Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 105: Soul? Corpse Worm!

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Soul? Corpse Worm!

Caishikou trembled occasionally, and the nearby buildings grew denser.

Every few days, a batch of Weak Crown Stage cultivators would enter Caishikou, and while they mostly returned safely, they were often gravely injured.

In the eyes of the cultivators, the Bear-Human Deceit Beast wasn’t much of a threat, but they had yet to uncover the true form of the Inner Sect Deceit Beast.

For An Gang, the stalemate was far from ideal.

The prolonged delay at Caishikou meant any further postponing of resolving the Beast Calamity might disrupt Tian Changwen’s plans.

After gathering all the collected information, An Gang decided to personally head to Caishikou, prepared to force the deceit beast out if necessary.

Three cultivators would accompany him, while the others were assigned to guard the outer defensive lines.

Evidently, Tian Changwen had not concentrated his deployments at Caishikou; among them, only An Gang was at the Fake Core Stage, and even late-stage Weak Crown practitioners were sparse.

The Miscellaneous Hall’s manager, Xu Hu, was merely at the consummation level of the Weak Crown Stage and primarily responsible for guarding the periphery.

Tian Changwen had allocated all his key forces to the slaughterhouse, where reports claimed the Inner Sect Deceit Beasts posed greater challenges, needing Qingfang Daoist at the Established Stage to hold the line and prevent chaos.

The Puppet Cultivation faction remained indifferent, showing only minor, inconsequential friction, as though entirely unaware of Tian Changwen’s layout.

It had been ten days since the Calligraphy and Painting Hall arrived at Caishikou. During this time, An Gang paused the exploration of the Beast Calamity and focused entirely on fortifying the surrounding defenses.

After all, without a Fake Core Stage cultivator overseeing, the area surrounding Caishikou would be a vulnerable point.

"A storm is brewing..."

An Gang sighed, standing atop the government office’s eaves, playing with a bone-shaped magic artifact in his palm. As he refined the artifact, his gaze constantly scanned the surroundings.

"That rascal Li Mo, his mid-grade magic artifacts grow increasingly wicked."

Lowering his gaze to examine the bone-shaped artifact, it visibly resembled a skullcap, its surface etched with countless obscure and difficult inscriptions.

It was hard to believe that the bone-shaped artifact was crafted from a Weak Crown Stage cultivator’s skull.

Without access to corpses at hand, An Gang had to contact Qingfang Daoist, who then ensured the primary materials were sent from the Fire Workshop to Caishikou.

Though An Gang found fault with the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone refined artifact, its usability was undeniable—responsive and versatile enough to shield his vital parts with a mere thought.

The True Word Sect’s Secret Bone, refined to the Third Refinement, was more than adequate for Caishikou.

After repeatedly confirming that no details were overlooked in Caishikou’s arrangement, An Gang ensured a hazy spiritual array enveloped several kilometers, strong enough to hold out until reinforcements came—even if Fake Core Stage Puppet Cultivators were to attack.

He subsequently took out a spiritual tablet to contact the three cultivators involved in the eradication of the Inner Sect deceit beasts.

"Go."

The True Word Sect’s Secret Bone expanded into a half-meter object, and An Gang stepped onto the skullcap artifact, landing in the empty space outside Caishikou in the blink of an eye.

He waited briefly before the assisting cultivators gradually arrived.

Qingming Daozi greeted him briefly before lowering her head in silence. It was visible that a second face had grown from the back of her head, its unsettling gaze scanning Caishikou.

Although her cultivation was merely at the early stage of the Weak Crown Stage, her innate Daoist body granted her strength comparable to an average mid-stage Weak Crown cultivator.

A lion-headed burly man arrived slightly later than Qingming Daozi.

His name was Qiao Wu, affiliated with the Prison Hall of the government office, specializing in interrogating convicts. His cultivation had recently ascended to the mid-stage of the Weak Crown Stage.

Qiao Wu glanced around impatiently and asked, "Chief An, there should be one more person, right? Why hasn’t he arrived yet?"

As he spoke, his head swelled several sizes, veins bulging densely across his forehead, and his blood-filled eyes protruded outward.

