Chapter 311: Chapter 57 Assimilating Everything, Great Sun Spiritual Power
"In a way, the Buddhist sect has truly mastered the art of manipulating Yang-aligned spiritual energy."
After Li Mo’s Buddha Spirit Root took form, although he had yet to refine Buddha Power and thus couldn’t wield the Three Nascent Souls, his Divine Sense remained unaffected.
He sat beside the White Jade Lotus Throne, his Divine Sense observing the star-like clusters of Yang-aligned spiritual energy.
In ordinary environments, the content of Yang-aligned spiritual energy would never exceed one to two percent, and the types of spiritual energy would be exceedingly limited.
In the True Word Secret Realm, there were at least two to three hundred distinct types of Yang-aligned spiritual energy, dazzling to the senses.
"Sunburn Spirit Energy represents instability within Yang-aligned spiritual energy."
Li Mo spread his palm. A speck of Sunburn Spirit Energy, imperceptible to the naked eye, landed on the tip of his index finger, continuously contracting and releasing in a loop.
The properties of Sunburn Spirit Energy made it uncontrollable, and it was exceedingly prone to causing accidental injury.
After observing it for some time, Li Mo ultimately gave up on the Sunburn Spirit Energy.
In truth, in terms of spiritual energy potency, Sunburn Spirit Energy ranked at the forefront, but he emphatically did not want to incorporate such a volatile element into his own brain.
Even after Spirit Root Transformation, the brain remained the most fragile organ.
A single misstep with Sunburn Spirit Energy, and Li Mo’s brain tissue would dissolve into mush, potentially endangering even his Mud Pill Palace and damaging his foundation.
Had it been his Middle Dantian, perhaps he could have considered Sunburn Spirit Energy.
With the protection of the Three Nascent Souls, Sunburn Spirit Energy wouldn’t have posed much of a threat and could even have been mitigated using Da Ai Mi Tian in advance.
"Heh, what if ancient Buddhist monks had used Sunburn Spirit Energy for their initiation?"
Unlike the True Word Sect, orthodox Buddhist cultivators, after their brains underwent Spirit Root Transformation, would choose to open their hearts and minds, allowing spiritual energy to naturally settle in the Mud Pill Palace.
Their focus was on the concept of ’fate’.
Thus, it wasn’t uncommon for monks to die of dehydration while meditating under the scorching sun.
"Fox."
To increase efficiency, Li Mo cast a sidelong glance at the Red Fox, who nodded in response. Its nine tails extended into lengths of over ten meters.
As the fox tails gently swayed, the spiritual energy within the Bottle World was stirred, making observation more convenient.
Li Mo spent over half a month actively sensing each type of spiritual energy’s properties, comparing them to their compatibility with the Nine Nether Buddha Light Illuminating Scripture.
The shortlisted options were as follows:
[Dark Light Spirit Energy]: Dim and muted in radiance, it possesses extremely high concealment abilities.
[White Spot Spirit Energy]: Limited impact on flesh and blood but is one of the rare Yang-aligned spiritual energies capable of directly damaging internal organs and the brain.
[Three Lights Spirit Energy]: Referring to the light of the sun, moon, and stars, it allows cultivators to absorb their radiance to restore cultivation.
[Great Sun Spirit Energy]: Exhibits terrifying assimilation properties. Prolonged exposure can contaminate one’s spiritual energy, gradually transforming it into Great Sun Spirit Energy.
......
The focus of each type of Yang-aligned spiritual energy varied, which also shaped the capabilities of Golden Cores and Nascent Souls.
"What a pity. If only there was Yang-aligned spiritual power that could assist cultivation; the progress with the Nine Nether Buddha Light Illuminating Scripture is just too slow."
Li Mo shook his head with a wry smile. Having grown accustomed to the innate blessings of possessing the Innate Five Dao Body, returning to mediocrity was an unbearable adjustment.
"Let’s keep filtering. There might still be some overlooked gem."
Li Mo set himself a deadline of six months. Whether satisfied or not by then, he would have to choose his path forward with the Nine Nether Buddha Light Illuminating Scripture.
In the realm of cultivation, time passed unnoticed.
Even in the peril-ridden Secret Realm, the flow of time was silent and untraceable.
After the overt stratagem by the White Bone Sect, the Five Hidden Sword unexpectedly refrained from retaliating, instead intentionally reducing the frequency of Invisible Sword Qi attacks.
Originally, the attacks came once every ten days, but now they had decreased to once every thirty days.
