Chapter 217: Chapter 77: Corpse Mountain Becomes a Magic Treasure
Li Mo realized that properly utilizing the Raiding Page would undoubtedly aid in Nascent Soul formation.
After all, no matter how mysterious the Taoist Body formed by the Creation Book’s organ imprint might be, it inherently carried uncontrollable unknowns.
The Raiding Page was equivalent to actively choosing a Taoist Body.
Li Mo couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.
In truth, his understanding of Taoist Bodies was limited, even though he had studied Dome Mountain’s Daoist Collection and obtained related information through the Creation Book.
However, he grasped one crucial fact—after the cosmic upheaval in the Cultivation World, spiritual energy had grown turbid, giving rise to countless bizarre forms of alien spirit energy.
As a result, the types of Taoist Bodies had become unpredictable.
It was very likely that unprecedented new Taoist Bodies would emerge daily; certain Taoist Bodies from the ancient Cultivation World had vanished due to environmental incompatibility.
"I need to find a way to imprint a Taoist Body beneficial for achieving immortality..."
Li Mo recollected the Superior Taoist Bodies that continued to exist in the modern Cultivation World, some of which cultivators even referred to as the reincarnation of immortals.
Mu Daoist’s Innate Taoist Body "Three Flowers Gathering at the Top" was one such Superior Taoist Body.
It altered the head, no longer a vital organ, into something akin to a Heavenly Spirit Root capable of transforming into flower stamens, absorbing spiritual energy through devouring.
The Core Formation and Nascent Soul process of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top were unique.
The phenomena of the Golden Core and Nascent Soul resembled the blooming and fruition of a flower; even if Mu Daoist’s Golden Core were damaged, she could rely on devouring spiritual energy to re-nurture it.
In the ancient Cultivation World, Three Flowers Gathering at the Top ranked within the top ten among Superior Taoist Bodies due to its independence from Spirit Root talent.
Of course, in the modern Cultivation World, its value seemed diminished.
Another Taoist Body related to Li Mo—"Heavenly Human Seven Apertures"—also ranked high among Taoist Bodies and would certainly be placed above Three Flowers Gathering at the Top in the modern era.
The Heavenly Human Seven Apertures contained seven Dantians; even without dual-cultivation techniques, one could use Furnace-based techniques to treat their own body as a furnace, achieving rapid cultivation progress.
Li Mo’s Taoist Body, "Heavenly Man," appeared to be a fragmented version of Heavenly Human Seven Apertures. If he could continue imprinting Dantians in the future, evolving into Heavenly Human Seven Apertures wasn’t difficult, and he might even surpass it.
Among the known Superior Taoist Bodies, another celebrated in the modern Cultivation World was "Eternal Green." Rumor had it Taiping Qingmu’s Fan Mu possessed this Taoist Body, albeit postnatally.
In the ancient Cultivation World, Eternal Green granted cultivators lifespans far beyond imagination—the Qi Cultivation Stage alone could last 500 years.
In the modern Cultivation World, Eternal Green was entirely characterized by its compatibility with Wood Attribute Spiritual Energy.
It enabled cultivation through the essence of grass and wood while also autonomously transforming into lifeless matter and entering dormancy when faced with danger.
While dormant, the body would resemble grass and wood completely.
Even severe injuries, including shattered foundations, could be entirely restored.
The only drawback of Eternal Green was its gradual transformation towards spiritual material-like properties, making cultivators susceptible to exploitation by high-level practitioners as resources.
Other Taoist Bodies that left deep impressions on Li Mo included "Immortal Body Mortal," "Five Qi Chaoyuan," and "Heavenly Demon Reincarnation," yet his knowledge only extended to their roles in the ancient Cultivation World. Millennia of change probably altered them profoundly.
As Li Mo pondered, his consciousness used Da Ai Mi Tian to connect with the gigantic statue.
He carefully examined the artifact cultivators within Doushuai Temple.
The result revealed that the Taoist Bodies of these artifact cultivators were relatively mundane, likely influenced by the harsh environment of the Sub-Device Sect, which leaned heavily towards the Golden Earth Element.