Given his cultivation technique’s limitations, Qiao Wu had a naturally hot temper.

An Gang chuckled, his expression turning cryptic. Qiao Wu furrowed his brows before An Gang pointed toward the distance.

Qiao Wu turned his head to look.

Only to see the approaching figure supported by eight arms, with the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone suspended behind their head.

"Uh..."

Qiao Wu immediately tempered his attitude, chuckling as he walked over to greet them.

"So it’s Fellow Daoist Li Mo. I’ve long admired you. I was wondering who would join us in Caishikou..."

Li Mo nodded in acknowledgment, his distant and indifferent response not triggering the slightest irritation in Qiao Wu. Instead, it made him adopt an even more deferential attitude.

Everyone knew that, among beast cultivators, Li Mo was the one least to be provoked.

With the escalating Beast Calamity, injuries had become commonplace, and Li Mo’s exceptional medical skills meant many would need to seek his assistance.

Additionally, his artifact refining skills were equally admirable.

Qiao Wu’s participation in addressing the Beast Calamity was largely influenced by the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone artifact, a contested item among over ten Weak Crown Stage competitors.

Securing Li Mo’s refined mid-grade defensive magic artifact significantly increased one’s chances of survival during the calamity.

What’s more, Li Mo, widely acknowledged as a Core Formation seed, possessed strength at the pinnacle of their cultivation realm.

"Fellow Daoist Li, if you encounter any trouble in Caishikou, feel free to call upon me, Old Qiao."

Qiao Wu pounded his chest in assurance while demonstrating the utility of his True Word Sect’s Secret Bone, lavishly praising the mid-grade artifact’s boundless efficacy.

To Li Mo’s eyes, the hastily refined True Word Sect Secret Bone had an upper limit of no more than ten refinements, yet for Weak Crown Stage cultivators, it was incredibly sought-after.

Qingming Daozi nodded in agreement.

She shared a good relationship with Li Mo and had acquired a higher-grade True Word Sect’s Secret Bone—notable compared to her previous low-grade artifact refined twice.

"Alright, let’s prepare to set off."

An Gang interrupted their conversation, as the Beast Calamity at Caishikou couldn’t afford further delays.

"You should all be aware of the situation at Caishikou. Do not act impulsively. Wait until the executioners proceed with the punishment."

An Gang didn’t wait for a response before stepping into Caishikou directly.

Li Mo followed him closely, trailed by Qingming Daozi and Qiao Wu.

With their departure, the vigilance at Caishikou heightened significantly, cultivators not daring to slacken their efforts. None knew how long it would take to resolve the Beast Calamity.

As Li Mo crossed Caishikou’s threshold, a wave of stench-filled spiritual power rushed to greet him.

The decayed blood-infused spiritual energy belonged to the water attribute yet required an environment filled with masses of flesh and blood to emerge, often lingering in ancient battlefield ruins.

Li Mo experienced a moment of dizziness.

He wasn’t surprised. He merely operated his leakless body to its fullest, repressing his aura as much as possible before his vision plunged into darkness.

The sound of dripping water echoed, intermixed with heavy, stifled breathing.

When Li Mo opened his eyes, he was already inside a dark, damp prison cell, with only a small window letting in scarce traces of light.

Surveying his surroundings, there was a corridor outside the iron bars, flanked by at least a dozen cells, with the occupants within obscured.

Li Mo’s lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

"I won’t rest until I eliminate you, Master Duomu."

The likelihood was high that An Gang and others were in separate cells, and Master Duomu was likely concealed somewhere here.

Although Caishikou was a place for selling daily necessities, its monthly executions of mortals necessitated the existence of prison cells.

These cells were known as the "Qing Room."

Thump. Thump. Thump...

Footsteps approached, prompting Li Mo to retreat into a corner of the Qing Room.

A moment later, a grotesque semi-human, semi-bear Deceit Beast stopped in front of Li Mo’s cell, bending down and staring at him with murky eyes.

The deceit beast said nothing, yet Li Mo’s ears were filled with words.

"Execution at three quarters past five, fifteen days later."

