Longevity Strange Immortal

In the ancient Cultivation World, Sea Forest was the cultivation marketplace associated with the Heavenly Sword Sect.

It not only catered to outer disciples but also often attracted wandering Sword Sects, making it the largest black market for sword cultivators ten thousand years ago.

Through the Creation Book, Li Mo glimpsed but a fraction of the ancient prosperity of Sword Dao.

It could be said that before flying swords degenerated into deceitful objects, Sword Dao was the most awe-inspiring Taoist inheritance in the cultivation world, bar none.

But in the currents of the upheaval of heaven and earth today.

Sea Forest?

It had long since become a part of the Great Sun Sword Tomb.

Only when Li Mo approached Sea Forest did he begin to understand what Ye Zhuo Daoist meant by a "market"—a creation beyond description.

Sea Forest lies on the outskirts of the Purple Sun Palace, and even from several streets away, the acrid stink of blood pierces the nostrils.

What unfolded before Li Mo's eyes was a spectacle of blood vessels stretching out from the deep underground, intertwining to create an otherworldly thicket.

Any sword ghost at the level of a Cocoon Sword was bound by the blood vessels, suspended midair in inverted suspension.

The Night Wanderers did not engage in unsustainable exploitation; most sword ghosts were allowed to return alive to their Daoist temples.

Some Cocoon Swords even broke free of their restraints, joining in the cannibalistic feeding frenzy against their kind.

Massive Night Wanderers roamed through the thickets of blood vessels, consuming resources born from the sword ghosts—indeed, it was a market.

However, this was a market of deceitful objects.

Not long after Li Mo began observing from afar, a Big Night Wander noticed his gaze. However, because of the deceitful human facade they bore, the Night Wanderer showed little interest in the pair.

"It really works…"

Ye Zhuo Daoist grinned wickedly, his expression brimming with greed.

"Senior Brother, after we acquire the Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique, we must return to Sea Forest to witness it. This is… an unimaginable opportunity."

Ye Zhuo Daoist was still astounded. Li Mo, with mere moments of effort, had crafted the deceitful person magic artifact, allowing them to navigate the area as though it were uninhabited.

Li Mo gripped a trace of Great Sun Spiritual Power between his fingertips, pressing it lightly against Ye Zhuo Daoist's brow.

"Snap out of it—the deceitful person is merely a high-grade magical artifact, not a magic treasure. I can't promise it will hold against a Big Night Wander at close range."

"Alright, alright…"

Ye Zhuo Daoist shook himself awake and said with a sinister laugh, "Senior Brother, with the deceitful person, we can ascend to the Void Refining Stage. You must never reveal the Magic Artifact Catalog—never!"

"What are you thinking? Even if the Magic Artifact Catalog were leaked, the Heavenly Sword Sect doesn't have a single sword cultivator capable of crafting it. Besides, the beast skin required relies on the Donkey Guest."

"That's true."

Ye Zhuo Daoist nodded slightly, gradually regaining his composure.

The deceitful person was undoubtedly crucial; it might even carry them into the Void Refining Stage. However, at the end of the day, it was crafted by Li Mo's hands.

The true opportunity, in fact, lay with the Thirteen Immortals themselves.

Considering Li Mo's talent and comprehension, it was only a matter of time before he could achieve the rank of a Land Immortal. In comparison, Ye Zhuo Daoist felt the deceitful person was insignificant.

Li Mo cast a deep glance at Sea Forest before turning his steps toward Juxin Temple.

"Time is tight. Let's first figure out the Juxin Temple, where knowledge is transmitted and disciples are taught."

Ye Zhuo Daoist hurried to follow.

Near Juxin Temple, past Daoist temples scattered with abandoned sword platforms, they saw courtyards stacked with heaps of bleached white bones.

As they passed through the main gates of Juxin Temple, shadow puppets crawled along the walls, surging into the temple.

Their dazzling and eerie colors, paired with the accompaniment of musical instruments, seemed to recreate the age-old grand spectacle—reminiscent of how the Kou Xian Sect once performed shadow plays to deliver teachings and traditions tens of thousands of years ago.

