A tall, burly man stood before a pitch-black cavern entrance. From the dense thorns covering the surrounding area, it was obvious that this place was extremely well hidden.
The burly man wore a tattered Daoist robe. His exposed skin was covered in pustules, constantly oozing yellow-green fluid that caused the vegetation around him to wither.
He narrowed his eyes. The pustules released a dense poisonous miasma, which was carried by the mountain wind deep into the cavern, where wave after wave of soul-chilling sounds echoed.
After a while, when the cavern finally fell completely silent, he moved and slipped inside.
As the burly man walked, more blisters erupted across his skin. His expression grew increasingly ferocious, and his eyes were filled with indescribable greed.
Before long, more than a dozen twisted, struggling corpses appeared before him.
The corpses wore expressions of despair. Their limbs had undergone varying degrees of insectification, and their eyes were fixed on the cavern entrance nearby, clearly showing that they had been trying to escape.
Unfortunately, under the effect of the omnipresent poisonous miasma, their internal organs had already withered and died.
The poison cultivator was known as Blood Poisoner. He had been in the Surface Layer World of Jingzhou for several years, and many cultivators had vaguely heard of his reputation.
However, he belonged to no faction and was one of the few independent cultivators.
Blood Poisoner had come to Jingzhou without any intention of seeking opportunities. He merely wanted to earn some resources by exploiting the gaps between the various factions.
He crouched down to examine the corpses, then brutally tore off the limbs bearing insect characteristics and stuffed them into a storage artifact.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Human Insects really are walking mineral veins. Even low-level Human Insects are an extraordinary fortune."
With the insectified limbs he had just collected, it would not be difficult to exchange them for a substantial amount of resources.
The various factions had been in Jingzhou for a long time. They had discovered that in order to ascend from the Surface Layer World to the Inner Layer World, they had to use Gu insects as a medium, and even the Deeper Layer World was closely connected to them.
They had devised a method of blood-sacrificing Gu insects, then relied on artifacts to obtain the key to ascension.
The conditions for ascension might seem simple, but most of the Gu insects in the Surface Layer World were only at the Half-Corpse realm. Gu insects at the Ghost Envoy realm were already exceedingly rare.
If they cultivated Gu insects themselves, they would have to expend a huge amount of effort, making it a thankless task. Using ready-made Gu insects was the simplest option.
Human Insects, because of their special physique, had organs that formed extremely close connections with Gu insects, making them exceptionally suitable as mediums for ascension.
As a result, every faction was openly or secretly hunting Human Insects.
Before Jingzhou underwent its recent upheaval, tens of thousands of cultivators had participated in the sieges against Human Insects under the temptation of ascension.
The entrances to the caves were piled high with broken corpses, all of which had their Gu insects dug out.
This was how independent cultivators like Blood Poisoner, who specialized in hunting Human Insects, came into existence.
If not for the Human Insects excavating labyrinthine underground passages, as well as Gu Immortal providing them with resources, they would probably have been wiped out long ago.
The situation was somewhat different now. Most factions had already ascended to the Inner Layer World, while some, wary of the disturbances involving Taiyin Star Lord, had gradually chosen to leave Jingzhou. This gave the Human Insects much more room to survive.
Blood Poisoner grabbed some flesh and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it greedily.
Just as he was preparing to leave the cavern, he suddenly noticed a crack in the stone wall nearby. It was just large enough for an ordinary Human Insect to pass through.
"Heh heh heh heh."
Blood Poisoner let out a strange laugh. It seemed that before the Human Insects died, they had failed to close the entrance leading to their dwelling. There was bound to be something else inside.
Perhaps it was the Human Insects' lair.
He restrained the pustules covering his skin, then quietly slipped through the crack. A deep, narrow passage immediately came into view.
Blood Poisoner walked forward excitedly, his breathing unconsciously becoming faster.
He did not notice the several black snakes as thick as thumbs following him from the shadows.
The tunnel extended in every direction, with countless forks and dead ends.
