Ren Qing wanted to further confirm the situation, but that mental will suddenly disappeared again, as if it had never existed and was only an illusion.
He shook his head and silently drew the split soul back into the Prison Within the Abdomen.
After severing the Three Corpses, the split soul had already reached perfection in the Ze Immortal Method. From here on, it would either need to switch to another technique or find a new breakthrough.
He steadied his mind and continued refining the split soul.
In the days that followed, Jingzhou City underwent earth-shaking changes.
The influence of the Corpse Elephant was still spreading, though at a much slower pace.
Within Changning Street, not a trace of its original appearance remained. The ground and walls were covered with black mycelium, from which some unknown vegetation sprouted.
The plants emitted a faint demonic aura, raising the concentration of demonic energy in the air.
Tall gray-brown trees broke through the soil at a visible speed, forming a sparse forest in a short time.
The residents of the Corpse District did not panic. Their own bodies already bore traces of the Corpse Elephant's aberration, long accustomed to living in such an environment.
It was only that the conditions had worsened slightly.
However, Ren Qing noticed that if Qingyan Town produced a few more aberrations similar to the Corpse Elephant, the town itself might cease to exist.
It had only been a few decades since the aberrations descended upon the Crescent Moon Layer, what would happen after a hundred years?
By then, perhaps only vast regions occupied by aberrations would remain.
And this was only Qingyan Town. In a larger place like Jingzhou City, with its massive population, the division might already be distinct, like separate demon cultivator caves.
Ren Qing found the situation somewhat peculiar.
He suddenly realized that aberrations might be some kind of artifact forged by the Blood Moon, meant to transform the environment of the Crescent Moon Layer.
Since the Corpse Elephant's mutation, a full fifth of the city had been covered by the mycelium.
Could Jingzhou be transforming into a kind of "prehistoric wilderness," with demon beasts roaming everywhere?
The most absurd thing was that those demon beasts might once have been human cultivators.
At first, Ren Qing thought the Blood Moon's designs were insignificant, what was the point of letting aberrations occupy the streets? But now, he saw that it was dividing the population.
He began considering how to help the Wuwei Monastery escape.
But the brief peace did not last.
Ren Qing had previously mentioned the Immortal Market to the Restraint Officers' Hall, yet now the Great Dream True Person had taken the initiative to contact the soul butterflies of the Ghost Market, intending to help him merge the two.
The event occurred so suddenly that Ren Qing didn't even have time to react.
Both dream markets began to tremble as thick mist spread around them. Some buildings appeared and vanished like mirages.
A soul butterfly floated above the Ghost Market, and beside it stood the light projection of the Great Dream True Person.
"True Person, I thought you would prefer caution."
The Great Dream True Person ignored Ren Qing and disappeared at once.
A flood of memories appeared in Ren Qing's mind. After examining them, his brow furrowed. It seemed that the Restraint Officers' Hall had encountered serious trouble.
If even the Great Dream True Person had grown anxious, then the problem lay with the corpse of the Meat and Wine Taoist.
Ever since the remnant soul of the Heavenly Daozi vanished, the corpse had begun to decay uncontrollably.
The Great Dream True Person had secretly tried to slow the decay, but even at the Yang God Realm, he could not influence the corpse of one who had reached the Heavenly Abomination Realm in life.
The corpse of the Meat and Wine Taoist would inevitably affect the Marshlands, and once the natural barrier vanished, Xiangxiang would be exposed to Jingzhou.
This was the reason the Great Dream True Person had targeted the Disaster-Dispelling Forbidden Zone earlier.
Once that forbidden zone was completely erased, Yin Runner cultivators like Song Zongwu finally learned the truth.
Theoretically, the Meat and Wine Taoist's corpse could last another hundred years, but no one could afford to be optimistic, the decay might accelerate at any time.
No wonder Ren Qing had noticed that the frequency of trade in the Ghost Market had not decreased but instead risen. Clearly, the Restraint Officers' Hall had issued many corresponding missions.
Although the Yin Runner cultivators had not said so openly, each of them was making preparations.
Song Zongwu focused on advancing to the Yang God Realm. He even vanished before completing the cleanup tasks of a Restraint Officer, reportedly entering seclusion in the Marshlands.
Li Tiangang led the Restraint Officers to explore the Yang God Realm forbidden zone between Xiangxiang and the Marshlands, attempting to decipher the core technique.
Muyi and others headed south into the Endless Forest. However, since they had left the region covered by Avici Hell, they could no longer receive supplies freely, and their exploration progressed slowly.
The Head in the Jar devoted itself to studying the Weird Fetus Refining Method, and it was said that it was close to perfecting a way to nourish the consciousness of the Demonic Embryo Artifact.
Ren Qing was starting to feel uneasy.
His plan had always been to lie low, after all, with the "golden finger" of informational foresight, there was no need to expose himself to danger.
Even after arriving in Jingzhou, his mindset had not changed.
Aside from paying some attention to the Wuwei Monastery, he planned to ignore the rise and fall of the demon cultivator factions entirely.
By relying on the dream markets for longevity, he would reach the Yang God Realm within a decade or so. Then he could leave Jingzhou whenever he wished.
Why should he interfere?
Even when he encountered demon cultivators earlier, he only intended to use them to establish a demon market for longevity, there had been no real sense of urgency.
But now he realized that if he kept "lying low," the world around him might change completely. In a few decades, even Xiangxiang might cease to exist.
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes and left the inn, walking toward Changning Street.
He needed to understand the Corpse Elephant's situation first. After all, the Corpse Elephant might only be a reflection of Jingzhou's larger turmoil, a sign of greater upheaval to come.
When the Crescent Moon Layer completely turned into a prehistoric wilderness, who knew what would happen?
