In Ren Qing's original body and split soul's eyes, the form of the Other Shore Flower appeared completely different, making him feel a chill down his spine.
In the view of his original body, the Other Shore Flower was strange, but at least still counted as a plant.
But his split soul saw that its roots had transformed into fleshy tentacles, and the flower buds resembled wombs nurturing infants, constantly dripping blood.
Moments later, the petals slightly opened.
That indescribable scent became even more intense, enough to make one dizzy and light-headed.
Immediately, specks of spiritual light began to gather, drilling out from the ground and surging toward the Other Shore Flower field like the star river above.
Ren Qing's breathing quickened.
These specks of light didn't resemble residual souls, but rather something similar to the True Yuan secreted within Heavenly Dao Worms.
Before he could make sense of the situation, the Other Shore Flower began absorbing the residual souls stored in the rib bone, and the flower buds swelled even further.
The other Restraint Officers probably didn't know what was happening, but Ren Qing was different.
After all, the "Nightmare" was, in legend, a monster dwelling in the gap between the waking world and dreams.
With the aid of his spell ability, the split soul faintly saw through the petals and glimpsed the essence.
The stamen had been replaced by a deformed mouth, whose sharp teeth ground residual souls into fragments, then, under the effect of the spiritual light, underwent transformation.
The fragments absorbed the spiritual light and were reconstituted into more residual souls.
The Other Shore Flower seemed to be extracting the part of the soul that comprised intelligence, causing some flower buds to begin showing signs of blooming.
Ren Qing swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He finally remembered where that strange familiarity had come from.
He took out the Divine Possession Technique from the Prison Within the Abdomen. The book's contents largely dealt with souls, with only part describing spell techniques.
The Other Shore Flower was very similar to the soul artifacts mentioned in the Divine Possession Technique.
Though not described in detail, its manifestations were incredibly alike.
Could it be that the ones best at manipulating souls weren't from the Beast Pen?
Then, the Other Shore Flower bloomed.
The residual souls were discarded and left unused; they gathered of their own accord on the streets of Annan Town.
Compared to last night's Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts, the number tonight had increased by at least thirty percent, and some had already transformed into beast ghosts.
It made sense, the number of Other Shore Flowers was increasing daily. The Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts couldn't remain at a level Restraint Officers could easily handle.
The Other Shore Flowers burrowed back into the soil, and Muyi's vines also returned to her body.
Muyi had clearly expended a lot of energy, nearly unable to maintain her tree form, and had no choice but to close her eyes and rest.
The town was still silent. Before the Water Gourd appeared, no Restraint Officer dared to act rashly.
But Ren Qing could clearly sense that the Restraint Officers were all making preparations.
Within Yu Dachuan's Daoist temple, lanterns were brightly lit. Several figures were seen kneeling on the ground, receiving his blessings.
Hundreds of bats hung from the eaves.
Loose kites drifted with the cold wind but couldn't escape the bounds of the town.
Ren Qing stomped his right foot lightly. The Ghost Shadow immediately understood and merged into his flesh and blood. Then, the sound of bones colliding rang out.
His body rose to just over two meters tall, muscles clinging tightly to the bones.
After absorbing two ghosts, the Ghost Shadow's Nether Yuan was just barely usable in combat. If combined with Immortal in the Mirror, there might be unexpected effects.
Just then, Ren Qing turned his head, and his expression became somewhat amused.
The Water Gourd hadn't even started eating, so what Restraint Officer would dare provoke him?
Or had his own actions last night set a bad example?
A window in one of the residential houses opened, and a slender proboscis extended outward.
The proboscis resembled that of a mosquito, its suction causing nearby trees to sway. The residual souls, of course, couldn't escape being drawn in.
This person's concealment was far inferior to the Ghost Shadow.
If Ren Qing could detect it, there was no way the Yin Runner realm Water Gourd couldn't.
Ren Qing silently mourned for the man.
When he looked again, a figure had appeared on the house's eaves.
The Water Gourd let out a strange laugh and leapt nonchalantly into the courtyard, his gloomy face full of killing intent.
He directly shattered the window and grabbed the Restraint Officer inside by the throat.
The half-man, half-mosquito Restraint Officer tried to spread his wings and flee, but was held fast, only able to squeeze out pleas through his teeth.
"Sir..."
The Water Gourd had noticed Ren Qing's actions last night as well, but before he made a move, Ren Qing had already withdrawn.
He was wary of the three Yin Runner realm cultivators behind Ren Qing, so he let it go.
But who the hell are you?
His grip tightened, and the mosquito-man's neck twisted ninety degrees.
The blood-flesh gourd behind him greedily opened its mouth, its tongue probing around the mosquito-man's head before swallowing it whole.
The Water Gourd wiped the blood from his hands and then walked to the center of the town. He gave a cold snort, clearly issuing a warning.
The blood-flesh gourd split open its flower-like mouth, generating suction out of thin air.
While collecting residual souls, the Water Gourd deliberately harvested more than the night before, increasing the tension among the Restraint Officers.
After finishing, he chose to leave.
In a corner of the street, a massive opossum gradually returned to human form, hiding in the shadows and secretly observing the situation.
In Zhang Yu's view,
The location chosen for the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts was critical.
He couldn't be too close to powerful Restraint Officers, nor stand out in areas dense with residual souls.
Eventually, his gaze stopped on the distant Daoist temple.
That place...
Yu Dachuan impatiently pushed open the door. His body had reached five meters tall, easily grabbing residual souls and stuffing them into his mouth.
