The Heavenly Dao Crack healed completely without making a sound.
To Ren Qing, the Fleshly Tathagata was practically a garbage incinerator. It could continuously digest Heavenly Dao transformation for twelve hours a day without interruption, so the improvement it brought was naturally beyond imagination.
The Western Buddhist Realm burned with blazing Karmic Fire, illuminating half the sky.
The monks devoted themselves to chanting scriptures, hoping that their meager strength could help the Fleshly Tathagata withstand the lingering power of the Karmic Fire.
Pig Daoist seemed to have understood why he had come to the Western Buddhist Realm. He took the initiative to teach cultivation methods and began accepting disciples throughout the temples.
Even Ren Qing was startled by the speed at which the Heavenly Dao Crack healed. After merely two years of seclusion, the surface of the tortoise shell had already become as smooth and pristine as new.
Looking at Jingzhou again, the war between the immortals and Buddhas had only just entered its most intense stage.
Supreme Heavenly Demon and Dingguang Tathagata fought back and forth. Often, one moment it would be broad daylight, only for the world to plunge into prolonged darkness the next.
Dingguang Tathagata transformed into a golden-yellow sun, while demonic aura surged violently around it.
Ren Qing could also see the situation clearly. Dingguang Tathagata was obviously at a disadvantage. Its defeat was only a matter of time, and it had already been beaten into complete disarray.
What puzzled him was that Dingguang Tathagata was different from the Tathagata Buddhahood he knew.
After all, the Baosheng Tathagata Ren Qing had encountered possessed a complete body, whereas Dingguang Tathagata's main body was still composed solely of Buddhist aura.
Demonic aura wrapped the blood moon inside and out. Loud explosions constantly rang out from its surface, while the space available to the Buddhist aura continued to shrink.
Meteorites were falling with increasing frequency, indicating that Taiyin Star Lord had also suffered considerable injuries.
The number of Rabbit-Toads continued to increase, and they had already occupied every corner of barren Jingzhou.
Insect Nest did not allow the Rabbit-Toads to continue multiplying unchecked. It dispatched Heavenly Dao insect people to secretly hunt them, lest they spread to Insect Nest.
"Could Dingguang Tathagata really have been separated from Dipankara Buddha?"
Dingguang Tathagata had been born too recently. Its body had not yet fully formed, and even its intelligence was far inferior to that of Supreme Heavenly Demon.
Ren Qing swallowed hard. Why did it feel as though Supreme Heavenly Demon was not in a hurry to kill Dingguang Tathagata, but was instead slowly cooking it over low heat?
Supreme Heavenly Demon originated from Daode Heavenly Venerable and possessed terrifying powers of corrosion.
Ordinary cultivators were not the only ones affected. Even grass, trees, mountains, and stones could not escape. Under the influence of the demonic aura, they could easily transform into black goats.
Ren Qing did not know whether a Buddha could actually turn into a black goat.
If a Buddha possessing the Tathagata Buddhahood truly underwent demonic transformation, then Fortune Virtue Earth Immortal and Taiyin Star Lord would probably be unable to escape disaster.
Ren Qing felt that he still needed to keep an eye on Jingzhou. At the very least, after Dingguang Tathagata's fate was decided, it would be useful to determine Supreme Heavenly Demon's movements.
Speaking of which, quite a few cultivators from the Restraint Officers' Hall had come into contact with Supreme Heavenly Demon.
There was even a street within Dream City filled with demonic aura, where cultivators could temper their wills simply by staying there.
Ren Qing suddenly thought of Heavenly Daozi, who had once been Supreme Heavenly Demon, and could not help looking toward the various mountain ranges of Stomach World.
Stomach World had many villages, and countless of them were built against mountain ranges.
The inhabitants of these villages were of all sorts, with humans making up only a small proportion.
They worshiped various gods and immortals, most of which had been brought from the outside world. There were also villages that followed local customs and worshiped mountain gods.
The temples dedicated to mountain gods were indeed small. They were usually crude descendant temples, but the incense offerings were still quite prosperous every day.
Every five years, the temple keeper would take the initiative to set up a market and hold a grand Mountain God Festival.
