Cultivating in a Bizarre World

On the way back to camp.

Ren Qing couldn’t help but ask Song Zongwu about the Dead Man’s Scripture that Song Rong had muttered before he died.

Song Zongwu muttered it to himself a few times, his brow furrowed as he said, "Could it be the Deadman’s Forbidden Area..."

A thought struck Ren Qing. "What is the Deadman’s Forbidden Area?"

Song Zongwu shook his head. "I’ve only heard rumors."

"The Magic Techniques related to the Deadman’s Forbidden Area have long been lost. However, it’s said that beyond the vast mountain range north of Sanxiang City, there is an endless forbidden area known as Deadman."

When Ren Qing heard that the Dead Man’s Scripture was related to Life Extension and longevity, he could hardly contain the excitement in his heart.

But when he learned the Deadman’s Forbidden Area might be at the Yang God Realm, he silently closed his mouth.

Even a Ghost Envoy Realm forbidden area could threaten the life of a Yin Messenger Realm Forbidden Guard after devouring enough Mysterious Objects.

The terror of a Yang God Realm forbidden area was, therefore, unimaginable.

’So what if the Dead Man’s Scripture was lost?’ Ren Qing believed that as long as Mysterious Objects existed in the world, he would eventually be able to master it through his Information Flow.

Ren Qing wasn’t in a hurry to understand the Sutra of Planting Demons. He planned to wait until the stir caused by Song Rong died down. Besides, it was impossible to seal off the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area in such a short time anyway.

As they neared the camp.

Ren Qing discovered the camp was even more chaotic than he had imagined.

This was mainly because the formation of the Hundred Eyes Forbidden Area had swept up most of the prisoners.

Even though the Hundred Eyes Forbidden Area was newly formed and the death toll was low, it still sent the prisoners into a panic.

The Hundred-eyed Man’s ability was to create illusions. Once the forbidden area formed, it plunged the prisoners into an unimaginable, abyssal terror. They were lucky they hadn’t been scared to death.

Even after things calmed down, they tried to escape from the cavern, creating a disturbance.

Dozens of prisoners were now being held in the camp under the watch of the Forbidden Guards.

Even Xu Shilin was there to supervise, a pipe hanging from the corner of his mouth, giving him the air of a jaded old-timer.

The prisoners were trembling uncontrollably. Some had fainted and were foaming at the mouth, and the stench of incontinence filled the air.

Ren Qing hurried over to get a handle on the situation. After hearing the report, he pinched his temples, a headache already forming.

The prisoners seemed to have developed severe claustrophobia. Forcing them back into the cavern now would likely leave them paralyzed with fear. Getting them to mine was clearly out of the question.

Song Zongwu spoke up, "The biggest problem is that the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area is sinking. If we can’t finish the excavation within ten days, the cavern will be the first to collapse."

Ren Qing opened his mouth, then suggested cautiously, "What about using Gu Insects?"

"Li Yaoyang’s Gu Insects would have these prisoners dead from exhaustion in half a day. Besides, the final stages of the excavation require precision. We have to be more careful."

’Maybe I could try treating their claustrophobia?’ Ren Qing mused, searching for a solution.

Song Zongwu handed the stone statue to Mu Yi, who wrapped it in vines for protection. Then, grabbing an iron pickaxe, Song Zongwu led the way into the cavern.

"What are you spacing out for? Have the Government Constables guard the prisoners, then get in the cave and start digging with us."

Ren Qing let out a helpless sigh.

’So "cleaning up this mess" was just a warm-up for some high-intensity mining,’ he thought. ’Just a way to keep me from protesting.’

It wasn’t like Ren Qing had a choice. If something went wrong in the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area, you wouldn’t even know what hit you.

Huang Ziwang dutifully entered the mine as well, though his expression was grim, his face nearly turning deep purple.

The thought of digging nonstop for at least seven or eight days made his heart pound with dread.

Under Ren Qing’s direction, the camp gradually became more orderly.

