Ren Qing had yet to decide how to use the Divine Office. Upgrading the Earth Immortal Office fused into the Flesh Tathagata was also an option, but the Flesh Tathagata had not even reached the Yang God realm yet and posed no threat whatsoever.
He simply replaced the Ghost Immortal Office fused into the Fengdu Corpse Emperor with the Divine Office.
He infused a wisp of death qi into the Divine Office and named it "Fengdu Great Emperor."
Once the Fengdu Corpse Emperor absorbed the Divine Office, Ren Qing sensed that the Immortal Position had gained an additional core, signifying that it had been acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao of the Stomach World.
To Ren Qing, this was undoubtedly a good thing. It meant he was gradually breaking free from the influence of the Three Dao Ancestors.
However, the future Heavenly Immortal Offices would likely be even more complete than the Divine Offices and might possess unexpected characteristics. At that point, using them on his own Immortal Positions would truly be foolproof.
His breakthrough had only taken a little over half a month, so there was no hurry to return to Jingzhou.
Ren Qing flashed away from the mountain range and returned to the ghost ship upon the Dragonblood Sea. Sitting cross-legged, he stabilized the dramatically strengthened Heaven and Earth Genesis.
At the same time, the Stomach World began selecting candidates for the Ghost Immortal Offices.
Both out of sentiment and reason, Ren Qing allocated a portion to veterans of the former Restraint Officers' Hall, including Muyi, Miss Bai, Sun, and the others.
Sun in particular had suffered from the lack of resources in the early days, having to explore his cultivation path entirely by trial and error. His foundation was far inferior to that of the newer generation of cultivators.
With a Ghost Immortal Office, they would have the chance to advance further and challenge the Yang God realm.
Now that Ren Qing had advanced Heaven and Earth Genesis to Dao Gives Birth to One, the number of Immortal Offices was barely sufficient. Next, he could begin considering raising his other three techniques to the Heavenly Aberration realm as well.
Zhili Technique was especially important. If the Heavenly Court were opened to outsiders in the future, he could not rely forever on the Matchmaking Immortal's dream, since he did not possess complete control over it.
While Ren Qing pondered this, the situation within the Stomach World gradually stabilized.
Every Heavenly Palace expanded to more than three times its previous size, and the spiritual objects within evolved accordingly. For example, the amount of spiritual veins within the Heavenly Dao Palace increased by at least fifty percent.
The underworld experienced similar changes. Yin qi surged freely as the Yellow Springs flowed without end.
The ghosts displayed noticeably greater intelligence. Ren Qing left the decision to the Corpse Ghosts. Once the timing was right, they could begin teaching the Marshwater Method.
At present, only a portion of the ghosts that had left the Yellow Springs cultivated the Marshwater Method, so their numbers remained limited.
According to his estimates, once every ghost began cultivating it, although the technique's upper limit was only the Yin Difference realm, their overwhelming population meant that exceptionally gifted individuals would eventually break through to the Yang God realm.
The first two levels of the underworld remained largely unchanged, but the lowest third level had undergone earth-shaking transformations.
Part of the third level contained the cave dwellings of the Corpse Vein Human Immortals. The newly added space had been turned into a prison district resembling Avici Hell, containing a total of ten cells.
Daoist Mu Snake was imprisoned inside one of them. Judging by his lifeless expression, the prison environment was exceptionally harsh.
Daoist Mu Snake had attempted to escape before, but all the yin qi within his body had vanished completely. He could not even lift a boulder weighing a few hundred jin.
Several years had passed in the outside world, yet more than a decade had gone by within the Stomach World.
He constantly recalled what had happened in the deep sea. Could that several-hundred-meter dragon head really have belonged to the ghost ship cultivator whom he had assumed he could easily crush?
Daoist Mu Snake looked around and could not help but sigh.
He had no idea where he had been imprisoned. He only knew that the yin qi here was incomparably abundant, likely some exceedingly rare land of extreme yin.
He found it difficult to imagine remaining here for hundreds or even thousands of years. Although he possessed an immortal lifespan, without techniques to sustain him, his soul would gradually lose all memory.
In the end, he would become nothing more than an ordinary skeleton.
A chill ran through him. Forcing himself to stay alert, he got to his feet and began pacing around the cell.
