Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 123 - 124 Acquired Dao Body [Life-gathering Beast Body]

Chapter 123: Chapter 124 Acquired Dao Body [Life-gathering Beast Body]

Certainly, here is the English translation without explanation:

The deceit beasts chanted the name of Tian Chenzi, while Han Cai and Hu Wen exchanged glances, realizing that Black Wind Ridge was entangled in Rong Town’s secrets.

Rong Town had always worshiped images of Tian Chenzi, yet there were no records about the Heart Beast Sect, except for the stone monument outside the black market that referenced "Heart Beast."

Han Cai was unfamiliar with Rong Town’s history, only knowing it originated from some Beast Cultivation Immortal Sect, with scarce specific information.

He attempted to extract scraps of clues from the deceit beasts’ mouths.

But as these deceit beasts behaved in madness, their words lacked credibility, making it impossible to interpret the meaning behind "Heart Beast."

Master Qiong Yu fell to both knees and cried out yet again, "Please, Ancestor Master, descend!!!"

Immediately following, the deceit beasts below began sacrificing their own flesh and blood.

They pierced their limbs with sharp implements, drawing incomprehensible lines upon the platform’s outer walls, causing their bodies to become increasingly emaciated.

As the deceit beasts perished, the transplanted human skin on their flesh began to dissolve, blending into the bloodwater and slowly flowing toward the statue.

The bloodwater appeared alive, coiling around the statue’s eight limbs and eventually vanishing into the mustard seed space.

Li Mo’s consciousness turned toward the mustard seed space, where he saw heaps of flesh and corpse remains begin enveloped by the bloodwater, transforming into a massive tumor, pulsating like a heart.

Fragments of human skin emerged upon the surface of the tumor, though only the facial features were apparent.

Hu Wen tilted her head sharply, her piercing gaze fixed on the statue as she began to sense a familiar aura slowly descending.

"Li Mo, what on earth is happening?"

When Li Mo shared the abnormalities within the mustard seed space with Han Cai and Hu Wen, Hu Wen’s human-faced spider shrieked sharply: "It’s that Mountain Lord Strange Beast—it’s coming, it’s coming!!!"

Han Cai’s expression grew grim as he attempted to calm Hu Wen, whose sanity teetered on the brink.

Unmoved by the chaos, Han Cai saw traces within Li Mo’s fragmented descriptions, realizing even Tian Changwen had underestimated the Mountain Lord Strange Beast. Its power likely exceeded the typical Fake Core stage.

The bloodwater surged wilder and wilder, and scores of deceit beasts toppled below the platform.

Their deaths were horrifying: not only was their blood drained, but much of their flesh dissolved, while their expressions maintained a fervent ecstasy.

The deceit beasts atop the platform paid no heed, obsessively calling upon "Tian Chenzi."

Li Mo witnessed firsthand how groups of deceit beasts were slaughtered like harvesting grain.

The tumor in the mustard seed space threatened to burst, yet it caused no damage to the statue; bizarrely, instead, it seemed to make the statue’s abdomen swell like pregnancy.

Human skin fragments assembled together, piecing into grotesque visages.

As the facial features on each visage originated from different human skins, it produced an intensely uncanny sensation, making Li Mo’s scalp crawl.

Squinting, Li Mo combed through Creation Book’s memories repeatedly.

He vaguely recognized the visages on the tumor’s surface; their features resembled certain Inner Sect disciples of the ancient Heart Beast Sect.

Clearly, the Mountain Lord Strange Beast aimed to reconstruct the long-dissolved Heart Beast Sect, trapped for thousands of years in nostalgic visions of the sect’s past glory.

Han Cai pondered for a long moment before speaking, "Disciple, the Mountain Lord Strange Beast is formidable to confront—we must first eliminate the lurking threats."

"Speak, Master Han."

Li Mo’s expression turned solemn. Even Fake Core-level Han Cai spoke of the immense fear brought by the Mountain Lord Strange Beast.

"Northwest second row near the statue: Mihou Taoist. Southeast first row: Cat Mongoose Taoist. Directly east second row: Yellow Ox..."

