Chapter 436: Chapter 61: Comprehending Sword Intent Is Just Like Drinking Water
The spring outing was merely a prelude to the Tomb-Sweeping Festival. Even as the Blood Flesh Banyan Tree transformed into a grave mound, a continuous swarm of Sword Ghosts still crawled out from the depths of the earth.
Raising one’s gaze, countless Sword Ghosts surged into the nearby shops.
The Sword Cultivators were unable to guard every shop in the district. All they could do was ensure that the areas near their own posts would not spiral out of control.
Amidst their frantic efforts, they suddenly sensed Sword Intent erupting by the Beili Riverbank.
In just a brief moment, Changqing, far off in the city’s west, perished and their Dao disappeared. A Five Qi Period Sword Cultivator had fallen without even the chance to mount a counterattack against the assailing Flying Sword.
"The Thirteen Immortals—so indeed, his temperament doesn’t lend itself to patience."
"Yang Lei? Advancing to the Sword Body? Could it be that a Heavenly Palace Stage Sword Cultivator has emerged from the deep levels of the Copper Mirror?"
Li Mo had only just entered the Great Sun Sword Tomb. At what point did he complete the cultivation of the Sword Body, let alone advance to Yang Thunder Sword Bone?
Luo Yang?
Impossible. Luo Yang had not returned to the Great Sun Sword Tomb in recent times.
Yu Xiao?
At the thought that it might involve the Thunder Residence’s Chief, Yu Xiao, imparting some Magic Technique, they felt a chill run down their spines. The approaches taken by these two senior brothers were overwhelmingly ruthless.
It was said that Yu Xiao nearly slew his way through the Thunder Residence Sword Tomb—could Li Mo be looking to emulate him?
Li Mo had chosen this very moment to unsheath his sword, clearly intending to make a brutal example of Changqing, who hadn’t even had time to deploy their Externalized Dharma Body.
The gathered Sword Cultivators displayed varying expressions, but the attention fixed on Li Mo did not diminish in the slightest.
After all, Li Mo’s Cultivation at the Residual Body Stage was laid bare before them. They believed that as long as they remained prepared, they wouldn’t be caught off guard to the point of losing all ability to respond.
With a blank expression, the Evil Woman muttered to herself, "A Yang Thunder Sword Body but no Thunder Residence Inheritance, nor mastery of Thunder Attribute Sword Intent—merely exerting three-tenths of an advanced Sword Body’s power is already the limit."
"Truly worthy of the title Innate Immortal Seed, thinking himself untouchable."
"If a Heavenly Palace Stage Sword Cultivator were to return, it’s only a matter of time before he follows in Changqing’s footsteps. Anyway, with the Night Patrol Deities rioting, no one will ever know under whose hand he fell."
......
A Hui Dragon devoured Changqing in one gulp before heading straight in the direction of the tavern.
The sound of sword blades piercing the air echoed out as sharp and grating Sword Resonance, drawing several Sword Ghosts to follow suit, racing to chase a flash of Thunder Light streaking through the sky.
Some Sword Cultivators simply went along with it, using the Hui Dragon to divert the Sword Ghosts’ attention.
In an instant, at least a hundred figures rushed toward the Beili Riverbank, yet Li Mo remained standing atop the tavern’s eaves, unmoved and composed.
"Heh."
Li Mo squinted his eyes.
His Divine Sense surged into the Ten Thousand Transformation Sword Infant, immersing his consciousness into an ocean woven from Sword Intent. Various Sword Intents intertwined and gave rise to infinite transformations.
The Absolute Thunder Sword Body didn’t qualify as an Innate Sword Body, yet it carried within it Yu Xiao’s insights into the Sword Dao.
When Li Mo had previously used the Substitute Dao Page, he had merely scratched the surface of the Absolute Thunder Sword Body. Reflecting on it now, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awakening.
"Thunder, concealed yet unmanifested."
The Hui Dragon’s scales bristled; thunder retracted into its blood and flesh, and the deafening thunderclaps gradually vanished. The Flying Sword disappeared without a trace.
Li Mo’s mastery over Yang Thunder Sword Bone deepened.
The Hui Dragon shuttled through the shadows, its sword-shaped form swelling under the stimulation of thunder. With prolonged Body Refinement, there was even a chance for it to transform into a Flood Dragon.
"As expected, thunder truly is the ideal medium for the ascension of Dragon bloodlines."
"Unfortunately, once a Lifebound Flying Sword is unsheathed, it cannot be recalled. Otherwise, sacrificing merely a few decades of Innate Essence would suffice to carry a High Grade Sword Intent."
Li Mo sighed with slight regret, splitting his Divine Sense to commune with the Ten Thousand Transformation Sword Infant, continuously delving deeper into the Yang Thunder Sword Bone to prepare for fusing the Sword Body into an integrated whole.
