Chapter 266: Chapter 32 Corpse Mountain Mini World
After calming down, Li Mo felt that the Enlightenment Conference wasn’t as dangerous as he initially thought.
In the later generations of the Cultivation World, information about the Buddhist Sect had practically vanished, indicating that even if Buddhist practitioners existed, they likely couldn’t reach the limelight.
"The situation with the Buddhist Sect might be similar to the demon race from ten thousand years ago. For reasons unknown, they completely disappeared from the Cultivation World..."
Currently, the Taoist Sect reigns supreme.
Li Mo didn’t need to concern himself with the Devil Sect’s state; as long as the Taoist Sect’s large and small immortal sects maintained the status quo, the Cultivation World wouldn’t fall into chaos.
"There are still over thirty years until the auction. I’ll take advantage of this downtime to form the third Nascent Soul. That will make it easier to manage matters at the Ancestor Platform."
As the appointed thirteenth disciple, Li Mo was undoubtedly meant to oversee the No-Life God Statue at the Ancestor Platform.
He would then use the Ancestor Platform to filter temple priests, who would in turn propagate the Supreme Qingtian’s revered title. This was the foundation of the Twelve Immortals’ influence.
The thought in Li Mo’s mind was that, with his possession of three Nascent Souls, he felt capable of influencing the No-Life God Statue sitting at the Ancestor Platform.
How exactly to handle things would only become clear once he arrived at the platform.
In any case, Li Mo was certain of one thing: he had no interest in propagating revered titles, nor did he want to attract the animosity of the outside world due to a massive influx of believers.
"First form the Nascent Soul, first form the Nascent Soul..."
Li Mo steadied his mind. Two streams of spiritual power coiled around the Ash Golden Core, grinding away at its hard outer shell, accompanied by the sound of infant cries.
While his main body engaged in cultivation, his consciousness remained scavenging in the White Bone Cave.
Occasionally, resources of varying quality were tossed into the Taiyi Heaven Law, enriching the ecosystem of the Corpse Mountain Small World.
The Core Formation Demon Cultivators of the White Bone Cave had never seen anyone as extravagant as Li Mo. If not for the Nascent Soul-level aura he exuded, it would have likely sparked greedy intentions.
Li Mo disregarded others’ glances. The unsold auction items greatly benefited the Corpse Mountain Small World.
"Could these spiritual materials have come from some Buddhist Sect holy land? Somehow, the environment that fosters these materials feels different from the territories of the present world."
Having spent over a thousand Spirit Stones, Li Mo had caused Skull Mountain to shrink by a significant margin, drawing gazes from numerous Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators in the distance.
Satisfied, Li Mo returned his consciousness to his main body and looked toward the Corpse Mountain Small World.
After some time apart, the Corpse Mountain Small World had undergone earth-shattering changes; it wasn’t just environmental transformations but also the emergence of numerous new species.
The number of Deceit Beasts had exceeded a thousand, scattered throughout the mountain range.
The most beneficial discovery for the Corpse Mountain Small World, however, was a medium-sized spirit stone vein located deep within the mountain range, spanning the vicinity of the four sub-peaks surrounding the main peak.
"This is truly a windfall."
Scanning the spirit stone vein, Li Mo observed that it contained tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones, mixed with seven to eight thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
Unfortunately, extracting the spirit stones would degrade the quality of the vein itself.
If Li Mo wanted the Corpse Mountain to advance to the level of mid-grade magic treasures, the spirit stone vein couldn’t be used recklessly, as its spiritual energy was also uniquely suited for brewing Corpse Wine.
"It truly lives up to the name of the Hidden Phase Dao Seed. Just a few Nascent Soul-level corpses, along with parts of Mou Miaoqing’s flesh, caused the spirit stone vein’s scale to expand so dramatically."
According to Li Mo’s estimation, with the spirit stone vein nourishing the Corpse Mountain, it could potentially reach the Four Spirit Pattern level within a century.
Li Mo meticulously observed the Corpse Mountain Small World.
He noticed that the number of Intelligent Spirit Materials had increased significantly, and the plant-based cultivators had begun to fragment, occupying different mountain peaks.
The main force was still Zhang Guo, who occupied the spiritual energy-rich main peak.
