Ren Qing, having learned the clue through the ghost shadow, deliberately went to the Restraint Officers' Hall and discovered that there really was a task concerning the outskirts of the city.
The mission's requirements were very strange, mainly to inspect the homes of residents who raised livestock in various regions.
The blood crystal reward was small, so only reserve members would attempt to take it.
However, Ren Qing could see that the Restraint Officers' Hall was gradually rolling out plans for something that was likely related to the Summoning Spirits Art.
Ren Qing did not hesitate to accept the mission.
Acting covertly in the Restraint Officers' Hall would more easily arouse suspicion, it was better to lay his attitude out in the open.
And as soon as he arrived in the western outskirts, he saw a half-human, half-goat monster standing at the doorway of a residence, its entire body covered in black hair, and horns forming on top of its head resembling those of cattle or sheep.
If this has nothing to do with the Beast Pen Technique, then I, Ren Qing, will write my name backwards.
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes and walked quietly toward the inside of the house, his footsteps silent.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he found Yan Jun and the others questioning the old woman, completely oblivious to the fact that what stood before them was no longer human.
Ren Qing carefully observed the courtyard and saw a layer of fallen leaves on the ground, indicating it hadn't been swept in some time.
Fortunately, it hadn't reached the level of Heavenly Daozi's surroundings, where nearby plants were twisted and warped.
At that moment, footsteps came again from the inner room.
A skinny old man limped out; his right lower leg had been severed entirely, wrapped in bandages, the end still seeping with a bit of fresh blood.
"Who is it..."
"Officers from the yamen."
"Oh..."
Yan Jun and the other two looked him over, but quickly lost interest.
The corners of Ren Qing's eyes twitched, he was still some distance away and could already smell the overwhelming stench coming from the old man's mouth, full of sharp fangs.
The old man returned into the house.
Then the sound of a baby crying arose, and the old man's voice grew gentle as he continuously tried to soothe it.
Ren Qing slowly stepped out from the corner of the courtyard, startling Yan Jun and the others, they hadn't noticed him appear at all.
Xu Yang and the other man showed a bit of wariness, involuntarily adjusting their steps, ready to surround at any time.
They didn't realize they had nearly walked right up to the old woman.
Seeing that it was Ren Qing, Yan Jun let out a breath of relief. "Lord Ren, so you've taken this task too."
Ren Qing nodded and replied, "Mm."
Xu Yang and Chen Tingyi exchanged a glance. Though they'd only recently joined the Restraint Officers' Hall, they had heard of Ren Qing.
They knew he was a rising star among the Restraint Officers, already officially promoted ahead of time with the endorsement of three Yin Runner cultivators.
"Ah, Lord Ren, I am Xu Yang. Please take care of me in the future."
"Lord Ren Qing, I am Chen Tingyi."
Chen Tingyi didn't speak much, but his attitude was very respectful.
Ren Qing glanced toward the interior of the house and then asked, "It's fine. Yan Jun, tell me the specifics."
Yan Jun looked troubled as she glanced at the old woman, after all, with mortals present, the rules of the Restraint Officers' Hall forbade disclosing anything.
Ren Qing sighed.
It seems that without ocular techniques, it would be hard to notice anything.
Fine. At least they won't get in the way.
Immortal in the Mirror and The Blindless Method were activated simultaneously.
Illusion combined with dream entry, this was not something that could be easily resisted, especially since the couple's soul aberrations were full of flaws.
Thump thump...
The old woman and old man collapsed at the same time, and in mere moments, loud snoring echoed out, as if they hadn't slept in days.
Most of the ghost shadows vanished beneath Ren Qing's feet, and quickly surrounded the courtyard.
Xu Yang couldn't help but shiver. Though there was a gap in cultivation, he hadn't even sensed when Ren Qing had activated his technique.
Perhaps this was the Ghost Envoy stage?
Ren Qing glanced over Xu Yang and Chen Tingyi, their techniques were both beast-type transformations, which showed that the Restraint Officers' Hall's standards for recruiting reserves had clearly dropped.
However, the degree of aberration wasn't high, indicating they hadn't advanced by consuming Supernatural Remnants.
"You can speak now."
Yan Jun organized her thoughts and said, "We received the task yesterday, responsible for checking livestock in the west suburbs... but we didn't find anything..."
Ren Qing nodded and snapped his fingers.
Yan Jun and the other two also passed out, and were casually thrown into the Prison Within the Abdomen.
Ren Qing stared at the inner room, then strode toward the pigpen.
As for the couple, he didn't intend to make contact. Whether the Supreme Heavenly Demon's soul-based aberration would affect him was hard to say.
Ren Qing arrived at the pigpen.
It was exceptionally clean inside, not even a trace of foul odor.
He looked around.
There were only seven or eight animals, mostly domesticated pigs, plus a single goat.
The pigs were skin and bones, even larger than wild boars in size, but weakened by long starvation.
Upon hearing movement, they all stood and stared at Ren Qing with a chilling gaze.
Yet the nearby feed trough was full of hay, only the goat was eating.
Ren Qing had the impression the pigs were deeply afraid of the goat, so much so they'd rather starve to death than approach it.
The goat again...
His Double Pupils spun as his split soul exited the body, carefully inspecting the goat's body and soul. In a trance, the scene transformed.
The pigpen was now filthy and fouled.
