After Ghost Tiger absorbed Bizarre Beast Blood, stray thoughts indeed arose. They not only affected the Tattooed Beast, but even stirred ripples in Li Mo's heart.
The skin on his right arm writhed, as though it might break free from his body at any moment.
Li Mo forcibly suppressed the stray thoughts. Since awakening the Divine Ability Eidetic Memory, his state of mind had remained steady, showing just how severe the drawbacks of Bizarre Beast Blood were.
With the slightest carelessness, Ghost Tiger might very well turn into a Pseudo Bizarre Beast.
Li Mo furrowed his brows and began painting the Mountain Lord Painting on rice paper, using absolute concentration to gradually erase the increasingly intense stray thoughts.
At the same time, he did not abandon cultivation.
Heart Spiritual Root Transformation had already sunk into his instincts. It required almost no intervention from his mind as Miasma Spiritual Power naturally worked upon his Visceral Artifacts.
Only after two full days did the Tiger Head Tattoo finally return to calm.
Li Mo cast Paint Green Clothes.
A Ghost Tiger over two meters tall suddenly appeared in the room. Its aura was even more violent, black vapor continuously pouring from its mouth and nostrils.
Ghost Tiger's increase in strength was not particularly obvious.
But most importantly, Bizarre Beast Blood could subtly improve a Tattooed Beast's foundation, reducing the Spiritual Power and flesh and blood consumed to maintain it.
Over time, Ghost Tiger would surely undergo an unimaginable metamorphosis.
Li Mo remained in the guest room for ten days before heading out to Yi Bao Pavilion.
The moment he appeared in the Black Market, the shadows that had been watching him like a shadow clinging to its owner locked onto him again, though they were no longer as numerous as before.
Li Mo gave no reaction and swiftly moved through the Black Market streets.
He did not seem unfamiliar in the slightest. On the contrary, he appeared exceptionally familiar with the Black Market's layout. Seeing this, the trackers inevitably hesitated, and one after another chose not to continue following Li Mo.
Li Mo's behavior looked far too much like fishing.
Some Black Market cultivators deliberately showed weakness to the enemy, luring others into attacking them.
A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Li Mo's mouth. As long as he did not leave the Black Market for the time being, he should not encounter any danger. Cultivation remained his priority.
He arrived near Yi Bao Pavilion.
To profit from Yi Bao Pavilion's popularity, the roadside stalls had packed the street solid, leaving only a passage two meters wide.
Li Mo swept his peripheral vision over the goods. They came in every strange variety, and there were even withered human corpses.
Even the stall owners probably did not know where they had come from. After all, for Rogue Cultivators trying to earn Spirit Stones, robbing graves and digging up tombs was an everyday occurrence.
That was also the charm of the Black Market. Who knew whether some rare treasure might be hidden among the wares?
"Come take a look at an ancient Magic Tool, Basin Scenery."
"It can be used to cultivate internal organs. Though it is somewhat damaged, it can still count as a Mid-grade Magic Tool. Three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones..."
The Rabbit Head Stall Owner rattled on endlessly as he introduced the Magic Tool. It looked like a damaged metal kidney, and the name Basin Scenery was probably made up on the spot.
Magic Tools were divided into high, mid, and low grades. Above them were Dharma Treasures, though wielding one required the strength of the Establishment Stage, or Golden Core Stage.
Beyond that, the Ancient Immortal Cultivation World had once possessed another kind of Natal Magic Tool.
However, that was a Dharma Gate in which Sword Cultivators and Artifact Cultivators excelled. Beast Cultivators under the Heart Beast Sect instead used Natal Spirit Beasts as the foundation of their cultivation.
Li Mo narrowed his eyes, his grave expression as if facing a formidable enemy.
Because he had noticed that the Rabbit Head Stall Owner's head, which resembled a skinned rabbit's head, bore signs of Metal Poisoning just like Jin Li's.
Li Mo lowered his head and learned quite a bit from the surrounding Rogue Cultivators.
It seemed that Magic Tools like Basin Scenery had all been obtained from a Secret Realm called the Iron Cauldron Sect, which was rich in Magic Tools and artifact-refining materials.
So-called Secret Realms were mostly formed from Blessed Land Cave Heavens. They might even contain inheritances from Daoist Orthodoxies that had once been stationed within them.
