While Ren Qing climbed upward, preparations involving the Forbidden Corpse were also underway inside the Stomach World. Large numbers of cultivators bustled back and forth in constant activity.
Li Yaoyang had already successfully emerged from seclusion. His body transformed into a swarm of insects that covered the Forbidden Corpse, helping guide the yin energy within its flesh to be gradually absorbed.
He had become the second newly-born Yang God Realm cultivator in the Hall of Restraint Officers after Li Tiangang.
The divine ability nurtured by Li Yaoyang was called "Born at Dawn, Dead by Dusk."
A single drop of blood within his body would transform into a "Mayfly." As long as the Mayfly did not die, even if his body was reduced to ashes, he could fully recover.
If the Mayfly died, Li Yaoyang could still survive for one more day.
Regardless of what methods he used to preserve his life, once that single day was exhausted, his soul would scatter completely.
For Li Yaoyang, who possessed six natal gu worms within his body,
the Mayfly allowed him to fully unleash the power of his natal gu worms and also made his own body a better breeding ground for cultivating all kinds of gu insects.
Han Li had likewise broken through to the Yin Difference Realm, and the mutation covering the surface of his skin was clearly visible.
His skin had turned lime-gray, with smoke and dust constantly seeping from it. Whenever it encountered moisture, the surrounding air immediately became distorted by intense heat.
Aside from that, the entire Hall of Restraint Officers had gained twelve new Yin Difference Realm cultivators, over two hundred Ghost Envoy cultivators, and countless Half-Corpse cultivators.
Like an ant colony, they worked tirelessly to fuse yin energy with the Forbidden Corpse as much as possible.
Ren Qing had not informed them that the Forbidden Corpse would be used to summon the Corpse Immortal.
He had only instructed the Hall of Restraint Officers to push the Forbidden Corpse as close as possible toward becoming a zombie body.
Li Tiangang kept urging everyone onward.
Through the turtle demon, he had discovered something.
The more thoroughly the Forbidden Corpse underwent corpse transformation, the more terrifying the displayed hexagram became, indicating hidden danger.
Li Tiangang could only secretly feel fortunate that Ren Qing's mental state had always been stable and that his personality was cautious and careful, never recklessly pursuing opportunities.
What he didn't know was that this time Ren Qing was planning something huge.
At this moment, Ren Qing had already reached the waist of the Three Bodhis. He rubbed his itchy nose and continued rapidly climbing toward the heads at the top.
Suddenly, countless fleshly tentacles extended endlessly, trying to seize Ren Qing.
"Let me eat you. We can become Buddhas together..."
Ren Qing merely glanced at it from the corner of his eye. Seeing that it was another indescribable malformed creature, he severed the tentacles and simply ignored it.
There were far too many monsters like this within the Three Bodhis. Killing them all was impossible.
What he wanted more was for All-Beings Buddha to continue producing large numbers of fine-wool lambs. They would be perfect for expanding the Hall of Restraint Officers.
Unfortunately, after Ghost Shadow had collected nearly ten thousand sheep, All-Beings Buddha stopped wasting effort on it.
All kinds of mutated monks surrounded him, some even fighting one another to protect Ren Qing.
It was not because the mutated monks had suddenly become kind-hearted.
Rather, it stemmed from their reverence toward the evil Buddha, to the point where they would willingly sacrifice their own lives.
What concerned Ren Qing most was that these mutated monks were fundamentally constructed from Secret Transmission Buddhist qi.
Their bodies and souls had already collapsed completely.
They possessed no value whatsoever.
Killing intent boiled within Ren Qing's heart.
If the Secret Transmission Buddhist Sect were truly allowed to grow unchecked, it was difficult to imagine what territories ruled by evil Buddhas would become like.
Every living thing would likely turn into some indescribable abomination.
Aside from the Supreme Heavenly Demon, no other faction would be interested in the Secret Transmission Buddhist Sect.
After all, there were no meaningful benefits to gain.
Ren Qing understood that the Nameless Ascetic knew of the Hall of Restraint Officers' existence and had secretly acted against Song Zongwu.
He was a potential threat, so Ren Qing stopped holding back.
