Ren Qing's speed naturally far surpassed any ordinary cultivators. In mere moments, he caught up and ran alongside the other person.
Only then did he recognize this person, the nephew of Restraint Officer Zhang Qiu whom he'd seen before, though now looking rather disheveled.
His entire body was covered in wounds, with one arm hanging limply at his side.
The snake-person said grimly: "Ren Qing, we've had no past grievances nor recent conflicts. Why must you pursue me so relentlessly?"
Seeing the terrain gradually narrow, he gritted his teeth and stopped.
The jailers slowed slightly, approaching from other angles, showing their intelligence had grown considerably over time.
The snake-person watched Ren Qing warily as the latter also halted.
"I see we've left the prison area. Should we continue deeper?"
Ren Qing gripped his sword hilt while surveying their surroundings, feeling like they were in an underground tunnel.
The walls pulsed with living blood vessels, and the ground felt soft underfoot.
Though an enclosed space, a dark cave emitting faint green putrid smoke could be seen in the distance.
Realizing Ren Qing wasn't hostile and remembering they'd both been brought here by Restraint Officers, the snake-person relaxed his tone:
"Actually, we haven't reached the Restraint Officers' Hall yet. Only after passing through the 'Knot Cave' will we arrive."
"Knot Cave..."
Ren Qing paused slightly.
Being familiar with Butcher Zhang, he'd heard folk names for internal organs.
The small intestine was indeed colloquially called "knot."
But the Taotie Method involved stomach mutations, why would intestines be involved?
Unless that Yang God Realm cultivator's mutations had spread throughout his body as he neared death.
Avici Hell likely now covered the entire digestive tract.
The snake-person, Lin Cheng, withheld nothing further: "After reaching the Restraint Officers' Hall, we'll learn how to leave."
Ren Qing nodded: "I'm Ren Qing. And you?"
"Lin Cheng."
Lin Cheng lowered his guard somewhat.
As jailers approached, he hurriedly said: "We'll each handle one jailer. Once free..."
"No need."
Spotting a Blood Dog Gang cultivator in leopard form darting into the Knot Cave, Ren Qing mostly believed Lin Cheng's explanation.
He drew his blade and charged the jailers.
By the time Lin Cheng contemplated tactics, the threats had been eliminated.
Huh?
Frowning, Lin Cheng turned to see Ren Qing already far ahead, having never intended to cooperate.
Only then did he notice the dead jailers, his face filled with disbelief.
Uninterested in Lin Cheng's Snake Molting Method and unwilling to play bodyguard, Ren Qing pressed on toward the Knot Cave.
Entering the cave, Wolf-Footed's advantages became apparent, no matter how fast his legs moved, his stamina showed no signs of depletion.
While Wolf-Footed couldn't match Leopard-Footed's speed nor Elephant-Footed's strength, sometimes compensating for weaknesses mattered the most.
The ape jailer could only avoid being left behind, howling impotently.
Ren Qing had assumed the Knot Cave would just smell bad.
But deeper in, he noticed black-red blood oozing from the fleshy walls, the acidic stench growing unbearable.
His clothes sizzled, gradually dissolving.
Fortunately, Leather Refiner provided strong corrosion resistance, and his double pupils offered protection.
However, breathing burned his trachea, his tongue tasting metallic.
A leopard-form cultivator lay in a nearby pool, flesh melting like heated wax.
"Save me..."
Seeing Ren Qing approach, hope flashed in his eyes as he weakly crawled forward.
Ren Qing crouched and touched him, activating the information stream.
Unfortunately, the man only knew the Divine Leg Sutra, and through consuming a Supernatural Remnant.
"Save me..."
"You're beyond saving."
Ren Qing mercifully ended him and continued.
Those few seconds let the jailer gain ground.
Worse, the cave's acidity intensified unbearably, permeating everywhere.
Gasping painfully, Ren Qing felt his lungs burn.
His cloth shoes had dissolved, his clothes faring little better.
Swallowing a dozen pig eyes, he used digestive heat to nourish his injuries and maintain speed.
But the muddy cave floor slowed him naturally.
The ape jailer, however, moved unimpeded.
Growing smarter, it leveraged the terrain.
Ren Qing could only repel it with punches, unwilling to risk damaging his blade in these conditions.
Reaching the cave's end left Ren Qing breathing heavily.
Blood mist obscured everything beyond.
Hesitating briefly, Ren Qing stepped out, the acid finally dissipating.
Violent coughs brought up bloody phlegm, but relieved his aching organs.
The ape jailer stopped at the cave mouth, too afraid to follow before merging back into the walls.
A blood-mist drizzle fell.
Ren Qing sensed Avici Hell nearing collapse, despite its 200+ remaining years.
Wiping some bloody water from his face, he felt slightly nauseated.
No wonder Song Zongwu said no Restraint Officer liked staying here, this place truly felt underworldly.
Nearby, countless empty prison cells showed signs of past occupation.
No other cultivators or Restraint Officers had arrived yet, with no clues about the promised exit.
Activating his double pupils, Ren Qing took several steps forward, seeking anomalies.
Then his expression froze in shock.
A kilometer-long rib bone pierced the fleshy walls, blood gushing from the wound.
This unhealed injury created the blood mist.
But a Yang God Realm cultivator wouldn't near death from just this, stomach wounds weren't fatal.
Ren Qing suddenly understood the exit, that very wound led outside.
The Restraint Officers' Hall itself should be safe, being under Restraint Officer jurisdiction.
But instead of leaving, he sat cross-legged, still eyeing those cultivators' techniques.
Hours passed before the next arrival, the bull-horned cultivator from earlier.
Now covered in thick bone armor, his slow progress had succeeded through sheer defense.
His right hand held a human leg, which he devoured ravenously to recover strength.
Ren Qing watched with interest.
That bone armor must be another technique...