Longevity Strange Immortal

Time passed; in half a year, nearly thirty people had perished, their Dao dissipating, or they had turned into deceitful objects within the side rooms, or been entirely consumed.

The surviving sword cultivators had gradually grown accustomed to the Death Tomb.

Perhaps due to the sword cultivators occupying the Death Tomb, the side room tomb ceased expanding in size. The Heavenly Sword Sect took advantage of this to begin repairing the Great Sun Sword Tomb's breach, attempting to prevent further deterioration of the situation.

The observing cultivators wore varying expressions; Li Mo's recent performance was still fresh in their minds.

Even though Qi Yunfei had withdrawn the Sky Dome Mirror, they all knew the Death Tomb couldn't harm Li Mo—his immortal body was simply unstoppable.

Though called a sword cultivator, Li Mo had relied entirely on his physical body to withstand the taboos from beginning to end.

Yet, he had inexplicably mastered the Ru Dao Sword Intent.

Among the Land Immortals present, only a scant few, all ancient monsters with lifespans exceeding ten thousand years, might possess the Ru Dao Sword Intent.

Li Mo alone had only entered the path of cultivation a few hundred years ago.

The most absurd thing was that Li Mo had comprehended hundreds, even thousands, of spiritual sword intents, showcasing his innate talent to the fullest.

The cultivators were all exceedingly curious—just how far could Li Mo take the Great Sun Sword Tomb?

Qi Yunfei murmured, "It's ahead of schedule."

"The Death Tomb's consciousness is awakening. A fresh wave of eruptions is about to begin."

He glanced around and declared with great certainty, "All the sword cultivators who have stepped into the Death Tomb are now under the awareness of the side room's consciousness. Taiyi's act of shielding the sect members may seem commendable, but…"

Qi Yunfei cast a glance at Zhang Qiyang. "Whatever taboos Taiyi faces will become even more terrifying, likely drawing a large number of sword ghosts."

"Surviving alone in the Death Tomb is already a struggle. Ha, I fear Taiyi will inevitably have to abandon a few burdens, or else their lives will truly be in peril."

Master San Yan retorted, "Why do I feel Taiyi is enjoying itself?"

"Qi Yunfei, maybe what they seek is precisely the burden of these taboos. How can we fathom the mysteries of an immortal body? At least it surpasses my level of comprehension."

Qi Yunfei flung his hand dismissively. "Enjoy itself? An immortal body isn't omnipotent."

The two began to argue, while Zhang Qiyang fell silent. Based on his understanding of Li Mo, he indeed believed the latter was prone to making unexpected decisions.

If such choices harmed his foundation, wouldn't advancement to the Body Integration Realm become hopeless?

However, abandoning fellow disciples would give Qi Yunfei an excuse to target him, ensuring the Great Sun Sword Tomb couldn't rise by relying on Li Mo.

Zhang Qiyang also noticed that Li Mo was using the taboos to temper his flesh. But he wasn't a body cultivator at all; it was purely through the Great Wilderness Immortal Body that he sought to transform his flesh into something worthy of the Body Integration Realm—a pursuit that seemed exceedingly unrealistic.

Once the taboos exceeded Li Mo's capacity to endure, the situation would inevitably spiral out of control.

"Logically, two to three hundred sword cultivators shouldn't warrant the Death Tomb's attention. Could it be that the Death Tomb has sensed a threat from Taiyi?"

The Sky Dome Mirror was once again released.

Even Yu Xiao couldn't help but open his eyes, focusing on the developments unfolding in the side room tomb. For a time, everyone stared intently at the mirror's surface.

......

Within the Sword Tomb, the cultivators were oblivious to the outside world; all they faced were the rooms upon rooms of side chambers,

as well as the endless and evolving taboos.

Any carelessness would result in their bodies undergoing strange mutations, inevitably drawing sword ghosts hidden in the shadows.

Yunxia knelt in a corner, her wary gaze sweeping her surroundings.

Compared to other sword cultivators who were already on the brink of death, Yunxia's condition was relatively good. Her injuries were still manageable, and her spiritual power remained sufficiently abundant.

