Chapter 237: Chapter 3: I, The Six Taoist Bodies, Want to Become a Demon Cultivator
The official road bustled with people coming and going.
Due to Qing Town’s proximity to mountains and rivers, serving as a crucial hub linking the north and south, the town’s population had reached nearly one hundred thousand.
Countless villages surrounded it, scattered across the mountain ranges.
Just approaching within a kilometer of Qing Town, one could smell the stench of rotting flesh; mortals even took the scent of decay as a sign of the town’s prosperity.
Merchants from various places, prioritizing safety, preferred to take respite in Qing Town.
Though Qing Town sat on the remote outskirts of the Sword Tongue Sect’s territory, it still enjoyed the protection of an Immortal Sect, alleviating fears of demon attacks.
Even as dawn had barely broken, over a hundred people were queuing at the town gates.
According to Qing Town’s regulations, merchant caravans could only enter the town with certificates issued by the government, prompting them to rush over early.
Of course, some caravans with long-term certificates could enter Qing Town directly.
Besides those caravans, the queue also included quite a few scholars with peculiar appearances, most of them around thirty years old or younger.
For some unknown reason, towns and villages within the Sword Tongue Sect’s jurisdiction still upheld the ancient imperial examination system.
Unlike the Heart Beast Sect’s government, long since overtaken by branches of Taoist inheritance.
Li Mo stood toward the back of the queue, his gaze wandering as he scrutinized the surrounding crowd.
Initially, hearing about the imperial examination system had led him to believe the Sword Tongue Sect was a "normal" Immortal Sect—until he noticed the peculiar appearances of the scholars.
Their lower jaws were visibly sunken, and their mouths had been sewn shut with threads during their childhood; even their nostrils were filled with a powdery substance resembling lime.
Most disturbingly, their tongues had seemingly been severed in childhood.
Unable to speak, their eyes seethed with resentment and venom, yet their frail bodies made them look akin to walking corpses.
"What is this supposed to be? A twisted interpretation of the saying ’the child does not speak of monstrous spirits and strange gods’?"
Li Mo suspected that the imperial examination system might have something to do with the Sword Tongue Sect’s cultivation system—it could very well be a method of screening for cultivation seeds.
"Sword Tongue—does the sect craft flying swords using tongues as material?"
Li Mo casually exchanged occasional words with those around him, primarily to gather information.
Dressed as a herb gatherer, his accent mimicked that of Qing Town locals, allowing him to quickly blend in with the merchants.
A moment later.
The crowing of a rooster echoed from within the town.
The town gates creaked open, and a dozen lightly armored guards emerged.
Truth be told, sneaking into Qing Town would have been effortless for Li Mo—yet the moment he drew near the town, he felt an inexplicable aura envelop him.
Having been born an Innate Saint, his sense of danger had grown increasingly acute.
A Nascent Soul-stage demon cultivator was likely inside the town—requiring utmost caution.
Li Mo glanced into his body.
Within his five organs and six viscera lay a narrow intestine coiled tightly, even constricting his multilayered dantian and furnace within his chest.
Unable to mobilize his spiritual power, the Tattooed Beast had instinctively concealed itself beneath his skin.
As for attributes like the Cave God’s Eye, Li Mo had temporarily obscured them through surgical methods, deliberately exposing subtle signs of decay.
Should danger arise, undoing the Blood Soul’s seal would require only a single thought.
Li Mo deeply appreciated the Blood Soul’s abilities—after it advanced to a fake magical treasure, its infinite utility had proven unmatched in concealing aura, even from a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator.
The Blood Sea could also inscribe blood flesh spirit patterns, though its compatibility was slightly lower.
Considering his Core Formation-stage cultivation, possessing exclusively fake magical treasures might draw unnecessary attention—not to mention the excessive energy consumption wouldn’t favor battles.
Li Mo refrained from rashly releasing his divine sense to survey Qing Town—not knowing the demon cultivator’s capabilities, he feared that one skilled in manipulating souls could sense his divine sense instantly.
