After Ren Qing decided to let the various branches get involved with the cave dwelling, Restraint Officers' Hall immediately became extremely lively, with cultivators scrambling to inquire about information regarding the outside world.
Generally speaking, whenever it involved large-scale mobilization of cultivators, it was because resource extraction was involved, and unimaginable opportunities were hidden within.
Were such opportunities common?
Ever since Restraint Officers' Hall set foot in Jingzhou, there had been quite a few incidents where opportunities lurked within crises.
As far as Yin Difference realm cultivators with lifespans of several hundred years were concerned, a gap of only a few decades was nothing. Every so often, they could obtain large amounts of resources through such opportunities.
However, cultivators below the Ghost Envoy realm made up the majority of Restraint Officers' Hall.
Their cultivation of Restraint Officer methods already required them to bear the risk of mutations spiraling out of control. In truth, very few managed to live until the end of their natural lifespan.
Given the flow of time in the Stomach World, whether they could survive until the next opportunity arrived was difficult to say.
If they failed to break through to a higher realm when an opportunity appeared, then having to wait another several decades carried far too many uncertainties.
Some of the more perceptive cultivators within Restraint Officers' Hall had already begun secretly preparing to head into the outside world as soon as the sheep demons started disappearing in large numbers.
The medicinal herbs continuously transported from the outside world into Dream City afterward also seemed to confirm this.
After the planting zones were fully established, coupled with the accelerated growth of vegetation, mountains of medicinal herbs were being produced every single day.
Of the three planting zones, one was dedicated to stockpiling high-age medicinal ingredients, while the other two focused on mass production, resulting in extremely rapid gains.
The alchemists also noticed that the prices of soul-related resources in the Great Dream Pavilion had begun steadily declining, clearly indicating that a major operation was underway.
As information about the outside world spread, every branch of Restraint Officers' Hall erupted in excitement.
However, Li Tiangang did not rush to open recruitment slots. Instead, he first led the Yang God realm cultivators to the cave dwelling to determine the situation in the Beast Pen.
The moment they left the Stomach World, a rich medicinal fragrance rushed toward them. As far as the eye could see, sheep demons were tending vegetation everywhere.
After observing the growth of the plants, they had to admit that this place was exceptionally suited for cultivation. It did not even require plant-based techniques to accelerate growth.
Hu Wen led Li Tiangang and the others on a tour of the cave dwelling before finally stopping at the end of a passageway.
Examining what appeared to be an ordinary rock wall, Li Tiangang could not help but ask, "Daoist Taihan, your Heavenly Dao Insectfolk have lived underground for years. Have you noticed anything unusual?"
"The soil here is very ordinary."
This was Daoist Taihan's first time participating in a mission for Restraint Officers' Hall. Eager to prove himself, he crouched down and sniffed the soil on the ground, detecting a faint trace of blood mixed within.
He discovered that the Beast Pen's soil was extremely nutrient-rich, yet there was no sunlight. It should have been impossible to support cultivation on such a scale.
In fact, within the Insect Nest, the Heavenly Dao Insectfolk primarily subsisted on easy-to-maintain fungi and fermented corpses that could be stored for years.
Daoist Taihan dared not draw conclusions too quickly. He took several pieces of metal ore from his storage pouch and carefully buried them in the soil.
Not long afterward, a thread of crimson red appeared on the surface of the originally pitch-black ore.
The Beast Pen seemed to possess an incredibly mysterious power that could rapidly accelerate the growth of soul-type vegetation, while ores underwent a different sort of transformation.
Li Tiangang accepted the ore for inspection but failed to discover anything unusual for the moment.
It was simply an ordinary flesh-transformed ore. Cultivators who practiced rock-related Restraint Officer methods could obtain such materials by cutting away their own flesh.
However, the fact that the Beast Pen could flesh-transform ore in mere moments was truly terrifying. It was far beyond anything cultivators could achieve.
Of course, if ore remained buried beneath the Beast Pen for too long and became completely flesh-transformed, it would likely become useless and soon decompose.
