Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 115 - 116: Corpse Mountain, a World of Its Own

Chapter 115: Chapter 116: Corpse Mountain, a World of Its Own

After exiting seclusion, Li Mo had already detected something amiss with the slaughterhouse.

After all, the Qingfang Taoist, as a Core Formation cultivator, had been inside the slaughterhouse for a month or so. It made no sense for his progress to remain stagnant.

Li Mo even had an unsettling thought.

Could it be that the Qingfang Taoist had already perished, devoured by deceit beasts within the slaughterhouse, which was why no new Black Mountain Goat Strange Beasts had appeared outside?

He forcefully suppressed these stray thoughts. If a Core Formation cultivator had fallen in the slaughterhouse, the struggle for the Dao inheritance between the beast and puppet factions would no longer need to continue.

The urgency in Li Mo’s heart grew stronger, and he decided to quickly complete the Twenty Refinements of Corpse Mountain.

Although he couldn’t wield a High Grade Magical Artifact for prolonged periods, such a refined creation was more than sufficient as a trump card to protect himself. Twenty Refinements would be enough to threaten even a Fake Core stage opponent.

Fortunately, the slaughterhouse had not recently received any injured visitors, and the Artifact Refining Shop was managed by Jin Li.

The shop’s business was only busy in the beginning—most stationed cultivators didn’t waste resources after obtaining a preferred magical artifact.

What puzzled Li Mo was that at least a dozen stationed cultivators had approached Jin Li, expressing a desire to purchase a magic artifact called the "Water-Repelling Pearl."

Jin Li discreetly inquired with Han Cai and learned that the Water-Repelling Pearl was merely a Low Grade Magic Artifact with the function of temporarily sealing the seven orifices and pores of cultivators.

Once refined, even while underwater, cultivators wouldn’t be affected by their environment.

Li Mo increasingly felt that the slaughterhouse was far from the calm setting it appeared on the surface. He should find an opportunity to stay away from this place of strife.

Using his unfamiliarity with the Magic Artifact Catalog as an excuse, he refused to refine the Water-Repelling Pearl, mainly to avoid entangling himself in the strange occurrences of the slaughterhouse.

Even so, an invisible shadow continued to loom over the slaughterhouse.

The Calligraphy and Painting Hall had been divided into two regions, and Li Mo dwelled in the inner room designated for seclusion. Even Jin Li lacked permission to enter.

All communication with Li Mo relied on a bronze bell by the door.

The inner room was dimly lit by candlelight, and the walls were plastered with diagrams related to the Twenty Refinements of Corpse Mountain.

The first twenty refinements of Corpse Mountain were not particularly challenging. After all, they only required Mid to Lower Grade Spiritual Materials and didn’t involve rarely seen Top Grade ones.

Li Mo had already prepared plans beforehand and purchased all the spiritual materials he needed.

However, an unexpected development occurred—Corpse Mountain had transformed into an entity with Yin Earth and Wood Attributes. Although its potential had dramatically increased, Li Mo had to abandon his previous plans revolving around the Yin Earth Attribute.

The challenges were exceedingly complex.

The integration ratios of the three attributed spiritual materials; the dominance between Yin Earth and Wood attributes; the compatibility of various spiritual materials; the emphasis on specific aspects of magical artifact refinement...

The first twenty refinements, akin to one’s childhood phase, were fundamental to establishing a foundation for a High Grade Magical Artifact. Any slight mistake would impact the final outcome.

What’s more, the materials he’d previously gathered were all nurtured by Duozhi Mountain. To be on the safe side, he now needed to exchange contribution points for replacements or purchase mundane spiritual materials from other cultivators.

Even with his gift of photographic memory, Li Mo still found the process to be a headache.

Bit by bit, he sorted out his thoughts and decided to make the Earth Attribute the core of Corpse Mountain.

Through repeated deliberation, Li Mo determined that the crucial first ten refinements would use Earth Attribute spiritual materials, while Yin Attributes and Wood Attributes would have five refinements each.

Earth spirit materials would focus on strengthening the foundational essence of Corpse Mountain, Yin spirit materials would enhance the concentration of spiritual energy, and Wood spirit materials would create a more nourishing environment for cultivation.

With this direction established, Li Mo utilized his connections with the Government Office to select top-quality spiritual materials, costing him a significant 1,000 contribution points.

By the time preparations were complete, more than ten days had passed unknowingly.

