Shocking Appearance of the Ziqi Sect

After the Ghost Tiger absorbed the Bizarre Beast Blood, stray thoughts indeed arose, affecting not only the Tattooed Beast but even stirring ripples in Li Mo's mind.

The skin on his right arm writhed, as if about to tear away from his body at any moment.

Li Mo forcefully suppressed the stray thoughts. Since awakening the Eidetic Memory divine ability, his state of mind had always been very stable—this showed the drawbacks of the Bizarre Beast Blood.

With the slightest carelessness, the Ghost Tiger might well transform into a Pseudo Bizarre Beast.

Li Mo furrowed his brow tightly, painting a Mountain Lord Painting on the rice paper, using intense focus to gradually erase the growing stray thoughts.

At the same time, he did not give up on cultivation.

The Heart Spiritual Root Transformation had already become instinctive, requiring almost no divided attention to intervene; the Miasma Spiritual Power naturally acted upon his internal organs.

It took a full two days before the Tiger Head Tattoo finally settled down.

Li Mo performed the Paint Green Clothes technique.

A Ghost Tiger over two meters tall suddenly appeared in the room, its aura more ferocious than before, black qi constantly surging from its mouth and nose.

The increase in the Ghost Tiger's strength was actually not very obvious.

But most importantly, the Bizarre Beast Blood could subtly improve the Tattooed Beast's foundation, reducing the spiritual power and flesh consumed during maintenance.

Over time, the Ghost Tiger would inevitably undergo an unimaginable transformation.

After staying in the guest room for ten days, Li Mo finally went out to the Yi Bao Pavilion.

But the moment he appeared in the Black Market, the shadowy gazes that followed him like a clinging shadow were once again fixed on him, though not as dense as before.

Li Mo remained expressionless, quickly weaving through the streets of the Black Market.

He showed no sign of unfamiliarity; on the contrary, he seemed extremely knowledgeable about the Black Market's layout. Seeing this, his trackers hesitated and, one by one, chose not to continue tailing Li Mo.

Li Mo's behavior was too much like he was fishing.

Some cultivators in the Black Market attracted others to attack them by feigning weakness.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Li Mo's mouth. As long as he didn't leave the Black Market in the short term, he probably wouldn't encounter danger. For now, he would focus on cultivation.

He arrived near the Yi Bao Pavilion.

The roadside stalls, trying to capitalize on the Yi Bao Pavilion's popularity, had completely blocked the street, leaving only a two-meter-wide space for people to pass.

Li Mo swept his gaze over the goods—all sorts of bizarre items, even withered human bones.

Even the stall owners probably didn't know the origins; after all, for Rogue Cultivators trying to earn spirit stones, grave robbing was an everyday affair.

This was also the charm of the Black Market—there might be some rare treasures hidden among the wares.

"Come take a look at this ancient magic tool, the Basin Scenery."

"It can be used to cultivate internal organs. Though slightly damaged, it can still be considered a Mid-grade Magic Tool. Three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones and it's yours..."

The Rabbit Head Stall Owner chattered endlessly about the magic tool, which looked like a broken metal kidney. The name "Basin Scenery" was probably made up on the spot.

Magic tools were divided into three grades: upper, middle, and lower. The higher tier was the magic treasure, but magic treasures required the strength of the Establishment Stage (Golden Core Stage) to wield.

Beyond that, the Ancient Immortal Cultivation World also had a type of Natal Magic Tool.

However, that was a technique favored by Sword Cultivators and Artifact Cultivators. The Beast Cultivators of the Heart Beast Sect used Natal Spirit Beasts as the foundation of their cultivation.

Li Mo narrowed his eyes, his expression grave as if facing a great enemy.

Because he noticed that the stall owner's head, which looked like a skinned rabbit's head, actually showed signs of Metal Poisoning, just like Jin Li.

Li Mo lowered his head and gathered quite a bit of information from the surrounding Rogue Cultivators.

It seemed that magic tools like the Basin Scenery were all obtained from a secret realm of the "Iron Cauldron Sect," which was rich in magic tools and refining materials.

