Fen Li didn't even have time to react.

Twenty-six Lifebound Flying Swords transformed into serpentine Hui Dragons, crashing against the Protective Magical Artifact of the Heavenly Palace Stage Sword Cultivator, their impact sending shockwaves rippling through the clouds.

The cauldron-shaped artifact managed to block Li Mo's slash, but after just one strike, its surface was already riddled with fine cracks, nearly rendering the Hundred Refinement Magical Artifact unusable.

As the mist dissipated, the radiant brilliance of Li Mo's Sun Sword Intent illuminated the heavens.

Such a bright and cloudless sky.

The Sword Cultivators on the ground instinctively turned their eyes toward Li Mo.

His body towered at a hundred meters, his flesh radiated the essence of spiritual material, and several streams of Sword Intent swirled around him. After undergoing Tattoo Beastification, an indescribable and overwhelming aura emanated from him.

He looked nothing like a Sword Cultivator; he was a demon through and through!

No one could have anticipated that Li Mo would wordlessly launch a surprise attack against all the Heavenly Palace Stage Sword Cultivators, willing to face a Sword Array alone and fight against overwhelming numbers.

Li Mo leaned forward, locking eyes with Fen Li, his agile Sword Qi parrying the falling Sword Rain.

"Junior Brother, I entered the sect too late and still don't know your Dao titles. Why not spar with me today? That way… you won't fall victim to underhanded tricks in the future."

The oppressive aura weighed heavily on the Sword Cultivators, as if a primal beast was bearing down on them. Li Mo's words slithered through sharp, serrated teeth.

Fen Li's expression darkened dangerously; he knew this was a battle he needed to resolve with his own hands, or he wouldn't be able to secure his position as the chief of the Great Sun Sword Tomb.

"Taiyi, do you even recognize the authority of your seniors? At a time when the Great Sun Sword Tomb is teetering on the edge of life and death, where do you find the audacity to act..."

"A Heavenly Palace Stage cultivator needs external tools to handle someone at the Five Qi Period? Is that your best?"

"Pathetic."

Before his voice had even faded.

Li Mo opened his mouth, expelling the Illusion Fish Sword into midair.

The Distant Path Sword Intent surged forth, imbuing the summoned Sword Qi with a fresh layer of sharpness that clashed fiercely against the falling Sword Rain, an endless cacophony of metal against metal.

Li Mo held nothing back. Abandoning the Golden Toad possession, he replaced it with the Mountain Demon form, better suited for group combat, even though this sacrifice slightly reduced the power of his Sword Qi.

Dark green fur sprouted over his entire body, his arms elongated grotesquely, and all his Lifebound Flying Swords transformed into white-bone constructs emanating suffocating Evil Spirit Qi.

Cancer cells spilled forth uncontrollably, sending Li Mo's body spiraling into chaotic mutation.

The Mountain Demon, now in a state of frenzied excitement, half-emerged from Li Mo's back, plucking out a dozen ribs to fend off stray strands of Sword Rain.

"What a bunch of so-called Thirteen Immortals, relying solely on vile demonic methods."

Fen Li cast a sidelong glance at the two individuals beside him, signaling them to step forward and stall Li Mo so he could probe for weaknesses.

Jiang Xi had initially intended to attack but hesitated, losing his will to act.

"Thirteen Immortals… you've succumbed to Deviation."

Fen Li sneered coldly, pulling out a porcelain bowl—a Fake Magical Treasure. As spiritual energy flooded into it, a Spirit Shield extended to cover a radius of ten meters around him.

Fake Magical Treasures were rare within the Heavenly Sword Sect, much less one specialized in defense like the Mountain Bowl.

"Hehehe…"

Li Mo remained indifferent, his arms grotesquely swelling. His Blood Attribute Flying Sword, empowered by the Da Ai Mi Tian, grew countless eyes that stared ominously.

Two others had already charged their Lifebound Flying Swords, secretly preparing a strike.

Li Mo thrust forward with all his might.

The Blood Attribute Middle-Grade Sword Intent, "Blood Pond," filled the roaring winds with a crimson hue, transforming Sword Qi into terrifying, serpentine pythons.

"Mountain Bowl? Hehehe, perhaps you bought it from the Four Seas Commerce, no?"

Li Mo's Lifebound Flying Sword broke away from his hand, flickering at an impossibly sharp angle to pierce a corner of the Spirit Shield, sending out a screeching sound of tearing.

"Impossible!!"

Fen Li's pupils shrank as the Mountain Bowl faltered briefly.

Boom.

