Ren Qing informed Li Tiangang and the others about the disease type. The latter did not ask about the specific method and simply prepared accordingly.
The cultivators busied themselves with their own tasks, while Ren Qing found a secluded place and sat cross-legged.
Compared with ordinary disease types, he felt that disease types similar to Deformity and the Cancer Disease Tree had more uncertain factors, even difficult to control.
Ren Qing was somewhat wary of the Deformity disease type. After all, relying on mutation could indeed produce extra limbs and organs, but sometimes the disadvantages outweighed the benefits.
But at present there was no better method.
Relying solely on artifact refining had extremely low efficiency. If they waited until Restraint Officers' Hall occupied the head of the Corpse Buddha, it was unknown how much time it would take.
Ren Qing used the Six Diseases Method to communicate with the Deformity disease type and soon immersed himself in it.
The stomach and intestines did not fall into stagnation because of his secluded cultivation.
Several hundred cultivators transported vegetation in batches from the stomach world, including various grains and fruit Tree Seedlings, planting them in the Maitreya Soil within the intestines.
As for why Restraint Officers' Hall did not bring the Maitreya Soil back to the stomach world.
The main consideration was that they would remain inside the Giant Corpse Buddha for a period of time, so constructing an ecosystem was necessary.
The second batch of Restraint Officers was also ready to depart. This time it was no longer restricted to demon-kind; anyone above the Half-Corpse realm could accept the task.
After Ren Qing regained his senses, the temporary camp had already begun to take shape.
At the same time he noticed that although Buddhist qi still rejected the aura of Restraint Officer methods somewhat, it had already acknowledged the Tai Sui Scripture and the Six Diseases Method.
This might have something to do with the Giant Corpse Buddha fusing with a large number of disease types.
Ren Qing did not hurry to go to the skin layer of the Giant Corpse Buddha but instead used beasts from the stomach world to test the effects of the Deformity disease type.
After observing the Deformity disease type, he discovered that it was far more difficult to control than the Bloating Disease Type, so he could only patiently endure.
Ren Qing chose rodents as the target, using the Deformity disease type to parasitize their flesh and internal organs, then using the Six Diseases Method to influence the disease type.
At first the mouse did not notice anything strange, but soon let out a piercing screech.
It ran around aimlessly, gnawing at the surrounding vegetation, and then its flesh twisted. A muffled sound was heard.
The mouse turned into minced flesh.
Ren Qing rubbed the bridge of his nose with a headache. It was indeed as troublesome as expected.
The Deformity disease type was equivalent to concentrating several years of growth and development into a few breaths. It was somewhat similar to the activation of demonic qi, though not as terrifying as the latter.
He tried several more times. With experience, the mice no longer had their bodies collapse, and then grew large numbers of extra hands and feet.
This was still because he could use the Six Diseases Method to control the disease type. Otherwise, relying solely on the Dormancy ghost-transformation of the Tai Sui Scripture would not allow such fine control.
Ren Qing practiced controlling the disease type with the Six Diseases Method, needing to achieve one hundred percent certainty before daring to act on the Giant Corpse Buddha.
If the Giant Corpse Buddha developed some negative mutation causing its flesh to collapse, it would certainly trigger a violent eruption of Buddhist qi.
After he became somewhat proficient, the disease type's targets were changed to large beasts.
Aside from the first few mice exploding to death due to the Deformity disease type, most beasts still retained their lives.
However, using the Deformity disease type to grow complete organs that also possessed full functionality was indeed extremely difficult.
Ren Qing needed to understand the structure of the organs and connect them with the body's existing blood vessels so as not to affect other normal organs.
When he saw a squirrel with two hearts nimbly leaping among tree branches and easily evading predators, he realized something.
Ren Qing had greatly underestimated the potential of the Deformity disease type. If used properly, it could change the bodily aptitude of living beings.
Boom...
While Ren Qing was in seclusion, the area where the Giant Corpse Buddha was located was clearly unsafe, causing the stomach to shake from time to time.
The cultivators, after their initial panic, quickly became accustomed to it.
They fixed all objects to the ground and also used artifacts to cover Buddha Within Buddha with a formation that counteracted external interference.
As for the nourishment of Buddha Forest, it was simply handled by Restraint Officers' Hall.
With the size of the cultivators, drawing some blood took almost no time, whereas the monks had to laboriously transport it.
Ren Qing's secluded cultivation also went smoothly.
He gradually used the Deformity disease type to mutate from basic limbs, with the Ghost Shadow assisting from the side to avoid too many detours.
Once the beasts' newly grown limbs could be used flexibly, Ren Qing began applying mutation to internal organs, mainly for enhancement.
Ren Qing even specifically examined cultivators who had mastered organ-related techniques, using their mutated hearts as templates for mutation.
As expected, the mutated organs indeed became stronger and also possessed partial abilities of Restraint Officer methods.
For example, mutating according to the direction of the Five Viscera Gods would cause the animal's organs to possess a unique instinct that forcibly closed wounds after injury.
However, as the host body, the beast needed to consume more food to maintain the organs' expenditure and would also affect lifespan.
Ren Qing guessed it was because the beast's body was not suited to the organs. If they could cultivate the corresponding body martial arts, there would be no drawback.
"Wait..."
"If I enlarge a mortal's stomach through mutation and then stimulate the stomach's continuous growth with body martial arts, wouldn't it be possible to easily enter the Taotie Method?"
