Longevity Strange Immortal-Chapter 574 - 8: Meeting with Tian Chenzi

Li Mo seemed like a wandering spirit or wild ghost in the ancient Cultivation World, unknown and enigmatic, yet traces of his presence were left everywhere.

Many sects realized that Luo Qiuzi’s true identity was highly likely to be the Upper Immortal.

But unable to find any proof, they ultimately left the matter unresolved.

They tested the Qingcheng Sect, but the latter firmly insisted that Luo Qiuzi was their Supreme Elder—even though the idea of him single-handedly exterminating Blood Tide was simply unrealistic.

As time passed, the various forces stopped looking into Li Mo’s affairs.

Li Mo himself paid no attention to the outside world.

He continued placing pieces in the mortal realm, gambling that interacting with individuals could alter the course of events thousands of years into the future.

Unknowingly, a hundred years had passed.

Li Mo visited the Heavenly Sword Sect and witnessed the unfolding of its Sword Trial Tournament.

The grandeur of its massive thousand-meter gates and the towering, sword-sharp peaks that stood resolute were breathtaking, as countless disciples rode their swords to and fro within them.

He also ventured to the Ten Thousand Demon Dao, watching as Demon Cultivators fled like lost dogs.

Their mountain gates were littered with piles of white bones, and half-dead Demon Cultivators lay among the corpses, breathing in the Longevity Paste that manipulated minds, slowly rotting away in their intoxicated descent into debauchery.

He even posed as a devotee in Leiyin Temple to listen to the abbot recite Buddhist Sutras.

Leiyin Temple was bustling, as the Buddhist Sect had reached its peak, with over 20,000 novice monks yet to enter the Tao.

The Buddhist Sect gathered large numbers of mortals and yet did not immediately perish amidst the upheavals of heaven and earth.

This spoke to the skillfulness of Buddhist practitioners’ methods of converting others.

Li Mo placed countless seemingly insignificant pieces among the Taoist, Demon, and Buddhist factions—moves that appeared to lack purpose on the surface but were deeply tied to events thousands of years ahead.

"Hah."

Dressed as a refugee, Li Mo walked along a muddy official road.

He had entirely forgotten about disaster, his spirit immersed in the purification of his body by Spiritual Energy, traversing mountains and rivers purely by instinct.

The Three Law Bodies, initially passive recipients of Spiritual Energy, gradually began actively absorbing it.

While the Externalized Dharma Body showed faint signs of transformation, a sliver of vitality had emerged, proving Li Mo’s cultivation path correct.

Li Mo’s allowable cultivation boundaries soared higher and higher.

Qi Cultivation Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Core Formation Stage, Nascent Soul Stage...

Li Mo felt as though he had walked the cultivation path all over again, indirectly deepening his understanding of the old Heavenly Dao. Eventually, his cultivation stopped at the Mahayana Realm of Perfection.

All that remained was breaking through the bottleneck to allow the Three Law Bodies to ascend smoothly to the Transcendence Tribulation Stage.

Yet, progress eluded him.

Li Mo remained calm, continuing the Spiritual Energy washing of his Three Law Bodies without impatience.

Until, belatedly, he opened his eyes. Warm sunlight shone on his face, and in the distance echoed the bustling sounds of what seemed to be a marketplace.

Li Mo regained his bearings.

At the end of the official road lay a suspended mountain peak, held to the ground by iron chains, enshrouded in wisps of clouds, with a Daoist Temple nestled within.

Birds and beasts roamed the mountain, inhaling and exhaling Spiritual Energy, as scattered cultivators fed them.

The scene mirrored the memory from the Creation Book that had surfaced when Li Mo first saw Rong Town, "Heart Beast Sect is here..."

He couldn’t help but have a foreboding feeling, sitting cross-legged boldly in the center of the road.

His Three Law Bodies eagerly absorbed the Spiritual Energy from the outside world: the Artifact Pill Body transformed first, followed by the Symbiotic Dharma Body and finally the Buddha Demon Body.

Boom.

Anomaly unfolded.

A vortex of Spiritual Energy formed, pouring into Li Mo’s body, causing his Externalized Dharma Body to swell, while its ties to the mortal realm diminished little by little.