Li Mo advanced, ignoring the retreating Spirit Shield. As he passed Fen Li, he glanced back with a mocking grin.

Swish.

The two cultivators attempting to entangle Li Mo were pierced through the abdomen by Poison Attribute Lifebound Flying Swords.

They were flung backward uncontrollably.

Though their Externalized Dharma Bodies remained intact, the insidious poison, laced with cancer cells, left them inwardly cursing their plight.

Without suppressing it through their Externalized Dharma Bodies, the poison would undoubtedly corrode their foundations.

While the Heavenly Palace Stage no longer relied on physical bodies, abandoning them entirely meant exposing their Dharma Bodies to the gravest taboos.

The slightest mistake within the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs could lead to Dao's disappearance and certain death.

"There's no need for you and me to fight like clams struggling against a crane, only for a fisherman to claim the prize."

Fen Li's expression grew increasingly dour.

Li Mo stood at a distance, watching as the Sword Rain became tainted with swampy sludge, while acrid toxic fumes began seeping into the town.

"I've no interest in wasting words with you."

"Taiyi, you might be qualified for the title of chief of the Great Sun Sword Tomb, but relying on mere physical strength? Isn't that a bit ridiculous?"

As Fen Li spoke, deep crimson flames erupted from his body, distorting the air around him.

"Hehehe… If I cut you down, doesn't that make me the rightful chief?"

Li Mo narrowed his eyes.

The Mountain Demon separated from him, while the shadow of a Candle Dragon coiled around his back before merging into his body. His features began to take on characteristics of the True Dragon.

"Sun Star."

Li Mo removed his right eye and casually tossed it upward.

The Sun Star ascended into the air, its blinding brilliance dispelling the darkness. The terrifying Sun Sword Intent left even the ground-level Sword Cultivators struggling to breathe.

They couldn't even muster a thought of resistance.

Fen Li remained silent.

His head split into eight petals, the exposed brain unleashing the searing force of Soul Burning Sword Intent.

"You…"

"Too much nonsense."

Li Mo took the initiative, guiding his Yang Attribute Lifebound Flying Sword into the sky. Countless streaks of light followed its sword blade, creating a scene of overwhelming grandeur.

The entire town became a shining ocean of spring sunlight.

Surpassing the limits of his realm, Li Mo left no doubt to his onlookers that this was no illusion. The Distant Path Sword Intent naturally manifested its true depth.

"Hiss…"

Jiang Xi inhaled sharply, his disbelief palpable. Placing himself in Fen Li's shoes made him shiver uncontrollably, his spine drenched in cold sweat.

"Truly… the Five Qi Period? But how can his Superior Sword Intent be so horrifying? Could innate talent truly create such an irreparable gap despite cultivation?"

The clash of Sword Qi ensued.

The resulting shockwaves reverberated outward.

Apart from the Great Sun Evil Extermination Eight Directions Sword Formation, all the Sword Cultivators turned their heads. The buildings throughout the city began to collapse one after another.

"His conduct may be despicable, but his mastery of the Sword Dao undoubtedly places him in the top three of the Great Sun Sword Tomb."

Li Mo noticed the Sun Sword Qi he radiated was being neutralized in large part by Fen Li's Sword Intent, and the latter wasn't consuming much spiritual energy in the process.

Sparking with electricity, Li Mo's body emitted crackling arcs of lightning.

The Thunder Drawing Sword Intent flowed seamlessly.

Lightning entwined with the Sun Sword Qi, its speed becoming imperceptible to the naked eye.

Fen Li struggled under the mounting pressure. His body could no longer remain unscathed, crimson gashes appearing as Sun Sword Intent burned into him, releasing torturous heat.

"The Yang Lei Sword Body. Looks like the Heavenly Sword Sect has poured all its resources into you."

"Die, die, die!!!"

Fen Li's face twisted grotesquely as he drove his Lifebound Flying Sword into his own brain. His body began mutating, his organs rupturing through his skin and coalescing into an embryonic cluster of thorny flowers.

Bang!

Fen Li lost his human form, and the power of his Soul Burning Sword Intent surged exponentially.

Jiang Xi and the others hurriedly retreated. With no Sword Cultivator holding the Great Sun Evil Extermination Eight Directions Sword Formation steady, the Sword Ghosts scattered throughout the town grew restless.

"Die, die, die…"

Fen Li's mutation-enhanced form began to slightly suppress Li Mo's Sun Sword Intent.

"Taiyin Star."

Li Mo sat cross-legged in midair and plucked out his left eye, tossing it upward.

The Sun and Moon hung in the sky.

