Chapter 256: Chapter 22 Temple Divine Skills [Detachment Jiazhu]
"Supreme Qingtian, are you willing to become the thirteenth disciple under No-Life Mother?"
Luo Fu Immortal showed a hint of kindness, but her expression subtly twisted, the aura of a high-level practitioner rushed towards him.
How could Li Mo dare to refuse, "Supreme Qingtian is willing to apprentice under No-Life Mother."
Rejecting Luo Fu Immortal meant opposing the No-Life Sect. With their spies throughout the Cultivation World, he’d probably have to live like a rat in the street.
Fortunately, he had already acquired a special page. If, after breaking the Golden Core and becoming an Infant, he could obtain the Divine Separation Stage cultivation technique content from the No-Life Sect, it wouldn’t be too bad.
"Well done."
Luo Fu Immortal nodded slightly, her bamboo stick insect-like body climbing over the surface of Luo Zu, her grotesque appearance bringing an indescribable sense of oppression.
Li Mo glanced around from the corner of his eye, noticing the demon cultivators standing like puppets on the mountaintop, and all the grey people were also dormant.
"Luo Fu Immortal, what about them..."
Li Mo pointed to the demon cultivators at the top of Rushan, cautiously asking.
Luo Fu Immortal’s cheeks flushed slightly at how Li Mo addressed her, "Just a group of temple priests, responsible for dealing with Niu Bizi."
Li Mo thought to himself, indeed, No-Life Demon Cultivators merely bore the title of Immortal Gods on the surface, but were actually dispensable pawns.
The most widespread among the Twelve Venerable Immortals corresponds to the twelve disciples of No-Life Mother.
The other little immortals’ and gods’ titles were concocted by the No-Life Demon Cultivators themselves, something the twelve disciples simply never cared about.
In simple terms, No-Life Demon Cultivators belonged to the outer disciples of the No-Life Sect, responsible for dirty and tiring work.
Luo Fu Immortal nodded and said, "Supreme Qingtian, how long until you encounter Death Disease?"
"Over two hundred years."
"Then let the Death Disease be the start. Once you get through the Uncertainty Period Death Disease, it will be the time to join."
"That..."
"Just call me Senior Sister Luofu, when the time comes, I will seek you out, but joining No-Life Mother’s sect is not an easy task."
"Senior Sister Luofu."
Luo Fu Immortal leaned forward, her enchanting face showing a smile, but combined with her body, it made Li Mo feel a bit chilled.
The wind roared fiercely.
She reached out and touched Li Mo’s forehead, a flood of memories poured into his mind, all about various secrets within the No-Life Sect’s inner sect.
"Alright, the century deadline for the Moon Altar is up, I must return to the sect."
Her mouth stretched to her ears, from Li Mo’s angle, he could still see the white bones between Luo Fu Immortal’s teeth, chilling to the bone.
"In the next century, the one coming to the Moon Altar for seclusion is Fifth Senior Sister Yu Xiao, titled Golden Light Saint Mother."
Golden Light Saint Mother presides over thunder, known as Mother of Electricity in the mortal world, depicted in literature as having a woman’s form, wearing red clothes and white pants, conjuring light with both hands.
"Yu Xiao..."
Li Mo learned through the Creation Book that Yu Xiao Immortal was renowned in the ancient Cultivation World as a peerless sword cultivator of unparalleled beauty.
She hailed from the Heavenly Sword Sect, famed for her Thunder Sword technique.
Perhaps due to the straightforward nature of sword cultivators, the lives in Yu Xiao’s hands could pile into a mountain, and often she’d unsheathe her sword simply out of impatience.
"If Supreme Qingtian manages to join No-Life Mother’s sect, I would be your Senior Sister Ten, hehe, my divine skills are no weaker than Yu Xiao’s."
"Senior Sister Ten Luofu, Fifth Senior Sister Yu Xiao..."
Li Mo clicked his tongue inwardly, in ancient Cultivation World, just seeing these Immortals would be enough to make others envious.
But now, it seems a bit daunting.
"Junior Brother Taishang, Junior Brother Taishang, hehe."