Not long afterward, Daoist Mu Snake suddenly sensed that a figure had appeared before the cell. It was grayish-brown and continuously twisted and dispersed.
"Fellow Daoist, I truly didn't do it on purpose..."
Before he could finish speaking, a crisp crack echoed out.
The prison door opened on its own, revealing a dim and sinister corridor.
As Daoist Mu Snake looked outside, Ren Qing's consciousness suddenly appeared beside him.
"Daoist Mu Snake, do you know where you are?"
Ren Qing sized him up. Possessing the Fengdu Corpse Emperor Immortal Position meant he naturally suppressed Daoist Mu Snake, making it difficult not to consider recruiting him.
However, before the various branches of the Restraint Officers' Hall produced Heavenly Aberration cultivators, Daoist Mu Snake would certainly need additional restrictions to prevent him from disrupting healthy development.
Daoist Mu Snake jumped in fright, causing several ribs to fall from his chest.
"Fellow Daoist, I truly can't tell. May I ask..."
"This is the underworld once governed by the old Heavenly Court."
"After all living things die, their souls are escorted here by Yin Messengers. All the good and evil they committed in the mortal world are settled here."
"However, the old Heavenly Court has long since fallen. Fortunately, it won't be long before the new Heavenly Court rises once again within this world."
Daoist Mu Snake said nothing. He walked out of the cell and looked toward the distance.
A branch of the Yellow Springs flowed through the underworld, making it clearly visible.
Countless souls drifted within the Yellow Springs. Corpses could also be seen floating among them, while death qi distinct from yin qi permeated every drop of the river.
Ren Qing continued, "I know you desire the chance to attain immortality. To the Heavenly Court, a mere Immortal Position is not difficult to obtain."
Some unfamiliar memories appeared within Daoist Mu Snake's mind.
They depicted the descent of the Corpse Immortal. It seemed as though heaven and earth were about to be pierced by soul-hooking chains, while the emitted yin qi awakened countless skeletons.
He opened his mouth, realizing that everything about him had already been seen through. Other than cooperation, he had no other choice.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Wait..."
Ren Qing took out a seal formed from a Ghost Immortal Office and handed it to Daoist Mu Snake. His consciousness then immediately returned to his main body's Mud Pellet Palace.
Daoist Mu Snake played with the Ghost Immortal Office.
The seal unexpectedly fused with his body and soul.
He sensed the surrounding yin qi becoming restless, as if it would all pour into his body with but a single thought.
Immediately afterward, an indescribably profound sensation flooded his mind.
Daoist Mu Snake's cultivation was still largely restricted, but the underworld could no longer bind his body. He easily passed through the barrier separating the third level.
He arrived at the second level of the underworld, which was filled with zombie cultivators. Though none of them possessed high cultivation, the potential they displayed was astonishing.
The Ghost Immortal Office Ren Qing had given Daoist Mu Snake had been modified so that it only allowed him to travel throughout the various regions of the underworld.
The more Daoist Mu Snake observed, the more apprehensive he became. This so-called underworld clearly possessed its own unique system, far beyond what any land of extreme yin could compare to.
"Could there really be a Heavenly Court in this world?"
He recalled the Corpse Immortal from his memories. It likely had ties to the Soul-Hooking Ghost Immortal. Judging from everything, the Lord of the Heavenly Court clearly understood Immortal Positions to a remarkable degree.
What exactly was the Heavenly Court trying to accomplish?
Daoist Mu Snake summoned the seal formed from the Ghost Immortal Office and felt an entirely different Great Dao contained within it, sending a shiver through his body.
Could it be...
The Heavenly Court intended to reshape the Heavenly Dao of this world?
Daoist Mu Snake dared not think any further. He quickly put away the Ghost Immortal Office. Since he had already boarded the pirate ship, he might as well focus on preserving his life first.
Several zombie cultivators approached Daoist Mu Snake.
"A newly born Corpse Vein cultivator?"
"You don't have a shred of flesh left, and there's no yin qi in you either. I'm afraid you won't even be able to advance into a White Zombie."
"Come with us Ferrymen. As long as you salvage corpses from the Yellow Springs for ten years, you'll receive all kinds of resources containing yin qi."
Daoist Mu Snake lowered his head, his eyes filled with savagery.