There were also differences between the mountain gods of the north and south. The Southern Mountain God was known as Chen Changsheng, while the Northern Mountain God was Heavenly Daozi. The differences in their appearances could clearly be seen from their clay statues.
Ren Qing stared at the temple of the Northern Mountain God and fell into a daze.
After several hundred years, Heavenly Daozi's remnant soul had become more complete, as though it could strengthen itself by absorbing incense offerings.
The three souls and seven spirits of Heavenly Daozi could now barely be discerned. He was no longer like before, when he had been nothing more than a tenuous mass of soul fragments that seemed liable to extinguish at any moment.
Ren Qing did not know whether Heavenly Daozi could regain consciousness if he continued to be nurtured for another thousand years. He simply felt that, in a certain sense, this grandmaster of his might truly have a chance to live another life.
Chen Changsheng's condition was considerably better than Heavenly Daozi's.
His main problem had been the irreversible damage to his soul caused by uncontrolled Heavenly Dao transformation while he was alive. Now, most of that damage had recovered.
Ren Qing could not guarantee whether Chen Changsheng's memories had been preserved.
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes. Once Heaven and Earth Genesis broke through into One Gives Birth to Two and the Ghost Immortal Office had a surplus, he could bestow it upon the two grandmasters.
If the two grandmasters resumed cultivation from the beginning, they should be able to return to the Yang Spirit realm before long. After all, both had been exceptionally talented figures capable of founding sects.
Ren Qing's gaze swept over the incense within the Mountain God Temple. His consciousness then withdrew from Stomach World and returned to the tranquil Dragon Blood Sea Region.
He closed his eyes and repeatedly meditated on his cultivation methods, bringing his state of mind to a calmness like still water.
Heaven and Earth Genesis was Ren Qing's core cultivation method. Its Immortal Bone was located in his stomach and intestines, seemingly having replaced part of the functions of his organs.
Every time Ren Qing meditated, a stream of heat would surge from his stomach, nourishing his internal organs while also providing some benefit to his soul.
He did not continue immersing himself in meditation on Heaven and Earth Genesis. Instead, he summoned the information stream.
Should he advance to One Gives Birth to Two? This would consume forty thousand years of lifespan.
Ren Qing immediately confirmed it. His body and soul simultaneously began to itch unbearably, while his jade-like stomach emitted waves of faint light. That was the aura originating from the immortal position.
One Gives Birth to Two already belonged to the later stages of the Heavenly Aberration realm. His immortal body was approaching complete transformation, and its mysteries were naturally beyond the comprehension of mortals.
Ren Qing prepared himself in advance, and his consciousness immediately sank into boundless darkness.
"Zhenyuan is the innate spiritual root concealed within the acquired."
"When the spiritual root returns to its origin, the innate and acquired become one, forming the complete Taiji."
"Two and eight make one jin, complete and without loss, perfectly round and brilliantly radiant."
The voice screamed hysterically, like a dying man who had yet to recover from grievous wounds and was about to face the Black and White Impermanence coming to reap his life.
A horribly mutilated corpse appeared before Ren Qing's eyes. From its features alone, it was obvious that this was Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor, the being Ren Qing had encountered when breaking through Dao Gives Birth to One.
The flesh of Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor had already been devoured by Ren Qing. Only a skeleton covered in scraps of flesh remained, along with internal organs that were still relatively fresh.
Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor's eyes were filled with venomous resentment, as though the Ancestor of Earth Immortals truly existed in some invisible form and was watching as Ren Qing gradually plundered his body and soul.
Ren Qing did not even actively circulate Heaven and Earth Genesis. Under the influence of the information stream, the cultivation method began extracting the bones and internal organs of Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor.
Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor let out a shrill scream, his arms flailing wildly.
Ren Qing could feel his body gradually breaking free from the boundaries of a mortal body.
Stomach World was also undergoing transformation. The three realms were becoming increasingly distinct, while the Heavenly Court and Netherworld continued expanding in an orderly fashion as Heaven and Earth Genesis broke through its bottleneck.
"Mm..."
Li Heavenly Spirits sat cross-legged inside his cave dwelling when he suddenly sensed an inexplicable opportunity.