According to Caishikou cultivators investigating the area, there were forty-two prison guard deceit beasts inside the Qing Room, transformed from ordinary citizens after being corrupted.

Though they had killed prison guard deceit beasts before, they couldn’t lure out the mastermind Bear-Human Deceit Beast.

Li Mo ignored the prison guard deceit beast, which repeated its words several times before lumbering away down the hallway.

The relative safety of Caishikou stemmed from the fact that, prior to execution, cultivators wouldn’t encounter any accidents; the deceit beasts adhered to a specific pattern, endlessly repeating their actions.

As long as Li Mo refrained from destroying the cell, the prison guard deceit beasts wouldn’t pay attention to whatever he did during the fifteen days before execution.

On execution day, however, Caishikou would become slightly dangerous.

Yet merely blocking the decapitating blade of the prison guard deceit beasts would allow for safe departure, which explained the lower casualties among cultivators.

Li Mo summoned his Ghost Tiger, sprinkling Master Duomu’s bone powder into its mouth to track him before casually meditating openly.

The Sparrow Yin Soul within his Dao Seed was already riddled with fine cracks, yet it remained far from being subdued, let alone advancing to mid-stage Weak Crown.

Li Mo operated his circulation cycle several times over half an hour but noticed no abnormalities.

The Qing Room was eerily silent, only broken by the sound of prison guard deceit beasts pacing.

Not delaying further, Li Mo withdrew a bottle of amber-like grease from his Evergreen Tree storage—it was the Corpse Oil Wax that required five thousand contribution points for a single exchange.

The mysteries of Corpse Oil Wax needed no elaboration.

As soon as it entered his mouth, it liquefied, coursing down his throat into his stomach.

As the stomach lining contacted the Corpse Oil Wax, it sizzled audibly; without his Paoxiao Swallowing Body technique, the stomach would likely become riddled with holes from corrosion.

Simultaneously, his bones absorbed the wax’s peculiar odor—no amount of spiritual power could purge it. Li Mo suspected this lingering stench was why Corpse Oil Wax could only be consumed once every five years.

Composing himself, Li Mo guided the Corpse Oil Wax toward his Middle Dantian.

Under its fearsome corrosive force, spiritual power thinned significantly, consuming nearly a third of his cultivation within minutes.

The wax seeped through Li Mo’s multiple dantians, its impurities partially filtered by his divine skill.

Yet its corrosiveness remained unaffected, even with his Middle Dantian faintly struggling under the strain.

Concern etched on his face, Li Mo worried the Corpse Oil Wax might harm his Dao Seed, opting to carefully funnel just a tenth to approach the seed.

The Golden Dao Seed presented no resistance, as the Corpse Oil Wax slipped effortlessly inside.

Li Mo finally grasped the meaning of "a hot knife through butter"; against Corpse Oil Wax, the Sparrow Yin Soul’s outer layer was utterly inadequate.

The Sparrow Yin Soul’s facial features distorted, cracks spreading across its body.

Li Mo watched intently as tiny threads of Corpse Oil Wax burrowed into his Dao Seed, the soul’s exterior steadily crumbling away.

The efficacy of Corpse Oil Wax was indeed remarkable; no wonder Weak Crown Stage cultivators sought it fervently.

Of course, they lacked Li Mo’s physical resilience—any recklessness risked irreversible damage to their foundation, preventing such uninhibited use.

Every other day, prison guard deceit beasts came by to confirm the execution time.

Though fifteen days was transient, Li Mo found each day felt endless as the Sparrow Yin Soul’s outer shell deteriorated, filling his heart with inexplicable tension.

As the Sparrow Yin Soul shattered completely, the Dao Seed began spinning faster.

"What the hell?"

Li Mo froze. The Sparrow Yin Soul was nowhere to be found; no matter how he searched, its presence had utterly vanished.

"This isn’t right..."

Given that Li Mo’s cultivation was showing signs of transformation, logically the Sparrow Yin Soul should have been subdued.

He flipped open the Creation Book to its eighth page, revealing an illustration of the Sparrow Yin Soul.

It was depicted as a corpse’s maggot egg, commonly found during decayed decomposition.