Chapter 290: Chapter 47: Am I Prey? I am the Butcher’s Cleaver!
The mountain gate of Five Hidden Sword is located three thousand miles southwest of Sword Tongue Sect, overseeing seven mortal towns with populations exceeding one hundred thousand.
However, in terms of scale, Sword Tongue Sect far surpasses Five Hidden Sword.
Under the shadow of Heavenly Sword Sect’s influence, Five Hidden Sword barely qualifies as a mid-sized Immortal Sect, with only a scant few Nascent Soul stage cultivators, rendering it insignificant.
Immortal Sects like Five Hidden Sword, attached to Heavenly Sword Sect, are as numerous as cattle, totaling two to three hundred in size.
Even if Five Hidden Sword were annihilated, it wouldn’t deal any significant damage to Heavenly Sword Sect.
To put it bluntly, the affiliated Immortal Sects merely serve as "Swordsmiths" to provide Flying Swords for Heavenly Sword Sect, and they don’t even earn Heavenly Sword Sect’s recognition.
These affiliated Immortal Sects call themselves Sword Cultivators, but in the eyes of Heavenly Sword Sect, they are no more than "Sword Sheaths," mere containers used to temper the Flying Swords.
Heavenly Sword Sect’s disdain is self-evident.
That’s why Li Mo is puzzled—why would Heavenly Sword Sect entrust the True Word Secret Realm to Five Hidden Sword and allow forces from both Daoist and Demonic sides to explore the realm?
It completely defies common sense and Heavenly Sword Sect’s usual style.
"Heavenly Sword Sect is truly enigmatic. What exactly are they doing with the True Word Secret Realm?"
Li Mo shook his head and left Skywell Inn. As for the few Demon Cultivators hiding in True Void Hometown, they had already become residents of the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
With one glance, he could ascertain their identities.
They were all infamous Evil Cultivators.
For them to be reduced to squatting in True Void Hometown, barely clinging to life, their hands stained with the blood of tens of thousands, being explicitly wanted by the united forces of Daoist sects, was telling.
Pei Quan Taoist, who had recently attempted to curry favor with Li Mo, had just committed atrocities in Dan Ghost Sect, slaughtering Dan Ding Town overnight.
They fled to Skywell Inn to avoid danger but were already gravely injured.
Li Mo, coincidentally lacking some Nascent Soul stage flesh and organs, would not let this opportunity pass. He summoned Pu Dao’s Artifact Infant and killed them one by one.
"Based on traces from Skywell Inn, Mou Miaoqing hasn’t returned for a long time. Along with the Ancestor Platform seeming void of activity or Si Rui Pavilion’s presence, what are they up to?"
Li Mo returned to the Ancestor Platform and, after hesitating for a while, contacted Tian Changwen.
He instructed Tian Changwen to dispatch a caravan to Five Hidden Sword, providing Corpse Wine himself, and ensuring they established footing at the entrance of the True Word Secret Realm as quickly as possible.
Rumor had it that Five Hidden Sword had placed the entrance in a mortal town known as "Five Temples Town," which by now should have formed a Loose Cultivator Black Market.
The last time Heart Beast Sect engaged with Five Temples Town was thirteen years ago.
Five Temples Town held over two hundred thousand mortals, its population growing increasingly mixed as forces from both Daoist and Demonic sides flooded in. Heart Beast Sect didn’t choose to linger long back then.
"Manager Tian, regardless of Heavenly Sword Sect’s plans, the Secret Realm will likely remain for a considerable time. Focus on embedding our business in Five Temples Town first."
"No problem. We can set out within days."
Li Mo’s thoughts coincided perfectly with Tian Changwen’s. The latter hadn’t taken action primarily because Li Mo had previously been battling the Death Disease.
Whether Heart Beast Sect persisted largely depended on Li Mo.
If Li Mo were to die unexpectedly or his Dao dissipate, even Sub-Device Sect’s sentimentality wouldn’t prevent Heart Beast Sect from retracting its influence over Four Seas Commerce as much as possible.
"Manager Tian, send an experienced Core Formation Beast Cultivator to preside there."
"Alright, someone you already know—previously an agent of the Government Office’s old shop, Tang Wu."
Tian Changwen understood well what Li Mo implied; the two were entirely in sync.
Li Mo indeed recognized Tang Wu; they had crossed paths during the Taoist inheritance struggle in Rong Town. A thousand-year-old Core Formation stage cultivator, though long buried underground due to erosion from the Death Disease.
Tang Wu managed to recover his cultivation and even advance to the Core Formation stage entirely thanks to Li Mo’s Lifeless Elixir Field.
Tian Changwen also realized that Li Mo was deeply invested in the True Word Secret Realm. Sending Tang Wu there allowed Li Mo the ability to intervene in Four Seas Commerce affairs anytime.
After giving a few reminders, Li Mo withdrew his consciousness from Heart Beast Sect.
Conversations with wise individuals are always straightforward, especially with Tian Changwen prioritizing the bigger picture and treating Li Mo as the Heart Beast Sect Master.
Li Mo had no cause for worry about any internal disorder arising within Heart Beast Sect.
Before long, he noticed over a dozen disciples from Heart Beast Sect marching grandly towards Five Temples Town.
Tang Wu and the others disguised themselves as a caravan, never disclosing their identities as disciples of Heart Beast Sect.
Even with Li Mo, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, at their helm, Heart Beast Sect was still far from noteworthy.
Carrying the banner of Heart Beast Sect would only invite trouble.
Li Mo split his attention to monitor the caravan’s progress while his physical body remained quietly at the Ancestor Platform.
He retrieved two withered, yellowing books from his Storage Bag, artifacts from the True Word Secret Realm, which, unsurprisingly, were supposed to contain the True Word Sect’s Magic.
The text within resembled Sanskrit, appearing exceedingly obscure and arcane.
Under normal circumstances, the scriptures of True Word Sect would be repurchased by Five Hidden Sword; however, the Heart Beast Sect’s acquisitions were far too rudimentary, and the Five Hidden Sword disciples guarding the entrance were too uninterested to investigate further.
Li Mo opened the books, and his Mist Fog Nascent Soul began to stir.
The Primordial Dao Seed reacted to the unfamiliar text, and after absorbing the scriptures one by one, it deciphered parts of the text.
Li Mo remained half-understanding, gradually piecing together a few phrases.
From the fragments, he gathered that the True Word Sect’s cultivation system seems to center on the Upper Dantian Mud Pill Palace, distinct from typical cultivation methods.
"True Word Sect isn’t an orthodox force within the Buddhist Sect; they appear to be intentionally imitating."
Li Mo was keen to delve into the reality behind Buddhist Techniques; during the ancient era where Daoist, Buddhist, and Demonic forces formed the Tri-partite Balance, the Buddhist Sect proved to have merits worth exploring.
Moreover, the number of Buddhist Practitioners who ascended throughout the ages is beyond count.
Li Mo instructed the Futu Hermit to gather True Word Sect scriptures from various Black Markets. Since Heart Beast Sect secured two volumes, there were bound to be more overlooked manuscripts.
As he expected, his assumptions proved correct.
The Black Market indeed contained many books related to the True Word Sect, and not just a few.