CHAPTER 323: CHAPTER 69: RAPID PROGRESS IN POISON MAKING

Li Mo dared not linger long in the Medicine Garden—who knows when Qingjing might return to the True Void Hometown.

Through the Four Seas Commerce’s channels, he hadn’t noticed any anomalies in the Cultivation World, nor were there any signs of the mass deaths among Loose Cultivators.

It was difficult to guess the actions of the Twelve Immortals based on such fragmented clues.

Li Mo cast one last, reluctant glance at the Medicine Garden before the temple retracted into his body, transforming once more into his Middle Dantian, brimming with Turbid Blood Spiritual Power.

Were he back at the Sub-Device Sect, he’d have extracted at least ninety percent of the corpses to feel satisfied, but alas, the Medicine Garden was enmeshed in the Twelve Immortals’ schemes.

He had no choice but to leave it at that.

In total, Li Mo only took about a hundred corpses, of which merely thirty belonged to Taoist Bodies.

However, something peculiar caught his attention: over thirty percent of the Taoist Bodies were of a Poison Element nature, and their owners appeared to have been poisoned in life.

The poison was fairly mild, leading him previously to assume it had been contracted in a swamp.

"Poison Fairy, Poison Corpse, Poison Cultivator..."

Li Mo suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind. The Twelve Immortals’ schemes were not something he could afford to delve into; with his Nascent Soul Stage prowess, interfering rashly might well cost him his life.

At the sub-peak of the Corpse Mountain Mini World, Taoist Bodies were neatly laid out, surrounded by wine pools arranged in an orderly fashion, emanating a sickly sweet wine aroma laced with blood.

This sub-peak teemed with poisonous spiritual materials, and countless Gu Worms crawled about in abundance.

Several beasts that trespassed had been reduced to skeletal remains; mere inhalation of the toxic fumes had liquefied their Five Internal Organs into corrosive sludge, a nauseating sight.

Li Mo nodded faintly. With Taoist Bodies of a Poison Element nature present, the Dao Body Fusion would be nearly certain to succeed.

As his gaze inadvertently swept over the sub-peak, he noticed Zhang Guo and He Guo hiding in a nearby cave by the wine pools, cultivating in seclusion to avoid the Deceit Beasts.

Though devoid of Spiritual Wisdom, Deceit Beasts could discern the strength of spiritual materials.

Should Zhang Guo expose even a trace of his breath, he’d face an onslaught from dozens of towering creatures.

The other Plant and Tree Cultivators were faring slightly better but still dared not reveal themselves.

Li Mo glanced at the crude village previously constructed by the Plant and Tree Cultivators—it had been razed to ruins by the Deceit Beasts, leaving only a solitary No-Life God Statue behind.

"No wonder in myths of my past life, Immortals and Gods were so quick to punish mortals. Calamities truly do amplify levels of devotion."

Li Mo could feel that the nutrients absorbed through the No-Life God Statue had not diminished but rather grown as vast numbers of Plant and Tree Cultivators secretly prayed.

Whether they could survive the crisis rested on whether Zhang Guo and He Guo could unite the Plant and Tree Cultivators once more.

Seeing both deep in cultivation, Li Mo extended a finger, sending a torrent of concentrated Spiritual Energy into the cave.

Zhang Guo breathed in and out the Spiritual Energy, his entire Spiritual Power completely converted into Dan Qi, a mark of mastery over a superior Dan Cultivation Skill.

"An Upper Immortal!"

A trace of fervor glimmered in He Guo’s eyes.

Although he suspected it was eighty percent likely that Li Mo was aiding Zhang Guo, he eagerly absorbed as much Spiritual Energy as he could.

With his Foundation Establishment complete, He Guo finally had the ability to protect himself in the Corpse Mountain Mini World.

Their appearances began to diverge: their originally bark-like skin transformed into something akin to Jelly White Jade Dan Skin, supplementing their Spirit Roots.

"Hmm, why does it feel like Plant and Tree Cultivators become...more enticing after mastering the Alchemy Dao?"

Li Mo sighed with a helpless expression. Thankfully, medicinal practices always involve some toxicity, and with He Guo around, Plant and Tree Cultivators wouldn’t become tastier prey for the Deceit Beasts.

