Ren Qing's figure disappeared into the clouds.
Through successive probing attacks, he had already completely clarified the reality of the Rabbit-Toad cultivators, but in his heart, he became even more wary of the Blood Moon.
Thunderlight flickered.
Mysterious Palace Moon subconsciously raised his head to look at the thunderclouds, yet saw that Ren Qing had already vanished, and even the clouds began to gradually disperse.
The ghost shadow shifted from illusory to solid, suddenly erupting with thunderlight, directly turning the limb at Mysterious Palace Moon's side into charred rotten flesh.
Mysterious Palace Moon felt pain and immediately shifted his target to the ghost shadow.
Flesh demonized, and the formed tide of demonic beasts surged toward the ghost shadow, while the main body continuously swallowed demonic qi like a whale, his cultivation actually still skyrocketing.
As the ghost shadow wheeled and darted about, it covered within a hundred meters with thick thunderclouds.
The city walls of Wuwei City were crowded with cultivators. Their gazes burned as they stared at the battlefield where smoke dispersed, not daring even to make the sound of breathing.
Li Yaoyang and the others wore worried expressions. After all, in their view, Ren Qing had newly advanced to the Yang Spirit realm, his cultivation not yet completely stabilized.
Although the current situation held the upper hand, it might suddenly reverse.
Gale winds howled.
The ghost shadow deliberately sold a flaw.
Mysterious Palace Moon hurriedly pursued the ghost shadow, but before he could approach, he discovered that what remained in place was merely a lifelike illusion.
The ghost shadow traveled through shadows, arriving behind Mysterious Palace Moon. Its body instantly solidified, transforming into Ren Qing within just a few breaths.
The terrifying pressure brought by Ren Qing was like substance, Yellow Springs aura surging beneath his feet.
He still maintained a half-man, half-dragon form, stepping before Mysterious Palace Moon, causing the earth to faintly tremble.
Mysterious Palace Moon revealed fear, his pupils reflecting Ren Qing's figure.
Ren Qing executed Dragon Roar Within the Casket, both feet sinking into the soil.
"No, no, no, no..."
Mysterious Palace Moon's throat produced clacking strange sounds, only feeling that the flesh of his body no longer obeyed him, actually beginning to gradually collapse.
Flesh and bones were enlightened into pseudo-dragons. The pseudo-dragons drilled deep into his body, wantonly destroying.
His body and soul could not help but tremble. He attempted to absorb demonic qi to stop the loss of control, but it was already futile. He could only stand waiting for death.
The Four-Headed Heavenly Dao Insect manifested within Ren Qing's shadow. Nether Yuan gushed from its mouth like surging waves, causing remnant souls to continuously form.
Around Mysterious Palace Moon, there were tens of thousands of remnant souls encircling him.
He screamed in terror, clearly his intelligence already affected by Nether Yuan.
Ren Qing sized up the Rabbit-Toad cultivator with heavy pupils, unleashing thunder to destroy the gathered demonic qi. Demonic beasts could not approach within a hundred meters.
Mysterious Palace Moon's main body struggled to crawl out from the piled flesh, not noticing at all that shadows had already covered his entire body.
The ghost shadow forcibly dug out the Broken Moon Meteor embedded in his abdomen.
Mysterious Palace Moon reached out, wanting to grasp toward the Blood Moon in the sky, but as the Broken Moon Meteor was lost, his vitality was draining away.
Ren Qing walked toward Mysterious Palace Moon, grabbed Mysterious Palace Moon's corpse, and threw it into Wuwei City.
The corpse landed precisely before Xiao San'er, the eyes that refused to close no longer containing ruthlessness, only bloodshot whites filling them.
Xiao San'er understood Ren Qing's meaning. The urgent task was still blood-refining Wuwei City.
He immediately began preparations. Yin Difference realm cultivators all lowered themselves to assist from the side.
The remaining cultivators also did not rest, transporting materials to repair Wuwei City's damage, so as not to affect the artifact spirit consciousness advancing to the Ghost Envoy realm.
The walls of Wuwei City were covered with marks caused by thunder aftermath.
