Chapter 310: Chapter 56 Upper Dantian [Buddha Fruit]
After Li Mo rested for a long time, he began to close his eyes and connect with the unformed Buddha Spirit Root.
When his consciousness immersed into the Buddha Spirit Root, his perception of external Spiritual Energy slowly recovered. Even the eyelids of his Three Nascent Souls trembled slightly.
Li Mo had a premonition that once he mastered the unique Buddha Power of the True Word Sect, simply enveloping his entire body with it would be enough to isolate him from the effects of the Secret Realm.
"Hmm."
The amount of Spiritual Energy in the Bottle World was almost comparable to that of the Ziqi Sect Inner Sect.
The source of the Spiritual Energy was the White Jade Lotus Throne, shaped like a feminine palace. Eighty percent of it consisted of rare Yang Qi.
With just a glance, he noticed several rare types of Spiritual Energy.
For example, the golden Burning Spirit Qi, which is said to form only on mountaintops over ten thousand meters high, under the relentless exposure of sunlight for a hundred years.
Or the pure white and piercing Bright Light Spirit Qi, originating from regions where daylight dominates over darkness.
The Corpse Mountain Mini World also had Yang Qi, but it consisted of relatively common types such as Blazing Spirit Qi, Great Sun Spiritual Energy...
Li Mo had yet to find the Spiritual Energy compatible with the Phosphor Buddha Spirit Root, as the Spiritual Power refined from it required the ability to carry phosphorescence—a demand exceptionally challenging to fulfill.
He attempted to connect to his Buddha Spirit Root in hopes of using it to sense Yang Qi.
However, the still embryonic Buddha Spirit Root could not even move the Spiritual Energy. At least the brain stem portion of the Spirit Root Transformation needed to be completed.
"The Childhood stage of Buddhist Techniques primarily involves completing the Spirit Root Transformation of the brain. The amount of Spiritual Power is far less than that of Taoist and Demon cultivators of the same realm."
After calming his Mental Realm, Li Mo continued to channel a wisp of phosphorescence into his brain stem.
Heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the Bottle World, and even the Tattooed Beast’s fur stood on end while the Plant and Tree Cultivators were filled with fear.
Using pain to maintain consciousness was an act of desperation.
Phosphorescence was too dangerous—if he fainted suddenly, who knows whether his brain would awaken as an independent entity.
The Nine Nether Buddha Light Illuminating Scripture advanced slowly.
Li Mo recalled the No-Life Ten Directions Festival during his sect initiation. Within mere moments, the Childhood stage was completed—a heaven-and-earth difference.
"Ah..."
He sighed heavily, resigning himself to the prolonged suffering inflicted upon himself.
As the Spirit Root Transformation of his brain intensified, subtle changes arose across each of his Taoist Bodies.
Clearly, the brain, as an essential organ, is subtly connected to various Taoist Bodies, laying a solid foundation for their future fusion.
Among them, the Paoxiao Swallowing Body was the most active. It seemed inevitable that the Buddha Spirit Root would ultimately merge with the Five Organs Corpse Spirit Root within the Paoxiao Swallowing Body.
"Brain Divine Skills might undergo qualitative transformation."
Li Mo’s face showed anticipation as he endured the pain and continued channeling phosphorescence.
Blood began seeping from his pores—a side effect of cancer transformation—and Li Mo’s head began to swell uncontrollably.
Crackle, crackle, crackle...
Even without flames, Li Mo’s hair turned brittle and lifeless.
A moment later, the air around his head twisted and distorted as heat surged from within his skull, releasing sounds like metal snapping.
The Cave God’s Eye struggled to maintain equilibrium, but the phosphorescence was no ordinary force, making Li Mo feel as helpless as when facing Feihong Sword Qi.
"Kun."
The Kun Whale transformed into a form over ten meters long, letting out a prolonged cry.
A whirlwind formed around Li Mo accompanied by torrential rain, which, under the influence of high temperatures, evaporated into thick mist.
Buzz...
Vents on the Kun Whale’s back expelled a burst of Ice Spiritual Power, causing frost and snow to descend. Yet even this couldn’t suppress the heat.
Li Mo furrowed his brow and temporarily halted the process of channeling more phosphorescence.