But Blood Poisoner's keen sense of smell allowed him to detect the earthy odor unique to insects.
After turning this way and that for several hours, he finally arrived at a spacious cavern. More than a dozen crude houses made from thatch could be seen inside.
Nearly ten thousand Human Insects lived in the cavern. At first, they did not notice Blood Poisoner and continued chatting casually.
Large patches of faintly glowing fungi had been planted in the open space of the settlement, and the Human Insects were busy tending to them.
"Hahaha, I've struck it rich."
Blood Poisoner laughed without restraint. Countless fist-sized blisters emerged across his skin, brewing poison water of unimaginable potency.
"Once I've slaughtered all of you, it'll just about be time for me to leave Jingzhou."
"How dare you!"
A furious shout rang out as a middle-aged man with graying temples charged toward Blood Poisoner.
He was Gu Immortal. However, because the Insect Warriors had been resurrected, his lifespan was only twenty years, causing him to enter his middle and later years prematurely.
After several years of tempering, Gu Immortal's murderous disposition had faded considerably, but his desire to attain immortality had only grown stronger.
He understood that once he ascended to the Inner Layer World, his short lifespan would be extended. However, Gu Immortal had his own considerations.
The relatively uncomplicated ecological environment of the cavern showed that he had been using the fungi produced by the Human Insects to continuously obtain considerable resources in Dream City.
This was also why Gu Immortal had never considered leaving the Surface Layer World.
It was unrealistic to bring several thousand Human Insects with him when escaping. Yet if he ascended to the Inner Layer World alone, he would have no Human Insects to help him cultivate resources.
Either way, both sides would lose. It was better to maintain the status quo.
The moment Gu Immortal saw Blood Poisoner preparing to attack the Human Insects, he immediately intervened.
His right arm suddenly swelled. In merely a few moments, it transformed into a deformed, bloated elephant leg, revealing the aura of the Yin Difference realm without reserve.
Blood Poisoner did not become angry. Instead, he laughed mockingly.
"Human Insects really are a bunch of fake cultivators who take shortcuts. Even a giant stinking bug like you has such a flimsy foundation. How laughable."
"You really should go see the vast world instead of remaining a frog at the bottom of a well."
The elephant leg slammed into Blood Poisoner's body like a battering ram, instantly blasting his flesh apart and turning it into an extremely dense poisonous mist.
Gu Immortal accidentally inhaled a mouthful of poisonous air, causing his internal organs to show signs of withering.
His expression turned ruthless. Looking around, he saw all the Human Insects collapsing amid their screams. Within several minutes, they would all become corpses.
Gu Immortal placed enormous importance on weighing gains and losses. Convinced that there was nothing he could do to save them, he unexpectedly turned around and left.
Blood Poisoner was somewhat stunned. Could his opponent really have no impulse to retaliate?
He had no intention of letting Gu Immortal go. The most valuable thing about him was the Gu insect at the Yin Difference realm, which represented the threshold to the Deeper Layer World.
Blood Poisoner's flesh reassembled into one body and surged madly toward his opponent.
Just as Blood Poisoner was about to envelop Gu Immortal, an unfamiliar and bloody aura suddenly rose within the cavern.
"Who are you?!"
The little snake in the corner twisted violently. Flesh sprouted from between its scales, and in an instant it transformed into an ordinary-looking man.
"Heavenly Court's Plague Department."
"Han Li."
Han Li flicked his hand. Several drops of blood transformed into boulders and smashed toward Blood Poisoner, allowing Gu Immortal to take advantage of the opportunity to escape from the cavern.
Blood Poisoner discovered that Gu Immortal had escaped, and his expression became even more hideous.
"Heavenly Court?"
"I've heard of it. You stirred up chaos across all three layers of Jingzhou. Since you come from Heavenly Court, I'm sure the various factions will be interested in you as well."
Blood Poisoner sidestepped the boulders. Although Han Li's cultivation was at the Yin Difference realm, his foundation was far more solid than Gu Immortal's, allowing him to unleash his techniques to their fullest.