The Method of Modeling Heaven and Earth was pushed to its limit.
Both of his arms fused with seven mountain peaks each, bringing the strength of his zombie body to its utmost limit. Every movement released brilliant Buddhist qi.
The mutated monks were utterly incapable of matching Ren Qing.
Blood immediately rained from the sky.
"Hehehehehe..."
"Laughing Lion Buddha Child, you're getting closer and closer to becoming a Secret Transmission Buddha. Don't stop. This is your destiny. You can't escape your destiny of becoming a Buddha."
All-Beings Buddha emerged from the abdomen of a surviving mutated monk, laughing madly as though witnessing Ren Qing ascend the Lotus Throne of Skulls.
Ren Qing grunted.
Cracking sounds came from the Calculus Golden Core, indicating that the Buddhist qi it was sealing had already reached its limit.
Though his pace did not slow, signs of mutation had clearly begun appearing on his body.
A faint stinging sensation emerged beneath his armpits.
Malformed arms were growing there, ready to tear through flesh and emerge at any moment.
Just how twisted a mindset was required to create Secret Transmission Buddhist techniques?
Do you wish to advance to Ghost Envoy Realm? This will consume twenty years of lifespan.
Ren Qing felt somewhat pained.
He had originally not planned to spend lifespan advancing the Pratyekabuddha Martial Body. After all, he had no real use for this martial path.
Now, however, it was unavoidable.
He could only grit his teeth and confirm.
Once lifespan reached a certain quantity, every single year became exceedingly precious.
Losing ten years out of more than four thousand did not seem obvious.
Yet the pea-sized Calculus Golden Core within his dantian began swelling and growing while simultaneously devouring the Calculus Disease Seed.
The Secret Transmission Buddhist qi within Ren Qing's body was instantly absorbed by the Calculus Golden Core.
The arm that had been about to emerge was strangled before it could even be born.
The face of the Void Buddha appeared within the wind as he shouted resentfully,
"You shouldn't... you shouldn't be human. He told me... you shouldn't be human."
The cultivation of the Void Body involved the soul itself, seemingly resulting in the Void Buddha possessing little intelligence.
He could only rage helplessly around Ren Qing.
Ren Qing seized the opportunity to continue climbing.
The Forbidden Corpse within the Stomach World had already transformed into a zombie, and the Corpse Core from the Land of Bones had been successfully separated.
The Void Buddha stirred Buddhist qi and sent it surging toward Ren Qing, forcing it into his body through every pore.
Cracking sounds echoed throughout Ren Qing's body.
Mutation was on the verge of erupting immediately.
Seeing this, the Void Buddha burst into delighted laughter.
"We're all the same. Secret Transmission Buddhas transcend human form..."
"That's right. Laughing Lion Buddha Child, accept the infusion of Buddhist qi and become part of us."
All-Beings Buddha tempted Ren Qing from the side, eager to witness him transform into a monster.
A faint vibration came from the summit above.
Do you wish to advance to Yin Difference Realm? This will consume one hundred years of lifespan.
Not only did Ren Qing not become angry, he laughed.
He continued advancing the Pratyekabuddha Martial Body.
Fortunately, the abilities of this martial path were relatively simple, resulting in a modest lifespan cost.
Even so, those hundred years would still require him at least ten days or more to recover.
The Calculus Golden Core abruptly expanded several times over.
Like rivers flowing into the sea, it absorbed every trace of Secret Transmission Buddhist qi, giving it no opportunity to contaminate Ren Qing.
The two evil Buddhas released unwilling roars.
Ren Qing's complete lack of harm filled them with fury.
Ren Qing then stepped onto the shoulder of the statue.
He could already clearly see the three heads and the gray-black brains exposed within their open skulls.
Two of the brains continuously emitted impacts from within.
The true bodies of the evil Buddhas were imprisoned inside.
The Void Buddha was pillar-shaped, with thousands of faces attached to its surface. Its cultivation level was equivalent to the Yang God Realm Ascension Ladder.
All-Beings Buddha was formed from countless intertwined human bodies.
The elderly bodies decayed into rot while new infants were continuously born.
