Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 197 - 57: The Sudden Appearance of the Devil Sect

Chapter 197: Chapter 57: The Sudden Appearance of the Devil Sect

Duozhi Mountain is located on the southern side of Fuxing Town. It was once the center of Heart Beast Territory and had drawn countless Loose Cultivators to settle there.

It even prompted Rong Town to carve up the medicine fields of Duozhi Mountain.

Back then, Duozhi Mountain almost became a treasure trove for Loose Cultivators seeking fortune, with many achieving Foundation Establishment leveraging its abundant resources.

Unfortunately, seventy-five years ago, when an Upper Sect called "Sub-Device" descended, the situation of Duozhi Mountain began to decline steadily.

Not only were most of the Loose Cultivators killed or injured, but the mountain itself also started to shrink gradually.

Over time, Duozhi Mountain sank deeper and deeper into the ground until only a little over a kilometer remained above, leaving no trace of its former glory.

The sharp drop in altitude not only reduced the size of Duozhi Mountain but also cut the quality of its resource output nearly in half. Traces of Mid-grade Spirit Materials disappeared entirely, leaving only a few scattered Low-grade Spirit Materials.

Coupled with the constant presence of sandstorms, only Loose Cultivators would dare venture up the mountain to excavate Spirit Materials.

Approximately every hundred days, the sandstorms would briefly pause for five days. If one did not grasp Duozhi Mountain’s peculiar cycles, the outcome could be imagined.

The sandstorms carried a heavy concentration of Metal Poison, capable of easily burning souls and corroding bones.

Usually, seasoned elders would lead the expeditions, forming groups of five or six Loose Cultivators to search for resources among the rocky cliffs.

With an experienced leader estimating the sandstorm’s intensity, safety could be reasonably assured.

However, the safe periods for sandstorms on Duozhi Mountain had recently shortened drastically. Despite only two days passing, a sandstorm struck again.

Four individuals wearing tightly secured Magic Robes trudged through the sandstorm, their robes snapping sharply as sand slammed against them.

"No, if this keeps up, we’ll run out of Spiritual Power before we even see the mountain’s base."

The leading elder took out a communication Spirit Talisman and transmitted a thought to his companions. The four of them then turned and headed toward the shadowy northwest side of the mountain.

They walked for half a day, but the sandstorm showed no signs of subsiding. Before them appeared the ruins of a deserted town, scattered with broken and decaying buildings.

The elder’s eyes momentarily clouded with wistfulness.

"Let’s go. We’ll rest in the market for a couple of hours before we make any plans."

The younger Loose Cultivator, Tang Wen, couldn’t help but ask, "Boss Song, a market? Could it be the Mountain and Sea Market?"

Boss Song stood dazed, staring at the weather-worn plaque at the market’s entrance, and one of the accompanying Loose Cultivators answered for him, "Tang Wen, you probably don’t know this, but more than seventy years ago, the Mountain and Sea Market was extremely famous, gathering tens of thousands of Loose Cultivators."

"And Boss Song was once..."

"Ahem, ahem, ahem."

Boss Song coughed a few times, cutting off the conversation, and then led the group into the market.

The buildings seemed eerily familiar, as though the market from memory still vividly existed, with street vendors shouting their wares endlessly in his mind.

Boss Song glanced around and located a relatively intact shop.

The materials used to build the shop differed from the others; it was constructed from top-grade Spirit Concealing Wood, which had preserved it from decades of sandstorm erosion.

Boss Song noticed the plaque in the corner of the shop. With a wipe of his palm, he cleared off the dust.

"As I thought, it’s the Hongxing Refining Shop."

"Only the shopkeeper could afford to use Spirit Materials for construction. I wonder how much longer this place will last?"

The four entered the shop, which was in complete disarray. Signs of desperate cultivators scavenging for valuables during the market’s collapse were evident.

Seeing that Tang Wen was about to ask more questions, Boss Song immediately interrupted, "The time we have left is limited. Once we’re done recovering our cultivations, we must leave immediately, or we’ll likely die on Duozhi Mountain."

Tang Wen wisely shut his mouth, and the four of them sat down cross-legged and closed their eyes to meditate.