Luo Fu Immortal chuckled softly, crawled away from the True Void Hometown on all fours, disappearing into the thick fog after a few steps, leaving Li Mo alone in place.
"Sigh..."
Li Mo sighed deeply, it seemed the No-Life Sect was far from simple as it appeared, powerful enough to rival numerous large Immortal Sects.
Luo Fu Immortal was at least at the Divine Separation Stage, or beyond its boundaries.
The most terrifying thing was that there were eleven other similar beings, and No-Life Mother behind them likely had reached the level of Land Immortals.
Li Mo digested the abundant information transmitted by Luo Fu Immortal, learning that the True Void Hometown had eight locations in total, with Luo Fu Immortal disclosing the access methods for three of them: Moon Altar, Sky Well, Ancestor Platform.
The Moon Altar serves for the cultivation of the Twelve Immortals, each term lasting a century. When seclusion is nearing completion, the twelve Immortals lead the temple priests in sacrificing to No-Life Mother.
No-Life Mother will respond to the Life Festival, bestowing all necessary resources, from which the twelve Immortals generally benefit greatly as well.
However, Li Mo felt a chill upon realizing the strange method of merging with Luo Zu.
The Sky Well is the place for housing devotees, where those who were sufficiently devout to No-Life Mother in life, could have their consciousness revived in the Sky Well after death.
Additionally, in the Sky Well, one can interact with other sect’s practitioners.
The Sky Well is deliberately left open by the Twelve Immortals, constructed as a gathering place for the Devil Sect within the True Void Hometown, the specific situation inside is unknown.
Of course, the demon cultivators who can enter the Sky Well are generally at the Nascent Soul Stage, the number shouldn’t be large, as the Devil Sect is relatively weaker compared to the Taoist Sect.
The Ancestor Platform is responsible for spreading the faith.
As long as the No-Life God Statue sits at the Ancestor Platform, the platform can select suitable "temple priests" to help Li Mo spread his honorific name.
Li Mo hoped to apprentice under No-Life Mother, beyond surviving the Uncertainty Period Death Disease, he also needed a certain foundation of believers at the Ancestor Platform.
"Isn’t this being forced upriver? I never intended to be some kind of Supreme Qingtian."
Li Mo pressed his nose, feeling a headache, the matters of the Ancestor Platform could be postponed, the most pressing issue was advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage.
After Luo Fu Immortal disappeared, order in the True Void Hometown was restored.
Li Mo looked at the many demon cultivators passing through Rushan, feeling a sense of sadness for them.
No-Life Demon Cultivators deemed themselves superior to the grey people, but little did they know, in the eyes of the Twelve Immortals, they were no different from the grey people.
Li Mo speculated that at least ninety percent of the nutrients the No-Life Demon Cultivators siphoned from believers were transferred to the Twelve Immortals, with the temple priests also having to take the blame, inevitably drawing various sects’ attention.
If the Old Man Burning Fire knew the truth, he wouldn’t have any regrets before death.
Though, in a sense, if a vacancy arose among the Twelve Immortals due to death or injury, the temple priests would have priority for replacement.
But alas, not once in thousands of years has a single one of the Twelve Immortals been lost.
Throughout history, several crackdowns initiated by the Taoist Sect on the No-Life Sect have resulted in countless slain No-Life Demon Cultivators, yet they’ve never managed to harm the Twelve Immortals’ core.
"Supreme Qingtian!!!"
The cry of the Stove Lord from inside Luo Zu stirred countless schadenfreude-filled glances.
The Stove Lord achieved almost nothing in the Secret Realm, although Li Mo left the Secret Realm, the deceitful objects were already occupied largely by the Nascent Soul demon cultivators.
Attempts to intervene would be unrealistic, so after the Life Festival ended, his cultivation regressed rather than advanced, appearing particularly disheveled and wolf-like.
The Stove Lord punched the top of Rushan, the inclined Spiritual Power silenced the other demon cultivators.
