Cultivating in a Bizarre World

Ren Qing’s speed was naturally far beyond that of an ordinary Cultivator, and in just a moment, he caught up and was running alongside the other man.

He then noticed that the man looked familiar—it was the nephew of Forbidden Guard Zhang Qiu, though he was now in a sorry state.

His body was covered in wounds from head to toe, and one of his arms hung limply at his side.

The snake-man said with a grim expression, "Ren Qing, we have no past grievances or recent enmity. Why the need to be so ruthless?"

Seeing the surrounding terrain gradually narrow, he gritted his teeth and came to a stop.

The Prison Guards’ movements slowed slightly as they circled the two from different angles. It was clear that with the passage of time, their Spiritual Wisdom had become quite developed.

The snake-man watched Ren Qing warily, and Ren Qing halted as well.

"I see we’ve left the Prison. Are we supposed to keep going deeper?"

Ren Qing gripped the hilt of his blade and scanned his surroundings, feeling as if he were in an underground tunnel.

The walls were covered in blood vessels like a living creature, and the ground was somewhat soft underfoot.

Though it was an enclosed space, he could see a pitch-black cavern in the distance, from which a pale green, putrid smoke billowed.

The snake-man realized Ren Qing wasn’t hostile. He had also seen him outside the Forbidden Soldier Hall; they had both been brought here by Forbidden Guards.

His tone softened as he replied, "Actually, we haven’t reached the Forbidden Soldier Hall yet. We have to pass through the Rope Knot Cave first."

"Rope Knot Cave..."

Ren Qing froze for a moment.

He was rather familiar with Butcher Zhang, so he had heard the folk names for various internal organs.

’The small intestine is indeed sometimes called a ’rope knot’.’

’But wait, isn’t the Taotie Technique a Mutation of the stomach? How could it involve the intestines?’

’Or could it be that because the Yang God Realm Cultivator was on the verge of death, the Mutation gradually spread throughout his entire body?’

’Abi Hell has probably covered the entire gastrointestinal tract.’

The snake-man didn’t hold back, explaining, "Once we reach the Forbidden Soldier Hall, we’ll know how to get out."

Ren Qing nodded and asked, "I’m Ren Qing. And you?"

"Lin Cheng."

Lin Cheng lowered his guard a little.

The Prison Guards were closing in. He quickly said, "We’ll each take on one Prison Guard. Once one of us is free..."

"That won’t be necessary."

In his peripheral vision, Ren Qing saw a Cultivator from the Blood Dog Gang transform into a leopard and enter the Rope Knot Cave at extreme speed. He was now mostly convinced of what Lin Cheng had said.

He drew his blade and charged straight at the Prison Guards.

In the brief moment Lin Cheng was still pondering a countermeasure, the problem had already been solved.

’Huh?’

Lin Cheng frowned and turned, only to see Ren Qing already far in the distance, clearly having had no intention of cooperating with him.

It was then that he noticed the Prison Guards were now corpses, and his expression filled with disbelief.

Ren Qing had no interest in Lin Cheng’s Snake Shedding Technique, nor did he have time to play bodyguard. His priority was getting through the Rope Knot Cave.

He strode into the cave.

The benefits of being a Wolf-footed Man became fully apparent; no matter how fast his legs pumped, his stamina showed no sign of depleting.

’A Wolf-footed Man might not be as fast as a Leopard-footed or as strong as an Elephant-footed, but sometimes, shoring up your weaknesses is what matters most.’

The ape-like Prison Guard could only manage to not be left too far behind, letting out continuous howls of impotent rage.

Ren Qing had thought the Rope Knot Cave would just be a bit smelly at worst.

But as he ventured deeper, he noticed the walls of flesh and blood had begun to seep a dark red liquid, and the acrid stench in the air grew more and more pungent.

His clothes began to SIZZLE, and he could feel them gradually dissolving.

Fortunately, a Skin Refiner’s resistance to corrosion was extremely high, and his eyes were protected by his Double Pupils.

However, when Ren Qing breathed, he felt a burning sensation in his windpipe, and the tip of his tongue tasted rust.

He spotted the Cultivator who had turned into a leopard lying in a puddle not far ahead, his flesh and blood melting away like hot wax.

