Coffin Dissolution, Garment Dissolution Complete

Two days later.

Deep underground, all was silent. The blood coffin sat in the darkness.

Its lid lay half-open. The corpse within had already shriveled into a dry husk, its skin covered in spiderweb-like cracks. The places that should have held flesh and blood had long since been filled with yellow mud.

Its manner of death was exactly the same as Sun Zu's at Wish-Fulfillment Abbey, far away.

The forty Black Rat Dao Children gathered around it suddenly raised their heads and crowded closer to the coffin.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Yellow mud spewed from the corpse's mouth and nose, sending dust flying everywhere.

Ren Qing abruptly woke. As he slowly sat up, his bones gave off faint crackles, yet his body rapidly became full and plump once more.

"Thanks to Sun Zu, Garment Dissolution went even more smoothly than the previous three Corpse Dissolutions."

Ren Qing had now mastered over ninety percent of his divine consciousness. His awareness of the Mud Pellet Palace had become clear, while certain minute flaws within and without his body had vanished.

He carefully recalled the process of Garment Dissolution and rebirth, faintly sensing that, right at the beginning, a hidden strand of divine consciousness had nearly detected his location.

Fortunately, that divine consciousness had vanished in a flash and failed to discover the temporary cave abode.

"I can't underestimate those unorthodox cultivators. Even if they haven't become immortals, some of their lineages are always skilled in wielding divine consciousness. I nearly capsized in the gutter."

After a rough calculation, Ren Qing found that Garment Dissolution had taken even less time than he had imagined.

"As long as I emerge from seclusion before the prefect arrives, the Immortal Ascension Assembly shouldn't affect this poor Daoist. What do the grudges between the Immortal Ascension Sect and the imperial court have to do with this poor Daoist?"

Through the Black Rat Dao Children outside, Ren Qing sensed that the yamen had nearly ground to a halt.

Nearly half the constables had died unexpectedly, while the rest were all in fear for their lives. No bailiffs patrolled the streets anymore. The city had yet to descend into chaos purely because of the Immortal Ascension Sect's lingering shockwaves—even the troublemakers did not dare stir up trouble.

"Mouse Divine General, seal the coffin."

The moment Ren Qing finished speaking, the Black Rat Dao Children shut the lid. Then they raised stones and hammered the rivets without pause. Before long, the coffin was sealed tight without the slightest crack.

Not long after the lid was sealed, the sound of flesh tearing came from within.

Then thick blood began to seep through the seams.

Crack, crack, crack.

The rivets bulged outward, on the verge of coming loose.

Seeing this, the Black Rat Dao Children hammered the rivets even more frantically. The dry stones shattered, but it was still useless. It seemed the lid would be thrown open before long.

At the same time, dull thuds rang out from inside, shaking fine dust down from the ceiling of the cave abode.

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

The Black Rat Dao Children anxiously called to one another. Realizing they could not suppress the blood coffin alone, they unanimously left the temporary cave abode.

A moment later, they dragged back a colossal creature, accompanied by several hundred mother frogs.

Frog Immortal Lord had already entered hibernation. Its body had swollen another great deal since before, now rivaling the stone lions before the gates of wealthy households.

Croak.

Frog Immortal Lord instinctively sensed the immortal master's aura. It forced its sleepy eyes open to narrow slits, then crawled onto the blood coffin in utter terror.

If it displeased the immortal master, it might not even know how it died.

The coffin lid was instantly pressed down so firmly that even the ground sank slightly with it.

The Black Rat Dao Children collapsed in exhaustion. Yet fearing another mishap, they kept their eyes wide open even while resting, ready to rush forward at any moment.

Fortunately, Coffin Dissolution passed without danger, though it took two days longer than Garment Dissolution.

The entire seclusion had lasted six days.

Almost at the very instant Ren Qing returned from death to life, the coffin began to rot away bit by bit. The wood could no longer bear the strain, and the rivets were covered in rust.

As if possessed, Frog Immortal Lord woke up once more. Its overwhelming will to survive took over, and it instinctively left the coffin to avoid accidentally hurting the petty-minded immortal master.

Croak.

Finally... alive.

Frog Immortal Lord fell asleep again, a faint smile lingering at the corner of its mouth.

"The Daoist scriptures were right. Those who die yet do not perish shall enjoy long life."