"The rules of teaching Daoist temples are relatively simple. If it weren't for Juxin Temple opening only once every hundred days, it would be far more suitable for hiding than Che Xu Temple."

Ye Zhuo Daoist expertly led the way to Juxin Temple's side door.

The side door was slightly ajar; pushing it open revealed the rear courtyard's chambers.

As Li Mo set foot within Juxin Temple, he first felt his spiritual power being suppressed, accompanied by a creeping sense of dread whenever he contemplated wielding his lifebound flying sword.

Ye Zhuo Daoist's expression hardened. He swiftly gestured for silence.

Within the chambered area, scattered sword ghosts roamed—under Elder Wu Xin's command. Luckily, they were only Cocoon Swords; as long as they avoided close contact, there'd be no danger.

The two exchanged glances and moved toward a remote corner.

Earlier, Li Mo had asked for clarification on Juxin Temple's taboos, the primary rule being the prohibition of any magic skills to avoid catching Elder Wu Xin's attention.

Breaking a taboo meant a sudden and inexplicable death.

Ye Zhuo Daoist, whenever death was mentioned, grew vague—continuously warning Li Mo against using magic skills or revealing even the slightest spiritual power.

As Li Mo walked, he observed Juxin Temple closely.

It could be said that Juxin Temple was indistinguishable from the ancient teaching Daoist temples, even down to the sword ghosts' actions which mirrored scenes from ages past.

But the sword ghosts lacked spiritual wisdom; their every movement was akin to marionettes controlled by strings.

"This place…"

Ye Zhuo Daoist led Li Mo to the edge of the courtyard walls, where a woodshed sat, its floor showing signs of seldom sword ghost activity.

The woodshed was dust-choked and filled with piles of rotting firewood.

"Whew."

Ye Zhuo Daoist, indifferent to the filth, lay down and rested.

Li Mo frowned and meticulously examined the woodshed's structure, quickly noticing something odd—the firewood was not wooden.

Breaking a piece revealed a cross-section resembling withered flesh.

"Stop inspecting. Everything within the Heavenly Sword Sect is birthed from the Sword Tomb."

"Those blood vessels underground?"

"We call them sword veins—they're likely part of the Sword Tomb's body."

Ye Zhuo Daoist's demeanor was relaxed: "The Heavenly Sword Sect's secrets are irrelevant to us. Despite the Sword Tomb's labyrinthine rules, they're all fundamentally navigable. Just abide by the taboos."

Li Mo remained noncommittal: "And the teachings during daylight? What is that about?"

Ye Zhuo Daoist yawned, luxuriating in the comfort of his cowhide cloak.

With half-closed eyes, he explained: "Match swords with Elder Wu Xin to obtain the Taiyi True Immortal Sword Body Technique—then we'll see how things unfold."

Ye Zhuo Daoist's breathing grew steady as he rested to recover his divine sense, exhausted by their journey's toll.

Li Mo refrained from disturbing him, weighing the risks before deploying clusters of cancer cells.

Da Ai Mi Tian, as Li Mo's lifebound magic treasure, needed no spiritual power for manipulation, though its cancer cells had a sharply limited active duration and perception range.

Li Mo first blanketed the area around the outer buildings with cancer cells, gradually advancing deeper into Juxin Temple.

He noticed that all shadow puppets clung to the walls near the main hall, coalescing into grotesque and enigmatic murals.

The murals were vividly detailed, with every shadow puppet depicted in submissive, kneeling postures.

The main hall's doors and windows were sealed shut; through the faint perception of cancer cells, Li Mo detected no sign of Elder Wu Xin inside.

The only sound emanating from within was a hoarse voice reciting Taoist scriptures.

"Neglect invites calamity; all men abhor it. Punishment and peril, blessings withdraw, ill-fated stars wreak destruction, and when the count is complete, despair arrives."

Li Mo inhaled sharply, feeling a surge within the Creation Book.

The voice blended seamlessly with the memories evoked by the Creation Book.