Meanwhile, new branches of Sword Intent began to form on the surface of the Ten Thousand Transformation Sword Infant.
The Thunder Attribute Sword Trace and Yang Attribute Sword Concealment subtly intersected, indicating that these two types of Sword Intent could potentially give rise to a Dual Attribute Sword Intent.
Li Mo did not conceal his Thunder Attribute Sword Intent in the slightest.
Lower Level Sword Intent: Hidden Thunder
The gathered Sword Cultivators exchanged uneasy glances, unable to fathom the terrifying nature of Li Mo’s talent.
"He can comprehend Sword Intent in the blink of an eye. Even Yu Xiao couldn’t achieve that, could he?"
Though it was merely Lower Level Sword Intent, ordinary Sword Cultivators would typically require a century to grasp it, and that’s assuming they possessed a corresponding Thunder Attribute Flying Sword.
Yet Li Mo grasped the Lower Level Thunder Attribute Sword Intent out of thin air.
The swarm of Sword Ghosts pursuing the Hui Dragon began to lose their target, floundering aimlessly like headless flies. Eventually, they were attracted by the disturbances elsewhere in the district.
The Sword Cultivators couldn’t help but curse under their breath, though they could do nothing but resign themselves to collateral damage.
"Not bad, yet another Sword Ghost tenant of the Corpse Mountain has reached the Divine Separation Stage."
Even though a "Wine Lees Heart" could subtly nourish the Corpse Mountain Tenants, achieving the Divine Separation Stage still required centuries of effort.
Each and every Divine Separation Stage corpse was of immense value to Li Mo.
Li Mo seized his Lifebound Flying Sword, observing the Spirit Root Worm parasitizing Changqing’s body. The Externalized Dharma Body was perpetually stuck within a very real Illusion Realm.
The Spirit Root Worm was already approaching the level of a High Grade Magical Treasure. If not for Li Mo’s continuous suppression, it might have already followed the path of Transformation.
"As an Artifact Refiner, I nearly ended up with no Magic Treasure to wield. Unforgivable."
Li Mo’s mind shifted slightly.
Changqing was directly pulled into the Melting Furnace, fiery flames consuming his Externalized Dharma Body, funneling the vast Spiritual Energy harvested into the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
The transformation of the Mini World rapidly accelerated, its area doubling in size.
Changqing, only after his Externalized Dharma Body was gravely injured, belatedly realized he had been trapped in an illusion. By then, it was far too late to escape the furnace’s binding chains.
Soon, his consciousness was enveloped in unending darkness, drowning in regret.
Chaos unfurled within the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
The Plant and Tree Cultivators successively broke through their bottlenecks, while He Guo and Zhang Guo had already attained the Core Formation Stage, guiding Spiritual Energy to cleanse the bodies of their kindred.
The main peak quaked violently, bit by bit detaching from the ground and looming high in the air.
"The foundations of the Corpse Mountain Mini World are far too robust. In time, it will undoubtedly ascend to the level of a Spiritual Treasure. When that occurs, it will be capable of birthing all manner of worldly resources."
"Heh... hahahaha!"
Li Mo let out a burst of bizarre laughter. The Ten Thousand Transformation Sword Infant likewise busied itself, driving Flying Swords to feast on corpses and rapidly replenish the depleted Lifebound Flying Sword.
He stood atop the tavern, with dozens of Lifebound Flying Swords whirling in dance around him.
A Liu Li jar containing Changqing’s organs was placed in front of him, where the special Corpse Wine kept the organs fresh and even faintly pulsating.
The sight made Ye Zhuo Daoist’s scalp tingle.
Suddenly, he realized what the raw materials behind Li Mo’s brewing truly were.
Meticulously inspecting the Liu Li jar, Li Mo commented, "Interesting. The newborn Sword Ghosts possess not only the characteristics of Deceitful Objects but also the potential to serve as Divine Separation Stage corpses. Truly top-quality resources."
"I can’t allow the situation during the Tomb-Sweeping Festival to remain under control—it’d be a waste of an opportunity if I didn’t take advantage of it. Besides..."
"The Fire Spirit Hall is currently teetering on the edge of crisis. Hahaha..."
The Cave God’s Eye on Li Mo’s forehead began to spin, bringing every corner of the city into view.
In their struggle against the Deceitful Objects, the Sword Cultivators inevitably unleashed considerable chaos, inevitably attracting even more Sword Ghosts.
"Fellow Daoists, allow me to lend you a helping hand."
Li Mo twisted his thoughts; Yang Attribute Lifebound Flying Swords shot forth like a torrent.
The Sun Sword Intent surged into the heavens.