As a Heavenly Aberration powerhouse, when had he ever been looked down upon by Ghost Envoy realm zombies? He immediately wanted to release yin qi and kill them all.
Only then did Daoist Mu Snake realize that his restricted cultivation still had not recovered.
Using the Ghost Immortal Office required infusing it with yin qi, or waiting until the seal absorbed enough yin qi on its own. In the short term, he could not leave the second level at all.
Left with no other choice, Daoist Mu Snake followed the zombie cultivators to the Yellow Springs and became a Ferryman.
Ren Qing's Spirit Division kept watch over Daoist Mu Snake. Before the latter refined the Fengdu Corpse Emperor, he was undoubtedly a double-edged sword.
The underworld was the perfect place to dull Daoist Mu Snake's sharp edges.
After spending several days fully stabilizing Heaven and Earth Genesis, Ren Qing prepared to return to Jingzhou.
Only then did he discover that the situation in Xiangxiang had become rather dire.
Using Heavenly Demon Possession, he instantly arrived at a corner of Sanxiang City.
Enemy Insect Warriors from various factions could be seen everywhere throughout Xiangxiang, causing the population to drop by nearly ten thousand in a short period.
The invading forces mainly came from the Insect Nest and Wuzhi, mixed with some of Elephant Lord's Insect Warriors, making the situation even more chaotic.
At first, the various factions had merely intended to probe the Heavenly Court, but because neither the Dragon King of the Four Seas nor Feng Ye had made any move, matters had gradually escalated.
The Insect Nest primarily deployed tens of thousands of Heavenly Dao Insect People. They had already turned their own Insect Warriors into insect cocoons, so naturally they could not mobilize them.
Among Wuzhi's giant Insect Warriors, most possessed Ghost Envoy realm strength. Not only were their bodies incomparably sturdy, but they also recovered from injuries at astonishing speed.
The elephant-headed Insect Warriors were similarly thick-skinned and could unleash sonic attacks by roaring from their mouths.
The Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries of Xiangxiang had already been dragged into the conflict, and even the ancient cultivators were inevitably involved.
Blackwater Daoist was covered in blood, torrents of water constantly spewing from his mouth. Every strike he made killed a Heavenly Dao Insect Person.
But there were simply too many Heavenly Dao Insect People, packed together like a swarm of ants.
The elephant-headed Insect Warriors gathered outside Annan Town.
Facing Enlightened Elder wielding the Golden Toad Gu, the old monk transformed into a giant toad dozens of meters tall, blocking the elephant-headed Insect Warriors from advancing toward the town.
They knew that if the resource points they relied upon for survival were destroyed, not only would Gu advancement become impossible, but they would not even be able to maintain the Gu's daily nourishment.
The giant Insect Warriors concentrated their assault on Crane Mountain Town, though they deliberately avoided the mountains belonging to the Wind Void People.
As the battle continued, Xiangxiang's Insect Warriors, due to their personalities, were not as crazed as those of the other factions. Inevitably, they experienced fear and hesitation.
As a result, despite having several hundred thousand Insect Warriors, Xiangxiang was steadily driven back.
If the various factions had not been trying to force Ren Qing into revealing the cultivators under the Heavenly Court's command, the Insect Warriors of Jingzhou would likely have already been completely overrun.
Ren Qing sneered as he looked beyond Xiangxiang.
Besides the three major factions, even a bunch of insignificant nobodies wanted to take advantage of the chaos and reap the rewards.
While everyone else competed through their pawns, one Heavenly Aberration cultivator had already lost his patience and intended to gather Jingzhou's resources for a high-risk gamble.
It was a Heavenly Aberration cultivator whose body was made of slime, constantly changing shape according to its surroundings.
He believed his disguise to be flawless, yet in reality he was showing off before a master.
Ren Qing secretly activated Zhili Technique, affecting every Insect Warrior within Xiangxiang and allowing their secondary personalities to seize complete control.
Blackwater Daoist's eyes turned blood-red, all traces of despair gone.
He fought by exchanging injury for injury, even slashing open his own abdomen to fire the water stored within his stomach and intestines as deadly arrows.
In an instant, the tide of battle reversed.
The Insect Warriors of Xiangxiang went on a complete killing spree.