Longevity Strange Immortal-Chapter 560 - 76: Li Mo, Teaming Up to Ascend to the Heavens
Li Mo, upon leaving the Outer Heaven Meteorite Crater, proactively contacted the Great Sun Sword Tomb.
Ascending to the Immortal Realm allows him to bring twenty people along. He Guo and Zhang Guo merely occupy two slots. Although Li Mo doesn’t intend to fill all the slots, it is still necessary to find a few helpers to act as support.
The journey is long and might take decades, even centuries; it’s unrealistic for Li Mo to personally handle everything along the way.
Li Mo was puzzled by Zu Xiuyun’s apparent familiarity with the Immortal Realm, as even though the latter indeed had contact with some information about the Immortal Realm during the ancient cultivation era, that doesn’t necessarily mean it remains relevant in contemporary times.
"The Twelve Immortals..."
"Wait, could it be that Senior Sister already sent the Twelfth Senior Sister to the Immortal Realm ahead of time?"
The more Li Mo thought about it, the more likely it seemed. However, It Corpse probably didn’t ascend through the Sky Tower but rather through a damaged Immortal Ladder resembling the Mother Furnace.
But is Zu Xiuyun’s scheme truly limited to ascending to the Immortal Realm?
Li Mo found the situation somewhat absurd. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Zu Xiuyun’s intentions were not simple. Now it seemed that Senior Sister might actually be the purest one?
And what role does the so-called No-Life Mother play in all of this? Could it be that the No-Life Mother will ascend with them too?
Li Mo was utterly confused. "Perhaps only by figuring out why Senior Sister is so determined to become immortal can I understand what’s really on her mind."
He stored the encoded information into his Lifebound Flying Sword, but then noticed a bull’s head hanging from the treetop far away on a mountain peak.
"It looks like Elder Lu Yuan has already achieved the level of a Land Immortal and has been waiting outside for me all along."
Li Mo made no attempt to conceal his aura, and the bull’s head instantly came within ten meters.
The bull’s head emitted Elder Lu Yuan’s voice, which sounded calm: "Taiyi, count me in for one of the spots to ascend to the Immortal Realm."
"Elder Lu Yuan, I thought you’d stay with the Heavenly Sword Sect to share their fate."
"Share fate? With what? They’ve already gone mad."
Lu Yuan solemnly said, "No one can escape unscathed from the upheaval of heaven and earth. The foundation of the Heavenly Sword Sect will inevitably collapse sooner or later."
"Alright, you can join me at the Sky Tower then. What about Elder Luo Yang?"
"Although he dislikes the upheaval of heaven and earth, he’s most likely staying at the Heavenly Sword Sect. As for Zhang Qiyang, he’s showing interest in leaving the mortal world and is currently negotiating with the Thunder Residence."
Zhang Qiyang was embarrassed to ask Li Mo directly, so he sought Yu Xiao’s spot for ascension instead.
"No need for that. Any Land Immortal from the Great Sun Sword Tomb can come along. Also, please help me get in touch with Old Poisonous from the Poison Horn Sword Tomb and Master San Yan from the Fire Flame Sword Tomb."
Lu Yuan looked surprised.
Master San Yan had once expressed goodwill toward Li Mo during the Sword Trial Conference, but Li Mo and Old Poisonous should have no ties and should’ve been strangers.
"No problem. Duke of Thunder from the Thunder Residence Sword Tomb mentioned earlier that he’s interested in joining you as well. He achieved the level of Land Immortal two years ago."
"Fine, I’d appreciate it, Senior Brother."
Li Mo had a decent impression of Duke of Thunder. Likely, he was unable to gain Yu Xiao’s approval and had to brazenly approach the Great Sun Sword Tomb to try his luck.
Li Mo wasn’t worried about their weaker strength. The Creation Great Miao Technique was sufficient to bridge such gaps.
Li Mo even conceived an idea—to link the Immortal Creation Body with the Ancestral Dragon Pond, creating an effect akin to that of a Sword Array among the cultivators.
If this proved feasible, Li Mo would only need to externalize the Ancestral Dragon Pond, making it comparable to a Mountain Protection Array.
After wrapping up his conversation with Lu Yuan, Li Mo rode the Kun Whale toward the Sky Tower. Although it seemed premature by decades, it was necessary to prevent other factions from taking over the Sky Tower.
The only thing he didn’t need to worry about was being targeted by major sects.
