On the way back to the camp, Ren Qing couldn't help but ask Song Zongwu about the "Dead Man's Sutra" that Song Rong had muttered before his death.
Song Zongwu repeated the words silently a few times, his brow tightly furrowed as he said: "Could it be the Dead Man's forbidden zone..."
Ren Qing's mind stirred: "What is the Dead Man's forbidden zone?"
Song Zongwu shook his head: "I've only heard rumors."
"The supernatural arts related to the Dead Man's forbidden zone have long been lost, but it's said that beyond the hundred thousand mountains north of Sanxiang City, there lies a boundless forbidden zone called the Dead Man's Forbidden Zone."
When Ren Qing heard that Dead Man's Sutra might involve longevity, he could barely suppress the excitement in his heart.
But upon learning that Dead Man's forbidden zone might be at the Yang God realm, he silently shut his mouth.
Even a Ghost Envoy realm forbidden zone, after devouring large amounts of Supernatural Remnant, could threaten the lives of Yin Runner realm Restraint Officers.
From this one, one could imagine just how terrifying a Yang God realm forbidden zone must be, beyond comprehension.
Still, Ren Qing believed that even if Dead Man's Sutra was lost, as long as its Supernatural Remnant existed, he would eventually master it through Information Stream.
Ren Qing wasn't in a hurry to figure out Demon Seed Sutra. He planned to wait until the turmoil caused by Song Rong subsided. After all, the Disaster Dispelling forbidden zone couldn't be sealed off anytime soon.
As the two approached the camp,
Ren Qing found the camp in greater chaos than expected.
This was mainly because the formation of Hundred Eyes forbidden zone had drawn in most prisoners.
Even though Hundred Eyes forbidden zone was just newly formed and hadn't caused many deaths, it still triggered extreme panic among the prisoners.
The main reason was that Hundred Eyes' ability was to create illusions.
After forming a forbidden zone, it made prisoners experience unimaginable abyssal fear, those who weren't scared out of their wits could count themselves lucky.
Even after things calmed down, they tried to escape from the limestone cave, causing further chaos.
Now dozens of prisoners were being held at the camp under Restraint Officer supervision.
Even Xu Shilin was present to oversee them, an old-fashioned pipe dangling from his lips.
The prisoners trembled uncontrollably, some having fainted and foaming at the mouth, the stench of incontinence filling the air.
Ren Qing quickly stepped forward to assess the situation. After hearing the details, he pinched his temples in frustration.
The prisoners' condition resembled claustrophobia. Making them re-enter the cave now would likely leave them paralyzed with fear, making mining obviously unrealistic.
Song Zongwu spoke: "The biggest problem now is that Disaster Dispelling forbidden zone is sinking. If we don't finish digging within ten days, the cave will collapse first."
Ren Qing opened his mouth, then cautiously suggested: "What about using Gu insects?"
"Li Yaoyang's Gu insect possession would leave these prisoners exhausted to death within half a day. Besides, the final stages of digging require more careful work."
Ren Qing pondered solutions, perhaps trying to treat their claustrophobia?
Song Zongwu handed the stone statue to Mu Yi, who protected it with vines, then picked up a pickaxe and entered the cave first.
"What are you thinking about? Quickly arrange for constables to guard the prisoners, then follow us into the cave to dig."
Ren Qing sighed helplessly.
It seemed the so-called "handling the mess" was just preparation for intense mining labor, to prevent him from resisting.
Ren Qing truly had no choice, if something happened to the Disaster Dispelling forbidden zone, death could come in ways unimaginable.
Huang Ziwang also obediently entered the mine, though his face had turned an ugly shade of purple.
The thought of continuous digging for seven or eight days straight filled him with dread.
Under Ren Qing's arrangements, the camp gradually became more orderly.
Prisoners were confined to spacious wooden huts under strict constable supervision, while others joined the mining effort.
When even Restraint Officers had to do manual labor, the constables dared not complain.
Besides, finishing quickly meant returning to Sanxiang City sooner, the wilderness couldn't compare to the city's comforts, nor its relative safety.
The Supernatural Remnant incidents had left the constables on edge. Seeing dozens of nearly insane prisoners showed just how terrifying it could be.
Not long after Ren Qing entered the cave,
He noticed the surrounding walls vibrating slightly, with stone dust falling, clear signs of collapse risk.
Seeing this, Ren Qing had constables direct prisoners to install wooden supports throughout the cave, hoping to buy more time.
Then Ren Qing headed to the mining area, leaving Wang Wen in charge of the camp.
The Restraint Officers had already begun digging feverishly, no longer focusing on self-improvement but purely on efficiency.
Song Zongwu's four arms became blurs, advancing like a human excavator, the rubble behind him forming a storm.
Ren Qing joined the mining, swinging his blade continuously.
After his fight with Song Rong, his blade technique had finally reached basic proficiency, his strikes becoming increasingly steady.
Sword light flashed everywhere.
Ren Qing maneuvered through the narrow tunnels, his figure seemingly chasing after the blade's gleam, the sounds of slicing air gradually echoing.
Unconsciously, Ren Qing's mining speed actually began catching up to Huang Ziwang's, forcing the latter to work even harder.
Their competition became so intense that constables couldn't keep up with rubble removal, requiring more handcarts.
This continued for five days. Ren Qing immersed himself in mining, immediately consuming Boar Eye to restore stamina when exhausted.
Meanwhile, the Disaster Dispelling forbidden zone seemed to notice the Mountain being hollowed out, its disturbances growing increasingly violent.
This required daily replacement of cracked support beams, with the hundred-plus constables and prisoners barely keeping up.
As Ren Qing dug deeper, the walls grew harder, steadily improving his blade technique.
The months' worth of Pig Eyes he'd prepared were visibly diminishing.
Ren Qing outright abused his authority, having hunters collect eyeballs from various beasts. With Song Rong dead, there were fewer concerns now.
He planned to continue mining until completion, but an unexpected interruption forced him to pause.
Against all expectations, the Human Skin Book had reached a breakthrough point through passive cultivation, making suppression impossible.
This would inevitably affect his mining, and prolonged abnormalities would surely draw the other Restraint Officers' attention.
Fortunately, Ren Qing had spent so long in the tunnels that breaks for chatting with Huang Ziwang seemed normal.
From their conversations, he learned that Leather Refiners' mutation wasn't obvious, even sparring partners might not notice.
Ren Qing began preparing to advance the Human Skin Book.
Naturally, he wouldn't attempt this in the mines, explaining spontaneous advancement would be impossible. He needed to find an opportunity outside camp.
Late one night, Ren Qing went to a pre-secluded spot in the mountains.
The remote location had no Gu insect surveillance, and the beast tide had scared off wildlife.
Only the cries of night crows broke the lonely darkness.
Ren Qing felt somewhat nervous.
Self-guided advancement risked triggering tribulation, though low-realm techniques carried relatively minor risks.
But what exactly were a Leather Refiner's abilities?