As Ren Qing walked, the dream markets began merging under the aid of the Great Dream True Person. Fog surrounded their perimeters.
It was not yet dark.
Daoist disciples were still busy outside, and the Immortal Market was relatively quiet.
The fog went unnoticed. The old coffin-maker had long grown used to sudden disturbances and continued crafting coffins with full focus.
The coffin-maker had mastered the art of artifact refinement, carving intricate patterns on the coffin's surface with precise motions.
From time to time, he sprinkled powder over it, causing vein-like lines to appear on the wood.
However, the Weird Fetus Refining Method in the Great Dream Hidden Treasury puzzled him greatly, he was stuck at the point of nurturing the consciousness of the Demonic Embryo Artifact.
When he finished carving the designs, the disturbance in the Immortal Market still continued.
The coffin-maker glanced at the boy not far away, who was carefully shaping wood. The coffin's form was nearly complete.
The boy soon finished crafting it, needing only to refine it into a true artifact.
"Old Coffin-maker, I've understood what you explained earlier, but there are still parts of the artifact refinement method I don't grasp. Could you explain them in more detail?"
The coffin-maker looked at the boy before him. For a moment, it was as if he saw Ren Qing from back when he had helped him build coffins, his expression grew dazed.
"Han Li, if you want to learn artifact refinement, I'll teach you anytime, but..."
The coffin-maker trailed off, then sighed deeply.
Normally, Daoist disciples stayed in the Immortal Market for only three or four hours each day, but Han Li had remained for more than ten days.
It wasn't that Han Li's cultivation was profound, rather, his body in the real world was unconscious, causing his soul to remain asleep.
Han Li shook his head, a momentary confusion flickering across his face, but he soon composed himself again.
"Old Coffin-maker, I'll leave for a while and come back later to help you make coffins."
He stood and walked out of the Great Dream Coffin Workshop, silently gazing at the half-real, half-illusory Immortal Market.
Han Li knew his situation was dire. His body was trapped in the Corpse District, unable to move, and soon he would die.
His presence within the Immortal Market was only his consciousness, it could not stop the scattering of his soul.
He wandered aimlessly along the street and noticed several blurry buildings at the far end of the Immortal Market, shrouded in mist.
Instinctively, Han Li began walking toward the end.
The coffin-maker poked his head out of the shop and saw Han Li moving toward danger. Alarmed, he shouted,
"Han Li! Those are the manifestation of Immortal Arts, don't touch them carelessly!"
To the coffin-maker, the immortals had created the Immortal Market to establish their Dao lineage, but such mysterious and ghostly means could wound a person merely by proximity.
He shouted several times, but Han Li didn't stop. The coffin-maker clenched his teeth and rushed out, intending to drag him back.
But as he neared Han Li, he saw the boy freeze in place. Both of them stared in shock at the mirage-like end of the Immortal Market.
The Ghost Market was gradually appearing.
The Dream Overlay did not pull the Ghost Market into Ren Qing's Prison Within the Abdomen, it merely connected the two dream realms, forming a tangible illusion.
The Restraint Officers had already been informed in advance. Seeing the Immortal Market, they began whispering among themselves.
Han Li breathed heavily. Even demon cultivators were not as terrifying as these so-called "immortals." They looked more like a group of monsters and fiends.
A lizardman Restraint Officer, over three meters tall, stood at the edge of the Ghost Market, scanning the Immortal Market arrogantly, sneering at Han Li's weakness.
Huang Ziwan asked curiously, "Didn't they say Ren Qing established the Restraint Officers' Hall in Jingzhou? Why does it look like there's hardly anyone here?"
"Lord Ren has his own plans," the giant lizard replied with an awkward smile. Everyone knew Huang Ziwan was close to Ren Qing. If they joined him in gossiping about the Ghost Market's master, they might draw Ren Qing's ire.
"Feels like they don't even have a proper artifact. Truly short on resources."
"Let them witness the power of the Demonic Embryo Artifact."
A serpentman Restraint Officer showed off deliberately, turning his entire arm into a giant python several meters long. Its blood-red eyes gleamed with ferocity.
Huang Ziwan let out a strange laugh and flicked his long bony tongue, clearly imitating Ren Qing's Dragon-Snake Spine, though who knew how effective it was.
Han Li and the coffin-maker couldn't help retreating several meters.
They realized there was likely a barrier between the two markets. The "immortals" could not step into the Immortal Market, nor could their voices cross over.
But as the light flickered, the Restraint Officers suddenly scattered in panic.
"What is this..."
The Great Dream True Person stepped out of the Ghost Market, examining the simple Immortal Market.
It wasn't his true body that had come; because of the Dream Overlay, only his consciousness could communicate across realms.
The coffin-maker wanted to pull Han Li back into the shop, but the boy stood rooted in place, staring at the Great Dream True Person with fear and awe.
The Great Dream True Person asked, "Where did you learn your technique?"
"From an immortal's teaching."
"How interesting. Nurturing a split body of a Supernatural Remnant, reaching the Yin Runner Realm to mend its flaws, this is closer to the Restraint Officer Method than the Ze Human Method."
"But what a pity..."
The Great Dream True Person did not finish his sentence.
The technique Ren Qing had created had a far lower mortality rate at the entry level than the Restraint Officer Method, but unfortunately, it had to rely on the host body of a Supernatural Remnant.
Han Li gathered his courage and said, "Immortal, I-"
"You should wake up now."
The Great Dream True Person touched Han Li's forehead. His expression went blank as his consciousness left the Immortal Market, returning to his body.
"Thank you, Immortal."
"I am no immortal. My name is Great Dream."
The coffin-maker looked at the now-empty street and swallowed hard.
The Immortal Market and the Ghost Market had not yet fully opened, but it was clear that their origins were extraordinary. Could they truly be connected to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable?