Ren Qing could not help but smile bitterly. It seemed he had once again affected that person's layout.
Facing the rock wall, he activated Mirror Immortal. The originally rough surface became smooth, then transformed into a mirror reflecting a phantom image.
The darkness within the mirror was incomparably distorted, as if it connected to an unknown world.
Without hesitation, Ren Qing stepped into it. He could feel his body and soul seeming to be pulled apart and separated, but he forcibly suppressed it almost immediately.
He continued through the darkness, and after walking for several minutes, his vision suddenly opened up.
The gloomy and damp Mirror World came into view. He could also smell a thick scent of blood, and pools of fresh blood still covered the ground.
Ren Qing looked upward and then helplessly covered his forehead with his palm.
Bodies hung suspended in the air one after another, almost all of them horribly mutilated. The blood was seeping from their wounds.
The cultivators with complete bodies were those whose substitutes had not yet died. Taking them out of the Mirror World prematurely would attract the attention of the forces they belonged to.
Back when Restraint Officers' Hall had developed the resources of the Mirror World, their mindset had been one of exhausting the pond to catch all the fish.
For example, the skulls of jackal cultivators possessed hardness comparable to rare ores, so they had simply been dragged into the Stomach World and cut off with sharp tools.
There were also the lungs of Laughing Lion monks. Because they contained special metals and were excellent materials for refining protective artifacts, they had been directly dug out.
Since the Ci Shi people understood Buddhist Qi relatively well and would not have their bodies and souls corroded by it, they had been tasked with handling the Laughing Lion monks.
This showed that no matter how many years one spent chanting scriptures and eating vegetarian food, being assimilated by Restraint Officers' Hall was not difficult.
Fortunately, every cultivator in the Mirror World possessed Ghost Envoy realm cultivation. Their vitality was tenacious, and they remained alive even with missing limbs.
Ren Qing even noticed that some of the bodies had already regenerated more than half of their missing limbs and organs, and could soon be harvested once again...
He forcibly suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind.
The resources on low-level cultivators were somewhat insignificant to the current Restraint Officers' Hall, while the substitutes of high-level cultivators had not yet died.
After advancing Mirror Immortal, Ren Qing had indeed intended to develop the resources of the Mirror World.
His original plan had been to continuously heal the cultivators' injuries and turn the Mirror World into a sustainable resource collection site.
However, judging by the current situation, once enough influence could be exerted on Corpse Immortal, the cultivators of the Mirror World would certainly be released as well.
Ren Qing's gaze landed on three Heavenly Aberration realm bodies. The signs of zombification on them were all very slight.
He had accidentally caused the Dead Man's Forbidden Zone layout to activate ahead of schedule. Although the final result might not be affected and Corpse Immortal would likely still be successfully parasitized, the Heavenly Aberration cultivators of the Mirror World had yet to complete their zombification.
Without question, that meant three "rooks" had been lost from the chessboard.
Ren Qing could not help but admire that person.
For a mortal to possess the courage to scheme against immortals and Buddhas was already unbelievable. The most terrifying part was that there was genuinely a reasonable chance of success.
He silently pondered for a moment. Then the ghost shadow beneath his feet spread outward.
Ren Qing had the ghost shadow use the deathly energy of the Stomach World to restore the cultivators' bodies. Additional resources were consumed to regenerate severed limbs, while undetectable disease seeds were hidden deep within their brains.
To Ren Qing, the resources of the Mirror World were merely trivial gains.
What mattered most was uncovering the current state of the immortals and Buddhas of this world, why the Weird Immortals had vanished, and what exactly Turbid Immortals represented.
Ren Qing intended to use that person's handiwork to glimpse the secrets of this world.
In this game of chess, I too will place my pieces!
He understood that, barring accidents, that person intended to use the various forces to obtain compatible Immortal Positions. But the road to immortality would inevitably stir upheaval across the world.
Ren Qing's disease seeds fused into the brains without emitting the slightest trace of spell aura. Even Earth Immortals might not notice them.
Meanwhile, through the divine ability The World Is Like a Dream, he could sense the condition of every cultivator carrying a disease seed.
After all several hundred cultivator bodies had been completely restored, Ren Qing fixed his gaze on the suspended Heavenly Aberration cultivators. Yet in the end, he withdrew from the Mirror World.
In this layout, that person was undoubtedly hiding in the shadows, standing in an undefeated position.
But if a compatible Immortal Position truly appeared, that person would inevitably have to step from the shadows into the open. Otherwise, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for immortality would be missed.
Ren Qing was also hidden in the shadows, but from beginning to end, he could remove himself from the game whenever he wished.
If he took action against the three Heavenly Aberration cultivators, that person would notice another player entering the board. It would undoubtedly expose him, essentially throwing away the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.
Ren Qing was somewhat tempted by the organs and limbs of Heavenly Aberration cultivators, but when he considered that Immortal Positions might be involved later, he no longer felt it was a pity.
Heavenly Aberration materials could indeed greatly benefit Restraint Officers' Hall, but they were nowhere near as valuable as Immortal Positions.
After all, compatible Immortal Positions were exceedingly rare. There would inevitably be a process of searching for them, and Ren Qing could use that opportunity to uncover clues regarding other Immortal Positions.
Ren Qing himself did not need Immortal Positions, but that did not mean nobody else did. In the future, when cultivators of Restraint Officers' Hall reached Heavenly Aberration realm, they could put them to use.
Using the ghost shadow, he repeatedly inspected the Mirror World. After confirming there were no omissions, he activated Mirror Immortal.
The mirror surface appeared, and Ren Qing's figure vanished from the gloomy, damp Mirror World.
At this very moment, a prolonged chess match had already begun. All living beings, immortals, and Buddhas were pieces upon the board. The wager was immortal fortune.
Ren Qing felt as though he were standing in a bustling marketplace. A delicate chessboard at a street corner was surrounded by spectators, all discussing how to solve an unfathomable deadlock.
He widened his eyes and noticed that person crouching in a corner, their appearance impossible to discern.
Ren Qing wanted to see more clearly, but everything was shrouded in mist. He did not even know whether there were other players besides them.
Fortunately, he was both player and observer, likewise standing in an undefeated position.
Closing his eyes, Ren Qing listened to the clamor within the cave dwellings. Restraint Officers' Hall was already making preparations to withdraw, and the sounds of moving cargo were extremely noisy.
Through meditation, he calmed himself and then examined the tortoise shell on the roof of his mouth.
Only two subsidiary techniques of The Taotie Method had yet to reach Yang God realm. With the current state of the Heavenly Dao Crack, fifteen hundred years of lifespan expenditure was not a problem.
Do you wish to choose the branch Fire of Suiren? This will consume five hundred years of lifespan.
The Yang God realm of Food-Consuming Immortal Technique was called "Fire of Suiren," referring to the legendary first flame ever lit in the world by Suiren.
The moment Ren Qing confirmed the advancement, it felt as though a blazing inferno had ignited within his dantian.
The high temperature spread through his blood vessels throughout his body before finally gathering in his stomach and descending into the Stomach World, causing dramatic changes within.
Mountain peaks transformed into volcanoes one after another. Scorching magma burrowed into the mountains from underground, and thick smoke immediately rose from their summits.
The jailers were greatly alarmed by the sight and hurriedly protected the safety of the demon-kind tribes.
The moment Food-Consuming Immortal Technique reached Yang God realm, the volcanoes erupted uncontrollably, dyeing the sky black as sparks fell like rain.
It was as if a disaster had descended, tormenting the ecosystem with magma.
However, once the volcanoes quieted down, torrential black rain immediately poured from the heavens. The volcanic ash dyed the entire Stomach World with a gray-black hue.
Ultimately, the flourishing and decline of all things depended upon nutrients. Although volcanic ash brought destruction, it could also increase the foundation of the Stomach World.
The Fuel King emerged from underground and fused with one of the volcanoes.
It was as if he had become a mountain god, capable of controlling volcanic eruptions to nourish the soil of the Stomach World and allow vegetation to flourish.
With a thought, Ren Qing also transformed the old monk previously absorbed into the Flesh Furnace into a Fuel King and merged him into the mountain where Heaven Above Heaven was located.
