Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 145 - 5: Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater

Chapter 145: Chapter 5: Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater

The appearance of Dome Mountain resembled a towering hill of abandoned metallic waste, hundreds of meters high, while gusts of a foul wind stirred the air, shrouding the surroundings in a thick haze.

The remaining disciples of the Chaotic Burial Furnace sat upright atop Dome Mountain, their expressions tense and grim.

Having journeyed together to the Path of Self-Reflection and engaging in a fierce battle with the disciples of Big Deer Thousand Feet, even though it lasted merely an hour, the damage they suffered was substantial.

Only by relying on the emanating aura from Dome Mountain could they effectively recover from their injuries.

The disciples cast complex gazes at Li Mo.

Dome Mountain deployed magic to shield Li Mo, demonstrating a level of attentiveness never seen before toward any other disciple.

Chaotic Burial Furnace resided in the southwestern sector of the eight-layered small world, its offshoots consisting of 375 artifact cultivators, all possessing innate Taoist Bodies.

There were even those who had cultivated to achieve Dual Dao Bodies through postnatal cultivation.

Three hundred years ago, there appeared a cultivator with a Three Path Body, though he had long since formed a Golden Core and was reportedly preparing for the next opportunity at Golden Cauldron Sect in the port.

However, the concept of a Five Dao Body was entirely absent from their minds.

Recalling the insurmountable gap, even though Li Mo’s aura remained concealed, he still exuded a suffocating pressure in their eyes.

They assumed Li Mo, due to potential conflicts within his Taoist Body, would experience a slower cultivation advancement.

Otherwise, how could Li Mo, upon stepping onto the Path of Self-Reflection, still maintain only the cultivation of the First Level of Puberty?

Yet Li Mo demonstrated within mere minutes the terror of a Five Dao Body, almost shattering Sheng Ge’s Tao Heart, leaving the disciples of Chaotic Burial Furnace equally bewildered.

Although over ninety percent of artifact cultivators smoothly established their Foundation and advanced to the Weak Crown Period, Li Mo’s monstrous absorption of spiritual power, achieving perfection in an instant, struck deeply at their confidence.

Does innate talent truly outweigh everything?

The aura projected by Dome Mountain confirmed this notion—talent indeed surpassed everything, so much so it could be described as a chasm.

Within Li Mo’s Five Dao Body, apart from the Life-gathering Beast Body, the other innate Taoist Bodies complemented each other harmoniously—what did this signify?

For ordinary cultivators, a top-grade Golden Core was an unattainable dream, yet for Li Mo, it was as effortless as reaching into his pocket.

Even the legendary Perfect Golden Core seemed within his grasp, for the Artifact Sect hadn’t produced a Five Dao Body artifact embryo before.

Li Mo vaguely sensed the hostility emanating from the other disciples of Chaotic Burial Furnace.

It was understandable upon reflection.

Even though he had yet to accomplish anything and his visible cultivation remained at the First Level of Puberty, his inevitable appointment as Chaotic Burial Furnace’s chief disciple was already guaranteed.

This rendered their years of effort meaningless, plunging them into despair.

The disciples accompanying Dome Mountain were merely at the Weak Crown cultivation level. For those artifact cultivators already in the Established Stage who had formed their Golden Core, their animosity toward Li Mo was even greater.

Li Mo paid them no heed.

Due to the peculiar nature of the Artifact Sect, the Mother Furnace dictated the rules, fostering relatively healthier internal competition.

Moreover, with Dome Mountain as his backing, his safety remained assured. Dome Mountain would even eliminate threats against him, regardless of their contributions to Taoist inheritance.

Judging from Dome Mountain’s eerie laughter during the journey, Li Mo’s terrifying Five Dao Body talent was sufficient for great ability cultivators to treat him like their own son.

Dome Mountain also cared little for the attitudes of the other disciples.

If a Five Dao Body couldn’t dominate the fellow brothers and sisters of Chaotic Burial Furnace, how could it surpass the peers of the Artifact Sect and those who had advanced to Nascent Soul?

