge.
The stationed cultivators were typically at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, staying out of the public eye while intertwined with various deeply rooted interests.
Li Mo found himself troubled.
A careless move could result in offending the wrong party, and he was nearing the outbreak of the Childhood Death Disease, desperately wishing to avoid endless trouble.
He deliberated for a long while before using a Spirit Talisman to inquire Han Cai, who suggested he contact Manager Tian instead.
Even after sending his thoughts, Li Mo received no response from Manager Tian.
Suppressing his stray thoughts, Li Mo decided to focus on refining the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone and keeping tabs on the intel gathered by Jin Li and others.
The first five refinements of the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone were completed with ease and proficiency.
The spiritual materials required for refining the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone were predominantly defense-oriented Golden Earth Elements, such as Vajra Shattered Stone, Starfall Iron Sand, and Big Rock Lizard Bone...
After the fifth refinement, the Magic Artifact’s surface engravings became almost invisible, its color darkened to gold, and upon infusing Spiritual Power, it could expand up to ten meters.
Li Mo was quite pleased with the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone; though it lacked any offensive capability, it could safeguard his gradually corpse-like body.
Just when he was working on the sixth refinement of the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone, Li Mo finally received a reply from Manager Tian.
The message within the spiritual tablet contained only a short sentence:
"I’m in Duozhi Mountain. Kill."
Li Mo raised an eyebrow. Since Manager Tian was stationed in Duozhi Mountain, there was no need to overthink—he could simply pick the easiest target.
After completing the sixth refinement of the Magic Artifact, Li Mo began pacing within the Seclusion Room until a bold idea struck his mind.
He immediately sought out Jin Li, who managed the accounts, and disclosed his plan.
Jin Li gaped in shock and said hesitantly, "Li Mo, announcing plans to contend for the Three-layered Medicinal Field so openly seems... a bit much."
"No matter. Do as I say," Li Mo replied.
He licked his lips and added, "Once the deed is done, keep a close eye on the rumors circulating in the market, especially those concerning the third-tier practitioners."
"Alright," Jin Li agreed reluctantly, nodding in half-hearted acknowledgment.
He watched Li Mo return to the Seclusion Room, then set out to execute the plan.
What Jin Li didn’t anticipate was Futu Hermit’s reaction; rather than being surprised, Futu Hermit openly approved of Li Mo’s bold move.
With Futu Hermit’s support, the news spread across the Mountain and Sea Market in less than half a day.
The Loose Cultivators believed it without hesitation since it fit the Mountain and Sea Hermit’s ambitious disposition to vie for the Three-layered Medicinal Field.
Li Mo’s actions stirred up waves in Duozhi Mountain.
The majority of third-tier stationed cultivators dismissed the news somewhat disdainfully, believing that although Li Mo had achieved Foundation Establishment only two years ago, his Spiritual Power—even with the Taoist Body—could not sustain drawn-out battles.
The Mountain and Sea Market became a chaotic blend of fish and dragons.
Jin Li, however, noticed an odd phenomenon—collecting information on third-tier cultivators had inexplicably become much easier.
Initially, he questioned the credibility of the information, but upon verification through Futu Hermit, he found that most of it was accurate.
Thus, the situation became intriguing.
After five days of waiting, Li Mo pieced together intel sourced from various unidentified channels to identify three relatively weak practitioners in the Weak Crown Stage.
Yu Zaisan, affiliated with the Mixed Grain Shop, aged a little over fifty, his cultivation not yet reached the Weak Crown Middle Stage, with strength slightly superior to Purple Sun Taoist.
His possession of the third-tier Medicinal Field in Duozhi Mountain was mainly driven by the backing of the Mixed Grain Shop.
Zhong Xinglong, originating from the Government Office, possessed Weak Crown Middle Stage cultivation, but due to injuries sustained during early expeditions to eradicate Deceit Beasts, his foundation was severely damaged.
Xu Hui Taoist, associated with a pawn shop, had recently switched to cultivating Multi-limb Techniques, leading to a temporary drop in his cultivation to the Early Stage of Youth.
Jin Li appeared slightly puzzled. "Why, Mr. Li, does releasing the news make it easier to gather intel on third-tier cultivators?"
"Cultivators wary of my scrutiny will proactively reveal information about weaker practitioners to safeguard themselves."
"Those who see others being outed will follow suit."
Jin Li froze momentarily before suddenly understanding, leading him to regard Li Mo with newfound respect. "So which one do you intend to challenge, Mr. Li?"
"No rush. Let them come forth themselves," Li Mo replied.
Having shifted from a passive to an active position, Li Mo spent his spare time researching Corpse Mountain while refining Magic Artifacts with Eight-Armed Spine Nerves.
Various factions interpreted the large-scale inventory of Magic Artifacts in the Artifact Refining Shop as evidence that Li Mo was well-prepared, likely harboring secret weapons.
The Loose Cultivators, sensing blood in the water like sharks, even set up betting stalls in the Mountain and Sea Market.
Amidst the noise and chaos, Li Mo finally locked onto his target.
Known for his Golden Toad Protective Technique as a mid-stage practitioner in the Weak Crown Stage, he reportedly could transform into a Three-legged Golden Toad over five meters tall during spellcasting.
Golden Toad initially worked as an odd-job helper in Rong Town, later joining the Government Office for cultivation through fortuitous opportunity. However, he was expelled for misconduct and subsequently found refuge in a pawn shop.
This demonstrated his exceptional talent, though recent days hadn’t been kind to him.
According to Futu Hermit’s investigation, Golden Toad, like many others, had switched to cultivating Multi-limb Techniques, which caused foundational damage.
Though Golden Toad’s situation appeared more favorable than the other three, almost all of the Mountain and Sea Market’s information on him was secretly disseminated by himself.
Following the trail, Futu Hermit uncovered a large network of Golden Toad’s informants.
They acted subtly without disposing of them immediately, for informants are never planted overnight—Golden Toad’s long-standing schemes had evidently targeted the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple.
Li Mo smirked coldly.
While contending for the Medicinal Field, he could also eradicate the lurking threat eyeing the Mountain and Sea Market, sparing himself trouble when the Death Disease erupted.