Interest appeared on Li Tiangang's face. Flesh-transformed ore was extremely suitable for refining Flesh-and-Blood Artifacts.
Even with the existence of Womb Artifacts, Flesh-and-Blood Artifacts remained prevalent within Restraint Officers' Hall. The main reason was that Strange Objects were simply too expensive.
Cultivation realms all required vast amounts of resources.
Materials that stimulated the activity of Strange Objects to accelerate cultivation speed; Strange Dust that prevented body and soul mutations from spiraling out of control; medicinal pills that healed injuries and prevented accidental death; Peach Wine that allowed body and soul to relax in blissful intoxication...
Womb Artifacts were things cultivators below the Yin Difference realm could only dream about. Even Han Li had used ordinary artifacts before his breakthrough in order to conserve resources.
Excitement appeared on Li Tiangang's face. Flesh-transformed ore would undoubtedly increase the strength of Restraint Officers' Hall.
Once artifact-refining materials became cheaper, it would likely create an entire generation of artifact refiners. Xiao San'er would no longer constantly suffer from a lack of manpower.
Among the mineral veins produced by the Stomach World, ordinary metal ores made up an overwhelming majority. They were somewhat useless to Restraint Officers' Hall, making them perfect candidates for flesh-transformation.
Yet the surprises awaiting Li Tiangang extended far beyond that. Li Yaoyang beside him seemed to notice something and could not help frowning as he said,
"There are naturally occurring ores in the outside world as well. My Gu insects can vaguely sense them..."
With a wave of his hand, countless Gu insects poured out and burrowed into the soil, disappearing from sight.
"Corpse Ghost, you'll be responsible for the zombie mining operations. Remember to prioritize caution."
"Understood, Master."
Upon hearing this, Corpse Ghost immediately agreed. His words were filled with respect toward Li Yaoyang, after all, the latter had reached the Yang God realm through a technique he created himself.
Li Yaoyang's Gu God Scripture borrowed elements from multiple techniques and had been perfected with Ren Qing's assistance. It was not a Restraint Officer method and therefore lacked three mutation paths.
Little did Corpse Ghost know that Ren Qing's ability to create techniques was the truly terrifying thing. Most of what he created were Restraint Officer methods, and they did not even require direct observation of the Heavenly Dao.
Li Tiangang nodded slightly. They quickly established a plan and began by mobilizing a batch of zombies from the Corpse Vein to expand the size of the cave dwelling.
Furthermore, the cave dwelling had to be reinforced. It was located several thousand meters underground, and the slightest mistake could result in collapse.
The simplest method was to inscribe Moon Patterns, making artifact refiners indispensable.
Alchemists were also needed. They had to refine soul-nourishing pills as soon as possible and attempt to push Song Zongwu's heavenly soul to the Yang God realm.
Li Tiangang continuously assigned tasks, causing cultivators to emerge one after another from the gateway.
Before long, the passageway outside the cave dwelling became packed with people. They simply continued expanding it, excavating branching routes like an anthill.
Through the cultivators' coordinated efforts, an underground city gradually took shape.
Li Tiangang instructed each branch to seek methods of acquiring resources. As long as an idea was feasible, he would provide both resources and manpower.
Hu Wen immediately thought of another specialty of the Demon Vein besides farming: raising Strange Beasts, especially large Strange Beasts.
Naturally, Li Tiangang did not refuse. He allowed Hu Wen to claim a batch of beast seedlings and then designated an area specifically for raising Strange Beasts.
The Demon Vein began nurturing all kinds of Strange Beasts. Most were deformed and useless, but occasionally bizarre mutants would appear.
For example, among the bird-type Strange Beasts used as messengers, one egg hatched a sparrow covered entirely in black fur that could briefly transform into a soul body.
Li Tiangang rewarded the Demon Vein for this achievement. Their monthly resource allocation increased by a full thirty percent, and they were even allowed to take a cut of profits generated by the Strange Beasts.
Under such circumstances, every branch developed unparalleled enthusiasm for uncovering the Beast Pen's resources, nearly reaching the point of madness.
