Chapter 262: Chapter 28: Having Immortals, 13 Immortals
"Little Junior Brother, it’s me, your Sixth Senior Sister..."
Mou Miaoqing’s true form was grotesquely deformed, her entire being resembling a mountain of amber, her flesh brimming with countless savage and twisted corpses.
One could even see that the number of corpses seemed to be continuously increasing, causing Mou Miaoqing’s blood and flesh to expand and proliferate ever more.
The countless white bones, compressed and deformed, sprouted like mushrooms after a rain in the mountain valleys.
The oppressive aura was almost tangible.
For those at the Nascent Soul Stage, the Divine Separation Stage cultivators were entities at the apex of the food chain, utterly incomparable by measure—let alone that the Twelve Immortals’ power far exceeded ordinary Divine Separation cultivators.
As Mou Miaoqing revealed herself, all demon cultivators except Li Mo were plunged into mental collapse, curling up and quivering in terror.
"Impossible, this is impossible!!!"
The Xin Chuan Demon howled frantically, showing signs of his Nascent Soul collapsing; his book-like core form instantly turned withered and ancient.
The Seven-Colored Nascent Soul pointed outside the window at Mou Miaoqing, shouting, "You’ve all been deceived! That is nothing but an illusion of the No-Life Sect, it’s absolutely..."
Before Xin Chuan Demon could finish speaking, his Nascent Soul clutched its chest.
The light and shadows emanating from the Seven-Colored Nascent Soul distorted, and its flesh began to mutate uncontrollably, attempting to crawl back into its core body that seemed merely inches away.
"Don’t kill me, Dan Fairy..."
His Nascent Soul disintegrated into ash. In his final moments, deep regret flickered in his eyes as his gaze landed on Li Mo, who stood by the Daoist temple window with an expression of indifference.
"Hahaha, so the No-Life Mother HAS taken a new disciple! Thirteen Immortals! A splendid Thirteen Immortals!"
The book fell to the ground, no longer bearing any traces of a demon cultivator.
From start to finish, Mou Miaoqing had not made a single move against Xin Chuan Demon. Just resisting her aura instinctively had frightened a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator of the Human Demon Sect to death.
The remaining demon cultivators dared not act recklessly.
One by one, they transformed into the most mundane objects within the room, voluntarily sealing off their five senses, not daring to glimpse at the secrets emanating from the No-Life Sect.
Yet still.
Mou Miaoqing’s spine-chilling laughter continued to burrow straight into their ears.
Several muffled thuds came from the room. Two more followed Xin Chuan Demon to their demise, rendering the atmosphere within Skywell Inn unbearably grim.
Mou Miaoqing scrutinized Li Mo for a moment, grinning as she said, "Your Tenth Senior Sister chose a good Junior Brother. Thirteenth Junior Brother, don’t let THEM take your place now, hehe..."
Li Mo was on edge as if sitting on pins and needles. Although Mou Miaoqing deliberately diverted her aura away from him, her colossal presence was enough to flood his mind with chaotic thoughts.
As Mou Miaoqing approached Skywell Inn, the earthen jars beneath the bed suddenly trembled, as if something within them couldn’t wait to emerge.
Li Mo could hear hoarse voices repeating the word "Senior Sister" from within the dozen or so jars.
The corners of his mouth twitched as he resisted the discomfort in his heart, bowing respectfully and saying, "Many thanks to Sixth Senior Sister. This Junior Brother offers Supreme Qing Tian’s highest gratitude."
"Hehehe."
Mou Miaoqing’s laugh was both seductive and soul-consuming. Paired with her peerless visage, one could only imagine how dazzlingly beautiful she must have been ten millennia ago.
But ever since becoming one of the Twelve Immortals, she had completely shed her human semblance.
A breeze swept through.
Mou Miaoqing’s figure vanished into the thick mist, leaving behind two or three dozen demon cultivators who felt utterly relieved, yet completely drained of strength.
Li Mo let out a sigh of relief.
The sixth disciple under the No-Life Mother, Mou Miaoqing, also known as Dan Fairy, bore a revered title that was far less famed than Doumu Primordial Lord or Golden Light Saint Mother.
Mou Miaoqing’s honored title was "Plague Immortal." While she had few temples, her incense offerings were plentiful.