Ren Qing was fortunate he had not directly transformed into a coiled dragon. Even though dragon spine possession could easily dragonize, with his current control over Yang Spirit realm techniques, he might very well have damaged Wuwei City.
Moreover, Rabbit-Toad cultivators were not something that could be eliminated purely by relentless attack.
Ren Qing glanced outside the city, then walked toward his own courtyard.
After Li Tiangang approached, he could not help softly asking, "Ren Qing, how are Song Zongwu and the other two? No need to go support them?"
Ren Qing shook his head and replied, "It won't be long before they return. After all... Rabbit-Toad cultivators can hardly be considered Demon Immortals."
He rubbed the Broken Moon Meteor in his palm, information flow gathering before his eyes.
A tool refined by the Taiyin method, containing a wisp of remnant soul. With the aid of the Broken Moon Meteor, Rabbit-Toads can be born. After ingestion, one will gradually mutate toward a Rabbit-Toad.
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes. It seemed his estimation was correct. The Blood Moon indeed was a large-scale magical artifact, and the existence of Rabbit-Toad cultivators was similar to artifact spirits.
The Facing-the-Moon Method mastered by Rabbit-Toad cultivators might be a special artifact-refining method.
However, the Facing-the-Moon Method was not an artifact-refining method, but was used by Rabbit-Toad cultivators in refining and nourishing their own artifact bodies, considered a technique cultivated by artifact spirits.
The primary material of the Broken Moon Meteor was certainly souls.
However, Ren Qing had doubts. After a complete soul underwent erosion by demonic qi, it could be divided into dozens of portions, thereby mass-producing Broken Moon Meteors.
The weakness of Rabbit-Toad cultivators lay in the Broken Moon Meteor embedded in their bodies.
Although they would certainly use various methods to protect the Broken Moon Meteor, once Song Zongwu and the other two clarified the situation, it would not be difficult to deal with them.
If Ren Qing faced Mysterious Palace Moon again, the latter likely would not survive two exchanges.
Of course, Rabbit-Toad cultivators could be mass-produced. If not for the Blood Moon being heavily damaged by the Buddhist sect, Jingzhou would only have fallen faster.
Rice grains like mountains, water droplets like lakes.
Crawling insects seemed as if a thousand zhang long, bodies submerged in clouds.
Wu Qingyue smiled as she looked at Great Dream True Person. She vaguely sensed on his shoulder the unique aura of the Facing-the-Moon Method.
It indicated her technique had already taken effect. So long as Great Dream True Person dared approach her, the petrification of his shoulder would intensify.
Wu Qingyue patiently waited, yet the petrification still appeared and disappeared faintly. The patience in her heart was gradually worn away.
She could not help but grow flustered, but heard Great Dream True Person coldly say, "So Rabbit-Toad techniques are this interesting."
"What..."
"Have you ever dreamed?"
Wu Qingyue froze in place. Inexplicable fear made it hard for her to breathe.
"Dreams are layered. The deeper into the dream, the slower the flow of time."
"You should still remember the things seen in dreams. The first layer of dream is flower, the second layer of dream is bird, the third layer of dream is lamp, the fourth layer of dream is fire... now you are in the eighteenth layer."
While Wu Qingyue was still excited because the other party was gradually petrifying to death, Great Dream True Person had already pulled her into the eighteenth layer of dream.
Only then did she realize that in each layer of dream, so long as one noticed certain objects, one would proceed to a deeper layer of dream.
"What is the eighteenth layer of dream..."
"One breath, a thousand years."
Wu Qingyue covered her head with both hands, collapsing as she muttered, "How is that possible?"
Great Dream True Person twisted, calmly muttering, "I once comprehended the Dream Butterfly Method in the eighteenth layer of dream, and by this escaped the dream."
"And the so-called Dream Butterfly Method is..."
He spoke endlessly of the contents of the Dream Butterfly Method. Wu Qingyue treated it as a treasure, forcibly memorizing the incomparably profound technique.
"In a great dream, who first awakens? All my life, I know it myself."
Great Dream True Person returned to the outside world. His shoulder indeed had severe petrification, already spreading to his chest and abdomen.
