Ren Qing used the Prison Within the Abdomen to collect residual souls, which was far more efficient than using the Dragon-Snake Spine.
When dealing with ordinary residual souls, the alien mouth only needed to generate suction to sweep them all up, though beast ghosts, with their thick hides and tough flesh, were slightly more troublesome.
But in the end, they were all locked in separate cells.
Ren Qing collected over a hundred residual souls in just a few minutes, even surpassing the nightly yield of some Restraint Officers.
The other Restraint Officers turned red-eyed upon seeing this.
The key point was, Ren Qing had no intention of stopping at all.
Very soon, several Restraint Officers tacitly began to surround him.
They first approached Ren Qing, but still cautiously kept a certain distance from one another, poised and ready to act.
The Restraint Officers' behavior more resembled impotent rage, trying to pressure Ren Qing into giving up, lest their interests be harmed.
It was clear that their alliance was not at all solid.
Yu Dachuan's expression carried a hint of amusement. In his view, Ren Qing would surely yield.
After all, no one could benefit in the face of so many Restraint Officers working together, unless one could suppress them with thunderous might...
Ren Qing raised his arm, and the split soul within the Wuwei Daoist Altar mirrored his movement, both main and split souls together exerted influence over the consciousnesses within.
The dream-entering ability was unleashed.
The besieging Restraint Officers suddenly felt an abrupt drowsiness come over them, and before they could react, Ren Qing turned into a shadow and appeared before them.
One punch!!!
A Restraint Officer was sent flying, crashing down the distant street.
From an outsider's perspective, it looked as if he had stood frozen, letting Ren Qing hit him, completely inconceivable.
"You..."
The scrawny Restraint Officer's face turned gloomy, and soon his own abdomen took a punch, he collapsed in a curl, unconscious on the ground.
After the Ghost Shadow possessed Ren Qing, he turned into a shadow dashing through the darkness.
When he stopped again, the nearby city district had become a vacuum, no Restraint Officer dared approach.
Ren Qing was slightly regretful.
Just one use of the dream-entry, and the consciousnesses in the Wuwei Daoist Altar had all vanished.
Still, forcibly pulling in weaker Restraint Officers was indeed still useful.
But Ren Qing didn't dare take this risk lightly. After all, whether it was the Blind Daoist or the Immortal Lord, both had demonstrated similar abilities before.
Occasionally attributing it to Twin Nightmare Ghosts was passable, but frequent use might raise suspicion, it was best not to sacrifice the greater for the lesser.
Ren Qing's goal was already achieved, so he quickly cleared out the surrounding streets. The number of residual souls imprisoned soon exceeded a thousand.
Even giant beast ghosts were no match for him.
Wan Qi muttered to himself: "What illusion spell is this...? Rumor has it Ren Qing has the backing of the Great Dream True Person, could it be the Butterfly Dream Technique...?"
Yu Dachuan was also tactful enough not to intervene, clearly harboring fear.
Ren Qing, having collected far more residual souls than expected, turned and left without hesitation.
Compared to his haul, the total gains of the other Restraint Officers combined were paltry, he'd truly profited enormously this time.
After returning to the inn, Ren Qing immediately had the Ghost Shadow begin digesting the residual souls.
And as the Ghost Shadow absorbed residual souls, it inevitably allowed the Heavenly Dao Worm to receive some nourishment.
There was no avoiding this. Until the Heavenly Dao Worm hatched, their relationship was more or less mutually beneficial.
The Shadow Ghost Technique soon showed signs of advancing to the Ghost Envoy realm.
Ren Qing tightly shut his eyes, carefully sensing the technique's gradual transformation.
He was indeed immersed in seclusion, while Annan Town the next day was rife with undercurrents.
Because of the threat Ren Qing posed, many Restraint Officers were compelled to cooperate, they feared they wouldn't even get a sip of the soup.
Powerful Restraint Officers like Yu Dachuan, on their own, gained little advantage.
Moreover, they began to suspect that Ren Qing's seemingly casual interactions might already be subtly influencing them via his technique.
Naturally, their vigilance greatly increased.
Ren Qing focused wholly on cultivation.
In past breakthroughs, he had either spent lifespan or used Nether Feather, keeping the risks to a minimum.
This time, he was even more cautious, not only guiding the Ghost Shadow through its bottleneck but also suppressing the Heavenly Dao Egg.
The Ghost Shadow kept expanding and contracting, its aura extremely unstable. Even the inn experienced minor tremors.
Ren Qing hurriedly transferred the Ghost Shadow into the Wuwei Daoist Altar, and the disturbances vanished.
Huang Ziwang and the others widened their mouths in astonishment as they looked toward Ren Qing's room, just now, a terrifying aura had flashed by.
Over the past few days, this person had been appearing and disappearing unpredictably, they had no idea what he was up to.
But it had already alarmed the innkeeper, so Huang Ziwang could only take some silver coins over and apologize.
Inside the Assembly Hall, the Ghost Shadow had turned into a five-meter black mud creature.
It rammed its body against the walls, trying to suppress the pain caused by its mutation.
But clearly, this had little effect, advancing to the Ghost Envoy realm required a long duration.
The Ghost Shadow sent thoughts to Ren Qing, saying it felt hungry.
Seeing this, Ren Qing threw it individual residual souls, and the Ghost Shadow coiled around them like a python, gradually devouring them.
Just as the Ghost Shadow's condition improved, an inexplicable aura blanketed the Assembly Hall, a silhouette appeared on a lotus leaf.
Ren Qing's mouth twitched, it was obvious the Heavenly Dao Child had been drawn by the Ghost Shadow.
He was just about to exit the Wuwei Daoist Altar when the Heavenly Dao Child slowly entered the hall.