"Save me..."

Seeing Ren Qing approach, his eyes filled with hope. Driven by a powerful will to survive, he actually managed to crawl toward him.

Ren Qing bent down and placed his palm on the man. The Information Flow appeared.

Unfortunately, the man only had one Magic Technique, the Divine Sutra, and he had even acquired that by consuming a Mysterious Object.

"Save me..."

"You’re beyond saving."

Without hesitation, Ren Qing put him out of his misery and continued running forward.

In the few breaths of time he had been delayed, the Prison Guard had closed much of the distance between them.

The worst part was that the acidic gas inside the Rope Knot Cave was becoming horrifyingly corrosive, feeling as if it could seep in from anywhere.

Ren Qing couldn’t help but gasp for air, a dull ache throbbing in his lungs.

The cloth shoes on his feet had long since vanished, and his clothes were not in much better shape.

Ren Qing quickly swallowed a dozen pig eyeballs, using the resulting warmth from their digestion to nourish his wounds and prevent them from slowing him down.

However, the muddy terrain of the Rope Knot Cave was difficult to traverse, and his speed naturally dropped.

The ape-like Prison Guard, however, moved as if on solid ground.

Moreover, it was gradually becoming more clever and had begun to use the terrain to its advantage.

Ren Qing had no choice but to use his fists to repel the ape-like Prison Guard. His Great Miao Blade would surely be damaged in this environment, so he kept it sheathed.

By the time Ren Qing reached the end of the Rope Knot Cave, his breathing had become coarse and heavy.

He noticed the area outside the cave was shrouded in a blood-red mist, making it impossible to distinguish anything.

After a few breaths of hesitation, Ren Qing stepped out of the Rope Knot Cave. The acidic air around him finally dissipated.

He coughed violently a few times, spitting a mixture of saliva and blood onto the ground. His internal organs, however, felt much better for it.

The ape-like Prison Guard stood at the mouth of the Rope Knot Cave, too afraid to approach. Its expression then returned to a state of calm, and its body melted back into the wall of flesh.

A fine, unending drizzle formed from the blood-mist began to fall.

Ren Qing had a feeling that Abi Hell was on the verge of collapse, even though the Information Flow showed he still had over two hundred years of Lifespan.

He wiped the bloody water from his face, feeling slightly nauseated.

No wonder Song Zongwu had said that no Forbidden Guard enjoyed staying in the Forbidden Soldier Hall. The place was truly hellish.

He carefully observed his surroundings and discovered the area was still filled with a large number of Prison Cells.

The Prison Cells were empty, but they showed clear signs of having been occupied.

The other Cultivators had yet to arrive, and there was no sign of any Forbidden Guards. There were no clues about the promised way out.

Ren Qing activated his Double Pupils and took a few steps forward, trying to discern anything unusual about the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

His expression immediately turned to one of utter shock.

He saw a rib bone, a thousand meters long, piercing through the wall of flesh, with fresh blood gushing from the wound.

’It was this rib bone that was preventing the wound from healing, leading to the formation of the blood mist.’

’But to bring a Yang God Realm being to the brink of death, there must be more than just this one injury. A wound to the stomach alone shouldn’t be life-threatening to such an entity.’

’Ren Qing instantly understood how to get out of the Forbidden Soldier Hall. The wound itself was the path to the outside world.’

’There shouldn’t be any more danger here in the Forbidden Soldier Hall, since it’s under the jurisdiction of the Forbidden Guards.’

But he didn’t head for the exit. Instead, he sat down cross-legged, his mind still on the Magic Techniques possessed by the other Cultivators.

Several full hours passed before a figure finally emerged from the Rope Knot Cave into the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

It was the Horned Cultivator Ren Qing had seen outside the Forbidden Soldier Hall.

He was now covered in a thick layer of Bone Armor. His walking speed was incredibly slow, but he had managed to endure and reach the Forbidden Soldier Hall thanks to his defense.

The Horned Cultivator’s hands were covered in a bloody pulp, and he was crudely stuffing something into his mouth to recover his spent energy.

Ren Qing watched with great interest.

’This Bone Armor must be a Magic Technique.’