"Increasing the speed of Spirit Root Transformation slightly nearly caused my skull to explode. But if I proceed step by step, it would take at least twenty years."
Li Mo rubbed his nose bridge, feeling a headache.
A single Childhood stage would take decades, which meant the Weak Crown stage would take at least two or three centuries. Concentrating all effort on the Three Nascent Souls might already have reached the Divine Separation Stage.
"There’s no other choice."
Li Mo flipped open the Creation Book, and the blank page revealed the shadow of a skull.
The Bone Dao Body required engravings in specific organs, with only the trunk bones and hands and feet remaining. He could already feel the emergence of the Innate Taoist Body.
Half a month later, the Skull Divine Skill was born.
[Skull Formation]
Derived from: "Countless struck by blades, skulls gathered like waves of blood."
Skulls are bones, and "formation" implies a large quantity.
Initially, Li Mo was a bit puzzled. But when he tapped his skull with his fingers, he instantly noticed something strange.
Skull Formation altered the structure of the skull dramatically—it became layered and hollowed, resembling Multiple Dantians.
Not only did defense greatly improve, but it could also resist attacks on Divine Sense.
The total number of layers was four hundred thirty-five, matching his age. Divine Sense attacks from cultivators at the same realm would diminish about twenty layers.
Li Mo once again merged phosphorescence, and the high temperature within his skull dissipated by seventy percent before even leaking out—absorbed by the layers of bones.
He smiled faintly and began to increase the phosphorescence’s density.
The Buddha Spirit Root was finally progressing smoothly.
The White Jade Lotus Throne trembled slightly. Despite its faint vitality, it followed the laws of millions of years, releasing more Spiritual Energy.
"When leaving the True Word Secret Realm, I should take the spiritual shrine back to the real world. If I hand it over to the Ziqi Sect, they might discover a means to cultivate offspring."
While Li Mo obsessed over his cultivation, sudden changes occurred in the Secret Realm.
A variety of phenomena appeared among the spiritual shrines, and the Nascent Soul cultivators refused to sit idle. Although unable to use Spiritual Power, they had discovered ways to wield Magic Artifacts and Spirit Talismans.
Although the Invisible Sword Qi continued to damage the spiritual shrines, they were determined to hold out as long as possible.
Rather than being passively exposed, they preferred to actively break free from the spiritual shrines—albeit with extremely precise timing.
No one could tell how much time had passed before muffled sounds came from the spiritual shrines.
Invisible Sword Qi disappeared in a heartbeat.
The True Word Sect Arhats fumed with impotent rage as the people hid inside buildings. The cityscape was dominated only by twenty-four towering Arhats.
The Nascent Soul cultivators observed coldly, long past their initial panic.
Someone shouted loudly.
"Fellow Taoists, there must be one spiritual shrine in the True Word Secret Realm that remains intact. We can fight to seize Five Hidden Sword’s refuge!"
"Ha! Five Hidden Sword, scheming against me, your old man?"
"This old Daoist may not die, but your sword refining is destined to fail."
The Five Hidden Sword Elders did not respond, and the cultivators didn’t speak further. The atmosphere grew more oppressive, with only the sound of scripture chants resonating endlessly in the air.
"No..."
The stalemate broke.
A Core Formation Cultivator finally failed to maintain the integrity of their spiritual shrine. The jade bottle tilted, and the faint Buddha Power protecting it dissipated.
"Amitabha Buddha."
"Outer Heaven Demon, court death!"
"I am the Winged Arhat!"
The Winged Arhat, whose back bore countless arms forming grotesque wings, instantly appeared above the spiritual shrine, smashing his fingers downward. A deep pit spanning more than ten meters emerged, leaving no trace of the Core Formation Cultivator.
Standing before the pit, the Winged Arhat clasped his hands in prayer, offering blessings for the departed soul.
The Nascent Soul cultivators remained expressionless. It was unfortunate that Core Formation cultivators lacked the strength to test escape routes—only after the first Nascent Soul cultivator broke free from their spiritual shrine could they find answers.
Elder Liu Huo observed the Nascent Soul cultivators’ reactions, sneering repeatedly.
