Chapter 257: Chapter 23: Promotion to Nascent Soul Stage [Soul-devouring Demon Infant]
The meaning of Detachment Jiazhu is a technique used to craft statues.
Li Mo occasionally heard about it while in the pawn shop; Miscellaneous Hall excels at Detachment Jiazhu, using it to forge numerous top-quality Magic Artifact Embryos.
The Divine Skill of Detachment Jiazhu awakened in the temple radiates a distinctly sinister aura.
Detachment Jiazhu is unexpectedly connected to the Lifeless Sculpture, allowing it to be transformed into the Middle Dantian and bestowed upon his followers.
This special Middle Dantian is called the "Lifeless Dantian."
After the followers obtain the Lifeless Dantian, their cultivation efficiency in Turbid Blood Spiritual Power drastically improves, though their cultivation level can never reach that of Li Mo.
They will always be one realm lower.
Through the Lifeless Dantian, Li Mo can extract spiritual power from his followers at any time or even utilize Detachment Jiazhu to influence their thoughts.
He has no fear of rebellion from his followers, as with the Lifeless Dantian, a single thought could cause the followers to succumb to deviation and die.
What surprised Li Mo the most was that even if the temple was destroyed, it could be recreated through the Lifeless Dantian, almost devoid of any drawbacks.
Li Mo suspected that the Divine Skill’s ability to regenerate is connected to the Lifeless Body integrated into the temple.
During the Core Formation Stage, a total of twenty Lifeless Statues can be nurtured; in the Nascent Soul Stage, a hundred Lifeless Sculptures can be formed; and in the Divine Separation Stage, this number could exceed five hundred.
Relying on Detachment Jiazhu, Li Mo could establish his own sect, founding a new Lifeless Sect—as long as he doesn’t attract the attention of the Twelve Immortals.
Li Mo closed his eyes and activated Detachment Jiazhu, but seeing his followers were all Plant and Tree Cultivators, he dismissed the idea of granting them Lifeless Dantians.
Plant and Tree Cultivators are unique to the Corpse Mountain Mini World, and he hoped to develop them in a manner more closely aligned with the essence of Magic Treasures.
While the Lifeless Dantian could elevate their upper limit, it would also seal the Plant and Tree Cultivators’ progression.
As the Creation Book’s imprint concluded, the Turbid Blood Golden Core stirred restlessly, seeking a breakthrough beyond the Core Formation Stage’s bottleneck.
This time, Li Mo did not suppress it, allowing the Turbid Blood Golden Core to seize the opportunity for transformation.
Tattooed Beasts began burrowing into his flesh; being of the same origin as Li Mo, they sensed an impending transformation of detachment and rebirth.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the Nascent Soul Stage drew ever closer, the Turbid Blood Golden Core throbbed like a beating heart, its Divine Sense eyes spinning wildly, just a step away.
Li Mo dared not delay further, hurriedly activating the Lifeless All Directions Spirit Festival, channeling Turbid Blood Spiritual Power through his meridians, eventually aggregating it in the Golden Core.
Though the Turbid Blood Golden Core belonged to the Devil Sect, he had still laid down a solid foundation.
Which meant that breaking the Golden Core into a Nascent Soul was not as effortless as it might seem.
No matter what, the Turbid Blood Golden Core could at least touch upon the Nascent Soul Stage, while his other two Golden Cores remained mere shells of death.
Even though Li Mo had spent decades away from the Sub-Device Sect, he had numerous attempts at cracking open the Flawless Golden Core’s hard shell, all failing to detect a breakthrough opportunity. To him, the two Golden Cores seemed like stillborn creations.
With the emergence of the Turbid Blood Golden Core, even the Mist Smoke Ash Golden Core began to stir.
A constant chorus of baby cries filled the space.
Li Mo felt endlessly irritated, but fortunately, the Innate Saint stabilized his mental realm.
The temple also assisted in steadying the Turbid Blood Spiritual Power; without imprinting the Spirit Root Page, the three Golden Cores would undoubtedly have clashed within his body.
Unlike normal Golden Cores, inside the Turbid Blood Golden Core, there was no infant needing transformation into a Nascent Soul, resembling a still-undeveloped embryo instead.
The sign of the Turbid Blood Golden Core advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage was merely the surface bulging with veins.
"Hmm?"
