Ren Qing used the ghost shadow to make contact with the anomalous object, and information streams immediately surged before his eyes.
[Storyteller]
[Created by [unknown], cultivating this method requires using human skin as a book and writing three thousand five hundred characters upon it. The handwriting will transform into a codex within ten days; only by completing its contents can one cultivate it successfully.]
[Role-Player: playing a role by oneself]
[Storyteller: taking the stage and performing lifelike narration]
[Allegory Speaker: observing from the sidelines and weaving events]
Ren Qing did not understand the abilities of Storyteller. The information obtained was also relatively vague; he could only confirm that all of them primarily revolved around erasing oneself.
He prepared to take the Storyteller anomalous object away from the Restraint Officers' Hall.
After all, the related techniques were far too sinister. If they fell into the hands of cultivators with ulterior motives, they would likely become a major disaster.
Ren Qing's consciousness returned to his main body, and the anomalous object was also confined within Eternal Shackles, so that it would not be accidentally forgotten in the outside world.
After calming his mindset, the first thing he planned to do was to master Dragon-Snake Spine. At the very least, this technique's aberration routes were thoroughly understood.
[Can consume one year of lifespan, waive the cost to master?]
Because it was an anomalous object rather than a book, the cost to be waived during mastery was greater, and the lifespan consumption naturally increased.
At the instant his lifespan was consumed, a numbing sensation arose from within his spinal bones, as if countless ants were crawling. It made his whole body feel uncomfortable, but fortunately it disappeared after just a few breaths.
Ren Qing felt a trace of anticipation. Dragon-Snake Spine overlapped invisibly with Nether Sea Breathing Art and Bone Armor Technique, and he did not know what kind of profundities would arise.
[Choose the Dragon-Snake branch, will consume one year of lifespan?]
It seemed that the lifespan required for Dragon-Snake Spine to advance to Half-Corpse realm was only one year, since the degree of aberration required was not great.
His spinal marrow turned ice-cold, and chills continuously roamed within his spine.
Ren Qing's innate magic tool formed by Bone Armor Technique initially showed no reaction, but as the branches of the aberration tree intertwined and the distinction between primary and secondary techniques became clear, it was finally affected.
The innate magic tool coiled into a ball at the side, stirring restlessly.
The two were originally of the same origin. The raw material of Ren Qing's Dragon-Snake Spine magic tool was formed by the technique of the same name, showing how close their relationship was.
However, the bone marrow still required a certain amount of time to completely transform into a spirit snake, so Ren Qing simply took the initiative and allowed Dragon-Snake Spine to make contact with the spirit snake.
Dragon-Snake Spine was covered in flesh and scale armor. At a glance, it looked like a small dragon, and its threefold aberration cultivation was far above that of the bone-marrow spirit snake.
No matter how unwilling the bone-marrow spirit snake was, it could only seep into Dragon-Snake Spine's body.
A sudden stabbing pain shot through Ren Qing's spine. He hurriedly threw Dragon-Snake Spine into Eternal Shackles, only then feeling somewhat better.
Dragon-Snake Spine transformed into a monstrous snake over ten meters long, rampaging wildly within Eternal Shackles, quickly reaching the Crystal Mountain.
The mountain formed by Memory-Preserving Spirit Crystals did not appear icy, but those crystalline rocks were extremely solid and sharp, easily slicing open Dragon-Snake Spine's scales.
Dragon-Snake Spine continuously twisted its body, letting the crystal ore tear it until it was covered in blood. The commotion it caused was significant, attracting dozens of demon cultivators to watch from afar.
It was already covered in wounds, its fresh blood dyeing large areas of the mountain region red.
Yet when Ren Qing saw Dragon-Snake Spine's self-mutilation, he instead felt an illusion of a spirit snake about to transform into a jiao. He could not help but freeze for several breaths.
Only after Dragon-Snake Spine had completely shed its skin did it finally lie prone on the ground without moving.
The shed dragon-snake skin was clearly top-grade material for refining magic tools. Ren Qing directly put it away, intending to see if there would be a chance to refine it later.