The Plague Immortal’s duties encompassed spreading pestilence and disease, yet amidst the rampant Death Disease, she had come to be subtly linked to immortality.
Mortals primarily feared the Plague Immortal, but most physicians held her in high regard.
Although Han Cai wasn’t a follower of the Plague Immortal, he would still burn incense and offer prayers before conducting risky surgeries, seeking peace of mind.
One by one, the demon cultivators began to regain their awareness.
Upon awakening, they all instinctively looked toward Li Mo, noticing that he was busy collecting the corpses and various resources scattered within the room.
By now, none of the demon cultivators harbored any desire to fight over resources.
Based on Li Mo’s outward appearance, his cultivation was still officially at the Dead Baby Stage, yet the aberrant phenomena accompanying his summoned Soul-devouring Demon Infant left them baffled about what was true or false.
It was plain to all that the Twelve Immortals had existed for at least several millennia.
There were only scant records regarding the No-Life Mother, suggesting an even greater antiquity. Throughout the Devil Sect’s history, there had never been any reports of changes among the Twelve Immortals.
What kind of talent did someone like Li Mo possess to be accepted as a disciple by the No-Life Mother?
Or perhaps, the No-Life Sect had always harbored a hidden Thirteenth Immortal, who had simply never revealed themselves, making it impossible to fathom.
"No-Life Mother, True Void Hometown."
Li Mo mumbled to himself in a probing tone. Seeing the fear flicker in the eyes of the demon cultivators, he decided not to leave Skywell Inn immediately, opting instead to gather some information.
He had considered exterminating all the demon cultivators while they were caught off guard.
However, with over twenty to thirty of them present, confronting a coordinated assault would undoubtedly end poorly, especially since some demon cultivators had not revealed themselves from start to finish.
"I am indeed titled Supreme Qing Tian, the Thirteenth Disciple under the No-Life Mother."
Once Li Mo affirmatively claimed this, the room was momentarily filled with dazed expressions from the demon cultivators.
The news was absolutely earth-shattering.
If such information spread across the Devil Sect factions, it would inevitably cause massive upheaval, potentially triggering a reshuffling centered around the No-Life Sect.
Luo Kai of the Skin Painting Sect, observing Li Mo’s relatively composed demeanor, spoke up, "I’ve long heard of Supreme Qing Tian’s celestial temples, but who would’ve thought you were one of the Thirteen Immortals of the No-Life Sect."
"I’ve admired you for a long time. Please forgive us; our smaller sects have such limited scope."
Clearly a Dead Baby Stage demon cultivator, Luo Kai nonetheless adopted a junior’s posture in front of Li Mo, even wishing he could humbly request guidance from him.
"Indeed, if not for Supreme Qing Tian speaking on our behalf, Sixth Senior Sister probably wouldn’t have spared us so leniently..."
The rest of the demon cultivators echoed similar sentiments.
In an instant, Skywell Inn began to resemble a Way-Seeking Gathering from the ancient cultivation world, with mutual humility on display and no trace of hostility among peers in their words.
Li Mo responded sparsely.
The demon cultivators awkwardly vied to explain the intricacies of Skywell Inn, blatantly treating Li Mo as their leader while discretely observing his reactions out of the corner of their eyes.
Any hint of displeasure from him sent them into a frenzy of anxiety.
From their conversations, Li Mo learned that the Devil Sect referred to Skywell Inn as the "Skywell Secret Realm." Over thousands of years, they had exploited its cycles for gain.
They had always assumed the Twelve Immortals were rigid in their actions, unaware that they possessed the same intelligence as humans.
Before Li Mo encountered Luo Fu Immortal, Mou Miaoqing’s apparitions would refine batches of elixirs in Skywell Inn every fifty years.
After Luo Fu Immortal began accepting disciples on behalf of their master, Mou Miaoqing shifted to crafting divine statues, now appearing once every twenty years.
"I trust you all have spare elixirs, yes? Exchange them with me for resources."
Li Mo wielded his newfound authority, forcibly bartering spiritual materials for a few of the elixirs refined by Mou Miaoqing, even if the demon cultivators were reluctant.
Regrettably, most of the elixirs had already been consumed by the cultivators.
"When we return to the mortal world, I will ensure my sect knows not to disturb the Thirteen Immortals in Skywell Secret Realm ever again..."
