The Significance of Metal Toxin

"Iron Cauldron Sect, Polymelia, Metal Toxin—what exactly is the connection?"

Li Mo suspected that Metal Toxin permeated the air within the Heart Beast Sect's territory, and everyone would be poisoned gradually without realizing it.

Only Li Mo, with his Leakless Body, was relatively better off.

Li Mo took out his Spirit Tablet to ask Jin Li if anything unusual had happened in Smelting Town recently, but the latter was no longer in Smelting Town—half a month ago, he had followed the Yamen to Fu'an Town, where Polymelia had broken out.

The situation in Fu'an Town was extremely severe.

The Flesh Pillars formed from piled-up limbs were said to be still growing, their volume unknowingly exceeding a thousand meters, like a mountain.

To resolve the Polymelia in Fu'an Town, Smelting Town, led by Han Cai, had mobilized nearly a hundred cultivators, a grand and imposing show of force.

Li Mo's brow relaxed.

When he communicated telepathically with Jin Li, though he could sense Jin Li's barely suppressed fear, his mental state had improved significantly.

It was as if the influence of the Metal Toxin had completely vanished.

After pondering for a long time, Li Mo put away the Spirit Tablet. Since the Metal Toxin could be suppressed by relying on Contain Toxin and Digest Poison, he would wait and see how the situation developed.

He flipped through the Golden Sand Diagram's catalog and immediately had a clear idea.

Li Mo had originally planned to hastily refine the Golden Sand Diagram, then take it to the Black Market street to set up a stall and sell it, while also probing the state of the Immortal Cultivation World.

But he suddenly realized that the Golden Sand Diagram still had its uses for now.

Li Mo took out some Iron Sandstone, placed it in a special inkstone, and ground it into fine powder, while considering how to apply the brushstrokes onto the Artifact Embryo.

For an artifact to take shape, it needed to fully integrate the spirit materials.

A Low-grade Magic Tool embryo could withstand the integration of five spirit materials with similar properties, while a Mid-grade Magic Tool embryo could handle twenty.

Under normal circumstances, as the number of spirit materials in an artifact increased, the difficulty of integrating further materials would accumulate, but the boost to the artifact's power was far from trivial.

The Golden Sand Diagram's material requirements were not high—Earth-metal Spirit Material would suffice—so Li Mo chose the Earth-element Spirit Material "Iron Sandstone."

Iron Sandstone was a companion ore eroded by Rust Spiritual Qi. Not only was it cheap, but it was also just right for refining the Golden Sand Diagram.

As he continued grinding, the Iron Sandstone gradually turned into granular powder.

Li Mo focused his attention, spread the animal hide on the ground, pressed it down with a Town Stone, and then calmly began drawing the Golden Sand Diagram.

His Magic Finger absorbed the Iron Sand, forming an unbroken Quicksand River on the surface of the animal hide, revealing a surging, turbulent artistic conception.

Under the effect of Miasma Spiritual Power, the spirit material merged with the Artifact Embryo, as if the Quicksand River had always been a pattern born from the animal hide itself.

Once the Golden Sand Diagram was refined into a magic tool, it became restrained, its leaked aura utterly pure.

As a Low-grade Magic Tool, the Golden Sand Diagram's quality was nearly perfect, showing no trace of the Iron Sandstone's integration.

Li Mo infused Spiritual Qi to refine it, and in moments, the Golden Sand Diagram obeyed his will like an extension of his arm.

Swoosh!!

He controlled the Golden Sand Diagram to coil around his body, releasing bursts of sand and dust that shrouded the guest room, but its power was rather limited—only when sand grains burrowed into flesh could they corrode and injure the enemy.

In combat, it was less practical than Universal Skill.

"Withdraw."

Li Mo had another use for it. The Golden Sand Diagram wrapped around his neck like a python, turning into a bandage that covered his head, leaving only his eyes exposed.

Apart from filtering the air, it also protected vital points and concealed his appearance.

Even if it might not be effective against the Metal Toxin in the air, it was better than nothing—blocking even a portion was still an improvement.

Li Mo followed the same method, refining the remaining animal hides into Golden Sand Diagrams.

But to avoid drawing attention, he deliberately made mistakes in the later artifacts, used slightly inferior spirit materials, and even left many gaps when integrating them into the Artifact Embryos.

Li Mo walked out of the inn and headed straight for the Bustling Market in front of Yi Bao Pavilion.