Pointing to the center of his brows, Li Mo summoned an immense surge of Taiyin Sword Qi that joined the onslaught against Fen Li, its branching Intents lending greater diversity to the assault.

The multicolored lights of the Ghostly Light Sword Intent and the infinite depths of the Great Darkness Sword Intent interwove.

Fen Li's wails tore through the air, agonizing and unrelenting.

Jiang Xi completely abandoned any thought of opposing Li Mo. With every passing moment, it seemed as though Li Mo's Thunder Attribute Middle-Grade Sword Intent was verging on evolution.

Li Mo was like a sponge, absorbing nutrients without end.

With each second, he grew stronger.

"The Thirteen Immortals… A true monster, just like his Senior Sister, the chief of the Thunder Residence Sword Tomb."

Jiang Xi's heart raced wildly as he noticed something amiss with Fen Li. A fleshy, blood-soaked vine tree was gradually emerging from Fen Li's brain.

"The Externalized Dharma Body. Fen Li intends not to rest until one of them dies?"

The seventh layer of the Copper Mirror grew damp, and the descent of the Fire Spirit Hall accelerated—a calamity clearly triggered by the Externalized Dharma Body.

"Do you have a death wish? If Fen Li's Burning Heart Paulownia isn't stopped, we'll all be trapped within the Copper Mirror."

Wang Wen, his face ashen, replied, "Stop him? Getting close would mean certain death. Do you think either of them is still rational?"

The other Heavenly Palace Stage Sword Cultivators offered no indication of supporting Jiang Xi's suggestion.

"Fools rushing to their own graves…"

Jiang Xi spat out his Lifebound Flying Sword, keeping his gaze locked on Fen Li.

Suddenly.

A foreboding surge ran down their spines, a sharp reaction from their Externalized Dharma Bodies.

"Could an Elder be descending? Impossible… If the Night Patrol Deity isn't dealt with immediately, it might give rise to the tenth layer of the Copper Mirror!"

"Amitabha Buddha."

A murmured chant interrupted Jiang Xi's thoughts.

Li Mo brought his palms together, and the Sword Qi around him coalesced into the form of a ghastly Buddha.

The Buddha's visage was grotesque, seated in a meditative pose atop a Lotus Throne formed of brain tissue, surrounded by an innumerable number of chanting heads.

"The Buddha Dharma Body?"

"In the ancient Buddhist sects, for a monk's Dharmic Embodiment to even faintly resemble an Arhat Venerable, they would need nine reincarnations to have even a sliver of a chance."

"Taiyi's Embodiment turned out to be a Buddha?"

Jiang Xi recognized the Sunlight Dharma Body as Buddha's Skin and Demon's Bones, likely a result of a distorted inheritance from the No-Life Sect, yet his shock did not diminish.

What rendered him utterly incredulous was Li Mo's integration of his Sword Dao into the Externalized Dharma Body.

"Convert."

Li Mo clapped his hands, and the Sunlight Dharma Body mirrored the gesture.

A colossal Buddha Light palm, spanning a thousand meters, descended.

The Sun Treasure Bottle was now emptied, and six tenths of the Buddha Demon Spirit Power had been consumed.

Fen Li froze in place, his figure swallowed by the Infinite Light, suppressed beneath a mountain in the Corpse Mountain Mini World, destined to become one of its permanent residents.

Two other heavily injured Heavenly Palace Stage Sword Cultivators shared the same fate.

Jiang Xi forcefully calmed his chaotic mind and urgently called out, "Taiyi, I'll advocate for you to become chief, but the top priority is stabilizing the Fire Spirit Hall. You've never studied Array Tao…"

"No need. Array Tao holds no challenge for me."

Li Mo retracted the Sunlight Dharma Body and took control of the Great Sun Evil Extermination Eight Directions Sword Formation with ease.

The Array Dao Divine Power had already unraveled the structure of the formation, and his Sword Intent was more than sufficient to sustain and suppress the deceitful objects within.

He harbored his own agenda.

From Li Mo's mouth emerged an array of serpentine Hui Dragons, threading themselves through the falling Sword Rain and scouring the town in search of Sword Ghosts that resonated with his Taoist Body.

The Sword Cultivators exchanged glances but had already tacitly acknowledged Li Mo's position as chief.

They were painfully aware of the despair plaguing the disciples of the Thunder Residence Sword Tomb. An Innate Immortal Seed was like an insurmountable mountain—one they could never hope to surpass in this lifetime.

"If it came down to the Inner Sect Chief competition, who could possibly ascend to the peak?"

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