The slaughterhouse remained eerily quiet, with most Black Mountain Goat Strange Beasts having fully humanoid forms by now. If not for the Bone-locking Body Sealing Chains restraining their limbs, they would’ve likely smashed themselves against the walls in agitation.

Only Hu Wen’s deceit beast retained its original state.

Without further hesitation, Li Mo began crafting Corpse Mountain.

Notifying Tang Wu of his seclusion plans ahead of time, he ensured that enough Low Grade Magical Artifacts were left behind to allow Jin Li to maintain the Artifact Refining Shop’s operations.

Tang Wu expressed no objections to this.

After all, the Black Mountain Goat Strange Beasts had been relatively docile recently, showing no signs of breaking free from their restraints. The Government Office had no reason to trouble Li Mo further.

"If success is the only way, there’s no reason to cower with over sixty percent certainty."

Li Mo summoned the Ghost Tiger, instructing the Tattooed Beast to hide in the shadows of the inner room. Even though sustaining Hui Qingyi required a portion of his spiritual power, he wasn’t willing to face danger unprepared.

Opening his palm, a miniature version of Corpse Mountain manifested, instantly filling the room with an indescribably putrid stench.

The Ghost Tiger scrunched its face in disgust, covering its nose with its paw.

After undergoing transformations induced by the Nourishing Yuan Fruit, Corpse Mountain now resembled a heap of flesh and blood. Upon closer inspection, a network of blood vessels could be seen wriggling incessantly within its soil.

Even the spiritual materials planted within Corpse Mountain had become blood-infused, creating a grotesque visual aesthetic.

Li Mo toyed with Corpse Mountain for a moment.

He frequently used his consciousness to communicate with it, occasionally employing the Blood Refining technique to strengthen their connection.

Though the results were minimal for now, such consistent effort would be beneficial to the artifact’s refinement down the line.

Li Mo took a deep breath.

He carefully laid out the spiritual materials in front of him before producing a large jar of reserved smog-like spiritual energy and several Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

With Rong Town cut off from the outside world, Li Mo couldn’t replenish his supply of canned spiritual energy at the Mountain and Sea Market, missing out on a marginal boost to his odds of success.

The Eight-Armed Spine Nerve unfurled as he initiated the temporary arm implantation process.

Fully prepared, Li Mo picked up the Low Grade Spiritual Material "Parasol Stone" and, in a flash, ground it into powder before sprinkling it over Corpse Mountain’s surface.

Parasol Stone was considered quite common.

Its defining trait was its ability to absorb nutrients and then grow like a plant, continually expanding over time.

Yet, because of its soft material, Parasol Stone wasn’t typically integrated into magical artifacts.

But what Li Mo valued was precisely its unlimited growth, making it a perfect match for Corpse Mountain and an ideal choice as the first foundation layer material.

Corpse Mountain greedily devoured the Parasol Stone powder, its blood-flesh surface pulsating ever more rapidly.

Li Mo controlled Corpse Mountain’s absorption, ensuring every inch of it was infused. The process took a full hour to complete.

He then proceeded to fuse more spiritual materials, causing Corpse Mountain’s physical size to expand to 150 meters, while a second peak began to take form.

The deceit beasts within the mountain attempted to flee frantically, burrowing into underground tunnels in panic.

Three Refinements... Five Refinements... Seven Refinements...

Li Mo’s movements became increasingly fluid as Corpse Mountain swelled visibly. The fleshy appearance began to subside, resembling a proper mountain more and more.

As he focused deeply, a profound exhaustion washed over him, his Middle Dantian gradually running dry. Only the profound reserves of his Three Path Body kept him going, demonstrating just how arduous it was for someone at the Weak Crown Middle Stage to complete the Twenty Refinements of a High Grade Magical Artifact.

But Li Mo refused to waver. At worst, failure would mean damage to Corpse Mountain, and a few doses of Nourishing Yuan Fruit would fully restore it.

Narrowing his eyes, his refinement techniques became even more unrestrained.

By the time Ten Refinements were complete, Corpse Mountain had undergone a tremendous transformation. What was once mere hills had now grown into a miniature mountain range with three distinct peaks.

Li Mo examined Corpse Mountain closely.

Among the peaks, the central main peak was covered in amber-like, fleshy soil, exuding dense Yin spiritual energy. Its nutrients favored the cultivation of Earth Attribute materials.

