The giant corpse Buddha's body rose straight into the sky, each step spanning nearly a thousand meters.
Ren Qing sat cross-legged inside the giant corpse Buddha's Mud Pellet Palace, but it was not the main brain, rather the secondary auxiliary brain that had later grown out.
Because of Person in a Bottle, the two brains were closely connected, and possessed an obvious primary-secondary relationship. Only if the main brain were destroyed would the secondary brain immediately take control of the giant corpse Buddha.
[Person in a Bottle]
[Inscribed upon the Nameless Ancient Altar, cultivation requires being born with twin heads, placing the two heads into porcelain bottles, maintaining them undead with a special medicinal catalyst, one placed in a place of the three teachings and nine professions, one placed in a private school academy, hung high for three years before completion.]
The appearance of the secondary brain was not much different from a real brain, only slightly smaller than the main brain, and its activity was also far inferior to the main brain.
Ren Qing engraved Moon Patterns, and mixed his own soul aura into them, little by little merging them into the giant corpse Buddha's secondary brain.
As the Moon Patterns became complete, one could clearly sense the artifact spirit was about to be born.
The reason Ren Qing chose the giant corpse Buddha's secondary brain to nurture the artifact spirit was because he wanted to completely control the main brain, letting the secondary brain artifact spirit act as assistance.
Of course, he also considered safety.
With an artifact spirit, the efficiency of the giant corpse Buddha's organs mutating would correspondingly increase, but at the same time, as the corpse of an Earth Immortal, the born artifact spirit would very likely seize the host's position.
After the artifact spirit was born, he would be able to completely remove all traces left behind by the Buddha qi, preventing the existence of certain drawbacks.
As for the giant corpse Buddha's original soul, it had been completely obliterated when the Buddha qi left the body.
Ren Qing had already engraved Moon Patterns for more than ten days, yet had only completed one-third of the secondary brain.
Mainly because the giant corpse Buddha's brain was extremely complex, and its nerves spread throughout every part, the difficulty of the Moon Patterns naturally far exceeded the ordinary.
He focused on drawing the Moon Patterns, only occasionally checking the outside situation.
The giant corpse Buddha's speed was not slow, yet the outside world still remained unchanged White Bone Mountain hills, as though they were walking in place.
However, details showed that they were gradually approaching the center of the forbidden zone.
Among the hills were mixed corpse skeletons over ten meters tall, and occasionally ruins with only walls remaining, indicating that the forbidden zone hundreds of years ago was likely very lively.
Ren Qing was somewhat lacking in confidence, but for mutated organs to advance to Yin Difference realm, besides requiring strange objects, they also needed long-term nourishment.
If not for the disturbances caused earlier by the eruption of Buddha qi being too intense, Ren Qing would even have wanted to find a corner and completely refine the giant corpse Buddha before continuing onward.
Fortunately, the zombies filled the manpower gap in Restraint Officers' Hall.
Even though most tasks were unsuitable for zombies, they also possessed advantages, namely not needing rest for twelve hours.
Now at each organ of the giant corpse Buddha, zombie figures could be seen.
They were responsible for monitoring the condition of organ mutations, nourishing the organs every half day, and incidentally collecting additionally produced resources.
Do not think the zombies' work intensity was low, but they enjoyed it tirelessly.
Corpse Refinement Method did not require resources, but zombies still had to dual cultivate Year-Year Technique, and even zombies such as Tian Fang had not given up Food-Consuming Immortal Technique.
Within Restraint Officers' Hall, most cultivators focused mainly on two techniques, yet zombies actually chose to dual cultivate three techniques, purely relying on their immortal lifespans, fearless and confident.
Therefore, to improve cultivation efficiency, they could be said to use every possible means.
Many tasks that even Martial Practitioner realm cultivators were unwilling to accept, zombies undertook without hesitation.
For example, entering deep into the liver to obtain liver oil, consuming pills with unknown effects, using their fleshly bodies to help raise Gu insects or vegetation...
Ren Qing was slightly speechless. It seemed zombies had a very accurate grasp of their own positioning.