This gave Core Formation Demon Cultivators, if they could exhaust every effort to shield their Spirit Shrines, a chance to survive until the True Word Secret Realm reopened.
The intentions of the Five Hidden Sword were clear: to make all cultivators believe that they had a chance to escape intact.
The weakness of human nature lies in hope.
Once they realized that even if their Spirit Shrines were destroyed and left exposed, there was still a sliver of survival, they would no longer attempt riskier paths.
Moreover, tampering with the Praise Seven Treasure Sutra might lead to fates worse than death and Dao disintegration.
The strategic chess match between the White Bone Sect and the Five Hidden Sword left the Nascent Soul cultivators in an excruciatingly difficult position, unable to advance or retreat regardless of their allegiance.
Due to the countermeasures of the Five Hidden Sword, only a fraction of Core Formation Stage cultivators daringly engaged in cultivation within the Secret Realm.
However, as an observer, Li Mo could see clearly that the White Bone Sect was merely biding its time. Perhaps there truly were hidden flaws in the Praise Seven Treasure Sutra, but for them, it posed no serious threat.
"Fascinating. To witness their chess game so directly is quite a spectacle."
Li Mo watched the developments in the True Word Secret Realm with interest, finding it far more engaging than closing himself off in the True Void Hometown.
With the White Bone Sect preoccupied, the Five Hidden Sword was unlikely to spare attention for him.
Li Mo grew increasingly audacious, even considering refining his Spirit Shrine into a Magic Artifact for an easier escape if the situation turned dire.
"The Great Sun Spirit Energy is indeed a perfect match for the Nine Nether Buddha Light Illuminating Scripture, but alas, the White Bone Sect is scheming around it. Better not."
"Perhaps White Spot Spirit Energy instead. One flash of spirit light, and even a Nascent Soul could be gravely injured..."
"Hmm?"
Li Mo raised an eyebrow, noticing an unusual fluctuation in a nearby Spirit Shrine. The Jade Bottle’s temperature began rising incessantly.
Judging by the spiritual power leaking from its spout, it was unmistakably the Praise Seven Treasure Sutra.
Li Mo remembered that this Spirit Shrine was guarded by a Core Formation Demon Cultivator. To ensure safety, cultivating the Praise Seven Treasure Sutra would be considered reasonable.
Gurgle, gurgle.
The spout emitted bizarre noises, drawing the gaze of surrounding Nascent Soul cultivators.
A faint, anguished scream sounded, followed by the grotesque noise of blood and flesh tearing apart. Blood trickled out of the spout, smearing the Spirit Shrine.
Moments later, the Jade Bottle fell silent.
Li Mo’s expression turned subtle as he sensed a familiar presence within the Jade Bottle. It was the false body crafted by his senior sister Mou Miaoqing.
But within barely an instant, the false body’s aura vanished again.
Soon after, similar incidents occurred across the Secret Realm.
Every Core Formation cultivator who practiced the Praise Seven Treasure Sutra became targets of inexplicable attacks, leaving others too terrified to touch this cultivation method again.
The false body’s frenzied devouring caused its power to grow stronger by the day.
"Has the White Bone Sect turned my false body into some kind of eldritch abomination?"
Realizing how the false body could move undetected through Spirit Shrines, Li Mo covertly connected with his Buddha Spirit Root, drawing Great Sun Spiritual Energy to him.
The Great Sun Spiritual Energy’s hues shifted, its core milky white, its outer rim golden. The energy itself lacked heat yet radiated an almost unbearable brilliance.
From the White Jade Lotus Throne came faint rustling noises, as though maggots were crawling.
When Li Mo dispersed the Great Sun Spiritual Energy, the anomalies of the White Jade Lotus Throne disappeared entirely. Clearly, the false body was instinctively tracking the Great Sun Spiritual Energy through the lotus throne.
This was why the Praise Seven Treasure Sutra provided by the White Bone Sect had deliberately tied itself to Great Sun Spirit Energy.
"Wait!"
As Li Mo observed the Yang-aligned spiritual energy releasing from the White Jade Lotus Throne, he noticed the proportion of Great Sun Spirit Energy subtly increasing.
The White Bone Sect was evidently using the false body’s ability to move freely, along with the assimilative nature of Great Sun Spiritual Energy, to quietly alter the True Word Secret Realm.
What might happen if the entire Secret Realm became filled with Great Sun Spirit Energy remained uncertain.