Ren Qing could assign a Fuel King to every mountain peak, but instead he chose to let living beings select their own "mountain gods."
Any creature living around a mountain who earned enough admiration could have its soul become a mountain god after death, protecting the local region.
Ren Qing felt that the Stomach World was not far from becoming a true world.
Do you wish to choose the branch All Rivers Flow to the Sea? This will consume five hundred years of lifespan.
The cracks on the tortoise shell grew slightly longer. The Stomach World trembled along with them as countless columns of water erupted from the deepest parts of the sea floor.
Kunpeng released joyful cries and leapt heavily from the water.
The area of the Stomach World expanded several times over, practically stretched larger by the Wine Sea itself. Even riding Kunpeng around it would require several months.
At the same time, the ecosystem of the Wine Sea became even more unpredictable. Certain fish species turned the tables and began hunting their natural predators by taking advantage of the terrain.
This demonstrated that the Stomach World was independently giving birth to intelligent life.
However, intelligent life would likely need a very long time before forming civilizations, and Ren Qing did not wish to interfere deliberately.
After all, the Stomach World was formed from the various Restraint Officer Techniques. Intelligent life would naturally become compatible with those techniques.
After The Taotie Method advanced to Multitude Yang Immortal, the cultivation efficiency of the jailers also rose accordingly. Some bizarre objects even advanced to Ghost Envoy realm because of it.
Ren Qing immediately felt that the priority of the Stomach World could be raised somewhat.
If bizarre objects could be cultivated more quickly, it probably would not take long before the dozens of mutated organs of the Forbidden Corpse all reached Yin Difference realm.
At that time, the strength of the Forbidden Corpse would be enough to rival the perfected Heavenly Aberration realm stage, Birth of Myriad Things.
If it could advance one step further, the Forbidden Corpse would display the terrifying power of a pseudo-Earth Immortal, more than sufficient as a life-saving trump card.
Ren Qing summoned the information stream. Every one of his techniques had already reached Yang God realm.
[Lifespan: Infinite]
[Shadowless Ghost (Human Skin Book, Bone Armor Technique, Netherworld Technique, Dragon-Snake Spine), This World's Yin God (Primordial Fetal Membrane, Spiritual Marrow Bone Immortal, Netherworld Wasted Immortal, Coiling Dragon Shedding to Python), The Taotie Method (Food-Consuming Immortal Technique, Wine God Technique, Dao Dao Dao, Rebirth Technique), Avici Hell (Fire of Suiren, All Rivers Flow to the Sea, Wuwei Daoist Temple, Reincarnation of Rebirth), Disaster-Dispelling Method (Storyteller, Mirror Immortal, Disguise Technique, Longevous Tortoise), Gate of the Non-Immortal (Storytelling Through the Ages, Immortal Hidden Within the Weird Mirror, Ten Thousand Faces, One Body, Half a Move Above Heaven)..]
[Divine Ability: Method of Modeling Heaven and Earth, Walk Among Mortals, Dragon Roar Within the Casket]
Ren Qing estimated that there was probably not enough time remaining to advance every technique to the Ascension Ladder realm, but at least two techniques could reach No-Birth Immortal.
He continued his seclusion.
Tens of thousands of cultivators busied themselves around the cave dwellings, resembling a disciplined colony of ants or maggots crawling within a corpse.
Every branch had already demonstrated indescribable potential. Once the hundreds of thousands of people from the Longevity Forbidden Zone were gathered, Restraint Officers' Hall would become a force that could not be ignored.
Ren Qing felt both excited and uneasy.
It might not be long before Restraint Officers' Hall became involved in the struggles of this world. The ferocious multi-headed insect would finally reveal its fangs.
It was hard to imagine that only a few decades ago, Restraint Officers' Hall had still been frogs at the bottom of a well, confined to Xiangxiang.
Ren Qing steadied his mind and mechanically repeated the circulation of Yin Qi. As the Heavenly Dao Crack continued recovering, he went on advancing his techniques.
One-third of the cave dwellings had already been moved into the Stomach World, everything proceeding in perfect order.