The two secondary peaks were comparatively shorter. Without suitable spiritual materials integrated, these remained stark, barren mountains.

Taking advantage of Corpse Mountain’s brief stabilization, Li Mo grabbed a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone and stuffed it into his mouth.

Activating his Primordial Dao Body’s enhancement, his teeth crystallized, allowing him to easily chew the Spirit Stone.

Thanks to his Leakless Body, all kinds of spiritual energy were firmly locked within him, then fully absorbed by the Paoxiao Swallowing Body technique, further enhancing his cultivation.

Of course, only Li Mo would dare to attempt such a thing.

Ordinary cultivators, even with bodies strong enough to withstand the rampaging energy, couldn’t endure the impurities’ assault on their flesh and bones.

Crunch... crunch... crunch...

Faint noises emerged from Corpse Mountain—it was the artifact itself resisting the integration of the Ten Refinements Spiritual Materials.

In some sense, a High Grade Magical Artifact had partially evolved traits akin to living creatures.

If Li Mo didn’t continue refining, the gains from the Ten Refinements would be entirely nullified, illustrating the immense challenges of carrying on with High Grade refinement.

Without pause, Li Mo began incorporating Yin Attribute spiritual materials. Unfortunately, his Middle Dantian had only recovered to 50%; he had no choice but to use his last-resort cans of spiritual energy.

He meticulously utilized every strand of smog-like spiritual power, his expression extremely focused.

When the first Yin Attribute spiritual material succeeded in melding, the left secondary peak of Corpse Mountain quaked, producing countless unnamed gravestones across its surface.

As more Yin spiritual materials were incorporated, the energy reserves in Li Mo’s Dantian hit rock bottom.

Li Mo realized that refining the Yin-part materials was several times more intricate than the first ten refinements. It felt as though he were introducing volatile chemicals into a sealed container, with an ever-present threat of explosive failure.

Fortunately, everything went without disaster.

The completed Yin Attribute secondary peak presented a starkly contrasting scene compared to the Earth Attribute main peak. It resembled a chaotic burial mound, dotted with flickering ghostly flames.

"How odd..."

Li Mo’s expression turned peculiar as he observed a gravestone at the base of the mountain bearing the name of Master Duomu. His mouth twitched involuntarily.

What’s more, beneath the stone lay the actual remains of Master Duomu.

The corpse appeared to be connected via blood vessels, continuously supplying Yin spiritual energy to Corpse Mountain—marking Master Duomu as the first named "resident" of the mountain.

Li Mo deduced that only living cultivators absorbed by Corpse Mountain received such a distinction.

Other cultivators’ corpses consumed by Corpse Mountain were reduced to mere elements within the rocky terrain of the Yin secondary peak, unworthy of burial in the chaotic graveyard.

With another round of Spirit Stone crunching, Li Mo downed the remainder of his smog-like spiritual energy, while the Paoxiao Swallowing Body frantically absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy.

The final Five Refinements were now his only goal, even if it cost him half his life.

Focusing intensely, Li Mo reviewed the steps in his mind before surgically adding four more temporary prosthetic arms to his ribcage.

With the Eight-Armed Spine Nerve included, a staggering 18 limbs moved in coordinated harmony within the room.

As his body visibly shrank and withered, even the spiritual power sustaining the Ghost Tiger was partially drained to ensure the smooth completion of the artifact refinement.

The Sixteenth Refinement: "Withered Wood Three-Flower Vine."

The Seventeenth Refinement: "Burning Earth Grass."

The Eighteenth Refinement: "Ancient Yellow Half-Dried Wood."

......

The Evergreen Tree atop the Wood Attribute secondary peak grew rapidly until it transformed into an enormous towering tree. Surrounding spiritual materials thrived alongside it, flourishing in an almost surreal manner.

Despite the somewhat grotesque appearance of the spiritual materials, the rich medicinal fragrance they emitted was undeniable.

"The Twenty Refinements... completed."

Li Mo’s weak voice echoed as he held Corpse Mountain in his right hand.

The Earth Attribute main peak was layered with rugged rock formations; the Yin Attribute peak exuded a ghostly aura; and the Wood Attribute secondary peak was lush and verdant. The sublime qualities of the High Grade Magical Artifact became fully apparent.

Li Mo was confident.

Even among the Core Formation cultivators in Rong Town, no High Grade Magical Artifact in their possession would match Corpse Mountain in sheer purity and quality.