"It feels like, if I really want to imprint a Superior Taoist Body, it might require locating a site densely piled with corpses."
Li Mo narrowed his eyes. Artifact cultivators, after experiencing cosmic upheavals and with their inherently metallic organs, had corpses that could be preserved for exceptionally long durations.
In the Core Formation Stage, corpses could even maintain their original form for millennia.
Unfortunately, most skeletal remains in abandoned mountain gates had decayed, typically dating back over three thousand years, making them unsuitable for imprinting.
Indeed, the Falling Abyss of the Golden Cauldron Sect seemed promising. Although its contents were mostly unformed artifact people corpses, useful Taoist Bodies could likely be scavenged therein.
"Ahhhhhh..."
The wails of the gigantic statue interrupted Li Mo’s thoughts, prompting him to swiftly seal the Mud Pill Palace.
The second Raiding Page had barely reached twenty percent completion, yet its absorption of vast nutrients from the gigantic statue caused significant deterioration in the latter.
Parts of the gigantic statue’s human faces had started to dissolve, while its overall size shrank visibly.
Li Mo could sense the quality of the gigantic statue dropping from Hundred Refinements to about Seventy Refinements, showcasing the domineering nature of the Creation Book.
Its effects extended beyond the gigantic statue, affecting the artifact cultivators in Doushuai Temple.
They grew increasingly deranged, and the Magic Artifacts they refined became ever more sinister.
In a certain sense, these artifact cultivators who had offered their flesh and blood to the gigantic statue had already become its puppets.
Escaping Doushuai Temple might prove impossible for them.
Should these artifact cultivators also possess a revival ability akin to that of the gigantic statue, they’d be almost identical to the Great Mother.
This suggested the Mother Furnace’s structure shared many similarities with the gigantic statue.
Li Mo decided to slow down the formation of the second Raiding Page, focusing his main efforts on Corpse Mountain, diligently flushing it with spiritual power.
Completing the spirit patterns on Corpse Mountain was a slow process, but its gradual promotion into a Magic Treasure was evident.
Li Mo displayed exceptional patience.
When Corpse Mountain’s spirit patterns reached the quasi-Magic Treasure threshold, he began nourishing it with Washing Device Wine, supplementing it with the medicinal power of Nourishing Yuan Fruit.
Dozens of tons of pre-brewed Washing Device Wine seemed insignificant in front of Corpse Mountain.
Watching Corpse Mountain absorb Washing Device Wine like a bottomless pit without showing signs of breakthrough, Li Mo wondered whether corpse wine could effectively benefit quasi-Magic Treasures.
Even with Li Mo’s vast wealth, supplying resources to a single Magic Treasure felt burdensome.
Little wonder only Divine Separation Stage practitioners could independently wield Magic Treasures.
Li Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his inner distractions, opting to focus entirely on circulating his circulation cycles.
Two Flawless Golden Cores exuded spiritual power as his cultivation steadily advanced.
The last minor realm in the Core Formation Stage, "infant crying," referred to signs of the Nascent Soul’s initial appearance, with traces of life emerging within the Golden Core.
Li Mo’s situation, however, was somewhat unorthodox.
His Golden Core had exhibited signs of life during the Core Transformation Stage.
From time to time, he could perceive faint yet vigorous beats from his Golden Core. When he directed his Divine Sense outward, the gaze in his eyes grew sharp and unwavering.
"I can achieve Infant Crying within twenty years."
He murmured to himself, maintaining his monotonous yet crucial spiritual energy circulation.
Time flowed on.
As the gigantic statue dropped to Thirty-Five Refinements, the second Raiding Page was fully formed.
Li Mo refrained from allowing the Creation Book to continue consuming the gigantic statue’s essence, estimating the statue would cease to exist upon the emergence of the third Raiding Page.
The gigantic statue was now barely over five meters tall, its once expressive human faces now dull and lifeless.
With the statue’s grip over the artifact cultivators weakened, some regained their rationality and chose to flee Doushuai Temple.