Under such circumstances, thousands of zombies had already entered the beginner stage of Year-Year Technique through resources, beginning to use the technique to accelerate the progress of Corpse Refinement Method.
Year-Year Technique could help recover injuries, while its drawback was causing bodily aging, perfectly complementing Corpse Refinement Method.
Because Year-Year Technique required injuries to be used, they involuntarily became warlike.
As a result, compared to the deathly silent zombies inside Corpse City, the zombies who obtained Year-Year Technique resembled the demons in Ren Qing's impression more.
Ren Qing had already noticed the zombie group becoming increasingly difficult to control, and to prevent the zombies from suffering cultivation deviation, even having their intelligence degenerate into beasts.
He had Li Tiangang open trial grounds similar to the Ghost Market inside the giant corpse Buddha, mainly using heterogeneous aura to temper the body.
For example, going to the liver region would let blazing oil fire burn flesh and skin, over time increasing a cultivator's resistance to flames.
Or within the blood vessels of the heart region, allowing corrosive Nether Yuan to scour the body.
The trial grounds were quickly put into use, attracting large numbers of zombies to swarm over, even wishing they could remain inside for long periods.
Cocoon people were also frequent visitors to the trial grounds, after all Human Skin Book likewise required external stimulation.
The other cultivators realized the liver was a furnace that helped with pill refinement and artifact refinement, therefore the vicinity of the liver was usually overcrowded.
Ren Qing threw all management issues to Li Tiangang, while he himself concentrated on remaining inside the secondary brain Mud Pellet Palace directing the overall situation.
During breaks from engraving Moon Patterns, he also discovered characteristics possessed by Corpse Refinement Method.
The information flow surged.
[Advance to Flying Zombie, it will consume lifespan of one thousand five hundred years?]
The advancement method of Corpse Refinement Method differed from Restraint Officer methods. As long as Ren Qing consumed lifespan, the progress of the technique would increase proportionally.
When Ren Qing advanced to No-Birth Immortal, he had spent a total of five thousand years of lifespan.
As a result, not only did it offset the one thousand five hundred years required for Hairy Zombie to break through to Corpse Fiend, it also further reduced the lifespan requirement for advancing to Flying Zombie.
If Ren Qing single-mindedly focused on consuming lifespan, by raising the jailer's realm, Corpse Refinement Method reaching Heavenly Aberration realm would be just around the corner.
If in the future he could obtain Dead Man's Sutra and possess eternal immortal lifespan, what level Corpse Refinement Method would reach was difficult even for Ren Qing to imagine.
He deeply inhaled a breath.
Ren Qing knew that the closer he got to Dead Man's Sutra, the calmer he needed to be. Even possessing the giant corpse Buddha did not mean standing undefeated.
He continued drawing Moon Patterns, the entire brain emitting faint fluorescence.
Just at this moment, waves from the blood river struck the shore, and the sound of a boat docking rang out.
Ren Qing glanced at the entrance of the secondary brain with the corner of his eye. A figure hid in the shadows, looking at Ren Qing with a complicated expression.
Ren Qing ignored the other party, both hands continuously drawing delicate patterns.
More than half a day passed before the figure gradually approached within one hundred meters of Ren Qing, thick corpse stench permeating the narrow space.
"Corpse Ghost, something the matter?"
Corpse Ghost stopped his steps, respectfully kneeling before Ren Qing.
"Corpse Immortal, please impart to me the Great Dao of immortality."
Corpse Ghost's words were filled with unwillingness, because the rebuilt physique was restricted, causing him to be utterly unable to master Year-Year Technique.
Meanwhile Corpse Refinement Method, due to recultivation, had fallen from Yang God realm to Yin Difference realm.
In Corpse Ghost's view, Year-Year Technique was a necessary condition for zombies to become immortals.
Although he could feel his strength not decreasing but increasing, within Restraint Officers' Hall there were six or seven cultivators likewise at Yin Difference realm, not even including dozens who had stepped into Ghost Envoy realm perfection.
And after zombies mastered Year-Year Technique, their cultivation speed was clearly increasing.