After all, the Thirteen Immortals ultimately represented the interests of select groups, and the twelve Sky Towers would gather around a hundred Land Immortals. Even powerful factions like the Ten Thousand Demon Dao or the Heavenly Sword Sect would think twice before acting recklessly.
As he traveled, Li Mo continuously observed the subtle changes in the mortal world.
From a mortal’s perspective, everything seemed to be improving—even symptoms of the Death Disease appeared to be fading.
In a village, a man in his thirties knelt before a divine statue with his wife and child.
"Thank you, Mountain God, for blessing us. My wife and I were gifted a child even in our thirties. I promise to diligently repair the shrine in the future."
The temple priest stood silently by, smiling as expressions of fervent gratitude filled the faces of the villagers outside the temple door.
On the official road.
Merchants transporting goods engaged in lively discussions, commenting on how recent years had seen fewer natural disasters and man-made troubles. Although the Immortals seemed embroiled in internal conflicts, the lives of mortals remained unaffected.
......
Such signs appeared as if they were the calm before the storm.
"Word-to-law"—if one were to only focus on the surface, they might not realize the unspeakable chaos lurking beneath it all.
Li Mo avoided passing directly through the territories of major sects.
Indeed, as Lu Yuan had mentioned, even before the upheaval of heaven and earth threw the mortal world into disorder, ancient cultivators who sought profit amid the turmoil had already gone mad.
After six months of travel, Li Mo reached a place within a hundred miles of the Sky Tower.
The surroundings were barren—there wasn’t a trace of plants or animals, and even hardy moss had become scarce.
The so-called Sky Tower was, in fact, a towering giant tree that pierced the heavens.
"Jianmu?"
"You’ve got to be kidding me. Just who is behind Zu Xiuyun, capable of procuring Jianmu, which had been extinct for tens of thousands of years—and planting twelve of them at once?"
Legend had it that Jianmu was the first spirit plant born between heaven and earth, capable of connecting the Immortal and Mortal realms.
In ancient times, when Immortal Ladders didn’t exist, Great Powers used Jianmu to traverse between the Immortal and Mortal realms. Later, Jianmu withered away due to the thinning of spiritual energy in the mortal world.
"As far as the cultivation world goes, I might be the only one who can recognize the origins of the Sky Tower."
Li Mo suspected that the Jianmu planted by Zu Xiuyun likely only reached the Ancestor Court; direct access to the Immortal Realm would be impossible, requiring a growth period of billions of years.
Even if the twelve Jianmu were severely stunted, they’d still need at least tens of thousands of years to grow.
"Could it be that the plans behind the upheaval of heaven and earth reach back ten thousand years?"
Li Mo quickly dismissed the thought. Most likely, it was some kind of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object that had accelerated the maturation of the Jianmu, which showcased Zu Xiuyun’s exceptional means.
Underneath the Jianmu, more than a dozen figures had already gathered early.
Li Mo wasn’t the least surprised.
About ninety percent of the Land Immortals present belonged to major sects. However, after the fall of some sects, surviving Land Immortals had become loose cultivators.
Without much deliberation, these loose cultivators would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to come to the Sky Tower to gamble on survival.
Li Mo held a neutral attitude toward them; if he could control them, he wouldn’t mind having a few high-level helpers. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
"This is..."
Li Mo’s gaze landed on a female cultivator clutching a long sword, blending into the crowd. She wore an unremarkable magic robe and deliberately concealed her face. The other cultivators didn’t seem to notice her uniqueness.
Li Mo chuckled bitterly and murmured helplessly, "Sixth Senior Sister Yu Xiao, although you and I have sparred before, there’s no need to be so hung up about it, right?"
Yu Xiao concealed her Sword Intent but sharply opened her eyes upon sensing Li Mo’s presence.
Seeing this, Li Mo stopped restraining the aura of the Kun Whale. The clouds cracked open, revealing the thousand-meter-long giant beast heading for the Jianmu.
"Which Land Immortal is this? Have you come to seek the opportunity for ascension and enlightenment?"
An elderly Daoist with snow-white hair spotted Li Mo and casually waved his horsetail whisk, occasionally taking swigs from a bottle of Core Formation–stage Corpse Wine.
Li Mo recognized the elderly Daoist as **Taibai Zi**, whose cultivation was at the Mahayana Perfection realm. He had minimal ties to Li Mo’s acquaintance, the Wine Sword Immortal, except that they counted each other as distant senior and junior disciples; Taibai Zi’s sect had long been annihilated.
