Ren Qing withdrew his gaze and glanced at the continuously trembling Lin Cheng on his shoulder.
Lin Cheng barely maintained consciousness as he said: "Brother Ren, the rib might be the token for entering and exiting the Restraint Officers' Hall. Don't forget it."
"Let's get out first."
Lin Cheng didn't respond, having fainted after the reminder.
Ren Qing sighed.
Saving Lin Cheng's life would only benefit him.
With Restraint Officers constantly scheming against each other, having more allies was always good.
Fine wolf hair grew on his legs as his speed increased again while reducing stamina consumption.
As Ren Qing approached the rib, the blood rain intensified to torrential levels, making it hard to keep his eyes open.
Fortunately, the blood wasn't corrosive, otherwise it would mean certain death.
Memorizing the direction, Ren Qing sprinted toward the destination while Lin Cheng hovered near death.
Upon reaching the rib's base, Ren Qing surveyed the surroundings and realized the Restraint Officers' Hall's vast scale.
Who knew where they stored the Supernatural Remnants?
Drawing his great miaodao, Ren Qing struck forcefully, sparks flying as a white mark appeared on the rib's surface.
He sighed in relief, the rib wasn't as tough as imagined, further proving the Yang God Realm cultivator's near-death state.
After several strikes, Ren Qing obtained two thumb-sized fragments.
The rib's gap visibly regenerated as the surrounding flesh walls trembled slightly before calming.
Examining the bone chips, Ren Qing found their properties peculiar, they turned to powder when touching each other.
He placed one chip in Lin Cheng's clothes and stored the other in his abnormal stomach before following the rib toward the Hall's gap.
The journey proved uneventful, and Ren Qing soon reached the gap's boundary.
Looking outward, he saw a mountain-sized heart beating extremely slowly.
The dark red heart's connecting vessels pumped ink-black blood, a condition only seen in corpses.
Frowning, Ren Qing noticed no other organs, perhaps due to limited visibility.
At the wound site, Ren Qing first sent Lin Cheng through.
Lin Cheng vanished into thin air.
Apparently the stomach wall completely isolated the outside world, making Avici Hell a small world formed by techniques.
Ren Qing had already decided, once he accumulated enough lifespan, he'd advance the Taotie Method.
As for the newly acquired Bone Armor Technique, if he could decipher its cultivation method, he might attempt an autonomous Half-Corpse breakthrough.
Glancing back at the Restraint Officers' Hall, Ren Qing stepped through the stomach wall's rupture.
Dizziness overwhelmed him as his blood flow accelerated severalfold.
Regaining his senses, he saw the familiar artificial rocks, though the wooden door had disappeared.
Greedily inhaling pure air, Ren Qing felt his body and soul cleansed.
Lin Cheng lay unconscious nearby, his breathing barely detectable.
As Ren Qing approached, Zhang Qiu suddenly appeared.
Looking anxious, Zhang Qiu fed Lin Cheng several blood-red pills while patting his back.
Fearful of blame, Ren Qing explained: "Lin Cheng's injuries came from a cultivator named Sun Yishan, whom I killed."
"I wouldn't repay kindness with resentment."
"Thank you."
Zhang Qiu carried Lin Cheng away and vanished.
Shaking his head, Ren Qing prepared to return to the Corpse Burners' Hall when he noticed his blood-drenched, disheveled appearance.
Walking through the yamen like this would get him arrested within a hundred steps.
Finding a secluded spot, he changed into spare clothes from his abnormal stomach before proceeding.
Back at the Corpse Burners' Hall, even Xiao Wu hadn't noticed his absence, after all, less than a day had passed.
Entering his room, Ren Qing found Song Zongwu meditating inside.
Song Zongwu's four arms formed mudras while chanting scriptures, muscles exercising rhythmically.
Though full of questions, Ren Qing waited patiently with tea until nightfall when Song Zongwu finally opened his eyes, smiling.
"You're faster than I expected."
Ren Qing hesitated to speak, had Song Zongwu explained things earlier, he might've returned in time for lunch.
"Senior Song, am I now a reserve?"
"Hmm? I forgot to remind you about obtaining the bone key. Go back to the Restraint Officers' Hall, second time's easier."
Ren Qing's mouth twitched as he produced a bone chip from his abnormal mouth.
Song Zongwu nodded: "This is indeed the bone key."
"Feeding it blood for over ten breaths creates a portal to the Restraint Officers' Hall, single use only."
"Requires blood nourishment every five days or it crumbles to dust."
Ren Qing cut his palm, the bone key hungrily absorbed blood before being stored again.
Song Zongwu said gravely: "Ask what you will."
"What exactly is the Restraint Officers' Hall...?"
"The Hall exists within a Yang God Realm powerhouse's body. His soul dispersed mysteriously, leaving his body barely alive."
After pausing, Song Zongwu continued: "The Taotie Method's Secondary Stomach shares origins with the Hall, its potential is immeasurable."
"Yang God Realm Secondary Stomachs are called Avici Hell. That cultivator was known as Ksitigarbha..."
Changing topics, Ren Qing asked: "Senior Song, I encountered a dog-faced monster in the Hall, is it related to Supernatural Remnants?"
"You met the Corpse Dog too?"
Looking surprised, Song Zongwu explained the Hall's history.
The Restraint Officers' Hall's founder remained unknown.
Likely someone accidentally entered Avici Hell, as Ksitigarbha's location was undiscovered.
After centuries, Avici Hell barely maintained stability.
Throughout, Restraint Officers sought Ksitigarbha fruitlessly.
Ren Qing's scalp tingled: "Can we approximate the range at least?"
"Since bone keys work throughout Xiangxiang, he's presumably somewhere there."
Ren Qing knew little about Xiangxiang, most commoners never even left their cities.
He only knew that it referred to the Sanxiang City-centered region.
Noticing Ren Qing's confusion, Song Zongwu added: "After getting your reserve token, you can check maps in the Hall's secret archives, they also contain forbidden zone records."
To minimize forbidden zones' impact, the yamen restricted information to Restraint Officers.
"As for the Corpse Dog, it relates to a technique called 'Summoning Spirits Art.'"
"We... once attempted to resurrect Ksitigarbha..."