The Black Wood Gate gradually materialized, its surface carved with the imagery of the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, alongside various illegible scriptures that were deeply unsettling.

Li Mo abandoned his closed-door cultivation and began refining the Nine Curves Chain Formation.

Even though the resources within Zhi Mountain Temple, no matter their losses, wouldn't cripple him, the temple—with its two to three hundred Sword Ghosts and the immense Spiritual Energy gathered—remained extraordinary.

"I refuse to believe that after Yu Xiao's deterrence, the mastermind would still dare to trouble me,"

Li Mo muttered, a cold smirk curling his lips.

While reinforcing the Array, he discovered the Little Night Wander, an unexpected escapee due to the damaged Daoist Temple, hiding in a far corner.

The Little Night Wander appeared as a girl barely seven or eight years old,

wearing coarse hemp clothing, with limbs alight in candle flames. Its unique taboo allowed it to move freely within the confines of the Nine Curves Chain Formation.

"Seems its name is Xiangzhi?"

Li Mo recalled that Xiangzhi was a Little Night Wander once sealed inside a Copper Mirror.

Hugging its arms in disorientation, Xiangzhi murmured "Papa" repeatedly, trembling in fear as Li Mo approached, attempting to flee Zhi Mountain Temple altogether.

"There seems to be a taboo for a Big Night Wander that's somewhat similar—maybe… just maybe…" Li Mo speculated.

He casually flung Xiangzhi over to the Main Hall of Zhi Mountain Temple, where the Sword Platform enshrined a Sword Ghost named [Turbid Candle].

Xiangzhi froze in place for a few breaths, then slowly stepped toward the Sword Platform.

Turbid Candle squirmed briefly before the appearance of the Divine Statue morphed into that of a middle-aged man, although his skin bore numerous marks of melted candle wax.

Xiangzhi stood beside Turbid Candle. The two Sword Ghosts remained utterly still.

"It seems that the residents of Wumen City had all turned into Deceitful Objects, retaining fragments of their memories from life even after their deaths,"

Li Mo remarked as he set up the trapped Sword Platform for Xiangzhi near Turbid Candle.

"In a certain sense, Deceitful Objects possess immortal bodies and strength rivaling cultivators. Their only flaw lies in the way their Spiritual Wisdom has been corrupted and rendered uncontrollable..."

Li Mo shook his head faintly as an outlandish idea emerged unbidden in his mind.

If corruption no longer impacted Spiritual Wisdom, wouldn't corruption itself become a shortcut to Immortality? Could it even be that such corruption was artificially engineered?

Li Mo smiled bitterly and murmured, "I'm overthinking it. In times of great upheaval, becoming an Immortal is hardly an issue—why take such a convoluted path?"

As he fell into momentary distraction, the Nascent Soul Skill method of Xia Dao Palace completed its simulation.

The method was dubbed [Great Medicine Nascent Soul Refining Pill Scripture].

Li Mo skimmed through the Great Medicine Nascent Soul Refining Pill Scripture; it largely matched his expectations. He then used the Spider Sword Orb to guide the Dan Infant's initiation.

The Dan Infant offered little resistance and quickly mastered the Great Medicine Nascent Soul Refining Pill Scripture.

Seizing the moment, Li Mo opened the Creation Book, consuming the Magic Page Imprints cultivated by the Six Organs Dao Body. The Nascent Soul Skill gradually merged into his Taoist Body.

Crack, crack, crack...

The Black Wood Gate fully solidified, dispersing the Yin Blood Spiritual Qi of the Great Sun Sword Tomb into nothingness.

Li Mo leapt into the air. Though he would soon venture into the Demon Cave, he hadn't ceased his closed-door cultivation in the meantime, controlling the Spider Sword Orb with his Divine Sense inside the Corpse Mountain Mini World to refine artifacts.

Simultaneously, the Realm Core, having absorbed nearly two thousand years' worth of Innate Essence, had finally reached a quality sufficient for foundational purposes. The next steps could now begin.

Li Mo willed the Realm Core to materialize before him.

The Realm Core, over a hundred meters in size, resembled a scarred meteorite, its interior harboring a miniature Small World about ten square meters wide.

The reason it was considered a Small World rather than simple Storage Space,

lay in the fact that a small insect had somehow crept in—an insect that would have been crushed by spatial compression were it merely a Storage Space.

"The Realm Core truly lives up to its reputation as the remnant born from the shattered remains of a Small World. With enough Innate Essence, it may even be possible to reconstruct a Small World."

