Footsteps echoed from the depths of the Corpse Mirror, mixed with heavy panting.
The figure walked in an extremely awkward posture, as if its joints had been forcibly locked into place, and it gave off a pungent stench of decay.
Countless carrion insects fluttered frantically, impatiently surging into the Corpse Mirror.
However, before the carrion insects could even approach, crackling sounds continuously rang out from their bodies, and they fell in swathes to the ground, leaving behind only foul-smelling ashes.
When the figure stepped out of the Corpse Mirror, it was accompanied by incredibly dense corpse qi. Even the white bones nearby could not withstand the corrosion of the corpse qi.
Ren Qing immediately noticed the abnormality at the Corpse Mirror.
He had not expected that after the substitute body died, the true body would emerge from the Corpse Mirror instead of the other exits scattered throughout the Dead Man's Forbidden Zone.
This indicated that at least over the past two hundred years, no cultivator had escaped from the mirror world, or perhaps no substitute body had died unexpectedly.
Ren Qing frowned slightly. The clone's condition seemed somewhat wrong.
Although the bacterial soul could still control the clone's actions, the body itself had suddenly developed intelligence and was absorbing the surrounding yin qi.
It was as if it were cultivating the Corpse Refinement Method.
Ren Qing had just been about to withdraw the bacterial soul from the clone's body when he noticed that many factions had already been alarmed by the abnormality of the Corpse Mirror.
Even though nothing had happened for over two hundred years, they still remained vigilant toward the Corpse Mirror at all times.
More than a dozen Yang Spirit realm cultivators wore expressions of fear and dread as they controlled magical artifacts to circle through the sky, their eyes fixed tightly on the entrance of the Corpse Mirror in the distance.
When the clone emerged from the Corpse Mirror, the various factions could not help but relax slightly.
Aside from its subtle pseudo-dragon traits, the clone had originally been almost indistinguishable from a normal person. But now, it looked as though it had been stitched together from heaps of flesh.
Its height had grown to over two meters, its entire body covered in signs of rot, with pus seeping from its pores every time it took a step.
But no matter how strange it looked, the Yang Spirit realm cultivators did not care about a mere Purple Zombie. After all, zombies would come to the Corpse Mirror from time to time.
They discussed among themselves, and most of the topics revolved around the giant corpse Buddha.
Ren Qing did not rush to retrieve the bacterial soul and continued maintaining Dragon Roar Within the Casket.
On one hand, he wanted to use this opportunity to understand the changes in the clone and figure out exactly what had been arranged within the mirror world.
On the other hand, Ren Qing intended to give Daoist Taihan a chance to abandon darkness and join the light.
He subtly glanced toward the town. With a slight movement of his thoughts, Dreamflower silently headed toward Daoist Taihan.
Ren Qing then signaled the ghost shadow hiding beside the Corpse Mirror to inspect the clone's condition.
The various factions remained on high alert, but what they were wary of was the giant corpse Buddha in the distance. They even suspected that the zombie was part of Ren Qing's scheme.
Layman Molting Shell softly asked, "Taihan, was this done by that corpse driver?"
The Yang Spirit realm cultivators did not know Ren Qing's name, so they referred to him as the "corpse driver," which showed how deeply they feared him.
"Probably not."
Daoist Taihan replied with a complicated expression. If Ren Qing truly were the Fortune Virtue Earth Immortal, how could he possibly use such ordinary methods?
"That's true. Using a Purple Zombie to test us would honestly be laughable…"
Before Layman Molting Shell could finish speaking, the clone suddenly let out several roars and then stood motionless in an awkward posture.
The clone's flesh began swelling uncontrollably, and the corpse qi grew increasingly dense.
The ghost shadow seized the opportunity to approach the clone, and the moment it made contact, information flowed forth.
[Age: Thirteen days]
[Lifespan: None]
[Technique: Skeletal Corpse Method (Purple Zombie)]
[Created by an unknown figure. Cultivation requires soaking a corpse in specially prepared corpse fluid for three days until yin qi corrodes the entire skeleton. If the skeleton remains intact, the cultivation is considered successful.]