The goat hung upside down in front of the feed trough, its internal organs already hollowed out. From the traces on the ground, something had apparently emerged from within.
Ren Qing saw the goat had been torn open starting from the uterus, then he recalled the sound of the baby crying in the courtyard.
The strange creature in the house was indeed connected to the Supreme Heavenly Demon, and had almost fooled him.
The ghost shadows had long since sealed the courtyard, so he wasn't in a hurry.
He turned to look at the pigs, who were clearly far more intelligent than regular beasts.
He recalled having once asked Butcher Zhang about such pigs, and was told they could be slaughtered within half a year. He'd assumed it was just a different breed.
Now it seemed likely that all domesticated livestock had undergone some sort of spell-based modification, growing faster and becoming smarter.
A portion of ghost shadows stationed themselves within the pigpen as a safeguard.
Then Ren Qing swiftly approached the inner room. Just as he neared, the crying resumed, but the moment he opened the wooden door, it abruptly stopped.
The room appeared very ordinary, just the furnishings of a typical home.
The lame old man lay on the ground, and the bandage that had covered his wound had somehow come undone, blood slowly seeping out.
The wound clearly bore marks of a knife, it wasn't an accident.
Near the window sat a half-meter-long wooden crib, with a sleeping infant lying inside, looking very endearing and cute.
Ren Qing blinked, and fresh blood had now dotted the white cloth, judging by the color it had just been left moments ago.
He pushed his Double Pupils to the limit and saw blood at the baby's lips.
Clearly, it had climbed out and fed on the old man's severed leg, then, upon hearing footsteps, quickly returned to the crib.
Ren Qing pretended to turn and leave, but the baby's mouth suddenly opened.
The crib exploded into fragments, and the strange infant had already vanished, only its piercing cries echoed in the room.
Whoosh!!
A sound of wind ripping through air.
The strange infant flashed past.
A gash opened on Ren Qing's shoulder, but before any blood flowed out, it was redirected into the ghost shadow.
Whoosh!!
The infant attempted another attack, from an even more bizarre angle, lunging for Ren Qing's heart, its eyes filled with bloodlust.
Ren Qing sneered coldly.
Just as the infant was about to reach him, he whipped out a narrow bone chain, striking the infant hard.
The infant let out a shrill scream and crashed into the corner, raising a cloud of dust.
Ren Qing still stood in place. The ghost shadows closed in from the outer courtyard, sealing the inner room entirely, the infant had no way to escape.
He didn't pursue, but instead waited for the infant's final struggle.
Whoosh!!
The infant slammed into the window, but the ghost shadows had already turned every inch of the room pitch black, like an infinitely terrifying abyss.
The infant stared at Ren Qing, its gaze filled with pure evil intent.
Whoosh!!
Ren Qing placed his right hand behind his back. As the infant darted past, he reached out and grabbed it, accompanied by a screeching sound.
He had used only his palm to forcibly subdue the infant.
The infant had the upper body of a goat and the lower body of a human. Its pure black pupils radiated ferocity, and its gaping mouth was full of fangs.
Ren Qing's entire arm was wrapped in fine iron chains. No matter how the infant bit and tore with its claws and fangs, it could cause no harm.
The chains extended, quickly binding the infant tightly. As they tightened, its skin sizzled.
Ren Qing's Dragon-Snake Spine had recently completed its molt.
The Bone-Clad Spinal Apparatus's abilities were now fully unleashed, his life-bound artifact had undergone a significant boost.
First, after reaching the Ghost Envoy stage, the number of Dragon-Snake Spines was no longer limited.
He could instantly form a net of chains, or gather them into a massive iron hammer, perfectly suited for both offense and defense.
In addition, it had developed some Nether Yuan properties, allowing the chains to corrode and partially phase between substance and illusion.
Ren Qing willed it.
The clashing of metal sounded in succession.
His entire body was suddenly covered in chains, under such conditions, even if he let the infant attack freely, it wouldn't be able to pierce through.
The most profound aspect of the Dragon-Snake Spine was its ability to flow through the entire body via marrow.
Ren Qing could use it to wrap any body part, flesh, skin, bones, even internal organs.
Though it lacked offensive strength and its weight reduced his speed, its defense made up for it considerably.
Holding the Dragon-Snake Spine, Ren Qing fixed his gaze on the infant.
He could sense it emitting an aura similar to Heavenly Daozi's.
Though it didn't affect plants, ordinary people couldn't possibly withstand the aberration caused by the Supreme Heavenly Demon.
But what most shocked Ren Qing was: why had this thing appeared in Xiangxiang?
Moreover, if the Restraint Officers' Hall had issued livestock inspection tasks, they were clearly targeting the strange infant, it had to be connected to the Summoning Spirits Art.
Does the Restraint Officers' Hall not understand the dangers of playing with fire?
Or is the current situation so dire that they have no choice but to take desperate measures?
He shook his head helplessly.
Even Ren Qing, after holding the infant for some time, felt his skin itching.
Unable to resist, he summoned the information flow, and upon seeing the text before him, his expression became momentarily dazed.
An inconceivable feeling surged in his heart.
Ren Qing suddenly understood many things, including who had mastered the Summoning Spirits Art, and the reasons behind the corpsedog and other three souls in Avici Hell.
The true culprit was actually him...