"Hah, so far, I've encountered seven sword ghosts in total, all Night Patrol Deities. They can't be eliminated quickly and can only be endlessly evaded."

The Death Tomb seemed imbued with some indescribable will. Any cultivators who turned into sword ghosts in the side rooms invariably reached the level of Night Patrol Deity within days.

Yunxia had personally witnessed a Divine Separation cultivator from the Water Source Sword Tomb perish, only for a damp Little Night Wander to crawl out of their abdomen.

The Little Night Wander had barely taken a few steps before its flesh and bones began to mutate even more violently.

Within just a few breaths, the sword ghost had undergone its second transformation, becoming a Big Night Wander equivalent to Divine Separation Stage Perfection. This escalating mutation only ceased upon it reaching the state of a Night Patrol Deity.

The dangers of the Death Tomb were self-evident.

Yunxia skillfully treated the wound on her shoulder, where an organ resembling a tongue had sprouted, secreting saliva that hindered healing.

Thud, thud, thud...

Footsteps approached steadily.

Disregarding her injury, Yunxia plunged her fingers into her spine, fishing out a shard of a sword blade.

Swoosh.

The Mahayana Sword Intent [Only Inches] flared to life.

Yunxia vanished instantly from her original spot. Not long after she left, a hundred-meter-tall, humanoid-faced boar sword ghost smashed through the walls.

She arrived at a location where her lifebound flying sword fragments had previously been hidden. The sword ghost could no longer detect her aura, granting her temporary safety.

Yunxia panted heavily, a profound sense of powerlessness welling up within her.

Qi Yunfei had explained the Sword Testing Conference in great detail.

The conference would likely last about ten years, with survivors receiving an outpouring of resources from the Heavenly Sword Sect to prepare for their advancement to the Body Integration Realm.

"Ten years? It's only been half a year so far."

Suppressing all stray thoughts, Yunxia worked to remove the mutated organs. "If there were no time limit, people would go mad sooner or later. This Netherworld is no more than this."

Her advantage lay in foresight and preparation.

With the addition of resources provided by Qi Yunfei, Yunxia was confident her chances of survival weren't low. She even believed she might surpass the so-called Innate Immortal Seed.

"Innate Immortal Seed…"

"A so-called reincarnation of a demoted immortal, why bother attending the Sword Testing Conference?"

A sneer curled at Yunxia's lips. At the very least, she didn't believe the Innate Immortal Seed was inherently superior. Who knows, they might've already perished somewhere in the Death Tomb.

"Hm?"

Yunxia's train of thought was interrupted.

She suddenly heard tremors coming from the southwest. Initially thinking a sword ghost was stirring, she then heard a slightly deranged male voice muttering to himself.

"Too little, too little! Give me more taboos!"

"Another man gone mad."

In Yunxia's estimation, that person wouldn't last long. Stirring up such commotion was bound to attract sword ghosts, and their end would be none other than being torn apart and consumed.

The Death Tomb was a place of universal paranoia, where survival was the only priority.

"This person must have already lacked mental stability ordinarily, and after facing deviation within the Death Tomb, they're already nine parts dead—no, ten parts hopeless."

Yunxia carefully took a moment to sense the situation.

"The Great Sun Sword Tomb? I've heard their cultivators are practically extinct. This must be some Divine Separation straggler making up the numbers."

She shook her head faintly, deciding not to linger where she was. Once the sword ghosts finished devouring the person, the aftermath could spread to her as well.

"If I continue three thousand meters south, I should be relatively safe."

Yunxia reached into her spine again.

Suddenly.

The fungal carpet on the walls inexplicably grew, forming structures resembling hairs, reflecting countless human faces in its eerie texture.

Dropping to the ground instantly, Yunxia dared not make any movement.

"The Sword Tomb's consciousness is awakening? But… It shouldn't be."

"According to Elder Qi's calculations, this shouldn't happen for at least another two years. Has something changed? Has the Death Tomb undergone an unforeseen deterioration?"

For a brief moment, despair overtook Yunxia.

She understood that the awakening of the Death Tomb's consciousness marked the true beginning of the Sword Testing Conference.

