Chapter 236: Chapter 2 Taoist Body [Mayfly Dream]
Immediately after, Li Mo saw a fetus appear in the Mud Pill Palace.
The fetus had no face; its body was an amorphous mass of flesh, constantly shifting into various forms, resembling both a soul and a physical entity.
Subsequently, the flesh began to regenerate. In just a few breaths, the fetus transformed into a half-illusory, half-real brain, floating within the Mud Pill Palace.
The Mud Pill Palace resided within Li Mo’s brain and now housed the brain formed by the "Mayfly Dream."
A brain within a brain.
Li Mo could sense that the fetus was intimately connected to him yet not inseparably so; even if destroyed, it would not harm his body and soul.
He glanced at the Creation Book. The newly born Taoist Body was named "Mayfly Dream."
The "Mayfly Dream" was particularly unique; this Taoist Body was born from the Seven Soul Divine Abilities, combined with the Primordial Dao Seed and the End-of-the-World Dao Seed.
Judging by its aura, the "Mayfly Dream" was second only to the Innate Saints.
Li Mo fell into contemplation as profound insights about the Taoist Body flooded his mind.
He quickly realized the peculiar nature of the "Mayfly Dream." The Taoist Body was more sinister than he had imagined.
Li Mo’s expression turned momentarily dazed, and his breathing grew rapid.
The "Mayfly Dream" would give birth to a "Mayfly Fake Soul" within the Mud Pill Palace every ten years.
The Fake Soul not only helped Li Mo defend against soul-targeting spells but could also be sacrificed to comprehend a Magic Technique.
Once comprehension began, a realistic illusion realm akin to the Eleventh District would evolve within the brain constructed by the "Mayfly Dream," allowing the Fake Soul to cultivate in seclusion within the illusion realm.
After hesitating for a few breaths, Li Mo decided to test the "Mayfly Dream."
As he activated the Taoist Body, a hair-raising scene unfolded: the illusory brain gradually grew actual brain tissue, complete with blood vessels from the Mud Pill Palace connecting to the brain’s nerves.
Li Mo could sense an independent consciousness gestating within the brain.
The Fake Soul Consciousness not only mirrored his own thought patterns but also shared all his memories, resembling a second version of himself.
Li Mo closed his eyes to connect with the Taoist Body and found the Fake Soul Consciousness ensconced in an exceptionally vivid dream realm.
Similarly located within the Corpse Mountain Mini World, the Fake Soul Consciousness sat cross-legged atop the main peak, surrounded by joyous, sprouting He Shouwu plants.
Li Mo observed the Fake Soul Consciousness.
Although fully aware it was not himself, he could not shake the illusion of looking into a mirror.
If not for his God’s perspective, he would have been utterly incapable of distinguishing the illusion’s authenticity—it surpassed even the Eleventh District.
"Damn it, what kind of cursed Taoist Body is this?"
After setting the goal of comprehending the Blood Flesh Spirit Pattern for the Fake Soul Consciousness, it began its secluded cultivation around the Spirit Pattern.
Even the cultivation habits of the Fake Soul Consciousness were identical to Li Mo’s.
While researching the Blood Flesh Spirit Pattern, the Fake Soul Consciousness would multitask, performing Circulation Cycles and occasionally refining related Magic Artifacts to validate its theories.
Li Mo felt deeply unsettled.
Time within the illusion realm flowed over a hundred times faster than in the outside world.
When the Fake Soul Consciousness completed twenty years of secluded cultivation, it seemed to sense the dream realm’s peculiarities and suddenly grew anxious and uneasy.
Muttering to itself, it said, "Why is the Corpse Mountain Mini World eternally unchanged?"
"Why have I lost contact with the Ghost Tiger?"
"Where is this place?!!"
The Fake Soul Consciousness clutched its head in despair as blood poured from its facial features.
Subsequently, the dream realm began to shatter. It tried every method to break free from its confinement, constantly affirming the reality of its own existence.
But it was all in vain.
Ultimately, before the Fake Soul Consciousness could return to the Mud Pill Palace, it vanished in unwillingness, leaving behind the memories of twenty years in seclusion for Li Mo.