So-called secret realms were mostly evolved from Blessed Land Cave Heavens, and they might also contain some legacy inheritances from cultivators who had once guarded the realm.

But Li Mo felt something was off. The Rogue Cultivators talking about the Iron Cauldron Sect all shared the same physical characteristic of Metal Poisoning.

And according to what the Rogue Cultivators said, entering and leaving the Iron Cauldron Sect was unusually strange and eerie; their words were filled with fear.

"Ziqi..."

Li Mo didn't linger. He turned and slipped through the doors of the Yi Bao Pavilion.

He had no intention of getting involved in anything related to the Ziqi Sect. The waters were far too deep. He would focus mainly on the Death Sickness that would break out ten years from now.

Li Mo walked into the Yi Bao Pavilion, and a bright, spacious hall came into view.

The hall was lavishly decorated, with Beast Pattern Porcelain Tiles embedded in the floor, which also seemed to be arranged with a calming and mind-soothing formation.

The Shop Assistants responsible for reception were all cultivators at the Childhood Stage Layer 2.

They maintained a basically human appearance, but to handle all kinds of trivial matters simultaneously, they had four extra arms transplanted under their ribs.

One could imagine the immense wealth of the Yi Bao Pavilion.

"Honored guest, are you here to pawn or to buy?"

"Pawn" was just a nicer way of saying it; in ancient times, there was a saying: if you pawn, there must be a way to redeem.

"Both to pawn and to buy."

"I see."

The shop assistant gave Li Mo a quick once-over. Though the latter was at the Childhood Stage, his aura was restrained and hard to read, his entire being radiating a presence like a fierce mountain tiger.

His attitude lowered somewhat as he spoke respectfully, "Honored guest, please follow me to a private room inside."

Li Mo gave a slight nod. The two walked one after the other out of the crowded, prying-eyed main hall. The corridor leading to the private rooms was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.

Aside from selling the Bizarre Beast Corpse, he also needed to acquire plenty of resources.

Materials for Paint Green Clothes' bloody simulation, methods for artifact refining and alchemy, and ideally a suitable spell to pick...

As they walked, the shop assistant narrated the recent fluctuations in resource prices within the black market, mainly laying the groundwork for the upcoming transaction.

Seeing no one around, Li Mo probed cautiously, "I've heard about the outbreak of Polymelia. The limbs your Yi Bao Pavilion sells should be a bit cheaper, right?"

"Fuxing Town and Huian Village have indeed seen a surge of Polymelia lately, but unfortunately, mortal limbs aren't of much use to us cultivators."

Li Mo's heart skipped a beat.

Using Polymelia as a topic, he worked to clarify the rough timeline.

Smelting Town was undoubtedly the first place hit by Polymelia, but only two days later, Huian Village was filled with wails overnight, and Fuxing Town's situation was even worse.

It was said that at the town center now stood a Flesh Pillar made of countless mortals, its surface covered in dense, packed limbs.

Polymelia had no cure; the only solution was amputation.

But the problem was—how could rogue cultivators skilled in medicine possibly bother to treat mortals? That was why Fuxing Town had completely fallen.

"Smelting Town has already started handling it. It won't affect the order of the Heart Beasts."

Li Mo then brought up the Iron Cauldron Sect. The secret realm dated back two hundred years, opening once every fifty years and lasting about a decade.

"..."

Li Mo's mind churned like a storm. Because of the shop assistant's description, the Book of Fortune flooded him with a torrent of information that made his blood run cold upon reflection.

The Ziqi Sect rarely accepted mortal disciples. Usually, once every fifty years, they held the [Iron Cauldron Trial], inviting rogue cultivators renowned for artifact refining to participate.

Passing the trial meant becoming a member of the Ziqi Sect.

Of course, seven thousand years later, the nature of the Iron Cauldron Trial seemed to have changed entirely.

That Polymelia which could twist mortals into monsters, the metal toxin spreading silently.

Whatever the Ziqi Sect's purpose, one thing was clear...

The Heart Beasts faced threats both within and without.

Li Mo knew far too little about the current Immortal Cultivation World. He could only sense the immense horror lurking beneath the tip of the iceberg. Learning from some senior surnamed Han and running away was simply not realistic.