Cultivating in a Bizarre World

Just as Ren Qing was about to ask what was going on, a wooden door materialized on the rockery and began to slowly swing open.

Through the crack in the door, an inky darkness was visible, as if it concealed all manner of ghouls and demons.

Everyone’s expression grew grim, but Song Zongwu’s was surprisingly playful, his six blood-red eyes glinting faintly.

Once the wooden door was fully open, the darkness within seemed poised to devour its surroundings. Even Ren Qing couldn’t see into it.

Song Zongwu said in a low voice, "You can go in now."

Ren Qing frowned. ’Why does the Forbidden Soldier Hall feel so much like the Underworld?’

’Why would they hold the selection for the Prison Guard Reserve here?’

Song Zongwu’s eyes held a warning. Ren Qing saw it and stepped straight through the wooden door.

A suffocating darkness immediately swallowed Ren Qing. The sensation was even more deathly still than what he experienced during the Contemplation of the Eyeless Method.

The other Cultivators hesitated for a moment before following one by one. They were no longer of any use in their gangs; they might as well gamble on a better future.

Zhang Qiuxian did not stop the snake-man boy. The latter flicked his scarlet tongue nervously and also entered the endless darkness.

As the wooden door slowly closed, the entire thing abruptly vanished, as if it had never been there at all.

Song Zongwu and the other Forbidden Guards seemed unfazed by this, simply turning and walking away.

In the darkness, Ren Qing soon lost his sense of direction. Using his Double Pupils was of no use.

However, he did not panic. ’After all,’ he thought, ’this is just the selection for the Prison Guard Reserve. It’s a recruitment method for the Forbidden Guards; it can’t be so difficult as to be a life-or-death trial.’

He couldn’t sense any movement nearby either. He had probably fallen into some kind of Magic Technique.

He calmed his Heart Spirit and stretched out his hands, feeling around for anything in his surroundings.

Although he still came up with nothing, he was at least certain he was no longer in the Government Office. This method was likely the reason the Forbidden Soldier Hall had managed to survive for so long.

Ren Qing couldn’t resist taking a step. All sorts of images of falling flooded his mind, making him hesitate.

However, it only took him a few moments to adjust. After taking several more steps, he confirmed that the fear was born solely of the darkness.

Ren Qing’s pace gradually quickened as he used his Great Miao Blade like a probing cane, feeling his way deeper into the darkness.

A moment later, he stopped short.

Based on the feedback from his Great Miao Blade, there was likely a pit in front of him, though he couldn’t be sure if it was just an illusion created by the darkness.

’I’m not falling for it.’ Ren Qing had already guessed that the Forbidden Soldier Hall was merely testing their mental fortitude. As long as one’s fear...

Ren Qing stepped forward without hesitation. His expression changed drastically in the next instant.

A feeling of weightlessness washed over him as he plummeted downward. He could tell from the wind rushing past his face that he was falling at an incredible speed. This was definitely not an Illusion created by a Magic Technique.

Ren Qing tried to adjust his posture, but he still crashed headfirst into the ground. His bones made a cracking sound, groaning under the impact.

Blood trickled down the bridge of his nose, and his head spun with dizzy spells.

Ren Qing quickly used his ability as a Skin Refiner to transfer the injury to his thigh. The dizziness immediately subsided, at least enough that it no longer affected his thoughts.

He then climbed to his feet and surveyed his surroundings.

He found himself in a Prison Cell, locked inside like a common criminal.

Strangely, however, the three walls of the Prison Cell were a dark, fleshy red, covered in dark brownish-black spots.

They looked like the skin of a slowly decaying corpse, covered in death spots.

Ren Qing looked up. There was no hole in the ceiling, confirming he had indeed been transported here by a Magic Technique.

The bars sealing the cell were equally horrifying. They were a ghastly white, like blood vessels drained of all circulation.

"What the hell is this place?"

Ren Qing was completely baffled. ’Could this be the so-called Forbidden Soldier Hall? Why does it feel like I’m inside a giant corpse?’

What’s more, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

He peered past the bars. By the light of blue-flamed torches hanging on the walls, he could see a corridor lined with countless other Prison Cells.

The other Prison Cells seemed to be empty; he had no idea where the other Cultivators were.

Ren Qing tried to pry apart the vessel-like bars, but his bare hands had no effect.

He then crouched down, his right hand gripping the hilt of his Great Miao Blade.

SHIIING!!!

With a crisp ring, the blade was unsheathed, flashing like cold light as it struck the vessel-like bars. But it didn’t even leave the faintest scratch.

After a moment’s hesitation, he decided against using his Werewolf Transformation. ’Who knows if the Forbidden Guards are watching my every move in here.’

Ren Qing took a deep breath.

’Since this is a selection for the Prison Guard Reserve, they can’t possibly just lock us up here for a long time.’

He sat cross-legged on the floor to wait. Sure enough, something strange began to happen after a short while.

A pure black, viscous blood began to flow through the vessel-like bars. The walls immediately came to life, beginning to writhe.

Then, Ren Qing noticed the wall he was facing begin to sink inward, a faint humanoid silhouette appearing within it.

The figure inside the wall seemed desperate to emerge, its expression twisted and ferocious.

The blood pulsed at roughly ten-minute intervals. Each time, the figure managed to break free from the wall a little more. Soon, the upper half of its body was exposed.

Ren Qing could tell from the figure’s appearance that while it was vaguely humanoid, it was more like an ape. It was covered in fur, and its long, slender arms reached its knees.

Ren Qing gripped his blade with both hands, staring at the figure, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Just as his focus peaked, he suddenly seemed to remember something. His pupils dilated.

’Flesh and blood?’

’A prison?’

’The Taotie Technique?!!’

Ren Qing quickly pressed his palm against the wall and summoned the Information Flow.

[???]

[Age: Eight hundred forty-three]

[Lifespan: Two hundred thirty-five years]

[Skill: Taotie Technique (Abi Hell) ???]

[???]

[The Taotie Skill is inscribed upon the stomach of the Exotic Beast Taotie and was obtained by the Wine and Meat Daoist. To cultivate this technique, one must consume vast quantities of food until their stomach expands to more than six times its normal size.]

[Abi Hell is an advancement of Eternal Imprisonment.]

’This Forbidden Guard who mastered the Taotie Technique has reached at least the Yang God Realm of Cultivation,’ Ren Qing realized. ’That’s how he’s been able to live for hundreds of years without dying.’

Ren Qing swallowed hard.

The realization that he was inside the stomach of a Forbidden Guard made his scalp tingle with horror, and he had the sudden urge to flee immediately.

However, Ren Qing soon noticed something telling in the decay of the flesh.

’The Forbidden Guard who mastered the Taotie Technique is probably on the verge of death, perhaps even in a vegetative state for over a hundred years.’

’Otherwise, these death spots wouldn’t have appeared. And the blood flowing once every ten minutes must correspond to the Forbidden Guard’s heartbeat.’

Of course, this was just his speculation. If he wanted to know the real answer, he would have to become a Prison Guard Reserve to find out.

’If this place really is the location of the Forbidden Soldier Hall, then its area must be even larger than imagined—large enough to contain Mysterious Objects.’

Ren Qing never expected that a Secondary Stomach User’s advancement to the Yang God Realm could result in something of this magnitude.

’Even the Abdominal Prison of the Ghost Envoy Realm should have enough space to hold a normal person. It’s truly a tempting path.’

The blood pulsed.

The figure was about to break free. Ren Qing could already sense faint wisps of killing intent as the twisted, human-like face drew almost right in front of his own.

But what drew his attention the most were the strange patterns on the surface of the figure’s skin.