Li Mo took only half a breath to fully assimilate the Fake Soul Consciousness’s memories, as its comprehension of the Blood Flesh Spirit Pattern entirely aligned with his envisioned direction.
"Goddamn it..."
Li Mo couldn’t help but curse, especially when reliving the Fake Soul Consciousness’s final, despairing memories, which felt nearly identical to his own recent experiences.
Closing his eyes to meditate and enter a cultivation state, the Innate Saint within him suppressed his scattered thoughts.
After all, Li Mo was not an original resident of this world—reborn likely due to the Creation Book’s intervention—though deep down, he entertained some terrifyingly meticulous speculations.
This was why the Fake Soul Consciousness almost disrupted his Mental Realm.
It took Li Mo several days to recover.
Bear in mind, the "Mayfly Dream" was imprinted by the Creation Book and under Li Mo’s control. Its more terrifying drawbacks had already been eliminated.
Under normal circumstances, once the Fake Soul Consciousness realized its false existence, the "Mayfly Dream" would not immediately erase it.
The Fake Soul Consciousness would most likely resist.
Even if it couldn’t stir much trouble within the Mud Pill Palace, possessing all of Li Mo’s memories made it no trivial matter.
Fortunately, the Creation Book was there.
"If someone was truly ruthless in self-destructive cultivation, would the False Soul willingly sacrifice itself?"
No matter what, the "Mayfly Dream" lived up to being a Taoist Body born of nine divine abilities, faintly connected to the Innate Saints.
While observing the Fake Soul Consciousness’s seclusion process, Li Mo discovered it could utilize Tao Seed Divine Powers.
This meant the Fake Soul Consciousness could deduce spells Li Mo had not yet mastered or even simulate Breaking the Golden Core and becoming an Infant.
Li Mo shook his head with a bitter smile, gesturing in mid-air as he used the Mist Fog Spiritual Power to draw intricate Blood Flesh Spirit Patterns.
His comprehension of the Spirit Pattern progressed further—he could now attempt to embed it into a Magic Artifact.
Taking a glance at the outside world, Li Mo noticed the Ghost Tiger still prowling through the mountains and forests, though human habitation was now visible.
In the distance stood a sizable town with a population of at least a hundred thousand.
"Could it be... Qing Town?"
Based on the regional intel he had previously gleaned from the loose cultivators, Qing Town was closest to the Immortal Sect known as the Sword Tongue Sect, a mid-sized Immortal Sect smaller in scale than the Sub-Device Sect.
The Sword Tongue Sect was a relatively recent establishment and served as a subordinate sect of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
To this day, the Heavenly Sword Sect remained an enigma.
Li Mo had heard numerous rumors about the Heavenly Sword Sect, though few loose cultivators had witnessed it firsthand. All that was known was its Mountain Gate stood aloft in the heavens.
If an external enemy dared invade, a single sword could sever them from a thousand miles away.
Qing Town’s remoteness meant that, at the Ghost Tiger’s pace, it would take another two or three years to reach the Sword Tongue Sect.
"Out here, far from the heavens and imperial courts, if I were a demon cultivator, I’d also come to Qing Town to murder and pillage."
"Though I wonder what kind of power the demon cultivators who infiltrated the town have... Hopefully, it includes at least Core Formation Stage-level Demon Sect Skills."
If the demon cultivators were easy to deal with, killing them and refining their corpses would suffice. If they were too powerful, Li Mo would proceed cautiously.
Instead of directing the Ghost Tiger to the town, he transitioned into Shadow Transformation and delved underground.
He intended to upgrade one of his Magic Artifacts to become a Fake Magical Treasure—barely manageable with his considerable Spiritual Power—which would serve as an exceptional trump card.
"With the Demon Sect’s penchant for subtlety, they’re unlikely to act overtly within Qing Town..."
The Ghost Tiger descended to a depth of two to three hundred meters.
When Li Mo swept the area with his Divine Sense, his expression turned grim as though he were facing a formidable opponent. The surrounding soil was filled with grayish-white corpses.
The corpses all maintained kneeling postures, resembling those of the deceased who bore the Divine Statue. Their cause of death was similarly the complete extraction of their body and soul.
The entire mass grave radiated outward from Qing Town, with the concentration of corpses growing denser toward the town center. A glance suggested their number totaled thirty to forty thousand.
