Chapter 890: Chapter 884: Purple-Robed Elder
Li Tianming simply decided to stop looking at the horrifying sights inside the ancient temple.
He leaped up onto the roof of the structure.
The surroundings were eerie and gloomy.
The phosphorescent glow rising from the corpses below had become the only source of light in the night of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
A chilly, yin wind blew past, carrying nothing but the heavy scent of blood.
It had been more than two hundred years. He was born timid—he knew that well enough. Yet, for some reason, he just liked following Big Brother and Tianqi as they roamed the world.
The things they did on a daily basis were truly terrifying.
Ancient corpses in tombs, the spirits of old seniors that suddenly popped out, powerful demon beasts… these things often scared him until he was shivering uncontrollably.
Especially since Big Brother and Tianqi were both unhinged.
Those two had nerves of steel and always loved dragging him to places of extreme danger—there was no stopping them.
Big Brother loved digging up graves and usually loved slacking off.
Tianqi was the most diligent, yet he also loved courting death.
He didn’t quite understand it. With a personality like his, why was he messing around with them? Wouldn’t it be so much better to just stay home?
Li Tianming glanced at the spirit tablet in his hand.
Whenever he asked the Old Ancestor about this matter, the Old Ancestor always hesitated, looking as if he wished to speak but ultimately held back.
“Perhaps it is because Big Brother and Tianqi are too reckless. Maybe I’m here to talk some sense into them when they start causing trouble.”
Li Tianming closed his eyes and murmured to the night sky, “Is that really it?”
A voice, originating from nowhere, replied, “Yes.”
Under normal circumstances, a disembodied voice like this would have made him jump out of his skin, but right now, Li Tianming only gave a slight nod.
He knew this was the “other self” living inside his body—an entity that shared his very roots. It often gave him ideas and protected him from the shadows.
He believed it must be an extremely gentle and kind being; whenever this voice spoke, he felt exceptionally at peace.
“The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems is too terrifying. If anything happens, you have to help me. I’m scared,” Li Tianming whispered.
Sensing a ripple of fluctuation in the depths of his soul, Li Tianming felt a great sense of relief.
During the battle in the Immortal Domain years ago, the family gradually came to realize the insufficiency of their own strength compared to the true hidden factions of the world.
Even against an Integration Realm cultivator who was incredibly weak, it required a death-defying siege and extensive, multifaceted planning to trap him.
It took months to fully suppress him, and with just a single moment of carelessness, that Integration Realm cultivator could have escaped.
There were still many hidden factions in this world.
Over the years, the family had been constantly searching for an opportunity to advance to the Integration Realm in order to prepare for the “Great Calamity” mentioned by that girl, Nangong Qingya.
The appearance of the “Ling Tian Three Corpses” brought sudden clarity to the family.
In truth, everyone had secretly set their designs on the Ling Tian Three Corpses.
The three of them had also been tracking the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems for many years.
Eight years ago, Su Chen finally discovered the true location of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, and so they came here to go undercover.
“Big Brother and those old seniors really do have some real skill.”
Li Tianming gazed at the group of old men and old women.
The reason they could traverse the world with such ease was precisely because of these seniors who had existed for so long.
Every single one of them was a rare treasure of this world.
While their individual combat strength might not be high, each possessed unique skills and held vast knowledge of worldly affairs.
…
“The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems… I encountered it back in the day.”
Inside the ancient temple, an elder with a sinister expression floated in mid-air.
Staring at the bizarre demon beast, he spoke in a gloomy, chilling voice:
“Back then, I walked the Demonic Path. I was based in a Region city. Even demons have their own code of honor—I only cultivated by absorbing the resentment of the entire Region.
But damn their ancestors! Someone started sneaking around, stealing people from the very city where I was cultivating. Naturally, I couldn’t let them snatch my people!”
“Later, I destroyed that branch of theirs and obtained their Scripture. Only a Purple-Robed Elder is qualified to master this scripture.
And because of that incident, their branches in the secular world became extremely cautious from then on. You can’t get your hands on their techniques from the outside at all anymore.”