His Six Paths Body—what did such a physique embody?
Within the Devil Sect, he’d undoubtedly be a unique furnace.
If the Human Demon Sect’s cultivators had managed to devour him back then, they could have birthed at least four to five spells, revolutionizing their strength and foundations.
"Let the scholars enter the town first."
A guard struck a bronze gong, and the scholars disappeared into Qing Town one after another, followed by the merchants and farmers who had been waiting for nearly an hour.
The leading merchant discreetly slipped a pouch containing loose silver coins to the guards.
Lacking the backing of an Immortal Master, they couldn’t afford to provoke these "little devils" dressed as guards.
Ordinary civilians underwent individual inspections—the guards mainly checked anyone under fifty, focusing on their limbs and the backs of their heads.
The queue slowly filtered through the gates.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."
A raspy coughing sound suddenly cut through the air, accompanied by the unsettling noise of nails scratching against a wall.
Li Mo frowned slightly, his peripheral vision drawn to a nearby couple.
The man and woman wore thick straw coats, their expressions betraying unease, and the coughing came from the man’s mouth, his palms already smeared with blood.
To Li Mo, their movements seemed stiff, like those afflicted with a stubborn ailment.
The man forced a grin, pointing to the basket behind him as he explained, "My apologies, but my daughter at home fell victim to a cold; I rushed to deliver her to Qing Town overnight. My humble apologies."
The woman nodded nervously.
She reached into the basket as if soothing her child.
With Li Mo’s keen eyesight, he immediately discerned the contents of the basket—a mud-sculpted divine statue.
The coughing grew more intense.
From above, a guard riding horseback narrowed his gaze, peering through the man’s straw coat to glimpse something terrifying.
"Gray... Gray Disease!!!"
The guard tightened his grip on the horse’s reins, prompting the crowd to instinctively distance themselves from the couple.
"No... No, I don’t have the Gray Disease—it’s not Gray Disease..."
The man desperately tried to argue, but his frantic movements revealed gray spots on the skin beneath his straw coat.
The guards unsheathed their waist-bound sabers, striding swiftly toward the couple.
The man, bereft of options, sought to exploit the chaos and dart into Qing Town, "Don’t force my hand—I just want to enter the town! Please, let me enter!"
The so-called Gray Disease spread inexorably—the man’s body grew withered, his forehead bulging grotesquely, resembling countless corpses buried underground.
Upon this sight, the guard swung his saber mercilessly at the man’s neck.
Clang.
The blade was repelled, causing the man’s face to light up with misplaced joy.
Just as his foot was about to step into Qing Town, the Gray Disease completely enveloped his body, transforming him into a gaunt, misshapen gray statue.
A gust of wind swept past—the man disintegrated into ashes.
The basket he carried fell to the ground, spilling forth the shattered divine statue—a three-headed goddess.
On the statue’s base, the name "Taiyi Three-Headed True Monarch" was engraved.
Li Mo’s pupils widened as he sensed an indistinct aura within the town flicker briefly—all at once, the Taiyi Three-Headed True Monarch statue crumbled into dirt.
The guards instinctively stepped back several paces.
The onlookers exchanged uneasy glances—the abnormal, haunting spectacle of the Gray Disease rendered even the sound of swallowing saliva intensely clear.
"Go on—enter the town while you still have a chance to survive."
The sole surviving woman took several steps forward but followed shortly after in her husband’s footsteps.
Li Mo placed his right hand behind his back, letting the meat tumor in his palm retract back into his flesh—Da Ai Mi Tian didn’t detect any trace of magical skill.
The couple’s vitality had been instantly stripped away—the demon cultivator’s methods were enigmatic and unfathomable.
"As I suspected—this is a cult of twisted worship. There’s clearly more than one demon cultivator from the Devil Sect near Qing Town."
The divine statue he’d seen earlier belonged to the Xuanling Damu Heavenly Monarch, whereas now it was Taiyi Three-Headed True Monarch—clearly, these figures were at odds.
Li Mo listened intently to the townsfolk’s conversations about the Gray Disease, noting that it had emerged only five or six years prior, yet the resulting deaths were horrifyingly bizarre.
Its transmission path was unknown, but once infected, victims’ mental states deteriorated completely.
"It’s highly likely that these dark god statues are the work of demon cultivators—mortals easily fall prey to their influence, leading their bodies to succumb to the Gray Disease."
Among those present, only Li Mo had witnessed the fleeting appearances of the statues—likely even Qing Town’s residing sword cultivators were oblivious to the Devil Sect’s pervasive reach.
That said, Qing Town’s affiliation with the Sword Tongue Sect clearly restrained the Devil Sect from operating wantonly.
"Where are you from?"
"The north—Fuxing Town."
The guards asked a few simple questions—whether they recognized Fuxing Town or not—and confirmed Li Mo was free from Gray Disease, permitting him entry into Qing Town.
Li Mo stepped into Qing Town, wary of the bustling and lively streets around him.
Thus far, the specifics of the demon cultivator’s cultivation techniques remained unclear, leaving him uncertain whether the ordinary townsfolk were part of the demon cultivators’ arrangements.
Superficially, at least, Qing Town didn’t appear suspicious.
The streets were lined with vendors peddling goods, teahouses and taverns calling out to passersby, though the brothel with its liquor business had tightly shut doors.
Li Mo took a deep breath—he had assumed that with twisted worship involved, Qing Town would be filled with grand temples and Daoist shrines.
Contrarily, the entire town had only a modest Land God Temple.
The Land God Temple’s incense offerings weren’t particularly spectacular; those entering were mainly elders over a century old seeking blessings of safety for their grandchildren.
"Truly odd."
Li Mo noticed that many merchants newly arriving at Qing Town would head to the Land God Temple to burn incense, so he followed in their footsteps and entered the temple.
Compared to majestic halls he had seen before, the Land God Temple seemed remarkably humble—it housed only a single, low and aging building.
Inside the Daoist temple stood the Land God’s statue, with a plaque naming it the "Blessed Earth Immortal."
From every angle Li Mo observed, the statue of Blessed Earth Immortal was evidently mud-sculpted, merely portraying an elder with white hair and beard.
Along the temple’s sidewall stood four statues with distinct appearances, seemingly subordinate to the Blessed Earth Immortal.
"Xuanling Damu Heavenly Monarch..."
Upon spotting the statue belonging to Xuanling Damu Heavenly Monarch, Li Mo immediately realized the demon cultivator’s techniques were indeed tied to twisted worship.
No doubt, the demon cultivators he had encountered were part of a clearly stratified Devil Sect hierarchy.
The other three statues bore shapes utterly monstrous, their forms revealing they had likely been sculpted not long ago.
They were respectively the "Xuanling Five Internal Organs Immortal," whose five organs and six viscera dangled outside his body; the "Xuanling Dagan Mountain God," bisected down the middle, his flesh torn raw; and the "Xuanling Heavenly Dragon," who was headless, his severed neck sprouting a ferocious centipede.
In addition to these four subordinate statues, four unused pedestals remained.
Presumably, these would hold other statues in the future.
"The statues represent the demon cultivators—the Blessed Earth Immortal must be the Nascent Soul-stage demon cultivator operating behind the scenes. Could his goal be spreading Taoist inheritance throughout Qing Town?"
Given the subordinate statues were crafted within the last four or five years and that four pedestals were still empty, the Nascent Soul-stage demon cultivator clearly had four more targets.
The upcoming imperial examination in Qing Town served to select disciples for the Sword Tongue Sect.
"Well then—this demon cultivator really lives up to their reputation."
"Using Qing Town as their personal backyard to choose disciples."
After burning his incense, Li Mo turned to leave the Land God Temple, deliberating his next course of action.