They likely would not need much time before completing the recultivation of Corpse Refinement Method, becoming true Ghost Envoy realm Hairy Zombies.
Even in terms of prestige, Tian Fang's appeal far exceeded Corpse Ghost's.
Making Corpse Ghost feel incomparable pressure.
He could neither provide corresponding value like Li Tiangang and the other Yin Difference realm cultivators, nor, as the strong expert promoted by the zombies, could he possibly participate in trivial tasks.
Corpse Ghost seemed able only to complete recultivating Corpse Refinement Method, while his future path had long been severed, becoming immortal fundamentally an extravagant hope that should not exist.
Ren Qing also realized that Corpse Ghost's positioning within Restraint Officers' Hall was somewhat awkward.
He originally thought the other party would be content with cultivating only Corpse Refinement Method, and after he obtained Dead Man's Sutra, would then research matters of dual cultivation.
"How about this."
"I'll give you two paths. You certainly have come into contact with Netherworld Heavenly Insect Method before. I can implant Worm Root into you, thereby allowing you to master the technique."
Corpse Ghost's face revealed joy, just about to agree when he heard Ren Qing continue speaking: "But zombies mainly rely on the fleshly body. Netherworld Heavenly Insect Method is not suitable for you. Regarding becoming immortal and attaining the Dao, it only wastes time."
"Then... what about the other path?"
Ren Qing extended a finger and pressed it against Corpse Ghost's glabella, pouring the contents of Insect Nest Method into him.
Insect Nest Method required refining humans and insects into one body. The cultivated true yuan was somewhat different, and would produce subtle changes according to physique.
According to True Person Yuhua, his own true yuan had transformed into Firmament True Yuan, allowing artifacts to become extremely light when controlled.
"Insect Nest Method may not necessarily suit you, but the technique Li Yaoyang is about to create will definitely let you cast off the restraints of your body."
"Good, I will certainly take Senior Li as my master."
Corpse Ghost immediately agreed, bade farewell to Ren Qing, then headed toward Li Yaoyang's residence.
On one hand, Ren Qing was finding Li Yaoyang a little white mouse for experimentation. A Yin Difference realm zombie would not die even if cut into eight pieces, let alone could recover injuries through dead qi.
On the other hand, Corpse Ghost would not need long before recovering Yang God realm. As currently one of only two combat power pillars of Restraint Officers' Hall, if he only mastered Corpse Refinement Method, his methods were too singular.
Ren Qing no longer paid attention to Corpse Ghost, the speed of engraving Moon Patterns gradually increasing.
The vague artifact spirit consciousness within the brain already had a prototype, though it was still merely a thin mass of mist, far less solid than the Nanshan artifact spirit.
Until the Moon Patterns became a whole, the Mud Pellet Palace suddenly trembled.
Facial features grew on the surface of the brain, its gaze fixed straight on Ren Qing without moving away, attempting to communicate with him through simple consciousness.
Ren Qing used his connection with the artifact spirit and quickly soothed it down.
He also understood what Person in a Bottle truly was.
If Person in a Bottle were advanced to Ghost Envoy realm, the secondary brain would detach from the body, the skull transforming into a glazed bottle, the brain transforming into an independent living being.
In a certain sense, the secondary brain was equivalent to an alternative natal artifact, except the brain in the jar could not control the temperamental secondary brain.
Using the artifact spirit's abilities, Ren Qing gradually dispersed the Moon Patterns composing the giant corpse Buddha's entire body, and had Ghost Shadow seamlessly draw new Moon Patterns.
Seeing the giant corpse Buddha had already traveled several hundred li, he simply stopped in a secluded place, planning to finish the refinement first
Besides replacing the Moon Patterns, Maitreya Insect Buddha Sutra also had to be replaced with Netherworld Heavenly Insect Method.
Once inside and outside were completely Ren Qing's imprint, even if Buddha qi returned to the giant corpse Buddha, it would not find an environment capable of containing itself.
Stealing the beams and replacing the pillars could be considered successful. Next, advancing and retreating within Dead Man's Forbidden Zone would become much easier.