Li Mo had no intention of following the clay sculpture's guidance deeper into Corpse Mountain. Instead, he used the Leakless Body's breath-concealing effect to remain where he was.
With the Tattooed Beast's protection, he could ensure there were no blind spots in his vision as he silently moved through the abandoned mine cave.
A moment later, Ghost Tiger returned with a bloodstained Storage Bag in its jaws. Its haul was clearly substantial; the Viper Society had been buried forever within the Secret Realm.
Li Mo inspected the Storage Bag.
Xu Guangcheng had collected over a hundred Low-grade Spirit Materials, along with two Mid-grade Spirit Materials and a large quantity of altered corpses.
The corpses varied in age. He had not expected Xu Guangcheng to possess such a perverse hobby.
Li Mo found several boxes of Spell Bone Scrolls in a corner of the Storage Bag, but the spells recorded within were far too incomplete. Only the Viper Society's primary cultivation method, the "Snake Belly Jade Blood Heart Sutra," was relatively intact.
He had no interest whatsoever in the Snake Belly Jade Blood Heart Sutra. This spell likely shared the same origin as the A Hui Possession Curse, only it was even more extreme.
Xu Guangcheng's cultivation method, the Hidden Moon Dipper Secret Method, was rather interesting instead.
The Hidden Moon Dipper Secret Method emphasized conducting a Circulation Cycle beneath the night sky, allowing one to easily enter a state of cultivation.
However, it was ultimately a Rogue Cultivator cultivation method. The Hidden Moon Dipper Secret Method only contained the first three layers of the Childhood Stage; the rest had been cobbled together from scraps. Xu Guangcheng's ability to cultivate it to the fourth layer was truly due to good fortune.
With a thought from Li Mo, the Hidden Moon Dipper Secret Method appeared on the surface of the Dao Seed.
The Primal Dao Seed digested the cultivation method, accelerating its rotation somewhat. The Nourishing Origin Fundamental Scripture seemed to gain a few improvements, though they were better than nothing.
Incomplete cultivation methods were practically devoid of nourishment for the Dao Seed.
Li Mo shook his head. He still needed to find an opportunity to switch cultivation methods. No matter how much the Nourishing Origin Fundamental Scripture was improved, it could never break free of its original framework.
After looting all the resources, he tossed the miscellaneous items into a corner of the mine cave.
Without realizing it, Li Mo had already reached a point close to three thousand meters in. He encountered fewer and fewer forks, while the temperature gradually became damp and cold.
He looked around. If he wanted to go deeper, he might have to excavate the rock wall.
Judging from the stirrings produced by the Book of Fortune, Corpse Mountain's secret was nearby. The Mother Ghost Head could also vaguely sense the existence of the Child Ghost Head.
Li Mo retreated half a meter, intending to have Ghost Tiger dig.
The moment he turned his head, however, yin wind brushed against his face.
The Salamander let out a terrified cry, the tender shoot atop its head swaying wildly as it released as much vitality as possible to protect Li Mo's body.
At some unknown point, the narrow mine cave had suddenly opened up. Thick fog shrouded the area, and a temple could vaguely be seen standing in the distance.
The temple was low and squat, its courtyard roofed with green tiles, while sturdy pine trees overflowed with verdant life.
There could not possibly be a temple inside the mine cave.
Li Mo licked his lips. As expected, what lay before him was the source of the Book of Fortune's disturbance.
Contain Toxin and Digest Poison was still usable, which put him somewhat at ease. Yet the metal toxin contained in the air was clearly growing heavier.
Li Mo headed toward the temple. Ghost Tiger warily followed the shadows along the wall and slipped through the temple gate ahead of him to scout for danger.
According to the information Ghost Tiger sent back, the temple appeared incomparably lively.
When Li Mo arrived at the temple entrance, he could sense through the Mother Ghost Head that the missing cultivators were inside the temple and were not currently in mortal danger.
Hiss hiss hiss...
The Book of Fortune turned its pages until it reached the ninth page of Blank Pages.
On the final page of the Book of Fortune, countless fleshy buds unexpectedly sprouted. In just a few breaths, they transformed into fingernail-sized blank fragments.
The Book of Fortune's tenth page had inexplicably been conceived.