Han Li had no intention of confronting him head-on. Instead, he spread blood fungi throughout the cavern.
Countless blood fungi invisible to the naked eye seeped into the unconscious Human Insects. In the blink of an eye, they absorbed all the poison.
The blood fungi were like artifacts and also possessed a Mustard-Seed Space several meters across, directly storing away the Human Insects.
"What a benevolent Heavenly Court. Saving the dying and healing the wounded, is that it? Aren't you afraid of offering up your own life?"
Han Li merely watched Blood Poisoner calmly. Just as the latter approached within five meters of him, his body inexplicably disappeared from its original position.
The boulder that Han Li had thrown moments earlier transformed into Han Li.
Riding on its momentum, the boulder continued out of the cavern, leaving Blood Poisoner alone.
Han Li traversed between the rocks and mountains, unleashing the mountain spirit of the Taotie Method to perfection.
In merely a few breaths, he had already reached the cavern entrance at the surface. Gu Immortal was beside him, looking thoroughly battered.
Han Li said nothing. His raised right arm transformed into a hundred-meter-tall mountain peak.
The sunlight was blocked out, and a hole opened in the clouds. Only then did Gu Immortal realize just how terrifying a true Yin Difference realm cultivator could be.
Boom!
The cavern collapsed, and Blood Poisoner's desperate roar could faintly be heard.
Han Li glanced indifferently at Gu Immortal and spoke in an unquestionable tone.
"Factions will be coming here soon. Let's go."
"You are."
"Heavenly Court."
Han Li glanced at Gu Immortal and continued, "The Immortal City in your dreams belongs to our Heavenly Court. I was sent here by an immortal."
Gu Immortal shuddered all over, suddenly feeling as though an invisible hand had been manipulating everything.
With an inscrutable smile, Han Li continued, "I am responsible for guiding you away from Jingzhou and into the Immortal Realm."
"But before that, let's solve your depleted lifespan and collect the Gu insects in the Surface Layer World while we're at it."
Gu Immortal asked uncertainly, "What use are the Gu insects?"
"They can be exchanged for blood crystals."
Han Li smiled.
"Gu Immortal, you should know what blood crystals are, right?"
Gu Immortal could only enter the Great Dream Pavilion in Dream City. He had always believed that Immortal's Dream was the opportunity destined for him. He had never expected it to involve a faction that seemed capable of influencing all of Jingzhou.
"The Immortal Realm. Immortal."
The frustration in his heart vanished completely, replaced by a burning desire to attain immortality.
"Can I join Heavenly Court?"
"That depends on your performance. There is an immortal in Heavenly Court who is proficient in Gu techniques. If you can demonstrate your value, I can recommend you to him."
As Han Li spoke, he implanted into Gu Immortal some memories concerning the Restraint Officers' Hall.
According to Ren Qing, from now on, the Restraint Officers' Hall would present itself externally under the name Heavenly Court. The six major branches would likely be further refined into separate Immortal Departments.
Gu Immortal lowered his head and digested the useful information.
For someone with his temperament, as long as there was a path upward, he would stop at nothing to climb it.
In a sense, Gu Immortal was very similar to the oldest batch of cultivators in the Restraint Officers' Hall. They pursued profit to such an extent that they would even sell their own organs.
Han Li successfully made contact with Gu Immortal. His mission was not difficult after all, since Gu Immortal's cultivation was only at the Yin Difference realm.
Tang Sheng, however, was in a somewhat difficult position. After all, Heavenly Aberration realm cultivators were everywhere in Great Buddha Heaven, and Pig Daoist himself possessed the strength of the Heavenly Aberration realm.
Although Tang Sheng had already reached the Yin Difference realm's Fusion of the Yin Spirit stage, even compared to Han Li, he was still among the top few of the new generation within the Restraint Officers' Hall.
But the distance between the Yin Difference realm and the Heavenly Aberration realm was like heaven and earth.
When Tang Sheng learned the details of the mission, his heart was filled with ten thousand objections. He even considered abandoning the mission.
