Chapter 264: Chapter 30 The Second Nascent Soul [Chaos Beast Infant]
Not only Tian Changwen.
The aged Beast Cultivators present, weary and decrepit, couldn’t help but show surprise, as their shrinking Middle Dantians had already been replaced by Lifeless Dantians.
Their once feeble and listless presence grew increasingly robust.
In the eyes of other disciples, this was nothing less than a gift from Ancestor Tian Chenzi, evidence that the Immortal still cared about the Heart Beast Sect.
Even in the back mountain of the Heart Beast Sect, traces of spiritual power fluctuation were leaking out.
Some of the Beast Cultivators buried deep underground were awakening, despite being over a thousand years old; their declining cultivation had astonishingly returned to its peak.
Even the distant Futu Hermit by the harbor received a newfound Lifeless Dantian.
For a moment, the sect’s Mountain Gate was in an uproar of enthusiasm.
Of course, the Lifeless Dantians granted through Detachment Jiazhu were not omnipotent. In truth, their cultivation efficiency couldn’t compare to the original Middle Dantian.
They returned to the Core Formation Stage not because of the Lifeless Dantian, but primarily due to their previous cultivation already being at the Core Formation Stage.
The Lifeless Dantian merely served to suppress the Death Disease.
Before Li Mo advances to the Divine Separation Stage, the Lifeless Dantian cannot break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. Thus, it could mainly be offered to the ruined Beast Cultivators with destroyed foundations.
Without the Lifeless Dantians, they would have to remain buried underground perpetually, only suppressing the Death Disease once every three hundred years for ten years at a time.
Living wretchedly until their eventual collapse into a deceitful object or choosing to burn themselves to ashes.
Li Mo’s Detachment Jiazhu was equivalent to granting them a second life, and their reverence for the No-Life God Statue was indescribable.
"A beast of four legs, born of the Mountains and Seas."
Tens of thousands of Heart Beast Sect disciples knelt before the No-Life God Statue, their voices reverberating between Heaven and Earth, words filled with devoted reverence for "Tian Chenzi."
Hu Wen landed beside Tian Changwen, noticing his body had somewhat recovered, and couldn’t help but ask, "Is it truly Tian Chenzi... descending?"
"Haha, it is the Ancestor Master."
Tian Changwen couldn’t help but recall bits and pieces of his time with Li Mo in Rong Town, showing a complex and indescribable expression. "One person attains the Dao, and even their hens and dogs ascend to Heaven."
"So, it was the Ancestor Master all along~ No wonder~"
Hu Wen understood Tian Changwen’s meaning and couldn’t suppress a quick laugh, covering her mouth.
The Heart Beast Sect, relying on the harbor, had developed far faster than an ordinary sect. Without Li Mo’s presence, they would have been stagnant for even a thousand years.
Tian Changwen squinted his eyes, receiving transmissions of thought from Li Mo.
The transmitted thoughts weren’t extensive but precisely what the Heart Beast Sect desperately needed at the moment.
These included the Five Gods Heart Scripture’s Nascent Soul Stage portion and the techniques related to achieving the Acquired Flawless Body through cultivation to grasp an Acquired Dao Body.
The Leakless Body appeared somewhat mediocre—even an Innate Dao Body wasn’t comparable to many Acquired Dao Bodies, but a Dao Body was still a Dao Body.
Having a Dao Body symbolized innate talent for Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivation. Just the Leakless Body’s ability to prevent spiritual energy from dissipating through the pores after entering the body was enough to increase cultivation efficiency by thirty to forty percent.
Moreover, the difficulty of achieving the Leakless Body was far lower than the Hundred Beasts Blood Body.
"The next thousand years of the Heart Beast Sect—it’s time to step into a new phase."
"It’s about time to build a strong momentum."
Tian Changwen’s previous exhaustion was swept away, and his entire being radiated sharp determination, similar to the time he resolved to pacify the chaotic conflicts in Rong Town.
He was confident he could enable sixty percent of Beast Cultivators to attain the Acquired Flawless Body.
The strange phenomenon gradually faded as the No-Life God Statue sank back into the mountain. The birds and beasts across the entire mountain range let out deafening cries.
"Farewell, Ancestor Master," saluted the disciples.
The Heart Beast Sect still only had Li Mo at the Nascent Soul Stage, but the number of Core Formation disciples had unknowingly reached fifty, making them a considerable power.
