The scorched earth emitted a foul odor, and from time to time, sparks would attempt to reignite, but there was nothing left around to burn.
At a glance, several mountain slopes were completely barren, with wisps of white smoke slowly rising. Strangely, however, wild rice grew thickly at the border area.
There were over a hundred mu in total.
It was early spring, yet the rice was growing vigorously and looked ready to head and bear grain.
As the mountain wind blew, sparks scattered, yet not a ripple stirred within the rice field.
Outside the field lay a sizeable military camp. Dozens of soldiers patrolled nervously around the rice field, occasionally casting glances toward it.
A massive stone stele stood at the field's edge, embedded with several strange human eyes, constantly rotating.
Apart from the soldiers going about their duties, there were also quite a few Restraint Officers stationed at the site, all deliberately keeping their distance, seemingly waiting for something.
The camp had been established for more than ten days, yet the atmosphere remained stifled.
Song Zongwu stood atop a distant cliff, sweeping his six eyes across the rice field. His four arms were crossed before his chest, and his expression was rather grim.
It was hard to imagine that in such a peaceful forest lay a Forbidden Zone called the Food-Consuming Immortal.
The other Restraint Officers dared not disturb him, instead resting around the wild rice field, waiting for Song Zongwu to give the order to seal the Forbidden Zone.
After a few days of contact, they discovered that the Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone was even stranger than expected.
A few days ago, a wild boar had lost control and charged toward the rice field. As it drew nearer, its body gradually shrank.
In the blink of an eye, it disappeared completely.
Afterward, residents of Annan Town, those with lines on their chest and abdomen, all retched up boar fur.
The only fortunate aspect was that the Forbidden Zone did not actively absorb living beings, it merely enticed them to harvest the rice in the field. After eating it, disorderly lines would grow across their chest and abdomen.
Fortunately, the Restraint Officers' Hall had found a method to remove the Forbidden Zone's influence.
One only needed to refrain from food and drink for seven days and nights, and the lines on the chest and abdomen would gradually fade.
The Restraint Officers' Hall used techniques to forcibly sustain the lives of mortals, thereby eliminating the danger for the twenty thousand residents of Annan Town, preventing catastrophe.
The camp was overseen by Jiang Feng. Though he appeared to be resting with eyes closed, he was actually using the eyeballs on the stele to observe the rice field, lest something unexpected occur.
Quite a few official Restraint Officers had been dragged into the Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone within Annan Town, causing the zone's area to expand multiple times.
Naturally, he did not want further complications, and could only proceed with extreme caution.
In fact, if it weren't for a few Yin Runner-level figures secretly intervening, the Forbidden Zone would've already been sealed right after the incident in Annan Town was handled.
A still-chilly spring breeze blew past, causing the rice to ripple like waves on the sea.
Song Zongwu's eyes flickered.
He strode swiftly toward the rice field, struck his fists against the ground with force. The earth shook, but the rice stalks swayed without breaking.
Song Zongwu did not place much hope in Ren Qing escaping from within. After all, each Forbidden Zone contained vast numbers of Supernatural Remnants, not something a Ghost Envoy realm could contend with.
Though he had tried to stall for time, a deadline still loomed.
The Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone was far too close to Annan Town. Left unchecked, it would threaten the lives of tens of thousands.
Annan Town was the grain storehouse of Xiangxiang. If something went wrong, it would affect the entire region.
Crack crack crack...
Faint sounds came from the rice field.
Song Zongwu's expression shifted in shock. These past days, no matter what methods he used, the rice within had remained completely undamaged.
His blood-red six eyes widened, pupils sweeping meticulously across the hundred mu of rice.
He quickly noticed something odd: near the edge, a grain of rice had ripened and fallen.
The grain was floating gently in the air with the mountain breeze.
In an instant, Song Zongwu appeared before the grain, gently pinching it between his fingers.
The husk fell away on its own, revealing a body growing with the wind.
His expression went blank for a moment, then he quickly examined it carefully. The body resembled Huang Ziwan, though the skin lacked that purplish hue.
"Huang Ziwan?"
Song Zongwu pressed his finger against the figure's brow and forcefully drew out a wisp of soul.
The soul took the appearance of Ren Qing, but it felt hollow and insubstantial, possessing only the intelligence of a typical seven- or eight-year-old child.
Song Zongwu's expression shifted several times, then he let out a long sigh.
In his view, Ren Qing must have used some method to escape the Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone, but lost his body and suffered a soul defect.
Even if he reconstructed his body using techniques, he wouldn't live more than a few years.
If not for this incident, Ren Qing would've certainly advanced to the Yin Runner realm. A pity...
Just as Song Zongwu was about to stow the soul away, wanting to at least let Ren Qing rest in peace, he failed to notice that another grain had drifted nearby.
As its husk split, Ren Qing's original body crawled out.
Inside the camp, Jiang Feng suddenly stood up, visibly shocked.
"How is this possible?!!"
The other Restraint Officers were farther away and hadn't noticed any abnormalities in the Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone. One by one, they turned their gazes toward Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng shook his head and wisely kept silent.
Noticing Ren Qing, Song Zongwu felt a bit awkward and released the soul-split from his palm, which returned to the original body's Niwan Palace.
To think he'd felt genuine regret over a mere soul-split.
"You actually made it out alive..."
Song Zongwu examined Ren Qing carefully, worried it might be a hidden hand left behind by the Forbidden Zone.
Ren Qing's taut nerves finally relaxed, and he couldn't help but fall asleep.