However, after asking Ren Qing about it, he felt that there might actually be an opportunity hidden within.
Most importantly, Tang Sheng had received Ren Qing's indication that he would secretly monitor everything related to Great Buddha Heaven from beginning to end.
After pondering for a long time, Tang Sheng agreed. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to fight for a Ghost Immortal Office.
After making thorough preparations, he relied on Heavenly Demon Tribulation. His body and soul disappeared from the Heavenly Palace within the Stomach World and headed toward Great Buddha Heaven.
At the same time, the formerly chaotic Great Buddha Heaven had gradually calmed down.
Although extraterrestrial demons continued descending one after another, the Heavenly Aberration realm cultivators, wary of the mastermind behind the scenes, had unanimously chosen to hide themselves in various places.
Small Buddha Heaven, on the other hand, had quite a few Bodhisattvas hunting down the remnants of Lingshan Tathagata.
However, they could not tell whether the Buddhas actually worshipped Lingshan Tathagata, causing the purge of the rebels to progress extremely slowly.
Lingshan Tathagata had been completely denounced as an evil demon from the outside world.
According to Pig Daoist's speculation, the primary purpose of Great Buddha Heaven was to stabilize the situation in Small Buddha Heaven and prevent it from affecting the "Pilgrimage of Ten Thousand Buddhas."
The so-called Pilgrimage of Ten Thousand Buddhas referred to the ceremony for enlightening the Merit Monks that would take place soon.
Of course, to anyone with discerning eyes, the ten thousand Merit Monks had already been designated as the children of Dingguang Tathagata Buddha, involving a scheme concerning the Heavenly Dao.
The Pilgrimage of Ten Thousand Buddhas would not only gather all the Buddhas of Great Buddha Heaven. Even ordinary monks would participate.
Each temple had roughly a hundred places. Given the number of temples in Great Buddha Heaven, there were probably more than a hundred thousand monks in total.
Pig Daoist naturally occupied one of the places.
Among the hundred monks of the Futu Temple, he should have been the least conspicuous. His normally low-key conduct made him completely devoid of presence.
Pig Daoist had undoubtedly used unorthodox methods to obtain his place.
He intended to use the legitimate opportunity to leave the temple and reach some wilderness, then use the vertical eye on his forehead to disguise himself as a Buddha.
He wanted to complete Lingshan Tathagata's commission before the Pilgrimage of Ten Thousand Buddhas began.
That way, he would undoubtedly have much more freedom. Whether escaping Jingzhou or seeking opportunities, everything would become much easier.
Pig Daoist was considering how to contact the other Heavenly Aberration realm cultivators and find a way to trick them into cooperating with him.
Suddenly, a monk at the end of the street caught Pig Daoist's attention.
The monk stood more than two meters tall. His entire body was covered in muscles as sharply defined as rock, and every step generated a strong gust of wind. His imposing aura was astonishing.
What surprised Pig Daoist most was that the monk was actually two major realms below him.
"To ascend to the deep layers of Jingzhou, you should at least need to be at the half-step Heavenly Aberration realm. And why would someone like him openly appear in Great Buddha Heaven?"
Pig Daoist genuinely could not understand it. Then he sensed a deep sense of wariness.
He suspected that the monk's true strength was far beyond what was apparent. Perhaps he was pretending to be at a low realm precisely to trick him into exposing himself.
Pig Daoist calmly turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
He had truly been frightened by Ren Qing. He had become excessively suspicious. Who knew whether Lingshan Tathagata had infiltrated Great Buddha Heaven?
But before Pig Daoist could take more than a few steps, the monk had already arrived beside him.
"May you behold Lingshan Tathagata."
Tang Sheng pressed his palms together and spoke. Under the protection of Ren Qing's Disaster-Dispelling Method, even though his voice was not quiet, it still could not attract anyone else's attention.
Pig Daoist warily glanced around before asking hesitantly, "Why has the Tathagata come looking for this old pig?"
"This poor monk is Tang Sheng."