After a moment’s hesitation, Li Mo resolved to choose Great Sun Spirit Energy.
On one hand, he had the Mixed Element Flawless technique to conceal his aura; on the other, his sealed skull could prevent spiritual energy leakage, making it difficult for the false body to detect him.
Most importantly, if Li Mo’s suspicions were correct—
Once the True Word Secret Realm became an ocean of Great Sun Spirit Energy, it might turn into his shortcut for advancing from Core Formation to Nascent Soul stage. To him, the false body was nothing less than a walking, sentient tonic.
The resulting corpses alone could carve out a Great Sun Spirit Stone Vein within the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
His cultivation resources would be abundant.
"Kekekeke..."
Out of caution, Li Mo began making further arrangements around the White Jade Lotus Throne, setting up no fewer than four arrays.
Three were to seal off Great Sun Spirit Energy, while one was to restrict the White Jade Lotus Throne itself.
Though Li Mo had the strength to participate in the intricate political chess game of the True Word Secret Realm, he preferred to watch as they tore at each other and then swoop in to reap the rewards.
He did not rush to refine the spiritual energy, instead staring intently as he murmured to himself, "The assimilative nature of Great Sun Spirit Energy indeed aligns with phosphorescent light and even bears faint similarities to Pu Dao’s Artifact Infant."
Nonetheless, the downside of Great Sun Spirit Energy was glaringly apparent: it interfered heavily with dual-cultivated spiritual energies, unconsciously assimilating gray ash and smog-type energies.
However, Li Mo, possessing the Innate Saint attribute, could convert spiritual energies into one another naturally.
"Perhaps Pu Dao’s Artifact Infant might someday merge with my Buddhist Nascent Soul?"
Li Mo chuckled awkwardly at the thought.
Dao Body Fusion itself required hundreds of years of calculations, and Nascent Soul Fusion would undoubtedly be exponentially more difficult. Whether it was even feasible remained unknown.
Suppressing his stray thoughts, Li Mo utilized his Cave God’s Eye to extract a wisp of Great Sun Spiritual Energy into his brain. The energy began circulating through his neural pathways in a complete Circulation Cycle.
Indeed, the Circulation Cycle of the Nine Nether Buddha Light Illuminating Scripture uniquely operated through the neural pathways.
An unusual method, to say the least.
As the energy completed its Circulation Cycle, the Great Sun Spirit Energy became docile, eventually settling into his Mud Pill Palace.
Within the mist-shrouded Mud Pill Palace, the undulating Great Sun Spiritual Power sparkled like vibrant Golden Light, lingering on the edges without disturbing the unyielded Three Souls at its center.
"I hope I can merge the Three Souls into the Chaos Beast Nascent Soul before the Great Sun Spiritual Power reaches the Nascent Soul stage. Otherwise, who knows if a conflict would erupt."
Closing his eyes, Li Mo continued absorbing Great Sun Spiritual Energy. However, due to the delicate nature of his neural pathways, he couldn’t absorb as rapidly as he could with his Middle Dantian.
"Perhaps... should I engrave the neural pathways? Or undergo surgery to enhance their resilience?"
Li Mo quickly dismissed such thoughts. Awakened neural pathways’ Divine Skills were unlikely to improve cultivation efficiency, and surgeries on neural pathways were far too extreme.
Even if such a drastic measure were to be considered, he’d need to simulate it first with the Mayfly Dream technique.
Sighing to himself, Li Mo resigned to cultivating the Great Sun Spiritual Energy the mundane way, advancing even more slowly than during his initial practice within the Melting Furnace.
As the spiritual energy deepened, portions of the Great Sun Spiritual Power coursed through his neural system and spread across his body.
"Ah..."
The Three Nascent Souls stirred, yawning as their vigor gradually returned. The previously chaotic spiritual power began voluntarily circulating through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Li Mo extended a finger, and a dazzling halo emerged behind his head.
The outward flow of Great Sun Spiritual Power instantly assimilated the spiritual energy within a half-meter radius, plunging the Bottle World into endless White Light.
"The Buddha spoke of Infinite Light."
Li Mo’s form became imposing, resembling a Buddha who had long resided in Nirvana.
"Before reaching the Core Formation stage, the power of Great Sun Spiritual Power is somewhat lacking. However, it is undeniably awe-inspiring—one of its rare advantages."
Retracting the Great Sun Spiritual Power, Li Mo sought to avoid provoking the false body into action.
Suddenly, his awareness detected an anomaly arising within the Middle Dantian Temple.