However, the amount of Innate Essence Li Mo would need to invest would likely be astronomical.

With the resources of Corpse Mountain at his disposal, Li Mo had no intention of aligning the Realm Core toward a Small World. It was time to prepare the foundational Spiritual Objects for the Dan Infant.

Li Mo turned his attention toward the Melting Furnace, throwing the dismembered limbs of the Artifact Infant into the Alchemy Furnace.

Before the Artifact Infant could react, a torrent of Innate Essence surged forth, visibly repairing its limbs at astonishing speed.

The Artifact Infant's limbs and torso were not connected, ensuring that even in their absence, its foundation remained unscathed.

The Dan Seed crafted with the Artifact Infant was Li Mo's envisioned foundational Spiritual Object, perfectly harmonized with the two entities.

However, the nutrient demands of the Dan Seed far exceeded his calculations.

Gritting his teeth, Li Mo poured Innate Essence into the Alchemy Furnace, repeatedly throwing the limbs of the Artifact Infant into its crucible. This process dragged on for well over half a day.

During this time, the Black Wood Gate revealed a thin crevice, from which endless darkness seeped outward.

Dong, dong, dong.

A colossal creature's ramming sound reverberated—an unimaginable hint of the Demon Cave's abyssal environment, a realm rumored to detain countless Deceitful Objects.

Narrowing his eyes, Li Mo abandoned reservations about his Innate Essence expenditure.

Soon after, the metallic sheen of the Dan Seed solidified, emitting a faint magnetic force that unmistakably shared a common origin with the Artifact Infant.

Li Mo stored the Mystic Magnetic Seed within the Small World inside the Realm Core.

As the Dan Seed took root and sprouted, a metallic vine grew outward. Its leaves, eerily shaped like limbs, formed an uncanny supply relationship akin to soil and vegetation with the Realm Core.

Li Mo kept only a thousand years' worth of Innate Essence as a contingency reserve, using the rest to nourish the foundational Spiritual Object.

The Dan Seed swiftly transformed into a vine-like tree, its roots and stalks spreading across the Realm Core's interior and exterior.

The Artifact Infant began to sense a visceral connection, desiring to assimilate the Realm Core and ascend to the Divine Separation Stage.

Li Mo suppressed the Artifact Infant's impulse, reminding himself that the Dan Infant still needed to attain Nascent Soul Perfection. Then, flying to within half a meter of the Black Wood Gate,

he concluded, "The dual-infant system of Artifact Core and Dan Infant is already aligned. Though this seclusion was quite brief, I've achieved my intended goals."

Behind the gate, the strange disturbances intensified, with viscous, immeasurably concentrated blood beginning to flow out.

The blood sizzled upon contact with the ground of the Great Sun Sword Tomb, emitting foul vapors as decayed fragments of flesh smoldered into ash.

Patiently, Li Mo waited until the door's crack was wide enough for him to pass through.

"Once I set foot into the Demon Cave, I should be able to reconnect with the Heart Beast Sect. At that point, I can clear out the Corpse Mountain Mini World's surplus stock."

His mind racing with thoughts, Li Mo slowly squeezed through the Black Wood Gate.

He felt an uncanny separation of body and soul, strikingly similar to his journey to the True Void Hometown.

Suddenly,

whoosh.

A piercing sound tore through the sky—a streak of thunderous light carrying a Storage Bag shot directly through the Nine Curves Chain Formation, landing on the vacant ground in front of the Main Hall.

The Thunder Residence Sword Shuttle hovered, commanding presence above the Great Sun Sword Tomb.

Yu Xiao's unreserved voice rang out: "Junior Brother, the Storage Bag contains the Taoist inheritance from the Golden Sword Tomb, along with 7,600 Flying Swords. Senior Sister wants them—you'll deliver them for me."

Li Mo stood in shock, his face full of disbelief.

"What are you wasting time for? The Magic Technique will dissipate in half an hour at most."

With that, Yu Xiao's Thunder Residence Sword Shuttle flew away into the distance, its exterior bearing clear signs of combat—proof that the Golden Sword Tomb's legacy was not the result of polite negotiation, contrary to what Senior Sister had claimed.

"Many thanks, Fifth Senior Sister."

Li Mo's eye twitched as he hurriedly stored the Storage Bag and darted into the Black Wood Gate.

He had already sensed the Void Refining Stage Elder of the Golden Sword Tomb approaching; Yu Xiao's brazen actions were nothing short of a provocation.

"Hiss..."