The assembled Sword Cultivators were taken aback. Who on earth could simultaneously command a hundred Lifebound Flying Swords, each imbued with disparate Sword Intents?
"Go."
The Hidden Thunder Sword Intent rendered the Flying Swords visible as they dissolved into invisibility.
Li Mo had no intention of engaging in direct combat, instead commanding his Flying Swords to disperse, scouring the Fire Spirit Hall for isolated Sword Ghosts or simply scavenging and seizing Sword Ghosts that had recently fallen.
Of course, the Lifebound Flying Swords absorbed some of the burden by necessity.
Li Mo sat cross-legged. One by one, the Lifebound Flying Swords returned from every direction, delivering Sword Ghost corpses to the Spider Sword Orb.
Before long, the Liu Li jars piled up higher and higher.
An intense gleam filled Li Mo’s gaze.
The Sword Ghosts’ Five Internal Organs remained uncorrupted, and their Middle Dantians still held remnants of Spiritual Power.
The Spiritual Energy tides created solely by the Middle Dantians of the Sword Ghosts were enough to propel the Corpse Mountain toward an early ascension to High Grade Magical Treasure. As expected, danger always accompanies fortune.
Li Mo’s unrestrained actions rendered Ye Zhuo Daoist speechless, prompting him to withdraw his Blood Soul while observing Li Mo’s continuous dissection of Sword Ghosts with a wry smile, fearful that Li Mo had already succumbed to the influence of the Deceitful Objects.
On the surface, Li Mo’s appearance indeed resembled that of a Deceitful Object far more closely.
A towering body over seven meters tall, flanked by countless arms sprouting from his ribs, with Yin-Yang dual eyes and the Cave God’s Eye on his forehead billowing thick smoke.
After dealing with the Sword Ghosts, Li Mo opened the mouth in his palm and devoured the Liu Li jars. The oppressive Sword Intent within him only grew more terrifying.
With Changqing offering a prime example, no matter how resentful other Sword Cultivators might feel, none dared to provoke Li Mo.
In their eyes, Li Mo was a complete madman, already deeply eroded by dozens of Sword Intents—a ticking time bomb on the verge of losing control.
Li Mo showed no concern. In a mere hour, he had amassed several dozen Sword Ghost corpses.
The sheer volume of Spiritual Energy would be sufficient to cultivate large Spirit Stone Veins within the Corpse Mountain Mini World, with even a chance of nurturing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects surpassing the grade of Top Grade Spiritual Material.
"Hahaha..."
"Fortune favors the bold. Timing is everything."
The Lifebound Flying Swords struggled to confront the newborn Sword Ghosts directly, but with Sword Cultivators standing guard, however reluctant they might be, Li Mo could unopposedly claim his prize.
Li Mo no longer held back, hundreds of Lifebound Flying Swords piercing through his orifices.
Because they didn’t share the Yang Attribute, the other Lifebound Flying Swords couldn’t benefit from the Hidden Thunder Sword Intent, inevitably creating disturbances that attracted the Sword Ghosts’ attention.
The other Sword Cultivators initially thought the loss of his Lifebound Flying Swords would impact Li Mo significantly.
As it turned out, Li Mo himself proved even more exaggerated than the Blood Flesh Banyan Tree transformed grave mound. His supply of Lifebound Flying Swords seemed endless as they rejoined the fray without end.
What they didn’t realize was that Li Mo’s Ten Thousand Transformation Sword Infant had yet to ascend to the Divine Separation Stage; its might was entirely dependent on the augmentation from the Yang Thunder Sword Bone.
Ye Zhuo Daoist felt awkward, sensing that his own presence was entirely unnecessary.
Li Mo glanced at the tavern, speaking softly, "The bookkeeper is dead. The second floor of the tavern is now vacant. Ye Zhuo, bring four of the trapped sword platforms upstairs and claim the guest quarters for yourself."
"Understood."
Ye Zhuo Daoist nodded slightly. Beili Riverbank, after all, was a place of refuge. Securing more space in the tavern could only bring benefits.
With Li Mo nearby, Ye Zhuo Daoist no longer hesitated with timidity.
Within a mere ten minutes, the entire second floor of the tavern had been locked down with trapped sword platforms.
Ye Zhuo Daoist even experimented with using the Monks’ Taboo to blanket the courtyard, sprouting over a dozen White Bone Bodhi Trees, their branches laden with hanging skulls.
Li Mo nodded in satisfaction. It had to be said, Ye Zhuo Daoist indeed had an eye for seizing opportunities.
"It should be possible to push the Corpse Mountain to ascend as a High Grade Magical Treasure before the spring outing concludes."
"After all, with the Corpse Mountain in hand, if necessary, retreating into the Mini World is always an option. High Grade Magical Treasures are exceedingly difficult to destroy by external forces."