Han Cai confirmed multiple times before declaring, "There are seven in total—they’re Puppet Cultivators hidden within Black Wind Ridge. Disciple, you must divert disaster toward them."

Immediately after speaking, Han Cai hesitated, fearing Li Mo might attempt something excessively dangerous.

"I’ll try."

Li Mo did not reject the proposal; granted his control over the statue, he indeed could somewhat influence the direction of the Sacrificial Festival’s proceedings.

However, he had to act carefully, lest the plan backfires disastrously.

Master Qiong Yu collapsed in tears, letting loose a desperate wail: "Ancestor Master Tian Chenzi, mighty and exalted, descend upon the altar to protect the scripture, protect the Dao, protect the sanctum, achieving Taoist perpetual tranquility!"

"Heart Beast..."

The deceit beasts representing servant disciples perished one after another, and the statue’s abdomen swelled further, with the number of visages upon the tumor’s surface exceeding a hundred.

Li Mo could distinctly sense a monstrous entity gestating within the tumor.

Han Cai eased his concerns as Li Mo maintained composure, clearly demonstrating no reckless behavior within the Beast Calamity.

Li Mo seemed to make up his mind. Extending his Eight-Armed Spine Nerve, he selected a spiritual material called Meat Entangled Silk and began refining it into the statue.

"Ugh..."

Han Cai’s heart trembled—it was akin to playing with fire. If the refining aura leaked, the entire process would be ruined.

Hu Wen paid no heed to Li Mo, keenly aware of her emotional instability, endeavoring to suppress her negativity to prevent deviation.

Li Mo pressed on until the Meat Entangled Silk completely fused into the statue, whereupon he cautiously unveiled the Magic Artifact aura of the statue.

Master Qiong Yu noticed nothing strange—on the contrary, he grew even more ecstatic, provoking frowns from the Puppet Cultivators mixed within the Sacrificial Festival.

They communicated via specialized spells.

Black Wind Ridge overflowed with eerie menace. Their participation in the Sacrificial Festival aimed to exploit the chaos, but they now found themselves ensnared by it.

Having no escape route left, they opted to pre-emptively sabotage the ritual.

Yang Quanzi inhaled deeply, his tongue shaped like an arm conveying information among his companions.

Their goal was clear—when the statue was destroyed, they would force Han Cai and Hu Wen into direct battle, as they could not withstand the deceit beast’s attacks otherwise.

The Puppet Cultivators present were no stronger than Late Teenage stage. Their risk in attending the Sacrificial Festival stemmed from overconfidence in being hidden while their enemy was exposed.

If they managed to kill two Fake Core-stage cultivators, the rewards could be exchanged for a Little Human Head.

Yang Quanzi had already begun mobilizing his spiritual power, only for the statue itself to roil and stir ahead of him—its six arms stretched longer and sprang directly toward the Puppet Cultivators gathered around the platform.

"No..."

In realization of the hidden Beast Cultivator presence within Black Wind Ridge, Yang Quanzi gritted his teeth and pried apart his jaws. Countless tender arms poured forth from his throat.

Rather than targeting the statue, he roared his attacks at the nearest figure—Han Cai.

A tearing sound echoed from Han Cai’s body as the arms threatened to burst through his skin, only to be forcefully suppressed.

"How dare you offend the Heart Beast—seeking your own death!"

Master Qiong Yu glared into Yang Quanzi’s surroundings, where disguised deceit beasts suddenly revealed their malevolence, pouncing on all fours toward him.

The other Puppet Cultivators scrambled to evade the statue’s monstrous arms.

The platform descended into chaos.

Though the number of deceit beasts dwindled alarmingly, they remained far beyond the Puppet Cultivators’ combat level—what remained were all Late Teenage stage beasts.

Within mere moments, the Puppet Cultivators faced utter devastation.

"It’s more than just us—Master Qiong Yu, look, there’s still..."

Yang Quanzi screamed desperately, his body devoured to the torso as his decaying organs spilled from his chest for all to see.

