Chapter 249: Chapter 15 Li Mo Has 3000 Followers
After Li Mo restrained the aura of his Taoist body, his previously mutated physique also returned to normal.
He stepped toward Rushan, constantly aware of gazes falling upon him. It seemed that staying in the True Void Hometown would not be a quiet affair.
Summoned from the outside world, the Tattooed Beasts consisted of a Mountain Demon, Salamander, Red Fox, and Golden Toad. The Ghost Tiger, however, still needed to remain underground to guard its main body.
Li Mo split his Divine Sense to control the Taiyin Law Heaven and had already begun transferring his true body.
The emergence of spiritual energy attributed to the Yin Blood species followed a certain pattern, typically proliferating in places like the Chaotic Burial Mound or ancient battlefields. Perhaps Li Mo might stumble upon a top-grade Spirit Stone by sheer luck.
The Doumu Primordial Lord had not left for long before she sent a Spirit Talisman to contact Li Mo.
"Mr. Qingtian, I’ve transmitted the rules of Rushan to your mind. Should you have any questions, you may come to the Doumu Immortal Palace to seek me."
After digesting the information from the Spirit Talisman, Li Mo shook his head with a bitter smile.
The Daoist body traits revealed by Doumu Primordial Lord’s temple were of Yin-Yang Duality—male and female in one body, adept at Yin Yang Dual Cultivation. No wonder the temple’s foundations were so solid; she was truly a ferocious character.
Suppressing stray thoughts, Li Mo quickly clarified the situation surrounding Rushan.
The No-Life Sect referred to Rushan as the "Immortal Residence." The higher the mountain’s altitude, the more concentrated the spiritual energy nurtured at its peak.
For this reason, Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators often brought numerous Grey People to Luo Zu.
Whenever the Grey People converted to worship the No-Life Mother, Rushan’s altitude would increase, and they could also assist in resource extraction as a side benefit.
Li Mo pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.
Where could he find Grey People to use? Perhaps the Plant and Tree Cultivators in his Corpse Mountain Mini World could address this—to see if they could summon True Void Hometown.
The other Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators were well aware of this as well. They monitored Li Mo’s movements in secret, clearly wanting to see how he would handle things.
The title of Supreme Qingtian carried much weight, but spreading it among mortals was next to impossible.
Li Mo faced no small amount of trouble.
The Doumu Primordial Lord had subtly mentioned that Luo Zu would erupt into chaos every so often.
Li Mo was unclear about the specifics, but the high-altitude Rushan could avert some dangers. If all else failed, he could simply leave the True Void Hometown once the Special Pages were complete.
He cast a glance at the Creation Book. Unfortunately, the speed at which the Special Pages were nurtured was exceedingly slow. It seemed it would take at least fifty or sixty years.
"Red Fox, keep an eye out. Don’t let Demon Cultivators approach the mountain."
The Red Fox nodded in agreement, flicking its bushy nine tails, and followed proudly behind Li Mo.
The little ones, faced with an unfamiliar environment laden with hidden dangers, including the inherently playful Mountain Demon, all became unusually quiet.
Meanwhile, the Demon Cultivators continuously scrutinized the Tattooed Beasts.
Li Mo’s Tattooed Beasts were markedly different from ordinary Subordinate Gods. Despite their flesh and blood physical forms, it was evident they were crafted from magic.
Why would ferocious beasts born of magic gain recognition from the No-Life Mother?
What they didn’t know was that the Blood and Flesh Spiritual Power of the Tattooed Beasts originated from Li Mo’s temple, and they even carried traces of the Body of No Life’s aura.
These beasts also bore ancient titles: Ancient Mountain Demon, Ancient Salamander, Ancient Red Fox, Ancient Golden Toad...
"Could there really be remnants of the No-Life Mother’s consciousness left within Luo Zu?"
Li Mo surveyed his surroundings. They were now merely at Luo Zu’s surface; the gaps at the four limbs and head might lead to the interior of the corpse, where unknown secrets could lie.
Approaching the chosen Rushan, Li Mo was immediately assaulted by a pungent stench of decay. The mountain surface was riddled with traces of the Death Disease.
"Let’s name it Qing Mountain."
With a flicker of thought, a stone stele engraved with the words "Green Mountain Cave Heaven" appeared at the mountain’s base, signifying ownership over Rushan.
He leapt lightly and disappeared into the dense mist atop the mountain.
