Li Mo took advantage of Feihong’s attack to glimpse the Taoist Body infused within the flying sword.
Primarily based on "Purple Sun Burning Body," it also contained traces of two other Fire Attribute Innate Taoist Bodies, likely incomplete versions of certain Immortal Bodies.
"There’s another one."
Feihong did not linger long and spat out another streak of sword qi.
The target was a Nascent Soul Stage loose cultivator who ran an Artifact Refining Shop in the southern part of the city. The metallic clanging noise caused during transportation of Magic Artifacts drew its attention.
The sword qi slashed through the air.
The Nascent Soul cultivator broke out in cold sweat, grabbing a nearby shop assistant as a shield.
The assistant’s eyes widened in terror, but their body turned to ash as it burned. Feihong no longer pursued the Nascent Soul cultivator and retracted the sword qi.
"You all need to stay sharp. Feihong kills three people a day. That doesn’t mean it’s just three."
Tang Wu hesitated and said, "Why don’t we open a wine shop in the Outer City District, or even outside the city? Better to avoid Feihong’s range."
"What nonsense. Only in the city center can we reduce trouble."
Li Mo let out a strange laugh. "Relax. Not only will we establish ourselves in Five Temples Town, but we’ll also take the best spot."
Tang Wu nodded solemnly.
The Four Seas Commerce was gradually infiltrating Five Temples Town, while the air carried a faint stench of burning flesh.
Although the buildings were protected by arrays, some walls had melted into glass due to high temperatures, with smoke lingering faintly.
"Refining swords. Truly an art of refining swords."
As Li Mo approached the streets near the city center, though not yet in the core area of Five Temples Town, the majority of shops had been occupied.
Loose cultivators made up a larger portion, their cultivation generally at the Core Formation Stage, with quite a few at the Nascent Soul Stage as well.
Beast Cultivators made no effort to hide their identities, all dressed in Magic Robes embroidered with the insignia of the Four Seas Commerce.
They noticed that this new force in Five Temples Town showed no intention of stopping and was making its way straight toward the city center.
"Four Seas Commerce—could there be a major sect backing them?"
"I seem to recall something."
"I heard they have a dubious connection with the Sub-Device Sect. But then again, Four Seas Commerce primarily operates as a loose cultivator black market; their strength is mediocre at best."
They observed the twenty-odd members of the Commerce with incredulous expressions, finding the situation absurd.
The core members of Four Seas Commerce were in their Weak Crown Period. Even their leading cultivator was only at the Core Formation Stage, and among them was an injured childhood-stage cultivator with a weak aura.
Heading for the city center—surely they weren’t planning to seize some shops, right?
Everything about them appeared to be a mere resource transport operation.
The Four Seas Commerce seemed to have received guidance from Daoist Qingtian. The Corpse Wine they were peddling was of particular interest, with its demand far outstripping supply in black markets across the Cultivation World.
Loose cultivators found themselves tempted.
Currently, Corpse Wine on the market was mostly suitable for the Core Formation Stage. But alas, its alluring aroma ensured it could fetch exorbitant prices in resales.
A scheme began to sprout in their minds, and they sent cultivators to follow covertly.
Perhaps they might exercise some caution in the Sub-Device Sect’s port. But in Five Temples Town, there was no way this group of merchants could manipulate the situation.
If Four Seas Commerce tried to negotiate Corpse Wine sales in the city center, they’d likely be stripped to the bone.
The loose cultivators intended to swoop in and skim off some profit.
Tang Wu felt thoroughly uneasy. The shadows moving in the alleys around them resembled wolves closing in on prey, their very essence reeking of greed.
"All the city center shops are controlled by various forces. We can’t possibly intervene."
"If the wine is good, it won’t matter how remote our shop is. Let’s just retreat—"
Li Mo’s expression remained composed, but his lips curled into a faint, imperceptible smirk. "The Five Hidden Sword will deliver a shop to us."
He had no time for gradual development.
The True Word Secret Realm would reopen in five years. He needed to act decisively and quickly unravel its mysteries.
Tang Wu’s sharp eyes noticed a few small spiders emerging from Li Mo’s Magic Robe.
The spiders scattered, filling their ocular orifices with miniature watchers.
Though Li Mo hadn’t activated his Divine Sense, the presence of the Mountain Spider enhanced his perception significantly.
From the moment he entered the town, he sensed something was off. Despite openly radiating the aura of a Weak Crown cultivator, he attracted significant attention within Five Temples Town.
What surprised Li Mo was that such attention came from the Five Hidden Sword. That was intriguing.
Initially, Li Mo wondered if the Five Hidden Sword had seen through the disguise of the New and Old Skin technique, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
The Five Hidden Sword had little interest in Four Seas Commerce itself; their focus was on the Beast Cultivators.
Li Mo recalled how the Heavenly Sword Sect once proactively invited smaller sects to explore the Secret Realm. Even the reclusive and developing Heart Beast Sect, an Immortal Sect, had secured three slots, proving there must be compelling reasons behind the actions.
"Could they be selecting suitable sword-grinding stones and deeming the Beast Cultivators adequate for the task?"
Among the traders, thirteen were ordinary Weak Crown Period Qi Cultivators intentionally concealing their talents, with the rest being Beast Cultivators—a composition not particularly significant.
"What exactly is the Heavenly Sword Sect plotting?"
Li Mo was certain the mysteries of the True Word Secret Realm were even more intricate than he had anticipated.
Of course, the more chaotic the True Word Secret Realm became, the better. The Five Hidden Sword had stationed Feihong in Five Temples Town, indicating that even they had no firm confidence in the True Word Sect’s legacy.
Then there was the White Bone Sect, hiding its fake body within the Secret Realm.
Most forces had converged on the city center. Following the chaos sparked by Feihong, they had begun trading resources derived from the Secret Realm.
As long as the texts were submitted, the Five Hidden Sword wouldn’t meddle with other acquisitions.
They had begun exchanging resources overtly and covertly, with Magic Artifacts being the hottest commodity.
The Magic Artifacts emerging from the True Word Secret Realm, though enigmatic and eerie, were of exceptional quality. If nurtured for a millennium, they might even develop Spirit Patterns.
Li Mo speculated that the Magic Artifacts were likely connected to the Seven Treasures Buddha.
To him, the True Word Secret Realm was nothing short of a treasure trove, capable of unveiling countless Magic Techniques and providing a gateway to the ancient Buddhist Artifact Refining of the Cultivation World.