The extra arms on their robes indicated they still practiced the Multi-limb Techniques common among Loose Cultivators in Heart Beast Territory even after seventy years.

The two-hour respite passed in a blink.

Although the rest was brief, it restored some of their spirit, energy, and focus.

Provided the sandstorms didn’t worsen, the four could likely escape the bounds of Duozhi Mountain, so they risked setting out despite the darkened sky.

Within the Mountain and Sea Market, a few Magic Artifact lanterns faintly emitted dim candlelight.

Boss Song had just walked ten or so meters when he noticed something amiss. The dust on the street surface displayed unnatural variations in depth and shade.

"Be cautious. There’s an unfamiliar cultivator in the market."

Boss Song didn’t overthink it. After all, many cultivators knew of the Mountain and Sea Market. Other sand sleepers caught in the sandstorms would naturally think of seeking shelter here.

The four exchanged glances and quickened their pace after deploying a Golden Sand Map.

As they neared the exit, Boss Song glimpsed a dark shadow flash past out of the corner of his eye. Its massive size was at least five meters or more.

He immediately extended his arm to stop his companions and, with a tremor in his hand, used a Spirit Talisman to convey a thought.

"Be careful. There’s a beast."

Hearing the word "beast," Tang Wen and the others became extremely tense. They moved back-to-back in a defensive formation, cautiously inching toward a narrow mountain path.

Once they left the boundary of the Mountain and Sea Market, they could consider themselves safe.

However, it was clear they had been marked as prey. The beast had no intention of letting them go, its silhouette revealing a single eye from the darkness of the alley.

Boss Song let out a brief sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to speak, the singular eye multiplied rapidly, growing to hundreds of eyes fixated on the four of them.

Boss Song’s breathing quickened as he realized the beast’s power seemed to depend on the number of eyes it had.

Once the count exceeded two hundred, cultivators in the Weak Crown Period were no longer its match.

"The three of you go first. I’ll stay behind to cover you."

After pondering for a few moments, Boss Song resolutely transmitted the thought to Tang Wen and the others, mentally preparing himself for his demise—for his Dao to fade into nonexistence.

To him, dying in the Mountain and Sea Market wasn’t the worst outcome.

Golden Sand Map wrapped around his arm, Boss Song ignored the protests of the others and charged toward the beast’s shadow, intent on a desperate battle to entangle his foe.

Tang Wen wanted to follow Boss Song but was dragged away by the other two.

As Boss Song approached within ten meters of the alley, cold sweat covered his forehead. He knew this was an act of self-destruction, and a surge of nervousness was inevitable.

However, what puzzled him was that the beast’s shadow remained fixed in the alley, completely motionless.

It lacked the ferocity described in the rumors.

Boss Song gritted his teeth and approached, the extra arms on his back clutching the Golden Sand Map.

"Die!!"

Boss Song charged into the alley, only to witness a scene that left him dumbfounded. He collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.

First, there was a giant beast, about four meters tall.

The beast’s original form seemed to be a yellow ox, but its body was draped in human skin, covered with faces of men, women, old, and young—numbering nearly a hundred.

The faces were twisted, seemingly retaining traces of Spiritual Wisdom, mumbling incoherently.

In front of the giant beast stood a burly man, exuding an aura that suppressed the beast, causing it to tremble uncontrollably.

Indeed.

The "Beast," which struck terror into the hearts of Loose Cultivators, was now utterly powerless.

"Ah..."

The hundred faces on the beast let out a heart-wrenching wail, its bones breaking under the immense pressure, while the man displayed no outward cultivation whatsoever.

"Strange, this is not a Deceit Beast. What do you call it?"

Li Mo asked, to which Boss Song swallowed hard and replied, "Upper Immortal, it is called the Hundred-faced Beast. It seemed to have first appeared roughly fifteen years ago."

Boss Song didn’t know Li Mo’s identity, but judging by his lack of knowledge about the Hundred-faced Beast, he was likely an Upper Sect Cultivator from the Sub-Device Sect.

"Fifteen years ago..."

Li Mo squinted slightly. Fifteen years ago was when the Golden Cauldron Sect initiated its action, and Qingqiu Taoist disappeared shortly after arriving in Heart Beast Territory. The calamity of the Hundred-faced Beast seemed to be a plausible cause.

