Chapter 288: Chapter 46: Outbreak of Uncertainty Period Death Disease_3
With three Nascent Souls, Li Mo possessed power far superior to others in the same realm, yet the corresponding downside was even more horrifying symptoms of illness.
The Ancestor Platform fell silent, and the Si Rui Pavilion had not reappeared since.
During the twenty years of awaiting the Uncertainty Period Death Disease, Li Mo’s bones dislocated throughout his body, only for bone spurs to cram the gaps between his joints.
He deeply felt the despair of the old ancestor from Niu Village.
The old ancestor was merely a mortal, yet had lived for a millennia, leaving his body to rot like a cage, trapped immobile in the coffin within the ancestral hall.
With a conscious mind, he could feel his body gradually decaying under the encroachment of the Death Disease.
Thankfully, Li Mo could manipulate cancer cells, influencing the Death Disease within a limited scope, and he knew he wouldn’t succumb to the Uncertainty Period Death Disease.
But whether he could pass through the disease unscathed remained an unknown variable.
Li Mo directed the growing bones to avoid vital organs. If the Middle Dantian were damaged, his foundation would inevitably be critically injured, leading to a vicious cycle from the Death Disease.
In the first fifty years of the Uncertainty Period Death Disease’s encroachment, he could still perform simple movements with his limbs, but soon, he completely lost sensation in his bones.
From the pond came the dense clatter of bones colliding.
The Tattooed Beasts were on high alert, even the Mountain Demons restrained their usual recklessness and cautiously inspected the formations within the Taiyin Law Heaven.
"Interesting."
Li Mo noticed something peculiar about the Uncertainty Period Death Disease.
Before its full onset, the Uncertainty Period Death Disease merely caused bone proliferation and reinforcement, which, in a certain sense, was beneficial to Cultivators.
The premise, of course, was that the disease could be controlled.
"Was the Death Disease deliberately engineered or purely accidental?"
"If it was engineered, could the initial intention have been to aid mortals in metamorphosis and rebirth?"
"Ugh..."
Li Mo let out a muffled grunt as the Uncertainty Period Death Disease abruptly erupted. The first sensation was an unparalleled blazing heat within his spine.
The Bone-Growth Wine in the pond began to boil, and the water level rapidly dropped.
The Tattooed Beasts dared not hesitate and busied themselves around the pond.
Li Mo had communicated with them beforehand that once the Uncertainty Period Death Disease erupted, they were to spare no Bone-Growth Wine, maintaining the water level above the body.
Simultaneously, the Tattooed Beasts threw various spiritual materials that enhanced bone density into the wine.
The Corpse Mountain Mini World wasn’t idle, either.
Under Zhang Guo’s leadership, hundreds of thousands of Grass and Wood Cultivators knelt before the No-Life God Statue, an immense flow of nutrients nourished Li Mo through the statue.
The nutrients from the Grass and Wood Cultivators immediately suppressed the Uncertainty Period Death Disease.
However, Li Mo dared not overexploit them. Striving to keep a balance among the Grass and Wood Cultivators, excessive deaths would adversely affect the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
Crack, crack, crack.
The sound of bones shattering echoed incessantly, and the proliferated bones gradually dissolved.
Li Mo’s strategy was simple: delay the dissolution of the bones as much as possible to protect the core spine from damage.
He watched intently as the bones succumbed to decay.
About half a year later, the proliferated bones turned into blackened, foul-smelling marrow.
Shortly after, a tingling numbness spread through his limbs, and his nails began to fall off.
Li Mo remained impassive as one small Mountain Spider after another scurried within his bones, stationed at the joints of his limbs to slow the spread of the Death Disease.
Meanwhile, the cancer cells were locked in a protracted struggle with the disease.
Li Mo didn’t celebrate this slight reprieve; he understood just how terrifying the Death Disease was.
Soon, black spots emerged indiscriminately across his bones. The Magic Treasures could no longer hold the defenses at one point and had to form a protective perimeter around the spine.
The spine began to writhe slightly, and the erosion from the Death Disease surged forth relentlessly.
No chance was given for Li Mo to react.
The spine convulsed violently, with porcupine-like spines emerging from its surface.
"Damn it."
Li Mo’s scalp tingled. His encounter with the Uncertainty Period Death Disease was undoubtedly extraordinary—since when did a disease activate the spine?
The Blood Soul tightly bound the spine, while the cancer cells permeated it inside and out.
The Mountain Spiders faltered under the corrosion of the Death Disease. Half of the Magic Treasures were already damaged, recovering only partially after consuming Innate Essence.
The Uncertainty Period Death Disease seized upon Li Mo’s efforts to handle the spine, causing the bones in his limbs to dissolve.
Li Mo’s eyes widened as blood streamed from his facial orifices upon losing the protection of his skull.
Without the head’s bony protection, the Bone-Growth Wine seeped into his brain, causing a drunken dizziness, with light and shadow swirling before his eyes.
The Three Nascent Souls could no longer remain detached and joined the battle after leaving the Dantian.
The Soul-devouring Demon Infant communicated with the No-Life God Statue, expelling nutrients from the Grass and Wood Cultivators to repair his bones.
The Chaos Beast Infant initiated the beastification of his flesh and organs, shielding the violently unstable spine.
Pu Dao’s Artifact Infant infused magnetic light into all his bones, displaying effects that even the Nascent Soul’s Innate Taoist Body couldn’t replicate against the Uncertainty Period Death Disease.
"Imprint it for me!!!"
Li Mo flipped open the Creation Book, and a shadow of his spine appeared on the blank page. The Uncertainty Period Death Disease seemed to abate, entering into a standoff.
Swirls emerged on the water surface as the Bone-Growth Wine was swallowed up entirely at a voracious pace.
The Tattooed Beasts all turned their gaze toward the pond, noticing Li Mo enduring cycles of bone growth and dissolution. Their skins grew a shade of purplish blue from anxiety.
Every last drop of Bone-Growth Wine was poured into the pond.
The Tattooed Beasts gradually returned to Li Mo’s body, circulating within his flesh, sparing no effort even for the slightest sliver of aid.
The Death Disease tormented Li Mo for a full ten years.
Not only did his cultivation level stagnate during these ten years, but his Three Nascent Souls also became lethargic and weakened, with Pu Dao’s Artifact Infant nearly regressing to the Dead Baby Stage.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Li Mo coughed until his face turned red, awkwardly rising to his feet.
All the bones in his body had finally regrown, and the Uncertainty Period Death Disease left no lingering harm, though he had been thoroughly worn out.
Li Mo leaned weakly against the edge of the pond, taking half a day to collect himself.
"Having survived the Uncertainty Period Death Disease, the next challenge will be the Destiny Awareness Period Death Disease."
The Destiny Awareness Period Death Disease would erupt when Li Mo turned a thousand years old, with its main symptoms manifesting as the ’intelligence of internal organs,’ where every organ would rebel.