The Heavenly Dao had gone mad?
The moment Ren Qing considered that possibility, his entire body trembled involuntarily. An inexplicable fear surged through him, as if he had touched upon the very essence of the world.
He swallowed hard and instinctively suppressed the signs of his dream-path technique breaking through to Ascension Ladder.
Thanks to the existence of the information stream, such actions did not trigger a rampage of his strange entities. However, suppressing the breakthrough for too long would certainly result in failure.
Ren Qing only wanted time to calm himself before advancing to Ascension Ladder, lest it affect the formation of his Ascension Method.
The Ascension Method very likely involved the "Heavenly Dao."
To put it plainly, once a Restraint Officer cultivator reached No-Birth Immortal, the strange entities within their body had already fused and devoured one another to their utmost limit.
The former Restraint Officer methods were no longer capable of controlling the newly born strange entity. The intelligence that had been erased from it could awaken again at any moment.
Ren Qing closed his eyes and sensed the dream-path technique.
The Dream City within Stomach World immediately underwent drastic changes.
The walls of every building became covered in Nightmare Demon patterns, while hidden gazes seemed to lurk within the shadows of the alleyways.
The cultivators of the Restraint Officers' Hall were already accustomed to such things.
Dream City changed from time to time. Although it had been relatively stable in recent years, the town's scale still expanded every so often.
Ren Qing gradually calmed down and soon grasped the significance of the Ascension Method.
Since the scattered techniques he currently possessed were no longer enough to control the strange entity, then he would have to create an Ascension Method capable of governing it.
Dead Man's Sutra had come into existence for exactly this reason.
It had originated from the Restraint Officer methods, yet was fundamentally different.
As for how one comprehended it...
The so-called Ascension Ladder referred to climbing a ladder toward the "Heavenly Dao," allowing cultivators to gain understanding of themselves through contact with it and create an Ascension Method.
Ren Qing's breathing grew heavy.
The dangers involved were obvious.
Fortunately, unlike Great Dream Realman and the others, who had accidentally come into contact with the Heavenly Dao while their cultivation was shallow, Ascension Ladder at least ensured his body and soul were fully prepared.
Ren Qing could already sense his soul showing signs of leaving his body.
The moment he broke through to Ascension Ladder, he would likely face the Heavenly Dao directly.
He suddenly remembered how frequently he had created techniques in the past, and several beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.
In the eyes of anyone paying attention, Ren Qing's creation of techniques was equivalent to making contact with the Heavenly Dao.
There was simply no way to explain why he had not been affected by it.
Because Great Dream Realman had created Butterfly Dream Method, his sanity remained intact, but his body had undergone uncontrollable mutations, becoming distorted light and shadow.
Viewed this way, the instability of his condition might not have been related to cultivating Dead Man's Sutra at all.
It could very well have been a side effect of facing the Heavenly Dao.
If outside factions learned of this, some True Immortal would undoubtedly become interested in him.
No matter how one looked at it, a tremendous secret was hidden here.
Ren Qing silently rejoiced that very few people knew he had created techniques.
Moreover, all of them were inside Stomach World, so the information was unlikely to spread.
Once his seclusion ended, he would immediately use the dream-path technique to erase their memories.
That should solve the problem.
Ren Qing then began meditating on the Eyeless Method.
The contents of the technique echoed through his mind.
His state of mind gradually became calm, like a lake without a single ripple.
Only then did he begin guiding the aura of the dream-path technique.
Even with the information stream acting as a safeguard, Ren Qing still felt nervous.
He feared the information stream might not be able to exempt him from the negative effects brought by the Heavenly Dao.
Taking a deep breath, he suddenly collapsed halfway to the ground as though his soul had left him.
The soul within his Mud Pellet Palace vanished without a trace.
He only felt himself sinking deeper and deeper underground.
All around him was endless darkness where not even a hand held before one's face could be seen.
No sounds could be heard either.
Ren Qing attempted to summon the information stream.
Immediately, his personal information appeared before his eyes.
Far from feeling joy, he became even more terrified.