The final brain, however, was completely empty.
It was obviously reserved for the next evil Buddha.
After arriving at the summit of the Three Bodhis, All-Beings Buddha and the Void Buddha no longer dared approach him.
Even the disturbances from their true bodies became noticeably subdued.
Ren Qing looked around.
There was no trace of Song Zongwu whatsoever.
His heart sank, he had already prepared to activate Walk Among Mortals.
But at that moment, the statue suddenly spoke.
"Are you looking for me?"
The stone covering the statue's surface peeled away, revealing a bleeding body beneath.
It resembled a flayed corpse and was deeply unsettling.
At some unknown point, six heads had appeared in its outstretched palm.
The heads sat atop a Lotus Throne of Skulls.
Blood continued flowing from the severed necks, and the crimson glow within their six eyes had already dimmed considerably.
Ren Qing thought to himself, It really is Song Zongwu...
Why was Song Zongwu reduced to only six heads?
What exactly had happened during this period?
He immediately summoned the Information Stream of the statue.
Yet it still displayed the information of the Three Bodhis.
This meant that the statue's animation was merely a method for a soul to descend.
Seeing this, Ren Qing actually became calmer.
His Spirit Division remained prepared to activate Walk Among Mortals at any moment.
The statue gradually became more lifelike, transforming into an ordinary elderly monk.
His expression was peaceful and serene, completely devoid of any trace of evil.
Yet it was precisely this man who had founded the Secret Transmission Buddhist Sect.
The Nameless Ascetic examined Ren Qing with a smile.
His voice, however, was chilling.
"Zong Qing, it seems you recognize me?"
"What exactly is the Secret Transmission Buddhist Sect?"
Ren Qing did not answer directly.
For a being of the Nameless Ascetic's level, any careless word could reveal clues.
"Of course it's a method to escape the Buddhist fruit positions. Do you really want to become part of the Buddha Diagram?"
Like a patient elder offering guidance, the Nameless Ascetic explained his views on Buddhist techniques.
In his opinion, fruit positions still had their merits.
He extended an arm and placed the Lotus Throne of Skulls beside Ren Qing.
The heads upon it continuously muttered the word "Tathagata."
"As long as you consume this Buddha Fruit, you'll obtain a Secret Transmission Fruit Position."
"And what benefit does that bring you?"
The Nameless Ascetic explained,
"After devouring all ten Buddha Bodies, I can use them to achieve Bodhisattvahood."
"Of course, the greater the number of Buddha Bodies, the stronger the cultivation. When the Secret Transmission Buddhas reach five in number, all of you will advance to Arhat. With ten, you'll barely touch the level of Bodhisattva."
The Nameless Ascetic spoke calmly.
"Either you devour me and become a Bodhisattva, or I devour you and become a Bodhisattva..."
"The process isn't important. The result is what matters."
A chill ran down Ren Qing's spine.
Because the Nameless Ascetic was not lying.
He could clearly sense the obsessive fixation hidden within the man's heart.
The Nameless Ascetic continued,
"Eat the Buddha Fruit and escape the destiny imposed by Buddhism. Zong Qing, what do you think?"
Ren Qing stepped before the heads and summoned their Information Streams.
[Song Zongwu]
[Age: 3,561]
[Lifespan: None]
[Technique: Immovable Scripture
Created by Sitting-Deer Arhat. Only a Buddha Child recognized by Sitting-Deer Buddhist qi can cultivate it.]
Ren Qing swept the Information Stream across all six heads.
Every head displayed Song Zongwu.
However, their ages differed.
One of the youngest heads, besides possessing the Immovable Scripture, also knew the Asura Dharma and the Truth-Listening Technique...
Suppressing the fear within his heart, Ren Qing could not help but ask,
"May I ask this Buddha's name?"
The Nameless Ascetic placed the six heads before Ren Qing.
"I've long forgotten my mortal name. I vaguely remember that my surname was Song..."
Ren Qing subconsciously picked up the final Song Zongwu head.
"The Buddha Fruit contains a remnant soul. If you cannot resist it, you won't be able to become one of the Ten Buddha Bodies."
"Go on. Eat it, Zong Qing."