Severing the Three Corpses

The other Daluo Golden Immortal cultivators and mighty experts in Purple Heaven Palace could not help but look at Shi Mo with some envy.

They had not expected acquiring merit to bring such benefits.

Even if one's cultivation would be the weakest after attaining sainthood through merit, it was still a path to sainthood, and it seemed to be the easiest one to succeed in.

I was overthinking it. No matter the method, as long as it leads to sainthood, it will do. Attaining sainthood is what matters! No, the most urgent thing now is to sever my corpse and become a Quasi-Sage as soon as possible, Shi Mo quickly calmed down.

"May I ask, Dao Ancestor, by what method did you attain sainthood?" Tongtian suddenly asked curiously.

In an instant, everyone in the hall perked up and looked at Hongjun with burning gazes.

Glancing at Tongtian, Hongjun replied calmly, "Attaining sainthood through the Three Corpses!"

"Dao Ancestor, may I, Di Jun, attain sainthood?" Di Jun asked directly, his blazing gaze seeming to burn with golden flames.

You want to attain sainthood too? Keep dreaming, Shi Mo sneered inwardly as he glanced at Di Jun.

After looking at him, Hongjun remained calm and indifferent. "Under the Heavenly Dao, there is always a sliver of opportunity. Whether one can or cannot depends entirely on fate and opportunity!"

Di Jun frowned upon hearing this. What was the difference between saying that and saying nothing? It was all damned nonsense!

You still don't understand? It means you don't have the fate to become a Saint, Shi Mo secretly laughed.

"May I ask, Dao Ancestor, can our Wu Clan follow Father God Pangu's path of proving the Dao through strength?" Di Jiang, leader of the Twelve Ancestral Witches of the Wu Clan, could not help asking as well.

"Under the Heavenly Dao, everyone has an opportunity to prove the Dao and attain sainthood. The Wu Clan is naturally no exception. However, proving the Dao through strength depends on one's karmic affinity."

Hongjun's answer immediately brightened Di Jiang's eyes, and the other Ancestral Witches of the Wu Clan were delighted as well.

Hongjun, quit misleading them. Are you afraid they lack ambition and won't die fast enough? Shi Mo was speechless inwardly.

These Twelve Ancestral Witches really were simple-minded. Hongjun had merely said a few words, yet they seemed to see hope and no longer cared to consider the difficulty of proving the Dao through strength.

Why did they not think about it? If proving the Dao through strength truly offered a chance to attain sainthood, why would Hongjun have chosen the method of attaining sainthood through the Three Corpses?

Next, before everyone could ask more questions, Hongjun began explaining the three methods of proving the Dao in detail.

As for proving the Dao through strength, Hongjun only mentioned it briefly. His main focus was the method of attaining sainthood through severing the Three Corpses, explaining in particular detail how to sever the corpses of good, evil, and self.

It was not until this sermon was nearly over that Hongjun spent a little time discussing the method of attaining sainthood through merit.

In truth, there was not much to say about attaining sainthood through merit. It was broadly similar to attaining sainthood through severing the Three Corpses.

The difference was that after reaching the peak Quasi-Sage realm, cultivators and mighty experts possessing immense merit could gain the acknowledgment of the Heavenly Dao, making it easier for their Three Corpses to merge into one. Thus, they could naturally prove the Dao and attain sainthood.

As for how to acquire merit, the cultivators and mighty experts of the Primordial World still understood very little. Who knew how much merit one would need to accumulate to attain sainthood through merit?

There was even less need to consider proving the Dao through strength! Thus, the method of attaining sainthood through severing the Three Corpses seemed to be everyone's only and best choice.

However, severing the Three Corpses required using innate spirit treasures, innate spirit roots, spirit materials, or similar objects as vessels.

The higher the grade of the innate object used, the more profound the magical power of the severed corpse incarnations would be, the stronger their foundation, the greater the hope of proving the Dao and attaining sainthood in the future, and the higher one's Dao attainment and magical power after becoming a Saint.