Li Mo felt a bit sorry for the Stove Lord, the latter destined to be merely a temple priest, no matter the effort to elevate his cultivation, it was futile, as the Twelve Immortals would never allow an outer disciple to pose a threat.
He then looked at Luo Zu, it seemed blood and flesh began to grow within.
As expected, Fifth Senior Sister Yu Xiao had already arrived in the Moon Altar, causing the Spiritual Energy in the True Void Hometown to surge, faintly mixed with thunder attributes.
Thunder attribute Spiritual Energy, akin to the Poison and Blood Spiritual Energies, is similarly rare.
Li Mo shivered slightly; Yu Xiao Immortal’s personality was too ruthless, after undergoing bizarre changes, who can say how much stranger she might have become.
He dared not linger in the Moon Altar any longer, returning to the temple.
Li Mo opened his eyes, found himself within the moving Taiyin Law Heaven, with the Ghost Tiger concernedly watching him, its head repeatedly rubbing against his leg.
"Alright, alright, it’s fine now."
Li Mo patted the Ghost Tiger’s head.
With not much Spiritual Power Flesh to maintain the Tattooed Beast, the Ghost Tiger was only the size of a wildcat, revealing an inexplicable sense of cuteness amidst its ferocity.
Li Mo sensed his location and quickly halted the Taiyin Law Heaven.
At that time, while facing Luo Fu Immortal, he arbitrarily chose a direction to transfer his body, unexpectedly traveling thousands of miles south.
Venturing further, he’d likely reach the coastal region.
Li Mo had always felt the deep, boundless ocean was extremely dangerous, who knew what terrifying beings lurked beneath the water.
Although no demon beasts had been seen in the later Cultivation World, back then, the Endless Star Sea was a lair for the demon race, even home to flood dragons.
"No matter how you see it, the cataclysmic change should have targeted only humans, why did the demon race vanish, could they all have retreated into the deep sea?"
Li Mo released his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, confirming there was no one around for three to four hundred miles, deciding to attempt advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage here.
To think, at the mere age of about one hundred fifty or sixty, he already touched the Nascent Soul Stage.
Li Mo was thrilled, but also sighed a bit, if not for the Creation Book, he’d probably still be struggling in the Foundation Establishment Stage.
The Nascent Soul Stage, as the Fourth Realm of the Nine Realms of Immortality, marks the watershed of transcending mortality.
Li Mo knew his journey remained far and unreachable, but he could somewhat see the gate to immortality at the end of the immortal ladder.
He lay back in the Taiyin Law Heaven, spending over half a month recuperating.
During this time, he engaged in artifact refining, letting the Tattooed Beast play in the cave, occasionally releasing Zhang Guo and other plant and tree cultivators to impart the mysteries of Taoist skills.
There’s no rush to ascend; first, he needed to adjust his body and mind to perfection.
He decorated the Taiyin Law Heaven like an immortal land of blessing, with seven Tattooed Beasts lazily playing and frolicking inside, adding a touch of vitality.
"If I can achieve immortality and enlightenment in the future, it wouldn’t be bad to live freely in the world."
When Li Mo’s body and mind reached their peak, his consciousness turned to the Creation Book in his mind, scanning over one special page after another.
Yin Blood and Gold Spirit Roots each had a page, relatively abundant.
Turbid Blood Spiritual Power falls under Yin Blood attribute, though the Yin Attribute dominates more, coupled with Yin Yang and Five Elements, it’s relatively easier to control.
Li Mo’s mind stirred, and the temple imprint was on the surface of the Yin Attribute Spirit Root Page.
The temple possessed an instant of struggle, but soon became part of Li Mo’s body and soul, simultaneously connecting with the innate saint of the Taoist Body.
Li Mo secretly noted the slight changes in the Innate Saint to prepare for Dao Body fusion.
Once the imprint deepened, there was no longer a feeling of the temple losing control.
The temple’s appearance increasingly resembled Li Mo, almost indistinguishable, the two other Spiritual Powers no longer constantly guarded, gradually calming and returning to the melting furnace and multiple.
After ten days, the temple’s Divine Skills emerged.
[Detachment Jiazhu]