But the deceit beasts ignored him, tearing out his tongue and lifting it toward the statue.

Li Mo licked his lips as he scooped the seven Puppet Cultivators into the mustard seed space, transferring them temporarily into an artifact capable of storing living entities.

Once placed within the Corpse Mountain, the spiritual energy concentration would rise by at least fifty percent.

Hu Wen glanced at Li Mo, detecting sparks of thought in his eyes, though she quickly redirected her focus back to the statue.

Master Qiong Yu’s mania intensified, as the deceit beasts representing Outer Disciples perished one by one.

The tumor had swelled to its zenith, yet no Mountain Lord Strange Beast had been birthed from its depths.

Hu Wen’s expression settled, her voice oddly calm: "I knew it—Li Mo, summon that Mountain Lord."

Li Mo nodded, producing Human Skin Paper designed to hold Yin Spiritual Power, upon which he sketched a ferocious tiger hunting prey.

Han Cai realized that Hu Wen had already prepared.

He spoke gravely, "No matter what happens, if the Mountain Lord Strange Beast appears, you must leave Black Wind Ridge immediately, disciple."

"Understood."

Li Mo agreed without hesitation. Without deploying the Corpse Mountain, his threat remained limited.

The pace of deceit beast deaths hit a fever pitch. As it came closer to Han Cai, his back sprouted slender arms, numbering nearly twenty.

"Kill, kill, kill."

With a single sweeping strike, the deceit beasts nearby were severed in half.

Hu Wen also ceased her concealment, slamming the ground with her palm as a blood-red array engulfed the platform, accompanied by faint echoes of tiger roars.

Li Mo deftly crafted the Mountain King Map, swapping his ink for the relative deceit beast blood.

The Mountain Lord phantom in the Human Skin Paper threatened to leap from its confines, its menace causing fractures within the tumor.

Li Mo completed the Mountain King Map in merely ten breaths.

He retreated through the hidden door as explosions reverberated, scattering the tumor’s shell apart.

From the statue’s abdomen crawled a monstrous entity—its head human-like yet tiger-like, its body adorned with hundreds of faces, each crying out "Heart Beast."

It ravaged the phantom Mountain Lord forged by the array, greedily extending bloodied feelers from its faces, sniffing at its surroundings.

"It’s you, it’s you..."

Hu Wen’s lower body transformed into a slug as she stared intently at one of the faces.

Li Mo understood that this deceit beast was the true Master Qiong Yu—but he refrained from probing further, alarmed by the hairs-on-end terror she projected.

Cursing inwardly, Li Mo realized Master Qiong Yu had targeted his Human Skin—containing two types of Dao Physique.

"Whale."

A ten-meter Kun Whale materialized as Li Mo stood upon his Tattooed Beast, fleeing the city.

Master Qiong Yu faced Han Cai and Hu Wen without a trace of panic, dispassionately crushing one deceit beast after another with her tail.

"Heart... Beast... Eternal..."

Han Cai gritted his teeth at her proclamation, unleashing a network of arms under the Universal Skillful Hands, snaring the deceit beasts within.

Hu Wen held nothing back, dissolving half the town into a viscous poisonous swamp.

Bang!

Master Qiong Yu’s body detonated into gore as their spells missed entirely.

"No!!"

Han Cai found himself powerless to halt it—Master Qiong Yu emerged behind Li Mo, her cavernous maw packed with writhing tongues.

If Li Mo were severely injured, it would ruin their odds in the remaining fight.

Master Qiong Yu’s jaws snapped shut.

Clang...

The metallic ringing echoed as Li Mo vanished, struck aside by a massive Three-Legged Golden Toad whose resounding croak pierced the air.

The twenty-meter Golden Toad, an ancient strange beast akin to myths from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, leapt away from Black Wind Ridge.

Yet its immense energy expenditure left behind a patch of intense smog.

Li Mo, having called upon it, now understood the details of the Acquired Dao Body.

Acquired Dao Body [Life-gathering Beast Body]