Wuwei City was like a giant crab rampaging across the sea of clouds. Every time its limbs rose and fell, spores scattered in all directions.
Numerous cultivators could be seen patrolling atop the city walls, mainly to prevent attacks from the Longevity Species.
However, to the surprise of the Restraint Officers' Hall, ever since the drastic transformation of the Longevity Forbidden Zone, not a single Longevity Species had been seen again. The entire place had become eerily silent.
Although every siege by the Longevity Species was usually separated by decades, at the very least, scattered Longevity Species could normally be seen wandering outside the city.
Wuwei City had already been traveling for more than half a year. Looking out, there was nothing but an endless sea of clouds.
Under such circumstances, it did not cause any chaos within the Restraint Officers' Hall. After all, with a Heavenly Aberration realm cultivator overseeing everything, there was no need to worry about sudden changes within the forbidden zone.
Ren Qing was also as elusive as ever. After stabilizing the newly advanced Wuying Ghost, he disappeared without a trace. Only around the temple district in Cishi Street could he occasionally be seen.
The Restraint Officers' Hall gradually began digesting the resources obtained from the Beast Pen and distributing them among the various branches. Naturally, there was no shortage of open and hidden competition.
Regardless, this was a world where strength reigned supreme. As long as Ren Qing was present, it was impossible for internal strife severe enough to shake the foundations to occur.
As they approached the source of the hurricane, Wuwei City's steps became increasingly heavy.
Bang...
One of Wuwei City's limbs landed, and the faces emerging from the walls looked somewhat distorted.
Aside from the city interior protected by the barrier, the exterior had nearly been completely covered by fungi. Though each fungal growth was only the size of a palm, their accumulated weight was becoming increasingly unbearable.
The fungi were not lethal, but they brought incomparable suffering to Wuwei City.
It had endured only because of Ren Qing's invisible deterrence, but eventually it could no longer suppress itself.
Wuwei City simply stopped where it was. No matter how the Restraint Officers' Hall nourished it with flesh and blood, it refused to continue traveling, completely giving up on itself.
Li Tiangang felt somewhat helpless and quickly dispatched cultivators outside the city to clear away the fungi. Otherwise, the fungi would likely bury Wuwei City entirely.
The fungi were like barnacles attached to a whale. They were difficult to remove on their own, especially when there wasn't even a single rock in the cloud sea capable of withstanding an impact.
When Wuwei City had originally been refined, Ren Qing had never intended it to develop into a war machine, so it possessed virtually no spell techniques.
Since the matter involved the Six Diseases Method, Li Tiangang naturally needed to inform Ren Qing. Unfortunately, the message disappeared without a trace.
Ren Qing was probably occupied dealing with Song Zongwu's situation. Li Tiangang could hardly disturb him over this, so he instead directed the various branches to head outside the city.
At present, only Li Tiangang possessed the authority to command all the branches of the Restraint Officers' Hall.
The other Yang Spirit realm cultivators either lacked sufficient prestige or were like Li Yaoyang, spending all day immersed in refining Gu insects and hardly concerning themselves with worldly affairs.
Song Zongwu was qualified, but after regaining part of his consciousness half a month ago, another accident occurred with his body and soul, and he still had not awakened.
Li Tiangang had Han Li assist him and ultimately selected several hundred cultivators proficient in fire-attributed techniques to clear the fungi attached to Wuwei City.
Wuwei City had only spent a year in the cloud sea, yet the fungal layer had already reached two meters thick. It was nearly impossible to strip away with blades alone and could only be burned directly using spell techniques.
The cultivators were fully equipped, their bodies wrapped in robes. Even their mouths and noses were covered by specialized magical artifacts designed to filter the spores in the air.
Since the Longevity Forbidden Zone involved an immortal position, it was no longer purely related to the Six Diseases Method. It likely concealed some indescribable danger. Remaining cautious had always been the principle of the Restraint Officers' Hall.
The cultivators practiced different techniques, but every one of them possessed flame-containing organs somewhere on their bodies.
Some had skin covered in cracks like molten lava. Beneath the skin and flesh flowed scorching, viscous blood.
Flames burst forth and immediately produced sizzling sounds upon landing on the walls.