However, through the abnormalities displayed by the Strange Beasts, Li Tiangang noticed that unless one possessed a technique, the Beast Pen would influence them without their awareness.
The Strange Beasts gradually began mutating toward goats, with hard horns growing from their heads.
Li Tiangang was reminded of the Supreme Heavenly Demon. Back when Restraint Officers' Hall sought to revive Ksitigarbha, they had come into contact with the Heavenly Demon aura left behind by Chen Changsheng.
Yet no Heavenly Demon aura existed within the cave dwelling. The changes in the Strange Beasts resembled a transformation at the species level, making the phenomenon all the more baffling.
In a sense, the Beast Pen resembled a forbidden zone.
An invisible and unique set of rules existed within it, capable of distorting everything inside its domain.
Li Tiangang was now utilizing the Beast Pen's rules to secure benefits for Restraint Officers' Hall. Naturally, this required countless experiments.
Using the map provided by Ren Qing, he began planning the various sections of the underground settlement, centering everything around Ren Qing's secluded cultivation residence.
Thinking of this, Li Tiangang glanced toward the cave dwelling concealed beneath vines.
Whenever he approached the cave dwelling, his heart would instinctively pound with fear. Staring at it for too long would even cause his heartbeat to spiral out of control.
The Yang God realm cultivators all experienced similar sensations. However, Daoist Taihan and Corpse Ghost paid no attention, as neither believed Ren Qing was merely in the Yang God realm.
Strangely enough, cultivators below the Yang God realm felt absolutely nothing.
Li Tiangang shook his head helplessly. It seemed that after reaching the Yang God realm, he had become even more aware of the vast gap separating him from Ren Qing.
Restraint Officers' Hall possessed no records concerning higher realms. Once one reached the Yang God realm, the only option was to grope forward alone.
As a result, both talent and fortune were indispensable for advancing beyond the Yang God realm. Every step forward carried incalculable dangers.
Yet when it came to Ren Qing, bottlenecks seemed not to exist.
Li Tiangang had witnessed Ren Qing's growth every step of the way and still found it difficult to believe.
He could not even begin to guess Ren Qing's current realm. Was he already a Multitude Yang Immortal? A No-Birth Immortal? Or perhaps at the Ascension Ladder, the pinnacle of the Yang God realm?
Another awe-inspiring aura suddenly radiated from within the cave dwelling.
This time, it was not only Li Tiangang and the other Yang God realm cultivators. Even Yin Difference realm cultivators flushed red and instinctively turned toward the cave dwelling.
Yet the aura quickly vanished as if it had never existed.
The reason the aura of Corpse Fengdu leaked outward was because Ren Qing was preparing to break through to the Heavenly Aberration realm. The fluctuations in his mental state had caused it.
Even with the protection of the Information Stream, disturbances were inevitable.
[Will you advance to the Heavenly Aberration realm? This will consume twenty thousand years of lifespan.]
The moment Ren Qing confirmed it, he entered an ethereal state. The inner demons born from distracting thoughts within his mind instantly vanished without a trace.
The Heavenly Aberration realm was known as the "Immortal Wanderer," merely a guest knocking upon the gates of immortality.
He still had a long road to walk before attaining immortality. Even attaining immortality would not be the end. There was no need to become obsessed with gains and losses.
Crack crack crack crack...
The crack across the tortoise shell began spreading, extending from one end to the other. It nearly split the shell in half, leaving only a gap the size of a soybean.
Twenty thousand years of lifespan had already approached the limit of his incomplete immortality.
Yet Ren Qing felt no signs of cultivation deviation whatsoever. Instead, it felt as though he were about to ascend in broad daylight, as if a beam of spiritual light had pierced through both body and soul from the crown of his head.
The Strange Objects within him became incomparably active. Every cell boiled with energy as an indescribable power emerged from his body and soul.
But this power was not the result of the breakthrough itself.
It originated from the twenty thousand years of lifespan he had just consumed.
He signaled Ghost Shadow to envelop the cave dwelling, preventing the effects from impacting the other cultivators.