Chapter 474: Chapter 99: Purple Qi Comes from the East, Enlightenment in a Single Morning
Immortals surrounded the Great Sun Sword Tomb; it was the time when the night was growing faint.
After a night of battle, the semi-tangible moon seemed on the verge of transforming into the sun, punctuated occasionally by the sharp crow of roosters.
"Lord Chaoxi!"
"Lord Chaoxi!!"
The deafening calls from the crowd in Business Leader City shook the air, and everyone, including the Immortals, looked towards the sky with fervent eyes, yet no trace of anyone could be seen.
Floating islands across the sky moved away from Business Leader City in unison, rising a thousand meters before halting.
To the disciples of the Five Sects, there clearly hadn’t been any appearance of the Dao Jun. The surroundings remained eerily void.
Even as Divine Sense swept over the area repeatedly, not a single clue could be found.
What struck fear deep into their hearts was the inexplicable sensation of danger they felt, with their Lifebound Flying Swords emitting continuous sword sounds, warning them to retreat.
Even so, the cultivators did not immediately withdraw just yet.
However, earlier, the Void Refining Stage Elders of the various sects had explicitly stated that the Dao Jun within the Demon Cave could only be confronted by Void Refining Stage cultivators, not by those in the Divine Separation Stage.
And now that the Void Refining Stage Elders were quietly observing from afar, they chose not to intervene in Business Leader City.
While the cultivators remained vigilant against the unseen Dao Jun, their attention was also repeatedly drawn to the Cancer Island.
In just moments, the Cancer Island expanded further, its surface interwoven with countless grotesque blood vessels, a horrifying sight to behold.
It was impossible to imagine what kind of sinister technique could transform a Low Grade Magical Treasure into such an unspeakable, fleshy island.
At the highest point of the Cancer Island sat Li Mo, legs crossed in meditation.
Among all the disciples of the various sects present, it seemed only he was certain of the Dao Jun’s existence.
The Creation Book continued to flip its pages ceaselessly.
In Li Mo’s view, the anomaly of the Creation Book seemed to suggest it had encountered the source of a unique, special page, yet it remained unable to draw upon its essence.
The deafening calls from Business Leader City echoed, subtly altering the atmosphere within the Demon Cave.
The Spiritual Energy seemed denser?
"Just what kind of special page could possibly make even the Creation Book this eager?"
Li Mo had pushed his Cave God’s Eye to its utmost limits.
Unfortunately, beyond sensing an unparalleled danger, even the Cave God’s Eye could not catch any trace of Lord Chaoxi.
Lord Chaoxi seemed to lack a physical form, or perhaps, could only be fully personified within the Demon Cave, making it possible to gaze upon the Dao Jun?
A transmission from Luo Yang reached Li Mo’s ears.
"Taiyi, my understanding of the Dao Jun is incomplete. If something unexpected happens, you must ensure your own safety first."
Luo Yang’s words hinted that, if absolutely necessary, Li Mo had the option to abandon his comrades.
Even if the entire Great Sun Sword Tomb was to be destroyed, losing a single Innate Immortal Seed might lead to the Sword Tomb’s exclusion from the Inner Sect.
Luo Yang had no intention of abandoning any disciples; his priority was solely to protect Li Mo.
Li Mo gave a slight nod. Should he truly need to flee, his methods far outstripped those of Luo Yang. He could easily store his comrades in the Corpse Mountain Mini World before connecting to the True Void Hometown to escape.
"Something’s off, very off. It seems even the Demon Cave’s rules are being affected..."
To be cautious, Li Mo deepened the mutation of Da Ai Mi Tian, further altering the Cancer Island.
Suddenly, the ground began to quake violently.
The Cancer Island spawned new forms of creation; fleshy pillars materialized out of thin air, their surfaces crawling with countless tiny, grotesque organs.
The organs squirmed slightly, emitting faint traces of Spiritual Energy.
Jiang Xi and the other sword cultivators exchanged glances, visibly unsettled by Li Mo’s methods, their memories flashing back to the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs.
In truth, Li Mo was deliberately mimicking the Sword Tombs through the mutation of Da Ai Mi Tian.
Each fleshy pillar constituted a simplified Spirit Gathering Array, which together formed an even larger gathering array that drew Spiritual Energy scattered throughout the Demon Cave.