Li Mo suddenly felt an indescribable hunger welling up, his body drained of strength in an instant, a sense of weakness pervading him inside and out.
"Hungry, hungry, hungry..."
The Turbid Blood Golden Core muttered indistinctly, as a fissure opened beneath its Divine Sense eyes.
Within moments, the fissure transformed into a bloodthirsty maw, greedily devouring the Turbid Blood Spiritual Power in the temple; his Dantian dried up in an instant.
"Hungry, hungry, hungry..."
The Turbid Blood Golden Core smacked its lips.
With no Spiritual Power left in the temple, it turned its attention to Li Mo, absorbing nutrients from his blood, flesh, and bones.
Li Mo frowned slightly; since the Turbid Blood Spiritual Power was yet to be imprinted, it began to display infant-like primitive intelligence.
Fortunately, with the temple in place, the Turbid Blood Golden Core would at least not slip out of his control.
"The higher you climb the Ascension Ladder, the more terrifying it becomes."
Li Mo pulled out a dozen bottles filled with Turbid Blood Spirit Qi from the storage bag and downed them, trying to satisfy the Golden Core’s hunger.
The Turbid Blood Spiritual Power continued clamoring for more.
Li Mo’s body released cracking sounds from his bones as he grew increasingly emaciated, with Grand Cancer Overwhelming Heaven teetering on the brink of collapse.
Seeing this, he stimulated the Lower Dantian’s Nourishing Yuan Fruit, unleashing a century’s worth of Innate Essence into the temple.
The crying of the Turbid Blood Golden Core ceased abruptly, ravenously absorbing the Innate Essence, and its size began expanding visibly.
Li Mo seized the moment to recover his vitality, making the process of advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage smooth and uneventful.
"Sigh..."
He hadn’t wanted to squander the Nourishing Yuan Fruit, as most of its medicinal power had been used to nourish his Taoist Body, Magic Treasure, and Tattooed Beasts, leaving only a small amount.
The Turbid Blood Golden Core had consumed a century’s worth in mere moments—it was hard not to feel heartache.
Soon, the transformations in the Turbid Blood Golden Core became earth-shattering; it began forming rudiments of limbs and facial features, eerily resembling Li Mo by eighty percent.
However, the Turbid Blood Golden Core clutched a string of bloodied intestines in its hand.
"Just a little further..."
Li Mo did not stop absorbing Spirit Qi, while also utilizing the Innate Saint’s ability to convert the remaining two streams of Spiritual Power into Turbid Blood Spiritual Power.
"Waaaaahhh!"
The Turbid Blood Golden Core grew a body, while its head continued to expand out of proportion.
Eyes emerged all over its forehead, with the most central one resembling the Cave God’s Eye; when it rotated, countless trapped souls writhed within.
The Turbid Blood Golden Core opened its mouth, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth that filled its cavity.
It had no tongue, and staring at its maw for too long gave the illusion of one’s soul being dragged out, akin to mythological grim reapers hooking and stealing souls.
Li Mo widened his eyes in astonishment as the Turbid Blood Spiritual Power advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage.
"Using the Innate Qi as the ultimate medicine, accumulating it to completion; True Yang is the body’s Primordial Essence, True Yin is the Primordial Spirit, transmuting Yin and Yang into the Taiji through the Nascent Soul..."
"Then the Great Dao is achieved!"
The Nascent Soul in the temple, however, remained motionless, suddenly losing all vitality, like a corpse roaming in the Dantian.
Li Mo was not surprised, as this was the normal state of a Nascent Soul.
It signified that he’d entered the initial Nascent Soul Stage sub-realm, the "Dead Infancy Stage."
Each cultivator’s Nascent Soul varies due to differences in physique, spiritual power, and magical techniques.
Upon reaching the Dead Infancy Stage, a cultivator learns the true name of their Nascent Soul.
By chanting this true name with Divine Sense, the Nascent Soul can be partially controlled. Immortal Sects have developed numerous techniques to restrain Nascent Souls.
Though Li Mo had the Creation Book, he wasn’t interested in techniques to control Nascent Souls, although he knew some could better harness them.
Moreover, the true name isn’t fixed forever.
At each sub-realm advancement, the Nascent Soul’s true name evolves, ultimately stabilizing as Externalized Dharma Body upon reaching the Divine Separation Stage.