His three primary and auxiliary cultivation methods had originally been separated from Multitude Yang Immortal by only a single step, like a deep chasm. Yet now, the bottleneck had inexplicably loosened.
The millions of living beings in Stomach World all noticed something unusual at almost the same time.
Their stagnant cultivation levels suddenly seemed to have received an immortal's empowerment. Even without breaking through, they could clearly see the path ahead.
Song Zongwu disguised himself as an old man traveling the mortal world. Realizing that the opportunity to reach No-Birth Immortal was already close, he immediately returned to his cave dwelling to enter seclusion.
Within the entire Restraint Officers' Hall, only Great Dream Perfected Person understood what had happened.
He had already reached the Ascension Ladder of the Yang Spirit realm. Breaking through to the Heavenly Aberration realm was merely a matter of accumulating progress through persistent cultivation, so he spent most of every day in quiet cultivation.
Great Dream Perfected Person had long noticed that Stomach World possessed advantages unavailable in the outside world, with cultivation receiving a subtle boost.
The higher a cultivator's realm, the less noticeable the boost actually was.
But now, he could feel an almost imperceptible assistance toward breaking through to the Heavenly Aberration realm. That meant the Heavenly Dao's enhancement was truly terrifying.
"Ren Qing... broke through again, didn't he?"
Great Dream Perfected Person guessed that Ren Qing's cultivation method had broken through to a new realm, causing Stomach World's level to rise and thereby granting them assistance.
"His talent really is extraordinary. He improves almost every moment."
He did not believe that the so-called Turbid Weird Immortals could affect Ren Qing. He felt that it would not be long before Ren Qing reached the True Immortal realm.
It really was a case of one person attaining the Dao and even his chickens and dogs ascending to Heaven.
"Well, look at you, Great Dream Perfected Person. You actually have to rely on a junior for your cultivation."
Great Dream Perfected Person was rendered speechless, then continued cultivating with his eyes closed.
Once Ren Qing had completely finished his breakthrough, Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor in the darkness was left with only a head. Every other part of his body had completely disappeared.
The head continuously drifted up and down while muttering the contents of Heaven and Earth Genesis.
Ren Qing could only smile bitterly at the sight. If he had undergone the breakthrough through normal means, the danger could easily be imagined. He probably would have had to fight Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor to the death.
Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor could not possibly have offered no resistance. Only the information stream could so easily strip away an immortal body.
Ren Qing opened his eyes. His body was still a little over two meters tall, and his appearance had not changed noticeably at all. It seemed as though there was no difference whatsoever.
He immediately activated Heaven and Earth Genesis, attempting to transform into the immortal body of Zhenyuan Earth Ancestor.
Heat began emanating from his stomach. Strands of flesh as thin as hairs frantically drilled out, covering Ren Qing's entire body.
Ren Qing instinctively curled up, like an infant inside a womb.
A moment later, he actually transformed into a writhing stomach organ. Then flesh began spreading outward, and an oppressive immortal body gradually took shape.
For several li around the Dragon Blood Sea Region, the phenomena of Stomach World enveloped everything.
One could see cities and towns standing upon the earth. Above them was the magnificent Heavenly Court, while beneath their feet was the gloomy and terrifying Netherworld.
It seemed as though with a wave of his hand, he could unleash a large-scale Method of Modeling Heaven and Earth, causing Stomach World to descend upon the outside world and create an environment resembling a forbidden zone.
Ren Qing sucked in a cold breath and immediately abandoned the attempt to transform into his immortal body.
The phenomena vanished completely. The flesh rapidly decayed, and Ren Qing crawled out from within it. A body dozens of meters tall could be seen taking shape at the original location.
However, although he had grasped the immortal body, he still could not control it freely. The disturbance was simply too great.
If not for the upheaval in Jingzhou, and if the region where the Dragon Blood Sea Region was located had not been so remote, it would inevitably have attracted the attention of numerous forces.
Ren Qing glanced at Insect Nest in Jingzhou, wondering whether the Mother had noticed the phenomena.
He directly activated Heavenly Demon Tribulation, erasing the Dragon Blood Sea Region's presence for several breaths. Only then did the negative effects brought about by the immortal body gradually subside.
The divination on the tortoise shell, which had changed from auspicious to ominous, returned to an auspicious sign.
