In Qi Ping's perception, there was a force within this inheritance ruin that surpassed the Nascent Soul level. It might even be stronger than the two Deity Transformation cultivators he had seen before.
Thus, he surmised that the ruin likely contained an inheritance that would allow a bee swarm to evolve to the Deity Transformation stage or even higher.
To ensure he obtained the inheritance with a hundred percent certainty, Qi Ping decided to let Sister Nan, who possessed the Great Spirit Insect King Physique, acquire it through the normal channels.
"Sister Nan, use the token and go in!" Qi Ping said.
"What about you?" she asked, puzzled.
She knew the token only allowed one person through. She had thought he just wanted her as a witness; she hadn't expected him to let her take the inheritance.
She spoke again: "Why don't you go? If there's anything useful, you can just give it to me later!"
She realized the inheritance was likely precious and would be very useful to him. She preferred that he take it.
Although she felt a slight desire for it, she was more willing to give it to him.
After all, she only lived and had awakened her physique because of his help. She was satisfied with her current life. She had many bees producing honey to earn spirit stones, she had battle insects, and she had already personally killed her former enemies.
She had no strong desires left. After a lifetime of wandering and fear, a peaceful life of farming and beekeeping was enough.
If she had any lingering obsession, it was to cultivate hard so she wouldn't fall too far behind him.
"This inheritance was likely left specifically for a Great Spirit Insect King Physique. If I force my way in, it might result in the destruction of the legacy..."
Faced with her suggestion, Qi Ping shook his head. If she took it, it was essentially the same as him taking it.
He then smiled suddenly:
"But don't worry, I'll be coming in with you."
As he spoke, his figure slowly faded into the void...
Watching him vanish, her eyes went wide. She could no longer sense any trace of his aura or presence.
"Qi, where did you go?" she called out.
Instinct told her he hadn't left.
"Sister Nan, just open the inheritance and go. I'm right beside you. The ruin won't detect me."
"You... you really have quite the repertoire! Fine, I'm going in!"
Reassured, she no longer hesitated and activated the token. A mysterious spatial tunnel appeared. She glanced around once and stepped through...
The moment she entered, the tunnel vanished.
Qi Ping, of course, stayed right beside her.
With his status as the Lord of the Azure Heaven Region, such a feat was well within his grasp.
When she reappeared, she was inside a secret spatial realm.
"I'm beside you. Head straight for the inheritance grounds!" Qi Ping's voice echoed in her mind.
"Alright!"
Knowing he was there, she felt at ease and flew toward the grounds, a route she seemed somewhat familiar with.
During this, Qi Ping observed the small secret realm.
'So this is a secret realm?'
In all his time as a cultivator, this was his first time attempting to claim an inheritance from within such a space.
Sensing the somewhat desolate realm, a look of disappointment crossed his eyes.
It was too impoverished. There was hardly any spiritual energy!
It was nothing like the legends of places overflowing with spiritual energy and treasures.
'The rules of such a realm are simply too incomplete. Without the maintenance of a powerful cultivator, the spiritual veins aren't enough to sustain its operation.'
Before entering, he had considered turning this realm into a secret base.
But after sensing it, he abandoned that thought.
First, this realm was connected to the Azure Heaven Region, and its laws were affected by it. The spatial coordinates weren't particularly hidden; a powerful cultivator could find this place if they looked.
Moreover, because the laws and energy were incomplete, one couldn't even set up powerful arrays.
Not only was it not hidden, but his own combat power would even be diminished here.
'I'll wait until I'm strong enough to build a realm that can truly hide its coordinates.'
According to his data, building such a realm required one to be at the Void Refinement stage—above Deity Transformation—and have a certain level of research into spatial laws.
From that perspective, the Beast God Sect of old had indeed been quite impressive.
'I'll come back to study this later. There's some value if I want to research how to create secret realms!'
After traveling for a while, they soon reached an immortal manor radiating a vast pressure.
Compared to the poverty of the rest of the realm, this place was distinctly different.
The entire manor was actually a peerless Dharma Treasure!
Inscribed upon the manor and its treasures were unique Royal-level demon insect marks. The lowest among them were similar to the Royal Heavenly Phoenix Cicada!
Some of the marks radiated pressure comparable to the Deity Transformation stage!
And the one at the very center, an insect he didn't recognize, actually radiated pressure beyond Deity Transformation!
'Incredible. It's painted with the blood of an insect beyond the Deity Transformation stage. Quite the masterpiece!'
Qi Ping estimated that if this terrifying pressure were fully unleashed, it could leave Nascent Soul or even Deity Transformation cultivators gasping for breath.
No wonder he had felt a premonition when he considered forcing his way in.
Curiously, Sister Nan seemed to feel none of it. Instead, the marks on her face began to pulse with mysterious power. Qi Ping, however, had to exert more power to neutralize the pressure and remain hidden.
After entering the manor, they soon reached the first inheritance site, which required no trials.
There, he saw a very familiar manual:
[Spirit Beast Cultivation: Demon Insect Chapter]
The subsequent trials held no surprises. With her physique, Sister Nan faced almost no obstacles and reached the final inheritance site quickly.
Originally, there were supposed to be various tests, but due to the passage of time and the lack of spiritual energy, the manor's spirit had not activated them. They reached the final location with almost no effort.
There, Qi Ping saw three items resting upon a mysterious altar:
The Insect Scripture.
The Supreme Insect God Manual.
And a demon insect corpse that had been sealed for countless ages...