Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 109 - 110 On the Taoist Body, I Am Second to None

Chapter 109: Chapter 110 On the Taoist Body, I Am Second to None

The tension at Cai Market grew more palpable. The five-layer array set up by An Gang showed signs of collapsing even before half a day had passed.

The Human Bear Deceit Beast radiated an almost tangible menace. Everyone knew that An Gang wouldn’t be able to handle the Beast Calamity in such a short time.

The casualties on the Beast Cultivators’ side began to escalate.

The buildings were in ruins, with broken walls and rubble everywhere. Had the frontlines not required holding, some cultivators would have already attempted to flee into Cai Market.

Xu Hu had no time to care for others, locked as he was in a relentless struggle with Yuan Ti True Monarch.

What puzzled him was that Yuan Ti True Monarch clearly held the advantage, yet showed no intention of delivering a finishing blow, instead pulling punches repeatedly.

At first, Xu Hu thought it was due to some issue with Yuan Ti True Monarch’s spiritual wisdom.

But he quickly realized something was amiss; it seemed as if Yuan Ti True Monarch regarded him as a nourishing pill. Alas, he was powerless to resist.

Xu Hu attempted to drive Yuan Ti True Monarch away. "Yuan Ti True Monarch, once An Gang deals with Cai Market, you trying to escape again will be..."

Before he could finish speaking, his right arm abruptly fell off, the severed end dissolving as poison seeped into his bone marrow.

"Hehehehehe..."

Yuan Ti True Monarch completely ignored Xu Hu, dragging his elongated body while bending down to gnaw on the half-dissolved right arm.

The injuries inflicted on him by Xu Hu visibly healed at an astonishing speed.

"You..."

Xu Hu coughed a few times, his palm filled with fragments of his rock-like internal organs. His left hand feebly pointed at Yuan Ti True Monarch before he collapsed to the ground.

After finishing the right arm, Yuan Ti True Monarch looked satisfied, and his cultivation even showed signs of growth.

Though it wasn’t enough for him to reach the Established Stage, his spiritual power had undoubtedly become more robust, demonstrating the terror of the Hundred Poison Burning Heart of his Acquired Dao Body.

"I only came to Cai Market for An Gang anyway. I’ve long wanted to taste a Fake Core Stage Beast Cultivator. It must be exquisitely delicious."

Yuan Ti True Monarch whispered softly into Xu Hu’s ear. The latter’s pupils dilated as he opened his mouth a few times but failed to utter a word.

Xu Hu could only watch helplessly as Yuan Ti True Monarch stooped down and began devouring his body.

His sensation of his physical form was entirely gone, not even his furrowed brow betraying a trace of pain.

With great difficulty, Xu Hu looked around, finding the Cai Market shrouded in toxic smoke. Yuan Ti True Monarch hadn’t slaughtered indiscriminately—he was merely preserving the freshness.

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of despair.

All the cultivators would turn to sludge, becoming food for Yuan Ti True Monarch.

Xu Hu understood how horrifying the Hundred Poison Burning Heart was. Within the poisonous mists, Yuan Ti True Monarch was nearly invincible, even forcing An Gang to keep his distance.

He let out a bitter laugh, realizing that resolving the Beast Calamity no longer mattered.

"Hehehehe..."

Yuan Ti True Monarch laughed expectantly, having already swallowed Xu Hu’s legs in what felt like an instant.

He listened to the beastly roars at Cai Market, finding them incomparably pleasing. His tail even began secreting viscous purple-green liquid involuntarily.

"Shi Ji is keeping tabs on Tian Changwen; no Core Formation cultivators will come to aid us."

Yuan Ti True Monarch breathed heavily. Xu Hu was merely an appetizer. Once he had consumed An Gang and gained the help of Little Human Head, he would undoubtedly have the chance to form a Multi-limb Golden Core.

"The flavor is simply divine."

He finished devouring the lower half of Xu Hu’s body and deliberately stopped.

This wasn’t out of mercy on Yuan Ti True Monarch’s part; rather, he intended to save Xu Hu’s Corpse Spirit Root for using during his Golden Core condensation.

To ensure the integrity of the Corpse Spirit Root, he sprouted over a dozen arms to hold Xu Hu in place.

Yuan Ti True Monarch ignored the Beast Cultivators entirely and walked straight toward the inner gates of Cai Market. Corrosive potholes littered his path.

No one dared block his way. Even Qingming Daozi, fellow bearer of a Taoist Body, was no match for Yuan Ti True Monarch when facing Weak Crown Stage Perfection.

Yuan Ti True Monarch strutted brazenly into the heart of the array formation.

Due to the injuries sustained by the Human Bear Deceit Beast, the gate to Cai Market was in shambles, and the stench of the Corrosive Blood Spiritual Power had thinned considerably.

Xu Hu was placed just outside the gate.

Yuan Ti True Monarch eagerly spat out viscous stomach acid, which enveloped Xu Hu and transformed moments later into a pristine piece of amber.

He nodded in satisfaction before burrowing into the ground to wait.

The movements of the Human Bear Deceit Beast grew more chaotic. Its roars turned weak, punctuated by the constant sound of heavy blows landing.

No one knew how much time had passed.

As silence engulfed Cai Market and the mist began to dissipate, it marked the end of the Beast Calamity.

Yet the stationed cultivators felt no relief—after all, An Gang was bound to be wounded. Facing a fully restored Yuan Ti True Monarch left them with little hope.

What awaited them was most likely death and the dispersal of their Dao.

As the mist thinned, a lone silhouette emerged from the gates. Yuan Ti True Monarch’s grin stretched to his ears as drool began dripping uncontrollably.

He crept out of the ground, moving closer to his target.

Yuan Ti True Monarch was poised to feast but realized the figure was not An Gang but a Weak Crown Middle Stage Beast Cultivator.

Suppressing his anticipation, he chose to remain hidden.

Li Mo appeared to casually approach Xu Hu. The moment his hand touched the amber, his skin turned purple-green from the corrosive poison.

Yuan Ti True Monarch paid no mind.

The insect poison, forged from over a hundred toxins, was not something a mere Weak Crown Middle Stage practitioner could...

His eyes widened as he witnessed Li Mo absorb all the poison from his skin, even drawing out the toxins within Xu Hu’s body.

Not only was Li Mo unharmed, but his complexion became even rosier.

"A Taoist Body, immune to poison..."

Yuan Ti True Monarch’s patience snapped, and he erupted from the soil, scuttling toward Li Mo with dozens of limbs moving in unison.

He didn’t know who Li Mo was, but the aura of a Taoist Body was unmistakable.

If Li Mo were also at the Fake Core Stage, then he would be Yuan Ti True Monarch’s mortal nemesis.

"You wretched Yuan Ti True Monarch!"

Before Yuan Ti True Monarch could fully emerge, a two-meter elephant foot stomped down, collapsing the ground over a hundred meters around.

"An Gang!"

Yuan Ti True Monarch opened his gigantic maw, spewing dense poisonous smoke.

An Gang didn’t hesitate for a moment, charging forward with his elephant-like leg. Their fierce clash caused the fissures in the ground to spread further.

Li Mo had no intention of intervening in their battle, knowing his involvement might only make things worse.

He carried Xu Hu to safety, purging his body of toxins and surgically attaching new limbs.

However, Xu Hu would require extended periods of nurturing his limbs with spiritual power to fully recover. For now, his vital signs were stable.

"Thank you... I have no words to repay you."

"Don’t worry about me. Help stabilize the others first."

Xu Hu opened his eyes, having observed Li Mo’s earlier actions. He realized that the latter’s Taoist Body could suppress the Hundred Poison Burning Heart.

Li Mo offered no reply but instead noticed that after the Pao Xiao Swallowing Body digested the poison, the potency of his three Nourishing Yuan Fruits had increased by two years.

He couldn’t help but grow excited, his gaze fixating on the toxic mist lingering throughout Cai Market.

Seeing Li Mo unresponsive, Xu Hu, afraid he hadn’t heard, repeated, "Li Mo, is there a way to dispel the poison mist?"

Li Mo snorted lightly. Suddenly, a swarm of Poison Bees began pouring out of his mouth and nose.

The Breath Fog, refined through ten iterations, was leagues apart from a standard mid-grade magical artifact.