Ren Qing rose in high spirits and immediately checked the situation in the city. Upon discovering that the prefect had not arrived, he could not help letting out a long breath of stale air.

The instant he used his divine consciousness, he noticed something wrong with himself.

More precisely—

For the first time since ascending to the immortal realm, he could completely sense the Mud Pellet Palace.

Ren Qing focused inward, his gaze settling upon the depths of the Mud Pellet Palace.

The first thing he saw was his own utterly ordinary soul.

Perhaps Primordial Spirit was the more appropriate name.

The Primordial Spirit wore a robe of azure, its face lean and refined. It resembled his appearance in this life by seventy or eighty percent, yet its brows and features also faintly carried twenty or thirty percent of the outline of his previous life.

Aside from his Primordial Spirit, he could no longer be called "utterly unremarkable."

The phenomenon accompanying Ren Qing's projected divine sense also existed within his Niwan Palace; more precisely, it had formed entirely around the Primordial Spirit as its center.

A sun and moon hung high in the sky.

The sun wheel radiated gentle golden light, while the moon wheel flowed with clear silver radiance, the two reflecting each other in splendor.

Below lay a boundless sea of clouds. From time to time, rosy light pierced the cloud layers, faintly revealing ranges upon ranges of lofty mountains—some towering and upright, others winding and rolling.

Magnificent pavilions and towers were scattered across the mountaintops, with upturned eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters. They exuded an ancient, solemn Daoist charm, as though they were immortal dwellings.

The sound of the Great Dao was chanting, though its words could not be heard clearly.

Only after observing for a long while did Ren Qing confirm that the scene within the Niwan Palace was merely a phenomenon caused by the Primordial Spirit.

In truth, the phenomenon was changing almost constantly. So long as one of his thoughts affected the Primordial Spirit, the phenomenon within the Niwan Palace would undergo subtle changes.

"In other words, if this poor daoist's Primordial Spirit were to leave his body now..."

"Wouldn't the phenomenon shake heaven and earth?"

Ren Qing shook his head helplessly. It seemed he had to be especially careful. Should his body be destroyed, his Primordial Spirit would have no way to flee—and his style was far too different from those unorthodox, crooked paths.

He withdrew his consciousness and carefully inspected whether his body had changed.

"The Great Dao is within reach."

"The six faculties are pure, unstained by defilement; the body is flawless, and its Dao nature is perfectly luminous."

Ren Qing murmured with feeling. He could sense that every organ in his body was in a flawless, perfect state.

"Leakless and immaculate. Once the sevenfold Escape Corpse Liberation is complete, this fleshly body will likely undergo another rebirth of creation. It may even truly nurture an immortal body."

A pleased expression appeared on Ren Qing's face as he swept his gaze over the Black Rat Dao Children gathered nearby.

"Disciples, rest for a while. We'll return to the cave dwelling once you've recovered your spirits."

The Black Rat Dao Children danced with delight at his words, squeaking their replies one after another.

Ren Qing did not leave immediately. His divine sense discreetly swept over the ground. It was already afternoon.

Winter sunlight slanted into the alleyways, coating the peeling, mottled walls in a warm yellow glow.

The stove in the neighboring residence crackled away, wisps of blue smoke drifting lazily from its chimney. Children played and scuffled in the courtyard while the adults hurriedly shouted for them to stop.

Ren Qing seemed to have returned to the mortal world, gazing comfortably up at the sky.

"The Imperial Court Scroll benefited too?"

Only then did he realize that the Imperial Court Scroll had become more solid. With a slight communication through his divine sense, he discovered that the Vapor-Feeding Immortal Art could now accommodate other kinds of heaven-and-earth qi.

He looked around, and his gaze inadvertently fell upon the dry latrine again.

Ren Qing shuddered.

"Since rosy light is more than sufficient for attack, then I might as well choose... cloud qi."

He bent down and returned through the hidden passage to the cave dwelling beneath the well, then raised his eyes and swallowed toward the outside of the well.

Strands of cloud qi entered the Imperial Court Scroll, adding a trace of pure white to the scroll and blending with the rosy light.

"Hm?"

The Imperial Court Scroll still had not reached its limit; it could yet contain another type of heaven-and-earth qi.

Moreover, an inexplicable transformation was about to occur in his middle dantian.