Additionally, Li Mo discerned that the corpses had died around the same time, most likely appearing gradually over the span of just six months.
The puzzling aspect, however, was that Qing Town’s surface appeared entirely unremarkable.
The streets were bustling, shops were thriving, and caravans traveled along the official road to Qing Town constantly. It was vibrant and lively—nothing like a town overtaken by slaughter...
"Wait a second!"
Li Mo’s brows furrowed. "Could it be that the Demon Sect has taken over the nest? If that’s the case, does Qing Town house tens of thousands of demon cultivators?!!"
Had the Sword Tongue Sect not noticed?
And even then, such tactics didn’t align with Li Mo’s understanding of the Demon Sect.
Leaving the Corpse Mountain behind, Li Mo had the Ghost Shadow gradually approach Qing Town while activating the Cave God’s Eye to closely observe its inhabitants.
What he saw was astonishing.
Among the town’s population of over ninety thousand, only a mere twenty-odd individuals possessed cultivation levels. Of these, around ten clearly were loose cultivators, and the rest were Sword Tongue Sect-affiliated Sword Cultivators.
Even the highest cultivation level present was no more than the Foundation Establishment Stage, while the rest were at the Qi Cultivation Stage.
The ten or so loose cultivators appeared to be idling away their days, taking in the children of wealthy merchants as direct disciples but seldom actively cultivating.
This indirectly revealed the Sword Tongue Sect’s lack of interest in Qing Town.
Li Mo furrowed his brows tightly. With the Cave God’s Eye even able to detect anomalies at the Nascent Soul Stage, it seemed impossible for the entire town to consist of Divine Separation Stage cultivators.
If not demon cultivators, then what were the tens of thousands of beings—demons, ghosts, or monsters?
Suspicious yet intrigued by the Demon Sect Skills behind it all, Li Mo made further comparisons between the skeletal remains and Qing Town’s citizens. Astonishingly, he was able to match each corpse to a specific mortal inhabitant of the town.
The mortal residents showed no signs of extraordinary behavior in their daily routines.
Li Mo even noticed a woman—who had "died" once—had recently given birth to a child. It was utterly mind-boggling.
At the very least, he could rule out involvement from the Sword Tongue Sect.
Of the four Sword Cultivators stationed in the town, they frequently complained about Qing Town’s lack of resources and thin Spiritual Energy, spending most of their time indulging in the pleasures of the brothel.
"What in the world is going on?"
"No matter how slack the stationed Sword Cultivators are, it’s inconceivable that demon cultivators could massacre tens of thousands right under their noses."
While cautiously apprehensive, Li Mo couldn’t help but feel a growing curiosity about the Demon Sect Skills involved here.
In the ancient Cultivation World, there were records of demon cultivators ascending to the Immortal Realm, proving that while Demon Sect Skills had flaws, they still pointed directly to the Great Dao.
"I should start by refining the Blood Soul."
Rather than linger within the corpse-laden area, Li Mo moved twenty miles outside Qing Town to a secluded mountain range selected by the Ghost Tiger for concealment.
The Blood Soul, as a high-grade restrictive Magic Artifact, was designed to burrow into the target’s body, sealing their meridians and blood vessels. It was perfectly suited to the Blood Flesh Spirit Pattern.
The moment Li Mo began to etch the Spirit Patterns, he also fully absorbed the Fake Soul Consciousness’s memories.
He summoned the Spider Demon’s Multiple-Armed Spine, utilizing its four pairs of arms to assist in the refining process, engravings appearing in dazzling succession both inside and outside the Blood Soul.
With the formation of the first Spirit Pattern, the Blood Soul stirred unnaturally.
The intestine turned bloodied and mutilated, with blood dripping from its extremities.
The Blood Flesh Spirit Pattern granted the Blood Soul the ability to sever parts of its flesh to irreversibly seal the blood vessels and Middle Dantian of its targets.
Li Mo sighed with a trace of regret. The divine Blood Flesh Spirit Pattern was only one-third manifested; otherwise, completing even half the refinement would not have been an issue.
"With the Blood Soul temporarily masking the aura of my Double Dantians, I could easily pose as a mortal—perhaps even infiltrate the Demon Sect unnoticed?"