Thus, after learning the requirements for severing the Three Corpses, aside from those mighty experts who lacked no spirit treasures, most cultivators developed greedy desires for innate spirit treasures and spirit materials.

One could imagine that, in order to sever their corpses and prove the Dao, many cultivators in the Primordial World would soon stop at nothing to fight over innate objects.

Especially those Daluo Golden Immortals who already had hope of severing their corpses—they would undoubtedly be even more determined to obtain innate objects.

Naturally, Shi Mo did not lack innate objects for severing his corpses. After leaving Purple Heaven Palace and returning to the Primordial World, he parted ways with Hongyun and Zhen Yuanzi, then returned to Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain to enter secluded cultivation.

Inside the cave abode, Shi Mo sat cross-legged on a jade platform, frowning as he pondered hesitantly:

I am now at the peak Daluo realm and can sever a corpse to become a Quasi-Sage at any time. But should I follow the path of severing the Three Corpses, or prove the Dao through strength?

Forget it, I won't dwell on it! No matter which path I take, improving my strength and realm is what matters most. There is no reason I cannot walk both paths at once, Shi Mo soon made up his mind. He took a deep breath, his gaze filled with anticipation.

Relying on my foundation as a Chaos Fiendgod, I have painstakingly tempered my body. Under the refinement of vast amounts of earth-vein spiritual energy and the power of the myriad stars, it is now no weaker than an Ancestral Witch. In Chaos, my strength is even enhanced by Chaos energy, so it will be difficult for my physical body to improve rapidly in the short term.

So I should first sever a corpse and become a Quasi-Sage! With that thought, Shi Mo directly closed his eyes and calmly began studying the methods and secrets of corpse severance.

Time passed quietly. Only a few months later, Shi Mo opened his eyes. After pondering briefly, he moved his mind, and a streak of sword light descended from the summit of Eight Treasures Peak. It landed in Shi Mo's hand and transformed into a divine sword flowing with starlight—it was the Heavenly Stellar Cloud Sword.

After being tempered by the power of the myriad stars, the Heavenly Stellar Cloud Sword has now surpassed many high-grade innate spirit treasures in might and is close to a top-grade innate spirit treasure. Moreover, it was refined from fragments of my true body's jade stone, making it the most compatible with me. It is the best choice for severing my corpse of good.

Holding the Heavenly Stellar Cloud Sword, Shi Mo pondered briefly before tossing it into the air. Then, with a thought, the Five Qi swirled before his chest, while clouds churned above his head. Faint, mysterious radiance gathered and transformed into three golden lotus flowers containing the profound essence of the Dao.

Sizzle. The Heavenly Stellar Cloud Sword lit up, and a beam of sword light slashed directly at one of the golden lotus flowers. The somewhat illusory golden lotus then transformed into a streak of golden light, landing nearby and turning into a vague, phantom-like figure.

Buzz. The gently trembling Heavenly Stellar Cloud Sword cast an increasingly dazzling and mysterious radiance upon that figure.

At once, the originally illusory and indistinct figure began solidifying and becoming clear at a visible speed. A mysterious and powerful aura also spread from within it.

The next moment, the figure transformed into a young Daoist wearing a starry Daoist robe. Starlight flickered all over his body, while a jade-like sheen flowed across his skin. His eyes were as brilliant as a river of stars, seeming to contain the mysteries of the turning myriad stars.

"From now on, my good corpse incarnation shall be called Nebula Daoist," Shi Mo said with a satisfied nod and smile as he looked at his good corpse incarnation.

Nebula Daoist, the good corpse incarnation, also cupped his hands toward Shi Mo and smiled. "Nebula greets the true self!"

"Heh. Come!" Shi Mo chuckled. With a thought, Nebula Daoist, his good corpse incarnation, entered his body.

Feeling the surging and powerful Quasi-Sage magical power within him, Shi Mo closed his eyes and sensed it carefully. Soon, he opened his eyes with delight.

"I never expected that after severing my good corpse, my good corpse incarnation would perceive the mysteries of the earth and the myriad stars even more clearly. No wonder those in the Quasi-Sage and Saint realms can improve their comprehension of realms so quickly."