Song Rong did not speak, but silently mouthed the words "Dead Man's Sutra" several times, his eyes burning with an intense longing.
Once he saw that Ren Qing had committed it to memory, he slowly closed his eyes and laughed heartily.
Song Rong harbored no resentment. Despite his pursuit of immortality, he faced death with a composure far beyond ordinary people, as if dying here was already a fulfillment for him.
Just as Ren Qing was about to ask him about the Dead Man's Sutra, he heard footsteps approaching.
Instinctively turning his head, he saw countless black beetles swarming forth, their buzzing deafening.
The beetles coalesced into a humanoid shape, and Li Yaoyang stepped out from within.
"Don't kill him hastily, or a new forbidden zone will form."
Muyi also emerged, weaving through the trees.
The two ignored Ren Qing and headed straight for Song Rong, intending to restrain him first to prevent any impact on the Disaster Dispelling forbidden zone.
But Song Rong had already resolved to die. The moment the Restraint Officers appeared, his vitality visibly faded.
Before death, he smirked mockingly at the approaching Restraint Officers, as if silently laughing at them.
"Not good!!"
Then, Song Rong's skin began to boil, twisting into distorted human faces, causing the surrounding plants to rapidly wither.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of a heartbeat arose, Song Rong's heart showed signs of coming alive, likely the eerie transformation of another of his supernatural arts.
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes. Given how close he was, could he attempt to touch the Supernatural Remnant and seize its art?
As he hesitated, Li Yaoyang, his face dark, flashed to Song Rong's corpse and bent down to inspect it.
"He died too cleanly!!"
"If a forbidden zone forms here and the Disaster Dispelling forbidden zone devours two Supernatural Remnants, its area will expand drastically."
Muyi nodded. "This man's lifespan was exhausted. He had long been resolved to die."
At that moment, the Disaster Dispelling forbidden zone seemed to sense the Supernatural Remnants. The entire Flat Top Mountain shook violently, cracks spreading across its surface.
"What a waste."
Li Yaoyang took out a miniature jade vial and poured out a maggot the size of a fingernail.
The maggot was gray-white, exuding the scent of quicklime. As it crawled, it left behind a powdery mucus.
Li Yaoyang stuffed the maggot into Song Rong's mouth, and the corpse immediately convulsed unnaturally.
The flesh gradually petrified, and moments later, it turned into a stone statue, motionless.
The formation of the two Supernatural Remnants was as if paused, and the tremors in Flat Top Mountain abruptly ceased.
Ren Qing felt a pang of fear. Fortunately, Flat Top Mountain was guarded by Restraint Officers because otherwise, even if Song Rong had failed, the aftermath would have been troublesome.
Li Yaoyang gave Ren Qing a slight nod.
However, he seemed to have forgotten meeting Ren Qing in the prison forbidden zone and only asked with puzzlement, "Corpse Burner? Why not a Restraint Officer?"
Muyi said flatly, "Ren Qing has extraordinary talent. Old Man Song is his guide."
"Heh heh heh..."
Li Yaoyang chuckled and said no more. Muyi's words carried a clear warning, she was clearly wary of him taking an interest in Ren Qing.
Ren Qing's gaze lingered on Song Rong's petrified corpse, pondering the Dead Man's Sutra mentioned before death.
"Since the Disaster Dispelling forbidden zone is acting up, I'll go check on it. Muyi, you stay here and wait for Old Man Song."
"I've already informed them via the Thousand Voices Art. They're still dealing with the Supernatural Remnant at the camp."
Li Yaoyang turned and left. Staying longer would be a waste of time.
Once Li Yaoyang was far enough away, Ren Qing asked curiously, "Is this corpse considered alive or dead now?"
"Dead. Li Yaoyang's Gray Worm can temporarily seal Supernatural Remnants, but it'll need further processing after returning to the yamen."
Ren Qing, intrigued, asked, "So there's no danger anymore?"
After receiving Muyi's confirmation, Ren Qing approached the statue and lightly touched its skin with his palm.
A chill seeped from the statue but was immediately dispelled by the heat generated by his Boar's Eye.
Mindful of Muyi's presence, Ren Qing withdrew his hand. While waiting for Song Zongwu to arrive, he digested the information from the Supernatural Remnant in his mind.
[Human Skin Book]
[Created by the eunuch Huang Ling. To cultivate this art, one must completely peel off their skin, consume a specific medicinal catalyst, and regrow it. Repeat seven times to master.]
[Cannot be mastered by consuming lifespan.]
Ren Qing felt a twinge of regret. It seemed that supernatural arts could only follow one mutation path.
But the world's arts were myriad and even a lifetime wouldn't be enough to master them all. Why obsess over the Human Skin Book?
The other art was the one Song Rong used to control beasts.
[Demon Seed Sutra]
[Inscribed on the Heavenly Demon Stele. To cultivate this art, one's blood must transform into demon seeds. Requires ten times the blood volume of an ordinary person within twenty days to master.]
Ren Qing clicked his tongue. That meant losing half his blood daily.
Even if his blood regeneration kept up, daily blood loss would lead to organ failure, that or death.
And whether the demon seeds had side effects was another question entirely.
Ren Qing didn't rush to expend his lifespan.
First, passing the Half-Corpse Realm's Supernatural Remnant required a full year of lifespan.
At the very least, he needed to discreetly learn about the Demon Seed Sutra's mutation paths from the Restraint Officers. If the cost outweighed the gain, it was better to give up.
From his conversation with Muyi, Ren Qing also learned that the Supernatural Remnants wouldn't be taken back to Sanxiang City anytime soon.
After all, if something went wrong, tens of thousands could be affected.
If Ren Qing wanted to scheme for the Demon Seed Sutra, he had plenty of time.
He also didn't need to risk discovery by the Restraint Officers.
The prison incident could still be explained as accidental Supernatural Remnant ingestion. But if he inexplicably mastered the Demon Seed Sutra now, without the remnants even fully forming; he'd have no defense.
Ren Qing inquired about the northern regions. Muyi said that north of Sanxiang City lay numerous forbidden zones, though details were scarce.
After about an hour, Song Zongwu finally appeared on Tuofeng Mountain.
Seeing this, Muyi departed.
Song Zongwu's expression was complicated as he stared at Song Rong's corpse for a long time before reciting the Transmigration Mantra.
Ren Qing sensed that while it was partly to guide Song Rong's soul, it was more for the hundreds who had died because of him.
Ren Qing suspected Song Rong had chosen death so readily partly to avoid facing Song Zongwu.
Though their bond wasn't deep, they were still father and son, blood ties and karmic connections couldn't be escaped.
When Song Zongwu finished the chant and opened his eyes, they seemed purified, carrying an ineffable aura.
Ren Qing understood that Song Zongwu's mental state had broken through.
And since the Asura Method was tied to Buddhism, his cultivation would undoubtedly advance.
Song Zongwu wrapped the statue in cloth and said, "Let's go first. The mess at the camp still needs cleaning up."
"Ah?"
Remembering that he still relied on the man, Ren Qing had no choice but to agree.
The two hurried toward the camp.
The path was littered with beast carcasses, if they were collected one would have enough to make preserved meat for at least half a month.