Zhang Yu broke out in a cold sweat, muttering inwardly, "At least two transformations. No way I can stay near there."
He roamed the edge of the town, noticing the other side of the street wasn't any better.
A dozen or so kites drifted down, gradually transforming into lifelike human heads.
They floated behind Wan Qi, their venomous eyes fixed on the residual souls, just waiting for Wan Qi's command.
Zhang Yu swallowed hard, and suddenly spotted an opportunity.
Perhaps because two deadly figures occupied this area, a vacuum had formed nearby.
Zhang Yu's rodent eyes emitted a black light, enveloping himself in shadow.
He crept along the wall to the front of the inn. Whether by design or coincidence, Yu Dachuan and Wan Qi had left this place empty.
A few residual souls wandered the alleyway.
Zhang Yu was drooling.
Although his primary cultivation was Rat Plague Technique, he had also mastered a "Shadow Concealment Technique," which allowed him to absorb residual souls and speed up his cultivation.
Zhang Yu hoped to use the Night Parade to bring his Shadow Concealment Technique to perfection in the Half-Corpse realm, and then head to Nether Feather to break through to Ghost Envoy realm.
Zhang Yu reverted to human form, his claws turning a dark purple. With a burst from his legs, he lunged from the wall, tearing the residual souls to pieces.
Just as he was about to go further, he suddenly felt his body freeze in place, then begin to tremble uncontrollably.
Only then did Zhang Yu notice a man climbing out of the inn's window.
Ren Qing's body was pitch black like ink, resembling a shadow walking upright. Paired with his constantly rotating Double Pupils, there was an overwhelming aura of terror.
A chilling thought crept into Zhang Yu's mind.
Had the gap Yu Dachuan and Wan Qi left been deliberately avoiding this person? Then how terrifying was his strength?
Two transformations?
Maybe even three transformations.
Zhang Yu was terrified, nearly kneeling to beg for mercy.
Although he knew that Annan Town forbade Restraint Officers from killing each other, even the Water Gourd had acted without restraint.
Who dared take that risk?
A fissure opened along Zhang Yu's spine, as if to release an opossum clone.
He had some confidence in his escape methods. After all, the Rat Plague Technique was notorious in the Restraint Officers' Hall for survivability.
As long as he released the clone, it would be impossible to locate the main body. He could still make a comeback by the next night.
Zhang Yu was already moving fast, not even thinking about body distortion.
But Ren Qing was faster.
He stepped forward, his figure merging into the darkness and disappearing instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Ren Qing was in front of Zhang Yu. His raised right arm was poised with strength, and the stone bricks under his feet cracked.
Boom!!!
His arm lashed out like a whip.
Zhang Yu turned into a blur and was flung to the end of the street.
His ribs shattered in his chest and abdomen, bone shards piercing his organs. Blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
If not for his Ghost Envoy cultivation, an ordinary person would be utterly dead.
Zhang Yu landed on the outskirts of Annan Town, his life was spared, but he was clearly eliminated from the Night Parade.
If Ren Qing had wanted to kill him, it would have been easy.
But he knew he couldn't make himself the target. Besides, this was a Restraint Officer who couldn't even block a casual blow.
However, a Restraint Officer so severely injured would certainly be handled by a Yin Runner realm cultivator to avoid the formation of a forbidden zone.
Next, Zhang Yu still had to face the Water Gourd.
May the heavens help him.
The whole city's attention turned to Ren Qing, their eyes filled with deep apprehension.
Ren Qing's palm sprouted the Dragon-Snake Spine, then he leapt onto a rooftop, his focus fixed on the various ghostly forms.
Residual souls had already formed several beast ghosts and were still gathering.
The Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts wasn't as simple as it appeared.
Ren Qing cast aside distractions.
The Dragon-Snake Spine extended instantly, coiling around the nearest beast ghost and dragging it back. The unfolded bone blade slashed down violently.
This beast ghost had already taken shape, far from a newly born ghost.
It struggled violently, nearly breaking free of the Dragon-Snake Spine, when suddenly, it sensed an intensely invasive aura.
Immortal in the Mirror's power activated in tandem, and the Dragon-Snake Spine turned a poisonous dark green.
It snapped back, coiling around Ren Qing like a living creature.
The beast ghost was devoured by the Ghost Shadow.
A feeling of satisfaction came from the Ghost Shadow, and the depleted Nether Yuan was rapidly replenished.
Ren Qing began slaughtering without hesitation. Residual souls were harvested like fields of rice, his movements clean and efficient.
The Restraint Officers hadn't yet clashed, but as ghosts nearby became fewer, they gradually closed in on one another.
Ren Qing sensed Yu Dachuan's hostility, but remained unflinching.
He even began harvesting ghosts in others' territories. The Ghost Shadow feasted hungrily, and the Heavenly Dao Worm unknowingly reached mid-stage Qi Refining.
At this rate, the Shadow Ghost Technique might ascend to the Ghost Envoy realm, saving the life force cost, making it safe for the Heavenly Dao Worm to break through to Foundation Establishment.
Once he reached Foundation Establishment, he could gain control of the Fire Refining Palace, and his lifespan would no longer be limited.
He narrowed his eyes, already prepared to make Yu Dachuan an example.
But just then, a Restraint Officer accidentally let a beast ghost escape.
Two beast ghosts merged.
Their already deformed appearances became completely unrecognizable.
A strange cry came from its mouth..
"Meh..."
Ren Qing's pupils dilated.
Back at the Wuwei Daoist Altar, when the Heavenly Dao Child transformed into a Heavenly Demon, that was the exact sound it made.