Yet Li Mo sensed that something was wrong. The Rogue Cultivators discussing the Iron Cauldron Sect had all, without exception, developed physical traits of Metal Poisoning.
Furthermore, according to the Rogue Cultivators, the method of entering and leaving the Iron Cauldron Sect was exceptionally strange and unfathomable. Their words were full of apprehension.
"Sub-Vessel..."
Li Mo did not linger. He turned and slipped through the gates of Yi Bao Pavilion.
He had no intention of involving himself with anything related to the Ziqi Sect. The waters ran too deep. He should focus on the Death Sickness that would erupt ten years later.
Li Mo entered Yi Bao Pavilion, and a bright, spacious hall came into view.
The hall was lavishly decorated. Porcelain tiles engraved with Beast Patterns were set into the floor, and there seemed to be a Formation designed to soothe the mind and calm the spirit.
The shop assistants responsible for receiving guests were all cultivators at Childhood Stage Layer 2.
They retained basically human forms, but in order to handle all kinds of miscellaneous affairs at once, four arms had been grafted beneath their ribs.
Yi Bao Pavilion's immense wealth was plain to see.
"Honored guest, are you here to pawn or to buy?"
Pawn was merely a nicer way to put it. In ancient times, if there was a pawn, there would be redemption.
"Both pawn and buy."
"I see."
The shop assistant gave Li Mo a brief appraisal. Though the latter's cultivation was only at the Childhood Stage, his aura was restrained, making it impossible to discern the reality of his strength. His entire body radiated the presence of a fierce mountain tiger.
The assistant lowered his manner somewhat and respectfully said, "Honored guest, please, a private room inside."
Li Mo nodded slightly. The two left the crowded, watchful hall one after the other. A faint scent of sandalwood drifted through the corridor leading to the private rooms.
Besides selling the Bizarre Beast Corpse, he also needed to purchase quite a few resources.
Materials for Paint Green Clothes' bloody Simulation, Dharma Gates for artifact refining and pill refining, and preferably suitable Spells as well...
As they walked, the shop assistant explained the recent price fluctuations of various Black Market resources, mainly laying the groundwork for their upcoming transaction.
Seeing that no one was nearby, Li Mo probingly asked, "I heard Polymelia has appeared. The limbs sold by your Yi Bao Pavilion should be cheaper, shouldn't they?"
"Polymelia has indeed spread through Fuxing Town and Huian Village recently, but unfortunately, mortal limbs are of little benefit to cultivators like us."
Li Mo's heart skipped a beat.
Using Polymelia as the topic, he roughly clarified the Timeline.
Smelting Town had undoubtedly been the first place struck by Polymelia. Yet only two days later, Huian Village had become filled with wailing overnight, while Fuxing Town's situation had deteriorated even further.
It was said that a Flesh Pillar composed of countless mortals now stood in the center of the town, its surface covered densely with limbs.
Polymelia had no cure. The only solution was amputation.
But the problem was, how could Rogue Cultivators who knew medicine possibly go save mortals? That was why Fuxing Town had completely fallen.
"Smelting Town has already begun handling it. It will not affect the Heart Beast Sect's order."
Li Mo then brought up the Iron Cauldron Sect. The Secret Realm dated back two hundred years, opening once every fifty years and remaining open for around ten years.
"..."
Li Mo's heart churned like stormy seas. Because of the shop assistant's description, the Book of Fortune poured out an enormous amount of information that became all the more terrifying the deeper he considered it.
The Ziqi Sect rarely accepted mortal disciples. Usually, it held an Iron Cauldron Trial once every fifty years, inviting Rogue Cultivators renowned for artifact refining to participate.
By passing the trial, one could become a member of the Ziqi Sect.
Of course, seven thousand years later, the nature of the Iron Cauldron Trial seemed to have become completely different.
The Polymelia that could mutate mortals into monsters, the Metal Toxin that spread without a sound.
Whatever the Ziqi Sect's purpose was, one thing was clear...
The Heart Beast Sect was beset by troubles within and without.
Li Mo knew far too little about the current Immortal Cultivation World. From merely the tip of the iceberg, he could already sense the great terror hidden beneath. Learning from some Senior Han and running away was simply unrealistic.
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