"Logically, shouldn’t Plant and Tree Cultivators eventually be able to pursue Dual Cultivation with the Poison Dao?"

After a moment of hesitation, Li Mo silently shook off the thought.

No matter the potential of Plant and Tree Cultivators, the Corpse Mountain Mini World must remain the priority.

While Dan Cultivation could enhance the ecological chain, Poison Cultivation had the opposite effect; its Poison Attribute Spiritual Power, even when accidentally leaked, had unimaginably destructive consequences.

Only the overarching influence of Artifact Cultivation seemed to outperform that of Poison Cultivation.

Countless thoughts swirled in Li Mo’s mind as Zhang Guo and He Guo completed their seclusion and quietly exited the cave, preparing to regroup with their old allies.

A war for dominance between species was about to erupt within the Corpse Mountain Mini World.

Li Mo naturally hoped the Plant and Tree Cultivators would emerge victorious—the Deceit Beasts were far too stupid; tasks like poison crafting or herb gathering would require his personal intervention.

"Let’s focus on Dao Body Fusion first. The toxins should be sufficient now."

With a thought, Li Mo excavated a deep pit at the center of the sub-peak, redirecting the toxic water from all the wine pools into it.

As the toxic water pooled in the pit, vivid multicolored smoke billowed into the sky.

Li Mo’s mouth twitched.

He could sense that his Poison Art had already undergone a transformation, likely because he had pioneered a unique poison-making method.

[Thousand Insect Corpse Poison]

[Soak a Thousand Insect Demon Body in Corpse Nourishing Wine until its flesh and blood generate Gu Worm eggs. Then, add Blood Essence Silver Poison’s blood. Once the two substances merge, the poison is complete.]

Li Mo silently accepted the macabre aesthetics of Poison Arts. If all went as expected, future poison formulas would depend on Taoist Bodies for refinement.

He repeatedly used his Poison Art until the poison formulas incorporated all the Poison Element Taoist Bodies.

Then, Li Mo summoned the Mountain Demon, assigning it the task of harvesting specific organs from the Taoist Bodies as primary materials for upcoming poison refinement.

Though the usually carefree Mountain Demon appeared unusually meticulous when dealing with toxic substances.

Following Li Mo’s instructions, the Mountain Demon expertly placed the various organs into Liu Li jars, darting around excitedly as if seeking praise.

Gallbladders of the Poison Demon Ten Thousand Gu, brain tissues of the No-Brain Poison Body, blood of the Blood Essence Silver Poison, livers of the Immune to Hundred Poisons...

The corpses in the Medicine Garden still retained a faint spark of life. With the nourishment of Corpse Wine, any missing organs would gradually regenerate.

"Not bad. Mountain Demon, if you enjoy poison-making, work with me more in the future."

Li Mo patted the Mountain Demon’s monkey head, and the latter nodded repeatedly, its gaze alight with curiosity as it eyed the Poison Corpses.

"Oh oh oh..."

With a gleeful shout, the Mountain Demon dove into the Poison Pond, cheerfully swimming about.

Li Mo ignored the Mountain Demon and began setting up an array around the sub-peak. Soon, a faint smog enveloped the mountaintop.

The array was primarily to prevent the spreading toxic smoke from damaging the small world’s ecosystem. After all, the toxins contained within Taoist Bodies resonated faintly with the Dao, and even Magic Treasures could sustain damage from them.

The toxic smoke condensed above the array, eventually turning into a light drizzle.

After completing the array, Li Mo called the Mountain Demon over to begin poison crafting. To his surprise, the Mountain Demon displayed extraordinary patience and talent.

Compared to Artifact Refining, poison-making was undeniably rougher, introducing more variables and uncertainties.

Even with Divine Sense aiding him, Li Mo often failed, while the Mountain Demon, seemingly haphazardly experimenting, achieved successive successes.

"What can I say..."

Li Mo observed the Mountain Demon’s actions and reached a conclusion.

"Even toxins derived from the same Dao Body have subtle differences, leading to complications when crafting poisons."

The Mountain Demon’s seemingly brute-force approach was, in fact, an instinctual adjustment to the poisons’ properties—testament to its innate gift.

"Forget it."

