Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 209 - 69: How Could the Great Mother Stop Me, Li Mo

Chapter 209: Chapter 69: How Could the Great Mother Stop Me, Li Mo

The Collection Hall was located within a sealed erosion cave. From a distance, it appeared as a grand Daoist temple suspended in the center, connected to the rock wall by chains resembling fleshy tentacles.

The architecture exuded a sense of age from the passage of time, with the eaves adorned with white decorations similar to silk, usually only seen in Yizhuang.

The most chilling aspect was the ghastly human-headed lanterns hanging at the entrance, continuously dripping fresh blood from the severed necks.

Any Artifact Cultivator approaching would smell an indescribably pungent metallic odor.

An inexplicable oppressive feeling pervaded the air.

Three Mountains emerged from the rock wall. The place he previously hid was not far from the Collection Hall, but to ensure his safety, he deliberately lagged behind most of the Artifact Cultivators heading to the Collection Hall.

The more people there were, the more likely a Great Mother would be mixed in.

Three Mountains also couldn’t quite understand why the Inner Sect was a place of mutual slaughter between Artifact Cultivators and Great Mothers, a situation he had never seen in the Outer Disciple quarters.

He walked cautiously through the tentacles; there was no sign of any Artifact Cultivator in the Collection Hall.

"Phew..."

Three Mountains felt relieved. Due to his cautious nature, he had kept his presence hidden since arriving in the Inner Sect, fearing an encounter with a Great Mother.

Fortunately, at the end of the Golden Cauldron Sect meeting, the Old Earth True Monarch had provided him with plenty of resources, so his cultivation progress was decent even in the harsh environment of the Inner Sect.

Three Mountains was already attempting to reach the Perfect Core Formation Stage’s "infant crying" phase.

As long as he could achieve "infant crying," he could head to the Eleventh District to prepare for Core Formation, while the Twelfth District was home to the Artifact Cultivators aiming for Uncertainty Nascent Soul.

He had heard Mu Daoist was nearing a breakthrough in the transformation core stage; if not for the sudden opportunity at the Collection Hall, Mu Daoist might have already chosen to go into seclusion.

Three Mountains perilously reached the entrance of the Collection Hall, his gaze fixed on the human-headed lanterns.

The human-headed lanterns had varying facial features, their expressions leaking a faint glow, as if the flames were lit by the Three Souls and Seven Spirits of the Mud Pill Palace, intimidating anyone who stared.

Inside, he discovered a lantern resembling Mu Daoist, its skin made of vines.

Three Mountains had learned that as long as an Artifact Cultivator entered the hall, the lanterns outside would temporarily transform into their respective heads.

Once the direct Taoist inheritance was obtained, the human-headed lanterns would even open their mouths to offer congratulations.

Three Mountains confirmed the appearance of all the lanterns, understanding that a Great Mother was definitely among them, though it was unclear what the situation inside the Collection Hall was like.

While he hesitated, a silhouette gradually approached the Collection Hall.

Three Mountains tensed slightly, but upon seeing it was Kuteng Daoist, he let out a long sigh of relief, knowing that entering the hall together could provide mutual support.

He stood at the entrance, waiting for Kuteng Daoist, since their relationship was quite decent.

"Kuteng, you didn’t encounter any trouble on your way over, did you?"

"No problem, just feeling a bit unwell..."

Kuteng Daoist nodded, looking extremely pale, and his spirit appeared thoroughly exhausted, with a dazed, out-of-touch look in his eyes.

As soon as Three Mountains interacted with Kuteng Daoist, he sensed something was off about him.

Kuteng Daoist avoided eye contact, occasionally making gestures as if touching his neck, and his speech was unusually rigid.

Three Mountains kept a two-meter distance and casually asked, "Kuteng, you went to the Artifact Workshop not long ago, right? How are the resources in the Inner Sect?"

"They’re alright, I guess."

Kuteng Daoist replied absent-mindedly, his right hand still clutching his neck.

Three Mountains instinctively retreated towards the Collection Hall entrance, only to hear a bone-clattering sound that sent a chill down his spine.

"Uh... uh... uh..."

Kuteng Daoist’s neck snapped backward, a fist-sized bulge swelling forth.