Dragon-Snake Spine looked miserable, but in fact had already reached Half-Corpse realm completion.
It was likely due to nourishment feedback from other techniques that Dragon-Snake Spine's progress had greatly accelerated, even nearly breaking through on its own.
Dragon-Snake Spine lay there panting heavily. New scales grew from all over its body, displaying a dim gray luster.
However, what surprised Ren Qing was that Dragon-Snake Spine's previous appearance had been snake-like and dragon-like, even possessing some Heavenly Dao Worm traits.
Now it was a purely gray giant snake, appearing much more restrained.
The changes to Dragon-Snake Spine also indirectly affected the ghost shadow. The latter formed a pitch-black long snake swimming beneath Ren Qing's feet.
"Previously, it should have been dragonization brought about by the Dragon-Snake Spine materials. Only now is it on the proper path."
Ren Qing's thoughts stirred slightly, not even giving Dragon-Snake Spine time to rest.
[Whether to choose the Spirit Snake Shedding Jiao branch, will consume ten years of lifespan]
Ren Qing no longer cared about ten years of lifespan. After consuming it, he stared fixedly at Dragon-Snake Spine, which immediately became restless.
Roar...
It could not help but raise its head and let out a long howl.
Seeing this, the demon cultivators immediately sensed danger. One after another, they shouted and fled toward distant areas, attempting to escape the range of Crystal Mountain.
But very soon, their movements stiffened and they collapsed to the ground. A tangible aura spread out behind them, making one's scalp crawl.
In the information stream, "Dragon-Snake" was replaced by "Spirit Snake Shedding Jiao".
Compared to the scene of Dragon-Snake Spine transforming into a snake, transforming into a jiao was undoubtedly far more spectacular.
It leapt straight into the clouds, twisting its body within them. One could vaguely see its volume expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Soon, even cultivators in the Dream Market noticed the jiao dragon, yet they were not particularly shocked, appearing unusually calm.
After all, the master of the ghost market had been silent for a long time; occasionally causing some disturbances was normal.
But the cultivators soon could no longer remain calm, because as Dragon-Snake Spine underwent its shedding, vast numbers of snake scales rained down from the sky.
They hurriedly each used their own methods, scrambling to seize these hard-won opportunities.
Ren Qing's mouth twitched.
Although these snake scales were nourished by primary and secondary techniques, they were ultimately only Half-Corpse realm materials. He therefore did not have the thick skin to retrieve all of them.
He only collected the snake scales outside the Dream Market.
Afterward, Dragon-Snake Spine's appearance underwent earth-shaking changes.
Previously, it had already possessed some jiao dragon traits, but it looked like a stitched-together monster. Now, the revealed form finally better matched that of a jiao dragon.
Its body was like a long snake with four limbs; its head resembled a dragon's but was smaller, and it lacked dragon horns, making it closer to serpents.
One must know that the dragon horns possessed by true dragons are called "Chi Wood", and are said to be what allows them to overturn rivers and seas.
Therefore, although hornless jiao dragons can soar, they lack the ability to control clouds and rain. Their attacks primarily rely on claws and sharp teeth.
Ren Qing felt that calling his innate magic tool Dragon-Snake Spine was somewhat inaccurate. It had already departed from the category of magic tools, resembling a living being.
Thus, he named it "Dragon Spine".
Ren Qing controlled Dragon Spine as easily as moving his own limbs, causing the jiao dragon to shrink from nearly twenty meters in length to less than half a meter within a few breaths.
He released Dragon Spine into the outside world. Even in its shrunken form, it still looked quite valiant, though it carried a sense of being a loach-like dragon.
Dragon Spine's intelligence was equivalent to that of a three-year-old child, excitedly flying up and down inside the room.
Ren Qing did want to directly complete Dragon-Snake Spine's three aberrations, but his lifespan had only just recovered by a hundred years, so he could only take it slowly for now.
After flying around a few more times, Dragon Spine plunged straight into Ren Qing's spinal bones.
Relying on the nourishment of Netherworld Immortal Body and Bone-Clad Spinal Apparatus, its growth speed could be greatly increased. A body length of twenty meters was far from its limit.