Under countless gazes fixed upon him, Li Mo closed his eyes and began regulating his breath.

Sharing the oppressive Corpse Wind setting were three other innate Taoist Bodies, though unlike Li Mo, they did not enjoy preferential treatment and were tossed to the wind’s periphery.

Forget cultivating with eyes closed—remaining conscious under the corruption of Corpse Wind was already an arduous task.

The trio gazed at Li Mo with complicated expressions, suddenly feeling their innate Taoist Bodies held little value while pitying Sheng Ge.

Regardless of Sheng Ge’s future accomplishments, as one of the same batch of artifact people, he would forever be compared to Li Mo.

Considering the talent Li Mo displayed, Sheng Ge’s destiny seemed bound to a lifetime of suppression.

What they did not realize was that Li Mo’s view of a Five Dao Body was far from the limit.

The Heavenly Man had also nurtured a spell page. If integrated into an imprint painting of Green Robe, even the Life-gathering Beast Body could transform to innate.

However, Li Mo opted to perfect the Life-gathering Beast Body using the Hundred Beasts Blood Body and refrained from imprinting it within the Mother Furnace.

If he had, he would be the unprecedented possessor of innate Five Dao Body aptitude.

"Sigh..."

Li Mo let out a sigh, the drawbacks of forcibly metallizing his Corpse Spirit Root exposed in full—his five internal organs swollen, his flesh riddled with impurities.

Purging the impurities would require significant time and meticulous effort.

Nonetheless, it mattered little; prioritizing the completion of multiple Dantians to condense his Golden Core over advancing his Melting Furnace cultivation was his main goal.

The Corpse Wind howled.

The air was thick with metallic dust, its stench intolerably sharp.

Admittedly, the spiritual energy concentration far surpassed ordinary places and was several times denser than Duozhi Mountain, albeit signifying environmental hostility.

Li Mo couldn’t fully discern his surroundings, though he could imagine that the proximity to the Inner Sect’s small world meant the lower three layers were devoid of any grass, birds, or beasts.

He covertly performed Paoxiao Swallowing Body, letting the thickened blood flush his heart.

The blood filtered out impurities, reduced to minuscule particles via his veins, then returned to the Melting Furnace, where the high heat of Ash Spirit Power vaporized them.

Dome Mountain frequently nodded in approval—indeed, few matched a Five Dao Body. Li Mo’s natural command of Paoxiao Swallowing Body exhibited remarkable subtlety, resonating faintly with the Heavenly Dao.

Li Mo quickened his pace while disciples clinging to the mountain desperately held on tight.

Any lapse in attention would result in falling.

After traveling for an indeterminate period, Li Mo’s heart had already reduced its impurities by thirty percent, its appearance shifted to resemble an ancient bronze metallic machine.

For most artifact cultivators in the First Level of Puberty, metallized organs became nonfunctional, yet Li Mo’s heart stubbornly kept beating.

He wondered whether, as his cultivation level rose in the future, his entire body would become fully metalized.

Dome Mountain’s speed gradually slowed while the surrounding haze dissipated, and fiery light from the outside illuminated the path.

Li Mo opened his eyes and was stunned by the apocalyptic scene before him.

Vast, boundless steel plains stretched across the horizon, littered with hills of metallic debris. At the farthest visible point, a colossal, ten-thousand-meter-deep pit gaped into the earth.

A metallic sun assembled from limbs rose and fell within the pit.

Evidently, the pit connected to the fifteen-layered small world, making the entire Artifact Sect appear to extend underground like a descending tower.

The metallic sun’s trajectory simulated the process of day-night alternation, though it was clear that daytime on the Artifact Sect was far shorter than night.

[Outer Heaven Meteor Crater]

The Creation Book suddenly released information about the Outer Heaven Meteor Crater, its memories originating from the ancient Cultivation World ten thousand years ago.

Li Mo’s pupils slightly contracted.

Back then, the Artifact Sect had been founded around a meteor crater by a dozen artifact refiners who were loose cultivators before growing into its current scale.