"With just one more Nascent Soul, they’d be able to secure their position even among the Artifact Sect’s subordinates."
Li Mo’s divine sense swept across.
Although there wasn’t a top-grade Golden Core among the Core Formation Beast Cultivators, the number of mid-grade Golden Cores was impressive, showcasing Tian Changwen’s capability.
Through the Nearby Array, Li Mo then transferred his stored Corpse Wine and spiritual materials to the Heart Beast Sect to support their upcoming rapid growth period.
Tian Changwen understood the intent, immediately starting to make arrangements around the harbor.
Although the Heart Beast Sect still lacked any Nascent Soul members, with covert support from the Artifact Sect and fifty Core Formation members, they could try using the harbor as a springboard to expand their influence to other black markets.
Corpse Wine was an especially fitting commodity to trade, mainly because it could substitute for elixirs.
Li Mo’s plan for the Heart Beast Sect was to focus on commercial activities to amass resources while aiding him in gathering materials to break through to the Divine Separation Stage.
This was precisely the path Tian Changwen was following.
He increasingly felt that binding the Heart Beast Sect to Li Mo was a wise decision—so much so that they still hadn’t officially designated a Sect Master.
Seeing the Heart Beast Sect falling into a steady rhythm, Li Mo’s consciousness returned to his physical form.
As his awareness re-entered the Mud Pill Palace, the sharp cries of the Mist Fog Nascent Soul rang in his ears—powerful and reverberating, intermixed with bird calls and beast roars.
"The Second Nascent Soul is complete!"
Even Li Mo hadn’t anticipated that the synergy between the multiple Dantians under the Innate Saint’s influence would grant his Supreme Qingtian identity an additional disguise.
The tens of thousands of Heart Beast Sect disciples had become followers of the temple through the Beast Cultivation Nascent Soul.
Li Mo could sense that, as the Heart Beast Sect disciples absorbed spiritual energy, both of his Nascent Souls benefited, resulting in a slight increase in cultivation efficiency.
He had no intention of draining them dry or turning them into Grey People. Despite the Grey People yielding higher nourishment, it served no purpose.
"The Heart Beast Sect’s scale will continue to grow, both stable and secure."
Li Mo wore a faint smile.
The Twelve Immortals could leave the recruitment of followers to reckless temple priests. With their strength, even the Taoist sects wouldn’t be able to locate the True Void Hometown.
Li Mo decided it was best to remain low-profile—a small figure navigating between the Daoist and Demon paths.
He closed his eyes, stabilizing his cultivation and directing his consciousness to the multiple Dantians. A peculiar Nascent Soul came into view—it was the evolution of the Mist Fog Golden Core.
[Chaos Beast Infant]
Why peculiar? Mainly because of its inconsistent form.
The Chaos Beast Infant retained the appearance of a baby but was constantly undergoing Beastification, making it remarkably unstable.
In one instant, it had the head of a deer and the body of a man; in the next, it transformed into a fox’s head with an eagle’s body, endlessly cycling through various forms of exotic beasts.
Only after being fed spiritual power did the Chaos Beast Infant stabilize, instinctively attempting to control itself. Its spiritual wisdom slightly surpassed that of the Soul-devouring Demon Infant.
The only unchanging features were the eyeball embedded in its forehead and the long, narrow tail trailing behind its body.
The eyeball, resembling that of the Soul-devouring Demon Infant, was black and white, with faint traces of the words "Decaying Life" visible—evidence of the integration of the Five Decaying Souls.
The Chaos Beast Infant could enhance the process of target mutations through the power of the Five Decaying Souls, transforming them into corrupted half-human, half-beast entities, albeit with limited effectiveness.
"Chaos..."
Li Mo reflected on legends from his past life, where myth spoke of a ferocious beast named Chaos, one of the Four Great Evil Beasts alongside Taotie.
Chaos was described as resembling a dog, with long fur and four legs, bear-like but clawless, and having eyes that couldn’t see.
For now, however, the Chaos Beast Infant seemed unrelated to the mythical Chaos Beast, appearing more like a unique Nascent Soul blending countless avian and beastly characteristics.
"I wonder what potential the Tattooed Beasts hold for growth."
It’d been decades since Li Mo last saw the Tattooed Beasts, and he couldn’t hide a tinge of longing, especially for the Ghost Tiger.
