Chapter 492: Chapter 8: Quit Dilly-Dallying, Hurry Up and Die!
All cultivators stood in terror at the edge of the harbor.
The scene of Nascent Soul Stage great powers pieced together was unspeakably eerie, with chanting voices ringing deafeningly, and Buddha Qi washing over the harbor like tidal waves.
The aura radiating from it had entirely transcended the Nascent Soul Stage. The Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting, fashioned by thousands of puppet monks, was being carried forward.
It was as if a tsunami formed from flesh and bone.
Some cultivators showed bewilderment, drowning in the endless cycle of real and illusory memories, murmuring strange self-questioning and self-answering tones.
Were it not for the blood column barring Buddha Qi outside, none would have escaped conversion.
"The more I observe, the more it resembles the true lineage of the Buddhist Sect."
"Devour you, and I’ll perfect the Void Refining Technique of my Buddha Demon Body. Surely before my millennial ascension flight, I’ll promote to the Void Refining Stage."
Li Mo remained unmoved, as he sensed the threat imposed by the Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting.
Dozens of Bodhi Fruits’ medicinal efficacy surged into his mind; his consciousness sharpened with unprecedented clarity. Holding the Illusion Fish Sword, he reminisced about the lingering resonance of the Dao.
The Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting approached within a kilometer, as Buddha and demonic auras crackled ominously.
The cultivators could still clearly see the faces of the Nascent Soul Stage great powers, drained entirely of vitality, leaving only distorted features.
Willow Guanyin, Conception Guanyin, Holding Scripture Guanyin, White Robed Guanyin, Fish Basket Guanyin...
The Karma Seal Mother had turned the Sub-Device Sect into a breeding ground for the Buddhist Sect, creating countless abominable creatures. Yet, due to the twisted perception of San Sheng, none among the cultivators understood why.
"The Sub-Device Sect wasn’t meant to be like this."
Dome Mountain slowly stepped forward, taking position ahead of the crowd, bearing the tangible pressure.
In a certain sense, the artifact cultivator’s physique faintly restrained the twisted perception of San Sheng, as they could awaken memories from past lives intermittently.
Only within the range of the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater would the Mother Furnace occasionally inject memories.
But the conflict between cognition and memory left them tormented, with many artifact cultivators willing to become monks to escape the agony.
Dome Mountain glanced at Li Mo and thought to himself, "No retreat remains; if Qing Tian had another thousand years to cultivate, he could achieve the Dao."
The Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting approached within a hundred meters.
Li Mo braced his legs while the Ghost Tiger possessed him. Jet-black fur spread across his skin, while Candle Dragon’s phantom coiled around his sword blade.
"Sword Intent is the derivation of the Dao; Yin, Blood, and Ghost Attributes flow in harmony."
Clink.
Li Mo unsheathed the Illusion Fish Sword and controlled the flying sword with his Divine Sense after releasing it.
"Go."
The Illusion Fish Sword charged toward the Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting like an ant striking a tree.
Tens of thousands of demon leaders followed closely behind as abnormal phenomena began to emerge across the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater, eerie sounds whispering from the shadows.
Grotesque and horrifying demons and ghosts clung to the rock walls, and chilling roars echoed from the depths.
The Illusion Fish Sword emitted layers of Yin Blood and Ghost Attribute Sword Intent, further intensifying the phenomena, turning the crater into a playground for evil spirits’ revelry.
The abnormalities abruptly ceased after a single beat.
The Illusion Fish Sword directly penetrated the Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting, which continued charging toward the harbor unaffected.
But then, as the cultivators stared in astonishment, the Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting underwent a dramatic transformation.
Each Guanyin revealed a hideous face, their Buddha Artifacts turning into piles of white bones, though the struggle in their eyes began to ease.
Whoosh.
Li Mo recovered the Illusion Fish Sword, watching as the Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting approached.
"Great predecessors, you sacrificed your lives to help me comprehend Sword Intent. As a junior, Qing Tian can do nothing to repay you but swiftly send you back to the furnace for rebirth."
As soon as his words fell, the Guanyin Hundred Buddha Painting collapsed in an instant. Flesh and bones decayed into ash within moments.
The ashes drifted in the wind, encircling the harbor thrice before dispersing. The once mighty Sub-Device Sect was reduced to a singular Nascent Soul Stage artifact cultivator of Dome Mountain.
