Chapter 487: Chapter 3: The Dragon Palace Filled with Dead Bodies Underwater
"What dangers lie in the deep sea?"
Li Mo turned his head and softly inquired, noticing the submerged cultivator who was already devoid of life.
Qiao Ying swallowed nervously and shook her head in response, "Senior, we are not entirely certain. It’s said that only after diving more than a thousand meters deep does one encounter some form of unknown danger."
She deliberately emphasized the word unknown, afraid that Li Mo might demand the four of them to dive into the depths.
Li Mo remained silent.
According to the memories surfacing from the Creation Book, there was a palace at the bottom of the Bishui Dragon Pond, constructed entirely from spiritual materials and crafted into a high-grade magical artifact.
Its owner was called "Bishui True Monarch," a flood dragon at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Li Mo had little interest in Bishui True Monarch. Flood dragons dwelling in shallow seas were typically acquired transformations and weren’t even acknowledged by true dragons. The treasures and spiritual materials in the Bishui Dragon Pond might not be as abundant as rumored.
However, he was intrigued. What exactly did the demon race experience during the upheaval of heaven and earth?
Though the Devil Sect’s recklessness led to their obliteration, their inheritance never truly vanished; the Taoist sect persevered until the later stages of the upheaval; and the Buddhist sect leveraged feather transformation to escape to the Immortal Realm.
But the demon race...
Back then, the demon race’s numbers were more significant than the combined Taoist, Demon, and Buddhist sects, yet after the upheaval, they completely disappeared without a trace?
Li Mo had examined extensive memories from ancient cultivation history and found scarcely any mention of the demon race. It seemed as though they had retreated from the stage of history not long after the upheaval began.
He wanted to unravel the mystery, to prepare himself mentally.
With a single thought, hundreds of flood dragons dove into the unfathomably deep sea under the cover of water vapor, heading toward the Dragon Pond.
Zhang Zhong hesitated for a long time before suddenly speaking up, "Senior, there are rumors about water ghosts around Tide Mountain."
"The tales say that ten thousand years ago, a flood dragon resided beneath the water, devouring young boys and girls daily to cultivate, leading to lingering resentment that never dissipated."
Qiao Ying added nervously, "The local Tide People have mentioned that ten thousand years ago, Bishui was home to hundreds of thousands of mortals. They say it was the flood dragon that caused their extinction."
Li Mo smirked coldly.
The memories imparted by the Creation Book revealed that Bishui True Monarch had never exploited mortals. He claimed the title of Water God in the coastal area, and while receiving the worship of mortals, he also regulated the surrounding weather phenomena.
In Li Mo’s view, there was an eighty percent chance Bishui True Monarch had died at the hands of the mortals themselves.
Even immortals couldn’t withstand the terrifying might of mortals; a mere Nascent Soul flood dragon like Bishui True Monarch could have been skinned and dismembered with ease.
Li Mo sensed his Lifebound Flying Sword descending to a depth of a hundred meters. In the boundless darkness, the sword’s speed began to slow.
"Senior, someone has already retrieved spiritual materials and surfaced," Zhang Zhong pointed toward the ocean and reminded.
A loose cultivator in the Weak Crown Middle Stage emerged pale-faced, trembling not from cold but from sheer fear.
In his hands, he held a coral-like spiritual material emanating faint water-attribute spiritual energy.
The material was called Dragon Claw Coral, useful for refining magical artifact embryos, adding traces of frost poison to the final artifact, but also edible for augmenting water-attribute spiritual energy absorption among cultivators.
Before the Four Seas Commerce established itself in the region, Dragon Claw Coral served as Bishui’s currency.
Li Mo observed with interest and chuckled, "Share your cultivation techniques with me."
"Ah?"
The four were momentarily at a loss, but Qiao Ying quickly reacted and—despite some hesitation—took out a low-quality jade scroll.
Li Mo swept his divine sense over the jade scroll and discovered the cultivation technique was rather distinctive.
"Interesting."
Large portions of the technique detailed modifications to one’s body, primarily to adapt organs for enduring the high pressure of the deep sea, covering various aspects.
The other loose cultivators hurriedly presented their techniques, breathing heavily from nervousness.
They anxiously watched Li Mo, hopeful that gaining immortal fate might free them from their current stagnant lives.
The income from hunting sea beasts barely sustained their cultivation practices when split among the four.
They were already two or three centuries old, and the creeping advance of the death disease compelled them to purchase special corpse wine to suppress the symptoms.
"The cultivation techniques of Tide Mountain are unique in their own right. Given another thousand years of development, they might even start their own sect."
Li Mo casually upgraded their techniques to the Core Formation Stage, deliberately adding organ modification spells that utilized resources mass-produced from the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
The organ modifications would enhance their adaptability for deep-sea environments.
By implication, the Tide Mountain cultivators would grow increasingly reliant on resources provided by Four Seas Commerce. In the long run, they essentially became a subsidiary force to the Heart Beast Sect.
"Take these techniques. You need not worry; feel free to teach them to your peers."
Li Mo’s broadened vision could easily refine cultivation techniques after leafing through countless Taoist inheritances, even without relying on Xia Dao Palace.
He tapped each of their foreheads, imparting the contents of the techniques directly into their minds.
The techniques were rudimentary, nowhere near the level of Heavenly Sword Sect or even Heart Beast Sect, but to loose cultivators, they were treasures beyond measure.
The four knelt in gratitude, "Thank you, Senior, for bestowing the techniques... thank you..."
They realized Li Mo’s cultivation had surpassed Core Formation; he was likely at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Anything beyond the Nascent Soul Stage, such as the Divine Separation Stage, was beyond their comprehension. After all, even mid-sized sects only had a handful of Nascent Soul Great Powers.