"For the upcoming Pilgrimage of Ten Thousand Buddhas, I will accompany you there."
Tang Sheng did his best to keep his mind calm. At the very least, he could not afford to lose face in front of a Heavenly Aberration realm cultivator.
He realized that although Great Buddha Heaven was extremely dangerous, with Heavenly Aberration realm cultivators everywhere, it was indeed a once-in-a-thousand-years cultivation paradise.
The Vajra Body mastered by Tang Sheng had originally been created by a Buddhist cultivator. Its technique faintly complemented Buddhist aura, and even possessed a slight restraining effect.
As a result, while Tang Sheng was in Great Buddha Heaven, he was stimulated by the countless strands of Buddhist aura, invisibly accelerating the progress of the Vajra Body.
Vajra Body.
It was created by the Delirious Old Monk. Cultivating it required grinding one's skin with metal and iron sand until the flesh of the entire body was exposed before it could be successfully cultivated.
After realizing this, Tang Sheng became even less willing to abandon what appeared to be a dangerous mission.
He felt that if he could remain in Great Buddha Heaven for several years, he might even be able to attempt a breakthrough into the Yang God realm.
Tang Sheng took a deep breath. The air carried a faint sandalwood fragrance that could stabilize the mind, to the point that even the inner demons that appeared during a breakthrough no longer needed to be feared.
Pig Daoist had been studying Tang Sheng the entire time. The more he looked, the more something seemed wrong. There was clearly no concealment whatsoever in the other's aura.
"You are one of Lingshan Tathagata's followers?"
He felt that with Lingshan Tathagata's methods, creating a Heavenly Aberration realm cultivator should not be difficult. Why, then, would he produce someone so shabby? Moreover, Tang Sheng did not possess even the slightest trace of Buddhist aura.
"This poor monk does indeed believe in Buddhism, but I am not a disciple of Lingshan Tathagata. In fact, I come from the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks of Heavenly Court."
"Heavenly Court?"
Pig Daoist thought he had heard incorrectly. His mind became a complete mess. How had Lingshan Tathagata become connected to the Heavenly Court belonging to the Dragon King of the Four Seas?
"Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Realm are both remnants of antiquity."
Tang Sheng stopped after making his point and said no more, nor did he continue elaborating on Heavenly Court.
He was simply following what Ren Qing had told him. He did not know whether it was true or false. After all, the Restraint Officers' Hall only recorded five or six hundred years of history, while Cishi had only joined within the past century.
However, quite a few cultivators in the Restraint Officers' Hall actually firmly believed in the theory of Heavenly Court.
After all, the Restraint Officers' Hall had risen far too quickly. When the cultivators of Xiangxiang looked back on their experiences over the years, they all felt an almost unreal sense of illusion.
Compared with regarding the Restraint Officers' Hall as a nouveau riche whose wealth depended entirely on luck, they were more willing to believe that their ancestors had once been wealthy.
Pig Daoist took a deep breath and suddenly realized how terrifying Heavenly Court's foundation was.
It simultaneously involved both Daoism and Buddhism. On the surface alone, it had at least three Heavenly Aberration realm cultivators, already enough to rival the Insect Nest, which possessed four Matriarchs.
Pig Daoist noticed that Tang Sheng's technique could produce an unusual interaction with Buddhist aura. He immediately realized that the latter had probably come to Great Buddha Heaven to cultivate, as well as to serve as a spy at his side.
He felt rather aggrieved, but could only accept it.
"Master Tang Sheng, stay in the temple for now. When the time comes, I'll arrange for you to attend the Pilgrimage of Ten Thousand Buddhas."
"It's not just me. There should be another Heavenly Court cultivator coming to Great Buddha Heaven."
"Who?"
Pig Daoist's expression became even more pained. He still did not know what the Pilgrimage of Ten Thousand Buddhas would be like, yet he already felt as though his hands and feet were tied.
"The Plague Department. Daoist Pestilence."