Ren Qing now needed to practice controlling his immortal body properly. He had to avoid being unable to wield it with precision, while also preparing for his eventual attainment of immortality.
He then turned his attention to the increase in immortal positions after Heaven and Earth Genesis reached One Gives Birth to Two.
The Human Immortal Office gained twelve positions, the Earth Immortal Office gained four, and there was one Divine Immortal position. Unfortunately, no crucial Heavenly Immortal position appeared.
Ren Qing felt that if Stomach World wanted an independent path to immortality, the key was how much of a boost the Heavenly Immortal position could provide cultivators.
He was somewhat disappointed. Just as he was about to consider how to distribute the various immortal positions, he suddenly noticed something unusual.
The most basic Ghost Immortal Office associated with Heaven and Earth Genesis seemed not to have gained any additional positions.
Ren Qing thought of a possibility and immediately communicated with the Heavenly Dao of Stomach World. He instantly discovered what distinguished the Ghost Immortal Office from the other immortal positions.
After Heaven and Earth Genesis advanced to One Gives Birth to Two, the Ghost Immortal Office unexpectedly no longer had a numerical limit.
If Ren Qing wished, he could bestow the Ghost Immortal Office upon the millions of living beings in Stomach World, and even the Heavenly Dao Tree seemed to have undergone a subtle change.
The Ghost Immortal Office could allow cultivation methods to receive the Heavenly Dao's blessing and could also permit free travel between the three realms.
The dozens of positions available before had already been quite a lot, but compared to the several million inhabitants of Stomach World, they still seemed woefully inadequate.
The Yang Spirit realm cultivators of the Restraint Officers' Hall were continually increasing in number. Even new-generation cultivators such as Han Li had begun attempting to break through their bottlenecks.
If the Ghost Immortal Office continued to provide only a dozen or so positions with each breakthrough, Stomach World's system of attaining immortality would become increasingly impractical.
A smile appeared on Ren Qing's face, and his first thought was to create a large number of Ghost Immortals.
But then he remembered that without rules, nothing could be properly regulated. He forcibly suppressed the impulse to bestow immortal positions on a massive scale and carefully considered the advantages and disadvantages.
Ren Qing shook his head.
He could no longer bestow immortal positions in his own name. He had to perfect Stomach World's rules and let the Heavenly Dao handle the selection.
Ren Qing's consciousness merged into the Heavenly Dao, and he seemed to become one with Stomach World itself.
"Those recognized by the Heavenly Dao who have achieved the Yang Spirit realm shall be awarded the Ghost Immortal Office."
His words sounded in the ears of every Yang Spirit realm cultivator. Many had not even reacted when they suddenly felt their bodies and souls tremble.
Daoist Taihan let out a long breath and stared at the palm-sized seal before him.
The seal had been transformed from the Ghost Immortal Office. It radiated a terrifying aura, yet it also caused the true essence within his dantian to become extraordinarily active.
Daoist Taihan reached out with trembling hands and touched the Ghost Immortal Office. The seal immediately drilled into his Mud Pellet Palace.
He felt as though his body and soul were undergoing the baptism of the Heavenly Dao. At last, he understood why Jade Splendor had surpassed him in only a few decades.
"Heavenly Court..."
Daoist Taihan muttered excitedly to himself, and his concerns about Insect Nest immediately vanished.
In fact, although Ren Qing had not allowed Insect Vein to participate in the Jingzhou expedition missions, Daoist Taihan had still roughly figured out the situation in the outside world through information gathered from various channels.
Daoist Taihan learned that Ren Qing was not Fortune Virtue Earth Immortal. Rather, the ancient gods and immortals had once all been directly subordinate to the already-destroyed Heavenly Court.
Fortune Virtue Earth Immortal was still alive, while Insect Nest was also doing everything it could to obtain immortal positions.
Daoist Taihan had been caught in a long struggle over the sudden opposition between Insect Nest and Heavenly Court. He was nowhere near as decisive as Jade Splendor.
Now, it seemed that the Restraint Officers' Hall truly was the legitimate successor of Heavenly Court.
As the guide of Heavenly Court, Ren Qing had already found a way to continue the path to immortality. In the long run, there was simply no way to refine an immortal position.
