Chapter 270: Chapter 36: You Call This the Dead Baby Stage?
"It is an honor for the White Bone Sect to have the Thirteen Immortals visit the White Bone Cave."
Bone Desolate Taoist did not show any anger toward Li Mo’s actions. His stiff smile remained as he formed a Taoist salute with his hands.
"If the Thirteen Immortals do not mind, the White Bone Sect is willing to offer the seat of honor."
The Demon Cultivators collectively took a deep breath.
They were all somewhat confused about the White Bone Sect’s attitude. After all, the seat of honor at the Enlightenment Conference was usually reserved for those at the Divine Separation Stage.
Although the White Bone Sect had not explicitly invited Divine Separation cultivators, they had deliberately left four seats of honor open.
The Enlightenment Conference, held once every hundred years, had indeed seen appearances by Divine Separation cultivators, whose presence, even offering the slightest resources, was immensely valuable.
"Heh."
Perfected Zao Yao let out a cold snort. "It’s not as if the Twelve Immortals are present, yet your White Bone Sect shamelessly fawns over someone at the Dead Baby Stage."
"Ridiculous. No wonder the influence of your White Bone Sect has waned in recent years."
Bone Desolate Taoist smiled silently and repeated, "If the Thirteen Immortals do not mind, the White Bone Sect is willing to offer the seat of honor."
Perfected Zao Yao flared up with an inexplicable fury, his complexion growing grim.
On the other hand, the Brain-Eating Demon and Elder Hua She exchanged glances, each seeing the same repressed shock in the other’s eyes.
Having attended five Enlightenment Conferences, they knew that the White Bone Sect would not shift its stance abruptly based on a demon cultivator’s background alone.
The fact that Bone Desolate Taoist invited Li Mo indicated that the latter could represent someone at the Divine Separation Stage.
"Could it be that the Twelve Immortals are observing the Enlightenment Conference through the Supreme Qingtian?"
What they did not know was that Li Mo carried with him a Corpse Immortal Finger. The aura it emitted was indistinguishable from that of the Divine Separation Stage, making it effectively a manifestation of an It Corpse.
Upon entering the auction site, Li Mo had already been informed about the Enlightenment Conference by Luo Kai, whom he had met briefly.
Luo Kai silently regretted getting involved and could only try to make Li Mo remember his face.
Li Mo shook his head and responded, "There’s no need. Leave the seats of honor to the Divine Separation cultivators. Besides, I think the four seats might not suffice."
Bone Desolate Taoist nodded slightly and did not press further.
Perfected Zao Yao raised an eyebrow and couldn’t resist questioning, "The seats might not suffice? Do you think you have some extraordinary treasures that could attract four Divine Separation cultivators?"
A measure of tension stirred within him. After all, he came specifically for the Divine Separation cultivators, and if Li Mo overshadowed him, all his preparations would have been for naught.
Li Mo couldn’t be bothered to explain. Closing his eyes, he recited the teachings of the No-Life Sect under his breath.
He intentionally displayed his devotion to the No-Life Mother to instill unease in others, ensuring no associations would be made between him and the Ziqi Sect Daoist.
Perfected Zao Yao remained unconvinced. If the Supreme Qingtian was truly backed by the Twelve Immortals, no object of shocking rarity would be too surprising.
After all, those were twelve monsters who had lived for over ten thousand years.
"Damn it..."
Perfected Zao Yao cursed softly to himself, calculating how to manipulate the situation.
As someone at the Nascent Soul Stage, he hadn’t even been granted entrance to the Ten Thousand Demon Dao’s mountain gates. How had the Supreme Qingtian, at just the Dead Baby Stage, gained the No-Life Mother’s favor?
The atmosphere grew heavy with silence.
Most of the demon cultivators present came from minor sects, and they could not help but ponder the No-Life Sect’s intentions. They feared that if the Twelve Immortals intended to interfere with the Demon Sect, it would lead to a drastic reshuffling of power structures.
Officially, the No-Life Sect was merely a mid-sized demon sect.
But all present demon cultivators were aware of the terrifying existence of the Twelve Immortals, let alone the enigmatic and elusive No-Life Mother.