The Cancer Island’s structure became increasingly intricate.
Not merely Spirit Gathering Arrays, but defensive arrays began to take shape as well.
Though these arrays posed no threat to the Void Refining Stage cultivators, their interplay was more than capable of buying time.
The erratic manipulation of cancer cells left outsiders increasingly baffled about the true nature of Cancer Island.
Was it a living being, a magical treasure, or a deceitful entity?
Just as Li Mo finished up, the sun and moon crossed paths. The dim skies transformed into daytime, presenting an awe-inspiring spectacle.
Fog rose from the ground, mingling with the thin dust that enveloped the small world.
Li Mo drew in a sharp breath.
He had glimpsed the ancient Cultivation World before, seeing a fragment of its glory; back then, Spiritual Energy was pure, and the Blessed Land Cave Heavens of sects exuded just such an aura.
Business Leader City fell into silence, broken only by the dense sounds of footsteps.
All mortals, as if guided by some unseen force, walked out of the city gates orderly, gazing eastward while murmuring the name of Lord Chaoxi.
A Taoist Child sat in the courtyard, as if listening to the teachings of a master.
The Immortals stood beneath the eaves of the Taoist School, forming Taoist Decisions and chanting scripture.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly, until suddenly, purple light spread from the eastern edge of the Demon Cave, accompanied by a drizzle falling across the small world.
"Purple Qi Comes from the East?"
Li Mo frowned slightly, his expression filled with suspicion.
The so-called Purple Qi was a form of "spirit light" born from the rising sun, classified as a unique type of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Material that had long vanished in later generations.
In ancient times, there had been a sect called Chaoyang Sect, renowned for using the Supreme Purple Qi Heart Sutra to harness this phenomenon.
They seemed capable of cultivating Acquired Dao Bodies by drawing in Purple Qi daily.
Li Mo raised an eyebrow. The Chaoyang Sect had been annihilated eight or nine thousand years ago by the Ten Thousand Demon Dao, hinting at some hidden conspiracy.
Grass and trees began to sprout, and medicinal aromas permeated the mountainous terrain.
Li Mo noticed that the environment of the Demon Cave was progressively mirroring that of the ancient Cultivation World. This was likely tied to the so-called Lord Chaoxi.
As soon as his gaze met the Purple Qi—
His Externalized Dharma Body reacted exuberantly, and the Purple Qi suddenly surged into his body. Instantly, his five senses magnified a hundredfold, as if he were on the cusp of immortality.
Though Li Mo remained far from the Purple Qi, with arrays shielding him at various points, how had it crossed ten thousand meters to breach his defenses?
"What the hell is this?"
Li Mo’s mind cleared for a moment, his Spiritual Power instinctively boiling over.
The bottleneck of the Heavenly Palace Stage showed faint signs of loosening under the Purple Qi’s influence. His Externalized Dharma Body grew unusually eager to absorb the Spiritual Energy.
A voice seemed to whisper in his ears, enticing him to stop resisting the Purple Qi. It promised that merely embracing its baptism would elevate him to the level of a Land Immortal.
"Screw you."
Li Mo suppressed such intrusive thoughts by force.
He soon noticed, however, that all signs of a breakthrough were an illusion. His Spiritual Power hadn’t increased by even a fraction under the influence of Purple Qi.
Instead, features of his bodily mutation began to recede visibly.
Cold sweat poured from Li Mo’s skin.
After succumbing to the Purple Qi’s effects, his consciousness had even rejected the Dao Body’s innate warnings, while Da Ai Mi Tian failed to provide any response.
Uttering a few curses under his breath, Li Mo commanded his Spider Sword Orb to scramble through his flesh and bones, searching for the enigmatic Purple Qi.
As he surveyed his surroundings, he noticed that other sword cultivators had lapsed into meditative states.
Their expressions betrayed resistance, but the Purple Qi seemed like an insidious parasitic force, preying on their weakest inner thoughts, making them succumb to the temptation of enlightenment.
Disciples from the Medicine King Valley, Three Elements Pavilion, and Zhibai Dao were inhaling the Purple Qi openly.
Only the Ten Thousand Demon Dao remained aloof, deliberately avoiding the Purple Qi.
The one million citizens of Business Leader City gazed at the Purple Qi with intoxicated expressions, their chests heaving as they greedily attempted to draw it into their bodies.