His face was calm, completely different from the previously deranged state. Even the bovine or ovine traits of his soul had somewhat subsided.
He stood in front of the Ghost Shadow, inspecting it, a contemplative look in his eyes.
After some hesitation, Ren Qing said, "Ancestor Master..."
The Heavenly Dao Child glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, then silently turned back to gaze at the Ghost Shadow, though now with a subtle, indescribable expression.
Ren Qing was now certain that the Heavenly Dao Child had briefly regained his senses.
At this moment, the Heavenly Dao Child seemed lost in memory, as if seeing countless possible futures for the Wuwei Daoist Altar within the Ghost Shadow.
But unfortunately, it had all been destroyed. Under siege by the Heavenly Dao Worm and the Supreme Heavenly Demon, survival was already miraculous.
The Ghost Shadow shrank back to human size.
It had successfully advanced to the Ghost Envoy realm, now a Yin Ghost Demon Shadow, its body could cover the entire Assembly Hall.
As long as it remained in darkness, it could endlessly regenerate itself.
As for the Nether Sea Breathing Art, though it had reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, Ren Qing gave the Heavenly Dao Worm no chance to break through to Foundation Establishment.
The Ghost Shadow sealed the Heavenly Dao Egg, cutting off its nutrient supply.
The Heavenly Dao Child nodded toward Ren Qing, but his soul began collapsing again, black hair sprouted from his skin.
He turned and walked out of the Assembly Hall.
Ren Qing reflexively asked, "Ancestor Master, what is the Beast Pen technique?"
The Heavenly Dao Child paused, his head turning 180 degrees back, his pitch-black pupils emitted a chilling gaze.
"Supreme Heavenly Demon..."
"One gives birth to two, two to three, three to all things, the Supreme Heavenly Demon is one of them..."
His voice grew increasingly strange, with an eerie tone mixed in, like a bleating mountain goat.
"We are all the Supreme Heavenly Demon."
The Heavenly Dao Child's soul completely mutated. A giant black mountain goat stood at the doorway of the Assembly Hall, shaking the entire Wuwei Daoist Altar.
The sky seemed as if it would split open, but eventually, it calmed.
Ren Qing's split soul returned to his body, his forehead covered in cold sweat, a wave of exhaustion and collapse washing over him.
[The Divine Possession Technique was created by the Supreme Heavenly Demon. Cultivation requires burning the soul flame by using one's body as fuel, and absorbing Heavenly Demon remains. Only by forsaking the body and refining the soul can it be accomplished.]
[After absorbing the remains of the Heavenly Demon, one's own soul will permanently lose parts, used to compose the Supreme Heavenly Demon.]
Ren Qing suddenly realized what kind of existence the Supreme Heavenly Demon was. His breathing grew heavy.
It was likely that, as one mastered the Beast Pen technique, their soul would gradually begin to resemble a black mountain goat.
This process was completely irreversible.
Each practitioner of the Beast Pen technique was like a component in a computer.
The Supreme Heavenly Demon likely had no true body, because every cultivator of the Beast Pen technique was part of the Supreme Heavenly Demon.
Ren Qing speculated that all souls shared a single consciousness, each person merely one of many split personalities.
In modern terms, this would be hive mind.
The Wuwei Daoist Altar had named the eastern region of Xiangxiang "Beast Pen" not just because of its resemblance to a black mountain goat, but because, to the Supreme Heavenly Demon, all living beings were like livestock.
The Heavenly Dao Child, relying on being within the Wuwei Daoist Altar, could barely maintain his sanity, but clearly, his lifespan was nearly exhausted.
When the time came, his soul would shed all remnants of humanity and completely become the black mountain goat, the Supreme Heavenly Demon.
Currently, Ren Qing's map had only been partially filled in.
Just what other existences lurked on this vast continent?
That aside...
Since the Heavenly Dao Child was at least of Yang God realm, and parasitized by a Spirit Division-level Heavenly Dao Worm, upon death, it would definitely break free.
His soul would return to the Supreme Heavenly Demon, and both forces would act upon one person, wouldn't that cause them to clash...
Ren Qing sighed helplessly. It looked like he had to transfer all the Wuwei Daoist Altar's resources into the Prison Within the Abdomen within the next three to four years.
Otherwise, he might end up empty-handed.
He opened his eyes and found the room extremely dim, clearly, several hours had passed.
Ren Qing quickly realized that the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts had long since begun.
Looking out the window, the streets were filled with beast ghosts rampaging, Restraint Officers locked in a fervent battle, seeking to gain resources.
And in the direction of the Other Shore Flower field, the vines formed by Muyi had already disappeared.
All the Other Shore Flower roots were entwined together, and through the split soul's eyes, they resembled an indescribable pile of flesh and severed limbs.
The Restraint Officers had fallen into madness.
Even when exhausted, they absorbed beast ghost flesh to recover. Unknowingly, some Restraint Officers had already begun to be influenced by residual souls.
Ren Qing felt a stroke of fortune, thankfully, it was the Ghost Shadow that digested residual souls for him.
The Ghost Shadow had no soul, and thus couldn't be affected by residual souls. At most, it would get an upset stomach from overfeeding.
Ren Qing had no intention of acting recklessly, he simply gazed out the window.
That dazzlingly vibrant Other Shore Flower looked fully bloomed, but it still felt like something was missing.
Ren Qing observed Annan Town from a bystander's perspective. The Restraint Officers seemed like venomous insects in a Gu jar, scrambling for deadly resources.
Only Wan Qi came to his senses, feeling the black hairs growing on his arms. He knelt to the ground and muttered:
"The Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts shouldn't be like this..."
Shui Hulu stood atop a building in Annan Town, savoring the apocalyptic scene before him.