In their eyes, Li Mo exuded a profoundly enigmatic aura. Even his spirit beast emitted an intangible yet palpable sense of oppression.
The Candle Dragon glared provocatively at the surrounding crowd, snorting rank fumes from its nostrils.
The tattooed beasts summoned by different cultivation systems exhibited stark differences. The beasts maintained using Turbid Blood Spiritual Power were particularly bloodthirsty and combative, capable of repairing their injuries by consuming flesh and blood.
Blood Daoist fixated on Li Mo, his breathing growing unintentionally heavy.
He had a strong premonition that devouring Li Mo’s Nascent Soul could suppress his own injuries and even offer him a chance at advancing further.
"Supreme Qingtian, I hold great reverence for the No-Life Mother. You and I could entirely cooperate for mutual benefit, avoiding the prying eyes of others..."
The Blood Daoist shamelessly expressed goodwill, but Li Mo ignored him entirely.
"Very well... very well..."
The Blood Daoist’s entire body began to boil with blood energy, fully exposing his cultivation at the Nascent Soul Stage. Whether it was a façade of strength or genuine power, only he himself knew.
Many demon cultivators assumed the Enlightenment Conference had yet to commence, but here was the Blood Daoist already on the verge of confronting Li Mo. They hurriedly gave way.
Curiosity about the Supreme Qingtian’s power was unavoidable.
Supreme Qingtian undeniably possessed exceptional talent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have earned the No-Life Mother’s favor. However, the Dead Baby Stage was ultimately still the Dead Baby Stage.
At the Initial Entry of the Nascent Soul Stage, controlling one’s Nascent Soul was already challenging.
Could he possibly stand against the Blood Daoist in a single match?
"Supreme Qingtian truly deserves to be called one of the Thirteen Immortals."
Unexpectedly, despite the Blood Daoist’s seemingly unrelenting pursuit, the situation quickly diffused without conflict.
Those demon cultivators who were hoping to seize opportunities in the chaos felt significant disappointment.
It was Bone Desolate Taoist who broke the silence. "Today, we will bear witness to the ultimate enlightenment of the White Bone Dao."
As he spoke, Spiritual Power surged from his Heavenly Spirit Cover into the withered tree before him. The tree’s roots simultaneously circulated Spiritual Power back to him, establishing a bizarre, reciprocal cycle.
Li Mo opened his eyes, his expression momentarily stunned.
To err on the side of caution, he chose to have his temple descend upon the White Bone Cave, bringing the Soul-devouring Demon Infant with him, which carried a fraction of the Cave God’s Eye’s capabilities.
The Cave God’s Eye could clearly perceive the anomalies within Bone Desolate Taoist’s body and soul.
On the surface, Bone Desolate Taoist’s actions appeared to be awakening the tree’s vitality. But in actuality, his body and soul were becoming increasingly alien.
The rest of the demon cultivators remained oblivious, their emotions growing unsettled nonetheless.
Bone Desolate Taoist stroked the withered tree and murmured cryptically, "Do you all know? Beauty and bones are illusions; the verdant bamboo is but the Dharma Body; the lush yellow flowers are nothing but Prajna."
"How profound."
No one responded. Yet, Bone Desolate Taoist seemed satisfied as if he had received the answer he sought.
From the withered tree erupted a transformative upheaval.
Blood vessels and veins sprouted across the tree’s surface, as if the aged tree was experiencing a springtime revival. Tender green buds began to unfurl on its branches, releasing a refreshing fragrance.
The space of the auction site also began expanding.
The distance between the demon cultivators widened as the withered tree emitted a faint golden light, filling them with an inexplicable warmth from within.
"Hehehe..."
The Blood Daoist’s eyes were delirious with joy. The mutation in his body had been somewhat suppressed, the boiling blood energy had calmed, and his injuries had shown signs of improvement.
All the Core Formation Demon Cultivators basking in the golden light displayed expressions of ecstasy.
The light seemed to penetrate even flesh-and-blood puppets, subtly influencing the demon cultivators’ primary bodies, which were far outside the small world, imperceptibly altering something within them.
