Qi Ping left the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range and reassumed the appearance of the Bee Daoist.
For this excursion, the items he carried were remarkably simple:
Eighty percent of his King-Grade demonic insects—the Netherworld Bees and Sky-Flame Bees.
The Rank 4 Little Stone Spirit and its Rank 4 spiritual artifact, the Sin-Burning Sword.
Pre-prepared formation foundations and various materials for array deployment.
And finally, honey for the restoration of spiritual energy and soul power.
Beyond these, Qi Ping brought nothing else. This battle was one of life and death, its outcome uncertain. There was no point in carrying unnecessary baggage; if he truly died, it would be a waste of resources.
After verifying his preparations, he began the final layout.
Currently, Qi Ping had discovered four of Supreme Grand Elder Ling Qianjue's hidden arrangements beneath the Qingtian Domain.
The first was that complex and massive array that continuously siphoned the power of the leylines. This was Ling Qianjue's most formidable and ambitious project.
Vast amounts of leyline power had already gathered at various points within this array. If this power were siphoned and consumed, the Qingtian Domain would undoubtedly suffer a devastating blow. However, if this energy were returned to the earth—returning the accumulation of several millennia in a single surge—the leylines of the domain would experience a magnificent boom!
At the same time, this was an opportunity for the Earth-Vein Ants.
Because of their symbiotic relationship with the earth, if the ants assisted this massive surge of leyline power to break through its original shackles in its optimal state, the Qingtian Domain might actually turn this misfortune into a blessing. The power of the land could soar past its limits!
If this leap were achieved, the rank of the Earth-Vein Ants would inevitably follow suit. They might even break through to Rank 4!
Should the domain's ceiling and the ants both reach the Fourth Rank, the Qingtian Domain would not only grow stronger, but more importantly, Qi Ping's control over the land would skyrocket!
In that scenario, with the two factors combined, Qi Ping was certain his combat power would exceed all imagination! This was the crucial strategic layout that would determine if he had the certainty to defeat Ling Qianjue!
The remaining two locations were similar to the Geo-Fire Salamanders. They were tribes trapped by arrays and infested with Parasitic Blood Seeds, facing the same plight.
The tribes at these two locations were the Obsidian-Crystal Pangolins and the Verdant-Cloud Newts. Within these tribes were three and two Rank 3 spirit beasts respectively—one earth-attribute and one water-attribute. They resided in a spiritual subterranean wetland and a cave rich in the power of heavy earth.
Combined with the Geo-Fire Salamanders, these three tribes represented the strongest creatures beneath the Qingtian Domain.
Since these spirit beasts had reached the Third Rank on their own, their talent and potential were formidable. If Qi Ping could save them and obtain the Power of Living Beings from them, the benefits would be immense. They would become the key pillars in his development of the subterranean world.
'But how can I save all four locations simultaneously?'
This was the greatest problem Qi Ping currently faced.
Touching any single location would immediately alert Supreme Grand Elder Ling Qianjue. If the old man sensed danger, he might immediately harvest the results. Qi Ping couldn't be sure from what distance Ling Qianjue could trigger the Parasitic Blood Seeds; if the seeds devoured the essence of these tribes instantly, Qi Ping would be unable to reverse the tragedy.
While losing them wouldn't affect the final battle directly, it would be a significant blow to the Qingtian Domain. Nurturing tribes with such talent and combat power was no simple task. Furthermore, obtaining the Power of Living Beings from great spirit beast tribes was difficult; without making a fundamental change in their fate, it was impossible to earn it.
'My Treant clone can handle one location. The Earth-Vein Ants can trigger the disruption arrays I laid out in advance, which—with some of my assistance—can handle the great leyline array. I can personally handle a third location...'
'That makes three. But there is no way to simultaneously deal with the fourth.'
Only Qi Ping's main body or his Treant clone could handle the Parasitic Blood Seeds on those tribes. Neither the Little Stone Spirit nor the King-Grade bees possessed that specific capability.
After racking his brain, Qi Ping could find no solution.
'It seems it must be left to fate. Whether the final location can be saved depends on the heavens!'
Having determined there was no perfect way, Qi Ping excluded the Geo-Fire Salamanders—the location furthest from the Qingyuan Sect—from the first wave of rescues. Once the other three locations were secured, his main body could move to intercept Ling Qianjue, buying time for his Treant clone to handle the final site.