Water element spiritual materials had settled in the subterranean rivers, with their numbers second only to Zhang Guo’s. Leading them was a Water Frost Fruit at the Third Layer of Puberty Stage.
The Water Frost Fruit had named itself "Zhang Chuan," resembling a humanoid jellyfish. Once a disciple of Zhang Guo’s, it had evolved over time.
Elsewhere, the desert, marshes, and volcanic craters were also occupied by spiritual materials of varying cultivation levels, forming simple Daoist traditions.
Li Mo discovered that some of the spiritual materials he had purchased from the White Bone Cave had developed spiritual wisdom.
The resulting plant-based cultivators were quite strange.
After absorbing spiritual energy, they grew pitcher plant-like organs, most with low spiritual intelligence and increasingly carnivorous tendencies.
"Buddhist Sect, carnivorous?"
Li Mo wasn’t concerned about infighting among the spiritual materials. After all, they all worshipped the No-Life God Statue, and Zhang Guo was there to maintain order.
As Li Mo’s registered disciple, Zhang Guo’s cultivation had already reached the Perfect Childhood Stage.
"Not bad."
"For your diligence, I’ll grant you another opportunity."
A mountain appeared in Li Mo’s palm, and he summoned Zhang Guo to the outside world.
Zhang Guo no longer displayed his former recklessness. His roots had gathered into arm-like structures, and he repeatedly cupped his fists and bowed toward Li Mo.
"Ah."
Noticing Zhang Guo’s presence, a Red Fox swished its bushy nine tails as it approached.
Excluding the Candle Dragon, the other Tattooed Beasts also gathered around chattering amongst themselves, giving the impression of camaraderie.
It seemed their time at the Moon Altar had fostered a strong bond.
"Zhang Guo, your future cultivation depends on yourself."
Li Mo extended a finger to touch Zhang Guo’s forehead, infusing Nourishing Yuan Fruit’s medicinal power into him.
Though Zhang Guo’s cultivation level remained unchanged, his body absorbed the accumulating medicinal power, and additional secondary heads began sprouting from his neck.
Zhang Guo had originally been nothing more than an ordinary He Shouwu plant. Only through the nourishment of the Corpse Mountain Small World did he seize the opportunity to transform into a low-grade spirit material.
Due to his intelligence, Li Mo had blessed him, raising him to a mid-grade spirit material.
Time passed quickly, and though Zhang Guo’s cultivation steadily improved, his medicinal power still lingered at the mid-grade level, reflecting his unremarkable talent.
Without Li Mo, even if Zhang Guo successfully established a foundation, his chances of reaching the Golden Core stage without transforming into a top-grade spirit material were slim to none.
For plant-based cultivators, their talent was entirely dependent on the potency of their medicinal power.
Li Mo saw great potential in Zhang Guo, directly infusing him with Innate Essence. After all, with the Nourishing Yuan Fruit, 800 years’ worth of medicinal power remained even after forming the Nascent Soul.
After absorbing Innate Essence for merely thirty years, Zhang Guo began undergoing a profound transformation.
Eyes emerged one after another on his surface, and his facial features became increasingly menacing. His teeth grew sharp and dense.
"Hiss."
A peculiar medicinal fragrance filled the air, and Li Mo realized that Zhang Guo’s medicinal traits had taken on an extraordinary characteristic, specifically enhancing cognitive capacities.
Zhang Guo successfully ascended to the level of a top-grade spirit material and naturally began his Foundation Establishment.
His appearance maintained a humanoid head, though his roots transformed into blood vessels, with a miniature Mud Pill Palace forming in his brain.
Although Zhang Guo’s Mud Pill Palace lacked the Three Souls and Seven Spirits, this characteristic allowed him to retain his spiritual essence even when existing in the outside world.
Li Mo examined the awakening Zhang Guo, who kept kowtowing in gratitude for the Immortal’s blessings.
Plant-based cultivators lacked a Middle Dantian, storing their spiritual power within their flesh. How they would form Nascent Souls after reaching the Golden Core stage remained a mystery.
Speaking incomprehensibly, Zhang Guo appeared overwhelmed with joy, swaying his now-dominant head wildly. He had firmly secured his position as the foremost figure in the Corpse Mountain Small World.