However, the only thing Ren Qing regretted was that after his innate magic tool completely transformed into a living being, he could no longer use chain-like binding effects.
Of course, the benefits were also obvious. Dragon Spine could cast techniques to assist in battle, and as its realm increased, its power would become increasingly terrifying.
Dragon-Snake Spine's cultivation proceeded without waves, but Storyteller was somewhat different.
Ren Qing took out the Storyteller anomalous object and could not help but fall into deep thought.
There were certainly no records of related techniques in the Restraint Officers' Hall. He could only rely on information provided by the information stream to analyze the various aberration routes.
He felt that Storyteller also involved erasing oneself.
But it seemed to lean more toward "role-playing"?
Completely erasing one's own sense of existence by playing certain roles?
Ren Qing did not understand. His gaze continuously swept between "Role-Player", "Storyteller", and "Allegory Speaker", his mind filled with countless thoughts.
Role-Player seemed to involve changing appearance and living as another person. In a certain sense, it was also equivalent to hiding oneself.
Allegory Speaker was more subtle. It might involve being outside the situation, yet using techniques to indirectly influence it, thereby achieving transcendence?
As for Storyteller, according to his speculation, since the technique was named Storyteller, the path taken should be this one.
"Taking the stage and performing lifelike narration, taking the stage and performing lifelike narration..."
Storyteller, as the most elusive of the three routes, even caused a sense of dread to arise in Ren Qing's heart.
He could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. The inexplicable unease took a long time to subside.
"Could it be that the Storyteller anomalous object once also existed in the Disaster-Elimination Forbidden Zone?"
Ren Qing pondered for a long time, then used an anomalous beast messenger to contact Li Tiangang, wanting to know what the situation inside the Disaster-Elimination Forbidden Zone actually was.
He patiently waited for Li Tiangang's reply. During this period, he honestly sat cross-legged and meditated on techniques, not intending to perform anomalous fusion.
After roughly three to four days passed, the messenger landed on the wooden table in the guest room, clutching a letter.
Ren Qing took the letter and carefully read its contents. His expression became uncertain, and his forehead could not help but be covered in cold sweat.
He had previously used the abilities of the Twin Nightmare Demon to come into contact with the Disaster-Elimination Forbidden Zone. He remembered it being a vast medicinal garden, with a giant herb-gatherer.
Ren Qing had not participated in the elimination of the forbidden zone; it had been led by Li Tiangang.
Mainly because Li Tiangang's technique could turn memories into written records, so there was no need to worry about cognition being affected by the forbidden zone.
At the time, Li Tiangang was the first to step into the Disaster-Elimination Forbidden Zone.
As planned, Restraint Officers were supposed to enter one after another, yet Li Tiangang hid for over half a month without anyone responding.
Just as he was about to forcefully act, Great Dream True Person affected the forbidden zone through techniques and contacted Li Tiangang via dreams.
Only then did Li Tiangang learn that all other Restraint Officers who arrived at the Disaster-Elimination Forbidden Zone were all imprisoned within their own bodies from bizarre perspectives.
They could not influence Li Tiangang, but shared his five senses, as if watching a real movie from a first-person perspective.
In the end, the Disaster-Elimination Forbidden Zone was broken by Great Dream True Person's Yang Spirit realm strength. Large numbers of Restraint Officers attacked from the outside, helping Li Tiangang fight desperately to completely seal the core anomalous object.
The Restraint Officers within Li Tiangang's body were thus freed.
Ren Qing felt that Storyteller had most likely originally existed within the Disaster-Elimination Forbidden Zone, and was later dumped wholesale into the caves of Avici Hell.
The ability of "Storyteller" was far too bizarre, it actually hid within other people's bodies.
This was only a Half-Corpse realm Storyteller. If it reached Yin Difference or Yang Spirit realm, how terrifying its displayed abilities would be was easy to imagine.
Ren Qing suspected it could hide within the body of any person in the world.
Even if it could not control the host's actions, it was still enough to make one shudder upon reflection.