The bulge squirmed and rapidly expanded to a visible size, and Kuteng Daoist couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

Under Three Mountains’ gaze, the bulge quickly grew over half a meter, its semi-transparent skin revealing embryonic lifeforms moving within.

The embryo formed rapidly, transforming into a person in just a few moments.

"Qing Tian..."

Thousand-legged Master murmured to himself, then slowly crawled out of Kuteng Daoist’s body, covered in sticky, malodorous transparent fluid.

Kuteng Daoist convulsed a few times, and then a second bulge became visible.

Three Mountains couldn’t be bothered with anything else and ran towards the Collection Hall doors.

He instantly realized that Kuteng Daoist had probably encountered danger in the Artifact Workshop, leading to his transformation into a non-human Great Mother.

It was unbelievable that a Great Mother could be birthed through the body of another of its kind.

Thousand-legged Master ignored Three Mountains, muttering "Qing Tian" with deep-seated hatred before his own neck suddenly folded backward.

He laid prone on the ground, welcoming the birth of a Great Mother, his eyes filled with reverence.

The scene overturned Three Mountains’ understanding.

It was common knowledge that Artifact People came from the Mother Furnace, so how could a Great Mother defy logic? Could it be, as some rumors in the outside world suggested, that the Great Mother’s existence was actually closer to the Mother Furnace?

"Impossible, impossible..."

Three Mountains stumbled into the Collection Hall, feeling as if the world around him were spinning.

Once he regained his senses, he found himself standing on a cliff platform surrounded by darkness, with starry dots overhead. Around him stood roughly thirty to forty motionless figures.

Three Mountains also noticed a few scattered and dilapidated skeletal remains on the ground.

He clumsily got to his feet and, from the structure of the bones, could tell they belonged to Great Mothers. Apparently, a battle had occurred in the Collection Hall not long ago.

"Another one comes."

"Not a Great Mother; there’s no way a Great Mother would be this feeble."

The one who spoke was a Core Formation Artifact Refiner with the title "Zaiyu"; his flesh was of grey-white material, a disciple known for his Stone Fetus Stone physique who had joined the Inner Sect four hundred years ago.

Three Mountains vaguely recalled that Daoist Zaiyu, being a rare Three Path Body, had shown promise of surpassing his peers at the time of the Golden Cauldron Sect.

"I recognize him; he’s a fellow from the Chaotic Burial Furnace." Mu Daoist emerged from the group, standing amicably beside Three Mountains.

"Chaotic Burial Furnace?"

Xingfu Hermit raised an eyebrow, jokingly asking, "Wasn’t there an Innate Five Path Body Qing Tian from the Chaotic Burial Furnace? Did he really have the exceptional talent claimed by the Nascent Soul Great Powers?"

"Eighty percent of him probably already fell to the Great Mother, don’t you think?"

Daoist Zaiyu shook his head and said, "How could Qing Tian Daoist’s aspirations possibly be satisfied to be behind others? Since he didn’t come to the Collection Hall, it suggests he encountered the Great Mother."

Three Mountains showed dissatisfaction, his eyes containing a hint of worry.

He attempted to telepathically contact Li Mo but received no response, which most likely meant he was trapped in a dangerous situation. He hoped the recent Great Mother’s upheaval was unrelated to Li Mo.

Daoist Zaiyu mockingly said, "There’s already a gathering of Great Mothers outside the Collection Hall; it seems Qing Tian Daoist is probably late."

Three Mountains understood that each Artifact Cultivator had survived in the Inner Sect for hundreds of years, surely equipped with abundant means of self-preservation and even aware of the external situation.

Apart from some individuals, most were confident they wouldn’t perish in the Collection Hall.

With over thirty people present, even for a Great Mother, it was impossible to take them all down. Once the Taoist inheritance was secured, they could rely on their own abilities to escape.

"Interesting, it seems that Qing Tian Daoist is heading towards the Collection Hall."

Zaiyu’s head began to mutate, flesh bursting through the eye sockets in mere breaths, forming a mercury-like reflective eyeball.

The eyeball revealed a blurry image of a dozen or so Great Mothers outside the hall.

The Great Mothers, utilizing their kindred’s bodies, successively approached the Collection Hall, creating an extremely bizarre scene.