The old man’s face was brimming with pride as he boasted to the crowd of old seniors,
“Being able to sneak in here as a Purple-Robed Elder is all thanks to me. You lot should be counting your lucky stars!”
To the side, Li Tianyi raised an eyebrow slightly.
“The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems is truly bizarre. That scripture sounds dignified enough by name, but the contents are nothing but crooked, heretical paths.”
Even though he had spent years robbing tombs, the eeriness within the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems still went beyond his expectations.
“Just look at that stitched-together demon beast before us. It is a product of the techniques taught in the scripture.
It works on the same principle as puppetry, but whereas puppets are crafted from various materials found in heaven and earth, the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems uses living beings.”
The most common cultivators within the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems are divided into two categories.
The first are the Purple-Robes.
They have mastered the Scripture and use formations and secret arts to fuse the bodies of various living creatures, creating new combat forces.
These Purple-Robed cultivators range in strength from the Golden Core to the Divinity Transformation stage.
Their status is derived from the “stitched” creatures they control, which often possess strength far exceeding their own.
The second category consists of the Black-Robes, like the one Tianqi is currently wearing.
They are subservient to the Purple-Robes; their very lives are held in the Purple-Robes’ hands, and restrictive seals are placed upon their souls.
They are frequently sent out to capture living beings and transport them back to the Mountain.
Some of these Black-Robes have even had their bodies physically modified by the Purple-Robed cultivators.
During his eight years in the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, Li Tianyi had seen the strongest Black-Robes reaching even the Void Refinement Realm.
Above the Purple-Robes, there were the White-Robes.
There were four of them in total, representing the true high-level leadership of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
And above them all was the “True God,” who was also the Mountain Master of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
“Big Brother,” Li Tianqi said with a grave expression.
“We call them crooked and heretical, but even we haven’t figured out exactly how strong the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems really is.
I heard from the Old Ancestor that the Four Major Factions, combined with our Li family, are mobilizing a total of fourteen Void Refinement cultivators and about two or three hundred Divinity Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators.
“How are they supposed to fight this? The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems isn’t the Immortal Zhao Clan. I reckon they don’t understand the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems at all.”
“How about… we sell them out?”
Li Tianqi raised his eyebrows repeatedly.
“Maybe we could win the appreciation of a White-Robe and learn a few more techniques.”
“Idiot!”
“How exactly would we sell them out?” Li Tianyi glared at him.
“We went through so much trouble just to sneak in here. If you send intelligence out, what do you think those White-Robes will think?
Even if we just spread the news anonymously, the inner circle of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems is small.
Their techniques are bizarre; they will trace it back to us sooner or later. The way I see it…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the old seniors who were busy studying the corpse stitching sensed a fluctuation in the formation outside the ancient temple.
They vanished instantly, retreating into the Profound Seals Talisman.
Footsteps rang out from outside the ancient temple.
A Black-Robed cultivator entered, holding a brocade box in his hands.
Inside the open box sat a jade bottle.
Although the bottle—no larger than two fingers—was sealed, Li Tianyi and Li Tianqi could still smell the thick, metallic scent of blood emanating from it.
Exploring with their divine sense, they perceived a single drop of blood, swirling with radiant light, pulsating rhythmically inside the bottle.
“Reporting to Elder Tianyi. Here is this year’s Divine Blood. Please accept it.”
As the Black-Robed cultivator departed, Li Tianyi handed him a jade slip and took the Divine Blood in exchange.
As for this so-called “Divine Blood,” every Purple-Robed Elder received a single drop each year.
The jade slip, in turn, contained the Purple-Robed cultivator’s records and insights regarding the use of the Divine Blood to fuse the limbs of living beings!
Li Tianyi and Li Tianqi exchanged a glance.
The two of them nodded slightly, and their divine souls appeared within the Ancestral Space.
…
[Your descendants, the Three Scoundrels, have been undercover in the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems for eight years.]
[Li Tianyi has acquired the identity: Purple-Robed Elder.
