Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 116 - 117: A Ruthless Move

Chapter 116: Chapter 117: A Ruthless Move

Li Mo had no time for joy, as the emptiness in his body forced him to immediately sit and cultivate in meditation.

His stomach and intestines let out deafening thunderous roars, as though a Taotie was howling inside him, causing the Tattooed Beasts to respond one after another.

Li Mo’s expression changed slightly as he grabbed handfuls of Mid-grade Spirit Stones and stuffed them into his mouth.

Merely replenishing Spiritual Power was far from enough; he summoned the Red Fox to help roast beast blood-meat, devouring it hastily even before it was fully cooked.

Even during the confrontation with the Golden Toad, Li Mo’s injuries had not been this severe. Fortunately, the Weak Crown Death Disease wouldn’t erupt for at least another thirty years; otherwise, it would have inevitably struck prematurely.

He shivered involuntarily—if he couldn’t pass through the Weak Crown Period, the symptoms would worsen until the age of one hundred, leaving his constitution weaker than even a mortal’s.

Spiritual Power and Vital Blood gradually replenished themselves, and his heartbeat suddenly quickened. The Jade Liquid-like blood coursed through his entire body, reviving various organs.

Had it been another cultivator facing such severe depletion, even harming their foundational cultivation would be the least consequence; they might even die and lose their Dao altogether.

Li Mo only managed to recklessly overdraw his vitality thanks to the resilience of his Three Path Body.

He was like a sponge greedily absorbing water, frantically consuming and devouring, stimulating all his organs to activity, and causing the room to resemble a tornado’s vortex.

In merely a dozen or so days, Li Mo’s vitality, spirit, and mind had recovered to roughly seventy percent. Another half-month of rest would allow him to return to his peak condition.

During his meditation, he split his concentration to check on the Corpse Mountain.

Li Mo had relocated the Corpse Mountain to his heart. After all, the core of the Paoxiao Swallowing Body lies within the heart, making it ideal for nourishing the Magic Artifact.

The three peaks of the Corpse Mountain each had their own unique qualities, rendering the Magic Artifact incomparably mysterious.

The Yin Attribute Secondary Peak emitted Spiritual Energy, forming a thin mist between the mountains.

Li Mo searched for a long time before spotting the trace of a Deceit Beast on the Wood Element Sub-Peak. It was almost negligible in size, resembling a sesame seed amid the mountains.

Due to the collapse of the mountain, a Deceit Beast had accidentally died on the Wood Element Sub-Peak. Its corpse was wrapped tightly by the roots of the Evergreen Tree.

Li Mo raised an eyebrow.

He noticed that the Evergreen Tree was absorbing the Deceit Beast’s blood, while the rest of the corpse was being decomposed by the Corpse Mountain. From its branches, a yet-to-mature fruit was sprouting, shaped like a fist-clenched human hand.

The few remaining Deceit Beasts circled restlessly around the Evergreen Tree.

Li Mo realized the function of the fruit: any living being that consumed the Evergreen Tree’s fruit would exhibit signs of Deceit Beastification.

"Raising some Deceit Beasts might actually work. Not only could I obtain spiritual materials, but their corpses could nourish the Corpse Mountain. Wouldn’t that create an ecosystem?"

Furthermore, Deceit Beasts posed no threat to ordinary beast herds; it was entirely feasible to layer the Meat Mountain, confining the Deceit Beasts to specific regions.

The more Li Mo observed, the more he grew fond of the Corpse Mountain.

Among the countless Magic Artifacts he had encountered—close to a thousand—it was only the Corpse Mountain that exuded an entirely natural aura, like a fine masterpiece.

Li Mo organized the contents of his Storage Bag and poured all the Yin Earth Wood Attribute spiritual materials into the Corpse Mountain, placing them in corresponding mountain crevices.

Although the Corpse Mountain had undergone twenty refinements, its nutrients were insufficient to nourish Mid-grade Spirit Materials, but it could maintain their current quality without issues.

As for Low-grade Spirit Materials, as long as their quantities weren’t excessive, they would hardly impact the Corpse Mountain’s operations.

Every part of the Corpse Mountain was flourishing; the spiritual materials harmonized beautifully within the environment. However, it lacked earthworms, bees, and other insects, which would undoubtedly hinder the natural growth of spiritual materials.

This imperfection could not yet be addressed, so Li Mo silently noted it down for future consideration.