Daoist Taihan no longer considered the gains and losses. He prepared to cultivate throughout the three realms like most Ghost Immortals, laying the foundation for the Heavenly Aberration realm.
Ren Qing closed his eyes and discovered that nearly ten Ghost Immortals had suddenly appeared in Stomach World.
Most of the Yang Spirit realm cultivators were members of the various branches of the Restraint Officers' Hall who had successfully broken through using abundant resources. However, there were also three Yang Spirit realm cultivators who were actually rogue cultivators unaffiliated with the major powers.
With the opening of the Ghost Immortal Office, there would certainly be Yin Difference realm cultivators seeking breakthroughs, and Stomach World's overall strength would increase significantly.
Ren Qing's thoughts stirred, and clouds gathered toward the center of the Heavenly Court.
Before long, the outline of a palace became vividly clear. It somewhat resembled the Lingxiao Palace standing among the clouds in Ren Qing's memories.
Only cultivators at or above the Ghost Immortal realm could enter the Lingxiao Palace.
Ren Qing did not define a specific purpose for the Lingxiao Palace. His main thought was that the various Heavenly Courts should not interfere with one another, so there needed to be a neutral place.
At present, missions to venture outside were becoming increasingly frequent for Stomach World.
This indicated that cultivators were consciously or unconsciously exploring this world. Before long, even cultivators above the Yang Spirit realm would participate.
Faced with those unmanned forbidden zones hidden throughout the world, if they wanted to seal them completely,
they would have to spend time studying the rules of each forbidden zone. Dream City was simply too noisy, so holding discussions in the Lingxiao Palace would be just right.
As more and more Restraint Officers' Hall cultivators entered the outside world, the name Heavenly Court would soon spread throughout this world, invisibly changing the situation.
Ren Qing had just withdrawn from Stomach World when he suddenly seemed to remember something. His consciousness traveled to the temple where the remnants of the two grandmasters were stored.
The village surrounding the Heavenly Daozi Mountain God Temple was quite large, with more than thirty thousand inhabitants.
The mortals in the village had peculiar appearances. Their arms and legs each had an extra joint.
As a result, their limbs were much more flexible, and they practiced a martial art called Nine-Section Iron Whip, which allowed them to swing their arms like whips.
Ren Qing did not remember ever bringing a similar race into Stomach World. Most likely, when he had gathered large numbers of people in the past, some Multi-Jointed People had been mixed among them.
The sonorous sound of children reading aloud rang out beside the Mountain God Temple.
The children all wore Daoist robes sewn by their parents from cotton and linen cloth. They followed the temple keeper in learning the common written language so that they could eventually venture beyond the mountains.
They yearned for the prosperous towns outside in a way all their own. Leaving the village through the imperial examinations was obviously unrealistic, so their only option was to strengthen themselves through martial arts.
The old temple keeper watched the children's earnest attitudes with satisfaction.
The mountain god's descendant temple was less than half a meter tall. From the eaves and walls, it was obvious that the temple had been repaired more times than the old temple keeper had lived years.
The appearance of the mountain god's statue had consequently become blurred.
The old temple keeper wiped the dust from the surface of the temple with his sleeve, replaced the dried offerings with fresh peaches and plums, and recited scriptures under his breath.
He vaguely remembered becoming lost in the deep mountains once, only for a figure to guide him back to the village.
In the old temple keeper's eyes, the mountain god had always existed, secretly protecting the village. That was why he was willing to offer a century of worship to Heavenly Daozi.
Just as he lit the incense and candles, a green jade seal slowly descended into the statue's hand. Countless flashes of spiritual light seemed to pass through it.
When the old temple keeper turned around, he noticed that the temple had become completely empty.
The mountain god statue that had stood there for several hundred years had vanished without a trace.
His face immediately went pale with fright, and he hurriedly looked toward the children studying and practicing martial arts.
Yet the old temple keeper found that none of the normally mischievous children had left their seats.
He could not help but panic. But soon, he noticed a tall, white-haired old man standing in the shadows not far away.
The white-haired old man stared blankly at the children wearing Daoist robes.
