CHAPTER 389: CHAPTER 16 MID-LEVEL SWORD INTENT [BRIGHT DAY]

Whoosh.

In the blink of an eye, the sword light was already near Zhi Mountain Temple.

The sword light resembled foam, yet it contained a palpable blazing heat.

The temperature of Zhi Mountain Temple soared, causing the eaves of the Main Hall to crackle. It was evident that the sword light’s target wasn’t Li Mo, but the Sword Platform.

Once the Sword Platform was destroyed, the temple would have to relocate entirely.

Li Mo already gripped the Illusion Fish Sword, and the Cave God’s Eye on his forehead began to spin. Thick smoke billowed from the Yin Yang Fish.

He noticed that the cultivator who released the sword was at the Divine Separation Stage, but the sword light restrained itself to a Nascent Soul Stage level, as if it were an unintentional act.

It was likely a probing maneuver out of fear of Luo Yang.

Li Mo squinted, watching the sword-wielding cultivator disappear outside Purple Sun Palace, while memorizing their body and soul aura in his heart.

The sword light reached within a hundred meters.

He could perceive hundreds of Divine Senses secretly observing Zhi Mountain Temple, eager to see the commotion caused by the arrival of the "Thirteen Immortals."

"Me, a cultivator in the Nascent Soul Stage, can make you feel threatened?"

Li Mo was unaware.

His reputation was far greater than he imagined. After all, during his time at the No-Life Sect, his actions had not been kept discreet; even many smaller sects had witnessed his displays of power.

The legends of the Thirteen Immortals in the Cultivation World had already reached mythical proportions.

The disciples of Purple Sun Palace were eager to witness Li Mo’s techniques. Conveniently, someone would act as their blade in the process.

The sword light lingered on the eaves, and then the foam began to uncontrollably expand, with the blazing Yang Attribute Spiritual Power within it gradually slipping out of control.

Li Mo still showed no intention of drawing his sword, appearing as if he was slow to react.

The Sword Cultivators observing from the shadows displayed peculiar expressions.

They knew Li Mo had comprehended Universal Illumination Sword Intent. The collision of two identical Yang Attribute Sword Intents was bound to result in violent turmoil and could easily backfire.

Unless...

Clang.

Li Mo raised the Illusion Fish Sword and hurled it vigorously at the eaves of the Main Hall.

The Illusion Fish Sword howled through the air, suddenly exuding a wave of Sword Intent. In the next instant, a turbulent sound reverberated from the Great Sun Sword Tomb.

In the history of the Sword Tomb, fine rain fell for the very first time.

The Illusion Fish Sword, now clad in expansive scale armor, stirred up wind and rain as its form swelled to five hundred meters, transforming into a colossal Kun Whale cloaked in watery mist.

The Barbaric Sword Intent erupted.

Though it lasted but for a moment, it left the disciples of Purple Sun Palace visibly astonished.

How had Li Mo, who entered the sect not long ago, already grasped Sword Dao techniques? Even though Luo Yang personally guided him, his comprehension was far beyond imagination.

Even more puzzling was how the Barbaric Sword possessed hints of true profundity.

Simultaneously commanding two Sword Intents while his body and soul showed no signs of mutation—could the vaunted talent of the Thirteen Immortals truly rival Yu Xiao?

Water vapor encircled the Kun Whale, which blocked the incoming sword light with a single flick of its tail.

Buzz.

The Kun Whale opened its massive mouth, revealing a flying sword it had just expelled.

The flying sword was shaped like a fox’s tail, burning fiercely as its surface sprouted fine hairs a moment later. From within the flames emerged the nimble Red Fox.

The Red Fox then transformed into a sword body, maintaining the appearance of a Nine-tailed Fox.

However, the hues of its fiery tails varied, causing them to resemble nine blazing, flexible swords at first glance.

Excited from having gone so long without combat, the Red Fox shook its head, spreading its tails like a peacock displaying its feathers. A highly invasive flame burst forth.

The Kun Whale’s Sword Intent was [Barbaric], while the Red Fox’s Sword Intent was [Evil].

The Water and Fire Sword Qi enveloped the foamy sword light, grinding it down to oblivion, averting the expected uncontrolled explosion.

From the moment Li Mo struck to when the flying sword transformed into a tattooed beast, it was all but a single gesture.

With a faint shift in his thoughts, the two tattooed beasts reverted into flying swords, leaving Zhi Mountain Temple with only some broken roof tiles.