Mahayana Sword Intent[Demon]
Following Yin Yang Sword Intent, Li Mo, through his daily accumulation and battle-inspired epiphanies, grasped his second Mahayana Sword Intent.
Li Mo’s aura reached its peak, revealing no reservation as his Cultivation reached the Heavenly Palace Stage.
Doom. Doom. Doom.
"Great Freedom Guanyin!!!"
A colossal being crawled within the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater; the Karma Seal Mother would never tolerate provocation from a Divine Separation Stage cultivator, even if Li Mo’s prowess was unrivaled within his realm.
"Come, come! I’ll use you as a stepping stone to ascend to the Void Refining Stage."
Li Mo canceled his Tattoo Beastification. Confronted by the oppressive force of the Void Refining Stage, his very blood burned as the Cave God’s Eye poured forth thick smoke.
"Qing Tian."
Dome Mountain hesitated before speaking: "Actually..."
"There’s no possibility. The Karma Seal Mother is doomed to die, heh heh heh. I didn’t return merely to dig graves for the Sub-Device Sect."
Finished speaking, Li Mo leaped into the infinite black abyss of the pit.
Buddha Qi surged in all directions.
The cultivators likewise caught sight of the Karma Seal Mother’s full form, which couldn’t be described with mere words and bore no resemblance to the Great Freedom Guanyin.
The Karma Seal Mother was entirely layered with countless fragments of dead skin.
Wrinkled human skin twisted together, with no trace of flesh inside, and each human face was deliberately embellished with gold dust.
Li Mo’s expression turned grave.
"Transformed from the remains shed by Feathered Immortals after their ascension within the Buddhist Sect?"
"Where did the mastermind find this monstrosity? It has existed for at least seven or eight thousand years, yet there’s no record of it in the Cultivation World."
As Li Mo pondered, Candle Dragon’s scales enveloped his body. He cast out the Taiyin Star, plunging the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater into a state of eternal darkness.
"Amitabha Buddha, why does the demon not kneel upon seeing Guanyin?"
"Go to hell. Take a piss and check your own reflection."
"Amitabha Buddha!!!"
Li Mo showed no mercy. Numerous Tattooed Beasts emerged from his body, allowing Mountain Demons to parasitize his spine to unleash the aberration of Da Ai Mi Tian.
The Buddha Demon Body detached.
Upon seeing the Buddha Demon Body, the Karma Seal Mother’s countless mouths sneered, "Neither quite man nor ghost, neither truly Buddha nor demon—so unnatural for an artifact cultivator. Ha ha."
The flesh within the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater writhed, a twisted fusion of the Buddhist Pure Land and Devil Sect’s Purgatory.
The Externalized Dharma Body, nearly five kilometers tall, had far exceeded what Divine Separation Stage could comprehend, yet the Karma Seal Mother remained unperturbed.
Li Mo furrowed his brows.
He originally planned to command the Mother Furnace directly, but the Karma Seal Mother’s confidence made him reconsider.
Li Mo’s body fully abandoned human form, transforming into a three-thousand-meter-long colossal Candle Dragon wrapped around the Buddha Demon Body’s arm.
The hand, as enormous as a mountain, struck down with force, aiding the treasure bottle in pouring out a deluge of Sword Qi.
Even a Void Refining Stage flesh body couldn’t withstand Li Mo’s attack. The Karma Seal Mother’s skin tore apart, with faint disruptions to its Buddha Qi.
Meanwhile, Li Mo’s aberration intensified.
It signified the growing strength of his Externalized Dharma Body, its size expanding geometrically.
The Karma Seal Mother let Li Mo attack unhindered, its demeanor calming down. "It seems you are the remnant of the True Word Sect. If you join the Buddhist Sect, I can recommend you to the [Three Pure Heavens]."
The Three Pure Heavens appeared to be the forces orchestrated by the mastermind.
Li Mo seized the time to exacerbate his aberration, his other Externalized Dharma Bodies undergoing mutation. The lifebound flying sword within the sword pouch forcibly began its transformation into a dragon.
The foundation was insufficient, the dragon transformation doomed to fail, but various Dragon Children sprang forth instead.
"Stubborn ignorance."
Most of the Karma Seal Mother’s body had already turned into ground flesh, revealing half of the Externalized Dharma Body—a dignified jade Guanyin.
As the Externalized Dharma Body, [Free Guanyin], emerged, Li Mo’s Purgatory Pure Land vanished entirely.
Clang.
The Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater where Li Mo stood evaporated into nothingness.