Li Mo stood outside the temple for a while, and the tenth page filled out further. However, its rate of growth had already become increasingly slow.
He pushed open the temple gates.
A sour stench rushed at him. The temple was filled with Metal-Earth Attribute Spiritual Qi.
In the vast open space, hundreds of clay sculptures wore coarse cotton and hemp clothing, standing motionlessly as they enacted the scene of believers offering incense.
Whenever Li Mo's gaze shifted, the clay sculptures in his blind spots would change posture. Yet they possessed none of the aggressiveness displayed by the clay sculptures inside Corpse Mountain.
He had not revealed the Primordial Acquired Dao Body, so the clay sculptures continued to abide by their specific rules.
Amid his astonishment, Li Mo realized that the clay sculptures were imitating something.
He had Ghost Tiger and the Salamander fix their gazes upon most of the clay sculptures at the front of the temple, avoiding the clay sculptures responsible for farming in the corners.
Li Mo then began blinking rapidly.
Because of his blinking, he lost sight of the clay sculptures several times every breath. The clay sculptures seemed to come alive, truly beginning to sow seeds and hoe the earth.
It was like stop-motion animation; through blinking, the clay sculptures' movements became fluid and continuous.
The Tattooed Beast moved its head away, and the deathly still temple burst into life.
The clay sculptures busied themselves throughout the temple, pungent incense filling the air. Their every action was exactly the same as the believers in the towns.
Li Mo arrived at the temple's main hall and discovered that the material comprising it had actually been secreted by Gold Devouring Insects. Its interior was filled with maggots.
The chanting of the Armor Spell came from within.
"Heaven and Earth Mysterious Origin, Ten Thousand Qi Root, vast cultivation of countless kalpas, attest my divine power."
"Inside and Outside the Three Realms, only the Dao..."
Li Mo looked toward the plaque above the main hall. The words "Fortune Furnace" were carved upon it. This was the place where Ziqi Sect disciples cultivated spells.
The hall was resplendent in gold and jade. At its center stood an armless, legless golden statue, which ought to have been the Ziqi Sect's patriarch, Golden Light Hermit. He simply did not know why its hands and feet had all been removed.
Beneath the golden statue sat a white-haired old man cross-legged. He too had neither arms nor legs. Upon seeing Li Mo, he said with delight, "Fellow Daoist, have you come to cultivate the Armor Spell?"
"May I ask for your Daoist title, sir?"
The old man pointed his head toward the side wall of the main hall and said, "Fellow Daoist, have you come to cultivate the Armor Spell?"
"This is the Ziqi Sect?"
"Fellow Daoist, have you come to cultivate the Armor Spell?"
The old man repeated himself over and over. Metallic blotches spread across his face, while the rotten flesh gave off the smell of rust.
"Fellow Daoist, have you come to cultivate the Armor Spell?!!"
His words carried a threat, even as he muttered the Armor Spell's details to himself.
Li Mo looked in the direction the old man indicated and saw densely packed armless, legless statues arranged along both walls of the main hall.
At first glance, the statues appeared to be made of metal, yet their chests and abdomens rose and fell faintly.
Li Mo immediately recognized several Two-Headed Statues. They were clearly the Rogue Cultivators who had previously explored Corpse Mountain, now deeply trapped within the temple.
Yet they seemed content with their lot, their cultivation rising at a speed visible to the naked eye. Several had already reached bottlenecks in their current realms.
Li Mo found it utterly absurd.
Just what was the Armor Spell, and why did the Ziqi Sect worship Human Pigs?
The old man's spine crackled with the sound of bones colliding as he wriggled toward Li Mo in a grotesque posture. Then, from the split in his back, a half-meter-long Gold Devouring Insect slowly crawled out.
Li Mo either had to agree or leave the temple immediately.
He prepared to use Contain Toxin and Digest Poison to depart, while simultaneously letting the aura of the Primordial Acquired Dao Body leak out. The old man instantly stiffened and froze.
The old man retreated to his original spot and continued chanting the Armor Spell.
Li Mo cautiously walked out of the main hall and waited outside the temple for the Blank Pages to finish forming.
Only then did he notice that the new Blank Page had actually revealed dark-golden patterns. He did not know what use they would have for imprinting organs.
These next two days are crucial. Please keep reading!!!!
Before you continue