With the current Yin Runner Realm of the Blindless Method, three Dream Seed artifacts were already the limit.
Whether that number could increase in the future was another matter.
However, this did not mean that Ren Qing could not nurture a new Dream Seed, it only meant that he would have to abandon one of the existing ones. Thus, he chose to let the Heavenly Way Dream Seed completely transform into the Immortal Market.
The Immortal Market relied on Daoist disciples exchanging Spirit Crystals daily to absorb true essence, allowing it to naturally nourish itself without the need for spell maintenance.
Ren Qing felt no regret. Compared to the Heavenly Demon Dream Seed, the Flame Inheritance Dream Seed and the Heavenly Way Dream Seed were far too cheap.
He could always cultivate new ones; it would only cost him some time.
The Monster Aberration Dream Seed was a strange dark purple, with a black shadow in its pupil that took the shape of a beast, constantly shifting form.
Using the Monster Aberration Dream Seed, faint demonic energy drifted around Ren Qing's body.
He looked again toward the charity mortuary. The courtyard appeared and disappeared, and only by adjusting the density of the demonic energy could he fix his perspective within the Crescent Moon Layer.
The bridal sedan chairs moved slowly, seemingly on purpose.
However, this Crescent Moon Layer was completely different from the one Ren Qing had stumbled into before, it was far calmer than he had imagined.
In his memory, it had been filled with aberrations, treating humans like food.
Ren Qing walked openly toward the courtyard, without letting the Wugui devour his sense of existence. With the Monster Aberration Dream Seed concealing his aura, no cultivator should be able to recognize that he was not one of their kind.
The aberration techniques had never been spread, which meant their inheritance was neither written nor orally transmitted, it must have some unique nature.
When he was about a hundred meters from the courtyard, the rogue cultivators within immediately noticed him.
Ren Qing's outward appearance showed little mutation; only his three eyes looked abnormal, and he did not resemble an aberrant cultivator at all.
Several Qingqiu cultivators inside the courtyard narrowed their phoenix eyes, examining Ren Qing.
Qingqiu cultivators were unlike Tu Di cultivators. They did not conceal their beastly forms, instead, they were foxes walking upright.
Their bodies were covered in earth-yellow fur, and by appearance alone it was impossible to tell male from female.
"Senior Brother Wen Yu, is this person also an aberrant cultivator..."
A female fox asked softly, but she had barely finished speaking before realizing her mistake. The older Qingqiu cultivator glared at her in anger.
"Aberration, aberration, aberration! You Jingzhou people keep saying that word all day long, how utterly rude."
As Wen Yu spoke, he bared his mouth in a grin, his blood-red eyes sweeping the crowd.
The rogue cultivators did not dare utter a word, staring at Wen Yu in terror.
Wen Yu's gaze finally settled on an old Daoist, about seventy or eighty years of age, and with a twisted smile he asked, "Daoist Qingcheng, earlier when 'aberration' was mentioned, I think I saw you laugh?"
Daoist Qingcheng instinctively stepped back toward the courtyard gate and stammered, "Daoist Wen Yu, I was merely admiring the scenery..."
Bang!
Wen Yu's legs exploded with terrifying speed. In an instant, he was before Daoist Qingcheng, his blood-filled mouth opening half a meter wide.
Inside, in addition to sharp fangs, countless flayed human hands stretched out, grabbing Daoist Qingcheng and shoving him into Wen Yu's stomach.
Within just a few breaths, Wen Yu let out a satisfied burp.
He spat out a sheet of blood-soaked human skin, Daoist Qingcheng's face still bore a smile even in death, as if being chewed alive had been a pleasure.
"Junior Sister Zhou Wei, I'll spare your life since you've only just joined."
"Otherwise, I would have eaten you too."
Zhou Wei trembled violently. If not for leaning against the wall, she would have collapsed to the ground.
Wen Yu patted another Qingqiu cultivator on the shoulder and asked gently, "Junior Brother Lin Xi, you know what you are, don't you?"
Lin Xi nodded stiffly, suppressing his fear. "We are demon cultivators, Qingqiu's demon cultivators..."
"That's right."
Wen Yu turned his gaze back to Ren Qing, who, even after witnessing Daoist Qingcheng's gruesome death, showed not the slightest reaction.
How interesting.
Still, that demonic aura was far too faint, did he really think he could step into Qingqiu's Immortal Realm with that?
Ren Qing smiled faintly. When he had fought Tu Di cultivators before, he hadn't realized that aberrant cultivators lacked the three dantians, upper, middle, and lower.
The so-called three dantians referred to: the upper dantian, the Niwan Palace where the soul resided; the middle dantian, the Tan Zhong Acupoint where qi gathered; and the lower dantian, the Guanyuan Acupoint where essence was stored and refined.
Restraint Officer techniques had some relation to the Niwan Palace, but Heavenly Way techniques required true essence to circulate throughout the body, thus emphasizing acupoints and meridians.
Ren Qing had once assumed aberrant arts were derived from Heavenly Way techniques, but now it seemed they were completely unrelated.
Aberrant cultivators absorbed demonic energy into their bodies entirely, and their displayed abilities were more like false divine powers.
Though he still didn't know the rank divisions of aberrant techniques, the concentration of demonic energy clearly reflected one's strength.
The wooden gate of the courtyard stood open, and Ren Qing stepped inside without hesitation.
A heavy pressure fell upon him, but it was quickly neutralized by his demonic energy, he even felt an odd sense of ease.
The Crescent Moon Layer faded away, and the scene beyond the courtyard transformed entirely.
The town had vanished, leaving only endless mountain ranges and forests. A silver moon hung high in the sky, and the musky fox stench thickened in the air.
Ren Qing's bones cracked audibly as the pressure on him suddenly increased severalfold, almost crushing him into pulp.