To the Grey People, Rushan may have seemed like an insurmountable peak, requiring ten days or more to reach even halfway up.
But to Li Mo, whose body spanned over a kilometer, Rushan was no more than a small hill.
Once Li Mo vanished at the summit, the nearby Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators became restless, their Divine Senses sweeping overtly over Rushan.
The Tattooed Beasts grew noticeably tense and quickly began setting up defenses.
The Salamander glared with its rounded pupils, climbing steadily to the midsection of the mountain as if it were flat ground. On its head, a massive tree began growing frantically, while the Salamander itself burrowed into the mountain body.
Within seconds, the Salamander’s roots had spread throughout the mountain’s interior and exterior.
Though it couldn’t burrow deeper into Rushan, it could still detect intruders with ease, creating natural barriers.
The Red Fox spewed flames of dazzling white, quickly igniting the tree roots.
At the base of Green Mountain Cave Heaven, a sea of fire emerged. The flames, imbued with toxins, could char flesh and blood into withered husks.
Though they couldn’t completely halt a Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator, those in the Core Formation Stage wouldn’t dare approach without absorbing the toxins.
"Hehehehe..."
The Mountain Demon scratched its ears for a moment, then urinated into the sea of fire. Instantly, the flames turned a pale green, their toxicity further enhanced.
The poison generated from the turbid Blood Spiritual Power of the Red Fox combined with the toxic nature of the Mountain Demon, causing the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators to reveal wary expressions.
On an open cliff, the Golden Toad appeared dazed but occasionally let out a resonant croak as it gazed at the surrounding peaks.
Seemingly harmless, its mere presence exuded an imperceptible aura of dread.
Its body was durable and heavy, and it could use Divine Skills like Size Control to expand to 700 or 800 meters in mere moments.
In addition to guarding the Green Mountain Cave Heaven, the Tattooed Beasts were also tasked with resource gathering.
Through the Doumu Primordial Lord, Li Mo learned that Rushan produced a substance called Lifeless Mud, which could be extracted from the exposed wounds of the mountain.
While Demon Cultivators couldn’t bring resources back to the secular world, this did nothing to diminish Lifeless Mud’s value.
By applying Lifeless Mud to the surface of a temple, one could enhance the foundation of the Middle Dantian or repair temple damage.
The incense made from Lifeless Mud had the additional effect of clearing the mind and calming the spirit.
The only downside was that Lifeless Mud was born from the flesh and blood of the No-Life Mother, so its usage required restraint. Otherwise, one risked erosion.
Upon reaching the mountain summit, Li Mo finally understood the Doumu Primordial Lord’s warning about erosion, and his dread of the True Void Hometown grew stronger.
Arriving at the summit, he was greeted by an overwhelmingly dazzling Golden Light.
Li Mo seemed to be standing within a sea of clouds, with the mountain summit appearing as an isolated island on the ocean surface. The platform at the top was large enough to hold a thousand-meter-tall Divine Statue.
The highest peak connected straight to the heavens, faintly revealing pavilions and lofts.
"Oh Doumu Primordial Lord, my wife and I are on the verge of falling ill. Please grant us a child in the coming year."
"Many thanks to the Golden Light Mother. The calamities in both regions have finally ended. But we still implore the Golden Light Mother to bless us in eradicating the water demons and beasts."
"We kneel in prayer to the Four Directions Immortals, that they may ensure the safe travels of our child..."
Each mountain summit of Rushan saw myriad believers petition Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators. Through the No-Life God Statues, these Cultivators could fulfill the mortal prayers while siphoning off a portion of their spirit.
Compared to the hellish townships at the mountain’s base, the summit indeed exuded a taste of the Immortal Realm, with spiritual energy three to four times denser.
Li Mo closed his eyes in contemplation, as the titles of various Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators flooded his mind, each corresponding to an Immortal God worshiped in the temples.
This showed just how far-reaching the No-Life Sect’s influence truly was.
The No-Life Sect had imperceptibly extended its reach across towns and villages of all sizes—it was no exaggeration to call it a fraudulent "Fake Heavenly Court."
Li Mo split his Divine Sense to observe.
In his line of sight, several Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators exhibited signs of mutation. This was likely the erosion the Doumu Primordial Lord had mentioned.
On their exposed flesh, clusters of swollen lumps emerged, resembling miniaturized versions of Rushan.
As the temple erosion deepened, the Cultivators were gradually absorbed into the very mountain itself.