Li Mo also recalled a clear rule from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Even the simplest Cocoon Sword was prohibited from being traded outside. For Yu Xiao to so openly hand him 7,000 Flying Swords, she could have at least been a little discreet.

"Senior Sister Yu Xiao, your seniority truly stands unparalleled. Even the ancient cultivators who managed to survive are just juniors to you—but I, dear Junior Brother, am merely a small-time chief,"

Li Mo realized that getting closer to his Fifth Senior Sister would almost certainly spell doom for him.

Bang.

Li Mo vanished as the Black Wood Gate slammed shut.

"Damn it..."

Elder Jin Sha arrived outside Zhi Mountain Temple, muttering curses under his breath: "Yu Xiao, Shishu-Grandmaster, didn't we agree this was a token of goodwill? At least let me swap my Sword Shuttle first."

His expression was filled with helplessness, fearing that Yu Xiao might double back. Reluctantly, he fled as swiftly as he could.

...…

Li Mo had just passed through the Black Wood Gate, plunging into a profound void.

He knew it would take some time to reach the Ten Thousand Demon Dao. Even the Nearby Array powered by a Top-grade Spirit Stone couldn't achieve instantaneous travel.

"Something feels…off."

Li Mo reached up to touch his face. Was it just an illusion, or had his Five Senses been gradually corrupted during his approach to the Demon Cave?

"Perhaps it's the unique laws of the Demon Cave. A place where Deceitful Objects accumulate for thousands of years without losing control can't possibly be an ordinary Small World."

Li Mo recollected the nursery rhyme recited by San Sheng.

The Ten Thousand Demon Dao was likely the first sect to encounter the upheaval of heaven and earth. Who could guess what twisted and eccentric form their sect had taken?

Closing his eyes, Li Mo meditated within the Corpse Mountain Mini World, channeling its Spiritual Energy to continue cultivation.

Time seemed to stop.

It was unclear how much time had passed—long enough for even the Taoist Body of the Dan Infant to fully manifest.

This Taoist Body was known as [Great Medicine True Body].

Despite taking the form of a humanoid plant, the Dan Infant now bore small Golden Cores in clusters upon its branches. The Great Medicine True Body exuded medicinal aromas like a mythical immortal peach tree.

The Great Medicine True Body shared striking similarities with the Tai Magnetic True Body.

The Tai Magnetic True Body thrived on absorbing magnetic force, enabling the Nascent Soul to grow to boundless proportions, briefly transcending the Divine Separation Stage.

Meanwhile, the Great Medicine True Body absorbed medicinal energy—not to enhance size but to grant the Nascent Soul an inexplicably potent regenerative capacity.

The two Taoist Bodies complemented each other perfectly.

Once integrated, even entities Li Mo couldn't directly confront would inevitably fall before him—so long as his Artifact Core Body could siphon enough magnetic and medicinal energy. Even Land Immortals would have no chance.

"The foundation for the Three Dharma Bodies is set. Void Refining Stage is within reach,"

Li Mo concluded.

Before long, the Dan Infant harnessed the Great Medicine True Body and smoothly ascended to the Corpse Infant Stage.

Li Mo began preparing the resources needed for advancement to the Divine Separation Stage. Even the Buddha Demon Body was showing signs of breaking through to the Heavenly Palace Stage. All was progressing smoothly.

Even the previously lost connection with the Heart Beast Sect seemed repaired, as he'd sensed the presence of the No-Life God Statue at the Mountain Gate.

Yet one aspect still eluded Li Mo's understanding.

Despite the protection of Da Ai Mi Tian preventing uncontrolled corruption, his body had never reached such a state.

But why…

Li Mo furrowed his brow tightly—why had his Divine Sense detected a hint of corruption in his own Body and Soul, a form of cognitive corruption?

"Eighty percent, it's the Demon Cave causing this. No matter, I must first distribute the surplus resources to the Heart Beast Sect. Any further delay might overwhelm the Small World."

Sweeping his Divine Sense over the Mountain Gate of the Heart Beast Sect, he saw no trace of Tian Changwen.

Fortunately, the Heart Beast Sect appeared stable, its focus seemingly shifted toward the True Void Hometown.

The Earth Prostrating Dharma Body opened its blood-soaked maw, delivering tens of thousands of Corpse Wines and other spiritual materials from the Small World to the No-Life God Statue.

The statue's storage quickly filled to capacity.

Li Mo also left behind a Jade Scroll imbued with recorded information for Tian Changwen, before turning his attention back to cultivating himself.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.