Li Mo initially wanted Zhang Guo to remain in the Taiyi Heaven Law for a few more days. However, Zhang Guo was eager to return to the Corpse Mountain Small World to deliver sermons and teach disciples.
Seeing this, Li Mo retracted Zhang Guo, coming to terms with the reliability of his eldest disciple.
With Zhang Guo present, more plant-based cultivators in the Corpse Mountain Small World were bound to establish their foundations over time, and the offerings provided to Li Mo would become increasingly significant.
With Zhang Guo setting an excellent example, Li Mo’s own cultivation progressed much more smoothly.
The dual Nascent Souls diligently eroded the Ash Golden Core, occasionally even leaving the Dantian to inspect its state within the Melting Furnace.
Li Mo had predicted that it would take at least thirty years for the Ash Golden Core to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, yet signs of progress appeared in just over twenty years.
A crack traversed the Golden Core, releasing thick plumes of smoke.
Li Mo felt the temperature within the Melting Furnace rapidly rising, to the point where he experienced faint stinging and burning sensations in his chest.
Soon after, creaking sounds of strain emanated from the Taiyi Heaven Law.
Li Mo stared blankly for a few moments, realizing that the Ash Golden Core’s breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage might be far more destructive than he had anticipated.
Artifact Refining Cultivators were already known for the corrosive nature of their spiritual power, and the Ash Golden Core was of flawless quality, further enhanced with the inclusion of the Spirit Decline Soul to amplify its corrosive properties.
With so many augmentations, the Ash Golden Core far surpassed the ordinary.
Even the Primordial Chaos system couldn’t suppress the phenomenon of the Ash Golden Core forming a Nascent Soul, and it was highly likely that the Taiyi Heaven Law would be destroyed as a result.
At the same time, an area spanning three to four hundred miles around him would become a wasteland.
Li Mo felt a chill run down his scalp; the chain reactions from a direct breakthrough were simply too overwhelming, even in a remote location adjacent to the Endless Star Sea.
He immediately dismissed the idea of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage in the outer world.
Wails... Wails... Wails...
The cries of the Ash Golden Core grew louder and louder. The outer shell had become brittle enough for the Nascent Soul to break free, leaving the core utterly impatient.
Li Mo showed a trace of helplessness.
The Corpse Mountain Small World was indeed capable of withstanding the destruction caused by forming the Nascent Soul.
But doing so would destroy the very environment the plant-based cultivators relied on for survival. The painstakingly condensed spirit stone veins would also suffer severe damage.
In essence, it would mean that the entire magical treasure would be significantly diminished.
"Sigh."
If he could return to the Sub-Device Sect, Li Mo’s advancement to the Nascent Soul stage would at least cause the mountain gate to gain a thousand meters in elevation, if not more.
However, he was far too wary of the Mother Furnace.
It would be easy to return to the Sub-Device Sect, but the chances of leaving the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater would become slim.
"Perhaps... the True Void Hometown?"
After careful consideration, Li Mo realized that only the True Void Hometown was stable enough to remain unaffected by his advancement to the Nascent Soul stage.
The Twelve Immortals had caused significant disturbances yet failed to stir the True Void Hometown, making the corrosiveness of the Artifact Refining Golden Core seem trivial in comparison.
Li Mo considered how the breakthrough of an Artifact Refining Golden Core differed from other golden cores.
Sub-Device Sect disciples rarely ventured out alone; leaving behind large-scale corrosive traces of spiritual power could easily implicate Daoist Qingtian, who had been secluded for decades.
Li Mo connected with the True Void Hometown, chanting the name of the No-Life Mother softly as his body faded into the subterranean cavern, heading for the Ancestor Platform.
The familiar dense mist greeted him there, and lifting his gaze, he saw the boundless Mud Pill Palace.
The Ancestor Platform was not open to outsiders, so there was no concern about being disturbed.
"In a certain sense, if the twelve senior sisters wouldn’t easily appear, wouldn’t the No-Life Sect’s teachings essentially become my own Cave Heaven Blessed Land?"
Li Mo wrapped himself in the Blood Sea and searched for a secluded corner to prepare for his advancement, all the while beginning the tedious process of setting up arrays to suppress his aura.
Even though the True Void Hometown wouldn’t be impacted, he wanted to minimize the spiritual energy he released.