When Ren Qing found Daoist Mu Snake in the Netherworld, the latter was using a bamboo-pole-like artifact to fish corpses out of the rushing Yellow Springs.
Daoist Mu Snake had long since grown accustomed to his identity as a ferryman of the Netherworld.
He no longer paid attention to his sealed cultivation and devoted himself wholeheartedly to ferrying. Day and night, he remained beside the Yellow Springs.
That was because Daoist Mu Snake had noticed that as long as he kept staring at the Yellow Springs, he could occasionally recall vague fragments of his memories from when he was alive.
He knew that the Daoist Mu Snake of his former life had once created techniques and possessed extraordinary talent.
If he could recover his lost memories, Daoist Mu Snake was confident that he could restore his cultivation. Even advancing further would not be difficult.
Daoist Mu Snake became somewhat distracted, and the Yin Qi within his body rapidly overflowed.
But he showed no joy at all. Instead, he hurriedly looked around. Sure enough, on top of a burial mound not far away, he saw Ren Qing standing motionless.
"It's been a long time, Daoist Mu Snake."
"Indeed."
Daoist Mu Snake gave a bitter smile. One year in the outside world was nearly ten years in the Stomach World. Before he knew it, he had been a ferryman for several decades.
"Have you ever thought about leaving the Netherworld?"
"Please, just let me go."
Daoist Mu Snake looked like life had completely worn away his edges. Even though his cultivation had recovered to the Heavenly Aberration realm, on the surface he remained a thin, gaunt ferryman.
Ren Qing spoke to himself.
"When you were alive, you created two techniques. One was called the Snake Shedding Method, and the other was the Ba Serpent Ode."
"And the Flood Serpent spine you once longed for. I can provide that as well."
Daoist Mu Snake did not know what to say. The ambition buried deep within his heart had indeed been rekindled by Ren Qing's simple words.
"One spine isn't enough?"
Ren Qing pointed toward the rushing Yellow Springs. A sound of bones colliding came from its source.
Before long, countless Flood Serpent spines surged along with the current. The aura of dragons caused the soul within Daoist Mu Snake's skull to twitch uncontrollably.
Daoist Mu Snake instinctively took a step forward, but in a daze, the Flood Serpent spines disappeared once more.
Ren Qing touched Daoist Mu Snake between the brows and directly pulled his consciousness into Dream City, bringing him to the notice board where cultivators streamed back and forth.
Daoist Mu Snake came back to his senses and immediately realized that he could now enter and leave Dream City.
As long as he possessed blood crystals, he could exchange them for all kinds of resources. There were even spines at the True Dragon level, although their prices were exorbitant.
Daoist Mu Snake looked at the missions on the notice board. Most of them had requirements for acceptance.
Only one external mission not only offered a large amount of blood crystals as a reward, but could also be accepted by those who were not members of the Restraint Officers' Hall.
Daoist Mu Snake gave a bitter smile. It was obvious that when Ren Qing contacted him, he had already considered every possible angle, leaving no room for refusal.
He tore off the sheet of paper recording the mission, skimmed it a few times, and put it away.
Before Daoist Mu Snake could react, Ren Qing cast Heavenly Demon Possession and directly sent his body and soul to Great Buddha Heaven.
Under the gazes of Pig Daoist and Tang Sheng, the little snake in the corner shed its flesh and skin. Its spine continued to grow until it finally transformed into a skeleton.
"You are."
Pig Daoist became as wary as if facing a great enemy. This cultivator's strength was definitely no weaker than his own.
Daoist Mu Snake took a straw hat out of his storage bag and put it on.
His first impression was that the waters of Great Buddha Heaven ran extremely deep. Within a radius of several hundred li, there were at least five Heavenly Aberration realm cultivators, most of them Buddhists.
Next, Daoist Mu Snake also sensed a familiar Yin Qi within Great Buddha Heaven.
"Lady White Bone? It's quite lively."
Daoist Mu Snake raised his head and looked directly at Pig Daoist.
"Heavenly Court's Plague Department."
"Daoist Pestilence."