Doushuai Temple grew increasingly deserted.
Even though Li Mo avoided outside news, whispers in the air brought him information.
The Three Mountains had successfully embraced Infant Crying and moved to the Eleventh District; Mu Daoist followed closely with her Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, a trait befitting her talent.
The artifact cultivators who had obtained Taoist inheritances from the Collection Hall left Zone 10 one after another. Yet Li Mo, despite being a point of fascination, remained inconspicuous.
Few doubted Li Mo’s significance, but he still garnered some mild criticisms.
Before he knew it, seven years had flown by.
Doushuai Temple suddenly shook, followed by the terrified howling of the gigantic statue.
Due to Doushuai Temple’s remote location, only the madmen within noticed the brief anomaly, falling to their knees before the statue in worship.
Li Mo’s expression lit up with joy as he immediately enveloped Corpse Mountain in spiritual power.
No one could fathom how many resources he’d poured into Corpse Mountain.
Corpse Mountain’s alcohol production entirely switched to Washing Device Wine, and the accumulated Nourishing Yuan Fruit Medicine Power from recent years was all invested.
Only then did Corpse Mountain begin to show signs of transformation.
The total time he’d spent on Corpse Mountain likely amounted to thirty or forty years.
Corpse Mountain shuddered, its eight sub-peaks steadily ascending, as grass and wood visibly underwent cycles of decay and flourishing.
Amid repeated cycles, the ecology underwent dramatic changes.
Originally, due to its Seven Spirits attribute, Corpse Mountain possessed a complex and unpredictable environment. Halfway down might remain a barren desert, while the summit transformed into a muddy swamp.
Now, it began to conform to natural laws.
Swamps emerged at the mountain’s base, alongside cascading waterfalls from the summit; barren areas resembled wastelands, while fertile lands became forested.
Li Mo faintly sensed that once Corpse Mountain reached the Magic Treasure level, life within it might develop basic cultivation capabilities.
Corpse Mountain had all the prerequisites, and its concentrated spiritual energy was sufficient to support such growth.
Li Mo extended his Divine Sense, meticulously observing Corpse Mountain’s transformation.
His long-dormant Mist Fog Golden Core began rotating, with the Primordial Dao Seed absorbing Li Mo’s understanding of Magic Treasures.
Li Mo ignored Corpse Mountain’s metamorphosis. If he failed to seize the moment, he might struggle to reconnect with Magic Treasures before advancing to the Divine Separation Stage.
The secrets of Magic Treasure crafting lay within the intricate complexity of spirit patterns.
Li Mo fully tapped into his memorization ability, blood circulating as his body temperature rose to the point that even the Supreme Cave God Jade Talisman Map couldn’t suppress it.
If a cultivator were nearby, they could hear his powerful heartbeat, akin to drumbeats.
Failing to comprehend the spirit patterns, Li Mo resorted to pure memorization, recording every line of Five Elements Spiritual Patterns and Yin Yang Spiritual Patterns down to the last detail.
Li Mo’s actions were almost heretical among artifact refiners.
It was known that spirit patterns consisted of countless lines and were not immutable, constantly shifting along special trajectories.
The Five Elements Spiritual Patterns and Sun and Moon Spiritual Patterns were both classified as Top-grade Spirit Patterns.
Their complexity was unimaginable.
Blood trickled from Li Mo’s facial features, yet his expression grew increasingly exhilarated.
"Artifact refining is truly fascinating, akin to comprehending the Heavenly Dao itself."
He poured water on his head, steam hissing upon contact, as the heat from his skull could now melt Mid to Lower Grade Spiritual Materials.
Li Mo focused entirely, relying on his memorization ability and Divine Sense. He forcefully committed two types of spirit patterns to memory despite only having Core Formation Stage cultivation.
The lingering resonance between the Mist Fog Golden Core and Ash Golden Core converged, each revealing silk-thin threads of patterns. The Five Elements Spiritual Patterns formed in five colors, while the Sun and Moon Spiritual Patterns were black and white.
These represented Li Mo’s comprehension of the Great Dao.