The spores were tiny, but each one exploded with a crackle. Countless explosions connected together in an instant. Without fire-resistant robes, injuries would have been inevitable.
Han Li shook his head.
Whether it was an illusion or not, he seemed to hear strange sounds ringing in his ears.
It was as if someone was chanting the name Boqiang...
A large section of fungi along the western wall was completely burned away. The spores seemed almost intelligent, drifting in the opposite direction, only to be overtaken by sparks and quickly reduced to ashes.
Wuwei City trembled.
Not because of the pain from the burning.
As a Yin Difference realm Ghost Embryo Artifact, ordinary fire was insufficient to harm it. It trembled because of the relief brought by the disappearance of the fungi.
"Old Wang..."
A cultivator with a crimson lizard tail frowned and asked, "Do you feel like the smell is a little strange?"
"Strange how?"
"It smells like cooked meat..."
The two looked at each other.
Neither paid it much attention. Strange phenomena appearing within the forbidden zone were perfectly normal. A scent of meat hardly counted for anything.
However, after hearing the conversation, Han Li could not help furrowing his brows tightly.
He moved through the gaps in the wall, but the strange feeling in his heart remained. In the end, he collected several charred pieces of fungi and sent them into the city.
Li Tiangang was not particularly familiar with the Six Diseases Method, so after passing through several hands, the samples ultimately ended up with Ren Qing.
At the moment, Ren Qing was in Cishi Street. Waves of dream spell techniques radiated from his body, and sitting before him was Song Zongwu, cross-legged and chanting scriptures.
Song Zongwu's condition was extremely peculiar. His remnant soul had regained consciousness through the Soul Brain, but that consciousness seemed not to be within his body.
As a result, he remained immersed in reciting Buddhist scriptures, neither improving nor worsening.
Using the wondrous capabilities of the Zhili Technique, Ren Qing sensed Song Zongwu's thoughts, attempting to discover the reason for the problem with his consciousness.
His method was extremely crude, akin to repeatedly trial-and-error testing while creating a spell technique. He simply used the Zhili Technique over and over to inspect the remnant soul.
Yet it was the only option available. Song Zongwu possessed only a sliver of his Heavenly Soul. It simply could not endure the bacterial soul transforming into a Nightmare Demon and descending into his dreams.
Fortunately, all of Ren Qing's techniques had reached the No-Birth Immortal level. Time was something he had plenty of.
Furthermore, although he had mastered the Zhili Technique for a long time, he could not truly be considered proficient. This was a good opportunity to patiently polish the technique in preparation for the Heavenly Aberration realm.
Occasionally, he also attempted to contact Great Dream Zhenren, but the situation there was equally unpromising.
Great Dream Zhenren's consciousness had likely entered an even deeper layer of dreams, leaving only the faintest sense of his existence.
The few decades Ren Qing had experienced in the outside world could have equaled ten thousand years in Great Dream Zhenren's dream. There was no telling what sort of crisis he had encountered.
Ren Qing had cast a divination for Great Dream Zhenren. The result was ominous with a hint of fortune. The favorable omen faintly outweighed the unfavorable one, suggesting a possibility of escaping danger.
He could not pinpoint Great Dream Zhenren's exact location and could only wait for the hundred-year deadline. If the latter escaped, he would certainly come to Xiangxiang.
Chirping sounds rang out.
A bird-type Strange Beast landed on Ren Qing's shoulder and attempted to hand over the item it was carrying, but Ren Qing paid it no attention.
The bird extended its beak to peck him, only to suddenly sense a terrifying aura. It immediately flew to the windowsill and hid its head beneath its wings.
Ren Qing's consciousness had successfully made contact with Song Zongwu's Heavenly Soul. Given how fragile the remnant soul was, Spirit Division naturally could not be used at such a critical moment.
A moment later, he withdrew the Zhili Technique.
There had been some gains, though not many.
Part of the information involved Lingshan Temple.
Ren Qing digested the fragmented memories. The scene appeared to take place within a magnificent temple, with the perspective originating from a Buddha statue atop an altar.
He could hear monks chanting scriptures identical to those spoken by Song Zongwu.
Ren Qing returned to his senses, took a deep breath, and stared at Song Zongwu. He then severed the Soul Brain's nerves, causing Song Zongwu to fall asleep once more.