Realizing the inappropriate nature of his words, a demon cultivator’s face turned ashen as he hastily corrected himself, "No, I meant Skywell Inn. How foolish of me—please forgive me."
He knocked his head against the ground, his gaze flickering nervously toward the window.
"No harm done. The Senior Sisters are well aware of your presence in Skywell Inn. They simply chose not to expose you."
The demon cultivators exchanged uneasy glances, their hearts churned with complex emotions. They realized that the strength of the No-Life Sect was vastly underestimated by the Devil Sect.
"Supreme Qing Tian, this was all Xin Chuan Demon’s scheme."
"Xin Chuan Demon was skilled in Human Demon Sect spells that could manipulate minds. Wang Jinyong was under his control, his methods extremely subtle and hard to detect..."
"There are still two Human Demon Sect cultivators in Skywell Inn; they must also be tied to Xin Chuan Demon."
"Don’t speak nonsense! Everyone knows Xin Chuan Demon and I are not from the same lineage and barely maintained a cordial relationship..."
The room grew noisy once more, the tension building into a powder keg.
Li Mo paid them no heed and flipped through the book into which Xin Chuan Demon had transformed. The book now bore no visible trace of its former life as a demon cultivator.
After his demise, Xin Chuan Demon’s corpse had been refined into a top-grade magic artifact embryo, etched with cryptic scriptures seemingly tied to the No-Life Sect.
Li Mo stored the artifact embryo, noting that the book could potentially contribute to deciphering the End-of-the-World Dao Seed.
As a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator, Xin Chuan Demon might have known about Divine Separation Stage techniques, making his remnants immensely valuable to Li Mo.
Li Mo resolved to leave Skywell Inn.
The earthen jars beneath the bed returned to stillness, though trickles of blood seeped from their seals.
Now targeted by the Twelve Immortals, Li Mo had no optimal countermeasure, especially as he still sought to obtain a Divine Separation Stage cultivation technique.
He would simply have to take things step by step.
For now, the benefits outweighed the risks. At least the Twelve Immortals had given him access to the inner workings of the Devil Sect.
Moreover, the spread of Li Mo’s title had not yet caused trouble; it was merely spreading rapidly. Occasionally, mortals would inexplicably discover temples dedicated to him in remote, wilderness locations, dubbing it an eerie phenomenon.
"I shall withdraw from Skywell Inn for now. Everything here will remain as it was."
Li Mo swept his gaze across the demon cultivators, asking coolly, "Do any of you have means to contact the outside world or know of any demon cultivators’ black markets?"
The demon cultivators instinctively turned their eyes toward a Bone Sect cultivator who resembled an incense burner.
Daoist Zi Yan chuckled nervously, then flames blazed to life in his hollow sockets, causing his skull to visibly shrink.
Soon after, he opened his mouth, spitting out an incense burner made of white bone.
"The Bone Sect has run the Bone Cave for generations. It’s a demon market rivaling the ports in scale. Of course, from within Skywell Inn, we can’t access it."
Li Mo gave a slight nod, accepting the White Bone Incense Burner for closer inspection.
He found the White Bone Incense Burner to be more akin to a unique conduit than a magical artifact, seemingly linked to a sealed-off small world.
"Light the Soul Summoning Grass in the incense burner, Supreme Qing Tian, and let your consciousness depart your body to enter," Daoist Zi Yan explained, extolling the virtues of the Bone Cave and repeatedly emphasizing the safety of the small world. None of the other demon cultivators voiced objection.
Li Mo fiddled with the White Bone Incense Burner before reaching out to communicate with the No-Life Sculpture in the larger world.
Moments later, Li Mo’s figure vanished from Skywell Inn, leaving the demon cultivators behind to breathe a collective sigh of relief, collapsing to their knees in silent exhaustion.
The demon cultivators voluntarily swore Heart Demon Oaths to keep the matter of the Thirteen Immortals a secret.
Li Mo knew such methods were of limited utility. Unless all twelve of his Senior Sisters remained silent, news of the No-Life Mother taking in a new disciple would soon become common knowledge.
"No matter; a higher position within the Devil Sect means access to greater benefits."
After returning to the Erosion Cave in the outer world, Li Mo stored away the No-Life God Statue and released Taiyin Law Heaven, continuing his search for a more secluded location.