Ren Qing raised his brow. As expected, the clone had transformed into a zombie, but why was it the Skeletal Corpse Method instead of the Corpse Refinement Method? Could the Skeletal Corpse Method be the perfected version of the Corpse Refinement Method?
He simply had the ghost shadow drill into the clone's body and search for clues within the skeleton.
Ren Qing quickly noticed that the clone's bones had turned a purplish-red color, with faint yin qi contained inside them. The Skeletal Corpse Method and the Corpse Refinement Method were fundamentally different.
How should he put it? The two techniques felt as though they originally belonged to a single technique.
Ren Qing could not make sense of it. It seemed that someone had intentionally split apart the Dead Man's Sutra, which further confirmed the fact that the Dead Man's Sutra was an Ascension Method.
He wanted to fully understand the contents of the Skeletal Corpse Method, so he directed the bacterial soul to help the clone absorb yin qi, causing its transformation to accelerate.
After only a few steps, the Purple Zombie body had already advanced into a White Zombie. Pus continuously sprayed from its swollen flesh with sizzling sounds.
Sharp bone spikes also burst out from its joints, completely unlike an ordinary White Zombie.
The Yang Spirit realm cultivators also noticed the clone's abnormality, but none of them acted. They unconsciously maintained a tacit understanding.
They had spent over a hundred years scheming against one another. Any opening would attract the prying eyes of others. Any cultivator who had survived until now was a shrewd old monster.
"ROAR!!!"
The clone roared furiously and charged toward the town.
In just a few minutes, the White Zombie had already begun transforming toward a Hairy Zombie. The corpse qi it emitted caused all insects within a thousand meters to die off completely.
Bone spikes madly grew from its ribs and spine, forming a thick suit of armor around its body, leaving no trace of a zombie's original appearance.
The Yang Spirit realm cultivators all looked gleefully toward Layman Molting Shell. The zombie's target was clearly his territory.
At that moment, Elder Monk Zongqing pressed his palms together and muttered, "Laughing Lion Arhat above, the immortal gate is truly ominous."
"If I do not enter hell, who will?"
Unlike the other factions, Elder Monk Zongqing did not hesitate or hold back. The lion-headed monks under his command converged upon the zombie from all directions.
The zombie rampaged wildly, reducing several White Bone Hills into powder. As the fierce wind swept through, bone dust dyed the surrounding area deathly white.
Its instincts drove it to devour the flesh and blood of living beings. Upon seeing the lion-headed monks approaching, it immediately rushed forward to meet them.
Dozens of lion-headed monks sat cross-legged as Buddhist qi seeped from their pores, forming bronze-colored mist that coiled through the air.
Although their intelligence was lacking, they wielded Buddhist qi with extraordinary skill.
The Buddhist qi soon solidified into a ten-meter golden lion that battled the zombie, every attack aimed directly at the latter's neck.
Even when the zombie shattered their bones and snapped their tendons, the lion-headed monks cared only about taking its head.
Only then did the various factions react.
Zongqing clearly intended to obtain the zombie's soul to uncover the situation within the immortal gate. It might even involve the secret of immortality.
"What a bald donkey."
A half-human, half-rat Yang Spirit realm cultivator could not help mocking aloud before ordering his already small number of subordinates to surround the zombie.
The ground below began writhing as half-meter-tall field mice rapidly dug tunnels underground.
The other Yang Spirit realm cultivators also stopped holding back and ordered their subordinates toward the zombie, hoping to seize its soul amid the chaos.
Their eyes occasionally glanced toward the giant corpse Buddha.
If Ren Qing had not been present, they probably would have long since lost control and personally rushed forward to fight over this sudden opportunity.
Only Daoist Taihan seemed hesitant. Although he had not been stingy with his subordinates, the number of insect people he sent out was far fewer than Zongqing's.