The Spirit Root Worm released illusions to cover up the commotion from Li Mo breaking through.

However, the anomaly in the Spiritual Energy could not be concealed. A deafening bird cry rang out inside the Heart Beast Sect, instantly setting its disciples into frantic motion.

They returned to their mountain gates, assuming positions within the Mountain Protection Array.

A middle-aged man wore a grave expression, an exotic Golden Feathered Phoenix Tail Sparrow perched on his shoulder flapping its wings, its dull eyes blinking repeatedly.

"Where did this Great Ability Cultivator come from, ascending in the impoverished Heart Beast Sect—what an unwarranted disaster."

The anomaly abruptly ceased. The middle-aged man grew even more anxious, fearful that the Great Ability Cultivator might unleash their wrath on the Heart Beast Sect if their promotion failed.

"A small Immortal Sect like Heart Beast Sect, newly established—could it possibly be extinguished just like that?"

He ordered his disciples to hide obediently within the Daoist Temple, anxiously waiting, each day a nerve-wracking ordeal.

The middle-aged man considered fleeing the sect multiple times.

Yet beneath Heart Beast Sect’s mountain lay a small Spirit Vein. In the mortal realm, finding an ownerless Spirit Vein was extremely difficult, which had led to the sect’s establishment.

Two or three years went by.

Heart Beast Sect saw that everything remained as it was and finally lifted their self-deceptive Mountain Protection Array.

Focusing on their business of selling spirit beasts, they quickly returned to their bustling days from years prior.

The middle-aged man oversaw the mountain gates, working tirelessly in the Spirit Fields like an old farmer.

He paired breeding Earth Plowing Spirit Oxen during mating season, tamed food-guarding temperamental Spiritual Dogs, and even concerned himself with the harvest of rice in the Spirit Fields.

"Tian Chenzi."

While cleaning Spiritual Tiger fur of lice within the beast pens, the middle-aged man heard someone calling his dao title and turned to look.

"Tian Chenzi, you’re a bit different from what I imagined."

The Spiritual Tiger whimpered. Though its cultivation was merely at the Qi Cultivation Stage, it instinctively sensed the terrifying aura of the newcomer.

Tian Chenzi faced the mysterious figure as though confronting a great enemy, his dark skin etched with crevices.

He lowered his head and softly said, "Senior, if I have offended you in any way, please show mercy and spare the disciples of Heart Beast Sect."

Li Mo smiled but did not reply.

He suddenly understood why, even after seven or eight thousand years, Tian Chenzi’s portrait still hung within the sect’s halls—it was purely because the founding ancestor didn’t resemble a cultivator at all.

More like a simple and unadorned farmer who tirelessly built up Heart Beast Sect’s legacy with hard work.

"You’ve misunderstood. I came because I admire Heart Beast Sect and wanted to take a look."

Tian Chenzi froze in confusion. Then, after wiping his sand-covered hands on his Daoist robe, he cautiously confirmed, "Senior, are you here for the Earth Plowing Spirit Oxen?"

"Please inform Heart Beast Sect; there’s no need for you to personally come to the sect."

Li Mo couldn’t help but laugh.

"Come, let’s find a place to discuss the Earth Plowing Spirit Oxen matters."

"Alright."

The two entered Tian Chenzi’s Daoist Temple, its furnishings reminiscent of a mortal household, with artificial hills nestled within bamboo groves and carp swimming in the pond.

"Forgive me for the simple greeting. Before I began cultivating, I always admired the courtyards of wealthy families."

"It’s alright. Everyone has their preferences."

As Li Mo settled into his seat, Tian Chenzi began talking incessantly about the Earth Plowing Spirit Oxen and even quoted a price far below market rate.

"Sect Master Tian Chenzi, do you also have an interest in painting and calligraphy?"

"Heh heh, a little something to cultivate my disposition."

Li Mo glanced at the various bird and beast paintings hanging in the room, already imbued with a sense of life. Tian Chenzi might very well be the creator of Hui Qingyi.

"Regarding the Earth Plowing Spirit Oxen—I want a hundred, but there’s one issue."

Li Mo’s knuckles tapped the table as the Spirit Root Worm burrowed into the soil.

"The Heart Beast Sect currently doesn’t have enough spirit beasts to deliver such a large quantity. Senior, if you give me some time..."