Within the ancient Heavenly Sword Sect, outer elders often recited the "Supreme Sensing Chapter" to test mortals' comprehension.

The so-called "Supreme Sensing Chapter" was a scripture written by predecessors to forewarn their descendants.

"There are also the Three Beidou Gods above mankind, recording their sins, stripping their longevity."

Elder Wu Xin's voice alternated between highs and lows, and some shadow puppets seemed to sense something, fervently slipping into the main hall.

Li Mo closed his eyes, digesting the ascending memories within the Creation Book.

In the mental image—

Elders of the ancient outer sect selected fitting disciples from among mortals and summoned their Nascent Souls, which spilled forth innate essence.

Bathed in the innate essence, shadow puppets rapidly began projecting hints of spiritual power.

Newborn infants all carried innate essence, and given that Nascent Souls embodied the mimicry of a baby's genesis, they naturally contained an equivalent amount of innate essence.

However, innate essence only lasts roughly a century; once exhausted, it cannot regenerate and inflicts harm upon one's foundation.

Modern cultivators, having achieved immortality, rendered Nascent Souls into lifeless shells; perhaps Li Mo alone commanded the vitality of innate essence.

"Strange?"

Li Mo puzzled over the ancient Heavenly Sword Sect's teaching techniques.

Not until he noted the memory fragment's ending—outer elders immersed initiating shadow puppets within medicine altars.

Stimulated by an exclusive medicinal concoction, the shadow puppets began to gestate tissue, blood, and bones.

Once shadow puppets regained physical forms, they entered the Qi Cultivation First Level, indistinguishable from mortals outwardly save for marginal sluggishness.

The outer elder in the recollection had starkly pallid features, their Nascent Souls teetering on the brink of depletion.

"Why would the Heavenly Sword Sect go through such toil?"

Li Mo could clearly discern that converting mortals into shadow puppets was an invention specific to the Heavenly Sword Sect—wholly reliant on dubious, unorthodox techniques.

If overlooked, reconstructed physical forms revealed no apparent flaws.

"Ah, I see."

Suddenly, epiphany struck—memory fragments were brimming with detail.

Every sword cultivator, when confronted with shadow puppets, without exception displayed visible dread, deliberately eschewing crowded spaces.

What they feared wasn't the shadow puppets—it was mortals.

The Heavenly Sword Sect took utmost care to avoid mortals when recruiting disciples.

Transforming mortals into bodiless shadow puppets for storage ensured that once physical forms were restored, mortals already became cultivators of the Qi Cultivation First Level.

Though the steps appeared simple, they came at the extravagant expense of consumed Nascent Soul sword cultivators.

Li Mo calculated that for every twenty Qi Cultivation disciples initiated, one Nascent Soul sword cultivator was lost—a ratio absurdly disproportionate.

"In the ancient Cultivation World, even large sects had no more than one Foundation Establishment stage disciple for every hundred followers."

Li Mo clicked his tongue with disbelief.

Simultaneously, he understood the decisions of the ancient Heavenly Sword Sect.

Though unclear of the true peril posed by mortals, any sect unable to recruit disciples faced a slow and inevitable demise, even with a Land Immortal guarding the gates.

After all, mortality bound the ancients, with even Land Immortals limited to a lifespan of four thousand years.

The ancient cultivators were incapable of foretelling—their future worsened by immortality and dominated by radial upheavals of heaven and earth.

Hope could be felt, however faint, buried in the memory humanity adopted within the hopeless shadows cast by ancient tribulations.

"It appears the Heavenly Sword Sect became reliant on shadow puppets only after the upheaval."

"Large sects could retain brief breaths of survival; mid-tier organizations like the Heart Beast Sect likely succumbed in those earliest heartbeats."

Li Mo deliberated thoughtfully as he retrieved a small book from the Corpse Mountain Mini World, filled with ambiguous speculations.

On the page labeled Facts, he wrote:

Facts:

• Cultivation skills remained unchanged during the upheaval.

• Shadow puppets arose from mortals but posed no visible existential threat to cultivators.

• Mortals: Unknown impact.

• Upheaval timeline: Unknown extent.