The sheer number of Poison Bees was overwhelming; they surged into the poisonous mist, absorbing the toxins with their bodies before returning to Li Mo.

"Hahahahaha."

An Gang burst into laughter. Even though his body was covered in poison scars, he knew that with Li Mo present, the situation at Cai Market had completely turned around.

Suppressing the venom within himself, he began to unilaterally overpower Yuan Ti True Monarch.

Yuan Ti True Monarch squirmed furiously, spitting out his Poison Pearl Magical Artifact in an attempt to swiftly end An Gang. But he found that within Cai Market, An Gang appeared virtually unscathed.

"Multi-eye, if you somehow survive this, I swear I’ll grind your bones to dust."

The stationed cultivators formed a defensive circle around Li Mo, both to ward off the poison mist and to protect the key figure determining the tide of battle.

The medicinal strength of the Nourishing Yuan Fruits continued to accumulate, soon nearing a 200-year peak.

The effects weren’t just due to the Pao Xiao Swallowing Body but also the Leakless Body preserving the essential energy. Yet, Li Mo felt as if he was approaching his limit.

"Salamander."

The Beast Cultivators heard only a muttered word from Li Mo. Suddenly, his body shriveled, transforming into a massive 15-meter Salamander.

A towering ancient tree sprouted from the Salamander’s head, shedding motes of vitality with a slight shake.

While this couldn’t fully heal injuries, the Salamander’s life force could at least stabilize the wounded and suppress the toxins within the Beast Cultivators.

Li Mo fixated on the Nourishing Yuan Fruits, their potency at last breaking through to a 300-year peak. Unfortunately, with the toxic mist near exhaustion, pushing further wasn’t possible.

Even so, a 300-year-old Nourishing Yuan Fruit offered countless benefits.

Tattooed Beasts could use the fruit’s medicinal power to undergo metamorphosis. It could also nourish organs with a Taoist Body or enhance the quality of a Corpse Mountain.

With the poison mist completely eradicated by Li Mo, the Puppet Cultivators grew despondent, retreating in panic and leaving behind over a dozen corpses in their hasty escape.

Only Yuan Ti True Monarch remained relentless, seemingly intent on mutual destruction.

The battle between the two raged on, their figures disappearing into the remaining mist.

Li Mo merely observed. The gap between the Fake Core Stage and the Weak Crown Stage was vast. Yuan Ti True Monarch’s condensed spiritual power alone was enough to give him trouble.

Li Mo utilized his medical expertise, tending to the injuries of the cultivators while mentally assessing the spoils collected at Cai Market.

An Gang didn’t vie with Li Mo for the corpse of the Human Bear Deceit Beast, knowing it was already stored in the spatial storage of the Evergreen Tree along with piles of flesh and bones and nearly 5,000 contribution points.

After finishing all the surgeries, An Gang returned to Cai Market.

An Gang’s expression was a mix of emotions. He threw down the half-meter-long remnants of Yuan Ti True Monarch’s body before saying to Li Mo, "Since your Taoist Body can absorb poison, you can take the flesh."

Without further comment, he turned and headed back to the Government Office, clearly in a foul mood.

Xu Hu sighed with a bitter smile before quietly saying to Li Mo, "It’s likely Manager Tian’s order, intentionally letting Yuan Ti True Monarch go."

"Why?"

"I heard things are unsettled near the Slaughterhouse. Even if An Gang could kill Yuan Ti True Monarch, he’d likely be rendered incapacitated for some time."

Xu Hu patted Li Mo on the shoulder and staggered toward the buildings.

The surviving cultivators bowed respectfully in thanks to Li Mo before dispersing, leaving the Government Office to clean up the battleground.

Li Mo gazed toward the Government Office, watching as An Gang and the Military Punishment Hall disappeared into the southern horizon.

The spiritual tablet in his arms grew warm.

With a resigned expression, Li Mo examined it, unsurprised to find another troubling task regarding the Slaughterhouse. Still, Manager Tian hadn’t instructed the Calligraphy and Painting Hall to head directly there.

Instead, they’d been assigned to provide logistical support for the surrounding areas as they worked to eliminate the Beast Calamity.

Li Mo would finally have time to reflect on and digest his gains.