Chapter 229: Chapter 89: 3 Taoist Bodies, Returning Fully Laden
The appearance of the Big Deer Thousand Feet immediately drew the attention of many Great Mothers.
Even the Taoist carving the engravings was affected, his perplexed gaze involuntarily drifting toward the grotesque and terrifying figure in midair.
"No matter, everything shall remain as it is."
To avoid disrupting the Ascension Conference, the Big Deer Thousand Feet vanished instantly after speaking and reappeared within the Inner Sect’s Seclusion Room.
On the walls of the Seclusion Room hung a portrait of Chen Tiangang, the elder portrayed with the bearing of a Daoist Immortal. Wisps of blue smoke meandered out of the incense burner below.
A Big Hornet landed on the wooden table. Out of the corner of his eye, Li Mo glimpsed Chen Tiangang’s portrait and felt an uncanny realism—as if the figure within the painting could step forth into the mortal realm at any moment.
The Big Deer Thousand Feet explained, "Chen Tiangang—the Mother Furnace may be intimately connected to him."
Even the Nascent Soul Great Experts couldn’t definitively ascertain the origins of the Mother Furnace. Their assumptions stemmed solely from observations tied to the Ascension Conference, which pointed to Chen Tiangang.
The Big Deer Thousand Feet seated itself by the side, completely indifferent to its grotesque and bloated form, and retrieved a jar of Corpse Wine from the Qingshan Tavern to drink freely.
After downing the entire jar, with a faintly drunken yet reflective expression, it commented, "Qingtian, this Big Dream Wine of yours is rather intriguing—to think it could cause even me to feel the faintest drunkenness; truly remarkable..."
"If Senior Big Deer enjoys it, I shall ensure to offer you some more," Li Mo replied humbly.
"Do not indulge too much."
With a shift in tone, the Big Deer Thousand Feet asked in a low voice, "Qingtian hasn’t become a Great Mother in the Eleventh District, has he?"
"This junior has never sought to be a Great Mother—far removed from the daring resolve of Senior Big Deer," Li Mo responded respectfully. Even though he retained his rationality, the drawbacks of becoming a Great Mother were immense, dooming one’s cultivation progress.
"Ha!"
The Big Deer Thousand Feet laughed heartily for a few moments before speaking in a cryptic tone, "I can share a little secret. After Foundation Establishment progresses to Nascent Soul for artifact cultivators, reincarnation allows the retention of fragments of past memories."
"Reforging oneself?"
The Big Deer Thousand Feet paused for a few breaths, then chuckled, "Indeed, it is a kind of reforging."
Li Mo recalled his experiences in the ruins of Zone Ten.
Three thousand years ago, the entirety of the Chaotic Burial Furnace sect seemed to have perished in a calamity, though some corpses unmistakably came back to life.
Evidently, upon the death of an artifact cultivator, the Mother Furnace could nurture a similar Artifact Embryo.
This was akin to reincarnation, where a portion of memories might be retained, increasing in completeness the higher one’s previous cultivation stage.
"Even if I became a Great Mother, I’d still have the chance to be reforged, ha ha."
The Big Deer Thousand Feet spoke lightly, but Li Mo knew the matter was anything but simple.
Li Mo had seen the mountain gate of the Chaotic Burial Furnace sect in the ruins, where five Nascent Soul Great Experts had left behind corpses. After reincarnating, they regained their cultivation, returned to the Nascent Soul stage, and re-established their Taoist inheritance.
However, among the five Nascent Soul cultivators of the Chaotic Burial Furnace, only Dome Mountain and the Old Earth True Monarch occasionally surfaced.
The other three Nascent Soul Great Experts had remained in indefinite seclusion, unseen.
It was likely that memory-retaining reincarnation often led to foundational damage due to things like the Death Disease.
Otherwise, the Sub-Device Sect wouldn’t have sought the Penglai Old Taoist to research Body Seizing as an alternative.
They had hoped to escape the Mother Furnace through Body Seizing. The result, however, was a complete failure, forever trapping their essence inside the Mother Furnace, cycle after cycle.
From a certain perspective,
the Mother Furnace was akin to the Heavenly Dao of the Sub-Device Sect, holding dominion over life and death, reincarnation.
The Big Deer Thousand Feet did indeed have a fallback, but to become a Great Mother meant surrendering even one’s own life, body and soul wholly merging into the Mother Furnace.
