Ren Qing watched as this opossum's body rapidly expanded before his eyes.
Its fur shed, appearance growing increasingly humanoid, though ultimately remaining half-human half-rat with bestial claws for hands and feet.
The rat-man Wang San'er charged at Ren Qing, but his expression showed no murderous intent, only overwhelming fear.
Frowning, Ren Qing swung his blade to decapitate Wang San'er.
The emaciated man in the cell immediately expired, his corpse absorbed by Avici Hell itself as if never existing.
Expressionless, Ren Qing scanned his surroundings before turning to leave.
Yet the moment he disappeared around the corner, a flying knife embedded itself in the shadowy corner behind the vessel bars.
Squeaks erupted.
The hidden opossum pressed against the wall, emitting continuous pleading sounds.
Under Wang San'er's terrified gaze, Ren Qing severed the vessel bars with his great miaodao and entered the cell.
Wang San'er was scared witless. To form human speech, his opossum avatar gradually took on a human shape.
But rodent features became even more pronounced, nearly indistinguishable from a true rat.
Prostrating himself, Wang San'er kowtowed desperately while begging: "A great man doesn't recall small men's offenses... spare me..."
Resting his blade against Wang San'er's neck, Ren Qing asked curiously: "Explain your technique's functions."
"Huh?"
Wang San'er froze momentarily before neck pain registered, blood slowly trickling.
He hurriedly answered: "Sir, this technique is useless! It just creates rat avatars from my flesh to barely survive."
"Can your soul transfer between avatars?"
Ren Qing deduced the Rat Plague Art's purpose, using rat bodies as decoys, with irreversible mutation as side effects.
If soul possession were possible, it'd be an exceptional technique.
Wang San'er looked bewildered: "What soul...?"
"Avatars operate independently?"
"Yes, sir."
"I see. Rat Plague Art transfers memories to avatars, the survivor becomes a different self."
Wang San'er couldn't comprehend Ren Qing's words. His beady eyes darted beyond the cell, seemingly awaiting something.
"How do Restraint Officers select reserves?"
Wang San'er replied: "Sir, simply exiting the Restraint Officers' Hall qualifies one."
Casually, Ren Qing asked: "Then how does one leave?"
Avoiding the question, Wang San'er obfuscated: "Sir, I'm quite familiar with the Hall. This place is..."
His tone remained reverent while subtly distancing himself from the blade.
As Wang San'er moved, heavy footsteps approached again.
Two jailers had resurrected, charging toward Ren Qing's cell.
Cunning flashed in Wang San'er's eyes as he nimbly dodged the blade, suddenly biting at Ren Qing's arm.
His front teeth nearly connected, even Ghost Envoy Realm cultivators would be paralyzed by his rat venom.
Whoosh!!!
Wang San'er suddenly felt his head lighten, as if something cold had flashed past.
By the time he realized, his head already rolled across the floor, expression frozen in disbelief.
Ren Qing turned, blade raised.
The two jailers burst into the cell, their bodies noticeably enlarged and auras intensified.
But with Wang San'er's death, the spherical jailer merged back into the walls.
Only the ape jailer remained, doggedly attacking Ren Qing.
Ignoring it, Ren Qing focused on Wang San'er's corpse, unsurprisingly, a Supernatural Remnant formed.
Cotton-like sludge squirmed with countless scurrying rat shapes.
Still observing the Remnant, Ren Qing instinctively dodged the ape's swipe.
Since Restraint Officers conducted selections here, Avici Hell must handle postmortem Supernatural Remnants.
Moments later, a gaping maw materialized around the Remnant.
A half-meter tongue lashed out, binding the struggling Remnant before dragging it into the fleshy walls.
Damn, Restraint Officers were farming Supernatural Remnants here!
Casually severing the ape's arm, Ren Qing's mouth twitched.
Using a Yang God Realm's Avici Hell to contain Supernatural Remnants... weren't they afraid posthumous forbidden zones would wreak havoc?
How many Remnants had accumulated over centuries...?
Yet Ren Qing recognized the logic.
While forbidden zones consuming Remnants grew more terrifying, Yang God Realm zones might remain unaffected.
Rain affects ponds and rivers, but cannot budge oceans with their unfathomable depths.
Moreover, Restraint Officers likely had methods to extract Remnants, possibly requiring access to specific Avici Hell locations.
"But... does Avici Hell's eeriness stem from mastering multiple techniques?"
The maw swallowed the Remnant.
Ren Qing remained impassive. Upon discerning Wang San'er's possession mechanics, he'd already lost interest in his Rat Plague Art.
Those opossums were merely memory backups.
Even thirty years of lifespan would give pause, let alone a year's cost for Half-Corpse Realm Remnants.
ROAR!!!
The ape jailer stomped furiously, skin flushing crimson, fur standing on end.
Ren Qing refocused, disdainfully eyeing the ape.
Despite Avici Hell's resurrection ability, the jailer's power barely increased, posing little threat.
A swing.
The ape became a pile of chunks.
Exiting the cell, Ren Qing explored further.
Song Zongwu had revealed nothing.
Currently, Ren Qing only knew escaping Avici Hell qualified one as a reserve, the method remained unclear.
He'd find another cultivator for information.
And perhaps... scout suitable techniques...
Navigating corridors, Ren Qing soon spotted jailer trails via his double pupils, clearly chasing someone nearby.
Following the traces, combat sounds grew louder.
Initially planning to gain trust through rescue, the resurrected ape jailer gave relentless pursuit.
Ahead, the cultivator grew suspicious, to him, Ren Qing seemed to be deliberately leading enemies his way.
Gritting his teeth, he took a jailer's blow to redirect into a side passage, attempting to shake Ren Qing.
Ren Qing accelerated.
Hostile then? Let's see your technique.
Their frantic chase entered new Avici Hell regions, flesh grown more deformed, interspersed with massive skeletal fragments.