Without the Ghost Tiger’s protection during secluded cultivation, he was forced to divide his attention to monitor outside the Taiyin Law Heaven, digging tunnels himself—a significant hassle.
A single thought from Li Mo caused the Chaos Beast Infant to let out a piercing beast roar.
Its tail flicked, and at the tip, an embryo began to form. In the blink of an eye, the embryo had morphed into a Nine-tailed Red Fox covered in vibrant red fur.
At first glance, the changes seemed minor, but closer inspection revealed the Red Fox had grown significantly more demonic.
"Ah."
The Red Fox leapt out of the multiple Dantians, darting around the cave with agile and unpredictable movements, its body continuously shifting between fiery flames and physical solidity.
Ghost Tiger, Salamander, Kun Whale...
One by one, the Tattooed Beasts began to emerge, each undergoing a transformation after their rebirth.
"Ohhh..."
The Mountain Demon proudly displayed its prowess to Li Mo, then plunged headfirst into the ground, leaving a trail of acrid smoke as it burrowed. Wherever it passed, sticky swamps filled with lethal poison emerged.
Upon reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, the bodies of the Tattooed Beasts could shift seamlessly between flesh and spiritual energy, giving Li Mo a sense of "magic nearing Dao."
"With the Tattooed Beasts by my side, self-preservation is guaranteed."
The final one to emerge was the Candle Dragon, draining the last of the Mist Fog spiritual power in doing so. The Chaos Beast Infant collapsed in its Dantian, gasping for breath.
Li Mo swallowed a can of Mist Fog Spiritual Energy, studying the Candle Dragon intently.
The Candle Dragon leapt, floating midair with its body coiled into a sphere. As its eyes opened, blazing light radiated from within its scales.
A few breaths later, it transformed into a miniature sun, raising the cave temperature by several degrees.
Li Mo nodded slightly. While the Tattooed Beasts seemed to be playing harmless games, summoning them with Nascent Soul-level spiritual energy and flesh would undoubtedly cause devastation even within Taiyin Law Heaven.
Li Mo allowed the Tattooed Beasts to fool around. They, too, needed time to adapt to their recent advancement to the Nascent Soul Stage; otherwise, they’d falter in real combat.
Meanwhile, Li Mo concentrated on continuously absorbing the Mist Fog Spiritual Energy.
The Mist Fog Energy first needed to be refined by the Chaos Beast Infant. Once the Nascent Soul passed through its initial phase, Li Mo could conclude this secluded cultivation.
Li Mo resided within Taiyin Law Heaven, his access to news solely dependent on information from the harbor, leaving him frustratingly isolated.
"Next, I should visit the White Bone Cave to restock supplies."
Li Mo had no insight into the movements of the Demon Path’s sects. The harbor’s practitioners were almost entirely Daoist loose cultivators, rendering much of the intelligence he received vague and unreliable.
If the Taoist sects were planning measures against the No-Life Sect, he wanted to be prepared ahead of time.
Nurturing a Nascent Soul was a monotonous task, with the Chaos Beast Infant’s appetite for spiritual energy surpassing even that of the Soul-devouring Demon Infant. Li Mo had no choice but to focus his efforts on absorbing canned spiritual energy.
The Turbid Blood Spiritual Energy coiled around the Ash Golden Core, accompanied by the faintly nerve-grating sound of sizzling erosion.
Once the Mist Fog Energy had been thoroughly purified, both energies would work together to wear down the Ash Golden Core’s casing, and in about thirty years, he estimated it would break, paving the way for becoming a Nascent Soul.
Li Mo had absorbed roughly seventy to eighty percent of the canned spiritual energy, barely managing to refill the multiple Dantians.
The dual Nascent Souls fell into a silent slumber, the Dantians encapsulating them resembling a maternal womb, brimming with spiritual energy like life-giving amniotic fluid.
Across the Cultivation World, perhaps only Li Mo could be so unbothered during what should have been the perilous Dead Baby Stage.
"Huh?"
Li Mo retrieved the White Bone Incense Burner gifted by Daoist Zi Yan, his brows furrowing slightly as a new crack had formed on its surface.
"Hah, could Daoist Zi Yan have dared to leave some hidden trick?"
Following Daoist Zi Yan’s instructions, Li Mo lit Soul Summoning Grass within the burner. Slowly, wisps of green smoke began billowing out of the skull’s mouth and nose.
The smoke coalesced in midair, revealing a faintly visible street as seen through the Cave God’s Eye.