With the basic strategy set, Qi Ping assigned the two locations furthest from the Supreme Grand Elder—which were also closest to each other—to his Treant clone: the Geo-Fire Salamanders and the Verdant-Cloud Newts. Then, he made his final preparations.
Before initiating the operation, Qi Ping used Natural Perception to deduce his initial response and combat plan, as well as the time required. He eventually received a result of: "Moderately Auspicious with Hidden Calamity."
A sliver of auspicious clouds hid a certain level of danger.
Fortunately, the overall trend was favorable. Regarding the rescue of these four locations, Qi Ping had a high probability of success.
With this result, Qi Ping felt fundamentally at ease. As for the outcome of the final battle against Ling Qianjue, Natural Perception could not yet discern a detailed result; that would likely only be possible shortly before the combat began.
But this was enough for Qi Ping.
Then, he immediately went into action. One interception array after another was rapidly deployed to block Ling Qianjue's path!
Six days later, after a period of intense setup, Qi Ping had established severance and destruction arrays at every key location.
He placed the most emphasis on the arrays designed to destroy the leyline-siphoning formation, as that location would have a pivotal impact on the upcoming battle.
"It is finally set!"
Once the preliminary preparations were complete, Qi Ping finally let out a silent sigh of relief.
In recent days, he had felt the warnings from heaven and earth growing stronger, prompting him to accelerate his pace. Fortunately, the deployment was finished!
"Then, let it begin!"
Qingtian Domain, Qingyuan Sect.
Inside the cave dwelling of Supreme Grand Elder Ling Qianjue, the old man reached into a cage and grabbed a late-stage Rank 3 Silver-Winged Spirit Tiger.
As Ling Qianjue performed his spiritual arts, the tiger—covered in bizarre, blood-colored vines—began to roar and scream frantically. Its body twisted in irregular, horrifying contortions.
Amidst the shrill cries, the Silver-Winged Spirit Tiger's body began to wither. Its flesh, spiritual energy, demon core, and even the energy within its soul were devoured alive by the vines. Not even its emotions—its terror and agony—were spared; everything was siphoned away!
In this state of endless struggle, everything the tiger possessed was absorbed. It was reduced to an empty husk of residue, leaving behind only a single, bizarrely pulsating blood-colored vine.
However, even the vine withered quickly. All its essence converged toward the center, eventually transforming into a writhing fruit that seemed to possess a sinister life of its own.
the Parasitic Blood Seed had matured!
Upon obtaining this bizarre fruit, a twisted, manic smile appeared on Ling Qianjue's normally calm face. A Nascent Soul radiating both blood-red and black light flew out from his body, and without hesitation, it swallowed the fruit in a single gulp!
After devouring the fruit, the face of Ling Qianjue's Nascent Soul began to distort. A manic, chaotic grin surfaced on the infant's features!
Roughly half a day later, the fruit was completely digested by the Nascent Soul.
Ling Qianjue did not stop there. One by one, he dragged new living beings from his secret cages to be consumed!
Among them were swarms of Foundation Establishment spirit beasts, Golden Core-level beasts, and even human cultivators of the Golden Core realm!
There were even genius human cultivators! They ranged from Qi Refinement to Golden Core!
Some were still alive; others were already dead.
If anyone familiar with the history of the Qingyuan Sect's geniuses were to look at them, they would discover that from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, nearly all of them were the most talented disciples the sect had produced over the last several thousand years!
Some had long since been refined into Essence Fruits and stored away; others were being devoured and refined alive at this very moment.
"No, no, no!"
"You will die a wretched death!"
They glared with their last remnants of consciousness at the Supreme Grand Elder they had once revered, cursing him.
They had once been bestowed with precious spiritual items, techniques, and cultivation insights by this elder. They had believed they were destined to soar to the heavens! They never expected they were being infested by Ling Qianjue, their lives no longer their own.
Today, they had officially become his fodder!
As some watched the most gifted disciples of the Qingyuan Sect being swallowed one by one, their mental state shattered. Their despair and terror reached a peak in that moment!
Who could have imagined that the strongest and most respected Supreme Grand Elder of the Qingyuan Sect was actually using the entire sect as fodder for his own cultivation?