It was not that Daoist Taihan lacked interest in the immortal gate, but he wanted even more to leave the Dead Man Land.
He knew the Insect Nest would not send reinforcements in another hundred years, and under the influence of Dead Man Land, his body had already been corroded by yin qi.
If he could not rely on the Fortune Virtue Earth Immortal to leave Dead Man Land, then he would never have another chance.
Daoist Taihan imagined himself remaining forever in Dead Man Land until his flesh withered away and his intelligence degenerated into that of an insect beast.
The fear within him grew stronger and stronger, causing his entire body to tremble uncontrollably.
Suddenly, Ren Qing's whisper sounded beside Daoist Taihan's ear. His expression immediately shifted unpredictably, clearly full of hesitation.
While he hesitated, the battle situation did not become one-sided as the Yang Spirit realm cultivators had expected. Instead, the clone held an overwhelming advantage.
The zombie's rotten flesh gradually healed and began taking on a dark green hue. Without anyone noticing, it had already reached the Hairy Zombie stage.
The bones beneath its arms rapidly extended outward, actually forming a pair of skeletal wings.
A trace of surprise appeared in Ren Qing's eyes. Under the effects of the ghost shadow and bacterial soul, the Skeletal Corpse Method seemed to be unfolding completely before him.
Without any hesitation, he continued controlling the bacterial soul to help the zombie absorb yin qi.
However, the clone was ultimately only a fleshly magical artifact created through Dragon Roar Within the Casket. Under the stimulation of yin qi, it was already showing signs of collapse.
After hesitating briefly, Daoist Taihan flew toward the clone atop his flying sword.
The other Yang Spirit realm cultivators immediately followed, unwilling to let Daoist Taihan seize the initiative.
But before they could even approach, the clone suddenly spewed dark green corpse qi from its mouth, and its teeth transformed into ancient needles that pierced through Daoist Taihan's body.
Daoist Taihan cried out in pain as corpse poison spread through his flesh and bones.
The clone's right arm disintegrated, its bones forming chains that dragged Daoist Taihan into the corpse qi. His screams abruptly stopped.
The Yang Spirit realm cultivators were stunned for several breaths. By the time Layman Molting Shell realized Daoist Taihan had disappeared, it was already too late to rescue him.
The rat cultivator shrieked, "Lead it toward the corpse driver…"
Before he could finish speaking, an enormous shadow once again covered the sky overhead.
The giant corpse Buddha raised its right foot. Its skin had the rough texture of elephant hide as it smashed downward like a siege hammer toward the rat cultivator.
Bang!!!
The rat cultivator and the clone were instantly reduced to minced flesh.
Bits of flesh and shattered bone splattered everywhere, some landing on every Yang Spirit realm cultivator's face. Their eyes filled with relief at having narrowly escaped death.
Faced with the giant corpse Buddha's terrifying might, none of them dared act recklessly again.
Even the territory Daoist Taihan had left vacant remained untouched. No one dared move in to claim it, since the giant corpse Buddha, this walking calamity, stood right beside it.
Ren Qing stopped his actions. The ghost shadow carried the bacterial soul and Daoist Taihan back into the giant corpse Buddha.
He was not worried at all about Daoist Taihan betraying him. Dreamflower could perceive mental states and subtly influence them over time.
Once Daoist Taihan joined the Restraint Officers' Hall, he would inevitably come into contact with the Restraint Officer techniques. By then, leaving would no longer be realistic.
Without the resources provided by the Restraint Officers' Hall, progressing in cultivation techniques would be nearly impossible, and all kinds of life-threatening problems would arise.
Ren Qing tossed Daoist Taihan over to Li Tiangang to deal with before immediately entering seclusion.
There were not many scenes within the bacterial soul's memories, but even a brief glance made Ren Qing's scalp go numb and sent chills down his spine.
The Dead Man's Forbidden Zone was far more complicated than he had imagined. It likely involved multiple Earth Immortal-level existences.
And that figure was indeed inside the mirror world.