Li Mo decided to teach the poison formulas directly to the Mountain Demon. Once he confirmed that the Mountain Demon could craft poison independently, he went on to prepare auxiliary materials for Dao Body Fusion.

Interestingly, when Li Mo taught the Mountain Demon Artifact Refining, he had to repeat himself a dozen times. But when it came to poison-making, the Mountain Demon quickly grasped the concepts, even improvising.

Sporadic rumblings echoed from the sub-peak as the Mountain Demon’s poison-making became increasingly uninhibited. Using what might seem like child’s play to outsiders, it produced poisons so potent that Li Mo couldn’t help but admire them.

Even when the materials were exhausted, the Mountain Demon looked unsatisfied.

Fortunately, Li Mo, keeping tabs on the Corpse Mountain Mini World, retrieved the Mountain Demon before it dismembered a Poison Corpse or two.

"Tch..."

Li Mo couldn’t help but marvel at the potency of the toxins. The Liu Li bottles holding them sizzled and hissed, disintegrating entirely after merely half a year.

Bear in mind that even though the Liu Li bottles were Low Grade Magical Artifacts, they had been specially reinforced for poison resistance, comparable to Mid Grade Magical Artifacts.

Seeing this, Li Mo summoned his Hammer Anvil and conjured the Magic Artifact Catalog, spending two or three days crafting a top-grade Hundred Refinement Magical Artifact.

Recovering his confidence from his defeat by the Mountain Demon’s talents, Li Mo named the artifact the Jade Gourd, designed specifically for storing poisons and enhancing their potency over time.

The Jade Gourd, though plain in appearance, was refined by Li Mo, who then casually hung it from his waist.

With a sweep over the Ancestor Platform, Li Mo gathered his belongings from the True Void Hometown, placing tens of thousands of jars of Brightening Wine at the island’s edges.

He decided against performing the Dao Body Fusion in the True Void Hometown.

For one, ingesting such potent toxins would inevitably produce negative consequences for the Ancestor Platform. For another, he feared the Twelve Immortals might detect his activities.

Unlike prior Dao Body Fusions, this process was far more complex than forging a Leakless Body.

The Fake Soul Consciousness simulations in the Illusion Realm had caused significant disturbances, leaving Li Mo insecure about remaining unnoticed.

The Twelve Immortals had vastly different temperaments; not all would look kindly upon him.

Currently, Li Mo lacked the power to secure his safety in the True Void Hometown. For now, he would act discreetly, finding more freedom outside.

After packing his belongings, he also collected the Corpse Immortal Finger into the Corpse Mountain Mini World.

Li Mo synchronized with the No-Life God Statue in the present world. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a Loose Cultivator black market under the jurisdiction of the Sub-Device Sect.

The No-Life God Statue stood within a Four Seas Commerce wine shop, disguised as a so-called Wine Immortal.

Inside the shop, over a dozen Loose Cultivators were haggling with the shop assistant to purchase Corpse Wine. Beyond the door, the mundane world bustled with people and carts.

Li Mo could see that the Four Seas Commerce was barely eking out an existence in the black market.

The main obstacle was the lack of High-level Practitioners—only Nascent Soul Stage cultivators possessed sufficient deterrence. The Heart Beast Sect still had a long road ahead.

With Mixed Element Leakless countering his energy signature, Li Mo strolled nonchalantly out of the wine shop.

Neither Tian Changwen nor Li Mo himself had any intention of prematurely bolstering the Four Seas Commerce’s strength. Stability was the only true path.

Changing into a Magic Robe made of New and Old Skin, Li Mo passed through a patch of shadows and transformed into a stooped elder before leaving the black market.

He followed his knowledge of local powers, heading deeper into the uninhabited wilderness.

To ensure safety, his seclusion needed to be at least a thousand miles from any major faction, which meant spending considerable time searching for a suitable location.

Observing the distribution of Spiritual Energy, Li Mo selected a desolate area with meager resources.

After five years of searching, he finally settled in a barren mountain valley.

Li Mo immediately commanded the Ghost Tiger to excavate a thousand-meter-deep hole and began arranging Concealing Breath arrays while scattering Blood Sea Dust and countless inconspicuous Gu Worms as deterrents.

Ensuring absolute safety, Li Mo descended into the underground cave mansion.