Li Mo had no interest in wasting time and decided to repair the temple while daylight lasted.

The Sword Cultivators present fell into deep thought.

They were struggling to understand the reality of Li Mo’s abilities. Hadn’t Qiu Ranzi claimed that his Earth Attribute Taoist Body was of top-quality? Why had he chosen the Great Sun Sword Tomb due to his comprehension of Yang Attribute Sword Intent?

Yet the truth was that Li Mo wielded three sword intents: Water, Fire, and Sun.

Why had he chosen the Great Sun Sword Tomb?

And could it be that the Thirteen Immortals possessed Immortal Bodies? Otherwise, how could three sword intents exist without mutating?

The higher Li Mo’s innate talent and comprehension appeared, the more the Sword Cultivators hesitated, knowing Luo Yang, who was at the Void Refining Stage, stood firmly behind him.

"Hah, Luo Yang washes his hands and walks away, leaving behind this mess."

Li Mo ignored the schemes of Purple Sun Palace, reinforcing Zhi Mountain Temple inside and out, shielding the windows and doors with newly-enhanced Mid-grade Magic Artifacts.

Heavenly Sword Sect had an imbalanced focus, rarely producing Sword Cultivators skilled in Artifact Refining.

This led to the embarrassing situation where the robes of a large sect like the Immortal Sect’s Inner Sect were merely unperfected Mid-grade Magic Artifacts.

The fact that Li Mo had refined twenty-refinement Mid-grade Magic Artifacts for use as curtains was undeniably somewhat boastful, drawing countless gazes.

He quickly returned to the Main Hall to set up a Nearby Array.

Li Mo intended to use the Nearby Array to establish contact with the Heart Beast Sect.

But the array simply couldn’t function within Heavenly Sword Sect’s range, even for the transmission of mundane items.

"With Han Cai’s two Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, plus Luo Kai’s assistance and the leftover Corpse Wine, the Heart Beast Sect won’t stagnate in growth for another five to six hundred years."

"Once I ascend to the Divine Separation Stage, I’ll need to figure out a way to reconnect with them."

Li Mo still relied on the Heart Beast Sect to gather resources for him. It was evident that Top-grade Spirit Stones, while rare in the market, were not entirely absent.

Acquiring texts on Divine Skills would require using the Four Seas Commerce’s connections.

The techniques passed down in the Great Sun Sword Tomb were far too perilous; the only one Li Mo understood was the method of technique acquisition by Elder Wuxin.

From the Mud Pill Palace came the sound of scriptures being chanted.

The Fake Buddha’s surface cracked open, revealing Foundation Spiritual Objects absorbing the flesh of the Sunlight Bodhisattva.

Li Mo cast another glance at the Sunlight Bodhisattva, whose Nascent Soul body now appeared frail and lethargic, hinting at signs of backlash from the Nine Nether Buddha Light Illuminating Scripture.

After ensuring nothing was overlooked, he further accelerated the Bodhisattva’s deterioration.

Clang, clang, clang.

Knife-grinding sounds echoed from the adjacent room, signaling the approach of nighttime once more.

Li Mo remained unmoved, deeply engrossed in his cultivation of the Buddha Embryo Skill.

With the Illusion Array and curtain dulling the presence of Zhi Mountain Temple, even the second night passed peacefully, with no Sword Ghost entering the courtyard.

Li Mo gradually became accustomed to the ever-present dangers of the Great Sun Sword Tomb.

The Sunlight Bodhisattva grew weaker and weaker. When its flesh was fully absorbed, it left only a skeletal Buddha seated cross-legged in the Mud Pill Palace.

The Fake Buddha’s appearance began to emulate that of the Sunlight Bodhisattva.

At the center of the Lotus Lamp’s core, a baby could be seen taking shape. The Buddha Embryo Scripture was a peculiar technique centered on rebirth through the use of surrogate bodies.

The baby was already taking form.

Its skin emitted a dazzling, multi-hued Buddha Light, while dense flesh lumps rose atop its head, pulsating as they absorbed Great Sun Spiritual Power within the Mud Pill Palace.

A sword blade was embedded in its brow, frequently radiating Great Brightness.

Its eyes were formed from Seven Treasures Spiritual Materials, and mortals who glimpsed them inadvertently would convert to the Sunlight Bodhisattva’s faith.

Li Mo wore a smile; the texts described the Buddha’s appearance, claiming it had Thirty-two Forms. The baby already possessed six of them.

With the full Thirty-two Forms, one would become the "Human Heaven Venerate, King of Saints."