Li Mo exhaled a smoky veil over the mountain peak.
Despite not pausing his collection of Lifeless Mud, he had no intention of using it himself. It was obvious that Lifeless Mud carried ineffable risks.
"I must imprint the temple before breaking the Core to form my Nascent Soul. Who knows if the No-Life Mother left some hidden trap in the True Void Hometown."
Li Mo refined the turbid Blood Spiritual Power and simultaneously connected with the No-Life God Statue.
His No-Life God Statues were all located within the Corpse Mountain Mini World. With the continual reverence of Plant and Tree Cultivators for the statues, subtle transformations had begun.
The No-Life God Statues grew increasingly lifelike, even releasing faint radiance during the night.
Outside one of the statues, Zhang Guo had constructed a rudimentary temple made of vines and deadwood. Every day, thousands of Plant and Tree Cultivators entered and exited.
If believers perished within the range of a No-Life God Statue, they could be transformed into Grey People.
Though the Plant and Tree Cultivators had long lifespans—and with the protection of the No-Life God Statue, lacked prerequisites for becoming Grey People—
Li Mo found himself a bit perplexed. However, he soon noticed that his temple seemed unusual, likely due to its integration with the Body of No Life.
When he connected to the No-Life God Statue, hymns of praise emerged from the summit believers.
Curiously enough, Li Mo’s devotees were all lower-intelligence spirit materials who could barely speak coherent sentences, resulting in a litany of strange, garbled tones.
The Blessed Earth Immortal squinted, turning his massive head to gaze at the Green Mountain Cave Heaven.
"This Supreme Qingtian must’ve joined the No-Life Sect within the past hundred years. I’ve never heard of a corresponding temple—where did his believers come from..."
A subtle commotion arose, and Li Mo released his spiritual power.
The disturbance grew louder. By the Blessed Earth Immortal’s assessment, Li Mo appeared ready to summon Grey People from the True Void Hometown, numbering in the tens of thousands.
"What a formidable Supreme Qingtian."
The Blessed Earth Immortal wasn’t the only one puzzled; the other Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators, too, couldn’t unravel the mystery.
Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators could use their temples to harbor mortal consciousness, generating Grey People almost endlessly.
Yet gathering mortal consciousness wasn’t as simple as massacring a city. It required mortals to hold profound reverence for the Demon Cultivator masquerading as an Immortal God prior to their demise.
Li Mo had just recently joined the No-Life Sect—how could he have already laid such groundwork across towns and villages?
"Wawoo, wawoo."
Zhang Guo emerged from Li Mo’s pores, his appearance distinctly different from that of a Grey Person, shocking the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators profoundly.
Though Zhang Guo was an Intelligent Spirit Material, his external appearance revealed no discernible traits to prove it.
This was primarily due to the unique rules of the Corpse Mountain Mini World, where all the Plant and Tree Cultivators bore a semblance of flesh and internal organs—peculiar and unexplainable.
Zhang Guo’s form was pieced together with five heads, relying on blood vessel-like roots extending from his neck to move. He wore a Daoist robe cleverly woven from grass fibers.
More and more Plant and Tree Cultivators surged forth.
Head-shaped He Shouwu, arm-like ginseng, liver-shaped ginger—
Li Mo observed the phenomenon with a complex expression, noting the cancer cells within these Plant and Tree Cultivators that had also followed them into the True Void Hometown.
"Relying on Da Ai Mi Tian, I should be able to explore Luo Zu further."
"It’s a pity the True Void Hometown doesn’t contain any Yin Blood attribute top-grade Spirit Stones..."
Just as this thought crossed Li Mo’s mind, his gaze turned uncertain. In the final pages of the Creation Book, two Spirit Root Pages were slowly emerging.
It was precisely the Yin Blood attribute Spirit Root Pages, as if two top-grade Spirit Stones had appeared out of thin air somewhere in the True Void Hometown—a sudden and inexplicable occurrence.
A surge of reverence for the No-Life Mother swelled uncontrollably within Li Mo, accelerating the completion speed of the three Special Pages.
"No-Life Mother above."
The Da Ai Mi Tian detected the anomaly in his mental realm, causing cancer cells to boil over and forcibly erase all memories related to the True Void Hometown Special Pages.
Li Mo reopened his eyes, his heart pounding with unease.
The Special Pages of the Creation Book had stopped further completion, signifying that the source within the True Void Hometown had vanished in an inexplicable manner.