After the Brain Tree fell into a brief silence, it immediately became even more frenzied, its roots constantly slapping against the ground, attempting to find the source emitting the aura of the pseudo-soul.
In an instant, tens of thousands of strange creatures were turned into minced flesh, the scent of blood spreading out.
Ren Qing's heart rose to his throat. If he had to face dozens or hundreds of roots, even if his whole body grew full of Double Pupils, it would be impossible to dodge.
Most crucially, the Fungus Tree seemed to have also detected the existence of the Ghost Essence Soul and began tentatively approaching; the situation grew ever more complicated.
Song Zongwu took a deep breath, the light on his fingers retracting.
He restrained himself from delivering a killing blow, then grabbed the Ghost Essence Soul and hurled it toward the Brain Tree, while at the same time clapping his hands together eleven times.
A blast of air rose up.
Dozens of strange creatures that had climbed onto the city wall were blasted away, startling the dazed crowd back to their senses.
Ren Qing quickly shouted in a loud voice: "Rear left, move now!!!"
Zhun spread his wings, generating a gale that blew at the papers, while Li Yaoyang steadied his mind to control the insect legs to move, yet still could not escape the shadow overhead.
The terrifying sense of oppression grew stronger and stronger.
This was absolutely not something of the Yin Runner realm, sending a chill down one's spine.
Seeing this, Ren Qing directly extended over a dozen Dragon-Snake Spines, bringing some of the Restraint Officers on the city wall to safety.
Boom!!
The camp was smashed into two halves by the roots; fortunately, only one Restraint Officer perished on the spot.
A Yin Runner realm cultivator also acted to save Restraint Officers, and even the jarred head was struck by the aftershock, a crack opening up, blood spurting from its mouth.
It was evident that under the terrifying Yang God realm, even the Yin Runner realm could not protect itself; a slight carelessness would result in falling.
A huge breach appeared in the wall, and strange creatures swarmed in through it.
Li Tiangang cast spells to hold them back, eyes bloodshot, shouting: "Li Yaoyang, get out of here now!!!"
The insect legs supported the remaining half of the camp, staggering as they charged toward the outskirts of the fungal mist.
The Brain Tree's roots did not pursue, merely entangling the Ghost Essence Soul.
In just moments, it completely devoured the Ghost Essence Soul, human faces sprouting on the trunk, gazing at the Fungus Tree climbing toward it.
The two immediately tangled together.
But the outcome was never in doubt; the Fungus Tree was no match for the Brain Tree.
The Brain Tree could replenish nutrients through strange creatures, so even if unable to move itself, as long as it remained within Avici Hell it could be undying and indestructible.
The Restraint Officers had no energy to pay it much attention; their top priority was repairing the camp to prevent strange creatures from taking advantage of the gap.
Several Yin Runner realm cultivators no longer held back, barely keeping the situation under control.
Seeing that the threat of the Brain Tree's roots was gone, Ren Qing took the initiative to take charge of matters regarding the Black Goat, to prevent its sudden death.
After birthing the Ghost Essence Soul, the Black Goat was already at the end of its oil lamp's wick.
Even with strange creature flesh and blood being constantly fed to it, it could only maintain vital signs and could not possibly recover fully.
Li Tiangang's expression was dark.
If the Black Goat died, the Restraint Officers' Hall would have to prepare again, and summoning the soul would take at least about ten years, far too much uncertainty.
Moreover, once the Fungus Tree was devoured by the Brain Tree, even if a similar land-container was recreated, it would be hard to shake the one-soul-seven-spirit Brain Tree.
The Black Goat could not help but spit out blood.
After consuming large amounts of strange creature flesh and blood, its bodily collapse was halted, yet its soul could not continue.
Li Tiangang kept pressing papers to the Black Goat's forehead, but it had no effect at all.
Ren Qing hesitated for a moment and said: "Senior Li Tiangang, I once obtained a certain material, perhaps it will work."
Zhun interjected: Try it. If it doesn't work, we leave Nether Feather immediately."
"It can only be so."
Li Tiangang looked slightly weary.
Could it be that decades of planning would end up empty after all?
Ren Qing took out the Heavenly Demon Bone, quickly attracting the Black Goat's attention.
Its pitch-black, eerie eyes opened, as if recalling something, emitting strange coughing sounds again and again.
Li Tiangang glanced at the Heavenly Demon Bone and did not sense anything unusual, but could feel that this material was used to repair souls.
Regardless of the material's origin, the fact that Ren Qing could take it out spoke volumes, and Li Tiangang's evaluation of him rose considerably.
Ren Qing was briefly stunned for a few breaths.
With the Heavenly Demon Dream Seed, he could use the Heavenly Demon aura within to mass-produce Heavenly Demon Bone, so there was no need to feel pained.
But the Black Goat's behavior looked increasingly strange, much like the Heavenly Daozi in Wuwei Monastery who would occasionally become clear-headed...
The Black Goat muttered unclearly: "Huang... Qi..."
After speaking, the last trace of its intelligence vanished, and it snatched the Heavenly Demon Bone, stuffing it into its mouth; its soul clearly improved.
Li Tiangang did not suspect anything; there was no time to ponder the strange behavior of the eerie infant.
Ren Qing felt a tinge of sorrow.
For Heavenly Daozi, a Yang God realm being, to fall to such a state could not be explained by "misfortune" alone. Ah... damn this world.
Ren Qing took out a few more pieces of Heavenly Demon Bone, and the Black Goat's aura gradually grew stronger, once again instinctively devouring strange creature flesh and blood.
A new main soul gradually began to gestate, but the time needed was far longer than for the Ghost Essence Soul.
