When Ren Qing had enough of the Heavenly Dao Rift to advance a technique, the first thing he thought of was Longevous Tortoise. All his other techniques could wait.
[Do you choose the branch Half a Move Above Heaven? This will consume 500 years of lifespan.]
The Heavenly Dao Rift slowly spread, though fortunately the lifespan consumed was not particularly severe.
Ren Qing instinctively shook his body. It was the discomfort caused by the activity of the strange object, but it soon quieted down once more.
He was indeed not far from becoming a Turbid Immortal, but five hundred years of lifespan was nowhere near enough to make things deteriorate completely.
The tortoise shell on the roof of Ren Qing's mouth became even more refined. He could also feel a cool sensation flowing through his brain, allowing him to maintain clarity.
He could not help but examine the Yang God realm Longevous Tortoise.
The hexagrams were still the same seven, but through the patterns on the tortoise shell, Ren Qing could vaguely sense the approximate direction of disasters, though the indication was very blurred.
Besides that, Longevous Tortoise could now divine hexagrams for others as well, though the distinction between fortune and misfortune would be rather vague.
In truth, merely being able to sense disasters was already enough.
Disasters were filled with unpredictability. Even if Ren Qing eventually attained immortality through Longevous Tortoise, it did not mean he could easily foresee ominous events before they occurred.
Even knowing about them a moment in advance would be enough to save his life.
Given the current depth of his Heavenly Dao Rift, Ren Qing felt he should still be able to advance one more technique, so he prepared to choose one from Disaster-Dispelling Method's secondary techniques.
But at that moment, he suddenly noticed the coffin in the corner of the cave residence, where Song Zongwu lay with his soul incomplete.
Ren Qing immediately used Longevous Tortoise to perform a divination for Song Zongwu.
The result indeed fluctuated between "fortune mixed with misfortune" and "great misfortune." The direction vaguely pointed toward the southwestern corner of the cave residence, as though something was hidden there.
Ren Qing simply dispatched zombie cultivators to excavate the area. After all, what counted as "great misfortune" for Song Zongwu did not necessarily pose a threat to someone at the Heavenly Aberration realm.
At the very least, his own hexagram still remained at great fortune.
While observing the zombies' progress, Ren Qing also advanced the Disguise Technique to the Yang God realm, bringing the rift close to the halfway mark once more.
Should you choose the branch Ten Thousand Faces, One Body? This will consume 500 years of lifespan.
The greatest strength of Ten Thousand Faces, One Body was that not only could it extensively alter appearances, it could even temporarily transform physiques.
As long as Ren Qing mixed Yin Qi into Ten Thousand Faces, One Body, the tens of thousands of cultivators of the Restraint Officers' Hall could instantly become flawless zombies.
He closed his eyes and digested the newly advanced technique.
After being affected by Heavenly Dao-ization, techniques became much harder to control. He would have to spend more time meditating to suppress the strange objects.
Ren Qing paid no attention at all to the divination he had casually performed for Song Zongwu.
Neither Li Tiangang nor the other Yang God realm cultivators paid it any special attention. Only the zombie cultivators dared not slack off, excavating the rock walls day and night.
The only instruction they had received was to dig toward the southwest. They knew nothing else.
Ren Qing soon forgot about the matter altogether. After stabilizing his cultivation, he planned to immediately advance Disaster-Dispelling Method to Multitude Yang Immortal.
He had a vague feeling that once both the primary and secondary techniques of Disaster-Dispelling Method reached the Yang God realm, he should be able to further develop the mirror world.
Ren Qing had become somewhat addicted to secluded cultivation. Since he no longer had to worry about lifespan extension efficiency, all he needed to do was meditate for several days before the statue could continue advancing.
Footsteps sounded from outside the cave.
Ren Qing dismissed the information flow before him and opened his eyes toward the gaunt figure.
Corpse Ghost cautiously approached the entrance. Upon sensing the terrifying Yin Qi, even his usually indestructible zombie body felt weak in the legs.
"Corpse Ghost, what's wrong?"
Corpse Ghost hesitated for several breaths before speaking.