Crack, crack, crack...

The eyeball split open with numerous cracks, and Zaiyu’s Spell couldn’t last long, yet they could vaguely see an Artifact Cultivator approaching.

The person kept moving without pause, heading straight for the Collection Hall full of Great Mothers.

Thud.

After a muffled sound, Zaiyu’s mirror eye shattered completely, leaving them unsure whether Li Mo was truly facing headlong devastation.

"Could it be that Qing Tian also became a Great Mother?"

An Artifact Cultivator seemed puzzled. Although the Tenth Zone didn’t have Nascent Soul Stage Great Mothers, any normal person facing an enemy ten times their number would choose to retreat.

Xingfu Daoist snorted coldly.

He didn’t believe Qing Tian Daoist’s talent would involve Great Mothers, rather suspecting the latter of being overly arrogant, treating the Inner Sect as if it were the Outer Disciple area.

"I need to go take a look."

Three Mountains intended to leave the Collection Hall, and Mu Daoist, hesitating for a moment beside him, softly shook his head, signaling no intention to leave.

Just then.

Boom, boom, boom...

The Collection Hall’s exterior reverberated, as if a giant beast was passing through the building.

The group exchanged glances, understanding Li Mo had already encountered the Great Mothers, surmising that he was on the brink of death. The difficulty posed by the Great Mothers far exceeded their expectations.

Nonetheless, the shaking only lasted for half a breath.

Under their astonished expressions, Li Mo nonchalantly appeared on the cliff platform.

Li Mo donned a Da Luo Heavenly Taoist Robe, greater part of his body covered in the Mother Mince of a Great Mother. His Magic Artifact had just undergone the mutation of a Da Ai Mi Tian, leaving a few eyes lingering on the robe’s surface.

Behind his Da Luo Heaven, a slit opened, and a narrow tongue licked the Mother Mince clean.

Li Mo casually tossed aside Thousand-legged Master’s head, the latter with an expression of disbelief, clearly having failed to fathom Li Mo’s terrifying strength beforehand.

"Three Mountains, Mu Daoist, have you obtained the Taoist inheritance?"

"No, we haven’t..."

Three Mountains gaped in disbelief. From the time Zaiyu executed his Spell to when Li Mo entered the Collection Hall, it was no more than a few dozen breaths? How did you manage to fight your way there and back?

"Qing Tian, I knew you wouldn’t miss the Taoist inheritance within the Collection Hall."

Mu Daoist suppressed his surprise, noting that although Li Mo remained at the Condensation Stage, his strength had grown increasingly unfathomable.

Zaiyu took a few steps back, and when he considered Li Mo as a hypothetical adversary, instinctually sensed a tremendous threat akin to facing a formidable enemy.

It felt as though if he so much as had a stray thought, he would end up as Thousand-legged Master did, with his head detached from his body.

Xingfu Hermit’s expression grew somewhat stiff.

The other Artifact Cultivators exchanged puzzled looks.

Those who had joined the Inner Sect earlier had heard of an Innate Five Body Qing Tian Daoist in the Outer Disciple quarters, but they were unclear about the latter’s true capabilities.

Only when facing him directly did they realize the allegedly exaggerated rumors were absolutely true.

Qing Tian Daoist possessed the power to suppress his peers. Core Formation Stage Artifact Refiners of the same realm were no threat to him.

Indeed, this was entirely as they thought.

Li Mo avoided engaging the Great Mothers not out of fear but due to his deep-seated abhorrence of unkillable entities and his desire to avoid prolonged entanglement with them.

"Mu Daoist, how do we go about acquiring the inheritance?"

Mu Daoist nodded and explained, "By communicating with the Collection Hall through your consciousness, you’ll illuminate the darkness. The Mother Furnace will suspend the inheritance as a constellation above, aligned according to each person’s Dao Body Spiritual Qi."

"Ensure you’re in peak condition as selecting and obtaining the inheritance requires time and effort, or else the cultivation technique will be incomplete."

Mu Daoist added with a rueful smile, "Perhaps I’m being overly cautious; given your talent, Qing Tian, it’s unlikely you’ll receive anything less than the direct inheritance."

"Let’s give it a try."