To escape would doubtlessly require an immense price to be paid.
"I have never encountered innate talent like the Innate Five Dao Body. Qingtian, this must be your first incarnation. You may have a chance to ascend to the Divine Separation Stage in the future."
In the gaze of the Big Deer Thousand Feet lingered a trace of regret, mixed with faint reassurance. "Use this opportunity well."
"This junior will reach Divine Separation, no matter what."
Li Mo understood now why the thousand-year calamity, though incapable of eroding the Sub-Device Sect’s foundations, still compelled many Nascent Soul Great Experts to take such desperate measures.
The Sub-Device Sect was a stagnating Immortal Sect, one whose potential had long since been depleted.
Their Nascent Soul Great Experts reincarnated every thousand years. Forget the Divine Separation Stage—they had likely never even touched the perfection of Nascent Soul.
Since the birth of the Mother Furnace, the Sub-Device Sect’s strength had likely been treading water.
In the Heart Beast Territory, even loose cultivators pursuing multi-limb techniques for Foundation Establishment could happily endure rigorous paths of cultivation. How could Nascent Soul experts willingly resign to endless descent?
"Qingtian, do you know when the Great Mother first appeared?"
"In reply to Senior Big Deer, I do not know."
"Once every thousand years, the Sub-Device Sect endures a catastrophe, where countless artifact cultivators inexplicably die, leaving nothing but a sea of corpses."
"One-third of all artifact cultivators perish indiscriminately."
Li Mo grasped the implication behind the Big Deer Thousand Feet’s words: ’indiscriminately’ referred to every artifact cultivator. Even those in the Nascent Soul stage were not exempt from the calamity’s reach.
Still, after Foundation Establishment progressed to Nascent Soul, reincarnation allowed the option to preserve one’s memories.
"Roughly two thousand years ago, a low-level artifact cultivator assimilated themselves with the Nine Nether Immortal Energy to become a part of the Mother Furnace."
"At the time, we believed we had found a way to counter the catastrophe. After all, the Great Mother was immune to Death Disease corrosion and could resurrect through the Mother Furnace."
The Big Deer Thousand Feet shook its head repeatedly. "But the Great Mother is easily influenced by the Mother Furnace and, after successive resurrections, becomes increasingly akin to the Furnace, eventually fusing into its flesh and stone."
The creation of the Great Mother was likely steered by Nascent Soul Great Experts of the time.
Even after recognizing the flaws of the Great Mother, they never fully abandoned their efforts. They developed techniques to shield against Phosphorescence, preserving their Spiritual Wisdom.
Li Mo harbored a faint suspicion that the methods of resisting Phosphorescence were somehow linked to his suspiciously convenient master, Dome Mountain, who was himself half-formed between a human and a Great Mother.
"Senior Big Deer, could the thousand-year calamity be related to the Ascension Conference?"
"Hmm."
The Big Deer Thousand Feet seemed mildly surprised, realizing that Li Mo had learned of the Ascension Conference. It couldn’t help but admire his sharp intellect.
"Every thousand years, the Mother Furnace recreates the Ascension Conference ritual, during which the sudden deaths of artifact cultivators most often coincide with the ritual’s beginning."
The Big Deer Thousand Feet itself was unaware of many details concerning the Ascension Conference. After all, the arrangements only dated back two or three thousand years, and their knowledge regarding the ancient Sub-Device Sect was perhaps less detailed than even Li Mo’s.
"In any case, the Ascension Conference is not something you can partake in."
The Nascent Soul Great Experts deliberately concealed the threat of the calamities from low-level artifact cultivators to prevent widespread panic.
The Big Deer Thousand Feet disclosed this to Li Mo solely because of his outstanding talent.
Even if they could not prevent the catastrophe, Li Mo’s Innate Five Dao Body meant he still had a chance to ascend to the Divine Separation Stage.
"Qingtian, the Old Earth True Monarch instructed me to pass along a message: the catastrophe may also exert some measure of influence upon the Mother Furnace. If worst comes to worst..."
"Consider breaking away from the confines of the Sub-Device Sect."
The Big Deer Thousand Feet left it at that. Its tone carried a trace of confusion, but soon, it drowned the thought in its second jar of Big Dream Wine.