Li Mo’s actions drew the attention of countless loose cultivators whose eyes burned as they stared at Zhang Zhong and the others.
"Go," Li Mo waved his hand, sending the four cultivators and a sea beast’s corpse onto the shore, carried by clouds.
As expected, the techniques he provided would quickly spread.
"Heh-heh-heh."
Li Mo withdrew the Kun Whale and entered the black market, weaving through shops made of reef stones while other loose cultivators dared not approach.
To them, Li Mo was like an immortal, inducing fear and awe that prevented any thoughts of hoping for a lucky encounter with him.
After all, he was a Nascent Soul Great Power.
Even slight dissatisfaction on his part could lead to their souls dissipating.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhong and the others immediately attracted the attention of various factions, all scrambling to acquire the Taoist inheritance bestowed by the Nascent Soul Great Power.
Nearby cultivation families from nearby islands rushed over as well.
The mortal Tide People labored in their fields, standing out among the bustle. Occasionally, their gaze revealed a hint of reverence.
Li Mo’s thoughts returned to the ancient cultivation world, where mortal life was far more grueling than it was now, with generations bound to cultivating spiritual materials for cultivators.
Occasionally, a descendant with a Spirit Root might enter a sect and start cultivating.
Mortals then would have never imagined that in the future they would live alongside immortals and achieve longevity themselves, without needing to worry about Spirit Root qualifications.
"Damn it. If another upheaval of heaven and earth happens, who knows how the Immortal and Mortal Realms might be reshuffled again?"
Li Mo chuckled bitterly, knowing he must quickly reach the Void Refining Stage and prepare his plans.
"The days of living as a god among mortals may be numbered."
He pushed open the doors of the Four Seas Commerce shop and entered.
Perched atop the black market, the shop was permeated by a rich scent of wine, its shelves lined entirely with corpse wine suitable for those below the Core Formation Stage.
Compared to elixirs, corpse wine was undoubtedly cost-effective.
However, Futu Hermit ensured not to offend the Alchemy Sect; the black markets only sold corpse wine in limited quantities; otherwise, elixirs would have no place in the market.
"Customer, you..."
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged cultivator in the Late Teenage stage, not a Heart Beast Sect member but noticeably modified with metallic limbs typical of Artifact Sect design.
There were countless loose cultivators in Sub-Device Sect ports doing similar trades.
Futu Hermit treated the port as a recruiting ground, funneling talent into Four Seas Commerce, making body modifications a hallmark of their shopkeepers.
"Is the Array in the inner room?"
"Uh, yes, it’s usually handled by Immortal Wei."
The Nearby Array, although installed by Four Seas Commerce, strategically let higher-level loose cultivators manage its affairs, and even placed slightly weaker cultivators as shopkeepers.
Lowering their posture allowed the Four Seas Commerce to control dozens of black markets across the cultivation world.
"May I ask your Taoist title?"
The shopkeeper trembled as he faced Li Mo’s daunting aura.
"Where’s the item sent not long ago?"
The shopkeeper froze briefly, then hurriedly retrieved a storage bag from the counter.
He vaguely recalled receiving a transmission from Futu Hermit recently, saying someone would come to claim the storage bag and repeatedly emphasizing no mistakes could be made.
The shopkeeper deduced that Li Mo held an exceptional position within Four Seas Commerce.
"I will stay at the Tide Mountain black market for a few days. If I use the Nearby Array later, the Spirit Stone consumption will not be a bother for you."
Li Mo swept his divine sense through the storage bag, finding various cultivation techniques, rare spiritual materials, and even two damaged top-grade Wood-attribute Spirit Stones in the mustard space.
He refrained from using the Spirit Stones to nurture unique pages and instead imbued them into the Corpse Mountain Mini World.
Given the excessive spiritual energy in the Corpse Mountain Mini World, the Spirit Stones had the potential to recover over time, making it worthwhile to wait before absorbing them.
"Does the shop have a secluded chamber?"
"Yes, please follow me."
The shopkeeper personally guided Li Mo to the second floor, his back drenched in cold sweat.
Although the wall was bright, Li Mo’s shadow appeared underfoot, resembling a hidden monster awaiting its prey.
"This is the Sky Room chamber, equipped with a Mid-grade Spirit Gathering Array. If you ring the bell behind the door, you can summon me for assistance anytime."
Li Mo opened the chamber door and asked with an odd tone, "Are there any books documenting Bishui’s history, or perhaps folk legends?"
"Let me search for them."
The shopkeeper dared not refuse and transmitted a message to the shop employees, instructing them to inquire among the local Tide People.
Li Mo entered the chamber, and after the door shut, the shopkeeper exhaled deeply, leaning against the wall with trembling legs.
It took him a while to calm himself before cleaning up his attire and personally heading to the Tide People’s dwellings to investigate.
Li Mo closed his eyes and connected with his Lifebound Flying Sword. However, the scene from the seabed shocked him to his core—it resembled the underworld itself.
"Where did tens of thousands of corpses in Bishui Dragon Pond come from?"
The Dragon Pond indeed featured a palace, and it had indeed been inhabited by a flood dragon.
But the structure was minuscule, smaller even than Zhi Mountain Temple in the Heavenly Sword Sect, with only three or four rooms, now in a dilapidated state.
What was horrifying was that the palace was filled with tens of thousands of corpses.
The bodies had been crammed forcefully into the constrained spaces, forming grotesque piles resembling mountains of flesh from afar.
The attire of the corpses was faintly distinguishable—they encompassed men, women, elderly, and children.
Li Mo’s expression turned incredulous.
For he realized that tens of thousands of corpses still retained traces of life.