However, he did not care, only gazing at the Rabbit-Toad cultivator.
In merely two breaths, Wu Qingyue's skin became dry and slack, her eyes yellowed, her hair turning snow-white at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This divine ability was named "Year After Year Like a Dream."
Although dreams cannot strip lifespan, the soul enduring loneliness year after year will also cause lifespan to gradually wither.
Great Dream True Person removed the Broken Moon Meteor from Wu Qingyue's chest. The corpse immediately turned to debris, and the petrification on his shoulder disappeared accordingly.
"What a pity."
It was unknown whether Great Dream True Person lamented that the corpse could not undergo blood-refinement, or lamented that Wu Qingyue had not gained sudden enlightenment from the Dream Butterfly Method.
He looked toward Song Zongwu in the distance who was causing considerable commotion, his gaze somewhat playful.
Song Zongwu awkwardly dodged Tumu Yue's hammer-like fists. His skin was already bruised purple, and there was a taste of rust in his mouth.
Tumu Yue's size had surged to over twenty meters. With a wave of his hand, mountains and stones shattered.
"Human flesh, human flesh, human flesh..."
Song Zongwu felt somewhat stifled. This monster could not be beaten to death and would absorb demonic qi to strengthen itself. It was truly too difficult to handle.
Song Zongwu simply closed his six eyes, relying on sharp senses to face the enemy. As he wheeled and dodged, his movement technique became increasingly at ease.
He then saw through the thick rock a bright point within Tumu Yue's body.
"So that's how it is..."
Song Zongwu remained unmoving, four arms behind his back, two arms striking like violent wind and torrential rain.
His skin was torn open, the scent of blood stimulating Tumu Yue's appetite. The frequency of attacks became increasingly terrifying.
Yet what Tumu Yue did not expect was that his arm did not withdraw smoothly.
Song Zongwu precisely grasped Tumu Yue's wrist. The other four arms simply gathered force, using fingers as spears, instantly striking out.
Bang, bang, bang, bang...
He retreated several meters, could not help rubbing his sore neck.
"It's simply not a physique that living beings should have. Why does it feel like striking iron and stone?"
Tumu Yue subconsciously walked toward Song Zongwu, but his strength was continuously disappearing. Finally, his vision went completely black.
The corpse immediately fell to the ground.
Song Zongwu sized up the Broken Moon Meteor and casually handed it to the approaching Great Dream True Person.
"Let's go back first. Who knows whether Ren Qing can protect Wuwei City."
Great Dream True Person was not worried. Ren Qing's cultivation might be slightly inferior to the two of them, but regarding life-preserving ability, he far exceeded imagination.
Moreover, if truly impossible, they could take the Restraint Officer cultivators and abandon Wuwei City to flee.
Song Zongwu dug out Tumu Yue's corpse buried in碎石, then impatiently hurried toward Wuwei City's location.
When they approached Wuwei City, they discovered the ground covered in charred black.
The two looked at each other in confusion. Could it be that Ren Qing's Heavenly Dao method from the Spirit Division stage actually primarily cultivated thunder?
And its power seemed somewhat terrifying.
Within Wuwei City, blood-refinement had already begun. Drops of blood rain drifted down. It was clearly felt that the Half-Corpse realm aura was becoming stronger.
Bulges rose at the bases of the four city walls, as if something was about to be born.
Song Zongwu hurriedly grabbed the corpse and jumped into Wuwei City.
Great Dream True Person gazed faintly at the Blood Moon. He did not know whether it was his illusion, but he felt the moonlight had become somewhat glaring.
The black spots on the surface of the Blood Moon were spreading.
Not only the waning moon layer, even the Heavenly Demon aura of the remnant moon layer could not be suppressed.
Within merely half a day, Heavenly Demonized aberrations descended upon the remnant moon layer one after another. Even the wind blowing carried a fishy stench.
Marshland, outside the Longevity Forbidden Zone.
The Tree Seedling at the well mouth grew. Its complex branches resembled meridians within the human body. The front sides of the leaves were uniformly facing Jingzhou.