Chapter 253: Chapter 19 The Life Festival Turns Out to Be...
According to the memories unearthed by the Creation Book, Luo Fu Immortal’s cultivation should have reached the Divine Separation Stage.
And because she consumed the Youthful Pill in her youth, even though she is over a thousand years old, her appearance shows not the slightest sign of aging.
Li Mo inadvertently caught a glimpse from fragmented memories and had to admit, Luo Fu Immortal was truly a peerless beauty.
Luo Fu Immortal’s memories were highly fragmented, with no scenes related to seven thousand years ago, nor any indication of surviving the heaven-and-earth cataclysm.
"Born of the Yanyue Sect, which seems to be an Immortal Sect adept at Yin and Yang Dual Cultivation."
The Yanyue Sect was not a Devil Sect but belonged to the orthodox Taoist lineage, utilizing the harmony of Yin and Yang between men and women for cultivation.
However, the later Cultivation World showed no trace of Yanyue Sect, likely having been eradicated.
Li Mo even discovered from the memories some inexpressible fetishes of Luo Fu Immortal, whose true conduct was far less "immortal-like" than her outward demeanor.
She even went so far as to submit herself to an Outer Elder of the Dan Ghost Sect to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.
After gaining what she wanted, Luo Fu Immortal then used the Outer Elder’s disciples to eliminate him covertly, preserving her own secrets.
"How could No-Life Mother possibly be connected to Luo Fu Immortal?"
Li Mo recalled his first encounter with Luo Zu, and the related memories from the Creation Book displayed a figure who stood apart in the ancient Cultivation World.
From this, it became evident: Was Luo Zu formed from numerous female cultivators?
Considering the Mother Furnace cobbled together from Three Thousand Taoist Forms, it’s not out of the question that Luo Zu was born from the merging of female cultivators.
Li Mo forcibly suppressed his wild thoughts.
Given the eerie and unfathomable rules of the True Void Hometown, the closer it was to the Life Festival, the more necessary it was to control the mind’s wanderings.
He steadied his thoughts, waiting for the festival’s arrival.
The Blessed Earth Immortal’s attitude toward Li Mo was extremely subtle. He did not insist on the Sub-Device Sect’s participation in the Life Festival, yet planted spies at the port.
Futu Hermit could clearly sense the port becoming more chaotic and crowded.
Li Mo instructed Futu Hermit not to alert the enemy. For now, the No-Life Sect showed no direct interference with the Sub-Device Sect; it seemed they were merely observing, preparing for what was to come in a hundred years.
As the Life Festival came within a year, Luo Zu began to grow limbs.
And the vitality emanating from Luo Zu grew increasingly dense, giving Li Mo the sense that she could come to life at any moment.
Six months away from the Life Festival.
A calm like the stillness before a storm settled; no cultivators worshiping No-Life Mother were seen in the outside world.
Three months away from the Life Festival.
Incense offerings surged in temples across regions, and among mortals, rumors of miraculous divine statues spread widely, auguring a year of good weather and abundant harvests.
Luo Zu was lifelike; aside from her body spanning the entirety of Rushan, she appeared as an extraordinarily beautiful woman, standing gracefully, eyes closed as though in slumber.
Her slightly quivering eyelashes seemed to foretell that Luo Fu Immortal could awaken at any moment.
Li Mo noticed the Old Man Burning Fire deliberately clearing a space in the wilderness of a desolate mountain, laying out tens of thousands of animal skeletons.
The Old Man Burning Fire, though no longer a member of the No-Life Sect, was still filled with reverence for No-Life Mother due to years of influence.
He led over forty loose cultivators, kneeling in the center of the skeletons.
They repeatedly chanted, "No-Life Mother, True Void Hometown," as if relying on these two mantras to enter the heartland of the No-Life Sect.
They did not sleep, letting the Death Disease erode their flesh and bones. Even as fetid pus flowed from their mouths and noses, they did not stop.
After a year, half of the loose cultivators had collapsed and withdrawn on the brink of death.
The rest continued tirelessly; the ground of bones decomposed into soil, attracting countless scavenging birds circling overhead.
Yet the loose cultivators’ presences deterred the birds from approaching.
When Luo Zu’s limbs and head fully grew, a sudden mutation occurred.
Including the Old Man Burning Fire, all the loose cultivators clutching their throats forced out the cries of infants through clenched teeth.
The startled birds fled, with some crashing into tree trunks in panic and dying.
Li Mo scrutinized the Old Man Burning Fire, noting that his methods bore no signs of magic or skills, relying purely on willpower to attempt communication with the True Void Hometown.
Moments later, just as Li Mo thought nothing had happened—
"Hee hee hee..."
A chill ran through Li Mo’s spine as he heard, through the Old Man Burning Fire, a sudden and eerie giggle identical to Luo Fu Immortal’s in his memory.
In the blink of an eye, the Old Man Burning Fire and the other loose cultivators vanished from their spots.
Li Mo’s brow furrowed.
He found that the Foundation Establishment Bug parasitizing the Old Man Burning Fire had entered the True Void Hometown, located deep within Luo Zu’s body.
Roughly within the stomach region.
Not only the loose cultivators but some port cultivators also disappeared, indicating they had likewise entered the so-called You Sheng Secret Realm.
The No-Life Sect’s selection of participants was extremely meticulous.
The cultivators participating in the Life Festival were insignificant figures at the port; even if they vanished for years, no one would care.
Counting disciples of various Immortal Sects, at least over a thousand people entered the secret realm.
Li Mo communicated with the Foundation Establishment Bug.
But due to the great distance, the feedback was limited; all he knew was that the Illusion Realm where the Old Man Burning Fire resided was undergoing constant upheaval.
"No-Life Mother, True Void Hometown."
