The fiery smoke emitted by the Red Fox carried intense heat, inheriting the qualities of Mist Fog Spiritual Power so that the walls cracked and popped audibly.
"Roar..."
It let out a menacing growl before retracting its aura, its legs launching powerfully toward the human-faced deer as they tangled fiercely together in flexible combat.
The Red Fox's aggression was overwhelming; as long as its prey exposed a flaw, it would bite down on the human-faced deer's neck, even at the cost of mutual destruction.
Li Mo gasped involuntarily as he observed the human-faced deer piercing the Red Fox with its large antlers. Hastily, he diverted his consciousness to control the fox's movements.
The Red Fox was half-real and half-illusory, but as it was formed from Li Mo's flesh and Spiritual Power, every injury it sustained resulted in the gradual disappearance of his own flesh.
"Eat, eat, eat..."
The human-faced deer turned its head, its emitted Jade Liquid Spirit distorting its form grotesquely, its gaze locking onto Li Mo nearby.
Li Mo would not grant it the chance for retaliation; the Red Fox's eyes immediately turned blood-red.
Boom!!!
Amid scorching heat, a deafening explosion shook the hallway.
The apprentices doing odd jobs in the adjacent rooms dared not move, their ears echoing with the Red Fox's screech and the human-faced deer's anguished howl, sending shivers down their spines.
The pawn shop had turned into a battlefield where cultivators combated the human-faced deer.
Even in other parts of Rong Town, human-faced deer birthed from moose-like monsters were appearing.
Jin Li stood tall, the veins crisscrossing his back writhing like living creatures, further amplifying his strength.
The Protective Marvel he wielded required embedding a Qian Qiuzi in his spine.
The so-called Qian Qiuzi referred to unformed loach eggs; after hatching within the body, they replaced muscle to empower the entire physique.
Jin Li panted heavily, using his bare fists to beat the human-faced deer to death.
Even when wounds appeared, they healed visibly fast, leaving not even scars on the surface.
But that wasn't due to the Protective Marvel's potent regenerative abilities—rather, it was thanks to the Jade Liquid Spirit emitted by the moose-like monsters.
The thick Jade Liquid Spirit permeated the air, and whether cultivators or human-faced deer, if wounded, the Spirit would actively flow toward the injuries, indiscriminately healing all life within its range.
However, one critical point must be remembered.
Never allow the bones to be harmed. Once the bones suffered damage, the Jade Liquid Spirit would cause the healed bones to become misshapen, with the excessive bone mass gradually filling the flesh.
Ultimately, a bone prison would form, forcibly solidifying the body and trapping consciousness within.
After finishing off the human-faced deer, Jin Li turned toward the Calligraphy and Painting Hall.
He vaguely recalled three human-faced deer barging into the Hall, with no cultivator taking action yet. Perhaps he could snag some mid-grade Spirit Stones for free.
Jin Li had only just taken a step when he felt a rushing wave of heat, accompanied by a deafening explosion.
He stopped abruptly, realizing that a cultivator was already stationed at the Calligraphy and Painting Hall. Judging by the displayed spell's power, their cultivation was at least at the Third Layer of Puberty; otherwise, the impact couldn't possibly be so terrifying.
The Red Fox grew increasingly adept, turning the battle into a one-sided slaughter.
Li Mo felt somewhat helpless; during his first summoning of the Red Fox, he had failed to exert proper control, injecting far too much Spiritual Energy into the Beast Head Tattoo.
The resulting Red Fox was indeed powerful but had temporarily consumed half of his flesh.
If it weren't for his Leakless Body maintaining the remnants of his spirit, Li Mo might have fainted the instant he cast the spell.
The proper usage of Hui Qingyi required ensuring the summoned Red Fox would not affect the main body.
Li Mo also needed to figure out how to increase his blood vitality in the future—perhaps imprinting the energy onto his heart might be a good option?
Thankfully, his opponent was the human-faced deer.
The human-faced deer fixated relentlessly on Zeng Xiaoyi and the other, undeterred by the Red Fox's formidable presence, still attempting to kill its targets.