"Immortal Ren, there's something strange about the rock wall in the southwest corner. Should we continue digging deeper?"
Ren Qing was briefly stunned, and his expression immediately became somewhat complicated.
He said in a deep voice, "Have the Corpse Vein withdraw. Seal the entrance for now and don't let any other cultivators enter."
Before Corpse Ghost could reply, Ren Qing's body dissolved into Yin Qi.
He was instantly able to travel to any location covered by Yin Qi as if shrinking the earth into inches.
Corpse Ghost's face turned pale.
The moment Ren Qing left, he actually felt as though both body and soul were about to fall apart.
It was as if the Yin Qi within him desperately wanted to follow Ren Qing.
Ren Qing arrived at the southwestern corner of the cave residence.
The zombie cultivators inside had already received the notification and were gradually withdrawing from the mine tunnel that stretched for several miles.
His brows furrowed. After only a few steps, he arrived at the deepest section of the tunnel.
What entered his sight was a rock wall composed of flesh and blood, with black fur growing from the stone itself, mixed with faint Heavenly Demon aura.
[Heavenly Demon Nest]
[Condensed from the Supreme Heavenly Demon. The outer layer consists of palace-chamber membranes, while the interior is filled with vast quantities of flesh and bone used to nurture life.]
Ren Qing had never expected that the zombie cultivators would actually excavate the Heavenly Demon Nest.
Even lifeless zombies would gradually mutate toward black goats if they remained within the range of the Heavenly Demon aura for long periods.
Ren Qing could not understand why the Heavenly Demon Nest would be connected to Song Zongwu.
Using Dreamflower to protect his body and soul, he stepped closer to the Heavenly Demon Nest.
A foul stench rushed toward him, while noisy voices echoed beside his ears.
Ren Qing understood some of the Beast Pen language, and immediately recognized that they were merely ordinary daily conversations.
It sounded as though countless Beast Pen people existed within the Heavenly Demon Nest.
"Could it be that the hidden Beast Pen civilization somewhere within the Beast Pen is actually located inside the Heavenly Demon Nest?"
Naturally, Ren Qing had no intention of cutting open the Heavenly Demon Nest to inspect it.
This wall had clearly been nurtured by the Supreme Heavenly Demon. Who knew what purpose it served?
With a thought, his body transformed into shadow and slipped into the cracks of the rock.
Ren Qing moved around the Heavenly Demon Nest.
Before long, he discovered a fist-sized fleshy tumor hidden in a corner of the wall.
The tumor was deeply buried underground, with countless tendrils extending from its surface into the soil.
Ren Qing placed his palm against the tumor.
The voices inside stopped abruptly.
At the same time, the tumor transformed into a liquid state and attempted to relocate elsewhere.
This reaction clearly indicated that the source of the Beast Pen people was inside it.
Ren Qing noticed that the Beast Pen people had likely not existed for very long and remained relatively weak, meaning the Supreme Heavenly Demon probably had not noticed them yet.
First confirming that the hexagram remained normal, he separated a strand of his bacterial soul and sent it into the tumor.
A terrified scream came from within the tumor.
Begging for mercy and curses intertwined together.
A strange expression appeared on Ren Qing's face because he had not discovered any small world within the tumor.
Instead, he found an extremely complex brain structure.
The tumor resembled a human brain in some ways and a goat brain in others. It was exceedingly unusual.
Ren Qing soon sensed tens of thousands of consciousnesses existing inside the tumor.
Each consciousness was independent, possessing different personalities and memories.
Yet these consciousnesses did not even qualify as fragmented souls.
How could they possibly form life?
The absurdity left him deeply astonished.
He immediately attempted to access the memories of the Beast Pen people's consciousnesses.
A flood of chaotic images gathered in his mind.
Ren Qing connected the memories together and soon saw a magnificent city.
Hundreds of thousands of Beast Pen people lived within it.
Beyond the city stretched a thousand li of farmland, where Beast Pen people dressed as farmers cultivated crops.
Within this false world constructed from memory, the Beast Pen people did not possess flayed appearances.