All the Demon Cultivators chanted in unison, their eyes brimming with insatiable greed.
Li Mo also struggled to remain calm, as two Spirit Root Pages that had long been incomplete began to gradually fill, albeit at a slow pace.
He harbored no additional thoughts; it was clear this progress was thanks to the Old Man Burning Fire.
What troubled Li Mo was that at the current rate, the Spirit Root Pages would take at least a dozen years to fully complete.
But the problem was, the Life Festival only lasted about half a year.
"If the Top-grade Spirit Stones can remain stable, even after the Life Festival ends, it would still be possible to complete the special pages," he said.
"But if they fall into the hands of Demon Cultivators..."
Li Mo realized that the secret realm was likely undergoing monumental changes, all stemming from the "wish-fulfillment" rules of the True Void Hometown.
One person’s stray thought—who could imagine what the secret realm would manifest?
The Old Man Burning Fire had understood Li Mo’s needs, so upon arriving in the secret realm, he immediately had Luo Zu cultivate Top-Grade Spirit Stones of the Yin Blood Attribute.
Li Mo’s suspicions were confirmed; the secret realm’s rules required a participant’s physical presence to trigger.
He alone, empowered by the shrine fused with the Body of No Life, could make wishes anywhere, anytime.
Of course, from a certain perspective, wish-fulfillment was not necessarily a good thing; a single misstep could lead to eternal damnation.
"What a cunning No-Life Sect."
Li Mo’s face turned cold. The You Sheng Secret Realm was undoubtedly fraught with danger. The Demon Cultivators had brought external cultivators into the secret realm, preconditioning their minds.
The No-Life Sect exploited their thoughts to induce the True Void Hometown to produce the resources they desired.
The resources required by different Immortal Sects varied greatly.
If the Sub-Device Sect were involved, the No-Life Sect could harvest vast amounts of artifact refining materials.
Li Mo noticed the Old Man Burning Fire growing increasingly fearful, a sign that chaos had already engulfed the secret realm, as controlling one’s thoughts was nearly impossible.
When someone imagined an unthinkable, nameless horror, the secret realm would transform entirely, descending into a Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
"Then how does the No-Life Sect itself enter the You Sheng Secret Realm?"
As that thought crossed Li Mo’s mind, Futu Hermit sent a telepathic message reporting that some of the missing individuals from the port had reappeared.
"Wait, how did they return to the outside world?"
"If entering and leaving the You Sheng Secret Realm were so effortless, why would the No-Life Sect bother with such elaborate measures?"
Li Mo was utterly confused and hurriedly contacted Futu Hermit for details. Upon learning the condition of the returned cultivators, he couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle.
They had lost all memories of the secret realm, were entirely naked, and their mental states had devolved into madness.
Muttering incessantly, "I should never have gone to the secret realm."
Li Mo snapped back to reality, his dread toward No-Life Mother growing ever deeper.
No wonder the Old Man Burning Fire had said, once you enter the secret realm, you are no longer yourself.
This was because, upon feeling regret within the You Sheng Secret Realm and wishing to escape, No-Life Mother granted that wish.
But her response was not to send the cultivator back to the outside world. Instead, she created an entirely new "self" in the outside world.
Li Mo deeply suspected these replicas contained hidden manipulations by No-Life Mother, capable of disastrous consequences at any moment.
What unnerved him even more was.
Considering the Life Festival’s century-long intervals, there were likely tens of thousands of "non-humans" scattered throughout the Cultivation World by now.
Meanwhile, the thousand cultivators within the secret realm were unlikely to last for long.
Li Mo estimated they would predominantly "escape" the You Sheng Secret Realm and "live again" in peculiar forms within ten days.
The Old Man Burning Fire’s motives remained inscrutable, but he persisted to the end.
After a grueling fifteen days, Li Mo sensed the Old Man Burning Fire’s death, though the Foundation Establishment Bug clung to survival within the secret realm.
The Old Man Burning Fire did not choose to have another version of himself born outside but instead perished in the True Void Hometown.
Whether his final moments were those of triumphant vengeance or utter despair remained unknown.
Simultaneously.
Something unexpected occurred—Li Mo’s consciousness, through the shrine, sensed the sudden appearance of a No-Life God Statue representing him within the secret realm.
To be precise, it was conceived by the Old Man Burning Fire in his final moments, taking advantage of the wish-fulfillment process.
Just a single thought from Li Mo, and his consciousness could instantly descend into the No-Life God Statue to explore the You Sheng Secret Realm in puppet form.
"I see. No wonder they’re so fearless—these Demon Cultivators can abandon their No-Life God Statues anytime to ensure their safety."
Li Mo surveyed his surroundings.
The Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators wore peculiar expressions, clearly each possessing a fully-formed No-Life God Statue, waiting for the opportune moment to enter the secret realm.
"No-Life Mother, True Void Hometown."
The Stove Lord nodded with a smile, and his shrine slowly melded into Rushan, ensuring he would not be attacked.
The Blessed Earth Immortal glanced at Li Mo, then similarly merged with Rushan.
The Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators’ consciousnesses successively descended into the secret realm.
Li Mo stared at Luo Fu Immortal, his formerly refined expression twisted into a grotesque grimace as signs of Death Disease spread across his skin.
It was only a matter of time before Luo Fu Immortal’s head and limbs rotted away completely, marking the end of the Life Festival. Time was running short.
Li Mo did not linger at Rushan. He withdrew all the Plant and Tree Cultivators and kept as far away from Luo Zu as possible.
With his shrine fused into the Body of No Life, it moved effortlessly through the True Void Hometown. Even without proximity to Luo Zu, it did not hinder his consciousness’ descent.
Once he was at a safe distance, Li Mo, under the protection of a Tattooed Beast, began to communicate with the No-Life God Statue.