The camp was soon repaired. Although the area was half as large, with the weight reduced, its speed actually increased.
The Yin Runner realm cultivators finally had the hands free to discuss matters of summoning the soul.
Just the Ghost Essence Soul had nearly wiped out the Restraint Officers; by reason, the other two souls would be even more troublesome.
And to ensure the Fungus Tree could replace the Brain Tree, the two souls should be absorbed by the Fungus Tree.
Li Tiangang looked worriedly into the distance; the Fungus Tree's branches were already broken, and it wanted to flee, but was held fast by the Brain Tree.
The jarred head could not help but ask: "At this rate, we won't even last until the soul is born, will we?"
Song Zongwu frowned, stood, and said: "Let's try intercepting the strange creatures; it should slow the land's destruction."
"It can only be so..."
Li Tiangang nodded helplessly. Their strength could hardly decide the battle, only indirectly influence it.
After a brief preparation, the camp headed toward the section with the densest strange creatures.
As the strange creatures they faced grew in number, even with Yin Runner realm taking action, the burden on each Restraint Officer became ever heavier.
Inside and outside the camp, corpses piled up into mountains.
Fortunately, Nether Feather had unique rules, after strange creatures died, they would be absorbed by the Flesh Plain.
Otherwise, strange creatures could easily use tens of thousands of corpses to climb the city walls, stripping the Restraint Officers of their high-ground advantage.
In this situation, the Fungus Tree already showed signs of defeat.
Even the Taishui Giant, turned into mycelium to wrap around the Brain Tree, was of limited effect.
The strange creatures attacked the city tirelessly.
Everyone was covered in blood and gore; due to limited physical strength, their use of spells became much more concise.
Ren Qing's slaughter-machine-like strength revealed a hideous side.
His eyes faintly glowed, and Immortal in the Mirror was activated; the figure of a ghost wolf emerged from it, exuding a near-tangible aura.
With ghost shadow and ghost wolf, Ren Qing alone held the north wall against the strange creatures.
The ghost wolf leapt from the city wall, each swipe of its claws killing several strange creatures, its body covered in wounds but showing no sign of stopping.
After all, the Immortal in the Mirror's summoned illusion felt no pain nor fatigue, its only drawback being that it could not be sustained for long.
Ren Qing held the Dragon-Snake Spine in both hands.
With the Dragon-Snake Spine's sharpness, when swung into strange creatures it was like a hot knife slicing butter, easily reducing them to limbs and scraps.
But after over half an hour, even Ren Qing could not help feeling exhausted.
If even he was like this, let alone the other Ghost Envoy realm Restraint Officers.
Nether Feather had no distinction between day and night, but at least more than half a day had passed, during which Restraint Officers had barely any chance to rest.
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes.
The Flesh Furnace burned at its peak, flames covering his bones and flesh, supporting the recovery of his strength.
Song Zongwu gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "Li Tiangang!!!"
Li Tiangang sighed; seeing the Restraint Officers in such a sorry state, the last of his luck-minded hopes vanished.
If this continued, large-scale casualties were inevitable.
Now the Black Goat had not yet birthed a soul, and the Fungus Tree might not last.
He had just opened his mouth to speak of leaving Nether Feather when, suddenly, the Restraint Officers all simultaneously stopped their hands, turning to look at the Brain Tree in the fungal mist.
The jarred head murmured: "What the hell?"
As if according to some arrangement,
The dense mass of strange creatures inexplicably turned around, actually taking the initiative to leave the Brain Tree, gradually returning into the Flesh Plain.
Zhun, who knew Nether Feather well and had named this place, felt that this development did not look like luck at all.
He said in an odd tone: "Why does it feel... like the Brain Tree is voluntarily retreating?"
"Forget it, whether retreating or advancing, what do we say?"
Ren Qing stood on the city wall, panting.
The Restraint Officers all sat on the ground to rest, eating some dry rations and water, not even caring about the blood and filth all around.
Ren Qing looked toward the Brain Tree and noticed the human face on its trunk had become somewhat strange, its gaze vacant, its spirituality gradually fading.
Perhaps the intelligence brought by the Ghost Essence Soul could not be maintained for long?
Li Tiangang was also puzzled, but seeing the Fungus Tree and Brain Tree locked in stalemate again, he ordered everyone to move away from the fungal mist.
The Yin Runner cultivators discussed how to avoid being affected by the main soul; if it could not be done, they would retreat immediately.
The Tai Guang Soul was pure Yang Qi, belonging to the heavenly soul, the master of life, tied to longevity.
If a person lost the Tai Guang Soul, they would be like a walking corpse, body alive, soul dead.
The Shuang Ling Soul was the bridge between heaven and earth, representing quick reflexes and the symbol of intelligence, belonging to the human soul.
Without the Shuang Ling Soul, one would become demented.
With this in mind beforehand, everyone felt it was still somewhat feasible.
Song Zongwu spoke: "Let me escort. The Ghost Essence Soul before could be resisted; the other two souls should also..."
The jarred head interrupted: "Soul summoning is greatly involved. I am the safest; even if the soul is destroyed, as long as the little man in the jar does not die, there will be a chance to revive."
Li Tiangang shook his head: "If I seal my own soul in advance and use spells to control my body, perhaps it could work."
Seeing the Yin Runner realm about to argue, Ren Qing said weakly: "Then..."
Everyone turned their heads toward him in unison; the atmosphere fell silent.
Ren Qing's performance had simply been too outstanding, and even Li Tiangang had expectations of him.
"Actually, the ghost shadow formed by my spells has no soul at all; it definitely would not be affected.
Of course, most importantly, there's no risk."
Ren Qing's volunteering also had another reason, pseudo-souls seemed to be an opportunity.