They were no different from the people of Xiangxiang.
Ren Qing even saw several cultivators flying through the sky atop flying swords, proving that their consciousnesses could exert limited influence over the false world.
The Beast Pen people shared a single brain while remaining independent individuals.
When tens of thousands of Beast Pen people imagined the same scene, a dreamlike false world would come into being.
At that moment, the bacterial soul entered the false world like an invading outer-world demon.
Boundless darkness covered the sky.
Some newly born Beast Pen consciousnesses could not withstand the pressure and immediately began to fade.
At the edges of the false world, contraction began to occur.
The details of the farmland and city also ceased to appear real.
Ren Qing withdrew the bacterial soul to avoid accidentally destroying this fragile world.
To him, the consciousnesses within the tumor held little value.
After all, the Beast Pen people had to rely on the tumor, while the tumor itself grew from the Heavenly Demon Nest.
However, Ren Qing felt that the structure of the tumor might help resurrect Song Zongwu.
Song Zongwu's memories remained largely intact. If his consciousness could be awakened through this method, then restoring the three souls and seven spirits afterward would undoubtedly become much easier.
Even if there was still no way to restore his soul completely, it would be far better than remaining a corpse.
Ren Qing analyzed the interior and exterior of the tumor while recording diagrams of its structure.
He also shared the information with the artifact refiners, allowing them to summarize its advantages and disadvantages.
In the end, he arrived at a conclusion.
Replicating a tumor capable of housing tens of thousands of consciousnesses was impossible.
However, creating one for a single consciousness should not be difficult.
Ren Qing instructed Little Third to lead the artifact refiners and organize a detailed refinement method as quickly as possible.
As for himself, he planned to completely seal off the mine tunnel to prevent any accidental leakage of Heavenly Demon aura.
Before leaving, however, a casual glance caused him to notice changes within the false world.
The city had become ruins.
Fire rained from the sky, burning the buildings to ashes.
Countless Beast Pen people knelt in prayer.
Yet they were still unable to stop the disaster.
With every breath, Beast Pen consciousnesses perished within the sea of flames.
Thousands vanished in mere moments.
Several large characters had been burned into the farmland.
"Please... Immortal... Save us..."
Ren Qing's gaze swept across the consciousnesses and quickly locked onto an old man standing in the corner of the crowd.
The old man watched the casualties of his people with cold indifference.
His consciousness was the strongest among all the Beast Pen people.
He could even influence the weather.
Apparently, he had already sensed Ren Qing's presence and intended to use the Beast Pen people as leverage to escape from the false memory world.
Rather than angering Ren Qing, it only sparked his interest.
He projected part of his consciousness into the false world.
As a result, a gigantic face covered the sky while cracks split the earth and ran through the city.
The rain of fire ceased.
Yet the crowd sank into despair.
Only the old man burst into hysterical laughter.
His expression was neither crying nor laughing.
Compared to the surrounding Beast Pen people, however, he was undoubtedly far more real.
"I knew it! There must be a world beyond this world! Immortals truly exist!"
"It's fake! It's all fake!"
The old man suddenly let out miserable screams.
Ren Qing was reading his memories.
After digesting the old man's memories, Ren Qing finally understood the circumstances of the false world.
The truth had indeed exceeded his expectations.
The old man's name was Killing-Life Child.
Within the false world, he was a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy.
At three years old, he began Qi Refinement.
At seven, he established his foundation.
By twenty, he had already reached the peak of the Innate realm.
Before the age of one hundred, he comprehended heavenly secrets and successfully transcended mortality.
At two hundred years old, after creating the Soul Division Immortal Method, Killing-Life Child's temperament changed drastically.
From time to time, he would mutter about an upper realm composed of flesh and blood.
Little did he know that the consciousnesses he had split off had already ascended to that upper realm dozens of times.
Killing-Life Child screamed hysterically, treating Ren Qing as the final straw before falling into an abyss.
"Exalted Immortal, save me and let me transcend!!!"
Using The World Is Like a Dream, Ren Qing drew out Killing-Life Child's consciousness before returning to his main body.