Ren Qing had initially thought that Heavenly Daozi had recovered the memories from his lifetime, but after carefully observing him for a long time, he eliminated that possibility.
He did not force Heavenly Daozi to recover his memories.
The true Heavenly Daozi had already become part of Supreme Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Daozi within Stomach World was merely a false remnant soul.
After hesitating for a moment, Ren Qing took out a cultivation manual called Dao Dao Dao from his robes and placed it beside Heavenly Daozi before leaving the mountain village.
"Huang Qi, is that you..."
Heavenly Daozi picked up Dao Dao Dao and began flipping through it. He did not speak again for a long time.
Only when the old temple keeper approached him did Heavenly Daozi once again transform into the mountain god statue, except that his left hand now held the seal while his right hand supported the book.
The old temple keeper's eyes filled with tears of excitement, and his legs began trembling uncontrollably.
He knew that the mountain god had changed in more than just the appearance of its statue. It had likely become completely different, and perhaps could even protect the villages throughout the surrounding mountains.
The old temple keeper had seen demons and monsters in the deep forests and mountains. He also knew that Yunxian Village to the north had been destroyed by demons twenty years ago.
With the mountain god present, the village's future would surely be more peaceful.
Compared to Heavenly Daozi, Chen Changsheng directly remembered the memories of his life. He did not need Ren Qing to transmit any cultivation method and had already begun rebuilding his cultivation with a clear purpose.
Chen Changsheng was ambitious, but with the current state of the Restraint Officers' Hall, he could only follow the greater trend.
Ren Qing released several bacterial souls to monitor the two grandmasters. He continued stabilizing his cultivation in One Gives Birth to Two while refining his control over his immortal body.
He noticed that after transforming into his immortal body, he could faintly sense the aura of nearby immortal positions. The Wind God Boqiang and Silkworm Mother Insect Immortal were completely impossible to conceal.
This was not good news.
Ren Qing feared that cultivators in the later stages of the Heavenly Aberration realm might discover the immortal positions he had hidden away, so he used various methods to seal them off as thoroughly as possible.
Even so, within ten li of the Dragon Blood Sea Region, the aura of the immortal positions could still be sensed.
Ren Qing could not help feeling a headache. He finally understood why Matchmaking Immortal had hidden tens of thousands of meters beneath the sea. In the eyes of True Immortals, existences at the same realm were probably impossible to conceal.
"I have to begin constructing the immortal-position forbidden zone as soon as possible..."
There were three conditions for an immortal position to form a forbidden zone. Ren Qing could barely satisfy all three, but the number of immortal positions was certainly far from sufficient.
Ren Qing could not help glancing toward Jingzhou several times. Two ready-made immortal positions were right before him. It would truly be a waste not to compete for them.
Unfortunately, before the battle between the immortals and Buddhas in Jingzhou was decided, approaching an immortal position was simply a death sentence.
He could instead pay more attention to Wuming's movements. After all, the cultivators in the Mirror World had already decreased by one-third.
Through Corpse Immortal, Wuming could influence more than a dozen different forces.
Ren Qing could sense the undercurrents surging everywhere. The force most heavily affected was Insect Nest.
Among the four Mothers, there was not only a follower of the Buddhist sect, but also one controlled by Corpse Immortal. Insect Nest had been riddled with internal damage by the various forces.
Ren Qing could not help feeling pity for them, then decisively began investigating Insect Nest.
Heavenly Dao insect people belonging exclusively to the Restraint Officers' Hall appeared around Insect Nest one after another. Daoist Taihan formulated the plan for infiltrating Insect Nest.
Jade Splendor was responsible for carrying it out, leading the Heavenly Dao insect people into the interior of Insect Nest.
Ren Qing was very curious. When the Mother of Insect Nest was preparing to move against Fortune Virtue Earth Immortal, what choices would it make when trouble suddenly erupted within its own ranks?
He now understood the advantages of being a player moving the pieces.
Although he was clearly situated in the remote Dragon Blood Sea Region, intelligence from the various forces still flowed into the Restraint Officers' Hall through different channels.
Ren Qing's expression became strange. As Heavenly Court's reputation rose to prominence, half-true, half-false ruins of Heavenly Court had begun appearing throughout this world.
"Oh no... Have I become the body double?"