Tian Chenzi’s face reddened; a hundred Earth Plowing Spirit Oxen was a major order that could make up for past losses incurred during their gate closure with room to spare.

But before he could finish speaking, Heart Beast Sect descended into eerie silence.

The Li Mo before him vanished.

Tian Chenzi stood in bafflement, suddenly realizing that the Heart Beast Sect’s Daoist Temple had been replaced by a town, its disciples now walking around with rotting bodies.

Traces of Heart Beast Sect were seen everywhere, and his own portrait hung in the storefronts.

Tian Chenzi collapsed, screaming uncontrollably.

"What cultivator dares disrupt Rong Town with noise?" a constable with the head of an elephant chased after Tian Chenzi.

Fleeing frantically, Tian Chenzi saw only half-human, half-beast monsters everywhere as he ran.

"Why... Why has Heart Beast Sect fallen into such wretchedness? Could that person be a Demon Cultivator instead, not actually here to purchase spirit beasts?"

Instinctively heading toward the Inner City District, Tian Chenzi immediately drew the attention of bystanders.

The Golden Feathered Phoenix Tail Sparrow grew to a size of four meters and rammed open the Inner City’s gates, allowing Tian Chenzi to slip inside.

What he found were even more bizarre, fantastical scenes.

Disciples he had known transformed into indescribable entities, standing guard in the Inner City District, holding a Sacrificial Festival celebrating their ascension to immortality.

And another version of himself descending through Immortal Relics.

"Ahhhhh!"

Tian Chenzi clutched his head in despair. Tears and snot streamed down his face, unable to accept Heart Beast Sect’s descent into such a horrifying state.

"Tian Chenzi." Li Mo’s voice pulled Tian Chenzi back to reality.

Tian Chenzi glanced around; he was once again in the refined and tranquil courtyard. The earlier unnerving moments seemed to have been mere illusions.

"You... You, you..."

"Tian Chenzi, what you saw just now was the future—not only Heart Beast Sect’s future but also the future of both the Immortal and Mortal Realms."

Tian Chenzi shuddered, unable to believe whether what had happened was real or not.

"Who are you? Who are you!!"

Li Mo placed a hand on Tian Chenzi’s shoulder, imparting a method for Body Seizing Lifebound Spirit Beasts directly into his mind, withholding nothing.

Without waiting for Tian Chenzi’s reply, Li Mo muttered softly, explaining the stages of heavenly upheaval.

Tian Chenzi transitioned from disbelief to hesitant belief, simply because Li Mo revealed the destiny of every single person within Heart Beast Sect. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"But I’m only at the Core Formation Stage—why, Senior, why must you trouble me so?"

Li Mo spoke with a subtle expression, "Who I am doesn’t matter—you’ll understand when the time comes. For now, it’s difficult to explain."

"If nothing unexpected happens, you’ll die in six to seven hundred years due to exhaustion of your lifespan. To survive, you must seize the body of the Golden Feathered Phoenix Tail Sparrow."

"If death is inevitable, so be it. Isn’t life and death the universal law of the world?"

"Perhaps so."

Li Mo didn’t try to persuade Tian Chenzi, simply continuing, "If you choose to seize the Golden Feathered Phoenix Tail Sparrow, relay a message on my behalf."

"What?" Tian Chenzi stammered, perplexed.

Li Mo touched Tian Chenzi’s brow, etching a sentence deep into his consciousness, and then departed, leaving behind a pile of Spirit Stones for the hundred Earth Plowing Spirit Oxen.

"What just happened..."

Tian Chenzi’s expression darkened as he reflexively recalled the Sacrificial Festival.

Heart Beast Sect held a Sacrificial Festival every year, but according to the information now embedded in his memory, could it be that after body seizing the Golden Feathered Phoenix Tail Sparrow, he could ascend to the Immortal Realm?

"Impossible—how could immortality be so simple?"

Tian Chenzi’s thoughts grew chaotic as his gaze continuously roamed over Heart Beast Sect.

By now, Li Mo had long departed Heart Beast Sect. Having achieved the Transcendence Tribulation Stage with his Three Law Bodies, it was time to seek an ownerless Blessed Land Cave Heaven and aim for ascension to immortality.