Meanwhile, Perfected Zao Yao released hundreds of human heads to block the golden light, an action mirrored by the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators who were uninjured.
The Candle Dragon tossed its head uneasily, reacting strongly against the golden light.
Li Mo could detect no specific malice in the golden light, but he surmised that it was related to the Buddhist Sect. A single misstep could easily lead to unexpected interference by certain beings.
He sat cross-legged, crimson light radiating in waves from the ephemeral glow surrounding his head.
"No-Life Mother, True Void Hometown."
Perfected Zao Yao turned his head, looking at Li Mo with astonishment. The latter’s displayed methods were simply too overwhelming in their grandeur.
Li Mo’s temple had completely transformed into the appearance of a Divine Statue, while chants reverberated around him.
Swarms of believers, resembling ants, appeared at his feet as projections. Their numbers unmistakably exceeded ten thousand.
While Perfected Zao Yao couldn’t discern the believers’ identities, he could confirm they weren’t mere illusions.
"What nonsense is this, ten thousand believers?"
The demon cultivators couldn’t shake off their growing astonishment.
They had never encountered the Twelve Immortals directly but had pieces of knowledge about the No-Life Sect’s Cultivation Techniques. The number of believers directly influenced one’s strength.
Perfected Zao Yao had dismissed Li Mo as no threat initially because Supreme Qingtian’s temples amounted to no more than twenty or thirty.
The incense offerings were lackluster, making it impossible for Supreme Qingtian to leverage the No-Life Sect’s advantages.
But now, the No-Life Sect had quietly allowed Supreme Qingtian to gather ten thousand believers. Just what role did the Twelve Immortals play in this?
"The No-Life Sect..."
Rumors claimed the Twelve Immortals resided in the True Void Hometown and never emerged. Clearly, those rumors were false!
The Blood Daoist’s face turned ashen. The joy he felt from his healing evaporated, replaced by deep regret for provoking Supreme Qingtian.
Li Mo glanced around.
The auction site’s ground transformed into a pristine, flawless mirrored surface. At its center stood a colossal silver tree adorned with blooming Liu Li Flowers, with its golden light restraining itself.
To Li Mo, the silver tree seemed less like a tree and more like a brainstem.
If one were to extract a human brainstem completely, its shape would indeed resemble that of a tree.
Bone Desolate Taoist’s body transformed into a silver hue.
Li Mo recalled Daoist Zi Yan. After her consciousness burned away within the White Bone Incense Burner, the ashes left behind also appeared silver.
"Fellow Daoists, please hang your treasures upon the White Bone Tree."
As Bone Desolate Taoist finished speaking, a hundred skeletons emerged from the ground, each holding a golden porcelain plate, walking slowly towards the demon cultivators.
The demon cultivators placed their auction items onto the plates.
The first to offer their items were the Core Formation Demon Cultivators. Their offerings were diverse, largely a mix of items looted from their victims, with values that varied widely.
The skeletons flung these offerings at the silver tree, transforming them into fruits that grew upon its branches. Elixirs, spiritual materials, and Magic Artifacts were categorized by different zones.
The silver tree emitted an enchanting glow.
According to Bone Desolate Taoist, this was called "Treasure Light."
The brighter the Treasure Light, the more valuable the auctioned items were. If their value reached a certain level, they could even attract the attention of Divine Separation cultivators.
At this moment, Li Mo noticed that besides the resources contributed by the Core Formation Demon Cultivators, numerous additional unfamiliar auction items had inexplicably appeared on the branches.
This drew several Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators to take action.
These additional offerings were seemingly curated by the White Bone Sect, rumored to originate from a particular Secret Realm, and bore a clear connection to the unsold items from Skull Mountain.
Li Mo did not overthink and simply purchased resources based on his needs.
Regardless of the quality of the materials, as long as they were conducive to the development of the Corpse Mountain Mini World, he bought them without hesitation, spending only a modest amount of Spirit Stones.
The trivialities of the Core Formation Demon Cultivators’ trades concluded swiftly.
Next came the auction items provided by the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators—the true highlight of the Enlightenment Conference.