The prisoners were confined to a spacious wooden cabin under the strict watch of the Government Constables. Everyone else joined the mining effort.

Since even the Forbidden Guards were doing manual labor, how could the Government Constables dare to complain?

Besides, finishing the job meant they could leave sooner. The wilderness was nowhere near as comfortable as Sanxiang City, and the danger here was on a completely different level.

The Mysterious Objects had the Government Constables on edge. One look at the dozens of prisoners on the verge of insanity was enough to understand the terror.

Not long after Ren Qing entered the cavern, he noticed the surrounding rock walls were vibrating slightly. Stone Powder trickled down, a sure sign of a potential collapse.

Seeing this, Ren Qing had the Government Constables direct the prisoners to make wooden supports to shore up the cavern, hoping it might hold out for a little longer.

Ren Qing then headed for the mine, leaving the camp in Wang Wen’s hands.

The Forbidden Guards were already digging with furious energy. They weren’t concerned with honing their skills; their only goal was efficiency.

Song Zongwu’s four arms became a blur, and he pushed forward like a human excavator. The Broken Stone he flung behind him created a veritable storm.

Ren Qing threw himself into the work, swinging his saber again and again.

After his battle with Song Rong, his mastery of his Saber Technique had finally reached a basic level. The rhythm of his strikes grew increasingly steady.

Arcs of saber light filled the air.

Ren Qing weaved through the narrow mine tunnel, his body a blur as if chasing the light of his own blade. The whistling sound of his saber cutting through the air began to echo.

Before he knew it, Ren Qing’s digging speed had started to catch up with Huang Ziwang’s. Noticing this, Huang Ziwang could only redouble his efforts.

The two of them worked with all their might, so much so that the Government Constables couldn’t keep up with hauling away the Broken Stone. They were forced to increase the number of wheelbarrows.

「This continued for five days.」

Ren Qing was completely absorbed in his mining. The moment he felt exhausted, he would swallow a pig’s eye to restore his strength.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area seemed to notice that Camel Peak Mountain was being hollowed out, and the tremors it caused grew increasingly violent.

The cracked wooden pillars in the cavern had to be replaced daily. Even with the combined labor of over a hundred Government Constables and prisoners, it was barely enough.

As Ren Qing dug deeper, the rock walls grew harder, and his Saber Technique improved steadily.

His supply of pig eyes, which should have lasted for months, was dwindling at a visible rate.

Ren Qing decided to abuse his authority for personal gain, ordering the hunters to collect the eyeballs of various wild beasts. With Song Rong dead, he didn’t have to be so cautious anymore.

He had planned to continue digging until the job was done, but an unexpected development broke his rhythm, forcing him to stop for the time being.

To his surprise, the Human Skin Book had reached the verge of a breakthrough through this passive form of cultivation.

A tingling numbness spread through Ren Qing’s skin, starting from within. He found it difficult to suppress the impending promotion.

This would certainly affect his digging. Over time, the other Forbidden Guards were bound to notice something was amiss.

Fortunately, whenever he took a break inside the cave, Ren Qing would chat with Huang Ziwang.

He had learned from Huang Ziwang that a Skin Refiner’s degree of mutation was quite low; it might not even be noticeable during a fight.

So, Ren Qing began preparing to advance the Human Skin Book.

He certainly wasn’t going to do it inside the mine. He couldn’t explain how he was able to advance on his own, so he had to go outside the camp.

Late at night, Ren Qing slipped away to a spot in the forest he had scouted out earlier.

Not only was the spot remote, but there were no Gu Insects nearby to act as lookouts. Because of the beast tide, even wild animals were scarce.

In the desolate night, the only sound was the cawing of crows.

Ren Qing felt a flicker of anxiety.

A spontaneous promotion could easily lead to disaster. Fortunately, the risks involved in advancing a Low Realm Magic Technique were not that great.

’But what exactly is a Skin Refiner’s ability?’