The Outer Heaven Meteor lay somewhere deep underground, reputed to produce vast quantities of metal ores akin to top-grade Spirit Stones.

After a thousand years of excavating the crater, the Artifact Sect had tunneled ten thousand meters deep, yet showed no signs of depleting the ore’s supply.

As they approached the location of the meteor, the quality of the metal ore increased dramatically, with some reaching the standards of top-grade spiritual material.

It could be said the Artifact Sect’s prosperity relied entirely on the Outer Heaven Meteor Crater, which prompted the Sect to construct its headquarters above the pit to block external access.

Li Mo furrowed his brow; the Creation Book’s memories focused heavily on the crater but contained fragmented details regarding the Artifact Sect.

Supposedly prolonged proximity to the crater led to the spread of diseases.

"Judging from the influences seven thousand years ago during the Heart Beast Sect era, the Artifact Sect began researching puppets to mitigate such risks."

In the present day, the Artifact Sect had relocated its entire headquarters into the Inner Crater.

Li Mo couldn’t help but wonder whether, across these nearly ten thousand years, the Sect had finally unearthed the meteorite from Outer Heaven.

Scanning his surroundings, he noticed the desolate region ranked with metal-infused poison, yet sparse grass and occasional insects remained.

These lifeforms exhibited metallic characteristics—only their roots and internal organs retained fleshy structures.

Dome Mountain explained, "The upper and middle six-layered small world houses metallic wild beasts, some of which rival Foundation Establishment cultivators in strength."

Li Mo nodded in understanding while the disciples of Chaotic Burial Furnace displayed terrified expressions.

They had never seen Dome Mountain display such patience; previous interactions rarely showed concern for its disciples.

Soon enough, the Chaotic Burial Furnace appeared in the near distance.

A Daoist temple capable of accommodating a thousand individuals rested atop a metallic hill, its Spirit Gathering Array drawing a torrent of spiritual energy from the surroundings.

The structure displayed the Artifact Sect’s distinct style, constructed entirely from metal, and adorned with Human Pig ornaments everywhere.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the hill was peppered with rows of metallic gravestones.

"I briefly have matters to attend to away from Chaotic Burial Furnace. Wait in the main hall for two days, and then I will personally conduct the Tao ordination ceremony for you."

"Within the Sect’s mountain gate, there’s no need for excessive worry. The Taoist inheritance stands under the protection of the Mother Furnace."

The disciples of Chaotic Burial Furnace exchanged looks of disbelief—the ordination ceremony was normally presided over by Core Formation artifact cultivators, not personally conducted by Dome Mountain.

Such precautions emphasized how much importance it placed on Li Mo.

Once settled at the base of the hill, Dome Mountain verified matters and departed swiftly.

Approaching the Chaotic Burial Furnace, they found hundreds of artifact cultivator refugees prostrating near the hill’s entrance.

The refugees possessed merely the early-stage cultivation of the Weak Crown Period, generally lacking innate Taoist Bodies, and their foundations were ruined due to Death Disease.

Their bodies were covered in festering wounds, their prolonged immobility leading to joint stiffness and necrotic decay.

Yan Lin, the female cultivator with the Red Lotus Dharma Root, couldn’t help but feel pity.

The refugees pleaded desperately, hoping for the protection of the Chaotic Burial Furnace.

One disciple noticed Yan Lin’s hesitation and solemnly explained, "They’re refugees who smuggled in from the port to Zone 8. If exceptions are made, countless others will follow."

They led Li Mo and the group up the hill, bypassing the refugees.

As their silhouettes faded from view, the base of the hill returned to an atmosphere of lifeless despair. Refugees sealed off their awareness of the outside world.

Click-clack-click...

One refugee emitted guttural sounds, despair driving him to slam his head against the ground.

He struggled violently until his vitality completely ebbed away, dead at last, though his mouth continued to move as though something crawled within.

Moments later, his jaw was pried open.

A colorful mantis emerged from his mouth, and nearby refugees inexplicably vaporized, their radiant phosphorescent energy sinking into the earth.