The terrifying accumulation of geniuses over thousands of years—the vast majority of them were here!
No, it wasn't just those from the Qingyuan Sect. There were geniuses from various great clans, infants with extraordinary talent, and even Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators from the Celestial Alliance. All of them had become Ling Qianjue's fuel!
Ling Qianjue merely offered a faint smile at the glares of his living disciples. He had intentionally arranged for them to watch him consume their fellow disciples.
'Rage! Despair! Regret!'
'Let all these extreme emotions manifest at once!'
All of this would transform into the power of will when he broke through to the Deity Transformation stage!
The path to Deity Transformation was as difficult as climbing to the heavens! Especially in a barren place like the Qingtian Domain, there simply weren't enough resources to support the emergence of a Deity Transformation cultivator. In fact, let alone Deity Transformation, even the Nascent Soul realm was a struggle.
But leaving the Qingtian Domain was also a dead end.
In this cultivation world where resources were scarce, the materials required for Deity Transformation were incredibly precious. Even if they existed elsewhere, they weren't something a cultivator who hadn't reached that level could compete for. Even Deity Transformation cultivators might not be able to secure them for themselves!
The moment Ling Qianjue dared to step out of the Qingtian Domain to vie for resources, he would lose the protection of the domain's laws. It wouldn't be long before he became someone else's blood food!
This was the true impasse!
With no way to search for resources abroad, Ling Qianjue could only place his hopes within the Qingtian Domain!
But the Qingtian Domain didn't even have a single Rank 4 spiritual vein. Where were the resources for Deity Transformation?
Just as Ling Qianjue thought his hopes were lost, he discovered a demonic manual called the Prajna True Scripture and a blood-path technique called the Parasitic Blood Seeds! Through these, he saw a glimmer of hope!
Thus, the most brilliant and youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the history of the Qingtian Domain began a path of madness!
After cultivating the Qingyuan Sect's supreme manual, the Supreme Longevity Scripture, to completion, he began to collect various blood-path and demonic manuals.
Naturally, Ling Qianjue did not fully trust the Prajna True Scripture or the Parasitic Blood Seeds. He knew such techniques would have hidden pitfalls. Thus, he chose to comprehend ten thousand methods to create a technique of his own!
Heaven rewards the diligent. Several millennia ago, as his lifespan reached its limit, Ling Qianjue finally created the Blood-Demon Longevity Scripture, a culmination of ten thousand techniques!
Using this manual, Ling Qianjue began to plunder the Dao-fruits of others. He successfully broke the limits of his lifespan, becoming the undying myth of the Qingtian Domain!
From that point on, he began a plan for Deity Transformation that spanned thousands of years!
In those millennia, whether they were spirit beasts, humans, or even trees—regardless of whether their cultivation was high or low—Ling Qianjue plotted to turn them all into his reserve fodder.
His Blood-Demon Longevity Scripture could refine anything—talent, flesh essence, or spiritual energy!
But even that was not enough. He had to nurture higher quality energy suited for himself. Thus, he modified the Parasitic Blood Seeds and began to actively spend resources to nurture those he had infested!
This action successfully turned resources that were no longer effective for him into high-quality Parasitic Blood Seeds. The Essence Fruits born after maturity were the most powerful and exquisite sources of power for him!
But even this was still not enough!
Beyond the essence of living beings, the leylines and spiritual veins of the entire Qingtian Domain had to become the backup power for his breakthrough!
Thus, Ling Qianjue began to study formations, siphoning the heaven-earth power of the Qingtian Domain. Through this, he became a Rank 4 Formation Master!
Finally, the time had come. Ling Qianjue, having accumulated and plotted for millennia, finally sensed the opportunity for breakthrough!
"I, Ling Qianjue, am the peerless genius of the Qingtian Domain throughout the ages. My only regret is being born into this Age of Dharma Decline, where spiritual energy is withered!"
"But how can such an impasse block my path? What does it matter if resources are scarce and the outside world is cut off? This time, I shall transform from mortal to god and shatter the shackles of this immortal domain!"
With this resolve, Ling Qianjue began to frantically devour and refine the results of his thousands of years of labor. The Nascent Soul within his body began to swell at an incredible rate!
An aura belonging to a Deity Transformation expert gradually began to surface upon that manic, bizarre Nascent Soul...