"Understood, Senior Big Deer."
Fragments of a voice echoed in Li Mo’s mind, whispering from the depths of the earth, words he had heard repeatedly in the past: "I am here for you. Wake up. Save us. Quickly..."
’Wake up’ referred to venturing into the Illusion Realm of the Eleventh District. Those calling for help were likely the remnant consciousnesses of thousands of Daoist bodies bound to the Mother Furnace.
His successful covert entry into the Sub-Device Sect was very likely aided by those wandering souls and wild spirits.
"Qingtian, you should leave as soon as possible."
The Big Deer Thousand Feet wished not to see Li Mo ensnared in the sect’s plight.
Li Mo couldn’t help but say, "Senior Big Deer, you know I enjoy brewing wine."
The Big Deer Thousand Feet’s expression turned odd. Observing Li Mo’s hesitant demeanor, it couldn’t help but bark, "Out with it."
"Well, it’s like this: to brew Corpse Wine, one needs corpses as vessels. Wine brewed using Daoist Bodies has a distinct flavor. So, what do you think..."
The Big Deer Thousand Feet froze for several breaths before angrily exclaiming, "Qingtian! You’re even scheming against the Mother Furnace!"
"If I weren’t here in this illusion, you’d surely cause absolute chaos!!"
Li Mo scratched his head with an awkward grin. "Not at all. I only ask for two or three top-quality Daoist Bodies. If it’s inconvenient, this junior won’t trouble you further."
Just as he prepared to remove his consciousness from the Big Hornet, the Big Deer Thousand Feet sighed helplessly. "I’ve never seen someone like you. How can audacity and caution coexist in the same brain?"
"Three. No more than three. Any more will provoke the Mother Furnace."
"Many thanks, Senior Big Deer."
Li Mo couldn’t hide his joy—three top-quality Daoist Bodies were more than enough. The Raiding Page was astonishingly rare; future opportunities to brand Daoist Bodies wouldn’t come frequently.
"Wait—I haven’t named my terms yet."
"Please, Senior, go ahead."
"Since you’re using them for winemaking, then I want Corpse Wine—plentiful amounts of it."
"No problem at all."
Li Mo agreed without hesitation.
Other resources might be challenging, but ever since he gained over five thousand new ’residents,’ the production of Corpse Wine had grown uncontrollably.
During idle moments, he had even taken to using Corpse Wine to water the Corpse Mountain. Storing it was becoming a hassle—what good was a Magic Artifact dedicated entirely to hoarding wine?
"Tell me which Daoist Bodies you want, and I’ll have the Taoists locked in the southwest corner annex."
"The Body of No Life, Six Qi Devouring, and Cutting All Three Corpses."
The speed with which Li Mo replied made the Big Deer Thousand Feet clutch its head in frustration. Clearly, Li Mo had been coveting this for years in the Eleventh District.
"Get out! Get out already! You’re shameless!"
"Thank you, Senior!"
A Giant Stomach Worm fluttered its wings and flew toward the annex, while the Inner Sect’s Great Mother indeed began a commotion, using Magic Artifacts to inspect the Taoists’ physiques.
Soon, two unconscious men and one woman were confined within the annex.
Li Mo grabbed one person in each hand while the woman was stored within the Giant Stomach Worm. He then performed the Paoxiao Swallowing Body technique to gradually retreat from the Illusion Realm.
The process was more arduous than anticipated. While he avoided inciting the Mother Furnace, it was as though he was crawling out from the depths of a muddy swamp.
No telling how long it took,
but the moment Li Mo recovered his consciousness, the Daoist Corpses had just barely emerged from within the fleshy walls.
Two bodies belonged to former Outer Disciples of the Sub-Device Sect, but the woman was an Inner Sect Direct Transmission disciple, who laboriously opened her eyes.
The woman’s expression seemed one of profound relief. In her fading consciousness, she faintly nodded.
"T-Thank...you...for saving me... and the others..."
Li Mo nodded, saying, "I know of your plea. But with my current strength, I cannot resolve the Sub-Device Sect’s plight. If one day I possess enough power, I will not stand by idly."
The woman offered a faint, blissful smile and, before her remnants faded entirely, murmured, "Be careful. Ever since... Senior Brother... ascended to immortality... he’s gone mad."
"Senior Brother? Jiang Tianche?!"