Ding-ding-ding...

The copper bell at the inner chamber’s door rang out with its incessant crisp chimes.

Li Mo opened his eyes, then turned to look at the Ghost Tiger under the bed, which was the size of a mongoose. The latter shook its head, indicating that no danger was present.

The Ghost Tiger seemed uneasy.

It stood upright on its hind legs, gesturing to indicate that Jin Li was the one who rang the copper bell. Jin Li had then hurriedly left the Calligraphy and Painting Hall and stood waiting at the main door.

Li Mo patted the Ghost Tiger’s head and retracted the Tattooed Beasts back into his flesh.

Before entering seclusion, he had instructed Jin Li that in case of an extremely urgent matter, he should notify him via the copper bell.

"Could the Slaughterhouse have exploded?"

Li Mo’s heart raced, his first thought being that the Beast Calamity had suddenly taken a turn, so he quickly checked the information on his spiritual tablet, frowning as he did.

According to Jin Li, it was a False Core cultivator from the pawn shop who had come to visit.

As for the Slaughterhouse, everything remained as it was; the Beast Calamity showed no sign of ending and maintained its eerie balance.

Just a few days prior, Tian Changwen had pulled another batch of stationed cultivators away from the Slaughterhouse.

Apparently, the Laurel Bridge had been successfully cleared out. However, at another Beast Calamity site—Mountain Gate Well—it had been infiltrated by Puppet Cultivators, resulting in massive casualties.

Li Mo walked out of the inner chamber, his expression perplexed.

The Calligraphy and Painting Hall was eerily quiet, its doors and windows all tightly locked, with Jin Li and the two recruited helpers nowhere to be seen.

Li Mo instinctively tightened his muscles, quickly spotting the silhouette in the main hall.

A graceful female cultivator stood with her back facing him, wearing a blood-stained white robe that suggested she had recently fought fiercely.

The female cultivator wiped flesh mush off her face, carefully arranging her hair with the aid of a copper mirror.

How could Li Mo not recognize who this person was? Yet Hu Wen’s state seemed somewhat off; her visage was heavily adorned with exaggerated makeup.

Her bright red lips appeared as if they were dripping blood, while the half-exposed skin on the back of her neck squirmed like a slug, only to return to normal in the blink of an eye.

This indicated severe instability in her physical condition, a phenomenon generally seen just before the Death Disease erupts or when Deceit Beastification becomes uncontrollable.

"Milady had no sense of seasons while stuck in the Slaughterhouse. It sure feels chilly now."

Hu Wen narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Don’t you think so, Li Mo?"

"Steward Hu, since you’ve finally escaped the Beast Calamity, why not let me notify the Government Office?"

Li Mo felt as though there were needles pressing against his back. The more he looked, the less resemblance Hu Wen bore to a True Person. Could it be... the Black Mountain Goat Deceit Beast escaped the warehouse?

He shuddered as a chilling sensation climbed up his Heavenly Spirit Cover.

Li Mo silently regretted not consuming more Spirit Stones to restore his cultivation during his seclusion, regardless of whether his Taoist Body could endure it.

He calculated how long he could control the Corpse Mountain in his current state as he slowly edged toward the wall, intending to use Calligraphy and Painting Hall to preemptively suppress the Black Mountain Goat Deceit Beast.

Hu Wen sighed.

Her expression turned cold. "Li Mo, your courage has grown. Tell me, what part of me doesn’t look human?"

As she spoke, tangible Spiritual Power emanated from Hu Wen.

The tables and chairs started trembling violently.

While summoning the True Word Sect’s Secret Bone to shield against the Spiritual Power, Li Mo split his concentration to check the warehouse’s condition.

The warehouse was indeed missing only Hu Wen’s Deceit Beast. However, it hadn’t escaped the Bone-locking Body Sealing Chain; instead, it had vanished into thin air.

Upon closer examination, even the Spiritual Power Hu Wen exuded hadn’t passed through the Mud Pill Palace.

As for the instability of her state, it might be attributed to her advancement to the Fake Core Stage via some method with heavy side effects.

"Apologies, Steward Hu."

Li Mo brewed tea for Hu Wen while using his spiritual tablet to inquire with Han Cai.

Hu Wen’s emotions fluctuated unpredictably, but her demeanor shifted back to a pleasant smile shortly thereafter, and the furniture returned to their original positions.