"Upper Immortal, the Hundred-faced Beast can increase the faces on its body by devouring humans, thereby growing stronger in the process."

Boss Song felt an inexplicable, bone-deep terror in the presence of Li Mo.

"Upper Immortal, beware..."

The Hundred-faced Beast opened its maw, its human faces shattering as it extended a barbed tongue toward Li Mo’s neck.

"How was the Hundred-faced Beast created?"

Li Mo casually turned his head. The beast’s tongue struck his neck, producing a sharp metallic clang.

Boss Song caught a glimpse of the Cave God’s Eye, and his heart nearly stopped in terror.

"Not... sure."

Under Boss Song’s terrified gaze, Li Mo’s right arm melted into a shadow, instantly pulling the Hundred-faced Beast into the Corpse Mountain for Divine Split dissection.

The Hundred-faced Beast was revealed to be a transformation of a Beast Skin Person, with its core form still that of a hunched human.

Li Mo furrowed his brows. The skin vessel containing the hundred faces bore traces of an Acquired Dao Body, resembling an unusual type of Human Skin Magic Tool.

The Mist Fog Golden Core within him rotated slightly, indicating that the Primordial Dao Seed gleaned valuable information for nourishing his Divine Skills utilizing the Hammer Anvil.

The Creation Book, too, seemed to awaken fragmented memories upon contact with the Hundred-faced Beast, tied to an ancient magic artifact.

[Hundred Soul Banner]

"Hundred Soul Banner, Hundred-faced Beast..."

Li Mo repeated these words silently. He had considered many possibilities upon entering Heart Beast Territory, but he had never imagined the calamity would trace back to the Devil Sect’s involvement.

The Hundred Soul Banner was a notorious magical artifact of the ancient Cultivation World, emblematic of the Human Demon Sect’s disciples.

Li Mo had never previously encountered anything related to the ancient Devil Sect, and his expression grew solemn.

The Devil Sect’s forces were highly fragmented.

The Human Demon Sect, alongside the Sky Demon Sect and Earth Demon Sect, belonged to the "Ten Thousand Demon Dao," operating as a relatively independent branch. However, their scale was small, and even Nascent Soul cultivators within their ranks rarely survived long.

The Devil Sect’s Magic and techniques emphasized rapid advancement at all costs, and their artifacts operated under similar principles.

As long as one dared to risk the backlash of a Soul Banner, they could feed it souls to enhance its power. A banner infused with a hundred souls became a Hundred Soul Banner, while a thousand souls resulted in a Thousand Soul Banner.

If the souls trapped within were of significant cultivation during their lives, the artifact’s grade could even reach the top tier.

The most horrifying artifact of the Ten Thousand Demon Dao, from ten thousand years ago, was their sect’s treasure, the "Ten Thousand Demon Banner," which required the massacre of tens of thousands of lives to forge.

Li Mo speculated that a Human Demon Sect cultivator had secretly infiltrated Heart Beast Territory, using Beast Skin People to mass-produce "Hundred Soul Banners."

But why, after ten thousand years, would a Hundred Soul Banner transform into the Hundred-faced Beast?

"I’ll return to Rong Town for now."

Alerting the Sub-Device Sect might very well provoke the involvement of Nascent Soul Great Powers, which could drag Rong Town into the conflict between Daoists and Demons. This must be avoided if possible.

Li Mo grabbed Boss Song and disappeared from the Mountain and Sea Market. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared at the base of Duozhi Mountain, giving Boss Song one final, meaningful glance before departing.

Boss Song didn’t recognize Li Mo.

But Li Mo immediately deduced that, during his first foray into Duozhi Mountain, it had been Boss Song who, through his Hongxing Escort Agency, had accompanied him, establishing the Hongxing Refining Shop.

Times had changed, and the former handler of the Mountain and Sea Market, Song Liang, was now a mere sand sleeper.

Once Li Mo disappeared, Boss Song trembled as he rummaged for a Spirit Talisman to relay his thoughts to Rong Town.

"An Upper Sect has descended upon us again!!!"