Taibai Zi, seeing no immediate reply from Li Mo, stroked his beard and chuckled softly: "Fellow Daoist, if you have the time, why not join me for a drink?"
Li Mo laughed inwardly—this Taibai Zi was quite the character.
While the Creation Book provided scant information on him, it was known that during the early days of the upheaval, Taibai Zi had purchased large amounts of fine wine before retreating from public view.
For nine thousand years after that, Taibai Zi had never rebuilt his sect, revealing his carefree disposition.
"Taibai Zi, after muttering about Taiyi Taoist for years, don’t you recognize him now?"
Beside him, **Li Li**, a Mahayana cultivator affiliated with the Ten Thousand Demon Dao but who had long since feigned her death and defected from the Devil Sect, reminded him.
"Taiyi Taoist?"
Taibai Zi’s expression lit up with joy, and he exclaimed, "Taiyi Daoist, it doesn’t matter if you don’t think well of this old man. A few dozen... no, a few hundred vats of fine wine would suffice to send me on my way."
If Li Mo gifted him Corpse Wine, Taibai Zi would likely disappear into seclusion again.
"Taibai Zi Daoist, surely a few hundred vats wouldn’t suffice. Come with me to the Immortal Realm and taste the Immortal Wine—that would be the only way to die without regrets."
"Alright, alright, alright."
Taibai Zi consumed his wine in quick succession, exuding a sense of indulgent resignation.
Li Mo was about to greet Yu Xiao but suddenly noticed a peculiar fluctuation of spiritual energy and met eyes with one of the crowd through the Cave God’s Eye.
The individual had five heads, each portraying a different expression—joy, anger, sorrow, and delight—with varying ages and genders, emitting a highly restrained aura.
"Transcendance Tribulation Stage..."
"So Five Heads Taoist is still alive. Ten thousand years ago, this cultivator split his soul into five parts and spiraled into Deviation before disappearing altogether."
Li Mo could discern Five Heads Taoist’s struggle to keep his energy under control. The "Evil Head" remained silent, seemingly aware that cooperation with Li Mo was necessary for ascension.
Li Mo approached the base of the Jianmu and, without waiting for the others to speak, first addressed them: "Fellow Daoists, the Sky Tower is extremely treacherous. If you don’t possess Mahayana-level cultivation, it’s best not to wade into these waters.
Several cultivators at the Body Integration Realm wore dissatisfied expressions, drawing forth torrents of spells as their arms raised.
"Taiyi, don’t look down on us just because of your innate Immortal Seed. Those of us ancient cultivators who survived for ten thousand years are all exceptional in our own right."
One of them extended his hand, generating bursts of Fire Flame magic from his fingertips.
"I won’t repeat myself."
Li Mo’s expression turned cold, and the Cave God’s Eye shifted slightly.
The Body Integration cultivator instantly vanished, leaving behind a faint imprint on the planet’s surface within the Cave God’s Eye—a tiny figure engulfed in flaming fire.
Though reluctant, the Body Integration cultivators gradually retreated one after another, leaving only **Taibai Zi**, **Five Heads Taoist**, **Li Li**, and **Yu Xiao** behind.
Taibai Zi and Li Li appeared reasonable, but Five Heads Taoist required careful consideration.
The "Kind Head" of Five Heads Taoist nodded in goodwill and spoke: "Taiyi Daoist, please be cautious; some cultivators might..."
The "Angry Head" interrupted, "Shut up, shut up! You always mess things up rather than getting them right. To curry favor with a mere junior like this—shameful!"
The "Sorrowful Head" sobbed, lamenting, "If I can’t attain immortality, must I wait to rot away in the mortal realm?"
Li Mo couldn’t stand Five Heads Taoist’s internal squabbling and remarked, "Do you know of the Immortal Creation Technique? If you can’t accept body transformation into the Immortal Creation Body, you’re free to leave now."
He had already prepared for a battle with Five Heads Taoist.
However, Five Heads Taoist instead erupted into internal bickering once more, their body rumbling with the clash of spiritual power.
Neither Taibai Zi nor Li Li gave immediate responses, perhaps consulting others about the Immortal Creation Technique.
"Sixth Senior Sister, you..."
"I’m here to give you a heads-up. A cultivator with the title **Yan Shu** will arrive at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage."
"Defeat him, then duel me afterward."