"Where the Dharma Body exists, all becomes this monk’s [Free Buddha Realm]."
Boundless Free Guanyin stood at the center, Buddha Demon Body seemingly reduced to an insect. Li Mo couldn’t suppress a sense of profound helplessness.
"The Void Refining Stage Externalized Dharma Body can temporarily construct a small world..."
Li Mo gritted his teeth and charged straight at Free Guanyin. Yinglong coiled around Buddha Demon Body’s neck, the dual Dharma Bodies barely resisting the influence of the Buddha Realm.
"Your dual Dharma Bodies are so mysterious that they seem destined for ascension, yet you’ve greatly overestimated yourself. What a pity."
Free Guanyin extended her hand, crushing down mercilessly, as Buddha Qi engulfed the Buddha Demon Body.
Clouds formed within the Buddha Realm, and billions of Buddhas chanted scriptures to disrupt Li Mo’s mind, seeking total conversion.
"Return to the Buddhist Sect!"
Boom.
Free Guanyin’s finger was deflected as Buddha Demon Body continued pressing forward.
"I only have this one chance—I cannot waste it in the Buddha Realm. If I fail, I must abandon the Sub-Device Sect and flee. No, failure is not an option."
Dragon roars reverberated, as thousands of lifebound flying swords encircled Free Guanyin, buying invaluable moments for the Buddha Demon Body.
In just a few beats, the Buddha Demon Body grew increasingly indescribable, covered with heads and protruding malformed limbs. Though its flesh body’s strength seemed boundless in its escalation.
Li Mo lost all five senses amidst the chanting but allowed his instincts to take charge to their fullest.
Pounding fists and palms rained down relentlessly.
Free Guanyin staggered back half a step.
The Sword Qi surged uncontrollably, slicing a half-meter wound.
Free Guanyin’s face froze in disbelief, realizing the injury inflicted by someone in the Divine Separation Stage—resisting the conversion from a Void Refining Stage’s Divine Sense.
Immediately, she comprehended the gravity of the threat: this man could not be allowed to live.
"Fiend, meet your end!!!"
Li Mo sacrificed half the Buddha Demon Body, rapidly regenerating with aberrant flesh.
He seized the opportunity to get closer, pushing the Buddha Demon Body to its full potential, ignoring the damage caused by the mutation on his Externalized Dharma Body.
The burgeoning flesh expanded the Buddha Demon Body to one-tenth the size of Free Guanyin.
Through unimaginable sacrifice, Li Mo fought with Free Guanyin on equal footing. Waves of destructive force lifted clouds within the Buddha Realm.
The Buddha Demon Body began to crumble.
Free Guanyin’s Buddha Qi remained ceaseless, showing no signs of exhaustion.
The Buddha Demon Body could only create superficial wounds, yet every strike from Free Guanyin shattered its flesh entirely.
The Tattoo Beasts perished one by one.
The Ten Thousand Transformation Dharma Body struggled to detach itself from the Buddha Demon Body. Even Li Mo’s Candle Dragon form retreated into the Buddha Demon Body for refuge.
Even the Karma Seal Mother could tell that Li Mo was at his wits’ end.
"Die now."
Free Guanyin’s head split open, an extended tongue stabbed toward the Buddha Demon Body.
The Buddha Demon Body was nearly unrecognizable, yet its eyes remained locked unwaveringly on Free Guanyin.
The barbed tongue pierced through the Buddha Demon Body, and Buddha Qi extinguished its last spark of life. Its collapsed flesh could no longer reconstruct.
Despite Free Guanyin’s inability to heal her wounds, it was evident the Buddha Demon Body had not been in vain.
The Buddha Realm vanished.
The Karma Seal Mother returned to the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater, murmuring to herself, "Daoist Qing Tian has remarkable skill; he nearly damaged my foundation."
Silence engulfed the harbor.
Every cultivator stared at the Karma Seal Mother with a gaze filled with astonished dread.
"Hm?"
Unnoticed until now, the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater had undergone startling changes.
On the rock wall surface, rows of sharp teeth glinted, each imbued with distinct Sword Intents, bolstered by the Ten Thousand Transformation Immortal Bone.
The Artifact Core Dharma Body concealed within the depths of the Mother Furnace extended tendrils wrapping tightly around the Karma Seal Mother.
The upper and lower jaws snapped shut.
"Karma Seal Mother, you took so long to handle even a single Dharma Body, leaving me waiting in bitter patience."