As soon as he set foot on the street, he felt that the Black Market was somewhat desolate.

Though there were still many cultivators coming and going, most were low-level cultivators at the first or second layer of the Childhood Stage.

Moreover, from the faces of several Rogue Cultivators who hadn't concealed their appearance, Li Mo could see that they generally showed mild signs of Metal Poisoning, while those severely poisoned had mysteriously vanished.

As Li Mo walked along, the street stalls were sparse and scattered.

But the area in front of Yi Bao Pavilion was still lively, though again mostly low-level cultivators. It seemed that during the few months he had been in seclusion, the Black Market had quietly undergone a major purge.

"What the hell..."

As the only Rogue Cultivator market within two hundred li of Smelting Town, any change should have drawn reactions from all sides—how could it be so uneventful?

Li Mo found a secluded corner and set up a stall like a Rogue Cultivator.

He simply spread a white cloth in front of him. It seemed there was an unspoken rule in the Black Market against deliberately disrupting transactions between both parties.

At first, no one paid attention to the Golden Sand Diagram.

But soon, over a dozen low-level Rogue Cultivators were drawn to it. However, because Li Mo exuded an aura of "keep your distance," they knew they didn't have enough spirit stones and didn't step forward to ask.

Li Mo appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was playing the long game, waiting for a big catch. After all, he was confident that even with flaws, the Golden Sand Diagram he had refined was of superior quality compared to the artifacts at Yi Bao Pavilion.

Before long...

Near Yi Bao Pavilion, a number of late-stage Rogue Cultivators suddenly appeared.

They were clearly there for the Golden Sand Diagram. Li Mo breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this—at least it meant the Rogue Cultivators in the black market hadn't suffered mass casualties.

"Fellow Daoist, I am Song Liang of the Hong Xing Escort Agency. Name your price."

Song Liang's body was already being eroded by the Death Sickness, his face festering and rotting, wounds feeding rows of centipede-like worms.

His exposed skull gleamed with a metallic sheen; the Metal Toxin had seeped deep into his bones.

Li Mo narrowed his eyes.

The mud on Song Liang's shoes wasn't from the black market—it was metallic sludge, clearly from somewhere else. Could it be the Iron Cauldron Sect?

"It may seem like just a Low-grade Magic Tool at the first refinement, but the spiritual materials are well-integrated. Completing the fourth refinement in the future shouldn't be a problem."

"Fellow Daoist, I'll offer thirty Mid-grade Spirit Stones per magic tool. Let's be friends."

Song Liang's breathing was rapid, the restless thoughts in his eyes barely suppressed—a clear sign of Metal Poisoning, exactly like Jin Li back then.

Li Mo considered it. The offer was already higher than the normal market price.

Before he could agree, a cultivator with a serpentine lower body slithered over. He was likely from the Viper Society in the Heart Beast Black Market—a small, low-tier gang.

"Yin Xue of the Viper Society. I'll also offer thirty Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Brother Song, step back?"

Yin Xue reached directly for the Golden Sand Diagram. Clearly, his "thirty Mid-grade Spirit Stones" meant taking both magic tools outright.

Song Liang erupted in fury and moved to block Yin Xue, only to find the latter suddenly on high alert.

"Two pieces, sixty Mid-grade Spirit Stones total. Hand them over."

"Fine..."

Song Liang's expression was complicated as he looked at Li Mo. Beneath the cloth covering the latter's face were eyes like those of a Wild Beast.

He hesitated for a few breaths, then spoke in a low voice: "Fellow Daoist, be careful when entering and leaving the secret realm. The Viper Society loves nothing more than killing people and stealing treasures."

Yin Xue let out a strange laugh, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Li Mo. "Escort Head Song, I see your poison has run deep. You'll be heading to the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm in a few days—best watch your step..."

Li Mo raised an eyebrow. He quickly grasped the hidden meaning behind the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm, and at the same time recognized the greatest advantage of his Contain Toxin and Digest Poison divine ability.

He took the spirit stones from Song Liang, then turned and vanished into a nearby alley.

As Li Mo walked, his body inexplicably took on a sandy quality, shifting between solid and illusory, as if he were about to disappear from the black market entirely.

"Enter the secret realm? Looking for death."

Yin Xue's face twisted with greed. As he gave chase after Li Mo, he signaled for the others to keep Song Liang in check.