Li Mo’s Turbid Blood Nascent Soul was named [Devourer Soul Demon Infant], fitting perfectly with the Devil Sect’s style.
The second Nascent Soul Stage sub-realm is "Corpse Infant Stage."
In the Corpse Infant Stage, it integrates one of the Three Souls, transitioning from death to life, allowing cultivators to freely control it—but requiring constant vigilance against Nascent Soul backlash.
The third Nascent Soul Stage sub-realm is "Qi Infant Stage."
In the Qi Infant Stage, it integrates two of the Three Souls; its intelligence starts to emerge, necessitating assistance from spiritual power to temper its ferocity until it harmonizes with the cultivator’s consciousness.
The final Nascent Soul Stage sub-realm is "Birth Infant Stage."
In the Birth Infant Stage, it fully integrates with the Three Souls and can exist externally for long durations. If the cultivator dies, their consciousness can seize the Nascent Soul to survive.
The process of cultivating in the Nascent Soul Stage involves nurturing the growth of the Nascent Soul.
"Devourer Soul Demon Infant."
Li Mo muttered the name, prompting the Devourer Soul Demon Infant to stir faintly, as though it barely had the strength to open its eyes.
"The Nascent Soul is truly fascinating, entirely different from the ancient Cultivation World’s system."
He activated Grand Cancer Overwhelming Heaven, summoning countless cancer cells to his palm, causing his flesh to mutate grotesquely, forming a hideous mouth.
The mouth opened slightly.
Pressure surged within the Taiyin Law Heaven, toppling the planted grass and wood.
From Li Mo’s palm emerged the head of a skinned, blood-red infant, with over a hundred eyes filled with pure malice.
The Devourer Soul Demon Infant fully manifested in the outside world, devoid of any hint of lifelessness.
In truth, the reason the initial Nascent Soul Stage is called the Dead Infancy Stage is primarily due to the Middle Dantian’s suppression of the Nascent Soul.
This forces the Nascent Soul into voluntary dormancy.
If the Nascent Soul escapes the confines of the Middle Dantian, it reveals its fearsome side.
The Taiyin Law Heaven struggled under the pressure; being a cave mansion-type Magic Artifact, it wasn’t known for its durability. This of course highlighted the ferocious nature of the Devourer Soul Demon Infant.
In less than half a breath, the Devourer Soul Demon Infant expanded in size with the wind.
Li Mo smiled as he stood still, an oppressive seven-to-eight-meter shadow looming behind him—the palpable aura of the Nascent Soul.
Bam.
The Devourer Soul Demon Infant stomped a foot, causing the ground to crack in intricate patterns.
"Hungry, hungry, hungry..."
The Devourer Soul Demon Infant opened its mouth wide, an array of sharp teeth emanating an immense suction force.
Grass and wood spiraled into its mouth, serving as its first meal post-birth, though it seemed unsatisfied, growing increasingly agitated.
The Devourer Soul Demon Infant’s gaze turned toward Li Mo, its hunger visibly insatiable.
Thick, sticky black saliva dripped from its lips.
"Hungry!!!"
The Devourer Soul Demon Infant’s maw stretched to its limit, lunging toward Li Mo, its suction force shaking the cavern.
"It seems Nascent Souls are impossible to tame; not even a minute passes before it tries to attack me."
Li Mo deftly sidestepped the attack, appearing above the Devourer Soul Demon Infant mid-air, and delivered a crushing punch.
Being fragile in the Dead Infancy Stage, just one blow sent the Devourer Soul Demon Infant tumbling dozens of meters away.
The Devourer Soul Demon Infant lay bloodied and terrified, struggling to rise only to be pinned down by Li Mo’s finger.
"The Dead Infancy Stage is indeed delicate; drawing it out of the Dantian makes it overwhelmingly offensive yet defensively weak."
"It seems I’ll need to procure some Nascent Soul techniques from the Lifeless Sect."
While muttering to himself, the Devourer Soul Demon Infant’s shadow emerged on the blank page; sensing danger, it whimpered in submission.
Li Mo showed no hesitation with the blank page.
He watched as the Creation Book brazenly intervened and erased the Devourer Soul Demon Infant’s autonomous consciousness, leaving only its instincts and basic behaviors.
"Heh-heh, now that the Nascent Soul is imprinted, I wonder what Tao Seed Divine Powers will awaken from this."