Through the aid of various seniors, he has learned the Scripture of Corpse Transformation. The scripture contains methods for “Stitching Corpses” and “Body Modification”.]
[Acquired Profession: Corpse Stitcher]
[Capable of stitching corpses together via formations, secret arts, and talismanic methods to create powerful “Aberrations”.]
At this moment, within the Ancestral Space.
The Old Ancestor sat cross-legged in the center.
The family elders present included Li Dalong, Xu Cuihua, and Li Yaoqing.
Li Yunlin and Li Yunbing were also in attendance.
“Reporting to the Old Ancestor and the elders.”
Li Tianyi wore a cheeky grin.
“During my years serving as a Purple-Robed Elder, I’ve done some investigating.
For the past sixty thousand years, the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems has been constantly capturing people from the outside world.
They aren’t like other cultivators; while others require heavenly materials and earthly treasures, the cultivators of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems simply go around capturing people.”
“They focus entirely on stitching corpses.
When a Purple-Robed Elder reaches the end of their lifespan, the corpses they stitched remain.
These creations are passed down from one generation to the next, growing stronger with each succession.
These corpses possess more than just physical strength now; the Scripture that I learned has long since been updated and improved upon.”
“The bizarre aberrations found throughout the world possess special innate talents, and this is precisely how they are created.”
“Every year, they send us blood.
That must be the blood flowing from the headless corpse Su Chen spoke of, and it also serves as the foundation for corpse stitching.
Zishu Lingtian is undying and indestructible, so his supply of blood is inexhaustible. If that is the case, then everything falls into place.”
“As for the insights on corpse stitching that must be submitted annually…”
Li Tianyi dropped his cheeky grin, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Just as I ask those seniors to help me stitch corpses, everyone’s experience with stitching is different.
I suspect that the four White-Robes at the top, along with that so-called True God, are using the insights and experiences of every single Purple-Robe to extract the essence and discard the dregs!”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression changed slightly.
Sixty thousand years had passed.
With the accumulated experience of generation after generation within the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, coupled with their ceaseless refining of corpses… Heaven only knew what kind of monsters they had actually created!
“In other words, by stitching corpses together, is it possible to refine an entity comparable to the Integration Realm?”
Li Dalong’s expression turned subtle.
For the Azure Dynasty, such a matter would be a grave crisis. But he was currently in the Underworld, and the Underworld contained countless evil ghosts!
“Theoretically speaking, it is feasible.”
Li Tianyi nodded slightly.
“However, with the Scripture of Corpse Transformation that I have learned, even refining a monster at the Nascent Soul realm is incredibly difficult.
It often requires the limbs of over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators just to fuse together a single entity of the same realm.
Even the Void Refinement monster I saw had undergone over ten thousand years of generational inheritance and fusion to reach that level.”
“The true core secrets of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems are held in the hands of the White-Robes and the True God.
Furthermore, if one wants to refine monsters of a higher realm, it must be related to the blood of the Ling Tian Three Corpses!”
Everyone fell deep into thought.
Li Yunbing asked, “How do you view this upcoming battle involving the major factions?”
Li Tianqi gave a casual wave of his hand.
Li Wei and the numerous clansmen watched as Li Tianqi’s Spiritual power gradually coalesced into an image.
It was a full panoramic view of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems!
The mountain stood ten thousand meters tall, a landscape of blood seas and skeletal remains.
From the foot of the mountain to the summit, ancient temples were arranged in rows.
There was one Purple-Robed Elder for every ancient temple—at least ten thousand of them in total.
Among them, at least half were just like Li Tianyi: beneficiaries of a sixty-thousand-year-old inheritance, controlling monsters that had been stitched together at least a hundred times over.
High above the mountain, a colossal “dragon” coiled around the peaks, guarding four supreme palaces and a blood-colored pearl situated at the very summit.
Li Tianyi spoke in a faint, eerie voice.
“Regarding the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems… the Immortal Suppression Department had best drop their arrogant posturing.
Only if they mobilize all their Integration Realm experts and descend in full force will they have an eighty percent chance of success!”
“Otherwise, they will be nothing more than raw materials.”
—
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