"Heh heh heh..."

"A Fake Buddha Flying Sword housing a Nascent Soul that is ’Buddha on the outside, Demon within,’ yet destined to be called the Buddha? Should the Buddhist Sect witness this, they’d surely lose their composure."

Using Innate Essence, Li Mo smeared Seven Treasures Spiritual Material powder onto the baby’s body, steadily goading it to fully assimilate.

The chanting in the Mud Pill Palace abruptly stopped.

The Sunlight Bodhisattva’s presence vanished entirely; its skeleton visibly shrank, and Li Mo could no longer sense its Nascent Soul.

The Mud Pill Palace now held only the Fake Buddha levitating in mid-air; even Xia Dao Palace had been completely absorbed by Li Mo.

Li Mo became contemplative.

At the moment the Sunlight Bodhisattva was annihilated, his consciousness brushed against an indescribable Great Sun Buddha Light, and Universal Illumination Sword Intent began showing signs of transformation.

Perhaps due to the subtle harmony between Universal Illumination Sword Intent and Great Sun Sword Tomb, the disciples within the Purple Sun Palace range all sensed an anomaly at Zhi Mountain Temple.

The Purple Sun disciples who had comprehended Sword Intent felt it most acutely.

Compared to wielding three Sword Intents, Li Mo’s deliberate effort to forcefully evolve a Lower Sword Intent could be described as nothing short of astonishing.

Not daring to lose focus, Li Mo quickly swallowed two Bodhi Fruits.

The medicinal power of the Bodhi Fruits boosted his comprehension drastically in the short term, enabling him to grasp the Great Sun Buddha Light without compromising his consciousness.

Before the Purple Sun disciples could delve into the nature of the Sword Intent, Li Mo promptly withdrew his sword aura.

The Universal Illumination Sword Intent swirled around the Fake Buddha, shrinking from radiant-sized fingernails to become a miniature glowing sun within seconds.

Although the Buddha Embryo Scripture had yet to be completed, the Universal Illumination Sword Intent advanced to the Middle Level.

Now renamed [Bright Sun Sword Intent].

The sword intent’s power transformed drastically, releasing surging waves of heat.

Without the Sunlight Bodhisattva’s suppression, the Bright Sun Sword Intent gradually influenced Li Mo’s body, giving him the evolving features of the Thirty-two Forms described.

The Sword Intent, a special technique pioneered by Heavenly Sword Sect, served to unleash the potency of the Taoist Body, with its mutative drawbacks mitigated only at the Void Refining Stage.

After all, to a typical Void Refining cultivator, the physical form was merely an outdated vessel.

Li Mo regulated the Bright Day Sword Intent while pouring Corpse Wine over his body to suppress the mutations. When the sword intent finally settled into his Sword Pouch, everything was calmed.

The Bright Day Sword Intent remained inert, but the stray sword light it emitted attracted the pursuit of Yang Attribute Flying Swords.

Li Mo exhaled a sigh of relief.

The Main Hall lay in utter disarray, though he had deliberately turned his back to the Sword Platform during his seclusion.

"It won’t do; I must acquire more skill inheritance."

"My utilization of Sword Intent is far too crude."

Li Mo glanced at the Fake Buddha; the baby’s growth rate was not slow. With the Buddha Embryo Skill’s parasitic effects, it would take just another ten or so days to complete.

Once the baby broke free from its host, it would mark the moment for Li Mo’s ascent to the Divine Separation Stage.

Noticing the early hour, Li Mo began tidying up the Main Hall with thoughts interrupted by faint changes in the neighboring temple’s scriptures.

"Yin and Yang must turn, hands must be straight, the front leg must bend, the rear leg must..."

While the Sword Ghost recited, rancid, milky-white flesh sprouted in the courtyard, morphing into a Bodhi Tree adorned with skeletal remains.

"Immortal at last; finally immortal."

The Bodhi Tree swayed in the wind as skulls perpetually fell from its branches.

The skulls formed mounds, some tumbling to the courtyard walls and rolling into the neighboring temple to the right of Zhi Mountain Temple, home to that woman with her dozens of severed heads.

Lewd moans seeped forth, interwoven with sharp, resonant sword cries.

"Immortal at last; I shall help you ascend to immortality."

The two temples crept closer and closer, with signs of merging into one.

Li Mo furrowed his brow, realizing he had inadvertently catalyzed the ascension of a Cocoon Sword to become a Little Night Wanderer, and its taboo was already spreading.