Earlier events had merely been minor skirmishes.

No matter how they'd endured the countless taboo corruptions and relentless sword ghost pursuits over the past half year, it had all been the Death Tomb's instinctual reactions.

No matter how erratic, they could manage to avoid certain dangers in certain ways.

But the awakening of the Death Tomb's consciousness was entirely different—it would intentionally manipulate taboos, control sword ghosts to launch coordinated assaults, all aiming to exterminate the encroaching sword cultivators.

Yunxia's attempts to conceal would now be futile.

In the face of the Death Tomb's consciousness, nothing about them was hidden—their positions laid bare.

The more conspicuous one's actions, the more attention they would garner. Yet, if sword cultivators chose to suppress their presence, their manner of death would likely be even more miserable.

It was already a dead-end situation.

"Why does it have to awaken?!!!"

Yunxia couldn't help but feel regret. Had she remained unaware of the Death Tomb's consciousness, she wouldn't have reached the brink of mental collapse.

"Pfft."

Vomiting a mouthful of fresh blood, she felt slightly better.

Before Yunxia could formulate a response, her pores began emitting a pungent odor, from which pale green smog seeped outward, glowing faintly phosphorescent.

"What kind of cursed taboo is this?!!"

The smoke flickered with phosphorescence and carried an indescribable stench of decay.

"This isn't right. Sword ghosts can probably scent the stench of decay, meaning I can't stay too long in any single side room. Constant movement will be the only way to ensure my safety."

Yunxia was horrified to discover that the deeper the influence of other taboos, the more severe the stench of decay became.

"Injuries exacerbate it, worsening the decay, attracting even more formidable sword ghosts. Encountering sword ghosts only triggers more taboos—an endless vicious cycle."

After a moment of disorientation, Yunxia quickly steadied herself.

She believed in one thing: even if all sword cultivators succumbed, with the teleportation techniques of the Inch Sword Tomb, she would likely be among the last few to fall.

"The decay emitting from me is mild for now. Unfortunately, the Inch Sword's body is ill-suited to resisting mutation, so the stench offers few real advantages."

"The Poison Horn lineage is infamous for their resistance to mutation—Chief [Calamity Worm] must be thriving in this environment..."

Boom.

Before Yunxia could finish speaking, the door and windows were blown open by winds carrying the overwhelming stench of decay.

By comparison, her faint smoke was like wisps from burning kindling, but the abrupt stench billowing in was like a sandstorm. What kind of taboo corruption was its source enduring to release such malevolence!

The sword ghosts howled incessantly, stampeding toward the source in a frenzy.

Amid the clamor, she could still hear bursts of deranged laughter—this wasn't madness but someone treating their journey through the Death Tomb as a playful springtime forage.

"That Great Sun Sword Cultivator?"

Slumping incredulously to the ground, Yunxia muttered, "Innate Immortal Seed."

"Is the gap truly this vast? He's facing taboos thousands of times more burdensome than mine, yet not only has he not succumbed, but he's growing stronger."

"What kind of monster is this? Is he truly only at the Void Refining Stage?"

Trembling uncontrollably, the hand holding her sword blade fragment betrayed her first moment of genuine fear toward a cultivator of her own level, a stranger she had never met before.

No wonder Elder Qi had said that the entire Great Sun Sword Tomb required focus on none but Taiyi alone.

"But… is he mad? To challenge the Death Tomb single-handedly—does he really believe the side rooms are some Blessed Land Cave Heaven to establish his Dao?"

"A tree that rises above the forest will surely be toppled by the wind."

Taking a deep breath, Yunxia reassured herself. She doubted Li Mo could survive to the end.

No matter how strong he was, he was still at the Void Refining Stage. There was no way he could advance to the Body Integration Realm in the Death Tomb; flaunting his strength so recklessly had no purpose.

"Fine by me—Taiyi alone can attract the majority of the Sword Tomb's attention. At least it increases my chances of survival."

Yunxia gazed deeply into the thick rolling smoke.

Though Li Mo's figure couldn't be seen, his voice grew ever louder, shaking the air with each syllable.

"Still not enough, still not enough!!!"