After all, this proved that his current state was not an illusion.
Ren Qing waited anxiously.
He seemed able to hear the beating of his own heart.
Before long, the sound of scripture recitation arose from the darkness.
It felt as though countless voices were calling out simultaneously.
Ren Qing listened carefully.
The voices became clearer and clearer.
Though the content itself seemed normal, it filled him with a profound sense of dread.
"Without lineage and without superior."
"Yet alone capable of becoming the origin of all things."
"Therefore called the Primordial Beginning."
"Guiding all paths, supreme among all."
"Yet forever abiding in the Two Purities."
"Existing above all heavens."
"Therefore called Heavenly Venerable."
The voice seemed to be explaining the origins of Primordial Heavenly Venerable.
Could it be that the Heavenly Dao of this world was actually related to the Three Dao Ancestors?
The darkness gradually faded.
Faint light flickered.
Before him stood a statue of Primordial Heavenly Venerable.
It appeared to be carved from some kind of white jade.
Yet the statue clearly bore signs of manual craftsmanship, as if it had been crudely made by an ordinary artisan.
Ren Qing felt as though he had been struck by lightning.
His soul experienced agony as if it were about to be torn apart.
At the same time, he attained a level of clarity even greater than that provided by the Ice Crystal Technique.
Staring at Primordial Heavenly Venerable, he immediately realized that the statue was merely a disguise.
The true body of the Heavenly Dao was likely some indescribable horror.
A crack appeared across the statue's surface.
Soft light shone from within.
Ren Qing forcibly emptied his mind and recalled the contents of his five techniques.
If he failed to comprehend an Ascension Method during this opportunity to contact the Heavenly Dao, then the breakthrough to Ascension Ladder would naturally end in failure.
He felt as though his comprehension had been magnified countless times.
His mind overflowed with information.
Another crack appeared on the statue of Primordial Heavenly Venerable.
The light became even brighter.
Seeing this, Ren Qing no longer hesitated.
Using the Eyeless Method as the foundation, the contents he knew by heart immediately surfaced in his mind.
He seemed to assume the perspective of the Hundred-Eyed Old Monk.
Seated cross-legged within a temple filled with scriptures, he flipped through the Śūraṅgama Sūtra.
Ren Qing immersed himself in the process.
He discarded the flaws of the Eyeless Method and incorporated his secondary techniques.
The Ascension Method became increasingly complete.
Cracks spread across the entire body of Primordial Heavenly Venerable.
Pure and flawless light radiated outward, seeming capable of dispelling all darkness.
Yet Ren Qing felt immense pressure.
He wanted nothing more than to flee from the Heavenly Dao.
But the instant the Ascension Method took shape, a flood of chaotic memories poured into his mind.
These were scenes of what would happen after breaking through to the Heavenly Aberration Realm with this method.
Ren Qing transformed into a Nightmare Demon that fluctuated between reality and illusion.
He wandered through the dreams of all living things while releasing nightmare bacteria beyond imagination.
The information stream surged.
[Nightmare Disease Art]
[Created by Ren Qing. Cultivation requires visualizing the Nightmare Demon Diagram while consuming fungi. This must be repeated once every seven days. The technique can only be mastered after two years.]
Ren Qing recalled the information he had previously viewed regarding Dead Man's Sutra.
This proved that the cultivation requirements of an Ascension Method were indeed much harsher than those of ordinary Restraint Officer methods.
[Dead Man's Sutra]
[Created by Corpse Immortal. Cultivation requires sealing the Laogong, Yongquan, Shenmen, and Yintang acupoints with rivets, then burying oneself underground for three years. Upon mastery, one becomes ageless, unborn, undying, and indestructible.]
Just as Ren Qing was about to dismiss the information stream and successfully complete the advancement of his Ascension Method, the information stream suddenly displayed additional details about Nightmare Disease Art.
The contents greatly surprised him.
Nightmare Disease Art could be cultivated all the way to the Heavenly Aberration Realm.
However, it could not coexist with any other techniques.
Ren Qing froze for several breaths.