Zeng Xiaoyi came to his senses, casting a complicated glance at Li Mo, already an Immortal Master, aware of the immense gulf between them.
He felt no jealousy in his heart, only amazement at Li Mo's remarkable talent.
After all, Zeng Xiaoyi had witnessed Li Mo's metamorphosis—from a painter apprentice to a pawn shop Immortal Master—in just a few months.
"Li Mo, watch out!!!"
Zeng Xiaoyi noticed that the human-faced deer's chaos had caused the walls to crack, pressing down on Li Mo.
Li Mo remained motionless.
His Magic Finger bent slightly, condensing what little Mist Fog Spiritual Power he had left into a speck of dust.
As the speck shot toward the human-faced deer, Li Mo recalled the Red Fox Tattoo.
The human-faced deer let out a mournful cry as the dust embedded itself into its head, immediately dispersing into Mist Fog Spiritual Power, warping its expression.
Its deer head swelled several times larger, followed by a muffled explosion, as chunks of flesh rained down like droplets.
The Fox Head Tattoo reappeared on Li Mo's upper left arm as his body rapidly replenished.
He nimbly dodged away from the collapsing walls, then snapped the Mist Fog Silk Thread to sever the human-faced deer's vitality, shaking his hands slightly in discomfort.
Even though Li Mo could multitask, his control over the Red Fox still needed improvement.
After recalling the tattoo, he noticed that his flesh had diminished by a full tenth, and his stomach was incongruously growling with hunger.
Under Zeng Xiaoyi and the other's watch, Li Mo stood amidst the gore-covered hallway, casually chewing dry rations as if indifferent.
They couldn't help but feel an illusion, as though Li Mo himself was the true man-eating demon.
More and more cultivators outside chose to join the hunt for the human-faced deer.
Li Mo decided not to intervene further, as killing three human-faced deer was already astonishing for a cultivator at the First Level of Puberty.
Moreover, his Mist Fog Spiritual Power had been largely depleted, and his body required recovery.
As the situation gradually stabilized, Li Mo glanced toward the storage room where the moose-like monsters were shrouded in mist created by an Array. The sporadic tremors suggested a major catch had been secured.
Various concealed gazes fixated on the now-tranquil Calligraphy and Painting Hall.
Li Mo felt a sinking dread, tossing the human-faced deer's corpse into a corner of the studio, signaling Zeng Xiaoyi and the other to leave immediately.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a few figures moving sinisterly toward the Hall, seemingly with designs on his spoils of battle.
Li Mo became highly alert, silently absorbing Spiritual Energy to restore his cultivation.
A middle-aged man stepped forward, large lumps bulging from his back, harboring hundreds of Poison Bees controlled using his spell.
"Young brother."
"There was a severely injured Deceit Beast that seemed to flee into the Calligraphy and Painting Hall—if you don't mind, I'd like to search for it."
"Call to it and see if it responds."
Li Mo was unwilling to relent. The Red Fox Tattoo on his left arm lit up again, its fiery form turning the previously stiff Fox Head into a ferocious entity.
The human-faced deer was worth a Mid-grade Spirit Stone, equivalent to twenty Low Grade Spirit Stones.
Based on the current pace of Spirit Stone accumulation, even with a Leakless Body, he'd need to mine for years, and even those would mostly be defective Spirit Stones.
"Hehehe, harmony breeds wealth—I can help you block the impending disaster…"
Li Mo quickly calculated his options, searching for an opening. Even if he couldn't openly kill his opponent, he'd find a way to shut his disgusting mouth.
The tense scene teetered on the edge of eruption.
Jin Li emerged from the shadows, abruptly interrupting the middle-aged man's words: "Old Poison Worm, he's my friend. This matter ends here."
Old Poison Worm's expression turned unpleasant, his eyes darting nervously.
Just then, the mountain housing Rong Town began to quiver, the moose-like monster's shadow looming over the storage room, causing nearby buildings to collapse.
The Jade Liquid Spirit grew thinner.