Moments later, Song Zongwu didn't detect anything strange, only that Ren Qing's leg bones were broken and his blood and energy severely depleted.
It was clearly a case of severe injuries not yet healed.
Ghost Shadow watched Song Zongwu warily, guarding against any living being approaching.
Song Zongwu's lips curled upward, but he forcibly suppressed a smile, after all, Restraint Officers had died within the Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone.
Still, this shadow... should also be a Ghost Envoy-level technique, right?
Why did it feel like it had already undergone a metamorphosis?
Blessings and misfortunes go hand in hand. Since Ren Qing possessed such fortune, he might go even further in the future, perhaps even touch the Yang God realm.
Song Zongwu punched the Ghost Shadow with his fist, causing it to immediately wilt.
Seeing this, he picked up Ren Qing, then vanished in several flickers from the area surrounding the Forbidden Zone, presumably heading for a nearby mountaintop.
Jiang Feng stood within the camp. Song Zongwu's voice rang in his ear:
"Notify them, the Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone is to be sealed with techniques temporarily."
Cold sweat dotted his forehead. Though on the surface Song Zongwu was issuing orders, it was also a warning not to speak of this incident.
Jiang Feng naturally didn't dare offend a Yin Runner, and quickly began coordinating the Restraint Officers.
...
When Ren Qing opened his eyes, two days had already passed. Though his leg bones had mostly healed, he still felt physically weak.
He realized he was inside a cave and couldn't help but feel his heart race.
Afraid he hadn't truly escaped the Forbidden Zone.
Then he recalled the events that had taken place, letting out a long breath.
The risks contained in the Forbidden Zone were simply too numerous. If not for Yu Dachuan's willingness to delay, he might've exhausted all his means and still failed to escape.
He narrowed his eyes.
If Shui Hulu found out that Ren Qing had escaped, he might come seeking vengeance, venting his rage over Yu Dachuan's fate.
That person was a madman.
Ren Qing made up his mind, once he reached the Yin Runner realm and had the strength, he would find an opportunity to kill Shui Hulu, to avoid future trouble.
Just as he was lost in thought, Song Zongwu stepped into the cave.
"Ren Qing, I didn't expect even the Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone couldn't trap you..."
"Just lucky, just lucky."
Ren Qing stretched lazily. Compared to the constant life-or-death struggle in the Forbidden Zone, even roughing it in the real world felt comfortable.
Song Zongwu sat down cross-legged, his expression serious. "Ren Qing, can you describe in detail what happened inside the Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone?"
"I... wait a sec."
Ren Qing nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something. The strange mouth in his palm opened and released dozens of people.
The townsfolk had been in a comatose state for days and looked visibly emaciated.
Lu Xiaoyu was in slightly better shape. Once exposed to the outside world, she rubbed her eyes and woke up.
Her mouth fell open, and she couldn't tell if she was still in the Forbidden Zone. Her thoughts were a complete mess, and she said nothing.
Huang Ziwan looked utterly bored.
Inside the Prison Within the Abdomen, there had been enough water and food, it was just too cramped, like being imprisoned in a real jail.
What struck Huang Ziwan as strange was that within Ren Qing's mustard-seed space, he had faintly sensed a terrifying presence.
But before he could investigate further, he had returned to the outside world.
Looking around, Huang Ziwan quickly greeted Ren Qing and the others.
Ren Qing furrowed his brow slightly.
He noticed the purplish hue of Huang Ziwan's skin had deepened, indicating his mutation was spiraling out of control, though not yet reaching the level of Stomach within the Stomach.
"Old Huang, are you alright?"
Huang Ziwan gave a bitter smile. "Just being alive is already good enough. Losing control of the mutation will only mean staying away from populated areas."
Ren Qing hesitated for a moment. "You could try forging a dream artifact in the Ghost Market. Maybe you can suppress the toxin inside you with a magical tool."
"Thanks."
Huang Ziwan waved his hand, but he wasn't holding out much hope.
Then the two of them described everything that happened inside the Forbidden Zone to Song Zongwu, including the bizarre rules they encountered.
Song Zongwu fell silent after hearing this, his fingers tapping the stone wall.
After a long while, he finally said, "The Food-Consuming Immortal Forbidden Zone is too close to Annan Town. It's a serious issue. With the intel you provided, we can consider completely eliminating it."
Ren Qing was stunned. "The Forbidden Zone has devoured several types of Supernatural Remnants. It's definitely going to mutate again. What we described may be far from the current reality."
Song Zongwu shook his head. "Doesn't matter. The core Supernatural Remnant, Food-Consuming Immortal Technique, won't change."
He spoke firmly. "There are several aged Restraint Officers in the Restraint Officers' Hall with nearly depleted lifespan. I'll bring them into the Forbidden Zone."
"Even if I die, the zone's area will only expand a hundredfold. Then we'll simply relocate Annan Town."
Ren Qing didn't know how to respond.
He could only explain in detail the Supernatural Remnants hidden within the Forbidden Zone.
Song Zongwu recorded everything. "The three of you can stay here. I'll arrange accommodations for the townsfolk."
Ren Qing quickly decided to remain at the camp for now. Returning to the city would attract too much attention, and Shui Hulu was still watching him from the shadows.
It was the perfect opportunity to prepare for the advancement of the Heavenly Dao Worm, and to familiarize himself with the Food-Consuming Immortal Technique.
Huang Ziwan and the others also chose not to leave.