This limitation concerned him greatly.
Without the immortality of Dead Man's Sutra, relying solely on the dream-path technique would never be enough to achieve immortality.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The statue of Primordial Heavenly Venerable had already shattered by nearly half.
The light was becoming increasingly blinding.
Without hesitation, Ren Qing erased the contents of Nightmare Disease Art from his soul to avoid being affected.
Then he began creating a new technique from scratch, striving to make the Ascension Method compatible with others.
This time, he focused on avoiding any impact on the physical body.
Both dreams and disease seeds would remain limited to the soul.
Because Ren Qing had extensive experience creating techniques, his second attempt at comprehending an Ascension Method took only half as long as the first.
By now, merely looking at the light radiating from Primordial Heavenly Venerable filled his soul with nausea.
He quickly summoned the information stream.
[Like a Dream Decree]
[Created by Ren Qing. Cultivation requires visualizing diseases afflicting oneself while experiencing lucid dreams. After completing seven hundred and thirty-five diseases, the technique may be mastered.]
[Like a Dream Decree can be cultivated up to the Yang Spirit Realm and is compatible with other techniques.]
Ren Qing initially thought he had misread it.
Only after silently reading it several times did he react.
The Ascension Method actually influenced the path to immortality that followed.
When the information stream stated "upper limit: Yang Spirit Realm," it truly meant the ultimate limit of the technique.
The drawbacks of Like a Dream Decree were undoubtedly much smaller.
However, as an Ascension Method, it would struggle even to break through into the Heavenly Aberration Realm.
Ren Qing did not dare gamble on whether the information stream could break that limit.
Since there was still time remaining, he erased Like a Dream Decree from his soul as well.
He did not rush into another attempt.
Instead, he began summarizing the failures of the previous two.
Although the memories of the techniques themselves were gone, his train of thought remained clear.
Ren Qing abandoned the idea of using the soul to bear the dream-path technique.
Instead, he established the core of his Ascension Method as "controlling all dreams in the world."
As for disease seeds, he realized that the Heavenly Dao itself was the laws governing this world.
There was no need to adhere strictly to conventional logic.
After all, immortals were beings beyond imagination.
The moment Ren Qing settled his thoughts, countless negative emotions began affecting him.
His heart involuntarily filled with reverence toward the Heavenly Dao.
By now, the statue of Primordial Heavenly Venerable was mostly shattered.
The light appeared even brighter than before, yet there was something twisted and chaotic about it.
His soul felt as though ten thousand ants were devouring it.
A hoarse roar escaped his mouth.
Yet even in such a state, Ren Qing's soul still did not collapse.
This demonstrated the effectiveness of the information stream.
At the very least, it prevented him from perishing body and soul.
Taking a deep breath, Ren Qing continued comprehending his Ascension Method.
After focusing his attention, the pain seemed to lessen.
In only a short while, he completed the portion of the Ascension Method related to governing dreams.
He then blurred his own understanding.
Simply by declaring that "all diseases in the world originate from dreams," he forcibly linked dreams and disease seeds together.
Nightmares were filled with illness.
When the body weakened, disease would invade.
Dreams were the Great Dao itself!!!
The instant Ren Qing completed the Ascension Method, the statue of Primordial Heavenly Venerable shattered completely.
The light condensed into bubbles.
Primordial Heavenly Venerable transformed into a spherical mass that continuously merged and divided.
It resembled a pile of eyeballs yet at the same time, it looked like microscopic cells.
Words simply could not describe it.
Ren Qing's expression became blank.
His soul lost all strength to resist.
The Heavenly Dao dragged him toward a bottomless abyss...
Yet suddenly, all the strangeness vanished without a trace.
Ren Qing was still lying inside the stomach of the giant corpse Buddha.
Under the influence of the information stream, his soul had returned to his body.
He remained dazed for a long while before recovering his senses.
Then he immediately examined both body and soul.
To his surprise, his body had merely lost an excessive amount of moisture.
His soul showed no signs of mutation or loss of control.
It was as though everything had been nothing more than a fleeting dream.