Taotie Method
The Taotie Method is engraved upon the stomach of the exotic beast Taotie and was obtained by the Meat and Wine Taoist. Cultivating this method requires massive consumption of food. When the stomach expands to more than six times its original size, it can be completed.
Ren Qing swallowed. He felt that if he could deeply explore the Deformity disease type, body martial arts would become the entry method of Restraint Officers' Hall.
Helping tens of thousands of mortals step onto the path of cultivation.
Even...
Ren Qing's consciousness returned to his main body and examined the stomach of the Giant Corpse Buddha.
Previously he had been troubled about how to refine the stomach into the ghost-embryo artifact of the Taotie Method. Now it seemed he could directly mutate the stomach toward the direction of a Secondary Stomach.
The only uncertainty was whether the pseudo-exotic stomach formed by mutation could merge into the ghost embryo during advancement.
Ren Qing's expression became intrigued, completely ignoring the stomach shaking again as he continued focusing on controlling the Deformity disease type.
He purposefully researched the structure of eyeballs, since he would soon go to the skin layer to produce a mutated eye for the Giant Corpse Buddha.
Ren Qing had already gained preliminary mastery of the Deformity disease type. It did not take long for him to understand how to create eyes with it.
Yet he did not hurry to go to the skin layer of the Giant Corpse Buddha. Instead he began selecting a suitable mutated eye pupil among the cultivators.
A merely ordinary mutated eye would have too short a visual range, so modifications to the eye were necessary.
Ren Qing originally planned to mutate the eye toward the direction of Heavy Pupil, but after thinking carefully, Heavy Pupil's vision was at most distant rather than wide.
What he needed was a field of vision without blind spots so that external dangers could be detected in advance.
In the end Ren Qing chose a relatively obscure eye-pupil technique called "Insect Eye Technique." Within the entire Restraint Officers' Hall only one person cultivated it.
[Insect Eye Technique]
[Created by the Daoist of Many Legs. To cultivate it one must dig out both eyes, grind them to pieces, mix them with one hundred eighty-six crickets, and evenly smear the mixture over the wounds for three days. When insect eyes grow out, the technique is completed.]
Among the three mutation paths of the Insect Eye Technique, all specialized in auxiliary vision, so the cultivator had not continued advancing after reaching the Half-Corpse realm.
His pupils appeared ordinary but were actually covered with a crystalline layer, allowing him to clearly see all directions around his body in three hundred sixty-five degrees.
Ren Qing carefully observed the insect eyes for a long time and gradually memorized their structure.
He then began reproducing the insect eyes. Fortunately it was only a Half-Corpse realm organ, and compared to ordinary human eyes the difference was not obvious.
Under the influence of Ren Qing's techniques, the ecological system of the stomach world became richer, while the appearance of beasts grew increasingly strange.
Three-eyed wolves, water monkeys, winged tigers, hairless horses...
Most mutated organs of beasts would gradually disappear through reproduction, but there would certainly be some that slipped through the net.
As mutated beasts reproduced generation after generation, their organs would gradually adapt to nature.
Many cultivators in Wuwei City sharpened their blades preparing to head to the stomach, completely unaware of the strange changes among the beasts.
Only Tang Sheng, while wandering around Wine Lake Island during lookout duty, noticed a turtle whose four limbs had been replaced by wings flying past his eyes, leaving him stunned for a long time.
After gaining complete confidence, Ren Qing ended the calamity inflicted upon the stomach world.
He took out a Deformity disease type and directly used the Six Diseases Method. Flesh immediately squirmed and a slit opened in the skin.
An insect eye grew out, its pupil dull and lifeless.
Unfortunately it was only a temporary mutation. The insect eye was not connected to blood vessels or nerves, so Ren Qing's vision did not change at all.
"Senior Ren Qing, what is that..."
Han Li noticed the eye in Ren Qing's palm and could not help asking.
"Just a technique."
Ren Qing clenched his palm, and the insect eye was immediately absorbed by the flesh. The disease tree inside the Mud Pellet Palace also devoured the Deformity disease type.
"Han Li, notify the cultivators to withdraw from the intestines."
"Alright."
Han Li quickly agreed and turned to run toward the intestines.
The cultivators farming fertile land in the intestines were somewhat confused about the situation, but since it was an order from a Yang God realm expert, how could they dare delay.
Several Yin Difference realm cultivators had already known beforehand that Ren Qing intended to create another eyeball for the Giant Corpse Buddha, but they did not ask about the specific method.
They maintained order in the stomach and watched as Ren Qing walked into the intestines.
After reaching the predetermined position, Ren Qing directly cut open the thick intestinal wall with a sharp tool, causing a foul fishy stench to rush toward him.
The Giant Corpse Buddha was originally a corpse and had no sense of pain nor reaction.
Ren Qing looked at the pitch-black abdominal flesh outside the intestines. The fat internal organs resembled mountains, clearly bearing traces of the Heavenly Dao insect crawling.
This showed that the Heavenly Dao insect had been trying to drill into the intestines.
Ren Qing released life force to heal the wound in the intestinal wall before heading toward the skin layer.
Rustling strange noises continued to sound.
The destination he was heading toward was very close to the stomach and intestines. It was actually the abdomen of the Giant Corpse Buddha, which was a perfect place to place a mutated eye.
Ren Qing discovered that after leaving the stomach and intestines, the amount of Buddhist qi in the surrounding flesh greatly decreased, and he could already secretly use techniques.
The Disaster Elimination Method erased his presence, and the strange noises disappeared.
He could not help narrowing his eyes, continuing to move through the flesh without stopping, yet he noticed a cave that was clearly dug out.