The reason Song Zongwu's consciousness could not awaken was definitely not because he was trapped in a dream. It was likely related to the two souls and seven spirits that had been devoured by Buddhist aura.
To restore his soul completely, it would be necessary to visit Lingshan Temple and kill that so-called Sitting-Deer Arhat.
Ren Qing rubbed his temples with a headache.
The problem was that nobody knew where Lingshan Temple was. The temple had no fixed location and wandered through remote mountains and forests.
Its public explanation was that it wandered in search of disciples and destined opportunities. In reality, its Heavenly Aberration realm strength simply wasn't enough, and it dared not remain in one place for too long.
This alone demonstrated how dangerous this world truly was. It was far beyond what ordinary people could handle.
Ren Qing himself had survived countless near-death experiences, relying entirely on his various trump cards. Great Dream Zhenren and Song Zongwu were no exception.
The two probably never understood the value of lying low. They had barely left the beginner village before running into major disasters.
Great Dream Zhenren had gone searching for the remains of the Lord of Tai Sui, while Song Zongwu had returned to Lingshan Temple. Both matters involved Heavenly Aberration realm existences...
Ren Qing could only continue using Song Zongwu's remnant soul in an attempt to uncover clues to Lingshan Temple's whereabouts.
He opened his eyes and casually accepted the letter from the bird-type Strange Beast. Inside were fungal ashes and an explanation of the events that had led to them. A stench unique to burned corpses rushed straight into his nose.
"Hm?"
A strange look appeared on Ren Qing's face.
Rubbing the ashes between his fingers, he found that they resembled cremated bone ash. The information flow likewise identified them as "skeletal remains."
Seeing that Han Li had collected the ashes, Ren Qing instructed him to bring over some fresh fungi.
He had never carefully examined the fungi before because they appeared too ordinary. Furthermore, the Longevity Forbidden Zone had only recently completed its transformation, while he himself had been occupied stabilizing the Wuying Ghost.
While continuing to use the Zhili Technique, he waited for Han Li's response.
Before long, Han Li hurried over to Cishi Street. He had clearly realized that the strange phenomena within the Longevity Forbidden Zone were no ordinary matter.
Not long after entering the temple, he noticed the coffin containing Song Zongwu's body and soul. His footsteps unconsciously became lighter.
Back in Jingzhou, Song Zongwu had saved many disciples of Wuwei Daoist Temple and had also guided Han Li personally. His expression became complicated.
"Senior Ren, please take a look..."
Han Li forcefully suppressed his distracting thoughts. If even Ren Qing, a Heavenly Aberration realm cultivator, was powerless, then a newly advanced Yin Difference realm cultivator like himself could only make matters worse.
Ren Qing accepted the cloth bag Han Li handed over.
Moon Patterns were engraved on its surface, specifically to prevent fungal spores from spreading.
"This disciple was delayed by some matters. I also found a strange corpse. Everything's inside the storage pouch."
After speaking, Han Li did not disturb Ren Qing further. He turned and left the temple, choosing to wait outside so he could enter again whenever needed.
Ren Qing glanced at the corpse inside the storage pouch and could not help letting out a soft sound of surprise.
The corpse resembled a skinned bird or beast embryo, yet its feathers still rustled faintly. Its face was twisted, and its limbs showed varying degrees of degeneration.
Examining the corpse, he confirmed it was indeed a Longevity Species.
After questioning Han Li, he learned that the corpse had originally been found in a deep pit beneath Wuwei City. It seemed to have died shortly after emerging from the ground.
Ren Qing immediately noticed a blind spot in his understanding.
When he had first arrived in the Longevity Forbidden Zone, the Longevity Species had been lifeforms formed from strange objects. Later on, intelligent Longevity Species became increasingly rare.
Thirty years ago, during the siege of the city, there had even been several Yin Difference realm Longevity Species mixed in. Yet by the final attack, they had become little more than mindless Strange Beasts.
Ren Qing recalled the statues of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity he had seen before. That indicated that even earlier in history, the Longevity Species had possessed power far beyond that of humanity.
Whether the disappearance of that power was connected to Chen Changsheng was difficult to say.
But the Longevity Species were undeniably regressing.