No matter what schemes the sword-grinding stone might hold, it couldn’t alter the predetermined outcome. In the end, the Five Hidden Sword would refine their Buddha Sword within the Secret Realm.
At that moment.
A hoarse and low voice echoed, like an iron saw scraping against stone.
"Within the Amitabha Buddha Field, all are naturally of the Seven Treasures: gold, silver, glass, coral, red pearl, agate, and..."
Elder Liu Huo’s expression grew serious—the voice recited the opening of the Praise of the Seven Treasures Scripture, describing the method to condense the Buddha Spirit Root.
The Nascent Soul cultivators initially didn’t care, but soon realized the cultivation technique was closely linked to the True Word Sect, clearly capable of aiding in restoring control over Spiritual Power.
Their faces lit with joy—more chaos in the True Word Secret Realm meant better odds of survival. With other factions intervening, their chances of escaping increased.
Two Five Hidden Sword Elders sought to stop the interference but were hindered by the opponent’s perfectly timed move.
They had already spawned more than ten Invisible Sword Qi attacks and consumed their mental focus to control them, leaving them temporarily exhausted.
"Qing Mountain? No, that person is from the Four Seas Commerce and likely lacks the ability to decipher Buddhist Scriptures—who exactly is meddling in the Secret Realm?"
"Elder Mountain Ash, contact Sect Leader as soon as possible. Sword refinement has encountered unexpected changes."
......
Li Mo opened his eyes.
It truly wasn’t his doing. Most likely, the White Bone Sect was behind it, meaning two factions were now making moves.
"I don’t believe the Five Hidden Sword has no means to communicate with the outside world. Things are about to get intense."
By now, Li Mo had completed Spirit Root Transformation for most of his brain, emitting phosphorescence that made his black-and-white pupils radiate brilliant seven-colored light.
The engraved skull proved to be beneficial, sealing the phosphorescence firmly within his head.
The remaining one-third of his brain tissue slowly underwent Spirit Root Transformation, turning it into a crystalline gem-like structure—neither wholly of the Seven Treasures, yet surpassing them.
Upon closer inspection, it could be described as a [Buddha Fruit].
"Hmm?"
Li Mo’s expression turned curious as he noticed the White Bone Sect had purposefully disclosed parts of the Praise of the Seven Treasures Scripture to the Nascent Soul cultivators and subtly added some remarks.
"The Spiritual Energy absorbed into the Mud Pill Palace must be Great Sun Spiritual Energy?"
The White Bone Sect was clearly up to something significant.
But I like it—chaotic ventures yield the most profit.
Li Mo chuckled sinisterly, directing the Ghost Tiger to bury the cancerous spiritual shrine even deeper, all while continuing to channel phosphorescence into his brain.
Once the Buddha Spirit Root fully formed, a dazzling halo rose above the back of his head.
Unlike the ephemeral halo in the temple, the Buddha Spirit Root’s halo exuded the true essence of the Buddhist Sect.
In truth, the ephemeral halo was purely decorative, while the Nine Nether Light Halo possessed terrifying destructiveness—everything nearby began to decay.
Fortunately, Li Mo acted swiftly, using Primordial Chaos to suppress the halo; otherwise, Plant and Tree Cultivators would perish, and the spiritual shrine might crumble.
"Nine Nether Immortal Light must originate from the Immortal Realm—the Spirit Roots it forms are devastatingly destructive."
Li Mo marveled silently. The potential uses of the Buddha Spirit Root would have to be explored later.
The Brain Divine Skill [Memorization] transformed into [Bodhi Enlightenment].
Li Mo closed his eyes to sense Bodhi Enlightenment, noticing no apparent changes—until he observed the seven Nourishing Yuan Fruits in his Lower Dantian.
The vine-like Nourishing Yuan Fruits had transformed into saplings of Bodhi Trees.
The fruits growing on the branches were no longer limited to Innate Essence; there was even a walnut-like fruit that could be consumed to enhance Spiritual Wisdom.
"The Bodhi Fruit grows by absorbing scattered Divine Sense. But since it’s associated with phosphorescence, it should offer more than just enhancing Spiritual Wisdom, right?"
Li Mo saw that the Bodhi Fruits were not yet ripe, so he turned his attention back to selecting Yang Qi.