Their deformed, mutated body parts dissolved, and hundreds among them instantly stepped into the realm of Taoist Children, appearing as if they’d ascended to a higher existence.
Among these Taoist Children, there were even some who achieved the level of Immortals.
When Li Mo reopened his eyes following the dispersal of the Purple Qi, a piercing cry echoed within his mind.
"I almost got trapped!!!"
Li Mo instantly activated Da Ai Mi Tian, driving cancer cells into the bodies of the sword cultivators, expelling the lingering, insidious Purple Qi through their pores within the span of a single breath.
The sword cultivators snapped out of their trances, though some still appeared immersed in the illusion of enlightenment.
Li Mo observed a somewhat familiar sword cultivator collapse to the ground, slamming his head repeatedly against the earth, his fingernails digging deep into his scalp out of remorse.
"The Purple Qi, the Purple Qi!!!"
"Why would the Great Dao be found within the Demon Cave? Could it be that the Heavenly Dao should have always been like this..."
The sword cultivator’s mental state neared collapse. Clawing and harming himself, he sought to clear his mind through pain.
With a cold snort, Li Mo impaled the deluded sword cultivator with his blood vessels, driving cancer cells to stimulate his brain in a frenzied assault.
Only after prolonged effort did the cancer cells obliterate all memories related to the Purple Qi.
As the blood vessels released the sword cultivator, he stared blankly towards the east, his mutative features fading uncontrollably, as he murmured the name of Lord Chaoxi.
Ye Zhuo Daoist spoke with lingering fear, softly asking, "How is Huo Cang holding up?"
"His Mental Realm has been damaged. We won’t know the extent until we return to the Great Sun Sword Tomb to evaluate."
"Ah..."
As Li Mo explained, he casually tossed the sword cultivator into Ye Zhuo Daoist’s Black Coffin.
The Medicine King Valley and the other sects were thrown into disarray. Faint glimpses of skirmishes and escaping figures were visible amidst the chaos.
The escaping cultivators had already undergone the baptism of the Purple Qi, leaving almost no trace of mutation on them, their expressions reverent towards Lord Chaoxi.
One cultivator wept uncontrollably, choking on his words as he muttered, "So, this is the Heavenly Dao I’ve witnessed today. Immortals are long gone. Only the Dao Jun remains... Only the Dao Jun!!!"
Before they could flee far, they were struck down by what seemed like tangible Spiritual Power, shattering them into pieces.
A Void Refining Stage Elder had intervened, sealing the floating islands with his Spiritual Power.
The phenomenon of "Purple Qi Comes from the East" lasted merely three or four breaths, yet it cost the Five Sects twenty or thirty disciples.
The Great Sun Sword Tomb suffered the least losses, though its sword cultivators were visibly distracted and unsettled.
Li Mo retrieved a supply of Corpse Wine crafted for cultivating Mental Clarity, distributing it among the sword cultivators, while his gaze locked onto their increasingly personified organs, probing their structures deeply.
"If I temporarily personify my own eyes, would I be able to uncover the Demon Cave’s hidden mysteries?"
...
Within the Heavenly Observation Palace.
Dragon Head Residence grinned menacingly, its sharp teeth dripping blood as it stared murderously at Chen Yun. "What’s your Ten Thousand Demon Dao’s deal?"
He Li wore a somber expression, faint rustling noises echoing in his mind.
Luo Yang’s face was dark as well; after all, among the Five Sects, only the Ten Thousand Demon Dao had emerged unscathed. It was clear they had been outmaneuvered by the devilish pups.
"Hehehe... If you can’t resist even this temptation, how will you face the upheaval of Heaven and Earth?"
"Screw your mother!"
Dragon Head Residence devoured Chen Yun in one gulp, chewing a few times before swallowing him whole.
"Calm yourself, calm yourself."
Chen Yun’s voice echoed from the mouth of another Ten Thousand Demon Dao Elder, who looked utterly terrified before his body abruptly exploded.
"For a Ten Thousand Demon Dao disciple to enter the Inner Sect, they must endure the Demon Cave’s descent. Cultivating Demons, cultivating the heart—otherwise, it all amounts to nothing. Hehehe..."
Chen Yun emerged from the remains.
The Void Refining Stage Elder narrowed his eyes, transmitting mental warnings to his disciples, urging them to tread carefully.