The spiritual tablet slightly buzzed, and Han Cai responded succinctly.

"It’s Hu Wen."

Li Mo heaved a sigh of relief, realizing that Hu Wen’s intention likely had something to do with the Mountain Lord Strange Beast.

Hu Wen studied Li Mo from the corner of her eyes, muttering, "Not bad, managing to thrive in this grisly Slaughterhouse."

Li Mo couldn’t shake the feeling that there was hidden meaning in her words.

Hu Wen chuckled with her hand covering her mouth. "Haven’t you noticed that at least one-third of the stationed cultivators in the Slaughterhouse are actually Deceit Beasts?"

Li Mo’s shock left him speechless, but before he could respond, Hu Wen cut him off.

"If you’re thinking about the Government Office, let me make one thing clear: the ratio of Deceit Beasts there is quite low, but they do exist..."

"Tang Wu is a Deceit Beast."

Li Mo’s expression turned grim. He had considered the possibility of Deceit Beasts infiltrating the towns, but he hadn’t expected the situation to be this severe.

If Hu Wen’s assertions were true, the Slaughterhouse was essentially out of control.

"Didn’t Manager Tian dispatch Qingfang Taoist to the Slaughterhouse?"

Hu Wen’s tone grew shrill and erratic, "Don’t mention Tian Changwen to me; he’s nothing but a complete lunatic!"

"Tang Wu is almost a thousand years old; how could he possibly be so lively after being buried for centuries?"

"Don’t forget, Tang Wu couldn’t even overcome the Weak Crown Death Disease. His flesh is barely intact, and even a child could end his life."

Li Mo continued Hu Wen’s thought and added, "So Manager Tian had people dig Tang Wu’s body out of his grave and send him to the Slaughterhouse."

"And now we’re seeing the result—a living, breathing Tang Wu, impersonated by a Deceit Beast, carrying on the same tasks as before."

Li Mo sucked in a breath of cold air. Tian Changwen’s actions were indeed extreme, but how could the situation have escalated to such a massive scale?

Unable to hold back, he asked Hu Wen, who cooled her emotions and explained with a sneer.

The core issue was the uncontrollable casualties among Beast Cultivators. With Tian Changwen simultaneously clearing thirteen Beast Calamity sites while defending against Puppet cultivators’ attacks, it was impossible for him to manage everything.

Hence, Tian Changwen conceived of using Deceit Beasts to replace fallen cultivators, laying out this meticulous Dao inheritance strategy.

"Doesn’t it risk spiraling out of control?"

The impersonation of Deceit Beasts was predicated on cultivators being transformed into Deceit Beasts themselves. The hundreds of Deceit Beasts outside implied that the cultivators entering the Slaughterhouse had already turned into Deceit Beasts.

Li Mo suddenly remembered someone purchasing Water-Repelling Pearls not long ago.

Those pearls allowed one to seal their pores and conceal their aura, suggesting that the thought process of disguised Deceit Beasts differed significantly from regular cultivators.

"Everything inside the Slaughterhouse is suppressed by Qingfang Taoist."

Hu Wen shook her head slightly. Qingfang Taoist was rigid by nature and had frequent clashes with Tian Changwen, yet this time had willingly complied.

"As for the Deceit Beasts outside, as long as they are mixed into the human population at a certain ratio, they won’t experience Spiritual Wisdom breakdowns."

Li Mo, having dispelled his doubts, began deliberating his next steps. Ideally, he needed to detach himself from the Slaughterhouse.

"Steward Hu, are you now planning to deal with the Mountain Lord Strange Beast?"

"Yes, but let’s go to the Medical Hall first."

Li Mo used his spiritual tablet to notify Jin Li of his temporary departure from the Slaughterhouse for other tasks, subtly advising him to avoid contact with others.

Hu Wen had already initiated contact with Tian Changwen when the Calligraphy and Painting Hall shook unexpectedly.

Evidently, Tian Changwen was already aware of Hu Wen’s plans and had permitted her to take Li Mo along, partially as a measure of protection.

The Calligraphy and Painting Hall traversed through the town, vanishing after a moment into the dense fog.

Since Tian Changwen had previously reassigned several batches of cultivators, the hall’s departure caused no disturbance, with only Tang Wu watching it go.

Tang Wu tapped his skull with his old smoking pipe, muttering indistinctly to himself.

"My memory just keeps getting worse..."