Wen Yu licked his lips, his eyes watching Ren Qing with anticipation.
The other rogue cultivators swallowed hard. Only those of deep cultivation could remain long in Qingqiu's Immortal Realm, and only those with compatible physiques could linger even briefly.
Yet none of this seemed visible in Ren Qing.
As expected, blood mist seeped from Ren Qing's pores, but just as his body neared its limit, a violent gust of wind roared past.
The wind lashed against the trees, producing sharp crackling sounds.
Within a hundred meters, demonic energy swirled into a vortex, rushing toward Ren Qing and being absorbed by the Monster Aberration Dream Seed in his brow with the momentum of a whale devouring the sea.
In moments, the pressure on him was neutralized, and he adapted easily to the Crescent Moon Layer's environment.
The rogue cultivators looked at one another in confusion, unable to gauge his depth.
Zhou Wei and Lin Xi, however, gasped sharply, could it be that he had already reached the Demon Core Stage? Otherwise, how could his methods be so terrifying?
Yet they could not discern what aberration Ren Qing belonged to; the traces of mutation were far too few.
Wen Yu's smile deepened. He acted as though meeting an old friend and hurried forward, saying, "Fellow Daoist, your presence here to observe the Demon Transformation truly honors us."
"Just happened to be passing by, so I came to witness Qingqiu's Demon Transformation."
Ren Qing replied politely.
On the surface, the two appeared friendly, but both were testing each other.
Ren Qing looked around in puzzlement. The surroundings were not the ruined Qingyan Town of the Crescent Moon Layer but a wilderness instead.
The vegetation was thick and lush, piled in great mounds. No beasts could be seen, it was eerily silent.
Nearby stood similar courtyards and temples, likely belonging to other Qingqiu cultivators.
"The Qingqiu Immortal Realm is always this quiet. If one could enter without waiting for a Fox Immortal's frenzy, it would make a fine place for secluded cultivation."
"I see."
Ren Qing nodded, gaining some insight into the so-called Qingqiu Immortal Realm.
Wen Yu sneered, so, Ren Qing hadn't come here intentionally.
He looked to Lin Xi and said, "In the Qingqiu Immortal Realm there are only foxes. Junior Brother, go catch a few so our guest can have a taste."
Lin Xi hesitated, wanting to speak, but eventually obeyed.
While they waited, the bridal sedans were carried one after another into the Qingqiu Immortal Realm. The stench of corpses spread, and faint laughter of flayed women could be heard.
The strong men bearing the coffins entered the courtyard as well, they too were evidently part of the transmission ritual.
The already cramped space grew even more crowded, though none dared come within ten meters of Ren Qing and the others.
Soon, Lin Xi returned carrying two struggling white foxes, handing them to Wen Yu.
Wen Yu grabbed one by the neck and cruelly flayed it alive, chewing the flesh with relish.
"Truly delicious. When eating, it's best to strip off the fur, the meat tastes pure, and here in the Qingqiu Immortal Realm we needn't worry about taboos."
"Unfortunately, there aren't many fox beasts left. We must eat sparingly."
Wen Yu looked at Ren Qing. "Fellow Daoist, eat it while it's still alive. These fox beasts can even speak human words, their flesh carries a milky fragrance, quite delectable."
His tone carried a threat, and his breathing grew heavy.
"Then I thank you."
Ren Qing took the white fox, which struggled violently, attempting to bite through its skin with its teeth.
Information flowed through his mind.
[Fox Demon Offspring]
[Age: Three]
[Lifespan: Seventy Years]
...
Wen Yu knew well that after eating fox flesh within the Qingqiu Immortal Realm, demon cultivators would inevitably undergo mutations, possibly even falling into madness.
He waited expectantly.
"I prefer not to skin it."
The palm of Ren Qing's right hand split open, revealing a hideous mouth. Sharp teeth glinted with cold light as his tongue rolled out and swallowed the white fox whole.
He had guessed the origin of the Qingqiu Immortal Realm.
It truly existed within the Crescent Moon Layer, but not near Qingyan Town, it was the original dwelling place of the Qingqiu aberration itself.
Aberrant cultivators not only cultivated through aberrations, they also devoured their offspring.
Seeing Ren Qing remain unchanged, Wen Yu's eyes filled with killing intent.
But in the end, he suppressed the thought, his chilling gaze turning to Lin Xi. "Begin the Demon Transformation. You go first."
Ren Qing realized that Wen Yu wasn't worried about him causing trouble, which meant the Qingqiu Immortal Realm was likely not easy to return from, hence Wen Yu's confidence.
In Ren Qing's view, Wen Yu was devoid of humanity, though Zhou Wei and Lin Xi still seemed somewhat sane. Perhaps they could be drawn into the dream market in the future.
After a brief hesitation, Lin Xi removed his Daoist robe, revealing a body covered in fox fur.
He walked step by step toward a bridal sedan.
As he walked, he used his claws to slice open his forehead, then forcefully tore off his fox skin.
For some reason, as Lin Xi continued, the demonic energy around him surged violently, soon surpassing the range of the Qi Refining Stage.
He lifted the sedan's curtain and draped the fox skin over a female corpse.
The corpse and the fox skin gradually merged. Those rogue cultivators who knew a bit of the secret showed feverish excitement, one man even stepped forward toward the sedan.
"Little Daoist Lin Xi, we got along well before. How about we, share your first Demon Transformation..."
Lin Xi regrew his fox skin, but his expression was no longer kind.
He smiled and lunged at the man, biting off his head. Blood and brain matter exploded in his mouth, thick with a stench of iron.
"So this is a demon cultivator!"
"Truly delicious!!"
"You have achieved enlightenment, Junior Brother."
Wen Yu said with a beaming smile.